Holland America Line
Its careers page invites shipboard applicants to a multicultural team of more than 70 nationalities, warns that it works only with approved hiring partners, and links the list of partners. It mentions no English test. source
Nauti Test ProIndependent guide · English for cruise ship jobs
Cruise ship English test
what cruise lines and agencies check
There is no single "MSC English test" or "NCL English test" you can look up. What you meet on the way to a cruise contract is usually an interview in English with the line's hiring partner, often an online multiple-choice test — which may be the Marlins test for Cruise Ship Staff, the Marlins test built for hotel staff — and the English level written in the job advert. Here is what can be verified about each, and how to prepare.
- Interviewusual (a 2024 study of six recruiters in Indonesia)
- 50 questionsMarlins Cruise test
- 30 minrecommended time
- By positionthe level asked
At a glance
| Who tests you | Usually the line's approved hiring partner (a manning or recruiting agency) in your country, not the cruise line's head office. source source |
| How | An oral assessment (introduce yourself, describe, follow instructions, talk about past work) plus online multiple-choice tests of vocabulary and cruise terms, in a 2024 study of recruiters. source |
| The written test | Marlins English Language Test for Cruise Ship Staff: 50 questions, recommended 30 minutes — 14 listening comprehension, 19 grammar, 12 vocabulary, 4 time and numbers, 1 reading. source |
| The score | Set by each line per position. Marlins publishes no minimums for the cruise test; recruiters report 65–95 % depending on the position. |
| Level by job | Job adverts state it: an NCL guest services advert asks for intermediate to advanced English plus another language; an NCL oiler advert, basic to intermediate. source source |
Read on 27 October 2026. Requirements change per line, per country and per position; the hiring partner that recruits you has the final word.
01What MSC, NCL, Holland America and Disney publish
We read the careers pages of four lines people search for, in October 2026. None of them names an English test or a score on its own site — which is why the searches end on agency pages that repeat each other.
Disney Cruise Line
Its shipboard FAQ says requirements vary per position, with minimum experience for each one, a passport, a background and medical check and visas, and sends you to the page of your country of residence. No English test is named there. source
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
The level is in each advert: "Intermediate to Advanced" English, verbal and written, plus a second language for international guest services; "Basic to Intermediate" English with proper grammar for an oiler. source source
MSC Cruises
We found no MSC Cruises page that names an English test or a score. Ask the hiring partner that recruits for MSC in your country which test it books — and whether you or they pay for it.
The pattern is the same everywhere: the line sets the English level per position, and its hiring partner checks it. Some partners may use the Marlins Cruise Ship Staff test for that, others their own online test. And check that the agency is on the line's list of hiring partners before you pay anyone for a test: Holland America's careers page carries a scam alert about exactly that.
02The interview: what recruiters listen for
A 2024 study interviewed six recruiters from manning agencies that hire hotel staff for international cruise ships. They described two parts: an oral assessment — introducing yourself, describing your surroundings, following instructions, talking about your past work — and online multiple-choice tests of basic vocabulary and cruise-industry terms. And they valued fluency and a friendly, warm delivery over perfect grammar or accent (source).
That matches what the job is. Prepare short, true answers to the questions every interview asks, out loud:
- Tell me about yourself. Sixty seconds: where you are from, your last job, why ships. Practise it until it sounds like talking, not like reading.
- Why do you want to work on a cruise ship? Speak about the job and the guests, not only about the salary or the travel.
- Describe your last job and a normal day. Use the past tense correctly and the words of your trade: covers, turndown, mise en place, check-in.
- A guest complains about their cabin. What do you do? Listen, apologise, act, follow up — in short, polite sentences. This is where "friendly and fluent" is tested.
- Can you work long hours with people from many countries? Give one real example of teamwork; recruiters hear "yes" all day.
- Follow this instruction… Some recruiters give a short instruction or a description task. Repeat it back if you are not sure — asking is better than guessing.
These questions and tips are ours, not any line's. For a full speaking practice with model answers, the TOSE interview questions include a hotel-staff track.
03The written test: Marlins for Cruise Ship Staff
When the written test is Marlins, it is the version for marine hotel personnel — guest services, housekeeping, restaurant, bar, galley, shops and spa — not the Seafarers test. Marlins publishes it as 50 questions with a recommended 30 minutes, without the Different-sounds section of the seafarers' version (source):
| Section | Questions |
|---|---|
| Listening comprehension | 14 |
| Grammar | 19 |
| Vocabulary | 12 |
| Time and numbers | 4 |
| Reading | 1 |
There is no pass mark (source), and Marlins publishes no minimums for this test: each line sets its own per position. These are the levels recruiters and crew sites usually report — not Marlins' figures, and not any one line's:
| Positions | Usually asked | Right answers of 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Guest-facing roles (guest services, entertainment) | 95 % | 48 (miss 2) |
| Staff positions | 85 % | 43 (miss 7) |
| Entry-level positions | 65 % | 33 (miss 17) |
Every question is worth 2 % here, so a guest-facing role at 95 % leaves you two mistakes. Read the full guide to the Cruise Ship Staff test, then take the free cruise practice tests: three options per question, like the test, with recordings.
Cruise ship staff test3 tests · 3 options per question
- Marlins cruise ship staff practice test 1: guests, cabins and the restaurant — three options, like the real test.
- Marlins cruise ship staff practice test 2: complaints, requests and the polite reply — six recordings.
- Marlins cruise ship staff practice test 3: hotel and restaurant vocabulary — the last free one.
Seafarers test (deck and engine)6 tests · 4 options per question
- Marlins practice test 1: the pilot boarding, modals of duty and engine-room words.
- Marlins practice test 2: listening and different sounds — six recordings.
- Marlins practice test 3: grammar — tenses, conditionals, reported speech and quantifiers.
- Marlins practice test 4: vocabulary — mooring, the engine, stability and fire safety.
- Marlins practice test 5: time and numbers — positions, courses and watches, five heard.
- Marlins practice test 6: reading — six shipboard texts, then a final mixed round.
Offshore workers test3 tests · 3 options per question
All 12 tests on one page, grouped by test and theme: Marlins practice tests.
04What to practise for your department
Guest services and entertainment
The highest level asked. Phone and desk English, complaints, directions on board, polite requests ("Would you mind…?"), and the Listening section of the test, where the right reply to a guest is the question.
Restaurant and bar
Menu and allergy vocabulary, taking and repeating an order, numbers and bills. Listening items with two speakers at a table are typical.
Housekeeping and laundry
Cabin and linen vocabulary, room numbers and times, written notes from guests and supervisors. Grammar of requests and the present perfect ("Has the cabin been made up?").
Galley and provisions
Quantities, temperatures and times, food safety words, instructions from the chef. The time-and-numbers items of the test are small but easy to lose.
Deck and engine crew on a cruise ship are seafarers: if your agency books the Marlins test for you, it is usually the Seafarers test, with the recommended minimum for your rank.
05Questions about the cruise ship English test
What English test does MSC Cruises use?
MSC Cruises does not name one on any page we found. Its hiring partners in each country assess English — often with an interview and an online test, which can be the Marlins test for Cruise Ship Staff or the agency's own. Ask the agency that recruits you which test it books.
Does NCL have an English test?
NCL's job adverts state the English level per position — intermediate to advanced for guest services, basic to intermediate for an oiler, for example — and the hiring partner checks it, by interview and often by an online test. We found no NCL page that names one specific test or score.
What English test do Holland America and Disney Cruise Line ask for?
Neither names an English test on its careers pages. Holland America says it works only with approved hiring partners; Disney Cruise Line says requirements vary per position and sends applicants to their country's page. The partner in your country tells you how your English will be assessed.
What score do I need in the Marlins cruise test?
Marlins publishes no minimums for the Cruise Ship Staff test. Recruiters report 65–95 % depending on the position, with guest-facing roles at the top. With 50 questions, each one is worth 2 %.
Is the cruise test the same as the Marlins test for seafarers?
No. The Cruise Ship Staff test has 50 questions and a recommended 30 minutes, and no Different-sounds section; the Seafarers test has 85 questions and 60 minutes. Deck and engine crew on cruise ships usually sit the Seafarers test.
Do I need perfect grammar for a cruise ship interview?
No. Recruiters in a 2024 study said they valued fluency and a friendly, warm delivery over grammatical accuracy or accent. Clear, polite, confident answers matter more than a perfect sentence.
Practise the cruise test before the agency does
Our Cruise Ship Staff bank has 466 questions, 140 of them recorded, and a timed 50-question simulation. International accounts start with 10 free tokens and get 5 more when the email and the phone are verified.
MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line are trade marks of their respective owners, named here only to describe what each publishes about hiring. Nauti Test Pro is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any cruise line or hiring partner, does not recruit, and no result obtained here is part of any line's selection.