For many guests, a great experience with cruise lines is defined in great part by its food. There may be dozens of restaurants on board, but cruise ship chefs only have a restricted set of ingredients to work with. There’s no way they can nip to the store to get that special extra.

But does this mean that a standard menu floats about every day? This may have been (partly) true on the early cruise ships, but chefs on board are very innovative these days. Menus are constructed well ahead of time, and to keep it interesting, there’s something new every day.

Basics such as breads and sauces may not change around too much, but the main elements will definitely be switched up. It keeps guests eager to see what’s on the menu for the day, and also keeps chefs on their toes to serve up delicious meals that are different at every service.

The pantry available to chefs is not small, so the key lies in knowing a variety of dishes using the same ingredients. So with the same chief ingredients, you could either cook up a cider-glazed pork loin with fennel coulis or a milk-braised loin of pork with fennel and cabbage.

Bread is versatile enough to make crumbs for vegetable toppings to pan puddings. Cheese is equally helpful. If you’ve got chicken, bread and pears at your disposal, you could make an orange-glazed chicken with pears and parmesan toast or a pear bread pudding and curried chicken with pears with basically the same ingredients.

Using sweet potato, pork and oranges, you could have a custard with rum-marinated oranges and a caramelised pork with sweet potato or orange pork and broccoli stir-fry and a spiced sweet potato cake with custard sauce.

Being a cruise ship chef doesn’t mean making boring dishes. It means you can use your creativity to whip up a variety of dishes that will blow your guests away. While these decisions are generally taken by the top echelons of the cruise line, it helps to know your options and keep your creativity going all through your cruise ship career.

Working on cruise lines is as hectic as a job can get. Cruise ship chefs literally live at the office. On board, the hours are long and work is often tiring – imagine feeding as many as 3,000 people or more three meals a day, every day for the duration of your contract!

But there’s always time off, and it depends how you would like to use it. When the ship is sailing, time off work is spent engaging in activities that come to be known as ‘cruise life’ or ‘ship life’. Most crew have three to five hours to themselves every day to do as they please. This excludes the time spent sleeping.

It’s in the belly of the cruise line that memories with colleagues are made when the ship is sailing. Each cruise ship generally has two decks reserved for those who work on board. In the upper crew deck, there’s a mess or dining room where everyone eats. Many cruise ship chefs enjoy time in the game room where there are a host of games such as football and ping pong, and even board games.

Some ships open the cruise Gift Shop to crew members at certain hours where you can buy things at special discounted crew rates. You could also catch up on shopping for necessities such as toothpaste, snacks and even cheap beer. There’s a pool where you can relax or sunbathe and even a 24-hour gym to keep fit, all available to crew free of charge. The crew lounge is where the fun happens with crew events such as karaoke and dances. However, it is important to note that all companies are very strict regarding responsible conduct while on board, and you are expected to turn up for duty on time.

To keep their crew happy, cruise lines often appoint a crew officer who looks after the well-being of everyone under his or her care, organises training programmes, crew changes and quality control. Ships also elect a welfare committee that organises entertainment especially for those working on board, such as movie screenings, games, crew parties, and even friendlies. Some cruise lines even hand out an activity calendar that lists all the events scheduled in solely for crew during each cruise.

While in port, cruise ship chefs can get out and about like many of their other colleagues, based on their work schedule. Many like to make calls to loved ones over the cheaper land-based internet, or go shopping for folks back home if they are due to leave soon. Some go on local tours, relax at a beach nearby depending on the port, or take in the local culture and food by visiting pubs and restaurants.

It offers one of the perks of working on board a traveling hotel – where cruise ship chefs can visit exotic countries as part of their jobs. It is expected of crew to be responsible and report back to the ship well before departure – generally an hour before cast off.

In land-based jobs it’s easy enough to know what time you will start work, when you will end and how many hours off you have. Cruise ship jobs might be a little different in this regard since you are not always stationary and often sail across different time zones throughout your contract.

Cruise ship chefs must always know what time it is since guests will arrive promptly for meals and you can’t have them waiting! Time zones have more of an effect if the cruise line is sailing from east to west or vice versa, rather than north to south. But long distances, over a few days, will definitely call for adjusting clocks, whichever way you’re headed.

On board, it is the duty of the vessel’s navigator officer (or first officer) to calculate the time of sunrise and sunset every day and hand the information over to the cruise director and information deck. This information is then relayed across crew and passengers accordingly.

Generally, it is up to the captain to decide whether the cruise ship runs on ‘ship time’ or local time in port. Different cruise lines have varying regulations. The Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been known to follow the time of their home port and generally follow this through the entire voyage. If you are working with a ship like this, you will not have to worry about changing time zones, except during free time in port.

On Norwegian cruise ships, the time changes according to the port they are going to, so clocks on board will change accordingly. While sailing, captains generally keep to the same time zone to avoid confusion about work, meals and service. When in port, everyone is notified of any time changes.

As a crew member you will receive information about the timings of your shifts and it is your responsibility to ensure you adhere to these timings. It’s best to clear any doubts with your manager as soon as possible to avoid confusion.

Cruise ship chefs lead a complex life – they must make food that looks good and tastes good from a variety of ingredients available to them on board. Most guests would like to taste a little bit of everything but also not feel hungry even after they’ve eaten.

It’s important to try and incorporate dishes that will give them energy to sustain themselves through the hundreds of activities on board and in port without feeling like they haven’t eaten at all. One key to main meals is to ensure they are balanced – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Proteins like fish, poultry and meat keep stomachs full and can sustain even the very active guest comfortably. For those with dietary restrictions, beans and legumes are healthy and equally filling substitutes.

Nori or seaweed is known to make people feel fuller after a meal and less likely to indulge in between, so Japanese dishes such as sushi incorporating this wonder food can help slow down binge eating. Potatoes – baked, steamed and boiled – are healthy alternatives to fries and chips that keep the stomach happy.

To make soups and salads more filling, add some chia seeds to bulk up the fibre and protein content. They are so versatile they make a delicious addition to breakfast cereals, vegetable and rice dishes, or even as toppings for smoothies, yogurts, sauces, drinks and baked items.

Another wonder food that can help guests curb hunger pangs is avocado. From the dipping sauce alongside nachos or salad additions or even as a vegetarian or low-calorie substitute for mayonnaise in burgers, avocados do a lot of good.

One of the best ways to ensure your guest’s day gets off to a fulfilling start is to offer a variety of eggs. This is easily one of the most common requests for breakfast on board and can be incorporated into snacks or salads to add some weight to the dish.

Soups are also the perfect way for guests to ensure they fill up and don’t go overboard on the eating. Boosting it with fibre-rich vegetables or beans could even turn it into a meal substitute for older folk and little children, while ensuring those in-between have the choice to take it easy on some nights without waking up with midnight munchies.

Nuts are a quick-fix hunger management system. Throwing in a handful into salads, garnishing main dishes or smoothies, offering nut bread or spreads, and even simply using them in desserts helps keep guests full and satisfied.

For those who are also watching their weight, it is ideal to offer filling grains through the day, such as oats for breakfast and brown rice for meals. Some nutritionists even suggest swapping brown rice for black rice, which can be added to wraps such as burritos too. Green vegetables and fresh fruit are excellent options for low-calorie snacks that keep guests full.

One way to ensure that guests don’t leave a cruise feeling unhappy about weight gain is to ensure you serve delicious food that keeps them full for longer.

There are many things that cruise ship jobs are and are not, and most of the notions we believe come from rumours or stories passed between friends and family. Some of these might be true, and some not. Let’s look at the top five myths about working on a cruise line.

1. Working on a cruise line is quick, easy money

While it is true that employees on a cruise ship receive higher pay than those in land-based jobs, the pay does not come easy. In general, you are paid for the entire length of your contract, but not during your months off. And labour laws require cruise companies to ensure that each employee gets a minimum number of days off. Contracts vary between six and eight months, with full-time contracts ending with about two months off. For many on the lower rung, seasonal contracts apply, and getting called back is dependent on how soon a vacancy opens up. It’s generally a smooth, regular rotation, but in no instance should you take it lightly.

2. Life on board is a constant party

It is easy to see why so many are drawn to the attraction of cruise ship life – social media posts and engaging stories from working friends and family can make it seem like a hell of a ride. But there’s a lot of work involved. Crew have their own bars with alcohol and food at reduced rates, and also take every opportunity to enjoy their time off in port, but they work very hard when they need to show up for duty.

3. Cruise ship jobs are just regular jobs at sea

It is true that nearly every hospitality job imaginable on land is also up for grabs at sea. What you must remember, however, is that it is only natural for cruise companies to want to be able to accommodate the economically optimum number of crew to guests allowed by law. So while all your friends back home enjoy eight or nine hour work days, depending on which department you are in, your shift might stagger throughout the day and could last between 10-12 hours. You also work seven days a week.

4. You should avoid cruise ship jobs if you get seasick

Cruise ships are not the heaving hunks of metal you see on choppy seas in the movies. Most cruise lines choose to visit regions and ports of call during the best weather conditions there, so it’s quite unlikely that you might hit a storm. Even so, most ships are fitted with stabilisers which help ensure smooth sailing, and most of the time you might not even know the ship is moving. If at all you do feel slightly ill, medication for seasickness is easily available over the counter at the cruise pharmacy. So it’s no reason at all to avoid pursuing your passion on board!

5. You are out of touch with your friends and family for months at a time

This really only depends on you. Most cruise ships today offer on board internet. While this can be a little expensive, it is important to note that cruise lines touch port very often, unless it is a transatlantic voyage, which is rare. This means, you can top up your phone card or visit an internet café during your time off work to telephone the people you love, send mail or even couriers, and perhaps video call too. When in port and connected to the internet, you can still make everyone jealous of your job that pays you to travel to exotic places with picture postcard updates on your favourite social media!

Classic recipes have developed over hundreds of years, originating from wood-burning or coal-fired kitchens, where cooking on an open flame was the norm. It’s hard to remain true to that taste without a fire licking the bottom of the cooking vessel – or even the food. But on cruise ships, this is simply not possible.

On a majority of cruise lines, health and safety laws ban open flames in kitchens, with the exception of crème brulée torches, although even these can only be used in certain areas of the galley next to the fire extinguisher. Like other cruise ship jobs, being a chef on board calls for strict adherence to safety rules as well as compensation for these drawbacks in other ways. So chefs often adapt recipes to electric-powered induction heat sources.

Compared to electric stoves, gas stoves typically respond more precisely to temperature adjustments and obviously heat instantly. To keep up with the numbers on board, using gas stoves would be ideal. Instead, cruise ship chefs now ensure they accurately calculate how early to put a pan on the electric stove to heat up, and what dial position on the hob offers the heat closest to what they’re looking for.

Even barbecue sets are now available in electric versions so on board menus do include this classic summer option. Today, liquid smoke – some even with hickory flavour – offers a safe, consistent and quick option to firing up an open pit. While there’s nothing quite like low and slow cooking with real wood smoke, cruise ship chefs can get away with a few cheats while still serving guests what they want.

It’s hard to broil a meal in an electric oven so chefs often miss out on that beautiful unevenness that lends itself to the dish. However, electric stoves and ovens are easy to clean, which is essential in a cruise ship galley, and also offer an even surface which are more stable for pots and pans compared to stoves with coil-elements.

Both types of stoves have their pros and cons, but with the option of only electric stoves, cruise ship chefs often come up with innovative ways to make sure their guests don’t miss out on everything nice.

The world is full of beautiful places, yet virginal sands and azure seas have long been an enticing attraction for cruise liners. Cruise chef jobs can call for seemingly endless, hard days behind a kitchen platform, but no other industry provides as much travel as cruising does.

The modern cruise industry kicked off in the 1960s when cruise liners offered ‘fun ships’ to the Caribbean for vacationers. Ever since, the area has continued to draw sailing holidaymakers and along with it the crew that makes the cruise ship their home.

In the Caribbean, there are a host of islands, each one as exquisite as the next. Aruba, Barbados and the Cayman Islands are common on itineraries. Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands see a constant stream of tourists. Popular ports in the Caribbean include Nassau and CocoCay in the Bahamas, Belize City in Belize and Cozumel in Mexico.

When not working, cruise ship chefs can enjoy basking in the warm tropical waters, an excellent array of local fare and adventure sports activities. Most guests prefer to take a trip inland and see the sights, thereby skipping lunch on board, which gives some crew a bit of free time.

In North America, Alaska is a popular destination for cruise ships. Thanks to its jaw-dropping scenery, raw natural beauty and icy glaciers, the region boasts excellent photo opportunities despite the cold. Juneau, Victoria on Vancouver Island, Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord are marvellous spots to spend a day off when at work.

Cold cruises are not popular just in Alaska, but in Scandinavia as well. The land of the Vikings offers pretty villages, sparkling white landscapes, and a chance sighting of the kaleidoscopic Northern Lights. The fjords of Norway, Stockholm, St Petersburg and Copenhagen see many passengers alight at their ports.

Further along in Europe, the summer invites thousands of cruise ship guests to the Mediterranean coast. History and food are the mainstays here, although the beaches and other local attractions do not drag along too far behind. Athens and Santorini, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Istanbul, Lisbon, Rome and Venice, Valletta and Villefranche-sur-Mer present a colourful addition to your picture postcard collection of holiday images.

In the East, cruises are now venturing more frequently to ports such as Hong Kong, Macau, Bali, Shanghai, Busan, Cochin, Bintulu, Yangon, ports in New Zealand and Dubai. An increasing number of guests are now travelling Eastwards, and with many cruise ship chefs hailing from this region, it presents the warmth of feeling of being closer to home.

Wherever it is, having cruise ship jobs can seem like a perpetual vacation, what with the beautiful ports of call of each cruise line. Between shifts at work, crew can enjoy time off in some of the most beautiful coastal places on Earth.

Cruise line jobs offer extensive potential for growth through skills and experience. It is certainly not easy cooking for thousands of people every day for months on end. While this may seem stressful, it is exactly this that helps you perfect your skills to a point where much of the basics can literally be done with your eyes closed.

At every level, there is something to learn. When you first join a cruise line kitchen on the bottom rung, you learn tips and tricks of getting things done much quicker. The all-important knife skills are honed and you will learn to be a force to reckon with in the kitchen. These may seem small at first, but they all add up as you climb the ladder or if you need to switch to a land-based job later.

Many cruise lines are taking on celebrity chefs from around the world to run their restaurants. At mid-level positions, it presents the chance of a lifetime to work with and learn from chefs who are renowned everywhere. Positions at similar land-based restaurants are very hard to come by.

When working on a cruise line, you learn to cook on the go. This means understanding stocks and storage, menus that are pre-set weeks earlier, and maintaining quality all the time. Because cruise ship kitchens only touch port once every few days, chefs must ensure that stocks last the while. If the kitchen runs out of an ingredient, there is no way of ‘popping to the store’ to replenish stocks.

This also helps you learn how to think on your feet – how to salvage a situation and still ensure that the customer is happy with the quality and has no idea what happens behind the scenes. These are all skills that will set you apart from your land-based colleagues and help you grow in your career.

Working with large quantities and maintaining the standard of quality expected by the company also adds weight to one’s resume. Working in cruise ship jobs brings you in touch with a variety of nationalities and cultures, and helps you learn techniques of each in a way that land-based restaurants can rarely, if ever, do.

The key to ensuring you make the most of your cruise ship kitchen job is to work as hard as you can and take the opportunity to learn from as many people as possible. The skills and techniques you learn on board will stand you in good stead for a lifetime.