AnonymousCM5
Member
- Company: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
- Ship: Oasis of the Seas
- Year of Service: Circa 2023
- Position: Apprentice Purser (Crew Payroll)
- Salary: $2,000 + Overtime (Not guaranteed)
- Accommodation: Single cabin with a shared bathroom (Foldable wall-mounted bed)
- Amenities: Access to guest areas, guest buffets (including Coco Cay and onboard buffets), guest activities, and free airfare for the first contract.
In this position, I managed crew salaries, onboard currency exchanges, breaking bills for crew members, and handled salary card fraud cases under the supervision of the Second Purser (Crew Payroll). Compared to my previous role in guest services with another cruise line, this job has been a much better experience. The work itself is great, but it comes with zero tolerance for errors, as it involves handling money. While I occasionally worked more than 12 hours a day, my typical workday lasted around 9 hours.
One of the challenges is that some crew members don’t fully understand the procedures for handling fraud cases, despite repeated reminders. I’ve told them countless times, “Do not use your salary card outside the ship—use cash only.” Some still use their salary cards off the ship, which leads to a "pending hold" in the system. This prevents them from withdrawing funds at the ship's ATM, and unfortunately, they often take their frustrations out on me.
My supervisor at the time was strict because I was due for promotion to Second Purser (Crew Payroll) after a 3-month probation period, with a transfer to another ship. However, they were kind, calm, and incredibly sharp when it came to training, and always very punctual.
Since you're a financial officer, you might find it a bit frustrating when crew members approach you during your break. I politely remind them to see me during working hours since I don’t have access to the necessary systems in the crew mess.
I highly encourage anyone with a background in finance or accounting to take advantage of internal cross-training opportunities, as the finance department is often short-staffed. I once met a crew member with a master’s degree in finance during a break in the crew mess—it was only his second contract! I encouraged him to approach the Learning & Development Officer for cross-training, and I’m happy to say he later became a Second Purser. If you're reading this, I’m proud of you!
If you can handle the responsibility of managing money under pressure and tight deadlines, this position offers the opportunity to make a significant impact, as the entire crew depends on you to process salary documents on time.
