First, on the pro/con...
Main pro for me was time performing and getting paid. If you're a jazzer or commercial player, you get some soloing and reading experience, in a lot of different styles, depending on the band's duties. Usually you can find one compatriot who wants to jam. Second was seeing a bit of the world with someone else paying. You'll make some contacts on the ships, and friends in the biz, especially if you move from ship to ship, line to line, and meet and play with a lot of different people, instead of settling in on one line and route (where some members get comfortable and play for years). Make friends, meet people. I still have professional contacts and close friends from ships I played 15 years ago. I met my then future wife on a cruise (she was a tour guide). YMMV! Have fun, by all means. Be careful if you party with (insert country here). I've hung with cats that would make your average frat party look like wine tasting. If you like to arrange music, compose originals, or just do stuff on a computer for your own enjoyment, or have some side gig, you'd have a lot of time on the ship. Just not a great internet connection. The bands play when the passengers are on the ship, not in the morning. So when in port the bands are off, except for the lobby guitarist. Sometimes there is an opportunity for extra money, the good one for my roomie was assisting the art auction. Good $ taste, but my friend needed a nicer suit ($450 not $200) and tie and he had some charm.
Cons: If you are currently gigging or have lots of contacts or opportunities now, those dry up more than a bit when you're on the ship, just because you are unavailable and say no too many gigs. If you're thinking about being in shape for an orchestral or military audition, in my experience it would be tough, getting in all the practice time you'd want, on a ship. Difficult to find an empty room to play for hours. Pay is just okay as long as you keep expenses down. If you have heavy student loans, could be tough. If you are on break between runs, you're not paid. Pretty much only American flag ships (rare) offer medical insurance, benefits, other than the ships doctor for some aspirin and Tamiflu. Keeping in physical shape? The crew gym is often kind of basic, so get off the ship in port and do a lot of walking.
I did know a drummer with a good situation. He was quite good (important) and a drummer (very valuable), a nice, dependable guy (recommended by band leaders), and he
only did fill in work. He had it set with the contractor he would just fill in gaps for 2 or 3 weeks, maybe a month. Never got involved with any ship's situation, if he had a bad roomie it would end soon, no politics, always interesting, lots or reading and new shows to learn. Kept it fresh. I don't know if a trombonist could get that, but telling the contractor you're available at the drop of a hat, passport ready, packed and ready to go
anywhere, might move you up the list a bit.
1. Whatever you do, do NOT sign an exclusivity agreement. That would mean you cannot switch to another cruise line.
2. Do NOT sign an agreement to an agency that supplies cruise ships with musician that takes a cut for every job you will ever do on any cruise line, they even bill you for a % when you switch lines. IMHO, it is one thing to take a commission on a single contract, it is quite another to keep a finger in my pocket wherever I play.
After that, adding to the above posts. Some big companies have a web site that posts openings, where you upload resumes, recording/vid links, or the contact info for their main contractor. These days people like to see that you have stage presence, so if it looks good, post vids of live gigs with a little horn choreography on a pop song, short lively solos, "big band lead" can mean a credible version of Getting Sentimental Over You, Marie, a la Dorsey or Buddy Morrow or something from your jazz band playing section lead, singing, can help. A little rock, improving on rock/funk tune, standards, pop, jazz, show.
Expect
- A lot of sight reading on the bandstand. If the band does society dance stuff, you'll read that a lot on the stand. If you are doing more top 40 club stuff, the rehearsals are for the singers and dancers, so read the chart well and take time to memorize it on your own time very very quickly, because the form will change if they decide to extend a song for the dancers, and you'll have choreography, interaction with the passengers. Show rehearsals are for the singers, dancers, and stage stuff. Musicians are expected to get it right, right away. Generally, I think Bands tend to rehearse very little, usually just the shows and maybe a new tune.
Improvising. Leaders don't necessarily give you a tune list, or time to search your iPad for a chart. Have that discussion before the set if you're nervous about what head tunes get called.
Know a lot of standards heads and changes. I played in more of a society band. So we played Standards that are danceable like 30s and 40s tunes, swing, more than bebop jazz standards.
On your laptop, download tons of fakebooks, PDF lead sheets, tunes, etc. Internet on ships is much better today than in the past, but downloading files can be a pain. You won't be able to access your spotify or itunes for much of the time you're out.
Make sure your passport is up to date, with a year or more on it.
Know that you're under contract, and if the company needs to adjust the schedule or move you to a different ship, they can.
Pack light on your first cruise. Basic mutes (straight, cup, plunger, unless they specifically say you need pixie, solotone, or harmon for some show), 1 horn. Worried about needing a repair? Well if someone drops a crate on your horn, you're out of luck. But you should be able to get through 3 months without needing a slide repair. You can probably go years without a trombone mishap. At least once a week you should be in a port that has a repair shop. Do that research when you know the itinerary but before you board. You would hand carry a horn on and off ship, keep it in a hard case around the ship (narrow hallways, metal stairs, no good storage options for a soft case). Bring horn stand, extra slide goo, etc. If you don't already have a silent brass, just some foam in your adjustable cup mute is probably fine. I usually count on finding a time to practice backstage in the theater, but if you really put in a lot of face time, plan on a solution. If you wanted to bring "extra", and you double on guitar or something, that might be worth the extra luggage.
Please don't practice in your cabin, your neighbor is a waiter or room steward who probably puts in 18 hour shifts doing a much harder job. So the 1 hour nap they get in the middle of the day really matters to them.
Do be ready to be in charge of a lifeboat station. You'd not have to handle ropes and boats, but ships I've been on all wanted musicians (who have some presence and speaking in public experience) to take roll and give passengers basic instructions.
Pack a small flashlight. Comes in handy in so many ways (finding something you dropped backstage during a show, finding something in your cabin without waking roommate). And if the ship ever did go dark, it is very dark in your inside low level cabin. Earplugs, cuz you don't know your roommate.
I'm guessing the contractor will specify, but have a good quality tux that is very comfortable, loose. Ships get hot. Good black shoes.
3. Don't be "that guy". Cruise ship horror stories abound, like the guy who peed into a pickle jar from his top bunk because he didn't want to go all the way to the bathroom, 4 feet away, the guy who tried to pick up passengers and bring back to their cabin, a lot. Sure, totally against the rules, but really a violation of roommate code.
4. Really keep your costs low. Eat the chow you're offered. Don't wear a hat in the officers mess. Easy on the alcohol. If you think you'll do this for a while, get rid of your apartment and plan to visit family or friends between cruises.
5. Set your home address with a family member so you have a reliable place for mail and taxes, preferably in a state with no state taxes. Organize your banking and bills to be all online.
6. Take advantage of the experience. Take time getting to know each port. Check with the excursions team to see if they need crew to chaperone trips. Just taking attendance on the bus and holding a little sign can get you free horseback riding, historic ruins trip, run on a 1960 racing yacht. One I had was a day drinking beer, eating grilled chicken, and snorkeling around an island small enough you could swim around without your beer getting too warm by the time you get back.
Pros:
Networking opportunities.
Yes, some if you change ships/lines regularly.
Traveling opportunities.
Yes!
Time to practice and get better at the things I want to get better at WHILE still gigging and making money.
Yep, as above, sometimes tough to find space, and you might not be able to play loud on an open horn.
No rent or food costs.
Yep!
Cons:
Being away from friends/loved ones for months at a time.
Mine were happy for me. Easy to keep in touch
Tiny living space(not really a con unless I have to keep my instruments in my room)
Unfamiliarity with international laws/languages.
Ports tend to be English friendly. English is very common in travel industry. Always travel in groups in unfamiliar places, for your safety.
What happens if I get sick? Do I get fired?
Ships docs for common ailments, doc can do emergency appendectomy. Seriously ill, you'd be in a port within 48 hours, and probably have to de-ship on your expense.
What happens in the event of family emergencies at home? Do I have the ability to leave when I get to a port and fly out from there back home?
For something like a close family death, possible. At your expense. You are under a contract, and tough to replace immediately. You'd really want to communicate that situation clearly, it is very involved to get your passport back from the office of the purser, get entry to a foreign country, and fly home from a foreign airport. If you have a family member in a condition that could turn bad, you might not want to choose to be working overseas/on the seas.