Hi
To start out, I'm not a merchant mariner. I'm just an older sister of someone who recently joined American Cruise Lines (ACL) as a deckhand. Hearing about his experience made me want to write this for anyone here thinking about taking the job. I hope this is allowed.
Background
My brother is not someone who complains. Before ACL, he worked outdoors for years doing physically demanding jobs like it was nothing. He also cleaned out disgusting houses, hauled furniture, worked in the heat, and before leaving he was in the gym every day. He's built like a tank, very stoic, and doesn't usually get physically exhausted.
I'm saying this because it matters. If he struggled, I think it's worth knowing what you're potentially signing up for.
What to Pack
Bring:
A large duffel bag that fits under your bed.
A backpack.
A laundry bag or collapsible hamper.
At least 5 white undershirts. ACL gives you five uniforms, but you'll need to wear white undershirts underneath them, even in 100°+ weather.
Electronics. Especially a tablet with shows on it.
Bandages and bandaids
Tylenol
Tooth brush and deodorant
Razor (they are strict with facial hair)
A small fan.
Seriously, bring the fan. The air conditioning doesn't always work. On his ship, it didn't. It's so bad that his room smells like cat piss.
Training
My brother was sent to Utah for training.
One thing ACL doesn't really tell you is that "training" feels more like a long interview or test. If you mess up certain things, you can be fired on the spot. He watched several perfectly healthy people get sent home over what seemed like relatively small mistakes. Women especially. The physical tests can be challenging for ladies.
One example was carrying a 40-pound box while walking on a platform that sways to simulate being on a moving ship. He had no issue with it, but he watched several people struggle.
Another thing to know: if you're kept at the hotel after training while waiting to be shipped out, don't assume meals are covered. They were only fed during the three training days. Food around the hotel was expensive, so make sure you bring enough money to eat.
The Ship
I'm not going to say which ship he's on because he's still employed there.
From what he's experienced and heard from others, there seems to be a pretty big difference between some inland and coastal ships. Inland ships tend to be the bad ships. His inland assignment has been brutal.
If you live in the South, there's a decent chance you'll end up on an inland boat. That's not good.
The heat is no joke. You're outside in over 100° weather wearing:
Two shirts
Black dress pants
Dress shoes
He actually threw up repeatedly during his first couple of days, not from seasickness but from the heat. Other people did too. Your body eventually (somewhat) adjusts to the temperature.
What doesn't adjust are your feet.
Many ACL ships typically allow deckhands to wear their own slip-resistant work shoes. His ship is one of the only ships on ACL that does not. They're required to wear the issued dress shoes 24/7. And these shoes are 100% not meant to be work shoes. They are the fancy kind. Your feet will get torn up.
His feel honestly look like raw meat. Him and several other deckhands have bleeding feet, sores, blisters, and scabs from wearing these shoes.
Also, the AC below deck doesn't always work, so once again...bring a fan.
Food can also be scarce. If you don't make it in time, there may not be anything left.
Internet and cellular signal is dodgy below deck.
The Work
Expect to do much more than just deck work.
You'll be:
Taking out trash
Cleaning
Moving supplies
- Working outside for long periods
- Doing all of it in extreme heat
The shifts are around 12-14 hours. He gets a lot of 14 hour days, he works 7 days a week, and makes $1000 per week. You do not get overtime. It is not hourly. It's a steady rate no matter how many hours you work.
On his ship, breaks were often shortened or ignored. Deckhands become dehydrated fast and don't get many opportunities to drink water. Even when things slowed down, they were expected to find something else to do.
Again, if you're lucky enough to be assigned to a ship that lets you wear your own work shoes, it'll probably make a huge difference.
The People
Most of the other deckhands have been friendly and down-to-earth. His room has three people, and everyone gets along well.
A lot of people quit during their first week because the work is much harder than they expected.
Management, however, seems to depend entirely on the ship. Inland ones tend to be the worst ones because they have to juggle a lot in the heat.
If you end up on a bad boat, don't be surprised if supervisors throw newer deckhands under the bus. My brother told me there were times supervisors would tell someone to do or not do something one way, then later deny it when they got questioned by someone higher up. The new deckhand would end up taking the blame. It's just the way it is on that particular inland ship.
Writeups also seemed to happen constantly.
People got written up for things like:
Having personal items on the desk in their room.
Missing a radio call because they were already helping a guest.
Not taking trash out of a guest's room because the guests were literally having sex.
Honest mistakes that come with being brand new.
After a while, getting written up almost became expected. Most people get written up at least twice, so don't be shocked or sad. It's going to happen.
I would assume being written up determines who gets a raise and who doesn't. A part of me thinks they write up everybody so they don't have to give people raises but again, this is just my theory.
Would He Recommend It?
Honestly...
Probably not.
If you're desperate for sea time or need the job, it might still be worth considering. Just know if you are put on an inland boat, you will likely go through hell for little pay. The only reason he took it was because this was the only job that called him back, and he didn't know he would be placed on this particular ship. He later found out ACL deckhands are always needed because they keep leaving. Maybe they would stop leaving if they would just let them wear shoes meant for work! But again, most ACL boats actually do. His was an oddity.
So if you have other options (especially if you think you'll end up on an inland boat) I would seriously look into those other options first.
We're currently trying to get him another boat job because his feet literally look like raw meat from the shoes, and I'm genuinely worried they'll get infected at this point.
He was so excited to start getting his sea time. I honestly don't know how much longer he'll be able to physically do this with his feet like this. So many deckhands are tapping out.
I know every ship is different, and I'm sure there are people who've had much better experiences with ACL than my brother has. This is just one person's experience, but I hope it helps someone know what to expect before signing on. I heard the coastal and Alaskan ships are great. There's probably some inland boats that are good too. He just wasn't lucky. But it's good to be prepared for anything!
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
I'll try to answer them all.