Sun Princess Entertainment Department

We often get asked how members of the Entertainment team get to work on the Sun Princess. This will hopefully answer those questions.

For Dancers and Singers - Their careers normally start years before they ever see a cruise ship, around the age of 5. Many performers will continue their education through college or university. Princess cruises and PGT employs entertainers through a process of elimination called auditions. These "physical interviews" are conducted in major cities around the world and are advertised in entertainment papers and nowadays the Internet as well. The audition is where the singer or dancer will be put through numerous songs and routines to ensure they have what it takes to become a member of the entertainment world. Once accepted on the Sun Princess, these singers and dancers are sent to Florida for an initial rehearsal period of approximately 6 weeks. There they are taught the various shows they will need to know for the particular ship they have been cast for. They will usually learn an entire production show in a 5-day period. This includes all dance routines, lyrics, songs, and general direction given by the choreographer. Finally, having been taught all the material, the entertainers are flown to their new home for 6 months. Here, they deal with a rigorous rehearsal schedule with the addition of the props, costumes, lights, the orchestra, and the stage. Plus, they now have to get accustomed to life at sea. Dancing on land can be difficult in itself, but with the unpredictable seas and a moving stage, even the most seasoned performer can feel as though they have two left feet! In the end, if we have done our job well, you will enjoy the amazing shows Princess and PGT have to offer. Enjoy the shows!

Musicians - In order to work for Princess, Bands have to audition with the Los Angeles office, or send a video of their group. Musicians in the show bands are independently contracted and usually have never performed together. Their major skill is musical sight reading, which requires musicians to rehearse and perform new material on the same day.

Junior & Assistant Cruise Directors - Come from a wide variety of backgrounds but nearly all will have worked in one field or another of Entertainment, whether it be singing, dancing, acting or presenting. As well as the entertainment skills required they will also have to show a flair for customer service. Once on board they will, as you will have seen this cruise, wear many different hats so experience in otherareas is always useful. Nearly all Cruise Directors on Princess cruise ships have worked their way up the ranks.

Guest Entertainers - (Comedians, Magicians, Solo Vocalists etc ... ) It is a common misconception that the Cruise Director hires the acts and arranges for them to perform. In fact, all acts must send in an audition tape to our offices where they are reviewed by our coordinator. If the Entertainment Co-ordinator approves of the act, they will sometimes try and see the performer working a venue on land before actually hiring the act to work on a Princess vessel. The co-ordinator will then dispatch the act to a vessel where the Cruise Director will schedule the act according to when the act embarks and disembarks the Ship. In most cases the performer may join a ship and leave a couple of days later.

 So we hope you enjoy the entertainment onboard Sun Princess.