I'm an ex-FBI agent who worked on cruise ships for 6 years. The hours were long and I was paid hardly anything but it allowed my wife and I to see the world.

26.10.2023 - 10:25 / insider.com / America Line / Cruises

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Vincent McNally, a retired FBI special agent who worked as a security officer on Holland America Line cruise ships from 2005 to 2011. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I went on my first cruise after I retired from the FBI, where I worked for about 30 years.

I looked at how the ship was run and thought it could be a fun job. I asked the security officer about his job and how the hiring process works. He said you work hard but you get to see the world, so I decided to give it a try.

I applied and didn't hear anything for six to eight months — then I got a call from Holland America Line. I completed the training course and then that was that. I got on the ship.

The cruise line let my wife come along. I'd work three or four months at a time and then get three months off. We would spend about six months a year living on the ship.

Ninety-five percent of the time, working on cruise ships was great. Since I didn't financially rely on the job, I was able to enjoy it and make the best of the experience.

I still sail a lot. About every six months I'll go on a cruise and I do a lot of it on Holland America Line.

The most difficult part was working long hours seven days a week. Usually, I'd work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. You could break up the work day into segments, but I personally worked through the 10 hours straight so I could be free in the evenings unless I was called out for an investigation or an emergency.

The Chief Officer or myself had to be on board the ship at all times. As long as he could cover for me, I'd be able to go ashore for a few hours. Sometimes I'd get the whole day off and take a tour.

There's so much activity every day. On one cruise, they wanted me to wake up at 3 a.m. to meet the port pilot on the gangway and then work the rest of the day, but that was atypical. If you're going into a port, you have to be available pretty much all day to meet with local authorities, deal with any disciplinary actions on the ship, and attend captain's hearings.

My salary was so little, I was hardly making anything. It wasn't at all comparable to what I was making in the government. But it allowed my wife and I to see the world together, and that's what we did for six years.

It's a give-and-take. You're not buying food and you're being served dinner every night. We were taken care of very nicely. We always ate in the dining room and we had a nice cabin. It wasn't the best but it was located in a quiet part of the ship and it had a porthole, so I can't complain.

Editor's note: A Holland America Line spokesperson said the company cannot speak directly to a former employee's recollection and that the cruise line follows International