US-Flag Small Ship Crew (Deckhand / Steward)
American Cruise Lines and comparable US-flagged domestic operators
Pays you
$1,000–$1,400/wk
Postings advertise $1,000-$1,400 per week plus bonuses. CABIN AND ALL MEALS ARE FREE AND NOTHING IS DEDUCTED — this is a genuine zero-expense job. The catch is buried in the hourly math: employee-reported average hourly pay is about $13.34, which means that $1,000-$1,400 weekly is being spread across roughly 75-100 hours of work per week, seven days a week. Judge it as a total-savings number, not as a wage. Reported median total pay is about $40,624/yr for deckhands and $34,799/yr for stewards, consistent with long contracts at those weekly rates. A full 28-week contract at $1,100/week is roughly $30,800 gross with effectively zero living costs for those seven months — one of the highest genuinely-bankable totals in this entire tier for someone with no credentials.
$200–$600 upfront to start
Entry deck and hotel crew on US-flagged riverboats and small coastal ships, which by law must be crewed by Americans — making this the version of cruise work that is actually open to US young adults. Pay is quoted as a flat weekly rate with cabin and meals free for a roughly 28-week contract.
- Term
- 5 mo–6 mo
- Housing
- Provided
- Meals
- Provided
- Airfare
- Not covered
- Selectivity
- Moderately competitive
- Age
- 18+
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
Deadlines
- rollingrollingRolling / no fixed deadline
Hires continuously year-round across river and coastal itineraries; heaviest recruiting ahead of the spring season start.
Verified 8/26/2026 · www.indeed.com