can an employee (or former) help me with the job process

I'm currently a full time college student at a university in Florida, and i'm 19. I am an American just in case that's important, since I see most employees are international.

I do have April- August completely free, so that's a solid five months. Living in Florida we cruised quite often, and i've always thought it would be an amazing opportunity to work for a cruise line. I know the hours and days are nonstop and can be grueling, but i'm here for the challenge, I genuinely think it'd be worth it in the end if I got to travel the way you do. I just have a couple of questions

1. Could I get a job even though i'm still in college? (I have April- August completely free)
2. I am American, does that put me at a disadvantage? (I have searched through and found multiple posts talking about how Americans rarely work for cruise lines. Why?
3. How long would the application process take?
4. Most of my resume consists of Student Government and school-wide organized events. Would that put me at a complete disadvantage? (As in i'm a full time student at a University in Florida and we help organize the events for the student body. We contact famous athletes or politicians to come speak at our school)
5. I am CPR certified/ Lifeguard certified, and I was actually interested in working for the Sports Staff, Lifeguard or On Shore Excursion Staff if possible. Not that I would mind the other jobs, I just chose what I thought my resume would cater towards most.

Thank You