Have fun dude- my time on the ships was some of the best times of my life. As for other suggestions, sounds like you are in a different type situation as me (i played in the full band for the shows, cocktail hours, talent shows, etc as well as some dixie land stuff, combos, etc)

Ummm suggestions - play well from the start and earn the respect of your fellow musicians, the rest will be smooth after that. Learn the rules of the ship and if you break them be very careful (trust me i know this one lol). Enjoy every moment, but don't stay too long (1 contract is enough for many including me) because you can go crazy living that life - get depression, alcoholism, loose your contacts on land etc.

But while your there - savor every moment!!!

 

I did Carnival for 3 years and Celebrity for one summer. I liked Carnival much better.

I didn't play in the "house band" but instead as a duo in a "side lounge".

If the cruise ship goes to a major port (like San Juan) you will be able to get reeds, if it is only going to smaller ports, you better bring a couple of boxes with you.

As trowpa pointed out, follow the rules. They really make good sense and will keep you out of trouble.

Get a good laptop with WiFi. The other staff and crew members will know all the free hot spots so you don't have to pay the ships rates for Internet (even at the crew discount, it's expensive).

If you've never been on a ship before, bring soda crackers. If you have nausea problems, the starch and baking soda in the crackers will make it easier to adjust the first few weeks (I didn't have a problem, but I owned a small sailboat at the time - I always kept soda crackers for my guests).

Don't bring any drugs on or off the ship - don't do any drugs in port - and don't leave your bag where people can stash contraband in it. I do know of two people that had drugs planted on them so the planters could collect the reward for turning them in. I knew both victims, and neither one did drugs at all (one didn't even drink alcohol). Don't be paranoid, in 3 years it only happened to two people, but do be careful. You don't want to spend time in a foreign jail.

Do have fun. You will meet a lot of interesting people, be exposed to a lot of good entertainment -- and the ship is a great place to perform. The audience pays attention, they don't have to go to work the next day, they don't have to drive home, and they paid for a party. You will be helping them have a party!!!

Bon voyage

Notes

 

Just got the call today - I was offered a 6 month contract on celebrity cruise lines. <...>

BTW, who booked you on the ship? (just curious).

Notes

 

Stock up on reeds.
If you're doing the Caribbeans, you'll have a hard time finding your brand and they're like twice the price.

 

6 months on Celebrity is going to be a long first contract. Some things about the gig: Just swallow your pride and put up with the silly **** you end up having to do (e.g. baked alaska, timecards). It's not a jazz gig. Good opportunity to work on playing inside, melodic solos appropriate to the idiom.
Some things about the life: When you start to get fed up, practice more, drink less. Don't let the Greeks' **** get to you, and don't let them run over you. Make friends with the dancers. In port, go out to more than the bars, please.
What ship is it, BTW?

 

<...snip...> Make friends with the dancers. In port, go out to more than the bars, please. <...>

Excellent advice. Make friends with the other musicians and the other people on the ship as well.

And as far as the bars are concerned, I'll relate this about one port of call, San Juan (one of my favorites in the Caribbean).

Most shipmates spent their time either in the American Music Disco or a small, open air bar near the ship. Leilani and I walked, took the bus, rented a car, bummed rides with locals and took cabs. We went to the Rain Forest, bussed to the Mall where there was a modern, reasonably priced music store, visited historic forts and other buildings, visited museums (the Pablo Cassals museum was a favorite), went to a Salsa Street festival, listened to other local P.R. live music, ate at local restaurants, sat in at a local Jazz club, made friends with local Puerto Ricans, including some musicians and so on. One of the bands we made friends with taught us a lot about Salsa music while we returned the favor with tips on North American music.

One day, a shipmate who spent all his time at the closest bar to the ship told us he was being transferred in two weeks, and asked us what he should go and see before he jumps ship. Sadly, he didn't have enough time to do all the things he could have.

15 years later, the memories of the good times of Puerto Rico still bring a big smile to my heart. Much more that if all I saw was the nearest bar or all I listened to was North American music in the disco.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

Congrats man...I'd bring tons of reeds...1 box per month per horn easy...

 

Make sure you have your horns thoroughly checked out before leaving, you'll have a hard time finding a tech.
Bring along an emergency repair kit (screw drivers, glue, rubber bands etc).
At least one spare mpc.
Insure your horns (make sure it's all risk).

 

Thanks for the advice so far.

I've done some searching and haven't found much on celebrity. They seem to be the 'worst' line to work for according to some, but that seems to be because of their rules.

I'm ok with some rules, to be honest. I'm a very boring guy, I can't drink (for medical reasons) so the bar isn't a worry for me. I understand I will probably be around a ton of drunk people all of the time.

My other worry is practicing. I've heard some people say you can practice as much as you want, and others say there is no place to practice at.

Also - anyone who has done this - do you know if this is all 1099 independant contracting stuff - or do they take taxes/etc out. I plan to ask the guy tomorrow - but I thought I'd ask here in case I forget to ask. I will probably have to get a tax person for next year. . .

 

<...snip...>
I've done some searching and haven't found much on celebrity. They seem to be the 'worst' line to work for according to some, but that seems to be because of their rules.<...>

I didn't want to say anything, but now that you mention it, I wouldn't take another gig with Celebrity unless they paid me huge sums of money (enough to retire on).

It isn't so much the rules, as the attitude.

First example. We had all our gear (PA, horns, guitars, speakers, etc.) on a palette ready to load on the ship. They were loading stuff in waterproof containers and it started to rain. I politely asked the supervisor if he could load our gear since it could be damaged by water, and he immediately started yelling at me and refused. I had to find the cruise director, who found the musician's supervisor, who got in a shouting match with him and finally got our gear on board.

Getting off was almost as bad. They didn't want to unload our gear, as they were doing other things. I called the musician's manager again, and he told them we would be paid an extra week out of the loading supervisor's salary if we didn't get off before the ship left.

Each department is a different fiefdom and instead of cooperating with each other, they treat each other department with animosity.

They fed the crew leftovers (Carnival fed us passenger food in our own dining room). They interrupt your day and your port time with mandatory classes (nothing against the classes, but they should be scheduled with respect to the musician's time). And generally they treat you without respect.

In contrast, Carnival was the opposite. They appreciated what we did, treated us with respect, fed us good food, and basically left us alone as long as we did our job. The rules were simple, don't go into passenger's cabins, don't go in the casino, if you are using a facility (like a bar stool) and there are no open ones left for a passenger to enjoy (paying customer) you are expected to give up the facility for the passenger.

Celebrity won't be torture, but it won't be as much fun as any other line. Take things with a grain of salt.

As far as practicing. Each ship is different. The other musicians will tell you when and where the best times are.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

Do cruise line musicians do more than just practice and play gigs on board (I know it's a lot of work). I heard a rumor that they have to do other jobs that aren't music related.

 

Check it out first, it varies by cruise line.

In Carnival all we had to do was play 6 nights and in addition, one day we did a happy hour set (note: we were a duo in a side lounge, and not in the orchestra). When not playing, we could go anywhere on the ship except for the Casino and a passenger's cabin. It was OK if they came to your cabin.

Those rules make sense. If you are in the Casino and winning, and a passenger next to you is losing, some of them will cry "Cheat".

If you are in a passenger's cabin of the opposite sex, she/he could cry "rape". If they are in your cabin, it implies consent.

Oh, another common sense rule, if you are on a bar stool or the dance floor and there is no room for the paying guests to sit/dance, you are expected to give way to the passenger. That one also makes sense.

We could eat at the midnight buffet, but we had to wait for the first rush of passengers to be over before we could go through it.

We also did "boat drill". On the first day of each cruise we directed the passengers to their lifeboat stations.

I would definitely do Carnival again, but I would never go back on RCL/Celebrity - they treated the musicians like dirt.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

I worked on Holland America in the showband. We had to do a few pool sets, sailaway sets and bar gigs per week, plus rehearsal every day we had to play a show, and the two shows. We also played silly parties where the dinosaur with the most hours logged as a passenger gets a medal for making HAL rich, and the last morning of each cruise we played Anchor's Aweigh about 90-****ing-trillion times.

We had to stand there and tell passengers which way was up during the boat drills.

A full day's work was 5.5 hours. The pay is ****. Other than that, you make friends with the cast, the spa girls and any other eligible bachelorette (or whatever female is there, single or otherwise), and you will have a phenomenal time. Search the forum for more info, because I distinctly remember answering this question in a longer thread before.

 

Hook up with music medic. Get a tool kit, a leak light and learn as much about adjusting your own instrument as possible. It sounds like its going to be up to you to undo whatever baggage handlers, loadmasters, and others do to your horn.

Have good cases, loads of reeds, backup mouthpieces and ligs.
Just do the desert island sax player routine and you will be set.

Sounds like you have gotten a lot of good experienced advise here.

Dont forget to keep us land lubers' posted

 

Dont forget to keep us land lubers' posted

Ummm, Phil? That would be land lubbers. Land lubers would be something totally different. :shock:

 

Make a list or plan for things you want to work on for yourself - 5 books to read, learn a foreign language, master all your scales at mm=180/16th notes - something that you have to work on every day to accomplish, and do it no matter what. It's very easy to get into the typical ship musician routine of staying up all night and sleeping all day. Use the time to better yourself in some way other than just socializing.

 

16ths at 180!!! So THAT'S my problem! LOL

It's true, I found it necessary for my sanity to keep up the shedding. The days I didn't put me into a deep rut after a while. Too much booze, too much snooze... Eventually you learn to balance everything properly. I learned a good amount of self-discipline and practice techniques while there. I DID often stay up all night, shedding some and hanging some.

FREEBIE: http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=88975

 

OOPS

(deed I spiel dat rite)

 

I found that the playing, the atmosphere and the Greeks were ****. I was on for three weeks playing in an organ trio on the Princess and I'd never even go on a cruise ship again. All those rules about fraternizing were jive. I did see a Greek get totally screwed over by having drugs get planted on him while in port. Like notes norton wrote; keep an eye on your bags or you'll be sorry.
Like I wrote, I was only on for three weeks on what was considered (at the time) to be one of the top lines. It wasn't for me. My grandfather, on the other hand, played on the cruise ships six months a year for most of his career on a line out of SF to Hawaii. So it wasn't in the genes.

 

Well, it's been about four months - I only have two more left.

So far, it isn't terrible - but it isn't great either.

Yes, I play (on average) two shows a day and one rehearsal - usually aronud 3 hours - give or take a day. The rest of the day is pretty much off. I've gotten a lot of practice time in - and I'm starting to become quite the flute player.

You CAN be pressed into other duties - but usually only in special situations. That has already happened once on the ship - and I have to say it ISNT fun. In fact, it's just plain dumb.

Some days, I manage to practice for 3-4 hours or more, depending on how the schedule falls. Needless to say - it's a very laid back lifestyle. You can expect MOST of the people on board to be either single or divorced. I've only met one other married person, and I'm the only one who is engaged to someone at home that I know of. It makes for an intersting social scene. I pretty much don't do the drinking till 3am routine a lot of others do.

the pay isn't great - but it's easy to store away cash if you are careful. I don't rack up $400-$500 bar bills every 15 days like some of the other guys on board. You don't pay for rent, food, gas, car insurance, etc - so after taxes it's pretty much all in pocket. I have to admit - the food sucks - so I almost always eat when in ports.

Overall - I'm glad I took the job. It gives you great experience, and it's rewarding to wake up in the morning and realize that all you have to do today is play - and you don't have to book your own gigs or worry about students showing up to lessons. The music we play is NOT rewarding - so don't come looking for that. It's almost always the same stuff. You do manage to build up a knowledge of songs that most joe schmoes find popular.

I'll post more as I can. If anyone else has any other questions about the gig - feel free to ask.

 

..... I don't rack up $400-$500 bar bills every 15 days like some of the other guys on board. ......

Yeah, I've seen that often. My bar bills were a fraction of the other's. It's amazing how they can just throw away their money like that.
On top of that it's going back into the cruise line's pocket, it's like working for free.

 

Where are you cruising?

 

uh.....RUN AWAY!!!!


I've never worked one, but I've taken a couple of cruises.....Three days and I'm ready to get off the boat.

Strange too - I lived on a 30' sloop for a year and loved it....

 

Just remember, when you get home, someone else will have run off with all your work. Keep in touch - start sending postcards and gifts to agents, bandleaders, club owners etc.

 

When I did cruise ships, I did it as a duo with my wife. That worked fine, we had our own cabin and each other for social and emotional support.

Being a self-contained duo, we played what we wanted to play, but found it was to our advantage to fill the need on the ship and therefore gain a bigger audience, after all, performing is more fun with an appreciative audience. At the time Baby-Boomer music was lacking on the ship, so we played classic rock and R&B, packed the room, and even set all-time revenue records (the revenue in the bar tells the parent company how popular the band is, because the passengers buy the most drinks where they hang out the most).

We did enjoy sharing experiences with the younger musicians, and we did not spend our port time in the closest pub. Instead we went exploring in every port. The biggest excursion was planned for weeks. We would go to Cozumel every week, which does get entirely explored in a few months, so we got a number of musicians, dancers, and salon people together and chartered a small plane for the day and flew to Chichen Itza on the Yucatan mainland.

Leilani and I had been there before, so we organized the trip and acted as tour guides for a few of the other staff members.

In Puerto Rico we went to the Rain Forest El Yunque, in St Thomas we boated over to Saint Johns, in Grand Cayman Island we went to Sting Ray City, and so on.

The cruise gig is what you make of it. Some lines are easier than others though - I won't do RCL/Celeb again, I would do Carnival.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

I find this thread intresting. I never really thought of working on a cruise. I find it really intresting because sunday i'm off to jacksonville, Florida to hop on a carnival cruise so i'll keep a look out for some musicians on board and ask them some questions

 

Just got the call today - I was offered a 6 month contract on celebrity cruise lines.

Any suggestions/etc for a newbie?

My only big worry is the fact that I have to double, and my doubles suck (even though the agency seems to think I did well on my doubles).

Should I stock up on Reeds/etc before going out - or are there places you can find these kind of resources? The line has a 7 member band - I'm the only wind player - so I probably don't have other reed players to ask.

Thanks for any suggestions /etc.

This sounds awesome!

 

I just got back from a week in Mexico on Holland America. I chatted up the sax player in the house band, nice kid good player though they didn't feature him. HA seems to cater to an older crowd, they had a couple of good pianist, and a jazz combo that did not have a sax player. Good music more saxes needed!! Mayho

 

Have fun I worked for 3 years with English Shipping line. Take plenty of reeds and repair tools passengers tend to throw them around and land on your horns. Be careful I broke all the rules and got off with an alcohol and drug problem. Have fun you will remember your experiences for the rest of your life
David
Sydney