Has anyone here been on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas ship?

I want to become a cruise ship dancer?

• I really want to become a dancer on cruise ship, 1. You get to travel around the word. (Sort've) 2. When you stop of a certain places, You can stay at that place for a day or longer. 3. I LOVE to dance. 4. It's 'Alright' Money. 5. Your out on the open seas <3 6. Ships facilities 'E.G' Pools, Spa's, Piano and a stage. 7. Meet new people. 8. You'll have fun. My questions : 1. What are the down sides to becoming a cruise ship dancer? 2. I really want to get on a good, big, posh ship.. What would I need to do to for fill my dream. How would I get the qualifications. 3. What is the money like, How much.. (I know what I said before, I'd like a rough number please) 4. I have 2 left feet. Would I be able to sort out that problem? (Not literally got 2 left feet.. If anyone would take that seriously.) 5. Is it actually that good on a cruise ship? Or is it all hype. 6. Do you think it should be a career choice for a 13 year old like me.

• Answer:

  [TGIF! Winter registration started at my college and work has been crazy, but here I am.] #1 Down sides (plus #4: 2 left feet): OK, imagine a Broadway-style production with pyro effects; stage elements that rise, turn, and lower into a pit; and complicated partnering work - in heels. While singing. Then add rocking and heaving movements so strong that some audience members are falling out of their seats. Also add numerous technical malfunctions (from humidity and few chances to get repairs) that require immediate adaptability to alter the choreography. This is one of the last places where you can have two REGULAR feet, much less two left feet. Even the lead singers (hired as "Singers-who-can-dance") need to be fairly coordinated, even though they do little dancing. But if you don't have a Broadway-style belting voice, you need to be a highly trained dancer. You also need to be the right size for the $10,000 costumes. #1 continued, plus #5: that good?/ or hype: The travel is the one definite perk, except you may not have time off on the port days. And doing anything in port except walking around costs money. Depending on which cruise line you work for, there are several restrictions on which facilities you'll be allowed to use. You definitely can't use the pool or casino. A professional dress code is strictly enforced in public areas, so you can't even sunbathe unless the ship is large enough to provide an officers' sundeck (and if dancers are given officer status). Hopefully it's a ship where dancers can use the gym (another nice, free perk). The spa is expensive, even with a crew discount, as are drinks at the bar. Otherwise, life onboard is like a floating small town - inside a tin can - where everyone knows your business. You share a tiny, windowless room with your co-worker - and her series of shipboard boyfriends. Or YOUR series of shipboard boyfriends. Life back home keeps moving along (family crisis, pets dying, your cousin's marriage), but you're stuck in a tin can for 6-8 months with high-priced internet and phone service. You wait for a day-off in a port with an internet cafe within walking distance of the dock to stay in touch with your friends and family. Hopefully you're able to remain friends with all your cast-members through all their relationship dramas to have fun with them. Keep in mind that YOU CAN NEVER GET AWAY FROM THEM FOR YOUR WHOLE CONTRACT. Sicknesses spread easily on a ship, so pray that your ship isn't infected with a nasty norovirus. Cruise dancers get no sick leave and there are no understudies for your parts. When a dancer must be out of a show, there are extra rehearsals to reblock the choreography. Otherwise, dancers frequently dance sick or injured. So now imagine dancing with clogged sinuses - with a rocking ship. #2 Qualifications. You need a minimum of 6-10 years of intense dance training in ballet and jazz (at least 15 hours of classes a week, not counting rehearsals). Your partnering skills must be at the advanced level. You need to be good-looking. And you need to be the right size for the costumes. Typically, the bigger the ship, the taller you have to be, as the stage is bigger. #3 Pay. Female Dancers-who-can-sing get paid about what a secretary makes on a weekly basis. It's not the money, per se, that is good, but the fact that you have free room, board and "transportation" (ie., an elevator ride to the gym). So you theoretically get to tuck away all that money as long as you don't have to maintain your own home and car back on land and you're not spending all your wages on drinks and shore excursions. #6 Career choice. No, being a cruise ship dancer is not a career choice for women: it's something you do for a limited amount of time. Your contracts will be spread out and you can only live off your earnings if you lead a frugal life on the ship. That also means you can never sign a lease or settle down with a boyfriend if you're always waiting for your next contract. Dancing, in general, is never a long-term career choice, as injuries will eventually catch up with you. It's a great gig for some people, but it's not for everyone.