Question about Charters (Star Trek, etc.), what happens to crew (entertainers)?

Yesterday, I got off the Norwegian Jade. I was on the cruise before the currently ongoing Star Trek cruise. (I did see a couple decorations slip into position the night before we got off the ship).

It got me thinking, though. When a ship is chartered like this, what happens to the crew (and specifically the entertainers, ie production cast).

I found the schedule for the star trek cruise online, and it is quite clear that the normal productions don't happen during these cruises. Are the cast members still around (perhaps for rehearsals, etc)? Do they go on vacation for a couple weeks? Or do they simply time it so that their contract ends before the charter, so a new cast can take their place a couple weeks later?

Mostly crews either staff other ships for a few days or take vacations. For some charters large numbers of the normal crew are replaced and in some cases filled by people hired by the charter and in others they are volunteers.

A lot depends on the individual charter though.

Yesterday, I got off the Norwegian Jade. I was on the cruise before the currently ongoing Star Trek cruise. (I did see a couple decorations slip into position the night before we got off the ship).

 

It got me thinking, though. When a ship is chartered like this, what happens to the crew (and specifically the entertainers, ie production cast).

 

I found the schedule for the star trek cruise online, and it is quite clear that the normal productions don't happen during these cruises. Are the cast members still around (perhaps for rehearsals, etc)? Do they go on vacation for a couple weeks? Or do they simply time it so that their contract ends before the charter, so a new cast can take their place a couple weeks later?

Hi there,

We actually have an editor onboard the Star Trek cruise now. This is what she said: "Just met two of the entertainment crew. They help out the charter entertainment by taking tickets at autograph sessions or handing things out. But they mostly get a break. And the woman I spoke with said she loves it. Guess it's more relaxed for them."

Hope that helps to answer it! I also would imagine it varies by charter company.

Happy Cruising!

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

Since I only sail whole ship charters, my experience is that the entertainment crew tend to remain. For the gay charters, while the charter company provides a large slate of their own entertainment, we still get to see the usual main production show and even some of the other shows (e.g. ice shows and aqua shows on Royal Caribbean) presented by the ship's entertainers. I have seen the entertainers and crew out and about helping with day to day ship operations as they are able and since their "load" is lightened during our week on board.

Everyone remains onboard and may or may not be assigned other duties (depending on if they are part of the cruise line production cast or a special guest entertainer). Special guest entertainers will either debark, or they will have time off. Cruise line production cast employees will likely be assigned other duties (helping with other shows, greeting guests etc..) and will stay onboard. Sometimes it's a great break, and sometimes it's a burden. When I worked in the onboard art gallery, my salary was mostly based on commision, but we couldn't run our programming... so... I didn't get paid.

You still need the crew for Muster drills and any emergency that might happen.

Most of the crew will still be working on the ship. The entertainers are a different story. For the two Star Trek cruises the entertainment staff isn't wanted or really needed so they are taken to a special dining room on deck 3 and fed a specially prepared meal. Although the meal is quite delicious it is contains a high concentration of essential vitamins and minerals along with a very powerful barbiturate that puts the entertainers into a state of hibernation. This is not suspended animation but only a deep sleep hibernation because in just two weeks they will need to awaken them again for the production shows. Here's a picture of the entertainers taken on last year's Star Trek cruise.

After all, what else would you expect them to do with unnecessary crew members on a SciFi themed cruise.

That was good.

After all, what else would you expect them to do with unnecessary crew members on a SciFi themed cruise.

Excellent!