I went on that cruise last year and the Aqua Show was the one that shocked me the most... the rocking of the ship that night was pretty bad but even in those conditions their performance was immaculate!
Fabiana Rocío i went on Harmony of The Seas, and their aqua show was a bit different (the concept was), but it was also amazing! I would go back any day
Professionals through and through. I'm impressed with what they have to deal with. I hope the performers get paid well considering how committed and restricted they are with their show and training regiments.
I worked for RC and actually was in a cast with Mazz. Ship life wasn’t for me and I was SO DEPRESSED and I left early but I can say Mazz was the one person in my cast who was there for me the whole time when no one else was. She’s a really great person and works SUPER HARD and deserves everything she has now! Love that girly!
Mwaka Nyoni lol you’d all like to know wouldn’t you (; i can say it varies based on how many contracts you’ve done and if you’ve had more professional experience and etc. for normal jobs like server or something i honestly don’t know. and for performers, like i said it all varies. singers also get paid A LOT more than dancers and it’s SUPER unfair lol.
Sterna Levin agreed. especially since singers don’t do as much work, don’t have to be there for all rehearsals, don’t have to do side work, get their own room, and room service. dancers get NONE of that, lower pay, and have to share rooms. it’s all so unequal and the singers in my cast would always try to justify it as if it’s okay and right.
"Royal Caribbean wouldn't share how much performers are paid." Not enough I guarantee you that, especially for them working 11 months doing 8 performances a week in an industry that is supposedly as hard to get into as Broadway. Anytime a company highlights health insurance as a benefit (when it's mandated for any company in the United States with as many employees as them) then you know they aren't paying enough.
@@MW53516 that's just it though, if the company is headquartered in the US (like RC is and a lot of them are nowadays) then they are required by law to provide health insurance to all full time employees, non-union or otherwise. Whether or not that insurance is any good is another story.
Lol... not paid enough? You dumb... these are top dancer/performer with a lot of options for work. Obviously they have negotiated a deal with the cruise in which both party are happy with...
I feel like that no vacation can't be right. I worked on RCCL a good while ago and all performers had at least 1 day off. Maybe they don't call it "vacation" but I would be stunned if they don't get 1 day off a week.
The "no vacation" days are very true. I used to work on a cruise ship but our contracts weren't 11 months long neither. They were 5 months w/no days off. We did get a 5 week vacation between contracts.
@@fr3shSwag I can only speak to the company that I worked for. There's dozens of different cruise companies all over the world, all birthed out of different countries, with different rules. The majority of people I know do 6-9 month contracts.
That's not entirely true. The waiter's, stewards etc are not well paid compared to America or Australia or the UK, but remember the staff have no expenses are primarily come from countries where the average wage is even lower. The performer's are paid about the same as they would be on land for equivalent style shows.
@Sleeve Of Wizard they have no laundry, food or board. That's the bulk of peoples expenses. Crew drinks are cheap, crew internet is cheap. Compared to just about anyone else in the world, their expenses are very minimal
base pay for dancers is about $2500 a month. Singers make about $4000 a month. Specialty acts can make up to 10K a month, but usually get between $4000 to $6000.
@Oskar winters they have the crew mess they can eat at which is always free. They can also eat at the guest buffet which is free. They have the option to eat at the specialty restaurants but pay the normal amount for those.
Makayla Awesome i think being a celebrity performing on a cruise and being a show performer on a cruise are probably very different unless he said otherwise
Most cruise companies register their vessels in countries where the minimum wage is very low so they don't have to pay their staff much. For example their is only 1 cruise ship in the whole world that is registered in the USA 'Pride of the USA' and thats so legaly they can dock in Hawaii.
It’s quite good. I’m a singer on a smaller ship in the fleet- get $4000 monthly for three big performance days a week, and a two 15-minute poppers twice per week.
I know a lot of people who have worked in ships. Pay is about 3K a month, and housing is similar to a college dorm. Not the best job in the world but its pretty secure and a good starting position for professional actors
@@perfectbeauty5711 Cruise ships hire workers from countries with different labor laws so they can work outside of american jurisdiction and pay workers low wages.
Not everyone is destined to do it. Some people are so built for a position in life that letting them do anything else would not make them be as happy. Some people would think they want such a position but they aren't built for that and if they did make it, it wouldn't be as good as doing something else. They make it look far easier than it really is. It's like some wanting to be a Navy Seal, having some of what it takes but then quitting the first days of doing it while some, do it for decades and retire and continue doing the workouts after retirement not to mention some would die trying to keep up with basic running well before that level of intensity.
Each time I see this in my feed I watch it and a tear comes down my face. Used to work with this beast, one of the best people to work with. Mazz is rightfully where she is! Insane work etic and physical body strength. I miss your hug after the show friend, and I miss ships more than anything in the world. Just to make it clear, I was part of the stage crew, and with some of these guys it was so nice because they kind of make sure you share their success! Big hug from Nik (Legend of the Seas)!
As a former crew member, in entertainment, I can say that those performers get paid very well! Also, this video misrepresented when saying they get “no vacation days” for 11 months. True, their contract is long, but they don’t work every single day their onboard. They have “days off” where they can relax and do whatever.
Thank you for that comment. There is indeed a difference between vacation and days off. And there are other professions where you don't get to decide when to go on a vacation (teachers for example). But it did sound pretty brutal and in no way did it sound like normal praxis. These performers need to form a union and make a collective claim to create a better working environment for themselves and future employees.
@@arianamazzagatti391 :) in a typical day, how many hours do you dedicate to your gym training etc outside of rehearsals? and how long have you been doing aerial for? (also do they allow you to go on land/some of the excursions during your contract?) x
Is it an hour a day gym and hour a day stretching or do you mix it up slightly depending on how many shows you do that day or if you are doing other duties?
@@aayy11300 Right! So an hour at least of a workout. For any aerialists, we are required for an extra hour of aerial training and conditioning, and dance classes. I started aerial in high school! As. cast member, we are SO lucky! We have time in the days to get off if there are no rehearsals or drills!
I mean they are standard crew cabins? And in comparison to some older ships quite nice ones. Yeah sure they are small in comparison to rooms on lanf and most if the time shared, but that is standard for all lines? You know that when you sign your contract
Refuse to say how much they are paid, but tHeY hAvE hOuSiNg, tHeY cAn EaT aT oUr ReStAuRaNt, and no day’s off for 11months, 8 shows a week.... Some slavery is involved here.
MySisterIsAFoodie People in other departments do work really hard and the pay isn’t great. I don’t know why they suggested you work every single day as a performer - maybe you might have an hour’s security duty on one day, but you’re not doing shows everyday! And it’s quite well paid for a performance job (Royal in particular), especially as you have so few expenses and often big tax breaks for working at sea.
@@stephendole5932 The dancers usually start at $2200, and some of the acro used to go up to $3800 month. Everyone is paid in CASH from an ATM on board, always while at sea. Singers are paid the most, sometimes $8000mo again, CASH.
Adam Menzies Not sure when you worked for Royal or for which ship. But I was a dancer on the Allure 3 years ago and got $3400 per month. I know some our leads were on much more. These days it isn’t cash, they put it on what is essentially a pre-paid credit card.
They get paid very little and live in very bad conditions. It’s fun to do for a season when your in your 20s but later on you feel like a servant underdog without any respect. Slavery is their bottom line.
Anna A Obviously like any industry, there are better and worse companies to work for. Life is certainly very difficult for cleaners, waiters etc but the vast majority of performers on cruise ships earn good money and have a fairly easy life! I worked on Royal and Crystal and I had a great time on both. You save a lot of money due to lack of expenses, get to see the world and certainly don’t work everyday like it suggests in this video!
Taran Patel I’d have to disagree 😂 Just came back from RCCL’s Symphony, and on a stormy night, the ship was rocking so much and you could hear the booming sounds of the waves crashing on the front of the ship as you went to sleep.
As a former cruise ship performer it can take a few weeks to become resistant to it, I would be performing on stage in the first week and have to leave to throw up. Oddly enough after you get used to it, when you are on land it feels funny and you get a little sick.
I worked on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess right through my 20s, 9.5 years in the end! One of the best decisions I ever made was to work on ships, my second best decision was to decide to no longer work on ships lol. A lot of people here are saying it's slave labor which definitely made me LOL. Working on ships is one of the most unique and life changing experiences any young person can do. The community is like nothing you can replicate on land, the friends you make are friends for life and you have to bear this in mind... Most people are in 9 to 5 office jobs and commute to the office for 60 minutes per day, have all the stresses of 'living on land.' Cruise ships sure you work crazy hours, but your 'office' is a 45 second walk away, everything from cleaning your cabin, cooking every meal is all taken care of by the ship. Equally, when they say 'work 7 days per week,' sure you do but... On port days that might be x 2 hours giving the rest of the day to go and explore a beautiful island. Pretty sure if I had my 20s again, I'd take cruise ship slave labour over the 9 to 5 version :).
Haha :) Great perspective! I was a bit put off by the fact that the performers don't have 'vacation days', but interesting to hear your experience. All our lives and jobs have some degree of trade-offs, I suppose.
That's what I figured. Mazz and her crew probably actually only do shows 4 nights of the week, so the other 3 days they can rehearse. She probably works 6-8 hours those nights and maybe only 2-3 on the off nights, which isn't really that bad.
They don’t get days off or “vacation” because when the ship docks at any destination they also get to get off and enjoy the islands. I think this video made it seem like they work 24/7 7 days a week for 11 months straight which is definitely not true. They have an amazing job!!!
My cast has their duties, even if we don’t do a show every single day. We have 6 Hiros, and 2 Aqua Nations. Plus we work backstage at Hairspray, Flight, 1977, and Ice Skate. As well as Drills, meetings, blowing balloons, two parades. Some do Wardrobe duties, fixing and washing costumes, wigs, sharpening ice skates, etc.
@@arianamazzagatti391 Casts and musicians shouldn't have to do that shit. They should do the job they're specifically employed to do and their safety duty. Nothing more unless they specifically want to get a 2nd job and get extra cash.
I went on this ship in the summer and was talking to a staff member in the teen club. She told me she lived on the ship for 7 months. She doesn't get to eat the food at the free restaurants and only gets the food made by the chefs and has scheduled meals. The teens got her a bunch of pizza from the free pizza restaurant.
its pure slavery, I worked for royal caribbean in entertainment department like a lighting tec. Wages are shit, cabins are shit, food for crew is shit. I left royal to go on Cunard, which was much better company. After 9 years I am done with a sea life. Royall Is on of the worst companies out there.
Did you ask her if she was happy to have the job? To you the guest food seems luxurious. Try eating it 7 days a week for 11 months, you will never eat chicken cordon blue again. That's why there is a mess hall, it changes everyday. And is calorically better for you too. BTW, tipping her with money would have been a better options.
I have watched all the shows and the ship a week ago and got home 2 days ago and all of them we OUTSTANDING, some were nail biting and others just make you smile or your heart burst. People work very hard to entertain us, so I appreciate them,
actually you would be surprised how many professional broadway performers, rockettes, touring performing do their own makeup....if it isn't involving prosthetics or anything crazy the performer usually does it themselves.
Kelly Nguyen performers (including myself, I dance) usually find the process of putting on makeup relaxing. It gets you into character and preps you for the show!
As someone who had the option to work on a ship, you'd be sharing a small interior/lower deck cabin ie. no windows and *small* with 3-5 other people. Shared bathrooms. You'd only be allowed to use crew stairways and hallways, crew cafeteria etc. I didn't hear anyone say that you could mix and mingle with guests or even think about eating in their buffets. For the backstage crew, it seemed like you had to be invisible while on board. You could get off the ship when you were in port when not working which would be rare with 8 shows a week, and you were paid roughly $500/week. Same as on land at the time which was the early 2000s.
I think for these guys performing is a life long passion and dream and to many of these people just the fact they get to do it sharing their art while being able to travel the world is enough for them. Pay is likely poor but at the same time when they don't have to pay for accommodation, food or drink it means their pay starts to add up nicely, not to mention the fact they will receive tips which on a lot of cruise ships (At least the ones I've been on) are charged automatically to the passengers.
A friend of mine does this once a year. He is an expert in the card game Bridge and gets a free cruise to teach beginners in the morning and more advanced in the afternoon. From his perspective, he gets a free holiday in passenger quarters, with teaching the hobby he loves. From the cruise line, they get a top player and also passengers who have booked just because he is on board. So not all performers do the full 11 months.
Pretty much all performers did, the shows got cancelled due to covid. They were all sent home especially after tourists started to be diagnosed covid positive on board on different cruiseships
Number one quote from cruise line dancers "When you go to do a jump and the stage goes from this level (low) to this level (high)." and there goes your knees.
The fact that there are so many things they're not sharing and letting us see is really indicative of how shitty the conditions must actually be. Not sharing wages, even a salary range is a huge red flag. Emphasizing that they get housing and get to travel is simply insane. They're on a ship that moves! Where else would they sleep!?! Of course they're gonna travel! And they mentioned a grocery store, which means meals are almost certainly not free. They mentioned "other safety duties," which means that in addition to dangerous performances, these people are forced to do some other type of labor, likely for no extra pay. No letting us see the equipment is probably less because it's "proprietary" and more because it's shoddy and possibly dangerous. And finally worst of all was the mention that no other ship employees can use the passenger gym or eat at the special restaurants. None of those Filipino laborers earning pennies a day are given those opportunities! Not that they could afford to take them anyway, with the slave wages they earn. What a sham. You guys should've snuck a hidden camera in there and gotten a real story instead of this fluff piece with some paid off company shill who talks about how bad her body is bruised every night, then insists she loves her job. She probably didn't get that private cabin till she agreed to spread that propaganda.
I can hardly imagine how hard it must be to do those flips at 2:58. Running through water is so hard AND they have a whole cape that looks like it's soaked. It must be pretty heavy.
My high school and college friend, Jeff Lind, did an 11 month cruise ship gig as a top 40 guitarist / tenor, lead singer. He enjoyed all the performing / guitar playing time. He could take or leave the singing.
I know a guy who was a performer for disney cruises Supposedly disney treats them pretty well, at least on the ship he was on He said one scary thing though was that he started off playing one character, but then became the new Jack Sparrow after the original actor got hurt doing a stunt He was like yeah obviously I loved playing that role, but it’s not as cool being told that you get to play the part some other guy almost died doing lol but he said otherwise it was great
Saaby World Exactly. That’s why they have the courage to endure this 11-month torture. Who do you think would work 11 months straight without a single day off if they were not being lucratively remunerated?
@@kindgurly1 wow you think all hard jobs pay well. must be nice for you to think that way. dont ever research the shipping industry Id hate for the way you imagine the world to be shattered.
Acrobats nail their landing based on partly muscle memory. Imagine trying to land on a platform that keeps on moving. It's shocking that there aren't more of these performers getting injured from not making the landing.
A lot of ppl on here are complaining about the pay. They don’t get paid a lot but it’s not news to them. Most of them do it for the experience. They’re not getting the biggest and best rooms or eating the most expensive meals because they’re their to work. It’s clearly not a job for everyone but the people who do it aren’t being forced.
My parents love Royal Carribean line. I should have went with my parents years ago. I regret not auditioning for cirque du soleil. They sent me a letter. I had been in my job a short while. The ship is harder to do routines.
It seems very difficult, probably with less than ideal conditions, but I imagine the sense of accomplishment performing on shipboard is something they never forget.
Cool story. We’ve been on many cruises. It’s rare to see an American worker aboard a cruise liner. Good for her. Mazz - if you’re reading this, stay safe and healthy.
I live here at Hawaii and every Thursday and Tuesday these gigantic cruise ships come to dock for a day so their passengers can enjoy the island for a brief moment. The workers come off at night to the bars and I talk to quite a lot of them and it’s crazy when you hear the hours they have to work , the $ they earn, and the living situation. Most of them I talked to hated the job. Anarchy is big on the ship supposedly and if you’re in the top it’s not bad.
To each its own. I was a consultant for a number of years. One of my engagement was for a major chain of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. We had free court food, free rooms and we were in Vegas for a year. Everybody in my group hated it. I thought it was nice to go for a weekend. But after a few months of working there we all dreaded it. The corporate culture was brash to put it mild, the hours were very long, the food becomes any other cafeteria food, absolutely horrible. Even the smell of the casinos are injected into the air with a mix that is supposed to make you feel happy while you are gambling; but for months at a time makes you nauseous. Those hotels are dark and depressing. They are made without sun light to make you forget the time. Anyway, it was an experience I sure did not enjoy. Glad she is having a good time
Hermes Playz You have to pay for WiFi but the crew doesn’t pay anywhere near the same rate as the guests. Honestly though, we all tended to Skype home/download stuff etc while we were in port.
They are not being treated as slave, they get good pay (I assure you, otherwise these people would not purposely out compete others for the job) and they get health insurance, which is sometimes not granted, which I would find more concerning than wifi.
I sailed from Australia to England in 1973 via Canada ...5 weeks of the 'good life' and never repeated. The cruise was split into two sections with a change of entertainment either in San Francisco or Los Angeles..it was a long time ago !!!!!!!!!! A few days before arriving at the half way port we were asked to rate each entertainment item. I understand that any act that didn't make the grade was put ashore when we docked. Show business...not for the faint at heart.
They work for 11 months straight and live at the bottom of the ship. That sounds like a vacation? They may even be able to go days without seeing the actual sun.
I could not do that job hats off to those people for seriously working in those conditions and pulling off great shows did not realise it was so difficult
Yeah I was on Symphony in spring . The shows were indeed awesome, and the ship is beautiful. However, I think I enjoyed the “smaller” Liberty of the seas a bit more, which I did last year . I feel like there needs to be a limit on number of people on ship. Waits for shows, waits for food, waits to get on & off ship, crowds at pools... you get the idea. I can’t imagine the work the crews have dealing with all these people
I assume that the requirements of these performers are similar (give or take) to what is required for Cirque du Soleil performers? Either way, these guys are very impressive. I've never had the money, time, or means to go on a cruise so something like this is not likely something that I will ever see in person.
My granpa died and we got a call mid ice show in a Royal Caribbean show. I felt bad leaving the performance in the middle because they were doing amazing.
Sometimes when i see stories or movies about sea cruises - i feel like I am living in another dimension. Never have I met somebody in real life around me who was there (( It always sounds like a "regular entertainment" for many people. But in my country... It was always a dream. Never a reality. I envy all those who can afgord those kind of travels.
I went on that cruise last year and the Aqua Show was the one that shocked me the most... the rocking of the ship that night was pretty bad but even in those conditions their performance was immaculate!
Fabiana Rocío i went on Harmony of The Seas, and their aqua show was a bit different (the concept was), but it was also amazing! I would go back any day
Same! The performers are amazing and are so talented!
Just came back from a Symphony cruise and the Hiro show they mention here was amazing, even with the rocky waters.
Thanks Fabiana! Glad you enjoyed the show!
Professionals through and through.
I'm impressed with what they have to deal with. I hope the performers get paid well considering how committed and restricted they are with their show and training regiments.
I worked for RC and actually was in a cast with Mazz. Ship life wasn’t for me and I was SO DEPRESSED and I left early but I can say Mazz was the one person in my cast who was there for me the whole time when no one else was. She’s a really great person and works SUPER HARD and deserves everything she has now! Love that girly!
How was the pay??
Mwaka Nyoni lol you’d all like to know wouldn’t you (; i can say it varies based on how many contracts you’ve done and if you’ve had more professional experience and etc. for normal jobs like server or something i honestly don’t know. and for performers, like i said it all varies. singers also get paid A LOT more than dancers and it’s SUPER unfair lol.
Peter J it’s so unfair that singers get paid more then dancers dancing (especially on a ship) is really hard
Sterna Levin agreed. especially since singers don’t do as much work, don’t have to be there for all rehearsals, don’t have to do side work, get their own room, and room service. dancers get NONE of that, lower pay, and have to share rooms. it’s all so unequal and the singers in my cast would always try to justify it as if it’s okay and right.
Peter J baseline pay?
"Royal Caribbean wouldn't share how much performers are paid." Not enough I guarantee you that, especially for them working 11 months doing 8 performances a week in an industry that is supposedly as hard to get into as Broadway. Anytime a company highlights health insurance as a benefit (when it's mandated for any company in the United States with as many employees as them) then you know they aren't paying enough.
It’s because other (non union) Cruise contracts or performance contracts don’t provide health insurance at all which is even worse.
@@MW53516 that's just it though, if the company is headquartered in the US (like RC is and a lot of them are nowadays) then they are required by law to provide health insurance to all full time employees, non-union or otherwise. Whether or not that insurance is any good is another story.
PREACH!
Lol... not paid enough? You dumb... these are top dancer/performer with a lot of options for work. Obviously they have negotiated a deal with the cruise in which both party are happy with...
@@dondp7500 how is that obvious?
11 months with no vacation days and 8 shows/week....not shady at all.
I feel like that no vacation can't be right. I worked on RCCL a good while ago and all performers had at least 1 day off. Maybe they don't call it "vacation" but I would be stunned if they don't get 1 day off a week.
@@JerielleMarie They do, it's the rate of shows per week that can change. Shorter cruises mean more shows per contract.
And they get paid fast food wages
The "no vacation" days are very true. I used to work on a cruise ship but our contracts weren't 11 months long neither. They were 5 months w/no days off. We did get a 5 week vacation between contracts.
@@fr3shSwag I can only speak to the company that I worked for. There's dozens of different cruise companies all over the world, all birthed out of different countries, with different rules. The majority of people I know do 6-9 month contracts.
they say they “get paid to travel” but not having a day off means you don’t actually get to travel and explore the places...
Frany Mae no when in port they get to go out
@@bigfatfish4148 yes for few hours, not the best but enough to make me miss my old days..
Shows are in the evening so they have at least a morning to travel and sightsee
@@sophiacooper4246 except they need to spend hours doing cardio/warm up/rehersal so maybe a few hours of sightseeing
@@soapygirl83 yeah true 😂
Free Housing?!!? they are sequestered on a ship where else would they live? What other benefits, free air and water? well maybe not free water.......
It's free salt with the water.
Yeah they have the water beneath them and if they get lucky the water above them
Well, most jobs don't offer free housing...
hahahahahaha
liteoner most jobs also don’t require you to bruise yourself 8 times a night every night.
I think if they’re not sharing salary details, it’s because they are not proud to offer employees strong wages.
That's not entirely true.
The waiter's, stewards etc are not well paid compared to America or Australia or the UK, but remember the staff have no expenses are primarily come from countries where the average wage is even lower.
The performer's are paid about the same as they would be on land for equivalent style shows.
@Sleeve Of Wizard they have no laundry, food or board. That's the bulk of peoples expenses.
Crew drinks are cheap, crew internet is cheap.
Compared to just about anyone else in the world, their expenses are very minimal
@@stinger15au crew internet was not cheap for me! the drinks were though.
base pay for dancers is about $2500 a month. Singers make about $4000 a month. Specialty acts can make up to 10K a month, but usually get between $4000 to $6000.
@Oskar winters they have the crew mess they can eat at which is always free.
They can also eat at the guest buffet which is free.
They have the option to eat at the specialty restaurants but pay the normal amount for those.
Didn’t say how much they got paid and didn’t show their living quarters.... yeah that’s not sketchy
@Makayla Awesome How do you know that?
Makayla Awesome i think being a celebrity performing on a cruise and being a show performer on a cruise are probably very different unless he said otherwise
Most cruise companies register their vessels in countries where the minimum wage is very low so they don't have to pay their staff much. For example their is only 1 cruise ship in the whole world that is registered in the USA 'Pride of the USA' and thats so legaly they can dock in Hawaii.
It’s quite good. I’m a singer on a smaller ship in the fleet- get $4000 monthly for three big performance days a week, and a two 15-minute poppers twice per week.
I know a lot of people who have worked in ships. Pay is about 3K a month, and housing is similar to a college dorm. Not the best job in the world but its pretty secure and a good starting position for professional actors
They forgot to say this is a paid for AD by Royal Caribbean
Yep, i worked with their industry and although performers get treated well, all the other positions literally earn like $2 an hour.
@@zeitgeistx5239 sadly its true... but at the end of the day we all sign a contract.
Report to ftc!!!
@@perfectbeauty5711 Cruise ships hire workers from countries with different labor laws so they can work outside of american jurisdiction and pay workers low wages.
Not everyone is destined to do it. Some people are so built for a position in life that letting them do anything else would not make them be as happy. Some people would think they want such a position but they aren't built for that and if they did make it, it wouldn't be as good as doing something else. They make it look far easier than it really is. It's like some wanting to be a Navy Seal, having some of what it takes but then quitting the first days of doing it while some, do it for decades and retire and continue doing the workouts after retirement not to mention some would die trying to keep up with basic running well before that level of intensity.
Imagine you're on a cruise ship, and the Titanic song starts playing
at night when being near north pole.
Just A Dio Who's A Hero For Fun they sang my heart will go on on my last cruiship show
This actually happens all the time on the cruises I go on. At least once a day it’ll play and everyone just laughs.
omg that happened one time. i was on this yacht dinner thing in bangkok like a month ago and like out of no where they played the titanic song 😍
They forbid me to sing “the more after “”. LMAFO. Gawd I wish we had iPhones back then
Each time I see this in my feed I watch it and a tear comes down my face. Used to work with this beast, one of the best people to work with. Mazz is rightfully where she is! Insane work etic and physical body strength. I miss your hug after the show friend, and I miss ships more than anything in the world. Just to make it clear, I was part of the stage crew, and with some of these guys it was so nice because they kind of make sure you share their success! Big hug from Nik (Legend of the Seas)!
do you know how much they made?
it seems like she's sending somekind of secret "help me out of here" message
I think she just needs a *small* break
a SmALL BrEaK
As a former crew member, in entertainment, I can say that those performers get paid very well! Also, this video misrepresented when saying they get “no vacation days” for 11 months. True, their contract is long, but they don’t work every single day their onboard. They have “days off” where they can relax and do whatever.
Thank you for that comment. There is indeed a difference between vacation and days off. And there are other professions where you don't get to decide when to go on a vacation (teachers for example).
But it did sound pretty brutal and in no way did it sound like normal praxis. These performers need to form a union and make a collective claim to create a better working environment for themselves and future employees.
My cast has no days off. We have other duties we perform :)
@@arianamazzagatti391 :) in a typical day, how many hours do you dedicate to your gym training etc outside of rehearsals? and how long have you been doing aerial for? (also do they allow you to go on land/some of the excursions during your contract?) x
Is it an hour a day gym and hour a day stretching or do you mix it up slightly depending on how many shows you do that day or if you are doing other duties?
@@aayy11300 Right! So an hour at least of a workout. For any aerialists, we are required for an extra hour of aerial training and conditioning, and dance classes. I started aerial in high school!
As. cast member, we are SO lucky! We have time in the days to get off if there are no rehearsals or drills!
Y’all weren’t allowed to see their cabins...hmm
I mean they are standard crew cabins? And in comparison to some older ships quite nice ones. Yeah sure they are small in comparison to rooms on lanf and most if the time shared, but that is standard for all lines?
You know that when you sign your contract
Just search up "symphony of the seas crew cabins" and you'll find a few
I was a performer on a cruise ship and our cabins were very nice. Remember if they make it terrible for us American performers we will just leave.
because its a private space lol what
Refuse to say how much they are paid, but tHeY hAvE hOuSiNg, tHeY cAn EaT aT oUr ReStAuRaNt, and no day’s off for 11months, 8 shows a week.... Some slavery is involved here.
MySisterIsAFoodie People in other departments do work really hard and the pay isn’t great. I don’t know why they suggested you work every single day as a performer - maybe you might have an hour’s security duty on one day, but you’re not doing shows everyday! And it’s quite well paid for a performance job (Royal in particular), especially as you have so few expenses and often big tax breaks for working at sea.
@@stephendole5932 The dancers usually start at $2200, and some of the acro used to go up to $3800 month. Everyone is paid in CASH from an ATM on board, always while at sea. Singers are paid the most, sometimes $8000mo again, CASH.
Adam Menzies Not sure when you worked for Royal or for which ship. But I was a dancer on the Allure 3 years ago and got $3400 per month. I know some our leads were on much more. These days it isn’t cash, they put it on what is essentially a pre-paid credit card.
Stephen Dole I was
On Allure and Oasis. About 7 years ago.
Stephen Dole sent you a friend on FB :)
They get paid very little and live in very bad conditions. It’s fun to do for a season when your in your 20s but later on you feel like a servant underdog without any respect. Slavery is their bottom line.
Anna A i know someone who worked on a cruise ship and they said this exactly
They're also expected to socialize with guests when not performing. :-(
top performers often get their own rooms with larger living space and paid fairly. Most of the performers do enjoy it a lot and have decent wages
Until they mature and understand the true meaning of the word proletariat. Many don’t actually. @lee sherman
Anna A Obviously like any industry, there are better and worse companies to work for. Life is certainly very difficult for cleaners, waiters etc but the vast majority of performers on cruise ships earn good money and have a fairly easy life! I worked on Royal and Crystal and I had a great time on both. You save a lot of money due to lack of expenses, get to see the world and certainly don’t work everyday like it suggests in this video!
Being resistant to being sea sick really helps
Taran Patel I’d have to disagree 😂 Just came back from RCCL’s Symphony, and on a stormy night, the ship was rocking so much and you could hear the booming sounds of the waves crashing on the front of the ship as you went to sleep.
As a former cruise ship performer it can take a few weeks to become resistant to it, I would be performing on stage in the first week and have to leave to throw up. Oddly enough after you get used to it, when you are on land it feels funny and you get a little sick.
I worked on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess right through my 20s, 9.5 years in the end! One of the best decisions I ever made was to work on ships, my second best decision was to decide to no longer work on ships lol. A lot of people here are saying it's slave labor which definitely made me LOL. Working on ships is one of the most unique and life changing experiences any young person can do. The community is like nothing you can replicate on land, the friends you make are friends for life and you have to bear this in mind... Most people are in 9 to 5 office jobs and commute to the office for 60 minutes per day, have all the stresses of 'living on land.' Cruise ships sure you work crazy hours, but your 'office' is a 45 second walk away, everything from cleaning your cabin, cooking every meal is all taken care of by the ship. Equally, when they say 'work 7 days per week,' sure you do but... On port days that might be x 2 hours giving the rest of the day to go and explore a beautiful island. Pretty sure if I had my 20s again, I'd take cruise ship slave labour over the 9 to 5 version :).
Yes! I’m hoping to land something soon as a performer 🙏🏾
Haha :) Great perspective! I was a bit put off by the fact that the performers don't have 'vacation days', but interesting to hear your experience. All our lives and jobs have some degree of trade-offs, I suppose.
That's what I figured. Mazz and her crew probably actually only do shows 4 nights of the week, so the other 3 days they can rehearse. She probably works 6-8 hours those nights and maybe only 2-3 on the off nights, which isn't really that bad.
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Why is no one talking about the short time when the person was walking with their toes curled up
I was literally scrolling and looking for this comment! Thank you! I'm no the only one!
rivalry i can do that
Many dancers can do that, I know I can!!
Yeah dancers do that.. it’s a normal thing for us 🤣
I'm not even a dancer and I do that all the time
i bet she gets better payed than all the artists, thats why she wants to continue
No shit sherlock she the captain
Whoa dude... I bet pilots make more than flight attendants too... weird right? 🙄
@@lucaspatrick542 LOL
Dude... imagine if the main actors got paid more than the extras... it would be so weird
They don’t get days off or “vacation” because when the ship docks at any destination they also get to get off and enjoy the islands. I think this video made it seem like they work 24/7 7 days a week for 11 months straight which is definitely not true. They have an amazing job!!!
Ana Castiblanco it’s the perks
My cast has their duties, even if we don’t do a show every single day. We have 6 Hiros, and 2 Aqua Nations. Plus we work backstage at Hairspray, Flight, 1977, and Ice Skate. As well as Drills, meetings, blowing balloons, two parades. Some do Wardrobe duties, fixing and washing costumes, wigs, sharpening ice skates, etc.
@@arianamazzagatti391 Casts and musicians shouldn't have to do that shit. They should do the job they're specifically employed to do and their safety duty. Nothing more unless they specifically want to get a 2nd job and get extra cash.
@@brassholio Disney performers have the same types of duties!
Yes, we do! The video gave me the same vibe "performers are slaves" and it's not true
I went on this ship in the summer and was talking to a staff member in the teen club. She told me she lived on the ship for 7 months. She doesn't get to eat the food at the free restaurants and only gets the food made by the chefs and has scheduled meals. The teens got her a bunch of pizza from the free pizza restaurant.
its pure slavery, I worked for royal caribbean in entertainment department like a lighting tec. Wages are shit, cabins are shit, food for crew is shit. I left royal to go on Cunard, which was much better company. After 9 years I am done with a sea life. Royall Is on of the worst companies out there.
You met a CREW member. Staff members have guest privileges. Entertainment department has a great life onboard.
Did you ask her if she was happy to have the job? To you the guest food seems luxurious. Try eating it 7 days a week for 11 months, you will never eat chicken cordon blue again. That's why there is a mess hall, it changes everyday. And is calorically better for you too. BTW, tipping her with money would have been a better options.
That’s correct.. we only eat in the crew mess and that’s the same food every day
@@cryptotron i 100 % agree with you , I’ve worked for both royal and Cunard too
She’s a real superhero! She and the other performers deserve all the success the get.
Wew. I can't even commit to our Christmas Presentation.
Everyone’s talking about work conditions but I find the girl walking on her bare toes most disturbing 😂😂😂
dancers do that its not that bad
akko mouse respect to them
I used to be able to
Omg me too I was like why is nobody mentioning that😂
@œ æ idk they just do it randomly like no in dance rountines but to stretch and stuff
I have watched all the shows and the ship a week ago and got home 2 days ago and all of them we OUTSTANDING, some were nail biting and others just make you smile or your heart burst. People work very hard to entertain us, so I appreciate them,
0:26 OW OW OW OW
Chi chan ikr
Free housing = a closet shared with another person
Literally just watched their show an hour ago. absolute professionals and I respect their work ethic and incredible athleticism.
All of that money poured into this cruise line and the higher-ups can't even afford these people a makeup artist? smh
actually you would be surprised how many professional broadway performers, rockettes, touring performing do their own makeup....if it isn't involving prosthetics or anything crazy the performer usually does it themselves.
Andrea Rose true but also I thought it’d save them time and let them have one less thing to worry about
Kelly Nguyen performers (including myself, I dance) usually find the process of putting on makeup relaxing. It gets you into character and preps you for the show!
Actually, that seems to be the industry standard, I know Cirque du Soleil artists also do their own makeup. Unless it's some elaborate design.
Most dancers do their own makeup. Usually the girls are pretty good at it by college level dancing.
When i was on this ship back in November of 2019 i had a blast and this show was my favorite. It blew me and my family away.
As someone who had the option to work on a ship, you'd be sharing a small interior/lower deck cabin ie. no windows and *small* with 3-5 other people. Shared bathrooms. You'd only be allowed to use crew stairways and hallways, crew cafeteria etc. I didn't hear anyone say that you could mix and mingle with guests or even think about eating in their buffets. For the backstage crew, it seemed like you had to be invisible while on board. You could get off the ship when you were in port when not working which would be rare with 8 shows a week, and you were paid roughly $500/week. Same as on land at the time which was the early 2000s.
If they need to abandon ship, they will all score 10/10
I think for these guys performing is a life long passion and dream and to many of these people just the fact they get to do it sharing their art while being able to travel the world is enough for them. Pay is likely poor but at the same time when they don't have to pay for accommodation, food or drink it means their pay starts to add up nicely, not to mention the fact they will receive tips which on a lot of cruise ships (At least the ones I've been on) are charged automatically to the passengers.
I was just there a week ago and watched HIRO it was amazing and even got to go back stage for sitting at the very front in the splash zone
A friend of mine does this once a year. He is an expert in the card game Bridge and gets a free cruise to teach beginners in the morning and more advanced in the afternoon. From his perspective, he gets a free holiday in passenger quarters, with teaching the hobby he loves.
From the cruise line, they get a top player and also passengers who have booked just because he is on board.
So not all performers do the full 11 months.
It's sad to think that all these performers very likely lost their jobs due to covid :(
Pretty much all performers did, the shows got cancelled due to covid. They were all sent home especially after tourists started to be diagnosed covid positive on board on different cruiseships
Worse for every other departament
Number one quote from cruise line dancers "When you go to do a jump and the stage goes from this level (low) to this level (high)." and there goes your knees.
The fact that there are so many things they're not sharing and letting us see is really indicative of how shitty the conditions must actually be. Not sharing wages, even a salary range is a huge red flag. Emphasizing that they get housing and get to travel is simply insane. They're on a ship that moves! Where else would they sleep!?! Of course they're gonna travel! And they mentioned a grocery store, which means meals are almost certainly not free. They mentioned "other safety duties," which means that in addition to dangerous performances, these people are forced to do some other type of labor, likely for no extra pay. No letting us see the equipment is probably less because it's "proprietary" and more because it's shoddy and possibly dangerous. And finally worst of all was the mention that no other ship employees can use the passenger gym or eat at the special restaurants. None of those Filipino laborers earning pennies a day are given those opportunities! Not that they could afford to take them anyway, with the slave wages they earn. What a sham. You guys should've snuck a hidden camera in there and gotten a real story instead of this fluff piece with some paid off company shill who talks about how bad her body is bruised every night, then insists she loves her job. She probably didn't get that private cabin till she agreed to spread that propaganda.
Performer doing a full split on thumbnail:
Me: ok. I’ll watch
For everyone wondering, they are paid around $1,600 to 4,000 a month which is 19,200-48,000 per year
OMG we just sailed on this ship and these performers were AMAZING!! The Aqua show was one of our favourite things.
She's highly talented! Saw the Hiro Performance! Truly awe-catching 😲 Kudos to the team!!
This show is A M A Z I N G. “Hiro” on Symphony. Possibly one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, anywhere.
They knew what they were doing with that thumbnail
when you think of all of the jobs that you could have, this one wouldn’t come to mind, but it definitely seems like a pretty cool one!
Despite all of this I was there to see the aqua show and they’re so amazing!
I can hardly imagine how hard it must be to do those flips at 2:58. Running through water is so hard AND they have a whole cape that looks like it's soaked. It must be pretty heavy.
I was on Symphony of the Seas earlier this year, and the HiRo show is absolutely incredible. All of the shows were amazing, but HiRo was crazy good!🤩
Broadway wishes it had this level of adaptable skill. Muscle memory is kinda stretched when the floor is moving. I'm in awe.
I LOVEEEE THIS CHANNELLL
I saw this show last week on Symphony, and it was absolutely amazing! By far my favorite show on the ship!
When I worked as a performer on a cruise ship we were paid really well. In fact the minimum for a dancer on Royal is advertised at 700/week... not bad
When I went on royal Caribbean I remember seeing there amazing show at night time and the next day I sat there seeing them practice it was so amazing
The hardest job ever to perform 8 times a week more than the days of the week
Lol far from it. Thats not the hardest job in the world, the universe even
They perform twice in one day sometimes
yea it can be rough. they perform sometimes 3 times a day.
They do get some days off, and they do actually get good pay. The only bad thing is the living quarters.
that's what you do for Broadway as. well and I would assume the west end
My high school and college friend, Jeff Lind, did an 11 month cruise ship gig as a top 40 guitarist / tenor, lead singer. He enjoyed all the performing / guitar playing time. He could take or leave the singing.
I went on this ship before, it was pretty dope
I loveeeeee royal Caribbean! I’m going on the symphony this summer and I’m sooo excited
I know a guy who was a performer for disney cruises
Supposedly disney treats them pretty well, at least on the ship he was on
He said one scary thing though was that he started off playing one character, but then became the new Jack Sparrow after the original actor got hurt doing a stunt
He was like yeah obviously I loved playing that role, but it’s not as cool being told that you get to play the part some other guy almost died doing lol
but he said otherwise it was great
What a wonderful career she has. Glad shes happy
This is the longest Royal Caribbean ad I have ever watched.
Oh I’ve been on this shop twice already! I loved it.
Won't say how much they're paid?
Suspicious.
Probably $3 an hour
They get paid more money than you ever will.
Saaby World Exactly. That’s why they have the courage to endure this 11-month torture. Who do you think would work 11 months straight without a single day off if they were not being lucratively remunerated?
no these workers are paid well its the cabin team are paid shit
@@kindgurly1 wow you think all hard jobs pay well. must be nice for you to think that way. dont ever research the shipping industry Id hate for the way you imagine the world to be shattered.
Performers are one of the people I admire the most
I went on this cruise last year the entertainment is incredible
We saw a stage performance during rough seas . Then the next night, an ice capades show. Awesome.
0:26
I'm not the only one who can do this....right?
Acrobats nail their landing based on partly muscle memory. Imagine trying to land on a platform that keeps on moving. It's shocking that there aren't more of these performers getting injured from not making the landing.
Omg my friend Danielle does this! We did gymnastics performance in college? *looks in background for her “
A lot of ppl on here are complaining about the pay.
They don’t get paid a lot but it’s not news to them. Most of them do it for the experience. They’re not getting the biggest and best rooms or eating the most expensive meals because they’re their to work. It’s clearly not a job for everyone but the people who do it aren’t being forced.
"What It Takes To Be A Cruise-Ship Performer"
Just like most performers,.
My parents love Royal Carribean line. I should have went with my parents years ago.
I regret not auditioning for cirque du soleil. They sent me a letter. I had been in my job a short while.
The ship is harder to do routines.
How they talk about working reminds me of that South Park episode “student athletes”
It seems very difficult, probably with less than ideal conditions, but I imagine the sense of accomplishment performing on shipboard is something they never forget.
I’m starting my audition process for Royal this upcoming June and I’m hoping to be signed to a contract around July or August :)
Did you get signed?!? 🤩
Cool story. We’ve been on many cruises. It’s rare to see an American worker aboard a cruise liner. Good for her. Mazz - if you’re reading this, stay safe and healthy.
4:48 That video compression though...
I live here at Hawaii and every Thursday and Tuesday these gigantic cruise ships come to dock for a day so their passengers can enjoy the island for a brief moment.
The workers come off at night to the bars and I talk to quite a lot of them and it’s crazy when you hear the hours they have to work , the $ they earn, and the living situation. Most of them I talked to hated the job.
Anarchy is big on the ship supposedly and if you’re in the top it’s not bad.
“She flies over the crown with only wires” what else do you want her to hang on other than wires
The hope that at least she has health insurance XD
To each its own. I was a consultant for a number of years. One of my engagement was for a major chain of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. We had free court food, free rooms and we were in Vegas for a year. Everybody in my group hated it. I thought it was nice to go for a weekend. But after a few months of working there we all dreaded it. The corporate culture was brash to put it mild, the hours were very long, the food becomes any other cafeteria food, absolutely horrible. Even the smell of the casinos are injected into the air with a mix that is supposed to make you feel happy while you are gambling; but for months at a time makes you nauseous. Those hotels are dark and depressing. They are made without sun light to make you forget the time. Anyway, it was an experience I sure did not enjoy. Glad she is having a good time
Not only do they get treated like slaves, they have to also pay for WiFi, and that shit is $100 a week. Royale Caribbean over prices a LOT of stuff
Hermes Playz You have to pay for WiFi but the crew doesn’t pay anywhere near the same rate as the guests. Honestly though, we all tended to Skype home/download stuff etc while we were in port.
They are not being treated as slave, they get good pay (I assure you, otherwise these people would not purposely out compete others for the job) and they get health insurance, which is sometimes not granted, which I would find more concerning than wifi.
I sailed from Australia to England in 1973 via Canada ...5 weeks of the 'good life' and never repeated.
The cruise was split into two sections with a change of entertainment either in San Francisco or Los Angeles..it was a long time ago !!!!!!!!!!
A few days before arriving at the half way port we were asked to rate each entertainment item.
I understand that any act that didn't make the grade was put ashore when we docked.
Show business...not for the faint at heart.
Wow a 40 ft diving pool that must be scary and mostly because it is in a ship 😬
one of my dance teachers is a cruise ship performer, he is absolutely phenomenal. Cruise ships in Australia are abt to take off soon, yay
Stop scrolling through the comments and get some sleep
Mazz you are so cool! Would love to see more about what you do online or on tiktok or something!
No vacation time because everyday is a vacation.
I think that's pushing it.
They work for 11 months straight and live at the bottom of the ship. That sounds like a vacation? They may even be able to go days without seeing the actual sun.
I could not do that job hats off to those people for seriously working in those conditions and pulling off great shows did not realise it was so difficult
0:26 oh god that killed me
We have been on this cruise ship and have watched this in summer! I really loved the show! My kids for wet because they were on the front row!
Yeah I was on Symphony in spring . The shows were indeed awesome, and the ship is beautiful. However, I think I enjoyed the “smaller” Liberty of the seas a bit more, which I did last year . I feel like there needs to be a limit on number of people on ship. Waits for shows, waits for food, waits to get on & off ship, crowds at pools... you get the idea. I can’t imagine the work the crews have dealing with all these people
My dance teacher was in the musical on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Now she’s on a P&O cruise in Australia!
I assume that the requirements of these performers are similar (give or take) to what is required for Cirque du Soleil
performers? Either way, these guys are very impressive. I've never had the money, time, or means to go on a cruise so something like this is not likely something that I will ever see in person.
Watched them last year, it was amazing!
I have a lot more respect for cruise performers after this video
My granpa died and we got a call mid ice show in a Royal Caribbean show. I felt bad leaving the performance in the middle because they were doing amazing.
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Sometimes when i see stories or movies about sea cruises - i feel like I am living in another dimension. Never have I met somebody in real life around me who was there (( It always sounds like a "regular entertainment" for many people. But in my country... It was always a dream. Never a reality. I envy all those who can afgord those kind of travels.
I accidentally read the title as "what it takes to be a cruise ship"