Wow - lots of great countries that you have visited! Personally, I would love to work on a ship out of Sydney and do sailings to Australia, New Zealand and islands in the South Pacific.
I have been told that ents often have to do work at the gangway during port days and turnaround days, although I would imagine that they would rotate those duties between each other.
No doubt after a 6 month contract, it would be exhausting, but it seems to be a job that they love. I really want to get started. It's a shame that they won't hire under 21's. 5 years feels like an eternity.
Thanks for the advice on what to do whilst at uni. I will look into this once I am there.
Also, one final question - does the ship itself influence how much you enjoy your contract? I can't help but think that the bigger the ship, the more fun it will be.