LIFE AT SEA
Living so close to your place of employment and your fellow workers calls for sensitivity, discipline and perseverance. For those of you who have never set foot on a cruise ship before, here is some basic seaman information.
You will be assigned a crew cabin once you board the vessel. A sideman usually shares a cabin with another musician, while a Band Leader or Guest Entertainer will have a cabin to him/herself. Occasionally, a Band Leader may be asked to share a cabin with another musician, or a sideman may be asked to share a cabin with two other musicians in the band. All these details will be made known to you before you accept a contract with us. Space on ships is a valuable commodity: cabins are very small and take a bit of getting used to. Cleanliness and personal hygiene must be practiced by all, especially in a shared cabin. If a non-smoker bunks with a smoker, the No Smoking rule applies.
CONTRACT LENGTH
Contract can be as short as three days or as long as six months. The average length is 6 months. Short contracts come with little notice, sometimes only 24 hours! Such short notice means the cruise line needs to fill a position quickly and is prepared to adjust the length of the contract. Normally, the cruise line prefers to hire people for longer periods of time.
On a regular contract, you will usually have four to eight weeks notice to prepare for your departure. Before you consider accepting any given contract, please remember that your verbal commitment is important to us.
Once you give your consent, a contract and an airline ticket are requested in your name. Should you change your mind prior to departure, you will be penalized. Our contract of commission, which requires your signature, stipulates : "If, for whatever reason, the artist changes his mind about accepting the contract or departs the vessel prior to the termination date on the artist's A/MA, either by his own choice, or by AMR's decision, or by ProShip's decision, except if the artist suffers from injury or medical condition not present prior to embarkation necessitating his dismissal from the vessel, the artist agrees to pay ProShip a replacement fee equivalent to three weeks of the artist's net salary."
Illegal Drugs
It is not uncommon for cruise ships to conduct "random" drug tests or cabin inspections. Being caught in possession of an illegal substance or proving positive on a drug test can lead to immediate dismissal at best, imprisonment at worst.
Coast Guard Inspection
Coast Guard officers are similar to Custom officers and have the right to search your cabin without your permission and without telling you why. These searches may be random and may happen throughout the ship on any day at any time.
Curfew
On most cruise ships there is a curfew in the public areas anywhere 1:30 am and 3:00 am. You are not allowed to linger in any of the public areas (lounges, bars, etc.). There is usually a staff lounge or officer's lounge on-board that is open 24 hours a day where you can relax if you are a night owl.
Restrictions
There are areas on a ship that musicians and entertainers are not permitted to visit. These areas include passenger cabins, (passengers are not allowed in your cabin either), the ship's Casino, and the pool. Bar stools are also off limits. (Waiters prefer to have passengers on bar stools since they are better tippers.) You may have a drink at a table in the lounge. However, you cannot walk around the ship with a drink or a cigarette in your hand in case the ship tilts and you spill your drink or burn a passenger.
Use of the public gym facilities may be permitted at certain times. Some ships have their own staff gyms and pool which are more accessible.
Fines
On land, a fine is a common punishment for breaking the law (think of parking and speeding tickets!) It's the same thing on-board. The laws of the ship are clearly spelled out to you when you arrive. If you break an on-board law, you may either receive a written warning or be fined. If you resist the temptation to break the rules you should not have any trouble.
Required Drills
You must participate in passenger and staff boat drills. Drills will teach you how to act if an emergency situation arises. Boat drills happen once per cruise and are compulsory for both staff and passengers. A drill lasts about 20 minutes and is similar to an airplane drill. There are also special training periods for staff and crew which you must attend. Although ships are extremely safe, take the time to learn how to save your life and that of others in case of emergency.
Dress Code
The dress code varies for different cruise lines. However, in general, you will need to wear a Tuxedo with a white pleated shirt, a black bow tie, black cummerbund, black shoes and black socks for formal night. On non-formal nights, you will wear a blue blazer with a white shirt, tie, white pants and white deck shoes. Some cruise lines will provide you with the non-formal night wear, a daytime uniform and a nametag that you should wear in passenger areas.
Sample Policy Manual
Prior to departure you will be provided with the policy manual of the cruise line. It will look something like this:
Can Do
1) An exemplary conduct may provide you with the opportunity to accompany passengers in the capacity of host during fabulous shore excursions.
2) You may use the gymnasium facilities after 8:00 PM provided no passengers are waiting.
3) Socialize in a proper, educated and respectful manner with each individual of the upscale clientele. Short hair and a well-groomed appearance is expected.
No Can Do
1) The following parts of the ship are off limits to staff members: Casino, passenger cabins, pool and bar stools.
2) Tardiness is not permitted in any of your duties. When in port you must be on board the vessel at least one hour prior to the ship's departure. Failure to board the ship will lead to instant dismissal!
3) Slightly improper behavior can lead to fines. Grossly improper behavior, such as drunkenness, or possession/use of illegal drugs will lead to dismissal or imprisonment.