http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/forum/cruise-ship-gig The Community for Working Musicians en-US Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:45:34 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/search.php http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/solo-acoustic-guitaristsinger-questions-about-the-gig#post-1845 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:36:21 +0000 Fabrice Choudry 1845@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Ive been reading up on what it takes to a be a solo acoustic performer aboard a cruise ship and have a few questions</p> <p>Whats the general type of music i should have ready in my repetoire?</p> <p>how much would i be playing a day roughly?</p> <p>Examples of tunes the audience on board usually like to hear?</p> <p>Will i be expected to perform with the showband as my sight reading skills are quite poor</p> <p>Is taking requests part of the gig?</p> <p>how long between applying and getting out there, im hoping to be on board a ship by end of april</p> <p>Any general information regarding this type of gig would be helpful, ive never done this type of gig before so anything would be helpful</p> <p>thanks </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/costa-concordia-accident#post-1782 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000 NateOMatic 1782@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>As a some-time ship musician myself I often follow news stories about the industry, and this is clearly a very major and unfortunate situation. Obviously there's a lot of speculation and hindsight going on out there, much but not all of which is certainly mis-informed. But it does call into question a lot of the safety procedures and management practices on this line in particular (or maybe all cruise lines).</p> <p>Has anybody here worked for Costa? or got friends on the ship? What have you experienced or heard about, and how does it relate to your perception of how this accident unfolded? Was it bound to happen the way things are run there? Or was it really a freak occurrence that could have happened to any ship?</p> <p>More generally, what does this news do to your thoughts about continuing to work on ships, or doing so for the first time? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-long-do-lounge-sets-usually-last#post-593 Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:50:04 +0000 godfreyguitar 593@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Great, great blog. I&#39;m a solo jazz guitarist/crooner who&#39;s been thinking seriously about cruise gigs, and all this information is exciting and motivating! I&#39;m particularly interested in solo guitarist/singer gigs in a lounge setting. In general, how long do solo lounge musicians perform? Three hours? Longer? Once a day, twice? I&#39;m not worried about having enough repertoire. I can play and sing for 4+ hours before I start repeating myself, and I can read well enough to honor most requests if I don&#39;t already know the song. My concern is more with the physicality of playing guitar for a certain length of time day after day. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/what-are-the-most-requested-songs-in-the-piano-bar#post-53 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:42:51 +0000 danvar 53@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I have two questions: </p> <p>What are the most requested songs in the piano bar? </p> <p>Are there many requests for the old standards?</p> <p>I discoverd this web site last night and found it very informative and useful - especially as I am interested in working as a piano bar entertainer again after a very long break. By the way, congratulations on a great job with this web site and blogg. It has already answered many of the questions I had about working as a musician on a cruise ship. </p> <p>Having played guitar for many years in rock, blues, soul, and pop bands, I taught myself to play piano and did my first gig as a pianobar entertainer in 1985. As I don't read music, I never had the opportunity or inclination to learn the old standards, and now wish I had made the effort. I haven't played professionally since 1994 and I am curious to know if there are many requests in the piano bar for old standards like <strong>"It had to be you"</strong> and <strong>"Making Whoppee"</strong> ect. I play a good variety of popular songs from the 60s to about 2005. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/ever-wonder-what-its-like-to-audition-for-a-talent-agency#post-1339 Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:28:55 +0000 funkyguitar 1339@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I put up on the home page of my website a video audition I recorded recently for one of the cruise line talent agency's out there. Check it out here: <a href="http://www.lancevallis.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.lancevallis.com/</a></p> <p>Lance</p> <p>&lt;iframe width="600" height="437" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ziX9y3ar1WY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/what-kind-of-experience-would-a-cruise-ship-singer-need#post-1257 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:41:57 +0000 Leila 1257@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>In order to be hired? Can you come straight out of highschool and apply or do they look for mainly music grads?</p> <p>Thank you! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/carnival-cruise-lines-slashing-entertainment-department#post-1263 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:53:49 +0000 marakima 1263@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>This recent info from a long-time Carnival musician (not me): The Entertainment Dept is getting slashed over the next few years. The dancers are getting slashed to only 4 (2 male/2 females) and they will have to be singers as well as dancers. The show band will be even smaller and will, to a greater degree, continue to play multiple places around the ship. But the dancers/singers will perform in front of a giant LCD screen on stage and sing to a track... no more live orchestra in the main lounge. No more expensive Broadway-type sets. They are getting rid of the Caribbean duos, the rock cover band, the cocktail pianist. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/i-want-to-do-what-charlie-parker-did#post-1225 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:11:56 +0000 MenendezMusic 1225@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey guys, </p> <p>Once I get done with music school, I plan to do a cruise ship job. I play the baritone saxophone. Once I get to the cruise ship, I plan to practice 10 hours a day. Is this possible to do on a cruise ship, given your job as musician? How is it like on a cruise ship? Do you have all that time to practice, or does your boss make you do other things when you're not performing? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/clothes-for-ladies#post-643 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:24:31 +0000 Emiemipoemi 643@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I&#39;ve been looking at the packing lists on the website since I leave in about a month and a half now, but it seems like all the packing lists are for men. My welcome letter from the company is kind of vague with the dress code.</p> <p>&quot;Please be advised that gentlemen must bring a tuxedo, and ladies must bring formal gown(s). Your dress should be in accordance with suggested evening attire (tuxedo, formal gown, show clothes, Country, and 50’s - 60’s Rock &amp; Roll theme night attire, etc.) – for the entire evening. After 6:00 PM you should never be seen in a public area wearing daytime casual wear. Daytime attire should be conservative, keeping in accordance with ship’s rules and regulations.&quot;</p> <p>What kind of formal gown are we talking about? Straps, sleeves, skirt length, color? I just sent an email to the Recruit Coordinator asking about this but I thought I&#39;d shoot a question on here. Any lady cruise musicians who remember what types of clothes to bring? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/agent-vs-direct-hire#post-37 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:47:12 +0000 geddpalmer 37@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Can someone please tell me if it's better to go through and agent of directly with a cruise line to gain employment? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/classical-guitarists#post-381 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:08:34 +0000 tronche 381@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I am currently pursuing a degree in Classical Guitar performance and I am curious to know if anyone has had experience as a classical solo musician on the ships.</p> <p>Thank you,<br /> Ross </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/music-academic-qualification#post-414 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:57:21 +0000 U8R 414@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Must one have a music degree to secure a performing job on board (provided he/she can perform as good as those music degree holders if not better)? If not, would the lack of a music degree limit the size of one&#39;s paycheck?</p> <p>How about, generally in the music industry, is music degree an imperative? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/returning-to-cruise-ship-gig-question-about-salary#post-995 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:30:57 +0000 funkyguitar 995@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I played in the show band on board a Carnival Cruise Lines ship about ten years ago. I'm thinking about going back to perform on a cruise ship again sometime over the next few months. I emailed back and forth with an agent today who works with a few different cruise lines, and he asked me what my most recent ship salary was. I believe it was about $500 a week at the time, but I'm sure the rate has gone up since then. What can I expect the pay to be this time around? What would be average, and what would be "good" pay. I'd like to think that despite the fact that I haven't been playing on cruise ships over the past ten years, that I'd still be considered experienced. I'm 38 years old and have been teaching and performing in different situations for years. I'm basically looking for a point of reference so I know how to talk intelligently with the agent when it comes to pay, and see if it'll be worth the trade off for the six month contract they're asking me to commit to. </p> <p>Lance<br /> <a href="http://www.lancevallis.com">http://www.lancevallis.com</a> </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-difficult-is-to-apply-for-latin-american-musicians-in-a-cruise-ship#post-843 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:26:06 +0000 hildergarn 843@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi. I've read several posts on this site regarding how to apply as a band on a cruise ship, but I want to know how feasible is for latin american musicians (like me) to apply on most of the links and pages they provide?</p> <p>Thanks and appreciate any reply &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/smile.png&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-does-a-cruise-line-choose-a-guest-performer#post-18 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:19:09 +0000 giganci 18@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I stumbled upon this forum while I was searching for information on how to contact the entertainment department at some major cruise lines. I represent a group of artists that is interested in a World Tour. Tonight was the first time any of us thought about performing on a cruise ship, but I think it would be an extraordinary experience for both the group and passengers.</p> <p>I thought this might be a good place to start to ask for information. So far I have found a few agencies, as well as sites like Royal Caribbean Productions, but we are not interested in auditioning for a standard, long term contract. If anyone has any advice to offer me as to how a Cruise Line goes about choosing special Guest Performers, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Anything that you may know about contracts, duties, accommodations, and who to contact to present our portfolio, would be invaluable.</p> <p>Thank you in advance for your help.</p> <p>Oliver </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/dry-dock#post-189 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:20:35 +0000 ClairePow 189@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Has anyone been working on a cruise ship that went into dry dock? I am about to start a new job on a ship and was told that we will be in dry dock after I've been there about a month. I was just wondering what dry dock is like for the entertainment department. thanks! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/pickpocketing-in-europe#post-29 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:06:02 +0000 klemmaniac 29@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hello-I have a contract on a ship in Europe and while I have been doing some online research, have become a little concerned with the frequent warning of "beware of pick-pockets". I keep my wallet in my front pants pocket, but have actually considered buying a concealed pocket to strap to my leg recently. I think the moderator, David, on this forum has been to Europe on a contract and I was wondering how he or anyone else felt about keeping their wallet with them in ports/cities, and if one would recommend one of these concealed pockets, or am I worrying about it too much? Thanks. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/carnival-cruise-jazz#post-653 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:40:34 +0000 JBone 653@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey, I just got a gig as a guitar player on Carnival Cruise. I don&#39;t know which ship yet, but I was wondering if anyone can tell me if the show band ever gets to play any jazz sets? I know most of it is top 40, show tunes and rock, but I really wanna jam some jazz while I&#39;m there. Thanks. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/what-guitar-pedals-should-i-bring-on-a-cruise-ship-gig#post-17 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:14:08 +0000 David J. Hahn 17@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Another great post from the old forums that was lost in the switch:</p> <p><strong>mrmxyzptlk</strong></p> <p>First, I'd like to say that I enjoy this site, and that in particular the posts pertaining to employment as a cruise ship musician are some of the best and most informative writing I've come across by people who are employed in the cruise industry.</p> <p>I have a question: I'll soon be returning to work for a while as a cruise ship show band musician after a long hiatus. (My last contract was seven years ago.) All but one of my previous contracts were as a bass player. I did only one contract as a guitarist, and as it happens, the bandleader with whom I worked on that contract is now the entertainment director for the cruise line. He knows me solely as a guitarist, and seems eager to put me to work in that capacity.</p> <p>Apparently the bands have changed a bit since I last worked on ships. Whereas in those days it was fairly rare to find ships in this particular cruise line on which guitarists were employed, today almost every ship has a guitarist. In fact, on the smaller ships it seems that horn players in the show bands have largely been replaced by guitar.</p> <p>When I spoke on the phone with the entertainment director, he all but insisted that I bring effects pedals, stating that the guitar in the show bands is largely responsible for defining the tone colors of the various styles in which we have to play, and that effects are necessary for doing so. I'm not a big fan of guitar effects myself, but if that's what the gig requires, I'll certainly go along with it. I figure that some sort of programmable multi-effects unit would be the most efficient way to cram the maximum sonic capability into the minimum luggage space.</p> <p>Is there any particular effects unit that guitarists on ships are gravitating toward these days? I've been looking around online for information. There are some cheap units like the Zoom G1X, but it looks like these might be more suitable for recording than for live performance, since you have to scroll through the patches to get to the one that you want. It looks like in order to buy something that works well for live gigs, you have to spend at least $300 or so. Devices like the DigiTech RP500 and the Zoom G7.1ut seem to provide about the minimum capability that one would need. There are also the Line 6 Pod XT Live and the Boss GT-10, but those are starting to get into a price range that I'd rather avoid if possible.</p> <p>Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Am I on the right track? Is three bills the minimum one would have to spend for a halfway decent guitar effects unit for a cruise gig? Can anyone recommend a particular unit for this purpose? Thanks in advance!</p> <p>Update: I think I've found what might be a good multi-effects unit for use on a cruise ship - the Boss ME-50. Given that I'm not enamored with guitar effects to begin with, I don't want to spend lots of time programming a device. It looks like I wouldn't have to do that with the ME-50. It seems to be designed basically to emulate Boss stomp boxes in terms of both sounds and simplicity of use. It has an expression pedal, which is something I'd want to have for wah-wah. It doesn't have features I wouldn't need, like amp and cabinet modeling or a USB output.</p> <p>Anybody have any experience with the Boss ME-50? Any opinions? Would anyone recommend alternatives that are in the same general price range? Thanks!</p> <p><strong>Cameron</strong></p> <p>I've never been on a cruise contract, but have many guitarist friends that have. Several of them only take a distortion pedal on the ship. Others take a distortion pedal and a chorus pedal or maybe a wah-wah. I use a lot of effects, and when it comes to adding tonal color to the capacity of a show musician, you really don't need THAT many effects. A Boss DS-1, a basic Crybaby wah, and maybe an inexpensive chorus pedal.</p> <p>And if you want, I'd recommend the Boss tuning pedal, which can then be used to power the DS-1, wah, and chorus pedal (if you get a Boss or something w/ the same power adapter requirement). I'm also a fan of volume pedals for hands free swells and easy adjustments behind soloists or singers.</p> <p>You can probably get all this for under $300, and save money looking for some used gear. I'm not a fan of multi-effects processors that will definitely have more than you need (the amp will have reverb, doubt you'll need delay, you don't need a compressor, the EQ presets, etc.), and what you do need won't sound as good as having an independent pedals meant to do one thing.</p> <p><strong>mrmxyzptlk</strong></p> <p>Thanks, Cameron! You've given me some things to think about.</p> <p>I suppose that for true tone connoisseurs, it's better to have a few boxes that each do one thing reasonably well than to have a multi-effects unit that can produce more sounds but perhaps the quality of those sounds isn't quite what you'd get from individual stomp boxes. However, on the other hand, I'm still thinking that for a cruise ship contract, it might be nice, if for no other reason than to help keep myself amused, to have a bigger palate of sounds from which to choose. I can imagine uses for such arcane effects as tremolo, ring modulator, phaser, flanger, and - yes - delay. Also, for ease of transportation and setup, it seems like a multi-effects unit would be so much simpler than a bunch of individual boxes and cables.</p> <p>I've read widely varying reports on the Boss ME-50, which I still have my eye on. Some love it, while others are very critical of some or all of the sounds it produces. I suppose the thing to do would be to try to get my hands on one and give it a spin before buying. It can do a wide variety of distortion, modulation, and delay effects, as well as compression, reverb, wah, and others. If even some of these sounds are useable, it might be just what I need. Besides, whatever effects I buy, I'll almost certainly be selling them after the contract is over. Smile</p> <p>I'm still considering the individual pedal route, though…</p> <p><strong>Cameron</strong></p> <p>I hear ya when it comes to convenience. You can always make a simple pedal board, or buy something like <a href="http://www.fretstore.com/detail.aspx?ID=480">this</a>, which is what I've been using. Of course, that adds to your total cost!</p> <p>Either way, let us know what you go with and how it works out for you. I'm sure there are many other readers with the same question!</p> <p><strong>mrmxyzptlk</strong></p> <p>Nice looking pedal board! If I had more time, and if money were no object, I might get something like this and take my time shopping around for the best stomp box for each effect. However, I tried out a Boss ME-50 yesterday, and thought it was just fine for my purposes. It has every possible effect that I could foresee having a need for, and then some. Furthermore, I thought the sound quality was very good. Again, true distortion mavens might find fault with some of the distortion sounds, or others might think the chorus or reverb sounds could be better, but for me, having such a huge variety of what I'd consider to be very good sounds in one convenient package is hard to beat.</p> <p>I will probably buy an ME-50, and will report back later on, after I've been using it a while, to let everyone know how it's working out. Thanks again, Cameron!</p> <p>EDIT: I just found on the Boss site that there's a brand new, upgraded version of the ME-50 called the ME-70. It doesn't ship until early next month, so if I have to get something in a hurry, I'll probably go with the ME-50 anyway. I just wanted readers to be aware of this development! It looks like an interesting upgrade, with a new preamp section, a more sophisticated compressor, and a 38-second phrase recorder. Hopefully Boss has also addressed the persistent complaint about the ME-50 regarding dropouts that occur when switching patches in memory mode.</p> <p>The new model is the same price as the old one, so I'm hoping that with luck I can hold out and wait until the new one is available!</p> <p><strong>henry_the_horse</strong></p> <p>Why don't you get a Firewire or USB audio interface hooked to your laptop and use Guitar Rig or Amplitube? Just have the laptop by your hand to change presets with the cursor arrows. You need several presets for one song? Just put them one next to the following and click “down arrow”. Then you go direct from the laptop to the PA.</p> <p>If you unavoidably must use physical effects devices: there are five ones that do it for session players:</p> <p>compressor, chorus, delay, volume pedal, and distorsion device.</p> <p>The problem comes with all the weigth. I would leave the volume pedal at home (indeed if it's one of those big shoe Boss or heavy iron cast Ernie Ball) and learn to use the volume control on your guitar. If you definitevely must use a wah for funky stuff, ok, but that's just for some colour.</p> <p>Compressor is not really that necessary if you play in a small ensemble, but if the ensamble is a funk/latin/jazz group with horns, percussion and keyboards, the compressor may allow you to be heard at all times without setting the amp loud. You stop fighting for volume.</p> <p>As for the delay, it may be good for solos but not for comping at the rhythm section. With all those brass players, I guess if you found the opportunity to use the delay, it really doesn't worth the weight. Unless, of course you have some Coldplay/U2 or rockabilly act where you need an echo.</p> <p>Regards</p> <p><strong>mrmxyzptlk</strong></p> <p>Interesting suggestion, but at least in my case the area in which we set up for the shows is so cramped that finding space for a laptop would be a challenge. Anyway, I've been on the ship for almost two months now, and want to reiterate that I think the Boss ME-50 is a very good choice for a multi-effects unit for cruise ship guitarists. I use the chorus, distortion, wah, and acoustic guitar simulator effects, and find them all to be more than adequate. I also tend to use the “Fat” sound in the “Tone Modify” section as my default sound, although I sometimes switch to the “Enhance” sound and combine it with chorus when I want to revisit the '80s.</p> <p>Boss has replaced the ME-50 with the ME-70, which sells for the same price. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to compare the two, and haven't yet found a detailed comparison anywhere online. Also, other companies such as DigiTech have similar multi-effects devices available, and I haven't compared these directly with the ME-50 either. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/solo-trumpet-gig#post-709 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 14:32:08 +0000 Mein 709@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Is it possible to get a gig on a cruise line as a solo trumpet player...as in playing to backing tracks? Anyone know. Much appreciated </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/audition-material#post-695 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:14:24 +0000 Boliviano 695@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi<br /> I&#39;m a bass player and thinking about auditioning for a cruise ship position. I&#39;m wondering what kinds of music I should practice for auditions...for my prepared selections and the sightreading part as well.<br /> Thanks! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/cruise-line-physical#post-496 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:41:55 +0000 blevinspercussion 496@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Good day everyone! I&#39;m loving this web site, there is so much valuable information here and David&#39;s &quot;Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Musician&quot; was instrumental (if you&#39;ll pardon the pun) in my deciding to pursue cruise lines as an employment option.</p> <p>I&#39;ve passed an audition with Proship and I have a couple other auditions coming up while I&#39;m waiting on a contract. I&#39;m curious about the physical. What kind of things will keep you from getting a gig on a cruise line? As far as I know, I&#39;m fit as a fiddle, (my blood pressure is just a little tiny bit high) I&#39;m just curious about this and can&#39;t really find any info about it anywhere.</p> <p>Also, what are the chances of me getting reimbursed for the cost of the physical? I&#39;ve heard that it&#39;s possible, but any information I can find is kind of vague.</p> <p>Thanks again for this great web site!</p> <p>--adam-- </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/working-on-cruiseships#post-694 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 03:59:05 +0000 stefanopes 694@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi there,</p> <p>any tips for a pro drummer from The Netherlands who wants to work on Cruise ships?</p> <p>Many thanks in advance!</p> <p>Stefano </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/music-directors-on-cruise-ships#post-576 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:22:57 +0000 Emiemipoemi 576@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I JUST got hired by Royal Caribbean as a show band pianist/keyboardist. YAY! I do have a question, though. I know cruise lines are employed by all types of different people but in general are the music directors difficult to work with? There are tons of reasons to go dark on a ship and I sure as hell do not want to be yelled at every day. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/crystal-cruises#post-575 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:54:52 +0000 nldude 575@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Joining the <strong>Crystal Symphony</strong> soon playing trumpet in the show orchestra. Any info about the ship/cruise line/crew privileges?</p> <p>thanks,<br /> Harry </p>