Working in the Creative Industries – Written Research Portfolio by Elsie May Chisnall

I have chosen to explore the career path of a cruise ship performer. Life as a cruise ship performer offers an immensely beneficial experience, in developing confidence as a performer, but also it greatly encourages the enhancement of people skills – ability to work as a team – which is an essential skill for many job roles in the creative industry; for example a session musician or recording artist looking for collaborations or even production connections – as well as general networking within the industry. Cruise ship entertainers commonly include: vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, and variety performers who deliver quality live performances to audiences from various locations from around the world. Travelling whilst working promises diverse experiences and a unique, adaptable skill set; also offering distinctive opportunities and challenges – such as balancing one’s global mobility with personal artistic development. This portfolio illustrates the cruise ship entertainment industry, highlighting its unique demands and rewards; how artists navigate them – whilst also exploring the required qualifications and experience needed for the job, the financial benefits as well as deficiencies; the legal frameworks and the opportunities for progression within the field.

Whilst academic qualifications may not be crucial for this profession, cruise ship workers are required to have appropriate experience and training in the performance industry. There are specific assets, traits and experiences that may allow certain applicants to stand out during the employment process. These may include: high standard or level of training, e.g. a degree in the creative industry; relative previous employment indicating relevant experience and knowledge. Cruise audiences also enjoy an array of entertainment. A cruise ship performer should be proficient in singing, dancing and acting, in various styles (pop, jazz, classical, musical theatre) – extra skills may include gymnastics or aerial work. (Botoc, 2024). However, there are specific documents and certifications that are needed to succeed in the application process. These include medical certificates which assess the applicant’s physical and mental fitness for the job, as well as STCW Certifications (The Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping – including personal survival techniques, fire prevention and fire fighting, elementary first aid, and personal safety and social responsibilities. (Unknown, 2025). These are all important and are necessities; safety training especially vital that cruise ship performers as all staff working on a cruise ship must have lifeboat training and knowledge of different fire hydrants. Dependent on which kind of role one applies for, there will be role-specific attributes. For example, production cast members will need to have relevant experience in lighting and sound.

 Aside from musical talent, there are a lot of other factors that employers take into consideration during the hiring process. Certain personal qualities and attributes are indefinitely needed for success within the field. This is due to many factors, one of which being that cruise ship jobs are commonly temporary contacts or solely seasonal work. This means that the workers must be flexible and/or adaptable with their schedules and ideally not employed full-time or have any other full-time responsibilities such as young children; adults requiring 24/7 care. Oftentimes, performers may be scheduled to do ten shows in seven days, meaning they will have to sustain elevated levels of energy and stamina. Being able to adapt is essential, as well as efficiently picking up new material such as choreography or lyrics, as cruise performance work can involve unexpected, sometimes last-minute changes. Additionally, when working on a cruise ship, being friendly and possessing great team work skills such as communication, group-orientated mindset, capability of adapting, listening and taking advice on board is essential, as it’s usually the same small group of performers that are working together for months at a time. The audience will also have a much more enjoyable time when they can see that the performance cast have a close bond. Emphasising the importance of this, performers’ living conditions are often small, shared cabins, where they sleep on bunk beds, indicating that forming close friends and relationships within the rest of the cast crew is ideal. As well as this, it is crucial for anyone working on a rarely stationary ship to not suffer from sea-sickness or anxiety revolving around travelling on water. Social skills are a non-negotiable for cruise ship performers, as employers need to see that the applicant can engage with an audience and connect with other people. Cruise ship performance employers also investigate use of social media, and online presence – to gather an understanding of how the performers can interact with their viewers, and what their charisma and confidence level is. Social media is also a good opportunity for the company to see the performers’ talent and how they represent their life. (Pasulka, 2023).

The duties and responsibilities as a cruise ship performer differs each day, dependent on their work schedule, but also on whether the ship is stationary or moving. When the cruise ship is docked at its tourist destination, these are called “port days”, in which performers can tour the location during the mornings and afternoons, where they are free to explore, eat and go sightseeing. For performance days, performers are required to endure a strict rehearsal schedule, where they run through each song, dance or piece with the dedicated cruise ship band. One quote by a former cruise ship worker is that “if you had a good band and the show was fairly easy, each song would only need one run through plus a few comments afterwards and in that case, rehearsal would only last about an hour. On the other hand, if there are a lot of problematic bits or people messing up, it could last a lot longer.” (D.T., 2022). This indicates that the time spent rehearsing depends on the capability, reliability and skill of everyone on the team, further implying the importance of working as a team and having a strong bond. Show times usually start at either 7pm, which is often before dinner, or 9pm, after dinner. In between shows, performers are given a dedicated time to eat dinner before returning to the stage for the second show. The 9pm show is deemed most important, due to it tending to be a full house audience. Finally, to end the day, performers typically either meet with each other at the crew bar for drinks, or they go back to their cabins. Sometimes when there is an excess of guests on the ship, the cruise ship managers put on a matinee show, adding more hours to the performers’ work schedule. A typical work day as a cruise ship performer, including a matinee show, would look like: a guest choir rehearsal at 10am, a 12pm matinee rehearsal, a 2:30pm matinee show, a main show rehearsal at 4pm, the first main show at 7pm, a guest choir performance in the atrium at 8pm, followed by the final main show at 9pm. (D.T., 2022).

The average annual salaries for a performing on a cruise ship for musicians tend to be around £20k, for singers it’s £26k, children’s entertainers are around the £29k, actors are £35k, whilst dancers average at around £37k. However, the designated role of a performer dictates their compensation. Headliners and seasoned entertainers with impressive credentials receive higher pay than regular staff. One of the biggest cons of the job is the nature of the work being seasonal, meaning that employment is usually inconsistent; in turn making pay inconsistent. Receiving money into pensions is not a standard for all cruise ship companies, which can be a big deterrent for the job. Although, many companies offer benefits such as free accommodation and travel reimbursements. If one is a cruise ship guest entertainer, there are several ways to earn money as well, such as selling merchandise. CDs, vinyls, books, posters and other items can vary in price and drastically increase the revenue made from one performance. Stocking and selling merchandise can also develop the promotional element of the entertainer’s career, as it elevates the artist’s brand image as distinctive and recognisable. Progression and career development as a cruise ship performer looks like progressing to management roles such as Bandleader or Musical Director. Cruise ship performers can also move into different jobs within the company – in tech or production roles. (Byrne, 2024).

Cruise ship performers can experience some intellectual challenges, such as rapid information processing, which occurs when performers are overloaded with information such as new choreography, lyrics or directions. This can be overcome by slowly retaining each key piece of information to slowly build an understanding of each new detail, but also by asking questions and practising during one’s free time. Cruise ship workers are also constantly travelling, meaning they rarely see their family or loved ones. (Brandt & Entrekin, N.D.) This may have a negative affect on their mental health, which can be overcome by sticking to seasonal work, having a balance between working abroad and working at home, and ensuring they dedicate time to spend with their loved ones. Another important setback for being a cruise ship performer is the limited access to practise space and equipment. This has its advantages and disadvantages, as some performers enjoy neglecting long solo practise time short term, as it can take its physical toll. However, many performers favour dedicated hours of solo practise, especially in an environment where there’s a lot of information to obtain. Another challenge in this field of work is having to know a wide range of repertoire, as some guests ask for requests. One way this can be overcome is by developing stronger sight-reading skills, which will then relieve some of the pressure of not knowing a specific song. Some guest entertainers give the advice that they should know and prepare a fair amount of Billy Joel, Elton John, and the Beatles, because these are very commonly requested songs and are very well-known, they are always praised by the audience. Another part of the job that is seen as a challenge is consistently maintaining high energy levels. One example of a particular challenge is that an audience can be inconsistent – meaning they can be very engaged, interactive and high energy one night and then having a complete lack of energy the next night – yet performers must sustain high energy levels regardless.(Li, 2024).

After investigating the key personal demands, skills, challenges and lifestyle challenges within the cruise ship entertainment industry and opportunities available for budding entertainers, I was also exploring whether I thought it would be beneficial as a first job to start a career after university. Whilst I believe it to be a physically taxing career, I have also concluded that it would be very beneficial to gain the experience of performing in front of multi cultural audiences, on different cruise ship lines, as the performer would have to adapt their performance to appeal to those different nationalities. Through primary research, I made contact with a relative who spent a number of years on a cruise ship as a dancer, and I asked her: “what was the best and worst thing for you personally about being a cruise ship performer?” and the answer she gave was: “the best thing about being a cruise ship performer was being able to use the skills I had developed for years and putting my dance training to good use because the shows were so physically demanding. It also enabled me to travel, see the world and meet really wonderful people that I’m still friends with to this day. I also met my husband at sea. The worst thing for me was being away from home for such a long period of time and missing many important occasions on land from Christmas to weddings etc” (Goodenough Hoy-Slot, 2026). Overall, I conclude that being given the opportunity to sing in front of a live audience every day of the week will be enhancing to one’s career, professional and personal development. One thing to keep in mind, is avoiding being limited to only working as a cruise ship performer for a prolonged duration of time, as this can be isolating from people, and can even condense one’s future roles, which works negatively in expanding one’s career.

Bibliography

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Brandt, K & Entrekin H (N.D). What is it Like to Perform on a Cruise Ship. Available online: https://www.bwayvocalcoach.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-perform-on-a-cruise-ship. [Accessed: 5/01/2025].

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Li, C. ( 2024). Interview With a Cruise Ship Musician (Piano Jobs You Can Get). Available online:  https://www.pianote.com/blog/cruise-ship-musician/. [Accessed: 6/12/2025].

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Unknown. (2025). What Documents And Certifications Are Required For Musicians And Singers Working On Cruise Ships? Available online:  https://www.warshawentertainment.com/blog/documents-and-certifications-are-required-for-musicians. [Accessed: 19/12/2025)

WarshawEntertainment. (2025). Show Me The Money: The Truth About Cruise Ship Performers’ Earnings. Last Accessed: https://www.warshawentertainment.com/blog/the-truth-about-cruise-ship-performers-earnings. [Accessed: 30/12/2025].