Getting a job on a cruise can be quite desirable, especially for residents of third world countries who don’t have a lot of other options and will literally line up down the street at their local recruitment centers — and this isn’t even the worst of it. Many crew members are recruited by agents who charge them large sums of money (sometimes as much as $1,500) just to get a job interview and eventual job confirmation. And even after getting hired, a lot of new employees are then faced with paying for their own airfare to departure ports and uniforms, which can cost up to $2,000 in total. This means that many new crew members begin their employment indebted to the cruise lines, and must work “for free” until the money is paid off.