{"id":1283,"date":"2019-01-27T08:14:23","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T08:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/how_to_get_gigs\/?p=1283"},"modified":"2026-02-28T18:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T18:48:07","slug":"musicians-wanted-for-cruise-ships-gigs-in-dubai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/how_to_get_gigs\/musicians-wanted-for-cruise-ships-gigs-in-dubai\/","title":{"rendered":"Musicians wanted for Cruise Ships & gigs in Dubai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last updated: February 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To most musicians, the opportunity to travel and earn money performing on cruise ships or in five star hotels is incredibly tempting. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is not a decision to be taken lightly, and anyone considering cruise ship work should begin by carefully weighing the pros and cons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog, we’ll set out the positives and negatives of a musicians’ life afloat, as well as giving the inside scoop on leads for auditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Musicians who perform nightly sets on cruise ships often have a rich network and extensive background of musical performance. As with all work, the competition is fierce and this can make it difficult for even the most talented young musicians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you even consider life at sea, make sure your repertoire is as extensive as it possibly can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life at sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Positives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Playing on a cruise ship offers a rare opportunity to work in the music industry and to be on a salary and, as a musician, knowing exactly what you have coming in every month is a rare gift indeed! The wages will generally be pretty good \u2014 see our FAQ below for current salary figures \u2014 and this becomes even more attractive when you consider that food and accommodation will usually be taken care of for the duration of your contract, leaving you with very little in the form of costs. If you’re thinking about getting well paid gigs as a musician<\/a>, cruise ships and international hotel residencies are among the best-paying regular work available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on your situation, you may apply to work as an individual musician or as an established band. As a solo musician, then you’ll be presented with a brilliant opportunity to network with brand new faces, who may well hit you up for other contracts and gigs back on dry land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overwhelming positive though, is the opportunity to travel. Working on a cruise liner can literally take you to every corner of the globe, and give you the chance to see and experience all kinds of different cultures, meet new people and make friends for life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negatives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Many cruise ship musicians have been coerced into doing other tasks on the ship. There have been reports that this can include wearing life jackets and pointing at exits during safety demonstrations, helping passengers when they are lost and even transferring disabled passengers onto the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big thing to beware of is cabin fever. Musicians will usually be required to perform in the late afternoon\/evenings. This leaves a considerable amount of free time (anything up to 10 hours) during the day to fill. If utilised wisely, this could be used to learn a new language or practice your music theory. However, cabin fever and boredom can easily set in for those who do not keep themselves busy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, this does not mean that the work itself is not demanding. Contracts vary, but you may be asked to perform anything up to 4 sets of 45 minutes a night, 6 nights a week!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some companies choose to save money on their entertainment costs, by breaking bands down to an acoustic or instrumental performance earlier (usually over dinner), followed by a full band party set later on. This can be particularly hard on vocalists, and cruise bands will require as many of their members to have lead vocal ability as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deciding what gear to take can be a real pain!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also several practical things to consider about your life back home when embarking. While short contracts do exist, many standard cruise ship contracts won’t be less than 3 months at a time, with some being between 6 and even 8 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re renting your house, you may have to consider giving it up or making arrangements to sub-let or house sit, or face leaving the house unoccupied for long periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you currently make your living as a musician already, few bands will accept a musician being out of action for 6 months at a time, and you will probably have to leave any existing line ups, or face the prospect of being fired. Any other work you do, be it in recording studios or teaching will probably also have to be surrendered. In many respects, coming back on to dry land may lead you to start again from the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruise ship drummer John Clark says that musicians should expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Very low money and cramped living quarters, but you can travel world and get paid for it, with free accommodation and selected food\/drink. There’s very little to spend your money on so it is ideal for people who don’t mind the sea and will not be too lonely leaving everyone at home. It also looks great on a CV.<\/p>John Clark<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Where to look for gigs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve decided life at sea is for you, here is some advice for getting your first contracts and some links for places to apply. Feel free to email admin@lastminutemusicians.com<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join a talent agency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joining a talent agency is a good start for musicians keen to perform on cruise ships. Ideal for individual musicians, duos and 3-5 piece bands, an agency’s role is to offer musicians for performances at theatres, ballrooms, bars and restaurants. Musicians need to be able to play a wide variety of styles and a 200+ repertoire of songs covering all decades. Whilst it is a bonus if musicians can sight read, it is not essential, as their primary job is to sound good. It’s important to remember that agency can take a fee in a form of a percentage of the contract value!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apply directly to cruise lines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whilst applying directly to cruise lines will circumvent the agency fees, it can often take longer for musicians to (literally!) get their voice heard, as cruise ship companies take longer to reply and may already be dedicated to using one particular agency. However those who are successful applying directly to cruise companies may find themselves easily rehired once a contract has ended. As with many things in the music industry, it’s all about creating a rapport and building a working relationship with employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you regularly play on cruise ships? Let us know your tips for getting cruise ship work, as a musician, in the comments section at the bottom of the blog!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current opportunities for cruise work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking for cruise gigs? The best place to start is Musicians For Cruises<\/a> \u2014 a dedicated platform for musicians seeking cruise ship and international hotel contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also list your act on Last Minute Musicians<\/a> to get found by event organisers, agencies, and clients looking for musicians for a wide variety of engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can join our Facebook group to be notified of opportunities as they come in: www.facebook.com\/groups\/ukmusiciansforgigs\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Note: The gig listings below are historical examples, kept for reference only. These positions have all been filled. Please visit Musicians For Cruises<\/a> for current openings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please click the links below to see the audition requirements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n