If you’re a musician, it’s likely that you’ll earn a decent amount of money on a cruise ship. Why? Because you usually don’t have a place to spend the money you’ve earned. Still, like any other job, your earnings will depend on several factors.

Background and Position

By analyzing the musician cruise ship jobs on Jooble, we’ve come to a conclusion. Experience and position always play an important role in the compensation for a job. It’s very logical that an experienced person is going to be paid more than an inexperienced one, and that depending on the position the compensation will vary. Look at it this way, as:

• Entry-level musician: You can make about $2.000 to $3.000 per month. That’s because you’re just starting. Still, it’s a good buck if you don’t spend it until you get off the cruise.

• Experienced musician: When you have experience, you can earn somewhere between $3.000 to $5.000 per month. 

• Lead: As a lead of the band, you can earn more. Usually, the band earns as a whole, and all the earnings are split equally among the members. However, if the cruise provider provides specific contracts to band members, the pay per role may vary.Contract Type

If you’re being hired through an intermediary, you might not get as much money as we mentioned, as they’ll also want to take a cut. But, when a cruise directly hires you, it’s smooth sailing. Get it? Your earnings will also depend on whether you’re on a full-time or a part-time contract. 

Negotiation

If you know how to negotiate, you can get even better pay. There’s no need to think only about earnings, you can also think about the work atmosphere, accommodations, and other benefits when negotiating a job.

Cruise Line and Type

On the basis of the length of the contract you can earn more or less. This is obvious, if you stay longer, you can earn more because you’re saving up while you’re on the cruise. But, your pay will also depend on the cruise line and type:

• Premium cruise: When you get a long-term contract with a premium cruise or luxury one, you can earn from $8.000 to $12.000 per month.

• Corporate cruise: These cruises usually have larger budgets, so it’s likely they can allocate more money.

The region you’re taking a cruise in is a factor and the type of cruiser. A luxury cruiser will probably pay more than a regular one. Some cruises take place on rivers and transatlantic cruises that might pay more than the river ones. All these factors apply.

Benefits

If your cruise offers free meals and accommodation, this is probably the situation with most cruises. The earnings will also depend on the availability of the amenities on the ship. If everything is available to you, and you like having fun, you may be coming home with less money.

Another thing to think about when looking for a vacancy as a cruise musician is reimbursement for travel expenses from your place to the ship. 

Other Income

If you get lucky while you’re on board, you might even get some students who want music lessons during the cruise. Also, there might be good tippers among the guests, and if you’re an author, i.e. have your own records, you can sell them on the cruise.

Conclusion

If you’re wondering how much you can earn as a musician on a cruise, it’s all here, and it’s anywhere from $2.000 to $12.000 a month, depending on the experience, position, cruise line, and the benefits of the cruise.

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