Whenever we discuss jobs on larger cruise lines in comparison to smaller lines, we're not discussing larger vessels in comparison to smaller vessels. We're talking about the number of cruise ships that each cruise line has, also known as their fleet.

Getting to know the size and type of the company's fleet for when you are interested in working on cruise ships is beneficial for a number of reasons.

Lines with larger fleets usually means that there are more opportunities for you to work on a wider variety of vessels during your employment. What's more, the larger number of vessels a company has in it's fleet the more opportunities for advancement.

But don't expect that all the ships in a fleet are identical. Older ships have fewer amenities for passengers and crew. However, the more recently built, bigger ships have many more amenities.

But these ships are also busier and less familiar.

A good example of a big cruise line company with a mixed fleet of ships is a company called RCCL. With the new Oasis of the Seas beginning her first cruise in December, the company now has 21 ships in their fleet and six classes of  ships.

The Oasis of the Seas is the biggest of Royal Caribbean's ships at 220,000 tons, 5,400 guests and 1,650 crew members. But they also have smaller and older ships such as the Monarch built in 1991 and the Legend which is only 70,000 tons.

In September Carnival Cruise Lines launched the Dream, their biggest vessel to date; and RCCL launched their largest vessel ever in December.Those two ships alone will have generated more than 3,000 cruise ship jobs.

In fact, by the end of last year, an extra 10,000 jobs were created by the launching of new ships.

But don't worry, you haven't missed the boat yet be the cruise job opportunities for you are huge! The building boom is continuing for 2010 with another 12,000 jobs needing to be filled - positions such as guest services officers, gift shop staff, spa and salon staff, photographers, deck officers, IT personnel, cruise staff, youth counselors and many more.

The first ship launched this year is the Costa Deliziosa in January, and there will be more than a dozen more cruise ships to debut throughout the year. Norwegian Cruise Lines will introduce their largest ship to date in June this year and Royal Caribbean will be launching the sister to the Oasis of the Seas in December 2010.

The smaller cruise companies also offer a lot of prospects too. For example, Disney Cruise Line currently has only two ships but by 2012 they will have four ships.

It is advisable to send your resume and cover letters to cruise lines in expectation of the jobs being posted for the latest cruise ships.

Tip: When writing a cover letter (or follow-up letter), mention the fact that the cruise line is unveiling a new ship. This demonstrates your particular interest in the cruise line you are applying to.