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? What is a Cruise Escort and What Do They Do?

Ever wondered what the role of a cruise escort is?

My Experience

Here’s my guide based on doing the role several times over the course of my coach holiday career. It may be a bit different from what you think!

Key Responsibilities of a Cruise Escort:

  • Ensure guest safety
  • Provide information about destinations
  • Assist with boarding and disembarking
  • Handle guest enquiries and concerns

Read on to find out more

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What is a Cruise Escort?

What is a Cruise Escort?

A cruise escort is someone sent on a cruise on behalf of a holiday company to make sure the cruise is delivered as per their brochure and contract. They are there to assist guests and liaise with the cruise ship manager and crew.
cruise escort cruise ship

Cruise Ship Escort

The Role

A cruise escort is there to accompany the cruise on behalf of the holiday company.

In theory, there is little to do because everything should be organized with the cruise ship company in advance. The cruise ship will handle;

  • Excursions
  • Activities
  • Accommodation
  • Entertainment
  • Meals

How the Role Works in Practice

How the cruise escort operates will depend on the specific cruise.

The responsibilities may change based on whether the ship or boat has been exclusively chartered for the holiday company or not.

Cruise Escorts

If The Ship or Boat is not Exclusive for Holiday Guests

If the ship or boat is not exclusively chartered for just one holiday company, the cruise escort may set up a desk for a set time each day. This helps guests know where to find them.

Group Excursions

There may be several groups on the cruise. Each group might take separate coaches for excursions. This depends on:

  • The language spoken by the guests
  • Whether the excursions are included
  • Whether the excursions are optional

Limitations of Non-Exclusive Charters

When the cruise is not exclusively chartered, the cruise escort has limited authority. The cruise company will be managing other groups and passengers. If the holiday group is small, this reduces the escort’s influence even further.

The Role of the Cruise Escort

In these cases, the cruise escort’s job is to ensure that the cruise runs as promised in the brochure. They handle queries related to:

  • The cruise program
  • Cabins
  • Meals
  • Excursions

In my experience as a cruise escort, being on a ship that is not completely chartered by the holiday company means guests can become frustrated if there is an issue.

The cruise escort has limited influence in such a situation so they are relying on the cruise company to resolve things. They will of course be speaking with the holiday company too but it all depends on the size of the group in relation to the total numbers on the cruise.

Escorts on Cruise Ships

Exclusively Chartered Ship or Boat

When a ship or boat is exclusively chartered by the holiday company, it gives the cruise escort more bargaining power in case of any issues. They act as the onboard representative of the holiday company.

However, the cruise is still operated by the cruise company under the terms of the contract agreed by the holiday company.

There are still limitations to what the cruise escort can do to resolve an issue.

Challenges of the Role

With an exclusively chartered ship or boat, it can be difficult for the cruise escort to step back when there is a problem that needs addressing.

Escort Cruise

Pay Rates

Cruise escort work is often misunderstood. Here are some key points to consider:

Pay and Responsibilities

The pay is much less to reflect the difference in workload and responsibility.

Role of a Cruise Escort

Cruise escort work is pitched as exactly that—you escort or accompany the group, while the cruise ship handles everything related to the cruise.

My Experience as a Cruise Escort

I have worked as a cruise escort and received ฃ45 per day. From this amount, I had to cover:

  • Drinks
  • Optional tours
  • Any other cruise expenses beyond meals, which are generally included.

Escorts on Cruises

The Reality of the Role

I have worked as a cruise escort a few times, but I won’t do the role anymore.

The Last Cruise I Ever Did

The last time I was a cruise escort was for a holiday company. They chartered a whole boat for a cruise between St Petersburg and Moscow.

  • There were over 130 guests on board the cruise ship.
  • I was the only holiday company representative.

Challenges on Board

There were many issues during the cruise:

  • Two people were hospitalised on the first day.
  • One of them had to leave the holiday.
  • An outbreak of norovirus occurred in a remote part of Russia. This was very difficult to manage.
  • In Moscow, two more people needed hospital treatment.

It was a difficult and stressful situation. Guests thought that I was the cruise manager. They became frustrated because I was busy handling medical and other issues.

I did all that for ฃ45 a day, plus I had to pay for all my drinks. It was some of the hardest work I have ever done. As a result of that trip, I decided I wouldn’t do the role anymore.

Cruise Escort Conclusion

A cruise escort has a specific role on a cruise. Here are some key points about their responsibilities:

  • A cruise escort is there to accompany the group.
  • Their role is to experience the holiday, not run it.

Responsibilities of the Cruise Manager

The cruise manager and their team are responsible for operating the cruise. This means they manage all aspects of the cruise experience.

Limitations of a Cruise Escort

A cruise escort has limited bargaining power if any issues arise during the cruise.

Pay Structure

The pay for a cruise escort is much lower. This reflects the supposed light workload and lack of responsibility associated with their position.

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