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About this blog

Singer and Guitarist working on various cruise ships around the world.

Entries in this blog

Having fun on board!

Having fun on board!

Fun on board the P&O Australia ships. Even on the smaller ships they have been able to utilize as much space as they can. Flying fox, rock climb, walk the plank, waterslides and so much more.  before i go on, i would love to know in the comments what you guys might have done on ships that you have been on that was fun! I know that when I worked for Carnival they were starting to install a bunch of cool ropes courses, and Royal Caribbean has so many extra activities. I have nev
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
Comedy Themed Cruise

Comedy Themed Cruise

This past weekend I got to go on another themed cruise. This was called the BIG LAUGH COMEDY FESTIVAL. It was a 4 day cruise on the P&O Pacific Explorer from Sydney to Moreton Island (outside of Brisbane) and back. I have been on "comedy" cruises before. Typically its your normal 1 or 2 comedy shows and a couple little workshops, but this one was different. This really was like a festival. On the 2 sea days it was wall to wall comedians, 14 total, converting some of the rooms into comed
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
 

"not Elvis" Themed cruise!

So the reason this title is "not Elvis" is because the real theme is "Tribute to the King" This was a themed cruise I went on recently. Apparently the Presley Estate doesn't give out the rights to Elvis easily. Which I thought was funny because no matter how you wordplay it people are going to say Elvis. Check out the video and then come back to read more.  https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=7nbcLL6xmY8 I got on this cruise in a weird way... I thought I was on to play,
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
 

SHIP LIFE Q&A

I opened up my facebook and instagram to anyone with questions about ship life.  I got some great questions, and some silly questions, and of course questions that had nothing to do with ship life. So I made this video to answer those questions including... "do they have a morgue?" The biggest question of all is when people watch this video and they want to work on ships, I am a big fan of anyone wanting to work on ships because this has changed my life in so many amazing ways. So
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
What is your favorite port to LEAVE?

What is your favorite port to LEAVE?

So there have been a lot of magical sail aways ports... Venice, Antigua, Auckland, Messina, Athens, Singapore, and probably even more that I haven't done yet. Today I wanted to talk about Sydney Australia. I have sailed away at this port over 30 times and it is always something amazing... Going under the Sydney Harbour bridge and passing the opera house. I posted a couple of cool video of the experience... Before you take a look at those, I would just love to know which are your f
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
 

Typical day in the life of a ship musician

So a lot of people wonder what happens behind the scenes on ships... the next few blog posts will be dedicated to giving you some insight to behind the scenes.... First of all if you haven't seen any of my videos on youtube... check them out   So there are 5 things that musicians on ships typically do during the day...  SLEEP NAP SNOOZE HIBERNATE REST Sensing a theme? Most musician find themselves staying out late at night, doing their
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
8 years of working on ships

8 years of working on ships

Since I started this blog back in 2011 working for Carnival Cruise Lines… I wanted to reflect a little about my time on ships. Although its only fair to say that over 8 years ago when I started ( Jan 2010 ) on the Carnival Freedom, I have actually only been on ships a total of 30 months ( 2 1/2 years) out of 8. The other 5 1/2 years I have been traveling and visiting all of the people I met on ships and playing gigs to cover that cost. This was my new life… driving, staying with friends/fam
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

3
Food on Ships!

Food on Ships!

Working on P&O Australia recently I have been promoted to a new position. I have been classified as a "fly on" entertainer now, which means I come on for 1 or 2 cruises at a time to entertain the guests, and then I go home until my next short contract. It is a great position and gives me the ability to have more guest privileges. So I wanted to check out all of the restaurants on board and try the food out. I made a video about it too. FOOD ON SHIPS <- click to watch  
Life changing story in St Thomas

Life changing story in St Thomas

This is not a blog about the port of St Thomas, the beautiful US Virgin Island, but more of some amazing advice from an individual living there. I was with a friend at a restaurant in St Thomas, the waiter came to us and you could tell he was from the States and not the Caribbean, so I just had to ask. "Where are you from?" He replied, "Philedelphia." Then he went on telling us how he used to be a school teacher but since all of the budget cuts in the school system he has not worked as a te
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

0
Boat Drill... lets skip it... WRONG!

Boat Drill... lets skip it... WRONG!

THE BOAT DRILL is probably one of the biggest buzz/fun kills after arriving at your final vacation destination. Why do we have them? Safety reasons no doubt. What about returning cruisers, sorry nothing can be done about it... It really has nothing to do with the cruise lines, only maritime (coast guard) regulations. Especially after that horrific accident on the Costa ship, it has become more important to follow. Luckily on some cruise lines, such as Carnival, you no longer need to bring y
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
I missed the Ship! For Real (part 2)

I missed the Ship! For Real (part 2)

So on my last blog I told a story about almost missing the ship.. Part 2 is also a true story about about actually missing the ship. This is one of the craziest stories I have had while traveling. I can say that when it comes to traveling to your ship or a transfer of ships when working for ships the cruise lines will waste a LOT of money. It all started while I was working on the Carnival Legend. It was a nice ship but the same ports every week can drive you crazy. I asked for a
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

2
I missed the ship! Close Call (part 1)

I missed the ship! Close Call (part 1)

Missing the ship! This is what all of us Cruisers and Crew all fear. You will hear in this blog one of the best close call missing the ship experience ever! Lets start out with a little background info about the ship. If it says back on board at 4:30 it means you need to be back at least in the line to get on ship at that time, and at 5:00 the ship will sail away. If your missing on the ship they will go into your room and find your passport and give it to the dock agent, and will
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

3
So how hard does the crew really work?

So how hard does the crew really work?

I had a question come in about "Ship Life" for crew: Larry asked, "Do you get days off and how many hrs. a day does the crew work?" All positions for crew are different, but there is actually 3 different levels of workers on the ship. Crew, Staff, and Officers. Crew are like cabin stewards, servers, cleaners, and most people you do not see on the ship. Staff includes entertainment, sales and guest service positions, spa workers, and kids department. Officers are always t
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

2
Top ways to sneak alcohol on ships! *Insider Info*

Top ways to sneak alcohol on ships! *Insider Info*

I worked on cruise ships for 2 years and I have hung out with a lot of guests in that time. I always hear stories about how they sneak their alcohol on the cruise ship. I always perk up and ask "how?" They always were reluctant to tell me because they though I would turn them in, and I would always assure them its out of my own curiosity because everyone does it a little different, some work, some do not... Here are the do's and dont's to sneak alcohol on cruise ships. Know that most cruise
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
Im Back

Im Back

I'm Back! After signing off the Carnival Magic in Barcelona in September, I traveled the States bringing the Vacation to the people. I have been performing all over the States and heading to Europe and Australia soon. I decided it was time to share more inside information with cruising, for all the new and old cruisers and people looking to work on ships. I love to help guests on which itineraries and excursions on ports, whether they should do them or not or how to save money in the proces
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

8
Weezer Cruise

Weezer Cruise

So after working on cruises for a good while, I finally broke down and booked a cruise as a Guest. I am going on the Carnival Destiny for the Weezer (band) cruise on January 19th. I have not been on a ship that did a concert style cruise but I am looking forward to it. I will be only stopping at Cozumel (a place i have been more than my fair share) I am still on tour all around the country. My next stops are in Salt Lake, Denver, Saint Louis, Columbus, Boston, Albany, Long Island, Philadelphia,
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

2
Returning Home for Vacation After Working Onboard for 5 Months

Returning Home for Vacation After Working Onboard for 5 Months

Hi Everyone, Coming home from being on a cruise ship for 5 months is always different. You do not realize the differences of living on ships and living on land. Communication is completely different. Having a cell phone and texting is foreign to me again, and being connected online all the time without paying for it is amazing. However paying $3.75 a gallon for gas might be enough to send me back out on the sea. For ship crew vacation is sitting at home for a week and not anywhere tro
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

4
Questions for a Shipboard Entertainer: Gaining weight, the food, contracts, perks, and shopping!

Questions for a Shipboard Entertainer: Gaining weight, the food, contracts, perks, and shopping!

Hi everyone! Many people are fascinated about working aboard a modern day cruise ship. And I must say, it's a very cool gig. As soon as guests find out that I work aboard the ship, I am asked a wide range of questions.....I've been asked pretty much everything .... ranging from my personal experiences, how life really is at sea, crew contract questions, salary, food, perks, and more. I received some questions from CruiseCrazies members and I have compiled them below, along with my answers. I hop
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
Cruising with Hurricanes and Rough Seas

Cruising with Hurricanes and Rough Seas

With the topic of hurricanes in the weather, many people ask what cruise ships do in a hurricane situation. Cruise ships always stay clear of rough weather as much as possible, this could result in different ports than on the schedule, or even sea days. The captain of the ship will always do what is safest. When I was on the Carnival Legend our port schedules were Isle Rotaan, Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. There were times when a hurricane was brewing around Isle Rotaan and Beli
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

1
Carnival's Red Frog Pub, Onboard Crew Food, and Port Manning

Carnival's Red Frog Pub, Onboard Crew Food, and Port Manning

Hey CruiseCrazies, People often ask about life on board, different dramas, and annoyances of the job! But before I get into that subject, I will recap the last couple of weeks onboard the Carnival Magic. I have had family on board and will have friends and family visiting for just about the rest of the cruises that I have left until December 11th. The Red Frog has been packed just about every night I play. People are all around the stage dancing and having a great time... It wears me down b
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

9
Carnival Cruise Ports in the Western and Central Caribbean

Carnival Cruise Ports in the Western and Central Caribbean

In the first Carnival Cruise Ports blog I covered the Eastern Caribbean so now I will continue on with the western Caribbean and central ports. Let us begin with Jamaica. Jamaica is a place I have been a bunch of times and have probably climbed the falls so many times. It is an easy place to get to. If you get off the ship and pass the main gate you can find a cab driver that will drop you off at the falls for a total of $15 per cab. They will also pick you up at a certain time to ta
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

5
Carnival Cruise Ports in the Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Cruise Ports in the Eastern Caribbean

For this blog, I am going to go over a bunch of Caribbean cruise ports, talk about some of my favorite things at each port and things you must do. Eastern Caribbean: The eastern Caribbean is my favorite part of the Caribbean. The best beaches and sites for pictures and sailing around. Starting with Puerto Rico: Sailing into San Juan is one of my favorite parts of this port. You must get outside and see the sail in and sail away. Get a front row seat at the front of the boat. As f
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

4
Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 2

Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 2

Cruise Ports - Part 2: In part 2 of this blog I will be discussing more Mediterranean ports. Let us begin this series with Livorno. Livorno is a great port with a lot of great places to see. Two places I would recommend going to are Pisa & Florence. You would think that seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa might not be all that special but it is one of those amazing sights that makes you feel like you have crossed something off of your list. Florence is another beautiful place but is r
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

5
Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 1

Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 1

Cruise Ports - Part 1: I am going to do a series of Blogs covering all the ports that the Carnival Magic goes through, and also most of the ports in the Caribbean that ships typically sail to. This will be a guide of things to look for at each port. Let us begin with Monaco/Monte Carlo France. This is one of the most beautiful ports you will see in Europe in my opinion. There are big yachts and many things to see. I would recommend walking around the city or getting a tour of th
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

5
Frequently Asked Questions on Ship Life

Frequently Asked Questions on Ship Life

I get asked a ton of questions every day by guests on the ship. Most of them are the same questions. I was able to compile a list of 10 questions that are asked most frequently. Q: How long have you been working on Ships? A: I have been working on ships since end of January 2010. I did a 6 month contract on the Carnival Freedom... I subbed in for someone on the Paradise out of LA for a couple weeks. Then I did 2 months on the Carnival Legend followed by 4 months back on the Carnival
whereisDannyBlack

whereisDannyBlack

7

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