Author Topic: CRUISE SHIPS: I'm New  (Read 7497 times)

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KMC

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CRUISE SHIPS: I'm New
« on: Mar 25, 2007, 02:24 pm »
Hi everyone, new to the site so I'm doing the whole introduction thing.  My name's Kevin and I'm based out of Miami.  Currently I work for Royal Caribbean Cruises scheduling contracts for the PMs, Techs, and Stage Staff for the fleet.  Before that I was a Stage & Production Manager also with Royal Caribbean.  I have a BFA in Stage Management from Penn State.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

Scott (formerly Digga)

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #1 on: Mar 25, 2007, 04:33 pm »
When did you graduate Penn?  I have a lot of friends that went there.

KMC

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #2 on: Mar 25, 2007, 04:59 pm »
When did you graduate Penn?  I have a lot of friends that went there.

May of 2006. 42,000 people at my campus alone so I doubt I'll know them  :P
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

birdie4113

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #3 on: Mar 26, 2007, 09:23 am »
Hello kmc, and welcome.  I have always wondered what the cruise ship theatre's work.  Care to enlighten me?  :P
Bridget

KMC

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #4 on: Mar 26, 2007, 06:30 pm »
Hello kmc, and welcome.  I have always wondered what the cruise ship theatre's work.  Care to enlighten me?  :P

Thanks for the welcome!  I posted something about ships in the "onstage" area.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

megf

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #5 on: Mar 26, 2007, 08:46 pm »
Welcome!!!

stageman7

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #6 on: Apr 26, 2007, 09:02 pm »
Hi Kevin. Do you miss going on board the cruise ships now that you're land based in Miami? (Could be worse-you could be land based in Newark, NJ!) Have you considered doing an article or commentary about SM'ing on cruise ships-many people in our business don't realize how many shows there are on the high seas. Take care- Rich

smalltimeSM

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #7 on: Apr 28, 2007, 10:22 pm »
Welcome, I to would like to do the cruise ship "thing".  I currently have a friend who is working aboard the Princess Cruise Lines.  She doesn't like it that much only because she was aboard a ghost ship for 6 months because someone's cigarette lit the ship on fire.  Anyway, Welcome to SMNetwork.

KMC

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #8 on: Apr 29, 2007, 02:13 am »
Hi Stage -

Of course there are things I miss about working onboard.  There are also things I don't miss, just like any job.  The camaraderie, the people, the atmosphere is something you won't find anywhere on land.  However simple things we take for granted every day you don't always get on ships.  You can't just jump in your car and drive to hang out with your friends; if you feel like having a pizza delivered you can't get it, etc...

In terms of the actual job I'd compare it to being a production manager at a road house.  You've got a couple rep production shows you run every cruise, the other shows are guest entertainers that will come onboard that day, rehearsal that afternoon, then 2 shows that night, then jump off and fly home the next day.  You've got your gear that you need to keep up and running at (close to) 100%.  It requires a lot of forecasting and planning for down the road.  You need to have a very large spare parts inventory and a rigorous preventative maintenance schedule.  If you blow an amp, if a stage lift fails, or if your rigging computer crashes you need to be able to fix it onboard with the parts and the people you've got.  But if you have your stage staff blowing out the amps and lighting instruments with compressed air every other week you're a lot less likely to blow an amp because it's overheated, etc...  You can't just take your amp down the street to have it fixed.  It's very fast-paced and everything is accelerated. 

If you feel you must be part of the creative process and build a show from scratch then ship life is not for you.  There is a bit of that, but you're not with the show from conception to closing.  You sign on for your contract, keep things going, then sign off, and things will keep going long after you leave.

Personally I think it's great fun, a great way to see the world and put some money in the bank.  In my opinion it's all the best things about touring with none of the downsides, because your entire theatre, cabin, and staff tours with you.
« Last Edit: Apr 29, 2007, 02:32 am by kmc307 »
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

dallas10086

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #9 on: Apr 30, 2007, 11:45 pm »
I had an interview with C-West not too long ago and discussed the possibility of SMing for Royal or Disney after Aug 1st. I thought it would be a good idea to try once and see how I like it. I think I have a good chance of an offer.

Kevin - do you think SMing for a cruise line is something you can do for 6 months, then break for a month, then work 6 months again, etc?

KMC

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Re: I'm New
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2007, 08:40 am »
I had an interview with C-West not too long ago and discussed the possibility of SMing for Royal or Disney after Aug 1st. I thought it would be a good idea to try once and see how I like it. I think I have a good chance of an offer.

Kevin - do you think SMing for a cruise line is something you can do for 6 months, then break for a month, then work 6 months again, etc?

I'm not exactly sure what all the lines' contract lengths are, however I know that with ours you are onboard for 4 months, followed by a two month paid vacation.  We don't vary that by more than a week or two usually.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

 

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