While on Navigator of the Seas, I was able to chat with several theatre techs just briefly.  (As you may recall, Royal Caribbean won’t allow anyone to “officially” interview their staff.  NCL is the only cruise line I’ve found so far that is willing to support this.)
 
I met 4 technicians.  Two of whom were working the shows in Studio B, which is the ice rink(!) on board ship, and two of whom were working in the main theatre.

 
Danilo – Royal Theatre lighting tech - from Montenegro.
Willington – Royal Theatre sound tech - from South Africa. That’s the back of his head there in the photo!
Syd – Studio B sound tech – from The Philippines.
And the Studio B light tech – unfortunately I didn’t catch his name nor where he was from.

​Ahoy there!
 
I just returned from a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas!
 
The Navigator of the Seas has two main venues, the main theatre, called the Royal Theatre, and Studio B, which is an ice skating rink!  On this trip the Royal Theatre had two revue-type shows; “Showgirl!” and “Ballroom Fever”.  Both of which were very enjoyable, well performed, and technically state-of-the-art, but certainly the lack of a full-length musical production was felt!  Studio B’s ice show was called “iSkate” – again professionally done, but essentially also a revue type show - performed on ice skates! 

If you’re wondering what your cabin will be like, where you’ll eat your meals, where you’ll relax and keep active, check out this (bi-lingual!) vlog post from Eddie of the Seas.
 
Eddie is a casino host – on board Star of the Seas, at the time of this vlog – from the Philippines.   He gives you a comprehensive tour of his cabin, the crew mess, the crew bar, the crew games room and the crew gym.  He ends his vlog with a visual tour of one of his favorite hang out spots on the ship, the Overlook.
 
You can check it all out here...

​I just came across this great website, that has a boat load of information about living and working on cruise ships, from Rob Lilley, a former cruise ship employee.
 
There’s great information about the internet (a popular topic for crew members who are away from their family and friends for months at a time), crew cabins and living quarters, work hours and days off, food, and lots more, including a list of recruiters.
 
You can check it out at

​Did you know that ships’ crew are paid based on what country they come from?!  And that your contract length my vary depending on the job you’re doing?! 

​Why is this.  Find out from this vlog from Gary Bembridge, Tips for Travellers, about “6 Cruise Crew Secrets” you may not have considered…
 
You’ll also find the answers to questions such as:

​Ahoy there!  Welcome back to another school year of cruising!  I hope you had a good summer.  Mine was filled with house projects, family and friends, and of course, cruising around in my camper van!
 
Let’s start the year out with Krista Jocelyn.  She is an experienced cruise ship entertainer, and in this video gives you an honest look at the pros and cons of working in a theatre on a cruise ship.  She addresses where can you go, who do you meet, what are the financial benefits, how much job security is there, and more.

​Captain Kate McCue is the first female cruise ship captain, and worked several Royal Caribbean ships for the past 22 years.  Well, she’s just accepted a new position on Four Seasons Yachts.
 
And, while smaller yachts have more ‘venues’ than theatres… they’re hiring entertainment techs! 

Are you a tech theatre teacher, or do you know a tech theatre teacher? The month of May, is NCL’s nominate a teacher for a free cruise month!
 
Can you provide examples of how you or your tech theatre teacher has:
- gone above and beyond to make a lasting impact on their students’ lives and the teaching community.
- been recognized by their peers and/or community
- overcome challenges, adapted, and/or innovated within their school.
 
If so, check out all the rules at https://contest.nclgivingjoy.com/
 
And…that’s not all…did you know…

How much can you earn working on a cruise ship? 
 
The pay may differ from what you may be paid working at a theatre on land, but remember, this is because you’re also getting your room, meals, utilities and other expenses provided for you.  So, unless you go on a crazy spending spree when you get into port – you’ll be storing away most of your wages for a later time.

​
I posted about tech wages back in 2023, which you can see here: https://www.cruisetechies.com/cruisetechies-blog/job-types-and-wages
 
But here’s an update.

It seems there’s a lot of crazy things going on in the world these days.  Not to get into the politics of it all, but a friend recently told me about a friend who lives with their family in one country, but is afraid they are going to be sent back to their own country where there is a lot of unrest (to put it lightly).  She wondered whether it might be a good idea for her friend to get a job on a cruise ship, rather than go back to his country. 

​Of course, I can’t give any advice in that department, but, as you know, cruise ships hire people from all over the world, so I provided her with some cruise ship options, which I’m going to provide here for you too, in case you, or anyone you know may be in the same boat.
​
​First, here’s a freebie for you.