Since 2005, Entertainment Cruises has been offering internships to students across the country. Twelve years later, the company offers two main internships: the Sales and Guest Services Internship and the Front of House Rotational Internship. Both programs operate out of Chicago. After the internship programs end each summer, it is often possible for interns to stay working with the company throughout the year. In fact, there are over 15 individuals who began as interns, either in the Contact Center or on the ships, and who now work in different roles for the company.
Interested in pursuing a career with the company after your internship? Read testimonials from a handful of Shipmates who continued their professional careers with Entertainment Cruises.
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Jennifer Lindburg
2009 Front of House Rotational Intern
Contact Center Sales Manager, Entertainment Cruises
I was an intern in the Contact Center in 2009 – the first intern class here! At the time I thought we were a pretty large group at 25 and I’ve since seen the classes grow to 50+ interns. I started the internship as a Front of House Rotational Internship with my career path goal being in Food & Beverage. The summer I did my internship was between my Junior and Senior year of college. I needed this in order to graduate. In order to pass the internship, my school program required a specific amount of hours in order for it to count. The summer of 2009 was during the Swine Flu epidemic which resulted in the majority of our May School Season cruises to be limited. Lucky for me, the Contact Center moved from Norfolk to Chicago that year and they opened up the position for any interns that wanted to join. I will be open and honest saying I did it for the hours, and what I got back in return from that decision is immeasurable. With no sales experience, I walked into a full week of training where I learned all of the sales and customer service skills. I walked out on the floor my first day on the phones feeling 100% confident as the training program included several shadowing sessions with a current employee that guided me through. The management team was extremely welcoming and friendly, I made mistakes but they really helped guide me through the summer. As mentioned, I started wanting to be in Food & Beverage and ended my summer with a passion for sales and customer service.
One of the best things I learned during the internship was the company culture, OSS. OSS has not only impacted my professional career but also flowed into my personal life. Every employee at EC exemplifies OSS. There were a lot of great OSS related events interns were invited too as well so we got to know interns throughout all departments. We were given the opportunity to do a project and present to the Executives at the end of the summer – no other experience I had prior to this gave me that type of opportunity and the experience of presenting in front of them really helped me in school as well. In case that wasn’t enough, the Executive Team also took the time to do a Meet & Greet where they took 1.5-2 hours out of their day to talk to all of the interns about their experiences, position and advice for the future. This along with my amazing internship experience motivated me to come back after I graduated. I took a leap of faith (potentially against my parent’s advice) and moved back to Chicago after graduation. After one month being back as an agent, I was quickly promoted to Team Leader. Ten months after being a Team Leader, I was promoted to the newly created role of Group Services Team Supervisor and Website Chat Liaison. After a successful 2.5 year run in the Supervisor role, I was promoted to Sales Manager where I currently have been for 2 years. Without my internship experience, I have no idea where I would be in my career, but couldn’t be happier I found a passion for something I thoroughly enjoy and love!
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Ashley Lundgren
2010 Front of House Rotational Intern
Senior HR/Payroll Coordinator, Entertainment Cruises
When it was time for me to begin looking for an internship, Entertainment Cruises immediately caught my attention. Who wouldn’t want to work in such a unique and fun environment? I started on the Mystic Blue as a [Front of House] Intern and it was literally one of the best summers of my life. During this internship I never felt as if I was at work. Working with such an amazing group of people made working feel like a day/night out with close friends. The OSS culture here at Entertainment Cruises kept me wanting more. I jumped at the opportunity to work in the [National Reservation Center] once I graduated college in 2011. Working on the sales side allowed me to understand the company more as a whole. I wanted to gain as much experience as I could on the business/sales side, so I constantly asked to take on more responsibilities. These additional tasks I took on helped me realize that I wanted nothing more but to grow within the company. In December of 2011, I was given the opportunity to interview for the Payroll Specialist position in Corporate Headquarters. I was able to use the professional experience and knowledge I gained from REZ in almost all my interview responses which helped me secure the job in HQ. I am currently a Senior HR/Payroll Coordinator serving the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and New York operations. I am extremely thankful for the great experience this internship provided and for the amazing support from management to help me grow within Entertainment Cruises.
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Isabella Prenta
2014 Sales and Guest Services Intern
Contact Center Administrative Assistant and Intern Coordinator, Entertainment Cruises
Since 2014, I have worked for Entertainment Cruises as a Sales and Customer Service Intern and the Contact Center Administrative Assistant and Intern Coordinator. It was clear from the start of my internship that Entertainment Cruises was a first-class company, and that my internship experience would be equally so. Throughout the Summer, I took advantage of the opportunities presented to interns, participating in Meet and Greet presentations and adopting “Our Service System” (OSS) into my daily routine. (OSS is the set of standards employees uphold, not just during interactions with guests, but also with one another.) The combination of OSS, passionate company culture and fellow employees, and opportunities for advancement blended together to create an educational internship program and an inspiring company. The culture is wonderful and infectious, and I wanted to continue working for Entertainment Cruises after my internship ended. I applied and was accepted to become the Contact Center Administrative Assistant; that role later transformed to include the Intern Coordinator duties.
I often reflect on my time as an intern, not just because it was a great experience, but also because part of my responsibility now is to ensure that the experience is just as great, if not better, for future interns. The opportunity to become the Intern Coordinator came on the heels of my internship, and the transition has provided me with a unique perspective about both the student and management sides to the program. Having been through the internship, I am able to target elements that need improving and identify aspects that already working. And, on a broader scale, I am learning what it takes to build a successful program and how to maintain it. The dual-role of Contact Center Administrative Assistant and Intern Coordinator is a continuation of the Sales Intern role that I held previously: each day at work is a learning experience, and I am fortunate to continually gain new skills and hone them with the guidance and support from those around me. These are skills and experiences that will help me to keep growing within the company and that I will carry with me throughout my career. I am thankful to Entertainment Cruises and its many wonderful employees who continue to make working for this company a great experience.
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Nicole Rogalski
2010 Entertainment Cruises Intern
National Food and Beverage Coordinator, Entertainment Cruises
When I started my internship with Entertainment Cruises in 2010, I had no idea what to expect. I began working as a server on Mystic Blue, thinking “this is something I have to do for school credit”. However, my opinion quickly changed. The atmosphere of acceptance and OSS values was refreshing, the Meet and Greets with Directors to Executives was extremely informative, and the responsibilities and experiences helped shape me for the professional workplace.
Since my internship, I continued within the company starting as a Representative at the [National Reservation Center]. From there, I was promoted to a Team Leader position which then led me to become a Supervisor. Presently, I am now the National Food and Beverage Coordinator at our Corporate Headquarters. Looking back, I realize how fortunate I am because there are very few companies that provide the opportunities, lasting friendships, and growth like Entertainment Cruises and I couldn’t be more grateful.
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Entertainment Cruises 