“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.”
–William Arthur Ward
In the last two weeks you’ve learned that the job may come at a moment’s notice and you will have to be able to react fast. The strategy here is to take hold of a last minute opportunity and prove yourself. Knocking it out of the park in your first “gig” will ensure future contracts and also give you a little more control over the planning.
Many of us, bitten by the show-business bug, have dreams of performing a grand show. If money was no object, we can see ourselves mesmerizing audiences with one elaborate production after another. Imagine having curtains, extensive lighting, an orchestra, and a full stage crew at your disposal and full rooms of receptive audiences.
The cruise business is where this dream is possible.
‘‘How many of our daydreams would darken into nightmares, were there any danger of their becoming true.’’
–Logan Pearsall Smith
There is a strong chance that your future includes just this dream coming true! The most important factor in you being able to enjoy the dream and keep it from turning into a nightmare is for you to be prepared. That is why we are spending so much time on the prep. I know you are ready for the “How to get booked” section of the course. I get it; you are hungry for the job! But before you make contact, let’s make sure you are ready to go if they say, “YES! We need you tomorrow!” I want your “horse before your cart,” before you yell “giddy-up!”
This is why I did not immediately give you the names and addresses of all the cruise lines and agents in the industry and tell you to go fend for yourselves. There is absolutely nothing worse than showing up to a cruise and not being prepared for life at sea.
It is indisputable among GENTs that the worst part of the job is the travelling to and from the ship.
This week we will look at the various aspects of travelling with your act. Please be advised, laws, statutes and procedures change as often as the tax code, so always check before you go. I am writing about the laws and statutes in the United States, if you live outside the USA you may have to do a little translating to your circumstances, but rest assured it will be similar.