Time to talk to the dancers?

[ltzol]

My daughter is a freshman in high school and she is very involved in dance.

 

She has talked about auditioning to dance on a cruise ship in the future, and I would love for her to be able to speak briefly with one or more of the dancers about what life is like as a cruise ship entertainer.

 

Any suggestions on how to go about making that happen? We will be on the Escape over Spring Break this year.

 

Thanks!

Edited January 22, 2016 by ltzol
edited to add detail

[hawkeyetlse]

Talk to anyone on the cruise staff (including the cruise director), or the box office staff. I think they will get the ball rolling if you want to set up a formal appointment. Otherwise, once you have seen a show and the dancers, you will probably recognize them around the ship on their down time (buffet, gym, night club, etc.) and you can approach them informally in those situations.

 

The dancers also sometimes lead activities like Zumba classes, so that would be another time to come into contact. (Not sure about the Escape specifically.)

[Demonyte]

Few more ideas:

 

Dancers are sometimes available for photo ops after the shows (photo op times are listed in Freestyle Daily) so that would be one place to talk to them.

 

Another good opportunity would be the Behind The Scenes Tour that also takes you to the backstage of the theatre and often to their dressing rooms to see the costumes etc and usually some of the dancers are there to tell about the productions and their life on a cruise ship (albeit that is $79pp).

Edited January 22, 2016 by Demonyte

[LillyBucket]

On the Dawn we saw a few of them having lunch at the buffet or just walking around the ship interacting with passengers . I'm sure they would love to talk to her.

[jpcello]

On my BA cruise this summer, I ran into one of the actors from Rock of Ages. She had a nametag on that identified her as one of the performers. She was very engaging and we chatted while we stood in line for lunch. The actors and performers are a few of the staff that are allowed to socialize with passengers.

[grandpa99]

It's not one of the new ships but on the Star in 2014 on a 28 day cruise we got to know several entertainers and after one mentioned they could only eat in the MDR's if they were invited. We dined with anywhere from 2 to 7 of them many times depending on their performance schedules.

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[beerman2]

If I remember correctly don't they also sell tip tickets? I.E pull tabs!

[TheDougOut]

There's a television series that's available on YouTube called "Cruise Ship Diaries". It follows the lives of employees aboard a Costa cruise ship, and there's a fair amount of focus on the dancers.

 

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[ltzol]

Thank you everyone!

 

These are great suggestions!

[3XX1XY]

I know someone who worked on cruise ships as a musician in the main band that played on board. He said it was utter hell. You live in a very very small space shared with many other people. You don't get a stateroom, you get 1/4 of a very small inside stateroom way in the bottom of the boat where it is not nice. Bathrooms are locker room style. He said that many of the entertainers abuse drugs and alcohol because it is very, very depressing. And depending on the cruise line you *might* get to eat your meals at the buffet, or you *might* have to eat cold leftovers below deck in the dorm.

 

He said that the entertainers had to pay for a lot of things you wouldn't think they would have to and as a result often ended up in debt. He said if you lived the most frugal meager life possible, it could work but that it didn't pay well in USA terms so most of the entertainers are not us citizens, but from other countries where the pay is worth more. The general entertainers (you know like the roayl carribean singers and dancers, and the equivalent on the other ships) are not treated well and not paid great. The specialty acts (magicians, comedians, etc... are paid and treated much better although they maybe frequently hopping from ship to ship at port.

 

Also if you are a member of the general dance or music crew you, like all the other staff, are always expected to be working. So if you aren't performing, and you aren't rehearsing and you aren't prepping for or tearing down a performance (often the perfomers are also the stage crew) you are doing something. You might be spirit crew. You might be in a lounge performing. You might double as youth staff. There is no laying about in the sun, swimming, or having a good time. He said he had to work well into the night and be up early the next morning ready to go on about 5-6 hours of sleep. He gave it a 0 of 10, would not do again.

 

The only thing it's good for is your resume. That's it. Your soul and pocketbook will suffer.

[khaide612]

Not sure if the same on Escape but on the Jewel class ships, the dancers were always assigned to other places when not rehearsing or performing. Almost every cruise I have been on has had a dancer checking us in for art auction or bingo & they love when you recognize that they are part of the entertainment.

[chengkp75]

I know someone who worked on cruise ships as a musician in the main band that played on board. He said it was utter hell. You live in a very very small space shared with many other people. You don't get a stateroom, you get 1/4 of a very small inside stateroom way in the bottom of the boat where it is not nice. Bathrooms are locker room style. He said that many of the entertainers abuse drugs and alcohol because it is very, very depressing. And depending on the cruise line you *might* get to eat your meals at the buffet, or you *might* have to eat cold leftovers below deck in the dorm.

 

He said that the entertainers had to pay for a lot of things you wouldn't think they would have to and as a result often ended up in debt. He said if you lived the most frugal meager life possible, it could work but that it didn't pay well in USA terms so most of the entertainers are not us citizens, but from other countries where the pay is worth more. The general entertainers (you know like the roayl carribean singers and dancers, and the equivalent on the other ships) are not treated well and not paid great. The specialty acts (magicians, comedians, etc... are paid and treated much better although they maybe frequently hopping from ship to ship at port.

 

Also if you are a member of the general dance or music crew you, like all the other staff, are always expected to be working. So if you aren't performing, and you aren't rehearsing and you aren't prepping for or tearing down a performance (often the perfomers are also the stage crew) you are doing something. You might be spirit crew. You might be in a lounge performing. You might double as youth staff. There is no laying about in the sun, swimming, or having a good time. He said he had to work well into the night and be up early the next morning ready to go on about 5-6 hours of sleep. He gave it a 0 of 10, would not do again.

 

The only thing it's good for is your resume. That's it. Your soul and pocketbook will suffer.

 

Let me put a slightly different slant on this. While crew cabins are small and furnished in industrial style (think an inside passenger cabin with steel furniture, and with 4 people permanently assigned), the dancers have it far better (they are up the food chain) than the galley, laundry, and sanitation workers.

 

No crew is forced to eat "cold leftovers below deck in the dorm." While most crew, including entertainers (except the headliners), are not allowed in guest areas like buffet or restaurants, there are at least 3 different crew mess halls that serve 4 hot meals cafeteria style a day. Besides, taking food back to their cabin is grounds for dismissal at NCL, and most lines, due to USPH sanitation regulations.

 

International regulations require that crew members who are assigned safety duties (and nearly all crew are) (like directing traffic during passenger muster, which would be their job in a real emergency) get no less than 10 hours of rest in every 24.

 

Some of the cruise lines hire troops of performers. When I was with NCL, they used the Jean Ann Ryan troupe. I know they stopped a few years back, but not sure whether they've gone to another troupe since.

 

The pay is definitely less than what you would make in the US, and in some cases around minimum wage, you work 7 days a week for 8-10 months without a day off, and it is nothing like "the love boat" show, where the crew lounges around in the sun. It is your job, not a vacation. It's not a job for everyone, and there are few US citizens except in the Cruise Staff department, sound and lighting, and some performers.

[mousemom]

I know someone who worked on cruise ships as a musician in the main band that played on board. He said it was utter hell. You live in a very very small space shared with many other people. You don't get a stateroom, you get 1/4 of a very small inside stateroom way in the bottom of the boat where it is not nice. Bathrooms are locker room style. He said that many of the entertainers abuse drugs and alcohol because it is very, very depressing. And depending on the cruise line you *might* get to eat your meals at the buffet, or you *might* have to eat cold leftovers below deck in the dorm.

 

He said that the entertainers had to pay for a lot of things you wouldn't think they would have to and as a result often ended up in debt. He said if you lived the most frugal meager life possible, it could work but that it didn't pay well in USA terms so most of the entertainers are not us citizens, but from other countries where the pay is worth more. The general entertainers (you know like the roayl carribean singers and dancers, and the equivalent on the other ships) are not treated well and not paid great. The specialty acts (magicians, comedians, etc... are paid and treated much better although they maybe frequently hopping from ship to ship at port.

 

Also if you are a member of the general dance or music crew you, like all the other staff, are always expected to be working. So if you aren't performing, and you aren't rehearsing and you aren't prepping for or tearing down a performance (often the perfomers are also the stage crew) you are doing something. You might be spirit crew. You might be in a lounge performing. You might double as youth staff. There is no laying about in the sun, swimming, or having a good time. He said he had to work well into the night and be up early the next morning ready to go on about 5-6 hours of sleep. He gave it a 0 of 10, would not do again.

 

The only thing it's good for is your resume. That's it. Your soul and pocketbook will suffer.

 

The person you talked to must have been part of the extreme, while most of what he said had some truth, it is taken completely out of context in the scope of ether job. Since the majority of the Entertainment staff complete several contracts, the majority of them enjoy their job and compensation.

[fshagan]

Let me put a slightly different slant on this. While crew cabins are small and furnished in industrial style (think an inside passenger cabin with steel furniture, and with 4 people permanently assigned), the dancers have it far better (they are up the food chain) than the galley, laundry, and sanitation workers.

 

I don't know how valid this is, or if it is a puff piece by this recruiter, but this site has an interview with an anonymous dancer on RCL. She had one roommate (not 3) and indicated she had more time off than other crew members:

 

http://www.cruisejobfinder.com/fm/experts/shipboard-dancer.php

[Sauer-kraut]

My niece danced for a troupe that was hired by cruise ships just after graduation from High School. I believe she did it for 2 years. They were required to keep their weight at a certain level and could not gain more than 2 pounds or they'd be let go. They had to keep their costumes in order and they were also required to "other" jobs during the day as well. Helping in the art auction, or things of this nature. It was really quite a tough job, but she loved it.

[chengkp75]

I don't know how valid this is, or if it is a puff piece by this recruiter, but this site has an interview with an anonymous dancer on RCL. She had one roommate (not 3) and indicated she had more time off than other crew members:

 

http://www.cruisejobfinder.com/fm/experts/shipboard-dancer.php

 

Cabins, just like everything on the ship, is assigned by rank. Most crew are in 4 person cabins (though this may have changed with ships like Allure), and I've even seen some 6 person casino cabins. Two person cabins are for higher rated jobs and first level supervisors. Then come the next level of supervisors, who get "mini" singles (you can stand in the room and touch all four walls, and share a toilet/shower with the next single). The higher you are, the larger the cabin. Most dancers and musicians I've seen are 3-4 to a cabin. As for time off, she is probably referring to time off during the day. The dancers rehearse during the day and then perform at night, while most of the crew are working during the day and then off at night. It tends to be line specific as to how much access staff has to guest areas, and they certainly can't lounge at the pool. There is a crew sun deck on every ship, though, and the dancers frequented this area.

 

There are a lot of lifestyle changes required as well, such as emergency duties and training, random drug and alcohol screening, and the limitations on lifestyle caused by USPH sanitation regulations that affect virtually every aspect of shipboard life.

Edited January 23, 2016 by chengkp75