The Dark Side of Being a Cruise Ship Musician

[@jamesbyrom9346]

Currently watching this as the piano man on a cruise ship out of Port C to the Bahamas! I’m making 10k a month (5k tip, 5k wage) for 6 solo shows a week. I only do 8 week contracts. Always Oct/Nov and Feb/March. It’s basically my side hustle to escape the winter in Holland. The rest of the year I’m home. I have 20 hours a day to myself to read, work out and watch movies. I view it as paid vacation. Sure it gets repetitive, but so does being home. It helps that I quit drinking I guess. Thanks for the video, interesting insight 😎

[@liro6]

What skillset do you need? Are the gigs hard to perform?

[@musiqsoundsproductions]

Ok dat is een goed leven waarmee je zelfs je gezin kan onderhouden. 👏🏾

[@hilariousname6826]

"I have 20 hours a day to myself to read, work out and watch movies" ... and 4 hours to sleep ... !

[@lindaseel9986]

@@liro6 You need to be able to read music, maybe read and play "cold ".

[@ChronicUnderachiever1]

Perspective and strategy. Nice! Glad it's working for you 😀. I've always wondered what it would be like as a performer on a cruise ship/what they get paid.

[@MrTraderon]

Got a cruise ship gig in 1982 playing trumpet and being bandleader - the very first such ship out of Port Canaveral. Met my lovely wife on that gig who was from England and also working on the ship. We got married a year later, had 3 great kids and just celebrated our 40 year Ruby anniversary. Talk about destiny!

[@kennethellison9713]

Great story, congratulations :)

[@rhythmfield]

that's beautiful. Was it Premier Cruise Lines? I was on the Oceanic for 6 months (main band house drummer) for 6 months in 1986, band leader was Johnny Iafrate, then Russ Scotti.

[@MrTraderon]

@@rhythmfield Scandinavian cruise lines, also had a sister ship "The Sun" out of Miami. Gene Hull was the entertainment coordinator on those.

[@thomasallen6980]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/onWlqqltfdR0r8k Enjoy your memories.

[@DavidMorehead]

Cruise ships are not for everyone. It's definitely for me. I started in 1997 and still enjoying the gig 26 years later.

[@marimdq]

Hi. I'm a 51 Y-O bassist from Argentina. Do you think I have a chance to get a gig? I don't care about the cons you mention. But I've just read at the Suman's page (an agency) that for bassists, strong sight-reading is required and it is not my case. I can really play by ear, I've never had any problem. Fluid english, passport, no drinking or smocking, two grown independent children... eager to play! what's your opinion?

[@georgeudovicki5861]

​@Maria Elena Quiroga if any cruise company offers job for you. Take it

[@annenelson5656]

I’m glad to hear that. My experience with the crew was that they had little privacy, long hours, obnoxious passengers and so far away from home and families that it was emotionally taxing for them. I always went out of my way to make sure that any crew member I encountered had at least a moment of kindness. Many times I would pass a crew member that helped me and they recognized me and we’d stop to say hi so we both got a happy moment. Those things matter.

[@rhythmfield]

@@marimdq Really important: DON’T take the gig if you aren’t qualified-it would be really stressful for band members and for you. Try this: study sight-reading with a good teacher (not KZbin videos), practice hard, work on your TIME and get some experience playing local gigs, then try again a year or 2 later-I played on a cruise ship for 6 months. I was 100% qualified and bonded with many band mates and crew and had a GREAT time. It’s a really cool travel/life experience if you are prepared and ready. Good luck and write back here with your experience!

[@marimdq]

@@rhythmfield Thank you Greg. I've just started studying harder some days ago. I know some music theory and I really like it, so I think in less than a year, I could be reading at a decent speed. Nowadays I read as a kindergarder kid 🤣. Thank you, again. Your comment was just what I needed to read. Greetings from Mar del Plata, Argentina.

[@Jiuhuashan]

I did a six month contract as a pianist/keyboardist on a cruise ship back in the nineties. It was everything you describe, except the beer was fifty cents a can in the crew bar. The management collected all our passports, making us feel like prisoners. The whole time I was thinking "how do I get out of this?".

[@kastonmurrell6649]

They collected your passports? That's horrible! That's the kind of stuff we read about in our human trafficking training at work.

[@Jiuhuashan]

@@kastonmurrell6649 Yeah, I'm not even sure that it was legal. Never again!

[@mitakuyeoyesin1739]

@@kastonmurrell6649 They did the same thing when I played overseas... I called them out on it right away... they then pulled me aside and said look kid... your real passport is worth $25,000 U.S. dollars on the black market here... you could get rolled for it, perhaps even killed. That right there is when I knew, I wasn't in Kansas no more...

[@fredtello]

@@mitakuyeoyesin1739 ... Lol.. they played you for a fool I go to Mexico all the time with my passport... whole families with children go to Mexico here from Phoenix Arizona with ppall the time and walk around

[@mitakuyeoyesin1739]

@@fredtello They didn't and I was not in Mexico at all.. I was in East Asia... specifically all over China... Completely a different set of rules, when I was there... pretty much everything was run on the black market to get anything done in a reasonable amount of time... I could give examples if you wish.

[@paulnicolosi4792]

I played bass and sang on many cruise ships. It was an amazing adventure. Traveling the world, playing music, living the dream. After many years, I’d had enough and retired on Kauai.. It was a great experience.

[@nemo227]

The musician's life is not for every musician. I had a few friends that played on cruise ships. They were solid citizens, good people. Bass is my instrument too but . . . NO ONE would want to hear me sing.😇

[@archstanton_live]

Lots of us did things when we were younger that we would not do today. I guess that is what you were saying.

[@Jack-pp2ng]

Sounds like you have lived my dream

[@paulnicolosi4792]

@@Jack-pp2ng It’s been one crazy roller coaster ride. Anticipating more twists and turns up ahead…

[@timsmith190]

One of the finest musicians I ever met was on a cruise ship. Of the many packed bars on the ship I wandered into one that was empty. There was a solo guitar player there I later found out was from Poland. He spoke just enough English for us to communicate and played anything I requested, mainly American song book stuff. I stayed there through several sets. I was the high point of the trip.

[@balcomoz]

Cruise ship gigs used to be called by Polish musicians Bacharach's Scholarship.

[@argusfleibeit1165]

@@balcomoz Playing Burt's music would def school ya. RIP Burt.

[@flintlong2937]

I was a headliner on the Caronia and many other ships, but on the Caronia the band was all Polish guys and they were incredible musicians. Most of all, those cats were like sled dogs before a race, just eager, anthusiastic and anxious to play and "cook" and make my show sound terrific! I also toured on land in Poland, and I can tell you, there's a great difference between the Polish musicians, the Russian musicians and the German musicians! Haha. I'll take the Polish and Russian first. They know how to swing. The German guys are great musicians, but better for classical, not for swingy stuff.

[@dannpd1955]

Dovydas. He has tons of videos on KZbin. See if I’m right.

[@kendallevans4079]

@@flintlong2937 HaHa, that kinda goes along with the stereotypical German..very serious, no humor. What's an oxymoron? A German comic!

[@johnasti5239]

I worked on a Princess ship to Alaska 3 summers (June, July and August). By not utilizing your time, and thinking about the networking when you're off the ship, think about where you are and do what you did....Practice, practice and more practice. I practiced 5 hrs a day, got up early did aerobics class, worked out, ate great and lost 20 lbs!!!! I knew I wanted to be ready when I got OFF the ship.... and I was. The leader, RIP Alan Hole was incredible and let me play the tunes I was working on. I sat next to Steve Williams ( 1 O'Clocker at NTU and lead alto with the Navy Commodores ) I learned so much from him every night I should have paid him!!!! Great experience.

[@claudermiller]

I don't drink but I abuse the f out of buffets. I would look like an orca after a few months.

[@heavypiano]

I knew several musicians (saxophonists) who did the cruise ship gig for a bit. Seemed like a really good thing to do in your early 20s, but anyone who got stuck in that life and was still doing it years later seemed really depressed. I think the drug/alcohol abuse is pretty rampant in that scene.

[@Adrenalean767]

If you're getting paid to do something u love,i can't see why you'd be depressed. All the musicians i know who play on a ship are happy.

[@gl3nnium]

Perhaps you sugar coated it a little. I spent a year on ships (not as a musician but as the fitness director in the Spa/Gym). I was on a world cruiser then based out of Port Canaveral as you were. For anyone wanting to try this be aware that life at sea is vastly different to life on land. Very bad things can happen as sea. Very bad things do happen. They certainly did on my contracts. Assaults, deaths, toxic environments created by people with deep problems who go to sea to escape them but only bring the misery with them. Petty squabbles that get magnifed by isolation and alcohol. People constantly geting fired and ejected from the ship at whatever port you happent to be at. Alcoholism is rampant because the only thing to do at night is get hammered in Crew Bar. People just fucking anything that moves, which at first sounds awesome until you urealise you are trapped with these people and constantly witness fights break out because of rage and jealousy because the girl someone was dating on ship is suddenly fucking someone else one day, then someone new the very next day after that. Not only will I never do another contract, I will never set foot on a cruise ship ever again. Knowing what really happend below decks destroys all pretense for me. If you think what I have witten is extreme, the reality is far more intense than I can communicate here....I just gave you the PG version. Trust me, you don't wnat to hear the rest.

[@okiedokie1238]

Damn. Please do tell us more. I was seriously considering this.

[@Ambarthetravellingchef]

Nowadays is six months I left in 2015 Was fun and saw the world but the alcohol consumption scared me

[@tedmccarron]

Sorry, but as a warehouse worker who is off and pulling twelve-hour shifts in a dungeon it's a little hard to sympathize here. You say that it's like Groundhog's Day playing the same songs over and over again? Yeah, but aren't most jobs like that? Try picking orders in a warehouse all day long 12 hours a day. If I knew how to play piano I would trade you jobs any day of the week.

[@walkietalkietraveller2932]

well said, Ted.

[@Syl-Vee]

Thanks for sparking my cruise ship musician memory! I remember being in a windowless tiny berth next to some loud machinery that ran day and night. It was very claustrophobic. I remember being kept strictly away from the passengers. I remember fabulous food. But the thing that surprised me most was finding out there was a lower servant caste than us on the ship who virtually never saw daylight and accidentally wandering into those quarters was like catching a glimpse of a men-only Asian Pacific slum. It really brought home to me the other side of luxury and glamour.

[@cruisemates]

on all my ships musicians had "run on the ship - meaning access to any public area 24 hours a day.

[@LanceBoos]

I spent about 8 years on the ships as a bassist, and even had a similar experience with a roommate facing a drug test! I would never go back at this point in my life, but I don't regret doing the gig as long as a I did it, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. The constant playing, reading, and huge variety of styles made me a much better musician in the end.

[@hilliardgreene8567]

I did the ships in the 80s and as much as I would NEVER do it again, I was so glad I did it. Besides being able to see the world in a way I hadn’t, the transition period took me from a low-skilled player to a highly functional one. I was able to practice and improve so many music skills that I needed to develop, such as endurance, sight-reading, playing by ear, etc., that I will forever cherish that experience, including the personal relationships that many of them still exist.

[@es330td]

Someone I knew at my church a number of years ago met her husband on a cruise ship. She was the singer, he was the bass player. They got married and worked on cruise ships together saving enough money to pay cash for a house when they quit cruising life. I’m sure it helped for them they had an end goal in sight.

[@cobraofearth]

That is awesome

[@j.dragon651]

Probably had room and board paid also? I don't know how it works.

[@christianhenry4173]

Then I'm also sure they cruised so much until the didn't want to cruise on ships anymore. Talk about sea sick geesh.

[@j.dragon651]

@@christianhenry4173 Once you get seasick and get over it you are usually good to go. I grew up on the ocean, got seasick twice, no fun.

[@cruisemates]

Thw beauty of the gig is that they pay for all lodging, healthcare, food and services (electric, etc). What you get paid, in cash is all yours when the contract is over. There ain't no "I'm a slave to the company store" the world would be a better place if we all lived under maritime law.

[@rickalan4059]

Dude, this hits me hard. I'm in my early 40's now, but I was out at sea for 2 years in my mid-20's. 100% the same experience, except luckily I was on my main instrument (sax). Side note, I did have to shed the crap out of my flute/clarinet for the shows, however, as I was barely able to pass my telephone/VHS audition on them. You're spot-on about the level of players. If you've got great players it can be a cake gig, but when the band members are sub-par (to put it nicely) or, even worse, the band leader sucks or is a jackass, it can be a real drag on morale. My longest time out for one contract was a six-monther that had an Atlantic crossing and we spent two months bopping around the Med. That was my first trip to Europe and I got to see a lot of places and sites that I could only dream about, but by the end of that six months I was contemplating falling over the side by accident. Dark times for sure. The "Groundhog Day" syndrome is real. Quick final story because you mentioned the lower-bunk roommate that would come in and drink more at 3am: I had a Russian solo pianist as roommate at one time. You always knew he was coming down the hall because he never turned his clothes/suits in for cleaning. He stank. His closet reeked. Bad. But the worst part of it was that, when he slept, he'd talk heavily in Russian and swear in English. Night terrors and some form of sleep Tourette syndrome it turns out to be. I mean creepy, weird stuff. And he was like 6-feet tall and could kick my ass any day of the week. One night I heard him saying "f* you Rick" in his sleep and I was done. I went up the chain of command until they sent me to the medical office (I guess they act as the the ships counselor?) When I explained what was going on they said "Oh we've heard this complaint about him before." I'm like.. holy crap, give him a solo cabin already..! Dude, so many stories. I also made travel videos of these experiences, like way before KZbin was invented. I gotta rewatch that stuff. So much fun. If you're still a sax-o-nut, check out the quintet arrangements I've been doing on my KZbin channel. Tons of fun if you're a sax nerd like me. I subbed to you and will stalk your channel. Cheers.

[@adsupermusone8875]

Sounds mental, good to see the world though

[@rickalan4059]

@@adsupermusone8875 I'm telling ya.. definitely mental..!

[@patricksmith4424]

Yeh talk in Russian and swear in English, that must have been hilarious, maybe not!

[@GeraldM_inNC]

I always wondered whether I blew a good opportunity by not working on cruise ships. Now that I've heard your stories, I'm glad I didn't. Being locked up with a bunch of drug addicts and stone cold alcoholics would have driven me crazy! I guess musicians have always been like that. My father, a first rate musician, was in the "big bands" of the '1940s, but he got out of the business in the 1950s because he couldn't stand all the drinking and drugging. What is with it with musicians?

[@1678felipe]

Having worked as an Assistant Waiter in a ship, this sounds like the life of luxurious royalty

[@dankelly5150]

But it isn’t, my massage therapist worked on a cruise ship 🛳️ for 6 months and she hated it and was very glad to leave when her contract was up!

[@CptFoot.]

Yeah I mean “assistant waiter” implies zero skill labor needed. Aka. Literally everyone in the world can do it. Aka no your pay and working conditions aren’t going to be top notch. I’m sorry. That’s the truth.

[@1678felipe]

@@CptFoot. wow so edgy, thanks for clarifying

[@mons3020]

@@1678felipe don't give this loser the satisfaction -he'll have a job one day...

[@kendallevans4079]

@@1678felipe LOL.....he's probably a very jealous "bar-back" waiting for his break!

[@ericsartanahorner]

The idea of being stuck on a boat, is my idea of a nightmare. No thanks lol

[@andyokus5735]

My story is the all time nightmare. 30 days as the big band pianist on the Ecstasy the flagship of Carnival. A floating prison. $225 a week and they never paid me until I got off the boat. My roommate was a real asshole. I was making that much bread at Marineland on the weekend. You only have a few hours a day off the boat if you get off at 7am. You're right the players were lame. It's a losers gig. Wearing a monkey suit everyday. Thanks for ruining my morning with the first Utube video.

[@robertshaffer9166]

Did a 4.5 month contract on a cruise ship. Some of the specifics were a bit different, but the overall takeaway is the same way I felt. Lotta ups and downs (both emotions and waves). I would go back for shorter contracts but not more than a month or so. Biggest problem I had was with the rules and being treated like a second class citizen. The starting over from scratch when you get home is real too. All your projects move on without you and it takes a while to work your way back in.

[@roguesovereignrogue9124]

I did a couple years total contracts, one contract on the carnival ecstasy in 1996 in a band the rest were solo acoustic. I played the Caribbean, the North Sea, between Copenhagen and Oslo and the Baltic. I fucking hated it. I hated every goddamn minute of being on the ship and I’ll never do it again. I was living in playing in northern Europe at the time and the money was so good for 30 days I couldn’t turn it down, that was 08 and 09 and then one more contract in 2013 in Europe. I’ll never even go on a cruise ship again I can’t stand them. It’s too boring for me and repetitive

[@kennethellison9713]

I knew a sax player/band leader who was such an asshat that he got fired from the gig and left on an island. He had to find his own transportation home.

[@glengamble526]

I’ve done four different contracts (and ships) as a drummer in the lounge/party band. It was a great experience, great money and great travel-36 countries. The only part that sucked was that 3/4 of my band mates were assholes who froze me out and the shared accommodations. But once we got in a newer ship, with single share cabins and some privacy, it was heaven. So other than the idiot band leader and his pals, I had the time of my life. Taking home $1,000 Canadian a week with all expenses paid and my days free to do as I wish, was perfect. Granted, I DID hate working for Carnival (one contract only) and quit seven weeks early. They are a terrible, terrible company to work for. But overall, my cruise gig experiences were top notch. I’d go again tomorrow. Especially with RCCL-world class company.

[@jeffsaginaw1769]

Hotel gigs of the 70's were just like the ships. Free room, 1/2 off food and drinks and $500 (1970's money = $2000 2023) to lounge at the pool and have fun during the day and play 4 hrs a night 6 days a week. It was my "retirement" in my 20's. Wouldn't mind having a few months of those days now, Only a few Months.

[@flintlong2937]

Hey Jeff, I lived that too! I was a pianist, sometimes solo and sometimes with my trio or quartet. In the seventies you made enough money to afford an apartment, a car and to have chicks over, and take 'em out sometimes. working 6 nights a week, four hours per night, and it was fun, quite frankly. Not like work at all. I often feel exactly like the seventies life you describe was my "retirement" in my twenties. I really didn't start "striving" until I was in my fifties and sixties. Hahaha.

[@thornil2231]

Here is my thought: It is a young people gig. What I mean by that is if your choice is being paid to play music on a cruise ship, get drunk, get laid, lay on the beach, or... work at the super market, the choice is pretty easy... if you are in your 40's doing that, that's a different story.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Lol, I did that first contract you mentioned, twice. Each stint was 4 months though. Music was absolutely terrible :/ And yes, a lot of musicians that had no business being there.

[@JohnnyNation]

At 20 years old maybe it was either take this gig or work on a scallop boat !!!###

[@getoffenit7827]

I did 10 years in the Navy on destroyers,Oilers,Gator Freightors as part of the engineering department and that meant 16-18 hour work days I used to think 'theres gotta be an easier way to make a buck at sea' Sometimes we pulled into foreign countries and i would see Cruise Ships,And thought 'Yeah! Thats gotta be easier! Looks like fun! That was until we began to mingle with the Cruise Ship Crews...i never met a more miserable set of crew than ones from a cruise ship...it was baffling to us Navy guys...But after a few conversations over beer and booze..we figured that the Cruise ship guys didnt have the luxury of their minds being occupied and busy at all times,Nor did they have the luxury of extremely long working hours,that make you so tired that you crash as soon as your head hits the pillow... Yes a heavy workload and long hours and numerous things to keep your mind busy are the best medicine against the repetitive,mind numbing and bleak weeks and months at sea....i knew pretty quick that i wanted no part of being crew on a cruise ship,The money was better than what the Navy was paying me,But it wasnt worth the beating my brain and spirit would have to suffer. I would rather take the 18hr workdays and keep my brain occupied than tolerate the conditions for cruise ship crew

[@deirdre108]

I was a one enlistment Navy airedale who did a WestPac on a carrier. You're right about the constant work at sea--the 18 hour days during flight ops were brutal. But as you said being busy all the time (and no alcohol onboard!) keeps you from getting in the trouble cruise ship guys with the boredom of time on their hands must have to confront. The cheap liquor could start you down a bad road if you have those tendencies.

[@getoffenit7827]

@@deirdre108 i spent my time down in the enginerooms And after hearing what cruise ship personell had to say about their work,I felt relieved about my own!

[@cruisemates]

There was a popular navy joke - they referred to cruise ships as "targets."

[@MarkMorganTrumpet]

Sounds like you were on Royal Caribbean, Sovereign of the Seas. Did the same one.

[@peppik]

I met a romanian drummer 40 years ago in Germany, who told me his story playing on a cruiser. He did this for years, playing Jazz along very good musicians, making good money. Life was great. Until the day the engine of the ship had to be fixed and they had to port in Rotterdam. Everybody had to leave and the drummer simply lost his job. He ended up in a tiny apartment near Frankfurt/Germany, working as a clerk in a Hotel, never playing drums again and sold his beloved Ludwig drumset. Sometimes I wonder how he got along because I never saw him again.

[@Zsaxman60]

I was a sax player for Sitmar, Princess and Carnival. In the late 80’s-early 90’s. Yes, it was fun but also I had a roommate that smoked while I slept (Ugh!). Another time, I was living in LA and I was doing a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise for 2 months and around the 5th week a British male hairdresser alcoholic was mad because I was dancing with a woman he liked so he threatened to kill me. One night he saw me and threw a punch at me….I told my band mate the drummer and he said what ever I decide to do he would support me. I did walk back into the disco and tell the guy “ come out on deck I’ll fight you.” Luckily, he never came out and I reported the assault to the staff captain with my drummer friend as a witness. Well, the guy was barred from any public areas and he was fired and had to fly back to England at his own expense. The day before the cruise ended, I was playing a tune with my lounge trio and the pianist did not like the fact I was still improvising on the out chorus and he screams on the bandstand, “Play the God Damn melody..” Between that and the assault, I was fed up and I walked off the ship and drove home. The contractor was so pissed. He swore I’ll never work on another ship again. It was probably the best thing that happened….getting off the ship.

[@floydpattersonii4996]

"Play the God Damn melody".....lol funny as hell...lol.. ive had many of those moments as a bandleader

[@paulrom446]

I also knew of a guy who was probably fairly well known on the Cruise Ship Circuit He was a pretty decent Adult Comic! They would fly him down from his home 🏠🏡 for a few days a week. He would do one Ship Then he'd fly to 2 or3 other Ships Then fly 🕊️ home.. ,He and his Wife ran a. Successful Business on Dry Land when he wasn't working the Cruise Ship Circuit! Kinda similar to being an Airline Pilot in that you can have a Business at your Home Base as well 🤠😎! Gotta say though the Hotel Accomodations the Airlines put you up in look a lot nicer than the Crew Bunks on a Cruise Ship!

[@Toxicflu]

A 3 day cruise contract is the shit job of cruise ship gigs. Once you start doing 2 week+ cruises, that's where the gig gets interesting musically. Yes you have to be a real musician and pull your weight with 20 different shows a month. But at least you get to play way more variety. The crowd is older, saner, and wiser but your mind won't go numb. Once you start doing world cruises then you're really travelling. Alaska and Caribbean are just shopping ports, cruising gets better on the luxury long cruises. Work your way up, if you want to give up your land life...

[@mikkovaltonen3564]

I signed up for a 7-month contract on NCL as a showband drummer. The ship will be doing 9 to 15 day cruises all over Europe, which is pretty convenient since I'm from Finland. Joining in Barcelona in April and signing off in Lisbon in November. The luxury lines under the NCL umbrella (Regent Seven Seas and Oceania) are decent places to work and play at as well, from what I've heard. And while working for them, your entire contract can be a part of one looooong cruise.

[@cruisemates]

My thoughts exactly, you took a gig on a cruise ship so bad Carnival put it out of business. I remember that 3-day line Port Canaveral to Nassau, but not the name of it. It was a casino cruise, who wouldn't go crazy on cruise gig like that.

[@curiouspaul8876]

This seems financially better than traveling the US with a Broadway show. I did that playing bass for 4 months but had to pay for my hotel room( split with a roommate) and food so ended up not saving any money.

[@brothermac9719]

Did my penance back in late 80's on Commodore Cruise Lines outta Miami. 2 40 minute shows a week opening for 50's And early 60's 1 hit wonders. I played Acoustic Guitar, Sang and played harmonica. $900. Weekly (Tax Free) Got fined a few times for being a bit too familiar with some of the female passengers. The crew partying was off the charts down below where the crew stayed On off hours. Wasn't too awfully bad for myself however the cruise industry started lowering entertainment standards when they started hiring sub standard musicians From other countries for Half the normal wage.

[@cruisemates]

that's pretty sweet pay for a bottom line cruise line at the time and such a light work load - good for you.

[@wanderingwithjohnandsharon5007]

All jobs are have good and bad sides and are partly or mostly repetitive. But throwing in free rent, food, vacation spots, decent salary and traveling around the world are huge positives.

[@alfsmith4936]

For a few months...

[@Tyrannosaurine]

Have you worked on a cruise ship before or are you just talking out of your ass and have no idea when you minimize it? You’re assuming the money is good, that’s not always the case. You’re assuming it is worth a free room when in reality that free rent could mean putting up with a smelly alcoholic who pisses the bed. Also, those sweet vacation spots. It loses its luster when you’ve been to see the same old clock or something for the 12th time that year. Also, a lot of places cruises go to are actually fairly run down. You don’t want to wander off the beaten path in Jamaica. How often do you end up dealing with obscenely drunk people falling all over the place, fighting each other, trying to touch you or your equipment while you’re trying to do your job wherever you flip burgers? Is it every single night? Because it’s every night. So, yeah…

[@wanderingwithjohnandsharon5007]

@@Tyrannosaurine don't be rude because you disagree. There are plenty of on-shore jobs. Get one of those. Don't work on a cruise ship if you hate it. It's that simple.

[@hectorjcm800]

@@wanderingwithjohnandsharon5007 I don´t think that was rude, it was just blunt and it was right. Anyways, if we stuck to that "don't work here and there if you don't like it" ethos, I'm pretty sure there would still be a lot of unnecessary abuse on workers all around. One thing is to earn a living, other completely different thing is to tolerate abuse. What's the point of being around the world if you're not happy, anyway.

[@maxwellspeedwell2585]

Sounds like a great life to me! ...of course like you, I was segregated from sane human beings (worked with a bunch of viscious howler monkeys), and the days were long. You experience sounds like a great gig to me! I play the guitar, and was trained by the #2 sax player in the country... however, I played the clarinet. Switched to guitar when I found out teenage groupies didn't throw their underwear at the guy with the clarinet.

[@roberttemple2521]

I worked as a performer on the Clyde Beatty - Cole Bros. Circus 1982-90. Three rings under the bigtop, two shows a day, three on Saturdays, seven days a week. We played three towns a week, Florida to Maine and back, March into November. There was a trombonist in the eight-piece brass band who was there probably twenty or more years, a "lifer". He was a sober man, though a "sick pie" through and through. Many in the band worked several seasons in a row before they went elsewhere, often to work in other circus bands. The band slept in "34" an 18-wheeler outfitted with bunks and curtains. I think they were the best paid on the show, they got "union wages", several hundred a week, good coin in the '80s. Free rent, "food" and transportation allowed one to save a good chunk of change. Then it was four months off, if they had a return contract. It was quite a lifestyle, working the circus. It wasn't so much a job as it was an adventure. You have to love it or be born into it to work circus.

[@MatthewSmithies]

Hey Jeff! I remember working with you on a ship at some point. Circa 2010? I remember duelling altos with you on a jazz set at some point.

[@dachreport]

Try living on a tour buss for 6 months at a time and only seeing 2 hours of daylight a day 🙃 You can't wait to get home after 1 month and when you do finally get home it's so depressing cause you don't even know what to do with yourself. I battle playing on ships 🤢

[@axesandelbows414]

Epic insight into gigging on a ship. The really epic cruise ship stories always go untold. 🎈

[@Arbigale]

7 years with Carnival Cruise lines❤

[@justinlaboy6837]

Cruise gigs keep coming up but I keep declining because I'm deathly afraid of the motion sickness. I can't even play VR for more than 10min without almost puking. Imagine being on a ship for 8 months. Shivers

[@michaelbarady6636]

Shout out to the Jamaican musicians that played on the ships. They worked their ass off for less pay.

[@Featureman]

One of my friends was a comic on a cruise ship. He loved the money but he could not use his best, adult comedy. Very strict rules for comics.

[@chance2929]

I had a one year gig on the Love Boat from 80-81. Pain in the ass. Captain Stubing was always riding us to play more and faster. Julie was either always in the bathroom or running around asking people for condoms of their urine. Issac was always requesting James Brown so he could show off his moves and watering down our drinks. Doc slept with every band member multiple times in multiple configurations. We put up with it for the free pills...but I did meet Ann Margaret when she guest stared and have been together ever since...so all in all it was a ball!

[@cruisemates]

I worked on the ship they filmed for the opening episode in the last year, Royal Viking. Your post is BS but I guess it is supposed to funny. There was no actual Love Boat, except the show was inspired by the Pacific Princess out of L.A.

[@jazzman_10]

Ski teacher and tenor sax player here... I understand you perfectly. Some jobs seem to be real fun but they are not, they are extremely repetitive and some do not realize that you are actually working while they are on vacation partying like teenagers... It is fun for a while but it is really dangerous. I guess that is why you do not really see many old people on that type of jobs.

[@violao206]

At 41-years, I was a geriatric senior amongst the kinder, but there was few old dogs out there that had it figured out and were somewhat successful solo artists. One chap was a cool singer songwriter that was from the old school. He used to be roommates with famous songwriter Paul Williams when they were younger. An even older pianist Joe came into my sphere too. He was Dionne Warwick's pianist for 30-years. He was so lovely, when he first came onto the ship, he sat in with my solo gig just to be of service. Lovely chap that was out of Spokane. I would have loved to stay in touch being on the other side of the mountains in Seattle, but he was not a Facebook dude. He was 70-yo back then... and the oldest chap I had ever worked with at sea. That was almost 20 years ago and I am almost certain he is no longer with us. I edited this because I found some old recording credits for Joe Kloess with not only Dionne, but also Jack Jones, Cal Tjader and many others. In fact, this video made me also look up the headliner act I supported on my first contract. And as I sort of suspected, Miss Jane Powell, extraordinary Soul singer (5-octaves) from Roanoke, VA, is no longer with us. The interwebs say she passed in 2011.

[@totigerus]

I only lasted six weeks on the cruise ship. I bailed early because I hated it so much. It was mostly a terrible experience with a few good things sprinkled in. I would only do it again if I got to bring my own band with me. And for A LOT more money. And only for no more than two months. Basically, it's never gonna happen again for me.

[@paulrom446]

I have a friend who worked on the Big Red Boat 🚢⛵ back in the '90's to very early 2000's He said it could get pretty boring! He was a Magician for the little kids on the 🚢🍒♥️🔙😍 Boat!

[@artpedan6084]

😂The last phrase was so clear and honest)) For real musician cruise ship job it is a vacation!!!

[@kendallevans4079]

I would think you have to be very adaptable. The cruises I've been on, I'll see the same guys playing jazz one night in the small bar, pop/dance/disco the next in the bigger dance club, then the next they are in the orchestra for the "musical"..

[@johnveca2979]

I can certainly relate. Many moons ago, guess I was in my late 20's, I played in the show band for a while on Carnival's Fantasy (old ship right?) in the Bahamas, and a few stints with Holland America on board The Statendam. Loved it while it lasted but simply not sustainable. Would I do it again? Hell yeah!!!

[@williamrobinson7435]

I know a guy from way back who's a brilliant jazz guitar player and who worked on cruise ships. When he got back from a contract he would be so distressed from having to play Una Paloma Blanca etc etc every night that he would lock himself in a darkened room for several days with his collection of Steely Dan records, and his wife would post bacon sandwiches and cups of tea through a catflap type hole in the door until he had recovered. So I am not so surprised about your negative reaction. There's life on dry land, there really is. You'll come to terms with the horror eventually, you may not think so now, but just keep going. There should be an official support network for people who have done cruise ships, that's wot I fink. 👍

[@floydpattersonii4996]

bacon sandwiches thru a catflap? darkened room?.... i hope clinical intervention was sought...poor guy

[@Vicnsi]

The sad thing, it seems to me, is that cruise ship gigs seem to be the most lucrative way for many musicians to make a decent living in this day and age. Somebody, please tell me I'm wrong... 🤔 Interestingly, the promotional material for these gigs-at-sea always make them sound like such a glamorous lifestyle.

[@OscarInAsia]

Just like all the US Army TV spots in the 80's that made it seem like in the Army you have lots of time to go wind-surfing and scuba diving. My reality was 3 years in Germany... Most of that time was field exercises in the mountains, in a tent during winter. Never take "promotional material" at face value! 😆

[@allanfifield8256]

@@OscarInAsia I had a friend that joined THAT army for the $25,000 college bonus. He was a tank driver in Germany. Drank heavily. He was asked to re-enlist and declined. Just wanted the college money. Two weeks before he qualified for the educational bonus, he was declared un-fit and was back in our home town in 72 hours.

[@b.powell3480]

I remember when my late wife and I were on a cruise and they were looking for a DJ to do shows on board, we both thought about doing that and living on board ship for about 10 months, but we didn't, which was the right decision, because a few months later my wife was diagnosed with cancer and passed away from it even after getting treatments and fighting it for five years, so glad we didn't get jobs on the cruise ship !

[@callumblows180]

Yeah this is super true. Im 6 months into my first contract and absolutely love it though. Definitely a lot of downsides, but the pay is good and you can save lots of money.

[@hilariousname6826]

I was sitting with some jazz musicians once who were talking about an acquaintance who was recently back in town: he had spent 15 years working on cruise ships, and was having a hard time trying to get re-established in the local scene, which had moved on without him - nobody knew who he was anymore ... "He thought he was going to be able to just walk in and take up where he'd left off."

[@MonkeyBars1]

all the stories about these gigs in the jazz scene were so epic. sounds truly awful

[@drummer94]

This is all so familiar. I did this gig for a few years. Seeing older musicians that HAD to be there was a learning experience in itself. For me, I saved enough to buy a couple of houses. Those houses bought more and more houses. I'd go back for a 1-5 week gig but sharing a room with a dude who pisses the bed, partying non stop and playing the same shitty guest entertainers can get a bit tiresome.

[@rickkaylor8554]

I was on a cruise a few years back and was listening and watching a female pianist playing a grand piano doing jazz standards. I was able to look over her shoulder and found she was playing the melody and totally improvising the rest. Cracked me up. I spoke to her about it during her break and we both thought it was funny. She was actually really good at improvising.

[@rtd2openmic76]

What is it about such a technique that "cracks you up", I'm wondering? What about it is "funny", rather than an accomplishment?

[@rickkaylor8554]

@@rtd2openmic76 Like I said, she was very good at improvising and I was impressed. It made me laugh because I've done the same thing. People think you are such a good sight reader when in reality you are winging it.

[@rodnertylerduo4115]

Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying for ne.

[@LostSpringBand]

Not a jazz player, but I thought that was the whole point of Jazz - improvising around a standard melody.

[@charlienyc1]

I got very bored marching and playing only two songs in rotation during two very long and hot Mardi Gras parades during high school. I had the charts memorized before we arrived in NoLa. At some point I went rogue and ad libbed as much as possible while still keeping the line recognizable. I doubt anyone outside close proximity noticed. It was far more gratifying than playing the same line every. single. time!

[@perfectbeat]

I missed the dark side of this story. Sounds all good to me. lol 😎

[@bernarddaigle2830]

Pretty much sums up my experience also. No regrets (bought my SBA tenor after my first contract), but I would never do it again.

[@mxkguitar]

I am a land based working musician and when on a Carnival Cruise I mentioned to my then wife "the bands aren't very good, are they?" She thought I was being snobby but I really was just shocked they weren't better. Barely mediocre Seen better at Disney, and that ain't saying much.

[@deirdre108]

Wait! They expect musicians to be drug-free?! In what universe?

[@Ludwigooo]

Thanks for telling your story about your experience as a cruise ship musician.. you've got some funny and also sad stories there. I can certainly relate to the fear of not knowing the material good enough, fear of being fired or "caught" haha.

[@trottheblackdog]

I worked guitar in the orchestra for several ships, and several companies, such as Carnival, NCL, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean. I've made lifelong friends and also have met world class weirdos. Good officers and bad. Good runs and bad. (One run was Boston to Bermuda, and we had three straight days a week off in Bermuda. Amazing!) Good weather and bad. Some spectacularly bad. Wet ships and dry ships. The dry ships could never keep musicians. US Customs cabin searches, demanding to see my I-9 at the gate (I'm an American, so I always kept my driver's license on me). It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[@elouise5593]

Are you talking about dry, as in no Alcohol? I don't drink that stuff, but I have never heard of a dry ship! I am assuming that is what you meant in saying the dry ships couldn't keep musicians. Was it just a dry ship for the musicians, or for everyone on board?

[@trottheblackdog]

@@elouise5593 Yep, no alcohol in the crew bar. They said it was for passenger safety but it was because they were about to lose their insurance on the ship because the officers were HAMMERED all the time. The eventually confiscated beer that we bought in town and tried to bring aboard.

[@DiscoCitizens240]

I did cruise ships 2009-2012 from doing keys in nightclub and Caribbean bands to doing cocktail piano gigs. It was really cool getting paid to play music and seeing places you’d have to pay big to visit, but when you talked about ‘starting over on land’ I totally can relate. You have to be very disciplined to save for when you return home and hope the money lasts until the next contract. It’s not as easy as people think. Anyway I’m currently at home doing piano bar singalong in a local resort and it’s awesome. Good money and tips, good hours, no cabin sharing and I get to save properly. I still adore my ship life years.

[@violao206]

I took my gig lead from a bassist I worked with at a music school. They needed someone who could sing, play guitar and bass. He was afraid to leave longer than one month at a time because he was one of the most working bassists in Seattle already. It was the lure of a double salary working for both Norwegian and a headliner singer that really made a decent gig, but he was always super afraid of walking away from the scene for longer than one month. He and I opened the first month of the Alaska season, then he took off and I switched to bass until the end of the summer when he returned for the last month. I kept my own band working remotely while I was gone, and the bassist dude kept busy in the summer concert season locally. No cabin sharing is why I went out solo on my last few contracts. But it was a life that I never wanted to stay in. Happy with the crazy experience. Never wanted to be a lifer marine.

[@davidlincolnbrooks]

I played piano aboard Royal Caribbean ships for three years. Some aspects of it were fun, but they work your ass off, and you have to deal with drunks. As you say, Groundhog Day, and I drank wa-a-ay too much. All your points are right on target. You realize that a life of pleasure, 24/7, becomes a nightmare in short order.

[@claymor8241]

I knew a guy who did a few cruises and it caused or at least kickstarted his serious alcohol dependency problems. He died of t in his 30s.

[@elouise5593]

Oh. That is so sad!

[@claymor8241]

@@elouise5593 Yeah the cheap (often free if you played it right) booze all around you almost round the clock, a party atmosphere every night, nothing much else to do during the day, the drinking culture among a gang of musos determined to make the most of everything,. There could be no worse environment for someone with a particular vulnerability to getting hooked on the stuff.

[@sivadyert]

Yeah, I used to play with an alto player who ended up dead in his 30s also. Likely a similar story. He used to go out on cruises and had been doing so for years.

[@giosalvi]

Very interesting and feels so honest, no judging, just telling the own experience. Thanks for sharing.

[@OscarInAsia]

Interesting. In the mid 90's, I worked on various ships for an IT contractor. We did computer programs for ship systems (tour desk, passenger key card, F&B systems, etc). It was a weird existence as I was treated more like a passenger (always in pax cabins, and pax dining rooms) than crew, but I hung out with crew (mainly purser's staff and various department heads) also hung out with some of the itinerant comedians and magicians that had REALLY short contracts (basically a single cruise leg, and a month or two later you'd see them on a different ship/line.). I was just out of military then college also in my 20's, There were some wild times. In my 50's now, and I don't think that lifestyle would have been sustainable for me.

[@jcgarcia1931]

Gotta say, my favorite thing to do on cruises is chatting up the musicians when they're off duty. Especially the acoustic solo guys. There's always this kind of sadness behind their polite smiles. At least on land you can stop any time you need to. An 8 month contract has to be hell, and only for the young. Thanks for sharing. 👊😎👊

[@cruisemates]

ife is hell if you want look at it that way

[@DomPusey]

You barely even scratched the surface! Cruise ship gigs are great for the experience of playing every night/consistent income but as others have said, beyond your 20s it enters a whole new level of darkness.

[@adude9882]

Strange, the way a fun thing turns dark.

[@spanishpeaches2930]

Ha, i remember the cheap booze in the crew bar....or The Pig, as we called it. I was a photographer thirty plus years back...just before Groundhog Day. The repetitiveness got to me after six months. Happy not to be doing it now for sure !

[@patereekoelectrik842]

Guitarist from the QE2 here ... for 9 months .....did the new york to Florida... virgin islands,,, St Maarten St Thomas. Barbados ... yup /// i got a lot of stories .. and i recognise yours

[@Davidkaisermusic]

I’ve heard such varying experiences from friends and teachers that have done ships. Many fun things but also some pretty dark stories. While I thought about doing it myself, the point you made about starting over on land really has made me hesitant in addition to how long the minimum contracts are these days. I have friends that paid their student loans with a few years on ships but also are in their 30’s living like college students

[@njparady]

Sounds like a great experience for younger people who are up for an adventure. Then go do something else on land.

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

I was asked to play bass in a guy's cover band for a 5 week stint. First, I can play bass well enough, but I'm an Americana guy, classic rock is death to me... but the money was good... Then, I thought about having a closet as my room, the dampness, and the fact that I need serious alone time, quiet, peace. I turned down the gig... Thanks for the overview... I would've snapped.

[@sebastianrichieblaj]

Huh! Didn't know you worked on ships. Spot on review.

[@crazy4dariver]

Buddy was a trumpet player at Disneyland. Low wages, long hours, he lasted 3 months

[@DovidM]

This lines up with what a comedian told me about life on cruise ships: a lot of drinking, cabin fever, no privacy, petty arguments with other staff, and feeling like you’ve grown out of touch with life on shore.

[@zugrath16]

Second! Also I appreciate hearing a more honest take on this. I was really close to accepting a gig at a cruise ship but I had a feeling it would be a bit repetitive and decadent... seems like my suspicions were true.

[@trottheblackdog]

If it was Tuesday night at 7:32 PM I knew I would be playing Bar 42 of a given tune. Down to the minute.

[@docgravenshmit6692]

I enjoy going on cruises and it's interesting to hear the perspective from a musician. One of my favorite parts of cruises is the live entertainment, and I've seen some remarkably talented musicians.

[@dutchray8880]

It sounds like the same way I feel about the Army. I didn't like it for the most part, but I'm glad I had the experience. Being a cruise ship musician sounds like a great way to start a career...baptism by fire.

[@Zsaxman60]

I was also in the army before I was a cruise ship musician….what a pleasant change….for a while.

[@SuperChaoticus]

Was a USMC Trumpet player in the late 70s-early 80s. When I got out, I was debating between Disneyland and cruise ships. So I made the only logical choice and decided against both of them. 🤮

[@violao206]

SHIP LIFE is as close to military life as you might ever get me. When I would whinge about the experience, my buddy who was in the Navy just laughs at me and I can only imagine from the stories he shared from his Aircraft Carrier tour of duty in the bloody laundry unit. My experience was gravy by comparison although there were a few similarities like bad management.

[@violao206]

@@SuperChaoticus My Australian GF had come from Disney World and entered Ship Life in the Photo Department. She went back to college and is now a Navigation Officer still out at sea. She came from a family of marines from Melborne. She is a commited marine lifer.

[@ScottauchterlonieMusic]

Man, I did 4 months on a cruise ship, I will never do it again lol great content!!

[@donpeterson9282]

You may claim you were inadequate as a pianist however unless you were a cut above most pianists, you would never have survived the first one hour show or at least the first week. My guess is you are very bright intellectually and a damn fine pianist and saxophonist. Your dedication and discipline carry you through the tough times. Well Done ✌️🙏🖖

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

But the real question is... As a musician on a cruise ship. Did you get asked to play *_Come Sail Away_* by STYX a lot?

[@DragonflyKBS]

Sax drugs and rock n roll ☠️

[@jamesewanchook2276]

So true, I worked in jazz/oldies trios as a singing piano/bass player for RCCL, Norwegian, Princess, and Carnival for 15 years. It's like a black hole. I was a star every night but now I have to rebuild new contacts here in Vancouver my hometown Music is a hard career. Thanks for a good show!

[@Deutschie]

Dude you caught me by surprise. I honestly thought you were going to tell about beautiful women hitting on you all the time, and how it came to be too much for you. 😵 You've shown me a side I never once considered. Sorry you didn't have a better experience. Cheers!

[@boataxe4605]

Then there is the famous case of guitarist Moss Hills,first he was aboard the Oecanos when she sank,and was one of the hero’s who saved everyone, then he was aboard the Achille Lauro when she burned and sank.

[@BST-lm4po]

This was a very interesting video! I thought being a young musician on a cruise ship would be the ultimate gig! But now I can see the short comings! I guess no profession is perfect! 🤔 Still, I think that a 6 month gig would be fun,...then move on. On a side note, ...I can't believe that they drug tested musicians! Im surprised anyone passed! 😜

[@zappasmustache]

I was offered a cruise ship contract right out of music college in 2000. I'm glad I declined. I was told by one of my teachers, "Don't do it! Yea, you'll play guitar every night. There's booze and girls all over the place, but during the day you're sweating in kitchens, bussing tables and doing housekeeping seven days a week." Thank you for this video and reminding me that I actually made a good decision as a 20 year old!

[@mikehardy4474]

I have many friends that worked Caribbean tours,Mediterranean tors for 3-6 months at a times on cruise ships.They never had to do anything but play 4-5 hours a day 6 nites a week and don’t talk to the passengers.They had plenty of port and party time.

[@MRGO0OSE]

This story is golden with valuable advice at the end! Thanks for sharing Jeff!

[@bathizargupta249]

I've was once tempted to do something similar as a glass blower for a cruise line. I even flew from Denver to Chicago to audition. But to your point of starting over, I'd have given up a secure job and lost the deposit on my lease. The pay wasn't enough to maintain my apartment and maybe not enough to keep my stuff in storage.

[@JerryAGreene]

Not having anything when you get back is exactly why I never did the cruise gig thing.

[@sivadyert]

So many of my college bandmates and bandmates I've had since, have been cruise ship musicians. I've enjoyed hearing their stories. They all parallel yours, it seems. One stretch you're with terrible musicians or a bad leader, then next trip out you have a few killer players, you make friends, practice a lot, drink too much or at least suffer those who do, see a lot of places (over and over), and get tired of being on a ship and finally come home. It seems that these gigs can vary quite a bit in quality and experience.

[@violao206]

Ditto only I did not feel the need to practice because as a duo and solo entertainer, I was mainly performing my own songbook and not the slock stock tunes that a pit musician or organ grinder might have to push out. These were my tunes of Soul and also Brasilian Jazz that I work on my gigs in Seattle. When I returned to my Brasilian Jazz quintet back in Seattle, my chops were burning from working my 4 hour gigs everyday for months. I just burned it down on my return. The work was practice enough.

[@violao206]

Full confession though... I did practice a little bit, but it was to learn a few new tunes. It was pretty minimal and mainly out of boredom in my day. It was that and a little bit of exercise.

[@flintlong2937]

Hey Trey, you nailed it. Some were good, even great, some were hell. It depended upon the morale from the top down. Some of the musical directors I'm still good friends with, some were maladjusted assholes who were out at sea because they couldn't establish some sort of life for themselves on land, and they enjoyed a power trip, pushing people around.

[@altonbay629]

Some cruise lines now hire bands just for the duration of one cruise. Not bad if you land in a good lounge. Also, a one week bid doesn't really separate you from your land life. But to do it for months...No thanks!