How to Become a Cruise Ship Musician: Pay, Gear & the Gig
I'm recording this podcast from my cabin on board, five months into a six-month contract. In this episode I'm getting into the musician gig specifically – how to land it, what you need to bring, what a typical day looks like, and what nobody tells you about the musical side of it.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to become a cruise ship musician, this episode will give you all the details.
I also invited a good friend and incredible guitarist, Alexandre Pivato, to share his perspective. He came on board with zero English two years ago after a difficult period in his personal life. His story is worth hearing.
If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet – Life as a Cruise Ship Musician – I'd start there. It covers everything you need to know before you even get on board: STCWs, medicals, visas, living conditions, the hierarchy, the darker stuff.
How to get a gig on a cruise ship
For instrumentalists, the standard route is through an agency. It's possible to audition directly with a cruise line, but going through an agency gives you more options. They work with multiple companies and get regular lists of open positions – Disney needs a saxophone player, Princess needs a trumpet player, and so on. Your chances of landing something go up considerably.
The audition process isn't bad as long as you know your keys, know your scales, and can sight-read decently. Once the agency thinks you can handle the gig, they'll shop you around until something comes through.
A couple of things worth knowing about agencies going in. They take a commission – usually not much, and some agencies have deals where the cruise line pays their fee instead of the musician. More importantly, their interests aren't exactly aligned with yours. They want you placed for as long as possible so they don't have to think about filling your position. You probably don't want to be on a ship for longer than you've agreed to. That tension is real, and it's worth being aware of.
How much do cruise ship musicians get paid?
Every contract I've done has landed around $2,700 to $2,900 a month. That seems to be roughly the standard for showband musicians – you can find lower, and occasionally a little higher, but that's the middle of the range.
After charges come out – crew bar, bottled water, anything you buy from the slop chest – it lands closer to two grand and change in practice. That might not sound like a lot. But your food and accommodation are covered, so there's almost nothing to spend it on unless you're going out in port. If you're intentional about it, you can save a significant amount over a six-month contract. After years of the freelance grind, having a number you can count on every month is genuinely one of the best parts of the job.
The band setup
A typical showband runs seven or eight pieces – three horns (trumpet, trombone, woodwinds), plus bass, drums, keys, and guitar. Some companies have been cutting the band down over the years, so you might find yourself in a smaller setup. One line I heard of trimmed it down to a quartet, with just one horn player – usually a saxophone.
As a woodwind player, you're classed as the showband musician. Guest entertainers – the acts the band plays for (an Elvis impersonator, a Broadway singer, whoever it is) – come on board and you're their backup band. That's the setup.
What to bring
This is where it gets tough for woodwind players. If you're the only saxophone on board, you need your alto, your tenor, your flute, and your clarinet. Strong doubles aren't optional – they are mandatory. Getting to the ship with all of that is its own logistical challenge. I shove my clarinet and flute into my checked bag and try to carry my saxes on. Sometimes it works. Sometimes I end up gate-checking them and hoping for the best. Whatever instrument you're bringing, it needs to be in a solid hard case, not a gig bag. And get insurance on your instruments – airlines are awful and you don't want to find that out the hard way.
Beyond instruments, here's what I'd recommend:
In-ear monitors. I use Shure SE215s – around $100, and mine have lasted years. You don't need to go down the expensive rabbit hole here. You just need something with a good seal and decent frequency response. Not your Apple earbuds.
High-fidelity earplugs. I use Eargasm earplugs – they have a filter that lets frequencies through so things don't sound muffled like the foam ones. You're going to be playing loud party band sets regularly. Your ears matter. Protect them.
An iPad. A lot of ships are moving to digital charts. Get a big one, sheet music size. Something you can comfortably read on a music stand.
Uniforms – this is different from most crew, who get theirs provided. Musicians have to bring their own blacks: black suit, black shirt, black shoes, black socks, black belt, black tie. Bring a white shirt and a bow tie as well for formal nights. At least two of black everything, so that you have something while the other set is at the laundry.
A collapsible duffel bag instead of a hard suitcase. Real estate in the cabin is tight and you'll thank yourself for it.
Get an international phone plan. WhatsApp is how most of the international crew communicate on board – it's not big in the States for some reason, but it's everywhere else.
A typical day as a cruise ship musician
Rehearsal at some point during the day – sometimes 10 or 11 in the morning, sometimes 4 in the afternoon. Usually runs around two hours, though it depends entirely on who you're playing for. For a guest entertainer who knows what they want, it goes fast. For a guest entertainer who's insecure, it can go long. Then two shows in the evening, each running around 45 minutes to an hour. In between you're sitting around waiting for the next one.
In practice it works out to about five to six hours of actual playing a day. On top of that there are safety drills, occasional extra duties – embarkation shifts, pool sets, late-night party band sets. Days off are very rare. On some contracts I haven't had a single one. Go in expecting to work every day.
The musical reality
I'll be straight with you: this job is not musically gratifying.
I learned a lot in my first contract. A decent amount in my second. After that, I stopped learning much of anything new. You're playing the same music every night – a lot of “Hey Jude,” a lot of “Dancing Queen,” all the “hits” – and somehow the audience never seems to get sick of them.
The key is having something musical of your own to work on alongside the gig. A piece you've always wanted to learn, some tunes you want to dig into, something you've been meaning to write. Something that has substance and keeps you connected to why you play in the first place. It's a strange thing to say when you're playing music every day, but without that outlet, the job can feel hollow in a way that's hard to explain until you've experienced it.
Play the Hey Judes, collect your paycheck, and keep your own practice going on the side. That's the formula.
Alexandre's take
I invited my friend and colleague Alexandre Pivato on to give you a different perspective than just mine. Alexandre is a Brazilian guitarist, arranger, and composer who came on board two years ago with zero English – and I mean zero – after going through a divorce and a serious bout of depression that left him barely picking up his instrument.
What he describes in the episode is worth sitting with. Winning small challenges every day – passing the audition, understanding a conversation, navigating a difficult chart – rebuilding something from the ground up. He told his friend's 20-year-old musician son the same thing he'd tell anyone considering this: if the opportunity comes, take it and jump. He wishes he'd done it younger.
His musical perception – the ear he'd built from years of playing by feel rather than charts in Brazil – turned out to be one of his strongest assets on board. When the charts were a mess, which they oftentimes are, he could listen and find his way through. That's something worth thinking about if you're considering this gig. Technical reading matters, but so does a good ear.’
What nobody tells you before you get on board
This article is Part 2 and focuses on the musician gig specifically. Part 1 covers everything that applies to all crew – getting on board, living conditions, the hierarchy, the real pros and cons of ship life, and the stuff nobody warns you about.
Life as a Cruise Ship Musician
Thinking about getting a gig on a cruise ship?
Getting a cruise ship gig means being thrown into situations you might not feel ready for – difficult charts, strong doubles, holding your own every night in front of a full room. These are things you can work on.
I've helped students build the skills they need to start performing professionally – including landing paid gigs. If that's where you're headed and you want some guidance getting there, I offer private online lessons in clarinet, saxophone, and flute.
Frequently asked questions about how to become a cruise ship musician
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Every contract I've done has landed in the $2,700 to $2,900 a month range. That seems to be roughly the standard for showband musicians – you can find lower, occasionally a little higher, but that's the middle. After charges come out – crew bar, bottled water, anything you pick up from the ship store – it lands closer to two grand and change in practice. The thing is, your food and accommodation are covered. There's almost nothing to spend it on unless you're going out in port. If you're intentional about it, you can save a surprising amount over a six-month contract.
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The playing itself isn't the hard part. As long as you know your keys, your scales, and can sight-read under pressure, you can handle the gig. The harder parts are everything else – the tight quarters, the months away from home, the sameness of playing the same songs every night, and navigating the politics of a quasi-military hierarchy. The gig rewards adaptability more than anything else.
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About five hours of actual playing a day – a rehearsal and two shows in the evening. Contracts typically run six to nine months, though musicians tend to be on the shorter end of that. You don't really get days off. Some contracts I haven't had a single one. Go in expecting to work every day and you won't be caught off guard.
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A failed drug test will get you off before you even board – they test before you arrive and randomly throughout your contract. Medical clearance is required and each cruise line has its own standards, so something that passes with one company might not pass with another. Visa restrictions can also limit where you're able to work depending on your nationality and passport. And English is a requirement on almost all ships – if yours isn't strong, that's something to work on before you apply.