Cruise ship jobs for the working Jazz musician

[West LA Jazz]

Has anyone ever worked on a cruise ship as a hired jazz musician?
I've heard about this agency that supplies musicians to the cruise ship business.
Care to share experiences?

Cruise Ship Entertainers : Cruise Ship Musicians : Landau Music, Inc.

[GodinFan]

I've done 5 ship contracts as an orchestra musician on woodwinds. What would you like to know?

[jasaco]

I have heard it said that you're not allowed in the public areas in-between sets and have to stay down in the dungeon and come up for air smiling when it's your time to perform. They say there's also a negative side...

[eddy b.]

I've heard the upside/downside is you drink for free...

[Dennis D]

I've done 5 ship contracts as an orchestra musician on woodwinds. What would you like to know?

What were your best gigs ? ( What makes it a good gig ? )

What are the best gigs for yourself and / or the public who actually come to listen ? ( or does anyone ? )


What were the best places - cruises - you'd seen ? ( recommendations ?? )


Any other info appreciated, especially from your perspective.


Thanks !

[Jonzo]

I've heard the upside/downside is you drink for free...

Someone told me not to do it until you are 21, because all the musicians hang out in the bar.

[Nate Miller]

I'm not a good enough reader to get one of those gigs, but I had a friend that did that for years and absolutely loved it. He was a bass player, so he usually was in a few different acts on the boat. but it was the travel that he really loved.

When I was in the Navy, he sent me a post card from Istanbul. He was on one of the first cruise boats into the Black Sea after the cold war, and the list of ports he hit even made all my sailor buddies jealous

He always had hilarious stories from the boats, too.

if you can leave dry land and go to sea for a while, its is worth giving it a try. I've known several guys who did it, and everybody had a good time.

Go for it, you'll have a blast

[rabbit]

GodinFan is your go-to man on this.

[West LA Jazz]

I've done 5 ship contracts as an orchestra musician on woodwinds. What would you like to know?

Thanks for chiming in. I have a few questions.

- What are the "hours" for each set
- How many times a day were you required to play
- What about their pay rates; because technically, you're not in any countrie's jurisdiction while you're playing.
- Do you get to "bond" with the other musicians via practicing and if so for how long before you play?
- Is everything else free? Food, lodging and yes, entertainment (for the entertainer). ;-)
- If the cruise is a week, do you play daily?

Thanks!

[Jazzism]

When a lot of my classmates were going for the cruise ship gigs, i opted for the 5 star hotel circuit in the the gulf. From what i heard its better to do those cruise ship contracts if your single. So for me,it was better staying on land, you often get the same amenities as regular guests. My partner was also a musician, so while we were in 5 star luxury, some of our colleagues were below the waterline listening to creaking bulkheads and often sharing your cramped space with someone who was always drunk and snoring HAHA! One infamous boat kept breaking down. You can imagine how comfortable you would be cruising the south pacific in summer with no aircon.
cheers!

[wolflen]

an xGF was a dancer in the shows for several cruise lines...she had to also be a "Hostess/waitress" between sets..2 or 3 a day/night..I was a bit miffed that they pay so low--"well meals and lodging are included..plus the cruise itself.." I reminded her about on board gambling-which covered all the expensed of the cruise and is most likely tax free depending on origin of the ship..so all the tier one food and drinks are charged..then the cruise could last weeks and that "big" ship gets very small..and you may get to go some port stops or you may not..read the employment contract very carefully..

I could not do that kind of thing..the mere feeling of not being able to "leave" when I want to drives me nuts..don't ride with me if there is a traffic jam..and I live in LA..go figure..

[sgcim]

Whenever I think of cruise gigs, I always think of one musician I used to work with who was such a notorious substance abuser, that he was banned from some of the islands that the ship used to stop at!

[West LA Jazz]

When a lot of my classmates were going for the cruise ship gigs, i opted for the 5 star hotel circuit in the the gulf. From what i heard its better to do those cruise ship contracts if your single. So for me,it was better staying on land, you often get the same amenities as regular guests. My partner was also a musician, so while we were in 5 star luxury, some of our colleagues were below the waterline listening to creaking bulkheads and often sharing your cramped space with someone who was always drunk and snoring HAHA! One infamous boat kept breaking down. You can imagine how comfortable you would be cruising the south pacific in summer with no aircon.
cheers!

Creaking bulkheads? Hilarious!

[cosmic gumbo]

I know a first call brass player/teacher in the northeast who gets the desperate call from a talent broker every few months for work.... free ticket to fly to Miami to get to the ship, private berth, $1000 per week, nothing longer than 2 weeks. He'd do it a couple of times a year, if they cried hard enough and threw in some extra perks. I guess he could whip a showband horn section into shape in one rehearsal, redo charts, etc...

[Eric Rowland]

Never, ever take a job on a boat with Frank Drebin in command!

[GodinFan]

I have heard it said that you're not allowed in the public areas in-between sets and have to stay down in the dungeon and come up for air smiling when it's your time to perform. They say there's also a negative side...

Depends on the line. Usually if you're in public areas, you're required to dress in uniform, or to a dress code, with your ID badge clearly displayed. On most of the UK ships I've been on, a uniform was not required during the day - we wore slacks and a collared shirt.

[GodinFan]

I've heard the upside/downside is you drink for free...

Not usually. The crew bar does tend to be quite inexpensive - $1 or less for a beer. I was on one line where we were allowed a certain number of free drinks in the passenger lounges - as long as we were sitting with, and essentially entertaining passengers.

[GodinFan]

What were your best gigs ? ( What makes it a good gig ? )

There's three ingredients in a good gig - good pay, good music, good hang. I generally say any two can make it a decent gig, though sometimes sufficient quantities of $ make up for other lacks.

I've done most of my contracts on a UK line that pays about the best for side musicians in the theatre orchestra. We played for the guest entertainers (singers, dancers, instrumentalists, comics, etc.) as well as doing jazz sets and playing for dancing. We'd tend to play every day, starting with a rehearsal at 5:00, and were usually done by 11:00.

What are the best gigs for yourself and / or the public who actually come to listen ? ( or does anyone ? )

We got fairly full houses for a lot of the theatre shows, and for some things we did with the band, the lounges would be packed.

What were the best places - cruises - you'd seen ? ( recommendations ?? )

I love the Med, especially Spain. Bridgetown, Barbados and Boracay Island in the Philipines have the nicest beaches I've ever been on. Talinn, Estonia looks like it was a model for every medieval fairly tale town.

Any other info appreciated, especially from your perspective.

The downside on many lines is IPM duty - In Port Manning. A certain % of the ships crew has to stay on board while in port in case of emergencies.

[GodinFan]

Someone told me not to do it until you are 21, because all the musicians hang out in the bar.

Well, it depends where you are, and where the ship is registered. Legal drinking age in Canada is 19. I think it's still 18 in the UK and most of the EU.

Honestly, there aren't many musicians under 21 that have the chops or experience to pull off the gig.

[GodinFan]

Thanks for chiming in. I have a few questions.

- What are the "hours" for each set

Varies from line to line and ship to ship. My last gig we typically had a 5 pm rehearsal, then played two hour long shows at 8:30 and 10:30. Sometimes we'd play a 45min jazz set in the same venue, if it was a lounge rather than the theatre.

- How many times a day were you required to play

See above.

- What about their pay rates; because technically, you're not in any countrie's jurisdiction while you're playing.

I was quoted rates by the agency that places me. There is a contract called an SEA, or Seaman's Employment Agreement that you sign and bring aboard that spells it all out - not just amount, but currency as well.

- Do you get to "bond" with the other musicians via practicing and if so for how long before you play?

Good luck. Every ship gig I've done, you sign on at 9 in the morning, do the mandatory safety induction in the afternoon, then passenger drills before sailing. Then it's rehearsal and shows.

- Is everything else free? Food, lodging and yes, entertainment (for the entertainer). ;-)

Yes, you are fed. The quality and variety will vary from ship to ship. On the American line I worked on, we ate in the Officers Mess. On most UK ships, I can eat in the Officer/Staff/Crew messes, or the passenger buffet. I can go see other shows, but I'm usually working.

- If the cruise is a week, do you play daily?
Thanks!

Most likely.

[Dennis D]

There's three ingredients in a good gig - good pay, good music, good hang. I generally say any two can make it a decent gig, though sometimes sufficient quantities of $ make up for other lacks.

I've done most of my contracts on a UK line that pays about the best for side musicians in the theatre orchestra. We played for the guest entertainers (singers, dancers, instrumentalists, comics, etc.) as well as doing jazz sets and playing for dancing. We'd tend to play every day, starting with a rehearsal at 5:00, and were usually done by 11:00.



We got fairly full houses for a lot of the theatre shows, and for some things we did with the band, the lounges would be packed.



I love the Med, especially Spain. Bridgetown, Barbados and Boracay Island in the Philipines have the nicest beaches I've ever been on. Talinn, Estonia looks like it was a model for every medieval fairly tale town.




The downside on many lines is IPM duty - In Port Manning. A certain % of the ships crew has to stay on board while in port in case of emergencies.

Thanks for the information !!

[Dave70]

Fyi, there's a bunch of vids on youtube about being a cruise ship musician and auditions.

[GodinFan]

I recently compiled a FAQ for would be cruise ship sax players - much or the general info would apply to any musician on a ship.

Have a look here: Merlin's FAQ for Cruise Ship Saxophonists!!

[Jonzo]

One other thing I was told is that, after you have done all the amenities, it gets kind of old. So you sit in your room and practice. It can be an opportunity to improve your chops. I know a sax player who did cruises and eventually toured with Prince. Now he is a conservative radio host.

[fasstrack]

Has anyone ever worked on a cruise ship as a hired jazz musician?
I've heard about this agency that supplies musicians to the cruise ship business.
Care to share experiences?

Cruise Ship Entertainers : Cruise Ship Musicians : Landau Music, Inc.

Thanks! Will look into it.

Had some prior 'almost made its': One guy in Australia who a friend pulled my coat to books both ships and hotels. Sounded him, don't remember details but the $ sucked, you had to sign a 4-month contract, and when I tried to inquire about certain things he snapped and said 'there are many groups waiting to take this job'. Let 'em have it, then. In the words of the late, great Chris Anderson: 'Young kids that'll play in a burning house'.

Another guy didn't like the video I paid to record expressly for his cruise job.

'As the world turns'...