I don’t talk much here about specific cruise lines. I’m still working this gig, so I try not to type myself out of a job, if you know what I mean.
On my last ship I was written up, as in bona fide disciplinary action, for writing something the cruise line didn’t like. The cruise director told me that the head office had been monitoring my website content and he’d been told to write me up by the head of entertainment. How’s that for a kick in the pants?
I work for a different company now. I won’t name names, but that last company’s name started with “Holland” and ended with “America”. And that head of entertainment can stick his “disciplinary action” where the “sun” don’t “shine”.
Anyway – I found another site that does talk specifically about cruise lines. It not a very long article, and here’s the good part:
“Be careful what ship you work for. I have nothing but good things to say about working for Princess Cruise Lines. I have also heard good things about Royal Caribbean and Crystal and the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. Carnival, Norwegian, and Holland America got mediocre reviews and the pay and hours are not good. The one ship that I have heard nothing but bad things about is Celebrity.” ~ Source
I don’t know about that last sentence. I haven’t heard that myself. We’ve got a reader that’s about to depart for a Celebrity ship, so for his sake I hope it’s wrong.
David J. Hahn
David J. Hahn is a Broadway conductor and keyboard player. He co-founded MusicianWages.com with Cameron Mizell in 2008. Visit his new project, Songwriter.fm and sign up for his songwriting newsletter.
Hey Dave,
Love your blog…just found it…. Love the comments about the lines. I’m a bass player, with lots of experience on Carnival and I’m set now to do another tour on…one of the other lines you mentioned as getting ‘good’ reviews…leaving early April (Asia tour). and I hope upon return to do some musical theatre work in NYC as well….we probably have some friends in common I bet from either NYC or the ships…
I also have been a freelance journalist, in short, writing about various ‘social’ issues and things like that, and also encountered some rediculous corporate censorship paranoia on a project I was doing on a ship not too long ago…
Anyway, just saying hi and it’s great for musicians to keep connected like this…freelancers that we are…so thanks for doing this. Don Lieber
One more note: Re-reading the other writer’s comment: I agree: Carnival WAS good to work for, overall..yes they were flexible (at least the ships I worked on) overall.
This message is for the last person who left a comment (Don Lieber). Just noticed your comment Donny, and wanted to say hello. I’m an old friend of yours (Laura H) from the Bronx, from M&A. Hope all is well with you and that life is treating you good. Ran into Ricky some time ago and we caught up a bit. I’m still in touch with Harryet as well. Glad to hear you’re keeping up with your music. I know it’s something that gets in your blood and bones and never quite goes away, lol. Be good! Laura :)
Laura!
What a pleasure to hear from you…how bizarre to run into you ‘this way’! Of course the question that comes to mind is “…why on earth is Laura reading blogs from musicians/cruises?” So that made me laugh; you always had a quirky side. Yes I’m still doing music and cruises have been part of that…other things as well, but — all is good. Still in Co-op City?
Anyway, hope all is great..nice to hear from you!
Don
Hi, David. Am an Australian musician, Bass reader/touring/recording, &/or Guitarist/vox, solo lounge/retaurant/bar act.
Have been contemplating “cruising” with some trepadation, until finding your site. Now I’m freaking out! No, the information is eveything I suspected and “educational”. The “real-life” stories are very helpful. As I would be connecting from Ausralia to whatever port, it is a big undertaking and committment. Your contributors have given much needed insight into pros & cons.
I did a cruise here years ago, on a “tub”, so have been reluctant to bother since. I am curious as to what gear I would need to bring? I don’t wish to fly, from Aus with a bass rig for example. What gear is supplied in terms of stage gear (if any..) and P.A. if I do a solo lounge gig.
I look forward to future contributions to your great site.
Thank you, to all concerned!
Giles, Oz.
Hi Giles – I’m really glad that you find CCSM so valuable. I wrote it entirely for people like you that needed more info about the gig.
Try this post:
Provided Backline Equipment
And also read all the posts from Ghostwriter, who was a bass player that worked on a ship overseas.
Hello and glad to have found this site,
I’m 50 and have resigned to completing my career as piano bar entertainer on the high seas. I’ve done it before years ago but thought I could do better on land. Too much rat race. I need to take it easy from here on…
The comments are priceless for a guy like me but could you guys/gals mention the wages for each of the gigs you mention. It would really bring this whole thing into focus for me. I was thinking about $200/day 3-4-hrs/day somewhat split up. Am I nuts to think that Alek – Don?
Also the medical exam I heard was to be paid by the entertainer. Heard about that? Think there re-emburse, and on RC I heard they want your blood. Are they looking for certain diseases or just Drugs? I have Diabetis. Think They Care or could it keep me off?
The alternatives sound like very good advice and I’ll concentrate on those. Any other tips or ideas, please lament, I am most grateful.
I started out on Celebrity as one of the hired sax guns. It was awesome til I needed a simple perscription and got sent home for pre existing med condition…crazy, but the gig was cool while I was there. THEN CAME HOLLAND AMERICA! Stay away. I did bout three cruises with them and they all sucked bad. The last was the worst the CD was an extremly racist south african, not saying that they all are, but he definitly was. I just wanted to play but could not win for losing. In conclusion, stay away from holland america. Yeah, up your’s Quesada. Celebrity good. Royal csrribean good. Princess good. Dont know bout NCL or the others. HOLLAND AMERICA BAAADDDD!
Hi David. Thank you very much for this blog. I’ve found it extremely informative since beginning work on cruise ships last year. I recently finished a contract as a showband musician on board Carnival and really have only good things to say. Both CDs I had were terrific (I’m even facebook friends with one of them now) and had four MDs through the course of my contract, three of which I loved. (Fortunately, I only had to contend with the jack-ass I didn’t for one cruise at the very beginning of my contract.) All the other showband musicians I worked with were very good as well and got along great with everybody (most of the time). I did hear some grumbling from a few of my colleagues but personally, I didn’t have any major complaints about the gig or the way I was treated and I’m going back to do another contract for Carnival very soon.
Jesse, thanks for the insight on Celebrity. I’m going to be working for them after this next contract with Carnival. I’m glad to hear that the gig was cool while you had it.
Hi there. I’m an Australian jazz trombonist. I did a contract on Celebrity which finished earlier this year as an orchestra musician and I had a fantastic time. The music programme was excellent at the time but yes I’ve heard stories from other musicians that have worked for the company for a long time that say they’d worked with some pretty average musicians in the past. As with anything there’s going to be times where things just click and times where because of the management of the ship or weak members in the ensemble, the job might not be as enjoyable.
I’m currently working on Azamara Club which recently split from Celebrity and now falls directly under the banner of Royal Carribean, for my next 2 contracts. The crew morale is excellent here and the level of musicians is very high. The itineraries are phenomenal because the ships are small and can get into more interesting ports. I’m returning to work for Celebrity late next year however which I’m looking forward to as well.
So for me personally, I would take the comment above about hearing nothing but bad things about Celebrity with a grain of salt.
This is a great blog David and I enjoyed reading it before I did my first contract and found it very helpful.
Anybody done the Caribbean or Bermuda tour on Celebrity. Just wondered how the ports are. Also heard the Atlantic from US to Bermuda can be rough.
I did a Celebrity Caribbean run. Most of the ports are very similar; in the Caribbean, there’s not much to do but sit on the beach or drink cheap beer. I enjoyed both of these activities. Oh, and flying fish sandwiches in Barbados. There’s a place called The Shipyard that was originally meant for crewmembers and a place for them to unwind, but not so much any more. Some guests recognized me and a dancer flirting and complained to the staff captain. We didn’t get in trouble because it was off-ship, but were warned that we were still being watched.
What was wrong with flirting?
Well, we were all riding in a cab back from the Shipyard, and she was trying to find a way to get me to pay her share of the cab. I’d say her methods of persuasion went from G rated to PG-13. All the while, we didn’t realize there were two older guests in the back seat riding with us. I guess when the majority of guests are older, that was seen as inappropriate.
It’s called Boatyard actually, was just there a couple weeks ago.
Anyway, I feel like that may be more likely to happen on some of the fancier lines… although in any case, that’s the kinda thing that really annoys crew, when it feels like the ship’s trying to control what we do on our own. Glad you didn’t get in trouble.
Oops, yeah, it’s been a few years for me. The staff captain tried to write us up, but the entertainment director argued our case. I didn’t even know what happened until I saw him in the staff bar that night and he told me what went down. He wasn’t about to let them write us up for something that happened off ship.
Roger: While I haven’t done the Bermuda run on Celebrity, I did it this summer with Royal Caribbean going from Baltimore to Bermuda on a 5 day cruise. I honestly didn’t find the Atlantic to be that rough.
Dana, Good to again hear that Celebrity is good. I wanted to make one more comment on Carnival. Overall it is a very good company to work for as a sax player but one thing that I do not like is that they will not reimburse travel expenses other than providing a plane ticket. As musicians, we must often carry a lot of gear along when we travel and this can get quite expensive since airlines these days are charging additional fees for checked and overweight baggage. I have had to suck all of this up even after one of my MDs went to bat for me. This is really the only thing that chapps my ass a little bit about that company. And by the way, Celebrity has told me that they WILL reimburse these expenses.
Just wanted to contribute that I’ve been working for Carnival and don’t really have complaints specific to Carnival. In fact, I’m rather glad that Carnival doesn’t seem to have the issues that a lot of the people mentioned above for other lines (what Eric said is true though… luckily I’m a piano player and don’t have to carry my instrument). Overall it’s been really good :-)