Cruise ship musicians are part of the entertainment team on luxury ocean liners, offering musical acts ranging from stage shows to background ambience. The industry is highly competitive, with musicians from around the world vying for positions. Many work through talent agencies or directly with cruise lines, and can perform in various locations on the ship. Specialized cruises cater to fans of specific music genres.
Cruise ship musicians are part of a cruise ship’s entertainment team. These ships are popular floating vacation resorts, offering many luxuries to passengers while traveling to exotic locations by sea. These luxuries include musical acts, some of which feature stage shows and others that provide a melodic ambience. On the most prestigious cruise lines, cruise ship musicians can be well-known artists or even headline news. Some cruises specifically cater to fans of a specific type of music, such as smooth jazz, Celtic music or even heavy metal.
The luxury ocean liner, an ocean liner equipped with luxury accommodation for passengers, originated in the early 20th century. As air travel has replaced sea travel as the primary mode of global transportation, passenger airlines have focused on these luxuries to retain their clientele. Sea travel became a luxury rather than a necessity, and companies competed to offer the best accommodations, services and perks. From the 1970s onwards, these perks included stages and auditoriums with fancy equipment, as well as bands and singers that added a pleasing soundtrack to the ships’ everyday activities. Soon artists were competing for the chance to become cruise ship musicians.
Since the cruise ship industry is widely dispersed across the world, cruise ship musicians can come from any country. Competition for these positions remains vigorous. Successful musicians must possess talent, presence and a flexible repertoire of many musical styles. Consequently, cruise ship audiences can appreciate the work of highly skilled musicians from around the world. Other performers include comedians, magicians and jugglers.
Many cruise ship musicians work through talent agencies that specialize in the cruise and vacation industry. Others work directly with the entertainment departments of the various cruise lines. Many jobs require artists to travel for weeks or months at a time, sometimes leaving with just a few days notice. On the plus side, meals and accommodation are often included as part of salary. Like all ship’s employees, artists visit many exotic ports of call, maintaining a permanent residence aboard ship until the end of their assignments.
Cruise ship musicians can perform in the orchestra with the main stage acts or in the saloons on multiple decks. Quartets, duos and solo musicians often perform in restaurants or central atriums. Caribbean and reggae bands are often favored as poolside acts. Headlines will have one or two shows a night on the ship’s main stage, often with as much glitz and glitz as a Las Vegas nightclub. Specialized cruises sometimes feature the most popular acts in a particular musical genre, enticing fans to spend a week at sea with their musical idols.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
