Managing money while you’re on the ship
March 6, 2012
Dear Musicians,
Once you’re on the ship and you’re getting paid, you will have to figure out what to do with your money. Here are some of your options.
March 6, 2012
Dear Musicians,
Once you’re on the ship and you’re getting paid, you will have to figure out what to do with your money. Here are some of your options.
February 27, 2012
Dear Musicians,
On cruise ships, us musicians have often the lightest workload (although some cruise lines are working hard to find extra things for us to do). This begs the question: “What do you do with all that free time?
Before I go on listing a couple of fun and interesting things to do, I just want to mention how important it is to make an effort to come up with something, otherwise you’ll be tempted to stay in bed all day or take the partying to unhealthy (and unprofessional) extremes. This may lead to a less than desirable mental attitude, which can hurt your performance on the bandstand. more info
January 12, 2012
Bored of the same old gig? Want to get out of town, party, travel, play music and get paid all at the same time?
Then view our video and contact us soon to set up your audition.
July 15, 2010
Dear musicians,
By now we’re well aware of the fact that airlines love coming up with all kinds of ridiculous charges seemingly by the day. They don’t like to make them easy to find though. ABC have compiled a list of charges that’s really helpful. You can download it here.
Celebrity Cruises have recently sent us an email pointing to a recent development at UPS, the shipping company. The idea is to ship some of your equipment to your port of embarkation ahead of time using a “luggage box” which you purchase at a local UPS store. This reduces cost and makes travels much more comfortable.
Celebrity Cruises seem to think that this is a solution for those musicians that have to travel with a lot of equipment. You can get the details by clicking here.
March 11, 2010
Dear Musicians,
One way in which gigs on cruise ships are different from gigs on land is that you’ll have to travel far with your gear. If you take lots of it, you will almost certainly be charged big bucks by the airlines and you’ll run the risk that they’ll damage it. Regardless of the charges and the risks involved, you’ll also have to carry your gear and set it up. Who wants to break hauling gear around? Cruise lines do ask you to play in various lounges around the ship, so moving your gear happens quite often.
So, it goes without saying that taking as little gear as possible will save trouble and cash. more info
April 17, 2009
We talk a lot about what it is like to be a musician on a cruise ship, we talk about how to prepare for the gig, how to get the gig and how to perform the job well, but I haven’t mentioned the simple pleasure of being at sea.
There’s nothing like standing out on the open deck and breathing in the fresh, unpolluted air and forgetting traffic jams as you’re looking out at the open, uncluttered sea. To me, the sea always has a calming effect and tends to make me forget my daily struggles.
Many musicians look to a career on a cruise ship because they may be in a transition phase on land. They may have had some changes in their private life or they may be in between jobs on land. If that’s the case, you’ll love being on at sea.
A gig on a cruise ship is perfect to take a “time out” from land life and ponder your next plan of action. Due to the nature of the job, you won’t have to deal with paying bills, finding parking in busy cities, commuting to your gig etc. In other words, you will be worry-free for the time being (assuming that you don’t have any issues with the gig itself).
Many friends of mine have taken jobs on cruise ships with the purpose to sort out their lives and plan their future and this tends to work out just fine.
Being at sea for an extended period of time also teaches you respect and appreciation for nature. There’s nothing like watching whales surface right in front of the ship, or watching entire schools of dolphins escort the ship. You always have the chance to explore nature much more in detail via the shore excursions that you may sometimes get for free if you agree to help out the shore excursion staff. You’ll get to know the different colors of the sea, depending on where you are in the world; the turquoise waters of the carribean or the deep blue sea in Alaska etc.
All of this while you travel the world which is the most exciting geography course bar none.
Of course, the seas can get rough and you may get sea sick from time to time, but that’s actually a good thing. There’s nothing more humbling that being stuck on a what seems to be a tiny dingy amidst gigantic waves. It teaches respect and awe for nature that no Discovery Channel show can teach you.
Go experience it for yourself, you won’t regret it.
April 9, 2009
Dear Musicians,
If you don’t know where to eat in Cozumel, Mexico, or if you’re tired of going to the same place you always go to, I have a great suggestion for you.
“Casa Mission” is the best restaurant in Cozumel (according to locals) and that’s saying lot given the number of excellent choices you have there. The beautiful hazienda-style house only just a couple of blocks away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, is surrounded by a beautiful garden that makes for a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
The restaurant, which also functions as the owners’ residence, is decorated with old furniture and several bird cages which add to the unique atmosphere. You’ll enjoy the song of birds instead of the racket of downtown traffic.
The owners actually operate a second restaurant in the downtown area call “The Mission” but it’s not the same restaurant.
The food is nothing short of spectacular. On my last visit I had the seafood plate which included a white fish, prawns and lobster, all of them grilled to perfection. My dinner partner enjoyed a mexican combo platter that included many traditional mexican dishes that was to die for.
The food here is simple but extremely well prepared. You won’t regret it. Of course, the mandatory daiquiris, margaritas and nachos with salsa are all served here as well and more delicious than ever. I have been to Cozumel countless times and I have never heard of this restaurant. So, it’s a bit of a secret tip for you.
You’ll find the restaurant on the corner of Av. Juarez and Av. Pedro J. Coldwell. A cab ride from the ship’s terminal will be about $8 (ask the taxi driver about the restaurant, he’ll know where it is). There is a map on their site as well.
Reserve if you can.
Casa Mission Restaurant – 987-872-32-48 or 987-872-16-41
www.missioncoz.com
March 19, 2009
Dear Musicians,
I had the good fortune to work for Holland America last year on board the Eurodam on her maiden voyage and thought I’d give you a quick overview of what her amenities are like. The amenities available for free on this ship are considerable. There is a television with DVD/CD player in my cabin, and DVD’s can be borrowed free. Food is free, and the quality varies from very good to excellent. There are a several restaurants on board with excellent food, and I can get a free lunch in those. more info
February 23, 2009
Be careful how you use the Internet access on ships! That’s the moral of the story that was posted in the Suntimes today.
So, a Bears fan wants to catch a game via his Slingbox while the ship is still in port. So he whips out his wireless card and watches the game on his laptop while the ship is still docked.
After the cruise he returns home only to find a ATT bill of $28,067.31! Wow…
He managed to get the bill adjusted after they decided that his card apparently picked up a signal it wasn’t supposed to. It’s a bit scary to know though that you’d have to resort to contacting public figures like Suntimes’ “The Fixer” in order to get this resolved.
I would have loved to see this person’s jaw drop when he saw that bill.
February 20, 2009
Check out this video that appeared on Youtube not too long ago. You can fast forward to about 1:20, that’s where the juicy part starts. Oh and don’t worry, not all cruises end up in this kind of weather.
