INTRODUCTION: About my job

When I finished music college I realised that I was an out of work musician with nowhere to go. It was about this time I heard that cruise ships were one of the major employers of international musicians and one of the more reliable options for instrumentalists wanting to find a more steady and consistent job. Unsure of what I was getting myself into I started the ball rolling in mid 2003 and began looking for work. My first job offer was to start work on the Carnival Conquest in early 2004. I took it, no questions asked and before long I was sailing around the Caribbean wondering why no one had told me before what an awesome job it is to perform on a cruise ship.

Now don't get me wrong, playing music on cruise ships is not the perfect job and it's not for everyone. The benefits are staggeringly obvious: good pay, no accommodation or food costs and you get your flights paid for. Then there is the fact that most musicians work about 2-3 hours a day in the evening and get plenty of free time both around the ship and in port. Depending on the cruise line, the food is usually good and most ships have a well equipped gym on board which we get to use for free.

Then there is the fact that we get to take guided tours in the ports for free by escorting them. I've gone on hiking trips, kayaking, elephant riding, swimming with dolphins, rafting and much much more all for free. Even my tour to the Great Barrier Reef was free, I just had to pay for the optional extra: beginner scuba diving. Oh yes and another nice thing is I genuinely feel as if the last 5 years of my life have been like a permanent vacation. That's kinda not bad too if you really think about it.

The drawbacks are less obvious but they bother some more than others. Firstly you have to share a cabin with another musician. I've got lucky so far but I've heard some horror stories about people sharing with deafeningly loud snorers or mean drunks or people with body odour so strong it would knock out a grizzly bear.

Other things that can get people down are bandmasters/musical directors that are complete arseholes and an utter pain to work with. Again I've been lucky and have only heard stories about the nightmare of working with a boss who is a complete prick. The other potential problem that creeps up on you when you work on a cruise ship is that there is no escape. It's all fun in the first few weeks when you realise how much you're enjoying life but usually most people start to miss things that they take for granted when at home. At the end of the day you're still on a ship and you're still stuck with the people you work with. This has never bothered me but for some it might be too much.

So to sum things up: I'm delighted with where my life has taken me so far. Just take a look at my travel map and you'll see that I really have been to an awful lot of places in the world. I can assure you though that I'm not even halfway done. I hope to see as much of this world as I possibly can in my lifetime!