[Dixielandjazz] Position available

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/16/04 5:38:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> >Upright Bassist Position Available! Please circulate this gig to anyone
> you may think interested/qualified. The Gig: Carnival >Cruise Lines -
> Jazz trio - 6 month tour - $500.00 weekly - Rolls Royce health benefits
> - Free food and room - Next available
> >Dates: ETC., ETC.
> 
> 

Having been on a series of Carnival Cruise Ships,  as a  marketing guest of 
the LIne, I can attest to the the quality of the food as being about the same 
as the Fine Upscale Dinning at Denny's Resturants, or the frozen o'rdoures at 
Costco  like their famous Bagle Bites, and Pizza rolls, etc.

The quarters for the musicians are in the bowels of the ship right next to 
the engine rooms, and the best part of the gig is that the musicians are not 
allowed to fraternize with the paying cruisers.   Hence no sitting down to have a 
friendly drink with any of them after or before a show, and even stopping to 
talk to them is often frowned upon in the off show hours.   No Selling CDs or 
pursuing the booking of outside off ship gigs etc.

Quite honestly folks the Gig Sucks, and the money while it may be better than 
what some OKOM musicians make on a regular basis is less than what a shift 
manager makes working at McDonalds.     Cruising on a Carnival ship is akin to a 
week at Spring Break full of drunken college kids, and if you compl;ain about 
the food, they offer to buy you a drink, if you complain about your cabin 
they offer you a drink, in fact their answer to everything is to offer you 
another drink.  They hire a bunch of college kids fromt he drink-a-thons to run the 
activities department and have lots of games to play the prizes of which are 
Drinks.  

They are fond of their slogan  THE FUN SHIPS  it's all about Fun Fun Fun!  
and they like to view themselves as the Las Vegas of the Seas.

I would not cruise on those ships for Free, thank you very much.

Now on the other hand I have booked some fine entertainers ( solo Pianist ) 
on Holland America Cruises trans Atlantic for $1,200.00 a week + first class 
Cabin for her and her spouse, all meals in the Dining Room, and she only 
performed two shows a week inboth directions.   Now that is a Class Cruise.

LIke all other gigs, you need to investigate the markeplace and see what is 
out there before you get too excited about getting booked on a Cruise.   They 
are not all the same, some are much worse than others.  :)   Carnival is about 
as good as dong a USO tour. and pays about the same as well.  Peanuts.   With 
the caliber of some of the musicians I saw and heard on my excursions through 
Carnival ships, I would add that some folks should not complain about how much 
they earn, they are actually being overpaid.   The same can be said for 
working for Food and Beverage managers at hotel chains, most of them have no idea 
what good music is either.   They have absolutely NO training and get all their 
experience on the job, and only understand that they should book the band as 
cheap as possible to they can get more mark up on the food and beverages.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins