comedy

Work as a Cruise Ship Comedian

How to Get a Job Performing Stand-up Comedy Onboard

© Leslie Halpern

Aug 18, 2007

Performing stand-up comedy on a cruise ship is not the place to start your career, but it may be a great way to make extra money and broaden your experience.

The squeaky clean image of cruise line comedy is changing. Today’s cruise ship comedians are contemporary, hip, and willing to take chances.

Typically there are three nightly shows. The two earlier shows feature Las Vegas-style seating for 1000 people and family-oriented comedy. The special midnight “adult” comedy show is smaller and lasts from 30 minutes to an hour. To avoid misunderstandings, stand-up comics give their shows a sensitivity rating in the cruise newsletter.

Pay and Assignments Vary on Cruise Ships

No one rule exists for cruise line gigs. Pay and assignments vary depending upon the comic’s television exposure, name recognition, and reputation. Schedules may range from three shows a night for three/four nights to one show once a week. Payment is generally quite good, with high pay for minimal work.

The average gig is a four-day assignment, lasting for a few months (or sometimes longer). Afterward, the comedian usually goes back on the road performing regular jobs at comedy clubs. Cruise ship assignments allow great flexibility by providing short-or-long-term jobs exactly when you need them.

In addition to good pay and free travel, cruises offer other perks. Food and accommodations are free, although as anyone who has ever traveled onboard knows, the confined cruise quarters are too small for doing much more than sleeping.