Cruise liner experience

[techie_101]

Hi all

 

I finish college in May/June and as the title suggests I'm looking to gain some sort of experience working within the technical field on cruise liners of some sort (whether it be lighting/ sound/ stage). I'm currently typing up an email/letter to send to companies such as P&O, Carnival etc.. what im aiming to ask is do any of you have any top tips on how to get this experience or if any of you could supply an email address for someone who maybe works with P&O/Carnival I'd be grateful for any help you could give :)

 

Many Thanks

[ImagineerTom]

yes, don't bother.

 

You don't go on ships to learn (they don't have the staff, the time or the resources to train you up) so they won't even consider you until you've got a CV with real world experience on it that shows they can drop you on to a multi-million-dollar theatre show and trust that no matter what happens the show will go up on time and on spec.

 

Get some on-land experience - it will be essential for ANY job that you go for.

[CallumP93]

Hi all

 

I finish college in May/June and as the title suggests I'm looking to gain some sort of experience working within the technical field on cruise liners of some sort (whether it be lighting/ sound/ stage). I'm currently typing up an email/letter to send to companies such as P&O, Carnival etc.. what im aiming to ask is do any of you have any top tips on how to get this experience or if any of you could supply an email address for someone who maybe works with P&O/Carnival I'd be grateful for any help you could give :)

 

Many Thanks

 

In addition to what ImagineerTom said, you will also find that many cruiseliners will not accept staff under the age of 21 for this type of role. Secondly a quick search for cruise lighting technicain brings up jobs such as the one listed here, which wants a minimum of 2 years technical experience. If you are free for the summer, why not look at going and working for the Edinburgh Fringe, you may find doing the job for an extended ammount of time with long days etc, that you dont actually want to do it for the rest of your life. In this case you are only working for 5-7 weeks max and not a 9 month contract you could be doing on a cruise.

[Wingwalker]

I'll second what's been written here - cruise ships are a whole different ball game. Very long hours with little chance of actually seeing the world although you may be lucky from time to time. You are definately better off building up your knowledge and CV database on land for a few years and if you then still want to give it a try then good luck to you.

[erroneousblack]

I worked them for a while, and encountered quite a few college leavers who had talked the talk, but couldn't walk the walk. Get some experience under your belt, and give it a try in a few years. Reason I knocked it on the head was the way they cranked up the hours we worked. I was going for days without meal breaks, and nights with hardly any sleep.

[Tomo]

As mentioned earlier, there is a general minimum age of 21 to work on a cruise ship.

They will not bend that for technicians - only for certain kinds of performer. (I believe this is part of the ILO Maritime regulations, but I can't find the document right now.)

 

However, all is not lost!

They commonly hire people for a (min) 6-month contract straight from University or College, even right on your 21st birthday.

 

Those jobs are usually stage crew, and it is quite common to move up to a specialism on your second contract.

A new hire may get a lot of useful experience and skills within those six months, or may just end up doing a lot of repetitive work and learn nothing outside of it. It's down to you which one happens!

 

Of course, some of those hires cannot hack it and never get a second contract. It's very easy to screw up if you don't have any 'real world' experience before starting.

 

For the time being, have a word with your local theatres and see if you can get some casual experience.

Theatre and Opera festivals are often a good place to get some experience - they are usually NMW, but you can learn a lot if you pay attention.

[whisky-zulu]

Hi all

 

I finish college in May/June and as the title suggests I'm looking to gain some sort of experience working within the technical field on cruise liners of some sort (whether it be lighting/ sound/ stage). I'm currently typing up an email/letter to send to companies such as P&O, Carnival etc.. what im aiming to ask is do any of you have any top tips on how to get this experience or if any of you could supply an email address for someone who maybe works with P&O/Carnival I'd be grateful for any help you could give :)

 

Many Thanks

 

P&O/Carnival have a dedicated Entertainments recrtruitment section, which can be accessed through any of Carnival Corporation's Companies jobs sections (Carnival, Cunard, P&O, Holland-America, and Yachts Of Seabourn), however they very rarely recruit and from what I last heard are cutting down on technicians massively. Here's their recruitment site: clicky.

 

RCCL and Disney are hiring at current, from what I understand from my old colleagues from my days on ships.

 

From experience, Carnival Corporation expect you to have experience, and won't hire if you are under 21. RCCL and Disney will hire with basic experience as a stage hand, though I'm not sure about the age side of things.

[erroneousblack]

Carnival UK only hire Asian staff for stage crew, and are replacing a lot of Europeans with them in LX/Sound positions. Deputy Production Manager (Stage) is still European, but they want good automation experience to go with that. Oh, and they will work you into the ground, problem of being the only person on the ship allowed to operate it! Not trying to put you off, I had some great times, but with the new superliners it's a lot different to say even 5 years ago.

[TaliaS]

I'm sorry but I strongly disagree with people saying that you don't learn on cruise ships. I started as a stage staff on Royal Caribbean and learnt a lot. I saw many examples of people training others and stage staff working alongside the lighting/sound technicians to learn about moving lights, equipment, sound desks, automated scenery - motors etc. Even though I wasn't aiming for a lighting position I would still do maintenance and learn about the moving lights and learn to program the lighting desk and create a little lighting show. I also learnt how to maintain the motors in the automation scenery and to program movement using the automation system. If you show that you are willing to learn and help out then people will happily teach you.

[ImagineerTom]

You do learn, but you don't go there to learn. They require basic levels of skills and experience in the real world so that you have the ability to adapt and improvise because you're literally "on your own" and often weeks away from being able to source proper replacement parts or repair services.

 

If you go to a cruise line with (essentially) a blank professional CV you will not be offered a position as it's just too much of a risk for the company.

[Jivemaster]

A cruise line will only take you with 2 - 5 years of real paid work in your chosen specialism. You will learn a lot but the basics are expected when you interview.

 

The most significant things you must learn are to follow the rules of dress and conduct and to excel at customer service.

 

Use the search engine on this site and find and read "Bryson's Blog" Read it for the facts and read it for the amount of work there is to do. Fraternising with the guests can have you put off at the next port with no ticket home and no possibility ever of working at sea again.

 

http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=2731&st=0&p=24971&hl=+bryson's%20+blog&fromsearch=1entry24971

 

This may be dated now and ships have probably doubled in size since then but many aspects will be valid.

[dbuckley]

A cruise line will only take you with 2 - 5 years of real paid work in your chosen specialism. You will learn a lot but the basics are expected when you interview.

 

in fact a sits vac ad has just popped up which says, well, pretty much that.

 

 

... "Bryson's Blog" ...

 

Lordy, I'd forgotten about that, but no doubt I will be wasting most of my day reading it again... At least I know (from hard experience) not to have liquids in my hand as I do so!

[soundiesam]

I disagree with a lot of what people have said on here Deputy production manager on P&O are european. what experience do you have? If you looking to learn it is a good place but not unless you have a couple of years experience.... I left P&O 12 months ago and was deputy production manager sound for them and was about to be promoted to Production manager feel free to PM me I worked for them and disney cruise line

sam

[Micken]

As a Stage & Production Manager on board the Oasis of the Seas feel free to PM me any questions you have about working on board and I can tell you from a Royal point of view. Byrsons blog and even advice I wrote myself on here a long time ago is all out of date these days, the world is forever changing and if you have been off ships for longer than a year, maybe even 6 months then your not really the best person to be given out advice for working at sea.

 

I will however back up, it's best to have the experience on land, if you don't the technicians won't give you the time of day to teach you their area of work as we don't have the time to keep looking over your shoulder.

[paulears]

I think many people thinking about the entertainment and events industry coming from maybe college or university have been used to a system where pressure (despite what they think) is low, and that people are willing to share their experience and skills - like when you are in education. Some big organisations still have a training remit in their way of working, but with staff levels cut to the bone in the majority, training is very low on the agenda. Somebody who offers training might need three people rather than one. One to do the job, one to have enough time to work slower and train the new person, and the trainee themselves. Cruise ships and holiday centres have low staff levels and high staff turnover, and it's a hard job. These jobs are big business, and the mortality rate is high if people underachieve or don't fit in. This doesn't mean being nice, very often - it means getting the job done. These jobs are there to let the employers maximise their profits. No dead wood. Nobody is immune from culling - in the on-land holiday industry that's very strong in my area, only this week a GM vanished for underachieving. Many people get promoted due to dead mens shoes, and few stay in the industry very long. If you need training to be effective, then you're very unlikely to get a job. If you are colder than the others by enough to be noticed, same thing.

 

This industry in particular is just not suitable for newcomers - unless they can blag the first month and cause no issues. I know a few of those! My friend always says she can spot those who they won't see again. As soon as they stop getting off in exotic places and start to stay on board, they'll not be around much longer.