I know that cruise ship performing jobs are an option for our MTs after graduation. Just wondering if anyone out there can post/share their experience(s). Thanks!
I too wonder how competitive these jobs are. I went on a cruise last summer and my D got to meet and speak with the MT crew. One girl had graduated from one of the U’s my D had been accepted to. She loved her present job, but she did say that she was lucky that everyone in her present company was friendly to each other. This had not been the case on a previous ship. Overall, she seemed to love her job. Later, my D was one of a few to sing in a lobby as part of a game… The cruise director invited her to sing at the “talent show” and later encouraged her to apply for a job with the cruise line. She will probably look into it after graduation.
Years ago, I spoke with one of the performers on my cruise ship. He specifically stressed trying to get certain things in your contract. For instance, his particular contract stated that he did not have to perform “other” jobs like hosting the deck party or bingo games. I don’t know how that was negotiated, but I always remembered that. Maybe some tension comes from the different responsibilities that some performers have but others don’t.
I know someone who did a cruise ship gig. She had to do many other duties as @exitstageleft’s post indicated. It was also for nine months which she felt was way too long. I also believe (and I hate saying this because I am not very clear on equity rules) that if you are equity you can still do a cruise line contract even though the contract is not equity. If anyone knows better please feel free to correct me.
I know a young lady who is working on a cruise ship now and loving life. She is strictly a performer and, I believe, only does a couple of shows at night and otherwise she is free to explore each new location. She graduated last May.
I also know a young man who is also on a cruise ship and seems to have many other duties. I’m not even sure he’s a performer though I know him from the MT world. He doesn’t seem nearly as happy as the young lady.
D has had some friends who have had some really wonderful experiences on cruise lines recently. One friend just finished a great experience with Celebrity Cruises. He got to understudy the lead in a new musical created by Stephen Schwarz called “Magic to Do”. They got to work with Mr. Schwarz himself as the show was readied for its debut. It seems he has gotten to travel to amazing places and do incredible things in his off time. And it appeared there group was very close knit. I do know they were performers only. No double duties.
There are also several people we know who have worked for Disney Cruise Lines. They too have had a very professional and positive experiences.
I am sure being with the same group for 6-9 months in close quarters can be hard on anyone after awhile. So if you are a person who needs a lot of alone time or down time from others, cruise ships may not be the best choice. And I’m sure a lot is dependent upon the particular group of people you are with. But I think for a lot of kids, it is a great way to bank some money since their room and board are covered, and get some great performing experience while traveling the world before they set roots down somewhere.
I know several actors who have done cruise work. Some enjoyed it, some didn’t. I can’t think of any of them who was interested in more than one cruise contract, though.
I imagine cruise work is a great opportunity for kids who need steady employment to pay off loans and also to bank money prior to moving to NYC. A boy that graduated from my D’s U is working on a Disney cruise right know and really enjoying himself. His little brother, who also attends my D’s U is taking his brother’s cruise for a week this summer to watch brother perform and see the workings of the biz onboard.
Interesting thread!! =D>
Hartt has 2 women who graduated in 2015 currently working on cruise ships (one Disney, one other - Royal Caribbean I think) and my D said they have both been active in the alumni facebook group and have reported the experience as a good one. I agree that from the financial side, it is a great gig to start out (travel the world and get paid for it, with no food or housing cost) with but could see that it’s luster might rub off after a while. I’ll tuck that info about contract negotiations away in my brain should the need arise to have my D use it! 
I also want to add, as others have said, the girl I know socked away A LOT of money. Most of the cruise was in Europe. Her FB picture posts were stunning.
I only know one person who did a Disney Cruise as Cinderella (I believe), and she had a very positive experience; afterwards, she worked at a Disney park, also as Cinderella, and then was invited to work in Japan but declined to pursue her regular MT work. I think Disney offers equity contracts under certain conditions (she was certainly equity). But I don’t know the rules.
I’m sure there are many different experiences and many pros and cons. That’s a good tip about negotiating the contract if that’s possible. The only other thing I’ve heard is that the food served is very basic (e.g. rice and beans, etc). If you’re a picky eater that could be a problem for you. I agree with @lojosmo, it seems like it could be a great opportunity as it’s a great way to pay off loans while gaining experience.
This past Tuesday there was an open call for Holland America in NYC. HUGE crowd of hopefuls gathered early to put their name on a list just to sing 8 bars which is only the first step in the process. My daughter set her alarm, debated but then rolled over and went back to sleep. So I can’t tell you anything about the quality of the performances as I’ve never actually been on a cruise, but rest assured, securing the work is not a walk in the park.
We took the “behind the scenes” tour with the cruise director and on this particular line, the staff eats pretty much whatever is on the buffet line for the passengers. This would include soups and salads as well as the rice and pasta. Also, if the staff wants to go up to the passenger dinning room, bars, and other eating areas, they just have to pay $15/day (alcohol not included). Not something they want to do every day for sure, but something they can do to get out of the every day routine. Also, while the “other” staff is pretty much worked 24/7 except when they are sleeping or docked, the MT staff has waaaay more time on their own. In fact, we were told that two MT companies are always on board. One performing the present shows, the other “choreographing and rehearsing” the next set of shows. They have to practice on the boat’s theatre as there are challenges to overcome that are not usually dealt with on “land” theatres. Fun fact- We were told that cruise workers (bartenders, mechanics, servers, etc…) work so hard, and have so little time off that barely any Americans (who are used to 8 hour work days and weekends off) are hired. This does not apply to the “entertainment staff” which includes band members, MT’ers, etc…
I didn’t notice a single American among the “wait” staff on our cruise last month.
Word of caution. I know someone who has done many cruises which she’s enjoyed, but once she played a villian on a Disney cruise and had to stay out of all public areas of the ship, for fear she’d be recognized and frighten children. She said that felt like the longest contract of her life… but not in a good way.
@MaineLonghorn … the only time we ever had servers that were American were on NCL’s American’s flagged ship. I would say 99.9% of servers on most cruise lines are anything but American.
But talent is a different animal completely.
@lojosmo, you are correct…Equity members can do non-eq cruises. It is one of the exceptions for reasons that are very difficult to understand!
Wow, an interesting post! I am not a MT person and neither is my son, but I thought I would pop on anyway. I worked on a cruise ship for 2 years in the mid 90s. My then boyfriend (now husband) was a waiter, and I was a youth counselor. My husband was on the ships for 8 years. As many of you have noticed the “crew” is mostly non American. They tend to come from poor countries and many send every penny home, my husband included. The “staff” which includes entertainers, youth staff, cruise staff, spa workers, and other jobs such as characters, tend to be from English speaking countries, like the US, England, Australia, etc. The “officers” are typically from Greece, Holland, or a few other countries.
The cruise life varies from company to company. I worked for two different companies, Celebrity and Premier. Premier is no longer in business but they were the official cruise line of Disney before Disney got their own ships. Later they became Warner Bros. I did a stint as Tweety Bird.
Some ships have very friendly officers and this tends to make the workers on the ship a bit more friendly to each other. Other ships have pretty nasty officers and it shows in how the crew/staff treat each other. It really depends on how things are run. Work on the ship can be exhausting with 16 hour days, and 11 month contracts depending on the job. The crew is often overworked, underpaid, and treated very badly, while the staff gets a lot of perks. Still, the work is hard for everyone.
I met my husband one day after work, when we were both heading to the same casino in Nassau. We shared a cab and the rest is history. Now I am on CC waiting to hear the results of our oldest son’s college applications. Yes, sometimes it really is the love boat.
@LKnomad -thank you for your “inside” scoop! Best wishes to your son!