Understanding Cruise Ship Officer Stripes

Let’s talk about stripes, baby. Nope, we’re not talking about zebras, we are talking about the stripes on the shoulders and sleeves of so many uniforms onboard a cruise ship. These stripes, more formally known as epaulettes, denote not only what rank an officer is, but can also offer insight into which department they work in as well as in some cases what they do on onboard. This post will help you understand what cruise ship officer ranks correspond to what cruise ship officer stripes.

While most people know there are 3 departments onboard a cruise ship – Technical, Deck, and Hotel – when it comes to stripes though there are a few extra categories to know about, namely: medical, environmental, IT, and human resources.

Can You Still Have a Cruise Ship Officer Rank Without Stripes?

Now, not every crew member onboard a ship that has “officer privileges” wears a uniform with stripes. When I was working onboard I never had a uniform with epaulettes. There is a tricky category that exists in the cruise ship world known as “stripe equivalents”.

These are crew that’s uniforms do not feature stripes but they get privileges and benefits as if they had that equivalent amount of stripes. These are hotel positions and are things like: Cruise Director, Cruise Staff, Shore Excursions, Youth Programs, Production Managers, Cast Members, etc. For a deeper understanding of overall cruise ship rank structure, take a look at this post Understanding Cruise Ship Ranks. (Note: on some cruise lines some of the above positions will be uniformed striped positions)

Take a look at the below guide to understand how cruise ship crew officer ranks affect how many stripes they wear. The next time you’re onboard you can play a little bit of I-Spy and who’s who and impress your friends!

Onboard ship these stripes are part of a much larger cruise ship rank system and the jobs listed here are just a sampling of all of the different jobs that exist on a cruise ship. Understanding what the epaulettes mean is just part of understanding the complex system that keeps a cruise ship running.

Without any further a-do, let’s talk about stripes.

Note: For nearly everything below, aside from the top four or so positions and especially within the hotel department there are differences between cruise lines. This is to act as a general guide and not a definitive guide.

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The Color Between the Stripes Denotes Department, Not Rank

You may have noticed while onboard that some of the stripes have colors between them. Here’s a quick outline of what those mean:

Note: 1) This outline is based on what it is on many cruise lines. It is not the same amongst every cruise line but the base concepts are the same. 2) Gold stripes are most conventional; however, silver stripes are sometimes used. These can for instance be seen on some TV shows showing yacht-life.

• Technical Department: Gold stripes, no cloth in between stripes, no loop at the top; they do sometimes have propellers at the top.
• Deck Department: Gold stripes, no cloth in between stripes, with a loop, diamond, or anchor at the top.
• Environmental: Gold stripes, blue cloth in between. No loop or propeller.
• Human Resources Department: Gold stripes, grey cloth in between. No loop or propeller.
• IT: Gold stripes, green cloth in between. No loop or propeller. (Green on some lines is for environmental)
• Hotel Department: Gold stripes, white cloth in between stripes, no loop or propeller. **Reliable sources have told me that some cruise lines hotel departments have silver stripes instead of gold.**
• Medical: Gold stripes, red cloth in between, no loop or propeller

Want to know more about cruise ship crew life? From dating onboard to how crew get their mail…here’s a guide to cruise ship crew life.

How Many Stripes Do Different Cruise Ship Officer Ranks Have?

As you may have guessed, with greater stripes comes greater responsibility. Yes, the more stripes you have the higher your rank.

Rank Affects Onboard Privileges

There are slight differences in privileges amongst the cruise ship officer ranks. The most notable (other than responsibility and salary) is cabin. Typically from two stripe up the cabin will have a porthole. Three stripe and up might even have a regular sized window.

There are some subtle other differences. Some cruise ship officers of a certain rank might get free dinners in certain specialty restaurants, may get a discount in the onboard shops, or might even get to sit on a bar stool in a passenger lounge. There are lots of subtle ways that how many stripes and the corresponding rank affect life onboard a cruise ship.

Half Stripes Are a Thing

Did you know that you can have a half stripe? Half stripes can appear in three ways. The first is the rank itself. You can be a 1/2 stripe officer, this could be as a cadet, or certain positions in the Hotel Department. The second is at the top of the epaulette. If the half stripe is at the top of the epaulette it means that it is a ranked position. (See below with Staff Chief Engineer being a half stripe below Chief Engineer).

Lastly, the last way a half stripe appears is in between two full sized stripes. This means that is the highest that your position can go, that you’ve been in the job for a set number of years – typically three or five, and normally that there isn’t a direct next step in advancement. This is sometimes referred to as a “frustration stripe”, as in, you are frustrated that you can’t move up or if there is an advancement opportunity you haven’t moved up (yet).

*Note: Below I have only noted 1/2 stripe cruise ship officer ranked positions versus writing out possible positions.

What Stripe Does the Captain Have?

4 Stripe with a Heavy Bottom Stripe and a Loop (or diamond/ anchor / other insignia):

Captain or Master of the Vessel

What Are 4 Stripe Officer Positions on a Cruise Ship?:

So, who has four stripes? The highest ranking officers onboard have four stripes. These are typically the Chief Engineer, Staff Captain, and Hotel Director. Some cruise lines will also have the Staff Chief Engineer as four stripes. These are all considered “staff officer” positions. (That particular title might differ between cruise lines but they’re the highest ranking that likely have additional privileges).

• Technical Department:
  • Chief Engineer (with propeller)
  • On some cruise lines:  Staff Chief Engineer
• Deck Department:
  • Staff Captain
• Hotel Department:
  •  Hotel Director (also known as Hotel Manager/Hotel General Manager)

3 ½  Stripe Officers:

• Technical:
  • Staff Chief Engineer (Staff Officer Rank)
    Note: On some cruise lines this position has four stripes.
• Deck:
  • Medical:
    • Senior Doctor
• Hotel: (On Some Lines, example not shown)
  • Assistant Hotel General Manager/Hotel Director

What Are 3 Stripe Officer Positions on a Cruise Ship?:

• Deck:
  • 1^st Officer (sometimes called Safety Officer)
  • Security Officer (on some lines this is 2 stripes)
  • Environmental Officer (blue stripe in between)
  • Medical (red stripe in between):
    • Doctors
    • Senior Medical Officer 
• Technical:
  • 1^st Engineering Officer (sometimes called AC Engineer)
  • 2^nd Engineering Officer
  • Chief Electrician
• Hotel Department: This is very dependent on cruise line, what positions they have (and need, bigger ship = more) onboard!
  • Executive Housekeeper
  • Culinary Operations Manager/Food and Beverage Director
  • Guest Relations Manager
  • Marketing Manager / Revenue Manager
  • Shore Excursions Manager
  • Entertainment Director
  • Sports Manager
  • Human Resources:
    • Human Resource Manager (grey stripe in between)

2 ½ Stripes Officers:

• Technical:
  • 1^st Electrician

What Are 2 Stripe Officer Positions on a Cruise Ship?:

• Deck:
  • 2^nd Officer
  • Security Officer (on some lines this is 3 stripes)
• Technical:
  • Senior 3^rd Engineer
  • 2^nd Electrician
  • Hotel Service Engineer
• Medical:
  • Nurses
• Hotel Department: This is very dependent on cruise line, what positions they have (and need, bigger ship = more) onboard!  As there are a lot of people in this category, this is by no way an exhaustive list.
  • Event Manager – for some lines this is 1 stripe, and Entertainment Director role would often be 3 stripes
  • Purser
  • Dining Room Manager
  • Provision Master
  • Bar Manager
  • Assistant Housekeeping Manager
  • Production Manager (sometimes 3 stripes)
  • Broadcast Technician
  • Maitre d’
  • Crew Officer
  • IT Department:
    • IT Officer (green stripe in between)

What Are 1 Stripe Officer Positions on a Cruise Ship?:

• Deck:
  • 3^rd Officer
• Technical:
  • Junior 3^rd Engineer
  • 3^rd Electrician
  • Assistant Hotel Service Engineer
• Hotel Department: This is very dependent on cruise line, what positions they have (and need, bigger ship = more) onboard! As there are a lot of people in this category, this is by no way an exhaustive list.
  • Assistant Dining Room Manager
  • Specialty Dining Room Managers
  • Guest Relations Supervisor
  • Night Audit Officer
  • Port Paper Officer
  • Assistant Housekeeper

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What Are the Officer Positions On A Cruise Ship?

It might seem like officer positions are the same on every cruise ship and with every cruise line, but that’s not the case! Specifically within the Hotel Department which positions are officers can be different by different cruise lines. The Technical (engineers) and Deck (Navigation) departments are much more consistent.

Want to know more about how cruise ship officer rank affects life onboard? Take a look at this post about Understanding Cruise Ship Ranks.

There Is a Lot to Understand about Cruise Strip Officer Stripes

Now, the next time you’re onboard you’ll have a better idea of what the cruise ship officer stripes mean and how to tell the different cruise ship officer ranks based on their epaulettes!

Curious what life is like onboard a cruise ship? Take a look at these FAQ’s About Living and Working on a Cruise Ship.

Ever wonder what it takes to become a cruise ship officer? Check out this interview with a cruise ship engineering officer to find out.