Cruise Ship Musician Employment – FAQ
New York, NY
This blog is a fair and honest representation of the cruise jobs I had in 2004 and 2008. Some have asked whether or not the writing was filtered to stay out of trouble with management, and yes, of course it was. It was filtered in the same way everything that has your name on it and is on the internet is filtered – with the idea in mind that the person that reads this could be your boss, and now-a-days, a potential client.
I wrote many of these posts while I was on the ship, and I haven’t changed them since. I haven’t even taken out typos, which might be more laziness than anything else. They are as close an assessment of the good and the bad as I could present.
There are a lot of questions that come my way, especially since traffic to the site has increased. This post is in no way an effort to stop emails and comments from coming – on the contrary! – its always fun to hear from people that read the site. By all means leave a comment or drop me an email.
Regarding how to get on a ship in the first place, there are two ways. First is through a talent agency, and second is directly through the cruise line. A talent agency will take 10-15% of your paycheck, but will get you on a ship the quickest. In fact, once you get in good with a talent agency, you may find it hard not to get work from them. As cruise ships tend to be a passing career paths for most musicians, these talent agencies seem to be constantly searching for new musicians. They are so hard up sometimes that they’ll just take anybody and throw them on a ship. If you talent agencies are reading this, don’t get upset because you know that’s a fact. The most common complaint about talent agencies, in fact, is not the bite they take out of your paycheck, or the lack of support while you are on the ship – no – the biggest complaint when I was out was that these agencies get desperate for players and sometimes throw terrible musicians on the ship and hope that they work out.
The second way I never did myself, that is, to contact the cruise line directly. Cruise lines used to get their musicians entirely from agencies, but for the problems listed above, they seem to not be doing that as much anymore. This route is pretty simple, but it takes much longer from what I hear. Basically (and I know it should be harder than this, but it isn’t), you call up the cruise line’s main number and ask for the entertainment department. When you get them on the phone tell them that you are a musician and you want to play on their ships, and how can you apply for a position. I don’t know much else about this way of doing it, other than it can take months for them to get around to your application (so I’ve heard). Perhaps someone who’s done this could explain the process to us in the comments.
A quick google search will show you talent agencies. Proship and Oceanbound seem to at least have the most internet presence. They are both Canadian companies – perhaps the same company for all I know – and I will endorse neither of them here.
Regarding how often a cruise ship musician works – I can only speak for my experience. On my ship I worked 0-3 hours a day. Its pretty cushy, but beware: it gets boring. Bring something else to do! A hobby, your computer, video games were popular – bring something. I had brought with me none of the above, but I enjoyed my spare time anyway with all the reading I got through on the ship. I was reading a book every few days by the end of it. Just as a means of contrast, I hardly ever read books lately. Who has time?
Can you practice? No. They say you can, but you its hard to find a private space on a ship. Practicing in your room might be alright, but your room may be next to another crew member that works nights, and you practicing during the day when they want to sleep might not be allowed depending on the situation. As a pianist, its even more difficult to find a place that both has a piano and is private enough to let you practice in peace.
Nevertheless, because of all of the playing and sight-reading that you do, you’re chops will probably get better – or, at least, the chops that you use on this gig will get better. I sounded great when I got off the ship (great on Capacabana and bossa nova hits at least).
Can you work in the summer if you have summer’s off? The typical length of time agencies and cruise lines try to get musicians to commit to is 6 months. Contrary to what they’ll tell you, they do accept shorter time periods, although they really push hard to make you take 6 months for at least your first contract. If they are desperate for players, though, they’ll send you out for whatever length of time they can get you. In the case of the agencies, at least, everyday you spend on a ship is a day they get 12% of, so of course they want you out there. You’re big business. So yes, you could, in theory, go during your summers off. But its very difficult to coordinate. If you’re going that route, try it through a talent agency, as they’ll be able to negotiate shorter contracts easier.
Yes, you have to be able to read music. Well. End of story.
Would I go out again? Well…my life is different than it used to me. I make a living playing music on land now. I have a girlfriend. My brother just had a kid. Things like that make it hard to imagine committing to 6 months alone on a ship with a roommate and a tiny paycheck. At the time none of the things I just mentioned were happening. I didn’t care about the cash and I just wanted to see the world. I also needed to learn a few things about being a pro musician. It was really good for me…at age 23. Now I’m not so sure. It sounds like a step back now. But if things were really slow, I might take something again. Not for 6 months, though. That’s a hella wicked long time on a ship.
That said, I’m taking another cruise job right now. This time, though, I’m the music director of a guest performer act – a gig that is much, much, much different. The bread is great, I live in a passenger cabin with all the benefits of a passenger, its in Hawaii…its all pretty slick. So yeah, if the gig paid great and I had my own room (and in this case, I only had to go out for 3 months) – yeah, I’d go back out.
If the question is – if I had it to do over again, would I – if that’s the question the answer is undoubtably yes. Absolutely. It was really good for me, and really helped to launch my career on land. It was one of the first real professional musician credits I had. I felt people treated me differently after I came back – as if I was a REAL musician now. Everywhere I go – even Broadway in NYC – there are musicians that paid their dues on ships, sometimes for many years. Its a very good thing for young commercial musicians to do – hey, its a gig playing your ax, right? Those can be hard to find.
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Hi David:
I like to first say this is a really great blog. I’m really enjoying it and thanks for posting all of the wonderful information…..My question is this: What would a paycheck look like (ball park figure) for a first time cruise ship musician? Thanks:)………Jeff Gee
12/26/2008
Hi Jeff – I’m really glad you dig, thanks for the positive feedback.
Sidemen seem to start around $65/day right now, at least on Celebrity and Holland America. Check this post out:
Cruise Musician Average Pay
12/26/2008
Hi David , yep , i think you hit the nail on the head with all your info.I worked 15 years on cruise ships as a trumpet player .-it reminded me of a velvet cell , really comfy -but you still felt like a inmate by the end of the contract !–but – i may have to venture back–work is pretty slow in the U.K. !
All the best
simon
1/2/2009
Hey David,
Again, thanks for your info. Its hard to find the real deal amongst the glossy posts of talent agencies.
I am a 20yr old Aussie pianist, two years ago I was offered a cruise job but then subsequently denied due to my age. Obviously since then I’ve been concentrating on getting on board.
My questions..
1. As a cocktail pianist do I have to play a real piano? (90% of my show is based on splitting the keys with an acoustic bass sound).
2. 3hrs a day!! I think I’d go overboard, is it possible to play in the showband as well?
3. I have spent the last year singing, I am not great, merely in tune. Would it be a better idea to hold back 6months and enter as a piano bar entertainer rather than a cocktail pianist? What are the main differences (on the ship).
4. Who decides on $$?? on land I hassle publicans and alike for more money nearly every 2nd gig if all is going well. What happens here??
Thanks for your time
Daniel
2/5/2009
Hey David
Do you have to be less than a certain age to work on a ship? I am nearly 40 but I know how to read charts and I know how to improvise. How does the audition process work to get on board? I once auditioned and I could have gone out, but things started changing in a little thing called Life. I think I have the chance to do it right now.
I was wondering if there were any other physical requirements of working on these ships. Do you really have to pass a physical and are those physical examinations just as rigorous as the ones they do for the military? I understood that you have to be really healthy to be able to work on ships such as no obesity, no diabetics and nobody else with any big health concerns.
What is your answer for these questions?
3/5/2009
Hi Cindy –
Thanks for writing. Have a look around CCSM and I think you’ll find the answers to a lot of your questions. Here are a few to start with:
How Old Are Most Musicians on Cruise Gigs?
How to Get a Cruise Ship Musician Job
Regarding the health question, cruise ships are very sensitive about health ailments. You are required to get a full physical (on your own dime) prior to beginning your gig, and if they find anything they don’t like they can dismiss you immediately. It depends entirely on the cruise line and the cruise line’s doctors, and you never know what they’ll say.
3/5/2009
Hey Dave,
I’m a solo guitar/singer and I got 6 months to kill due to a class that’s offered every other year.. I’m a music business major, and I know how to look at music and figure it out, I’m not a fluent fast reader. I’ve heard there are jobs where you are your own show, so the reading isn’t as important. Would you consider that to be true? Also how many songs would you think would be necessary to start? I have 100 covers ranging from Now, 90’s 80’s and classic rock.
Also, great site. It’s something I’m highly considering!
Derek
3/16/2009
Hi Derek –
Yes, you’re thinking of one of the lounge positions onboard. I know that NCL has a solo guitarist position on at least some of their ships. I think it’s like a 3-4 sets a night kind of thing.
I would contact the cruise lines directly and see how you do like that. Try contacting the entertainment department of NCL and asking if you can audition or send your material in.
3/16/2009
They don’t have a number to get ahold of the entertainment department on their site. Any Suggestions?
3/17/2009
I would try their corporate offices in Miami and ask for the entertainment department. Try this:
http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/contactUs.html#4
3/17/2009
hi!
just a quickie and maybe i have missed something on your useful blog/site here….what’s the deal re. musicians etc being able to communicate home while on board the vessel? are there generally e.mail facilities for crew musicians to use….are they generally free to use or is it pay per min. etc ? thanks…D
4/2/2009
Hi David –
Check this out:
Internet Connection on Cruise Ships
I’d also encourage you to try your question in our Cruise ship musician forum. Thanks for reading!
4/2/2009
Hi there!,
Firstly am so glad ive found this site….Its really very useful so well done for that!
Im a drummer from the UK looking to work on a ship….for an agency like Proship who are obviously not based in the UK would I still be able to work for them or even audition?
I guess what im asking is,if your from the UK do you have to apply to work on a cruise liner through an agency thats based in the UK??
Many thanks,
R x
4/3/2009
I know you talked about praticing already, but I’m the kind of musician that will still be praticing even though I’m already in a gig. You mentioned that it was difficult to practice aboard a ship. However, my question is if you really looked hard enough would you be able to find a spot to practice all day, or at least most of it?
Thank you.
6/12/2009
This blog you have going is great! it is really helpful for someone who is thinking about getting a job on a cruise ship
10/19/2009
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