How To Get Work as a Guest Entertainer on Cruise Ships
Introduction When I first started working on cruise ships
with my act it was a very daunting task. For many years, after
watching 'The Love Boat' on television, I would dream of one day
becoming a headline act on cruise ships, and finally when it
became a reality I was very nervous and didn't know anything
about what to expect. I wish there had been a book that could
answer all the questions that were lingering in my mind. For me
it all happened rather quickly so before I knew it, I was on a
ship and thrown in the 'deep end', so to speak.
Fortunately in my case, on that first contract there were other
guest entertainers on the ship who took me under their wings and
showed me the ropes and helped me get my head around the world
of cruising. To this day I still work on ships with these
wonderful people and I have developed some good solid
friendships.
Most of the work for variety acts has moved out to sea, with
their fully equipped theatres and the ever growing need for good
entertainment. Most ships have production shows plus guest
entertainers, which usually consist of a magician, a comedian,
an instrumentalist (banjo, harmonica, guitar etc.) and a
ventriloquist. The production shows on ships today are lavish,
Las Vegas style shows with ten to sixteen dancers and singers.
You will become part of one of the last bastions of
entertainment for Variety Artists, a place where we get a chance
to have an audience and perform our full evening shows.
With this book I plan to lay everything out for the entertainer
who wants to work on a ship so that by the time you get to your
first ship you have some idea of what to expect, making your
life that much easier. There are things that you learn only by
experience which is why I have included extracts from my
personal journey. From reading it you will quickly discover what
type of life we live on a ship. I suggest that you start writing
your own journal once you get work because the stories you will
collect will last you a lifetime. Invest in a good digital
camera and take lots of photos because you will get a chance
very few people in this world have, to travel to almost every
country on earth and get a taste for other cultures, food and
lifestyles.
If I was to give one bit of advice it would this: make sure you
are ready! You will only get once chance at working on a ship so
don't rush in to it before you feel you are ready. Read this
book and any other book that may be out there on the subject,
talk to people who are in the industry and ask for their honest
opinions. Cruise ship work didn't happen for me overnight, I
wanted to do it for many years but was glad I took my time and
developed an original act that has lasted me well and kept me
employed for many years. Ask yourself, are you in a position to
be away from home, away from your family for long periods. Are
you healthy enough to withstand the travel and lifestyle that
comes with working on a ship? Of course, do you have the right
type of act to work on a ship? As with any type of performance,
know your limits and be prepared.
This book is written from my own personal experience and I am
offering information that I have come across and collected over
the years of working ships. Included are personal stories and
experiences that I hope will shed some light on working on
cruise ships and make it a little easier for those of you
wanting to get in to this industry.
Finally, you have one of the best jobs in the world, certainly
one of the best and highest paid on a ship. I never take what I
do for granted and everyday am thankful for what I have. Cruise
ships have been great to me and helped me financially and also
the place where I met my wife Natalie. You are a Guest
Entertainer, this means you don't have any extra jobs, you are
simply there to perform your act once a week and entertain the
passengers. In the past several years that I have been working
on cruise ships, I have had the privelage to travel around the
world at least a dozen times visiting almost every country or
port in the world. As I write this I have just left South
America in the Amazon Jungle four days ago, and today am in
Dakar in Africa. Next week I will be in St. Petersburg Russia,
how many jobs are there where we can see so much of the world.