Sound Tech on a cruise?

[hey_mavis]

I am contemplating applying for a job as a sound tech on a cruise ship, anyone here done that? If so how did you like it?

[Renegade Prod]

Yeah what a rad idea ...?

[joeq]

I have not done the job, but while on a cruise this summer I got a backstage tour and talked to some of the techs.

This ship had no fewer than 6 venues including a 700 seat theater with state of the art everything. They have some pretty serious gear. The various nightclubs each had a nice PA and they also had a portable system for parties on the deck. The theater had a multitrack backup system that the band followed so if a musician fell overboard, the show could still go on.

I got the impression that while the cruise musicians came and went with each trip, or even swapped boats in the middle of the week, the tech staff pretty much lived on board long-term.

This was on the Princess line which I believe is Cunard, and a number of them said things to the effect that Princess treated their staff really well, and had enlightened policies for couples who worked together and so on.

The downside as I saw it was that the music itself was kind of Vegas-y

[jerry123]

Different scenario, but I recently ran a recording program at a kids summer camp.

Now, I'm not a 'kids' person and I rarely enjoy being couped up with strangers for a long period of time(the reason I have not considered cruise jobs in the past) but the experience was AWESOME!

I would consider doing a cruise job myself now. If you're friendly and are good at what you do, you should have fun and make some good cash. Keep in mind, you would need to pay rent at home if you are planning on returning to the same house and different cruise lines will provide different experiences. See if you can find someone who has been on different lines, working in sound or not. I've heard 'Princess Cruise Lines' is a 'good' one to work for and 'Disney Cruise Lines' is a 'bad' one. 'Good' meaning nice ports, free to roam the ship and mingle, great staff and 'bad' meaning no ports or stops depending on the trip, restricted to the lower quarters of the ship and strict staff policies. Just what I've heard.

[MSR74]

I was a singer on Carnival...I was treated very well and had good accomodations. Also while there all room and board are included. I have also heard that Disney is pretty tough but I cannot confirm since it was just hearsay from other performers.

BTW, Princess and Cunard Line are both Carnival owned subsidiaries.

Mick

[Jim Williams]

Celebrity and Crystal are the best of the bunch. Crystal is high enders, pays well.
There are restrictions on where you can go off hours. The gear is first rate. The shows are smaltzy, even corny at times. If you love musicals from the 1950's it's ideal! It's also a much older crowd than Celebrity or Holland.

If you don't maintain a residence on shore, you can save a good amount of money doing this. Some take the entire world tour on Crystal, you can save a lot of cash that way if you don't blow it on shore leave.

Downside is cabin fever. Some ocean crossings can take a week or more, no where to go.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[soundrick]

I did this for a few years.

If you're single, don't have a lot of responsibilities to leave behind, and are willing to give up a certain amount of freedom, I would say go for it.

It's fun, and a very easy lifestyle, but be aware that you CANNOT do as you please. The pay won't seem like a ton, compared to land gigs, but you have NO cost of living on board, so you save a lot.

Don't plan on keeping your girlfriend if you do this. There's lots of drinking and lots of "temptation" on board.

I got to see much more of the world than I ever thought possible, and was paid for it. That's very cool.

Good luck.

[dbbubba]

I have known both a few musicians and a few audio people who have done cruise gigs.
None stayed with it very long.
That says a lot.

Still, who cares if the music is schmaltzy.
ALL acts get to be boring routine eventually.
Trust me here.
The schmaltzy gigs generally pay better, too.
You gotta' get ovr that part.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

Still, who cares if the music is schmaltzy.
ALL acts get to be boring routine eventually.
Trust me here.
The schmaltzy gigs generally pay better, too.
You gotta' get ovr that part.

I would agree with this. thumbsup

On land or on a ship, doing the same boring show every night is what I call a sure-fire way to a "steady paycheck".
That seems to be a high priority for me right now. YMMV.......

[Akoppenheffer]

I am an AV media guy for Carnival. It's a pretty sweet gig and mad easy. I make around 1800/month and have zero expenses. So I'm saving a lot of money. Also I get nothing taken out for medical. So I just have the income tax of Florida and that's it. My contract is for 6 months and the accompdations are decent. I basically have free roam of the ship being that I'm on a higher position than say, a cabin steward. Everythng is cheap and tax free while at sea. Like a bottle of Stella costs a buck 25. I get off at all the ports and meet tons of people. As far as the sound tech go, as mentioned, they have great gear and the shows are mostly automated. I'd definitely recommend the job. I'm actually planning on getting a lounge band together for my next contract. They make up to 3k a month! Cash in your pocket, that's killer money. If you don't have attachments back home, go for it.

[dbbubba]

Well, I know why I never considered it....

$1800.00 per month.

Wow..... I guess if your young and have no obligation that's good money.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by Akoppenheffer

I am an AV media guy for Carnival. It's a pretty sweet gig and mad easy. I make around 1800/month and have zero expenses. So I'm saving a lot of money. Also I get nothing taken out for medical. So I just have the income tax of Florida and that's it. My contract is for 6 months and the accompdations are decent. I basically have free roam of the ship being that I'm on a higher position than say, a cabin steward. Everythng is cheap and tax free while at sea. Like a bottle of Stella costs a buck 25. I get off at all the ports and meet tons of people. As far as the sound tech go, as mentioned, they have great gear and the shows are mostly automated. I'd definitely recommend the job. I'm actually planning on getting a lounge band together for my next contract. They make up to 3k a month! Cash in your pocket, that's killer money. If you don't have attachments back home, go for it.

This is exactly the same for Entertainment Techs.

Ship life does have it's perks, but after several contracts, it's not a life you would like to sustain for very long.
There were things I loved, but a few things that pushed me over the edge after a while:
Boat Drills, crew gangways, the miserable food, cabin checks and restrictions, the constantly changing rules/procedures/politics, and of course, my personal favorite; the egomaniacal Officers.dfegad

Sorry for the rant. I spent a while on ships and in the corporate office, so while I appreciate your rosey picture, I just thought I should show another side of the coin, because ship life isn't for everyone.

For a couple contracts though, yeah, of course, it's a good experience.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by Akoppenheffer

So I just have the income tax of Florida and that's it.

BTW, you might want to look into this. Florida doesn't have state income tax, you should only be paying the Feds.

[Jungle Jazz]

I didn't do the tech thing, but I was a musician on ships for Holland America and Royal Caribbean. For me, it got old pretty fast. As several have said, if you are young, unattached, and looking for steady work, it can be interesting for one or two contracts. I found living in a tiny, windowless cabin with a complete stranger to be a crap shoot. The music wasn't rely satisfying, and the pay was a lot less than the equivalent amount of work would have paid on land. The room and board didn't make up for it, but at least the pay was steady, and you could save a bunch if you had a plan and stuck to it.

I did have some interesting experiences. I made friends with locals on several Caribbean islands, and I spent every minute I could off the boat, exploring the islands, sampling native food, and visiting out of the way spots. I was into photography and writing then, and there's ample opportunity to do both.

The biggest potential danger is yourself. It's real easy to fall into drinking, drugging, sexing it up, and similar activities if you aren't careful. I saw plenty of guys fritter away their music, brains, and life doing just that, and I hated sharing the stage with someone ready to pass out. Certainly, that kind of behavior isn't limited to cruise ships, but it seems to affect a higher percentage of people there, simply because there's not a whole lot else to do.

If you are curious, and you have a reasonable amount of self discipline, it's worth giving a try. I would, however, suggest trying to get a short as possible first contract, just in case it doesn't work out for you. You might try to get a gig as a substitute while a regular guy is on vacation. At most, first time out, I'd suggest no more than two or three months.

[daniel c]

Watch out for the Norwalk.

[jvkeboxHERO]

DO IT! youll grab so much tail.

[lozion]

If you are a muso then try it...
If a tech, skip it.

[hipass]

You will not have much free time and if your not busy you could end up scrubbing toilets (or some other non-audio related job)

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by hipass

You will not have much free time and if your not busy you could end up scrubbing toilets (or some other non-audio related job)

That's absolute nonsense.

And you have a TON of free time. Just not very many available resources to do anything with it.

[Yoda117]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Celebrity and Crystal are the best of the bunch. Crystal is high enders, pays well.
There are restrictions on where you can go off hours. The gear is first rate. The shows are smaltzy, even corny at times. If you love musicals from the 1950's it's ideal! It's also a much older crowd than Celebrity or Holland.

There's a reason the crew often refer to Crystal ships as "wrinkle rafts".

/took a Christmas holiday cruise with them once
//neither the travel organizer nor I realized the age discrepancy
///still had a great time.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by hipass

You will not have much free time and if your not busy you could end up scrubbing toilets (or some other non-audio related job)

chained to an oar!

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Celebrity and Crystal are the best of the bunch. Crystal is high enders, pays well.
There are restrictions on where you can go off hours. The gear is first rate. The shows are smaltzy, even corny at times. If you love musicals from the 1950's it's ideal! It's also a much older crowd than Celebrity or Holland.

Originally Posted by Yoda117

There's a reason the crew often refer to Crystal ships as "wrinkle rafts".

/took a Christmas holiday cruise with them once
//neither the travel organizer nor I realized the age discrepancy
///still had a great time.

Then apparently things have changed in the past 17 years. I was a bass player on Crystal Cruises for several months in 1991, at the same time that my girlfriend was a singer for Holland America. Holland America always had an older clientele, every cruise, no exceptions.

...and crappier production values, yes.

Originally Posted by hipass

You will not have much free time and if your not busy you could end up scrubbing toilets (or some other non-audio related job)

Originally Posted by soundrick

That's absolute nonsense.

And you have a TON of free time. Just not very many available resources to do anything with it.

My observation (again, from 1991, so maybe things have changed) was that the sound technician would never wind up scrubbing toilets -- they have plenty of crew whose job it is to do nothing but that -- but that the sound tech would also not have a lot of free time. Too many productions going on near-concurrently. Musicians, now we had free time. Too much of it in fact. And yes, not very many available resources to do anything with it. But while us musicians were getting drunk in our cabins at 11:00AM, the sound tech was being run ragged with PA duty for the bingo game in the lounge and/or the shore excursion lecture on the Lido deck.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

But while us musicians were getting drunk in our cabins at 11:00AM, the sound tech was being run ragged with PA duty for the bingo game in the lounge and/or the shore excursion lecture on the Lido deck.

There are many factors that can account for this, including the competency of the tech and Cruise Staff, the efficiency of the entertainment racks, and how the equipment is maintained.

Every ship I worked on, I had the entertainment racks running like a well-oiled machine and the cruise staff trained to be self-sufficient in the first couple weeks.

As a rule of thumb, the sound tech should be running shows and maintaining equipment. This doesn't take very many hours. If there are small events to set up, that could take a few minutes to half an hour, max, and that workload should be divided up between ALL entertainment techs.
Some ships are worse than others, admittedly, as far as work-load.

But, in the end, you're correct, musicians do have the most free time, besides dancers/singers.

Production singers get paid the most out of entertainment, and they have the easiest life. About 6 hours a week for a 7-day cruise. If you're a singer, doing ships for a few contracts is a no-brainer.

[hipass]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

Well, I know why I never considered it....

$1800.00 per month.

Wow..... I guess if your young and have no obligation that's good money.

Wow that is a joke!
You can get a job at In & Out Burger and make more than that in less than a month.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by hipass

Wow that is a joke!
You can get a job at In & Out Burger and make more than that in less than a month.

That $1800 is not great, but it's the BOTTOM LINE.

Even $2000 at In&Out after taxes per month, you get to subtract rent, gas, food, utilities, cable.....etc.....

Hmmmm........Exotic islands, mediterranean, Alaska, South America, work with high tech equipment, experience in the entertainment industry, cheap booze, live and party with tons of hot chicks everynight.......

Yeah, you're probably right, a career in the fast food industry sounds much more appealing. I guess it's all in the prioritizing.

[hey_mavis]

Originally Posted by soundrick

That $1800 is not great, but it's the BOTTOM LINE.

Even $2000 at In&Out after taxes per month, you get to subtract rent, gas, food, utilities, cable.....etc.....

Hmmmm........Exotic islands, mediterranean, Alaska, South America, work with high tech equipment, experience in the entertainment industry, cheap booze, live and party with tons of hot chicks everynight.......

Yeah, you're probably right, a career in the fast food industry sounds much more appealing. I guess it's all in the prioritizing.

LOL you said it...

The jobs I'm looking into pay 2200 a month for one, and for another I get room and board free, virtually no expenses, so I would save as much as a job that paid twice that on land.

Also burger vs gear....are you a gear slut or not man? Make up your mind, if burgers win over gear you need to re-think this whole gear slut thing.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by hey_mavis

LOL you said it...

The jobs I'm looking into pay 2200 a month for one, and for another I get room and board free, virtually no expenses, so I would save as much as a job that paid twice that on land.

There are pros and cons to ship life. Do a few contracts, get the experience, save some cash.
In between contracts you'll have several weeks/months off that you can go and explore some different places you might want to live and work when you finally get off ships.

It's not a bad deal, just don't make it your life. Take it for what it's worth, then leave and do something else.

You also never know what or who you'll run into out at sea. I met my wife on ships, she's Australian, and awesome!

[dbbubba]

Originally Posted by soundrick

Hmmmm........Exotic islands, mediterranean, Alaska, South America, work with high tech equipment, experience in the entertainment industry, cheap booze, live and party with tons of hot chicks everynight.......

Yeah, you're probably right, a career in the fast food industry sounds much more appealing. I guess it's all in the prioritizing.

I guess if you are sorta' green and need some experience it wouldn't be too bad.

Then again Soundrick.... you live in Las Vegas.
That is just another version of a cruise ship!
(I have spent a month each summer for the last seven years doing corporate audio in LV.)
I have made quite a few friends in the biz out there.
Nice guys, but what a world.

[A-List]

my friend played bass on one cruiseship about a year or two ago for about 6 months. he said the worst part was that they had to stay on the employee floor for almost all the time when they were not performing. also their contract expressly forbid any sexual relations with any of the guests. If they violated these terms they would be kicked off the ship wherever there next stop was and would be financially responsible for a flight back to the states. he played bass in a jazz trio or something like that.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by A-List

also their contract expressly forbid any sexual relations with any of the guests. If they violated these terms they would be kicked off the ship wherever there next stop was and would be financially responsible for a flight back to the states.

This is a petty complaint. What other job besides prostitution is it acceptable to have sexual relations with clients, especially while working?