Joe Ayala spent many, many years aboard cruise ships as an OMB entertainer and piano bar player/singer. I've done some smaller vessels, but nothing to the scale Joe did. The largest boat I performed upon was a private yacht in the Florida Keys, a 75-foot Burger that cost nearly $2-million new.



I used just the PSR-3000, no amp, about 25 people on the yacht at the time - neat party, good pay.

In comparison, I looked into the possibility of being a regular aboard a cruise ship, the pay was lousy, about $800 a week at the time for non-headliner performers, you slept in a tiny compartment near the engine room, and you usually bunked with some guy that could barely speak English and used garlic juice for deodorant. Additionally, you played pretty much all day long, usually about 6 hours, you were not allowed to eat with the passengers, you were not allowed to accept drinks from passengers, and not permitted to fraternize with them either. Overall, it's a lousy job unless you are a headliner. Headliners got the big bucks, and did pretty much anything they wanted, and they got the best berthing accommodations.

The best deal is the private yachts, which south Florida is loaded with. It's a tough gig to break into, but once established, they pay is great, the jobs are frequent, and the onboard parties can be wild. These boats range from 75 to 300 feet, mostly college girls for crews, they're immaculately kept, and for the most part, the owners are very nice individuals.

All the best,

Gary