Anybody taken a gig somewhere like a Carnival cruise etc?

If so, what did you experience?

No I have not, but we recently did a European cruise on Holland America and I spoke with the members of two of the bands and they seemed to enjoy it a lot ...

In the early 80's I toured playing KB with many Doo Wop groups on Holland America lines ships, Volendam, Rotterdam, etc,. doing rock & roll Headline shows all over the Islands,...lot's of fun for single guys back then but it's all changed now with DJ's pumping todays beats everywhere,..first week onboard is fun then it gets repetitive & if you get caught in some big storms, hurricanes like I did OMG your in for a rough ride and sea-sickness like you wouldn't believe.
If your not a headline act like we were playing with the stars living like a king on-board only doing two 45 min shows a night 9pm/11pm, rest of the time partying with the ladies,..
then your just another part of the crew & a hired hand playing all over the ships lounges, poolside etc, etc,...

Joe Ayala spent many, many years aboard cruise ships as an OMB entertainer and piano bar player/singer. I've done some smaller vessels, but nothing to the scale Joe did. The largest boat I performed upon was a private yacht in the Florida Keys, a 75-foot Burger that cost nearly $2-million new.



I used just the PSR-3000, no amp, about 25 people on the yacht at the time - neat party, good pay.

In comparison, I looked into the possibility of being a regular aboard a cruise ship, the pay was lousy, about $800 a week at the time for non-headliner performers, you slept in a tiny compartment near the engine room, and you usually bunked with some guy that could barely speak English and used garlic juice for deodorant. Additionally, you played pretty much all day long, usually about 6 hours, you were not allowed to eat with the passengers, you were not allowed to accept drinks from passengers, and not permitted to fraternize with them either. Overall, it's a lousy job unless you are a headliner. Headliners got the big bucks, and did pretty much anything they wanted, and they got the best berthing accommodations.

The best deal is the private yachts, which south Florida is loaded with. It's a tough gig to break into, but once established, they pay is great, the jobs are frequent, and the onboard parties can be wild. These boats range from 75 to 300 feet, mostly college girls for crews, they're immaculately kept, and for the most part, the owners are very nice individuals.

All the best,

Gary

Donny and Gary ... apparently things have changed somewhat, at least on Holland America Lines ... One 'show band' did three 45 minute shows a night, and another band played for 3 hours with an hour dinner break in between and that was it ... the rest of the time was 'free time' unless they were working on some new material which didn't seem to happen much ... these band members and the cast of the shows - they put on 3 different shows during the 12 night cruise - all sat with the guests by the pool, in the buffet restaurant, in lounges, etc. ... the musicians and entertainers slept in a different area from the rest of the crew- small rooms, no doubt, but as I said, the ones I spoke with were having a good time ... they had 9 month contracts, and many were hoping to be renewed ...

WOW! Big changes, Tony. Holland America was one of the ones that wanted me to come to the port of Baltimore for an interview, but that was 10 years ago.

Gary

I've never worked for a big cruise line...but have taken many cruises over the last 40 years and ALWAYS get to know the English speaking musicians and entertainers. For the most part they seem to like the work and the pay. But there are a lot of different types of musicians on the ships. There are the OMBs, mostly guitar and piano guys doing anything from R&R to Sing-Along lounges. Then comes the lounge acts, usually 4-6 pieces that play in dance lounges doing standards or R&R or Country. The "house" musicians usually work the main theater for the production shows and individually move around the ship for cocktail and happy hour gatherings.

One couple I met worked for two of the big lines for 13 years straight and did not set foot on US soil which meant their salaries were free and clear on any US taxes. For 13 years their job provided salaries, room, board and, on some ships, they got additional duties supplementing their income.

When they finally retired from cruising, they had a nice nest egg and bought a house near me and have built a very nice music business that includes a recording studio, repping other players and still performing in a variety of different bands and as a duo. I really admire this couple. They also started a non-profit music camp for teens interested in Jazz and Standards and provide a venue for these youngsters to play with pros at public venues.

There was one band I sat in with on the NCL line over several cruises in the 70's & early 80's. The leader and I become good friends. He called me once and asked if I would like to join the band but there was no way I could drop my commitments to do it. Come December, we'll be going out on the Princess Line ...and I hope to make some more musician friends on that cruise.

Eddie

I played on a Navy ship, does that count?

Anfunybstory, while playing during church service the weather was really bad, and i decided to play on top of midi files (over 15 years ago) on my GEM WX2..

Suddenly the ship made a bad unexpected move and i had to grab the keyboard with both my hands to prevent it from crashing on the floor, several crewmembers where less lucky and hit the ground. When they recoverded they started bursting as i stood there with my keyboard in both hands while the music played on. Now that was embarrasing for me and hilarious for the rest of the crew.

I played drums in a piano trio on a cruise ship for two summers while I was in college back in 1993-1994. It was a great experience for me. Pay was good considering room and board were included, plus I was single with no obligations... I would love to do another cruise but I have a wife, family and a full time teaching job... Maybe someday?

And, don't forget the fun trips.