The Queen's men
Ian Maston, 22, was inspired to go to sea after hearing workmates recounting their tales of working on a cruise ship and all the places they visited. He now works as a waiter on the QE2.
What's in an average day? By 7.30am I'm setting up the tables for the morning service. If I'm lucky, it's back to the cabin for a power nap at 10.15am - in this job you snatch a few winks when you can. What they don't tell you at the interview, though, is that you can pay your teammates to do some of your tasks to give you more time in bed or in port.
By 11.30am, I'm having lunch in the mess before setting tables for the passengers' lunch. Once lunch is over, I might be on the rota to serve afternoon tea at 3pm, but there's always an opportunity to leave the ship and explore the ports between duties. Now we are on the world cruise I get every second port off and can go ashore between 10am and 6pm.
The evening service starts at 6.45pm and I look after four officers' tables. I finish work at 11pm and have a nightcap in the crew bar before hitting the sack.
What's the accommodation like?
My cabin is two-berth, which I share with a fellow Scot. We have plenty of wardrobe space and even a freezer, which we keep stocked with lollies.
Describe your worst day.
During a transatlantic crossing, just after I joined, we experienced a force 11 gale but the working day went on. I felt so queasy I couldn't even lie down.
What about your best day?
It has to be last Christmas. We all woke up in the Christmas mood, worked breakfast and then had a party afterwards, opening presents together. Our crew Christmas lunch was great, as the tables were decorated and the officers served us.
How about your favourite place?
Without doubt, New York. Even after Hawaii and Tahiti, I still love to sail into the port at first light. Having said that, we're heading into Sydney soon, so I look forward to comparing the two.
Average hours: 16-hour day, time off between shifts.
Salary: US$2,000 (£1,250) per month, including tips.
Contract: Seven days a week, four months on, one month off (unpaid).
Since childhood, South African-born Pierre Van Der Schyff, 30, has dreamt of a career aboard a major cruise ship. He started out as a waiter on the QE2 and now works as a receptionist in the purser's office.
What does a typical day involve?
My working day begins at 7.30am, and one of the first jobs is to download and print all the international newspapers for distribution to the various parts of the ship. We also print and forward any e-mails to the passengers' cabins every hour.
My job means dealing with a range of customer queries on the phone - anything from complaints that the hot water is not working to requests for the time, a popular one due to the large number of time zones we sail through. Other duties include foreign exchange transactions, dealing with post and dealing with guest enquiries at the desk.
I can either work through lunch and finish early evening, or I have a few hours off in the afternoon. I finish my shift between 9pm and 10.30pm.
What's the social life like on board?
There are three crew bars aboard - a disco-bar, relaxed lounge and a members-only bar. We also have various theme nights throughout the season, and it's great to see so many different nationalities mingling and enjoying each other's company.
Why did you join?
When the Titanic was found in 1984-85, the amount of information generated about cruise ships at the time really fired my imagination - I was 11. It's been one of my personal goals to work on one ever since.
How did you join? I joined Cunard [the QE2's owner] just over a year ago in Cape Town as part of a group that took part in its College at Sea recruitment programme.
Do you have a favourite place?
I always enjoy the ports of large cities like New York, but it's Bermuda that's stolen my heart.
Average hours: 8-12 hours a day.
Salary: US$1,900 (£1,188) per month.
Contract: Seven days a week, four months on, one month off (unpaid).
