This is part two of a series of articles I have written to help artists to find work as Guest artists on cruise ships. Promotions This varies from cruise line to cruise line, again, either ask your agent or check Entertainer guest Manual cruise line you are working for the discounts you are entitled as a guest artist. The general rule for most ships is that there is a reduction of 25% bar for guest artists and a 20% discount in the shop stores aboard. At the end of each cruise when you receive your invoice, make sure discounts have been withdrawn from the final statement. It has happened to so many occasions when the final cut was wrong or not taken off. For some reason these days, the bills are always wrong and most artists were invited to complete off at the end of a cruise and sorting problems. I often think to problems on ships are due to a simple lack of communication between departments! There are the cruise lines top end where you do not have to pay for drinks bar, but it is the minority. There is also an age requirement of 21 years minimum for buy alcohol on most cruise lines. Everything you buy is placed on your account so that ships are a cashless society, But I always take a few dollar bills and leave them as tips. Note: - In reading this book of the company I work for has removed all reductions in the stores on board for guest artists. Requirement Shows Each cruise line has different requirements of their guest performers, which I propose is simply a guidline - Length and number of shows I checked the guidelines in the manual of the cruise line that I work and they say as a directory at least two 30-minute and a show of 15 minutes is required. On longer cruises it may be necessary to perform 30 shows three of the four minute. The ships, I've never worked I had two different 30 minute shows rather a full show and a show shared with another act or two different 45 shows minute. On I'm cruising at the moment of writing this book, I perform two 45 minute and shows close-up show. The close-up show is my suggestion that the Cruise Director because it gives me another chance to push my DVD I have more enjoy close-up. How many shows you need to do depends entirely on the length of cruise. If you make seven short day cruises, and more often than not you will will be required to make a complete spectacle, perhaps maybe another show sharing the bill with another act. On most cruises, say, 24 days you can be assured you'll need to do two different shows full. This requires hard work and it is important that your second show is as strong as the first. Speaking from experience, I just prefer to do my main show, as it contains all my material number, rather than trying to divide between two shows. After experimentation of my act, I realized how important it is to ensure your first show is very strong that people will talk so that you know you better and to come back for the second. You'll hear other artists say they have an A and a B show, in my opinion, if you want a long career in the cruise ensure that your shows are a material. If you can make a close watch then by all means mention it to the cruise director, because it helps everyone in the long term by keeping your name in front of the passengers when they fill out comment cards. The general rule is that you do your main show twice in one night. Your calendar Your schedule varies from ship to ship and cruise. In general, on a cruise of seven days you'll have to work a night with your main 45-50 Law minute. What you will do twice the show early, usually 20:30 and others to 22:30 for two different audiences. On larger vessels, they are now lead us to work more, so we'll work one night with two shows, then repeat display again the next night for the crowds who missed. Large ships now carry passengers until 2800 then you must make an additional performance. Of the seven cruise one day you may also be asked to make a dozen plays to identify fifteen minutes on the last night, with guests from other artists. Because I have two different acts full 45 minutes, more close-up show, I tend to get the shortest means also contracts over which the vessels travel more exotic locations around the world. It makes sense to keep me on a boat more Can I make two separate nights of entertainment and close-up show on a sea day. However, having said that next week I will leave the ship I was on for three months and transferred to another ship for a little over a week where I will be the last part of the cruise and the beginning of a new, then fly to reach another ship for a little over a week, then fly to another vessel for a single night before returning home. There is no set rule for how many times you run and you usually only know when you join. My advice is to make sure you're ready before you start your career cruise ship, otherwise it will be short and the chances to be re-booked are very slim. It seems somehow an invisible network among Entertainment Department of the cruise industry and travel quick word. Remember that Carnival Cruises owns about 70% of the cruise industry including Carnival Cruise Lines Windstar Cruises, Cunard Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. It is a huge market and Entertainment Now duplicate these companies because they are all under one roof. Hardware I always made sure my equipment has never been "adult" sexual or "blue", unless asked to do the show at midnight - in this case, you can do routines that are somewhat over the edge. Make sure you know the demographics of the cruise line, you will work for. Because of my act of Charlie Chaplin, they tend to put me on longer cruises, which suits me very well because they have the best itinaries. It is a joke among artists when asked the average age of passengers they say, "Between the dead and the dead!" I am currently on a cruise 24 days as I write this and the average age is over sixty. On the shorter cruises, such as the Caribbean, you will find the average age much lower for children who travel. A my good friends works for a cruise, where it is necessary to make a 30 minute family oriented entertainment and 30-minute show adult midnight, so he obviously his material adapted to those audiences. According to the marketing of cruise attracts a crowd on vacation from a cons- section of North America, the United Kingdom and waters of other nationalities so that your equipment must be international. I appeared on board cruise ships where the Most passengers did not speak English, magicians have at least one shell game advantage over the players that we have the visual aspect of our shows to help these conditions. My advice is simple, chose material for your act that is suitable for all ages. Music for the act You can work with an orchestra on the ship. If you plan to work on many ships you can use this resource lost although the way things change the idea of having a 'live' band is less and less. There was a times while working on ships that I think would have been if you currently use not music at all, consider the use of the band on the ship, however, with cut backs and etc. do not count of having a backup band! Most cruise director is expected to "play over and playing "music for you and if the tape is available, they often "Tabs" action that can be used. As a backup I have all my music on CD or mini disc. There are bands on ships, but the way things are changing cruise lines guest artists now prefer to have their own backing tracks on either CD or MD. Some music acts obviously need the "band" or "orchestra" to save them and they bring their own musical arrangements. The more you Relient self in your law, the more we will continue working. There was a time when there were two various orchestras on board ships, one for the main auditorium and the other for lounges, where most acts of varieties worked. However, the vessels are cut using all the backing tracks for shows and a larger orchestra much lower for other parts with a single band on ships today. I always save the music and make sure I have my music in a variety of formats. When I give the production my music manager, he / she receives a mini-disc and a CD of it, just in case something happens during the show and a machine breaks down. What I tell you experience because it happened! I travel with my laptop, which makes life so much easier for me. If I need to change the show anyway, I can easily record a new audio CD of my show and everything is in order for the production manager is not to jump from one piece of music another. I would do it just as easy as possible so I can concentrate on my performance rather than worrying about technical aspects of the show is wrong. Also remember that you can transfer either. from one vessel to another and little rehearsal time, to have cue sheets and music while control make life much easier.
