CRUISE SHIP MUSICIAN
This essay will explore the roles, responsibilities and skills required to work as a cruise ship musician. Musicians can be hired for cruise ships either as a soloist, band member or as part of the pit band for musicals.
There are a variety of academic and professional qualifications needed in order to be hired as a cruise ship musician. A job application for Carnival UK states that applicants “should hold a Musical Performance degree or have at least Grade 8 Royal College of Music certification, or equivalent industry experience” (Jobtrain, n.d.). As a current music performance student who intends to graduate I will have gained this qualification. I currently do not possess a Grade 8 certificate, however this is something I could obtain to help further my chances of being employed.
The application also states that “Strong sight-reading skills, improvisation ability, and a broad knowledge of musical styles are essential, along with proven professional experience.” The ability to sight read is a requirement of my course and something I practice everyday. Although I would not currently consider myself a proficient sight reader, I have noticed significant progress over the past year and I feel confident that I will have developed the ability to read to a professional standard upon completion of my degree.
Prior to studying jazz my musical background was in rock, pop, and funk music. Next year I intend to apply for the second study bursary in classical bass, further widening my range of musical styles.
As a gigging musician I have experience with the live performance aspect of the job. Understanding how a live show is put together and adhering to the etiquette and professional standards is something I am already familiar with. For example, being prepared and knowing the repertoire beforehand; having a good understanding of my equipment and having backups and contingency plans in case of malfunctions; being aware of the stage setup and available space for all persons and equipment on stage; and perhaps most importantly, arriving on time for soundcheck and the show itself.
I am currently a dep for the Leeds Conservatoire Pit Band Society. This is a brilliant opportunity as the skills I am developing in the society will directly translate to being part of a pit band on a cruise ship. For example, having to sight read and learn complex music ahead of time; playing with a large ensemble and conductor, and making last minute adaptations to the music at the request of the Musical Director is something I am already gaining experience in.
There are a number of skills needed for as a musician on a cruise ship in addition to the ones mentioned above.
I am predominantly a bass guitarist but now also study double bass. This will create more work for me as there are a number of musicals that require double bass, for example Heathers.
(O’Keeffe, L. & Murphy, K., 2015)
Being reliable and fulfilling contractual obligations is paramount for developing a good reputation and being hired in the future. Cruise ship companies require musicians to sign on for a certain period of time and it is expected that you are available and at sea for the entirety of the contract. Contacts are usually between 1-8 months (Warshaw Entertainment, 2023).
According to one cruise ship musician and YouTuber, you will be contracted to work seven days per week for 3-4 shows per day lasting 45 minutes to an hour each (Paige, 2024). This is tiring and repetitive work so possessing both physical and mental stamina is needed to cope in this line of work. I find repetition comforting and would enjoy playing the same music each day.
The lifestyle of cruise ship work isn’t conducive with maintaining relationships and raising a family as you will need to be away from home for 6-9 months of the year. However, cruise lines do hire bands and duos not just individuals, and some couples work together meaning they can see each other daily and maintain a relationship, such as the aforementioned David Paige.
Some of the financial barriers to this profession include equipment purchases and upkeep. A professional level bass guitar costs £1,555 upwards (Insure4Music, 2025) and a basic bass set up costs £65 (George Pearson Guitar Repairs, n.d.).
Instrument and liability insurance is needed in case of damage to my equipment or injury caused to other persons. My bass could fall over and injure someone, or my amplifier might malfunction and electrocute one of the stage technicians, for example. As a member of the Musician’s Union I receive both instrument cover up to £3,000 and Public Liability Insurance (Musician’s Union, 2025). Currently, standard membership to the MU costs £24 per month (Musician’s Union, n.d.).
To secure a job on a cruise ship one needs to complete an application form and audition, as mentioned above. In his book Project Management For Musicians Jonathan Feist recommends that when conducting auditions the auditioner should formally rate the applicants (Feist, 2013:189). When auditioning I would benefit from considering what my future employer is judging me on. The image below shows the areas an applicant should be scored on.
(Feist, 2013:189)
This is how I would address each area.
Technique: Constantly being refined through daily practice but one of the best ways to improve technique is to find the most efficient way of playing something – what is a logical way to play this? And what causes the least amount of physical strain on the hand, arm, back and body?
Improvisation: As a jazz musician, improvisation is a significant part of my craft and a focus in practice everyday. As a bassist, the majority of what I do is to play improvised basslines to underpin the chords of a song. These lines are not precomposed and I am expected to read chord charts for songs that I do not know and to improvise basslines that fit the music.
Improvisation is most effective when the soloist is able to incorporate the melody or theme of the song into what they are playing. Skilled improvisers will know the chords and scales of the song and will be able to incorporate chord and scale tones into their soloing. However the best solos, especially in jazz, will also tastefully use notes that are not in the key to emphasise the notes that are.
Stage Presence: This looks different for each genre of music. How you assess a rock guitarist and a classical pianist will look quite different, but looking at the other band members to communicate non-verbally is essential. Also looking at the floor the whole time never looks good.
Melodic Memory: This is something that can be developed through active listening. Jazz musicians will listen to each other during a performance and play off one another. For example, if a saxophonist plays a certain lick when soloing the trumpet player might then play that same lick during their solo “quoting” the sax player.
Reading: A challenge for lots of musicians, especially on the guitar and bass where it is possible to play the same note in multiple places on the fretboard. The best way to improve sight reading is to do it regularly. Mark Chandler, one of my SGS tutors, recommends that I use a metronome at a tempo that feels too slow. Starting with Grade 1 level pieces and once I’ve worked through a whole book to them move onto Grade 2 and then repeat the process with Grade 3 through 8. He says sight reading is different to learning a piece of music, so when practicing sight reading I should only play a piece once and then move on, even if I make mistakes I shouldn’t go back but instead move on to the next piece.
Sense of Timing: Something I am constantly working on. The best way to achieve this as a bassist is to lock in with the drums and other instruments in the rhythm section. Having a solid understanding of Beat 1 in the bar is essential to creating a sense of time. Using a metronome during solo practice is also essential.
Sound: Should be considered from multiple angles. With bass guitar I should be aware of the sounds I can get out of my instrument, amp, and effects by adjusting the EQ settings. But acoustically I should be aware of how changing where I pluck a string can add more treble, mids or bass. How hard you pluck the strings will also change the quality of sound.
Being aware of the room I’m playing in is also important. Some rooms have no natural reverb so adding that in with the amp or effects pedal can greatly change the sound.
There are personal challenges to working on cruise ships. If you are offered one of the longer contracts you might be away from home for 6-8 months. That is a long time to be away from home, family and friends. Loneliness, boredom and maintaining good mental health are potential challenges one might face once the initial excitement of working at sea has worn off. Some ways to navigate this would be to maintain contact with loved ones via electronic communication; befriend fellow coworkers and establish a sense of community onboard, and to use down time to engage in hobbies. Maintaining a good level of physical health can also help your mental health (Mental Health Foundation, n.d.) and there are gyms on board for employees to use.
Another challenge would be finding time to work on my own music as a composer and performer. I could write onboard during down time but wouldn’t be able to put on my own gigs. This would have to be reserved for time off in between contracts. Along with maintaining good relationships and mental health, taking time off in between contracts would also allow for time to pursue other forms of income and interests such as gigs. As an example, upon completing an eight month contract I might want 2-3 months off before setting sail again in order to spend time with family and friends, and to gig and record with my own bands and projects. I would also use this time just to rest as the schedule on cruise ships can be very demanding.
Due to the fact that you are away from home for potentially three quarters of the year, cruise ship work may not be something a musician would want to do as a multi decade career. With my current knowledge of this role I would potentially be comfortable working at sea for 2-3 years but would then want to pivot to working on shore. Musicians on cruise ships earn between $2,400 and $2,800 per month (Landau Music, n.d), in Pound Sterling that’s roughly £1,790 and £2,088 respectively. If I were to earn a median income of £1,939 per month and worked 9 months out of the year for 3 years I would earn a total of £52,353. Due to no accommodation and food costs while onboard (Sea Chef, n.d.) I could save a significant amount of money and use it for a downpayment on a house.
Personally, I would want to pivot from working on cruise ships to working in pit bands for musicals on land. The skill sets required for both jobs are very similar, especially as some cruises put on musicals or have show bands as part of their live entertainment offerings (Premier Entertainment Int., n.d.), so this is a logical career move.
Pit band work, although demanding, is better suited as a long term career because you don’t have to be away from home, as long as you live in the city the production is based in. Also, if you have a long term contract (known as “First Chair”) you can take breaks and holidays whenever you want as long as you find a deputy to cover during your absence (Harmony With Hunter, 2021). This stability and flexibility is better suited for settling down with a long term partner and building a family.
In conclusion, working as a musician on a cruise ship can be a profitable and rewarding job. It requires a high level of musicianship and the workload can be demanding. Due to the fact that people are only employed for a handful of months at a time and because the job requires you to be away from home for long periods of time this is a role that might be best suited for individuals at the beginning of their careers who don’t have dependents. The skills needed for this job are transferable to other roles in the music industry, such as pit band musician, and in my opinion cruise ship work should be seen as a short to medium term job that can be used as a stepping stone to a more stable career both in terms of finances and one’s personal life.
Bibliography
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