A cruise audition is a package sent to a line or an agent: video of your shows, your credits and bio, and proof you can travel. Some lines take guest entertainers through an agent, and some agencies sign comics to put forward to the lines. Send each one exactly what its own page asks for, keep a dated list of what you sent, and never pay to be placed.
Where you are, the tests for the next stop, and the steps between, in the order most comics take them. The steps are the Career Field Manual's; mark each one as you go, and the day goes in your passport.
These are the rules the lines and agencies publish for the people they put on board. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 4 true
17 steps in 3 parts, from the Career Field Manual. Each has its “done when”, a D.O.C. tool for it, and your status, note and target date; star up to twelve for your 90-day plan.
From the Career Field Manual: Assemble booking proof. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–173.
Assemble booking proof · package-01
Done when One consistent name across your records.
Assemble booking proof · package-02
Done when Current facts without inflated credits.
Assemble booking proof · package-03
Done when A usable portrait with permission to share.
Assemble booking proof · package-04
Film each show whole, with the room’s laughs audible: Carnival asks for two videos of show work, one PG and one adult, and G.L. Berg takes raw footage of a full show beside a promo reel.
Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.
Assemble booking proof · package-05
Done when An actual clean performance sample.
Assemble booking proof · package-07
Done when A verifiable performance history.
Assemble booking proof · package-08
One link with both videos, the PDF bio, a headshot and your dates, so an agent can put you forward without writing back.
Done when Accessible bio, clips and contact information.
Assemble booking proof · package-09
Done when Submitted or updated information that is accurate.
From the Career Field Manual: Explore specialty markets, Find and pitch the right rooms and Choose help when it solves a problem. In the D.O.C. book: topics 132–142, 143–173, 143–196 and 290–313.
Explore specialty markets · specialty-06
Done when Current operator or agency requirements.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-03
Note each one’s own route: Carnival through an agent, Royal Caribbean through a profile on its site, an agency through its own form.
Done when A dated first-party booking requirement record.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-04
Ask which lines it books comics for, and check that against the lines’ own pages before you sign.
Done when Facts, not a list of famous clients.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-07
A fee to be placed, or to be seen by a line, is a reason to stop: Lime’s FAQ says it auditions, confirms contracts and handles the paperwork before its performers pay anything.
Done when Documented checks before paying any fee.
From the Career Field Manual: Explore specialty markets and Find and pitch the right rooms. In the D.O.C. book: topics 132–142, 143–173 and 143–196.
Explore specialty markets · specialty-07
Done when A pitch adapted for that buyer’s audience.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-04
Name the shows you’re offering and their lengths, send a video of each, and give real dates.
Done when Three concise, different pitches.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-05
Done when A list showing sent, replied, follow-up, declined.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-06
Done when Follow-up dates, not repeated random nudges.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-10
Done when Your calendar includes confirmed dates only.
Habits, not a timetable: the atlas has no stopwatch. Keep these going, and the proof for this stop builds up week by week.
Each buyer's published rule, quoted from its own page, checked on 10 November 2026. They differ, so send each one what its page asks for, and read the page again before you send.
Guest entertainers through an agent, and for comics: credits and bio as a PDF, a headshot, and two videos of show work, one PG and one adult.
Carnival Entertainment requires all Guest Entertainers to work with us via an agent.
Credits and bio in PDF format.
Two video submissions of previous show work (1 video with PG content, 1 video with Adult content)
Carnival Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Representation for acts with a full-length, stage-ready show and a record of playing captive audiences: a promo reel, and footage of a full show where you have it, raw footage accepted.
You must have a full-length, stage-ready show
Your show should have a proven track record of performing for captive audiences
Raw/un-edited footage is acceptable.
G.L. Berg Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
It auditions, confirms the contract and handles the paperwork before a performer pays anything; where it charges, it takes a commission from the salary on board.
we audition, confirm contracts, assist with all required documentation, and provide all pre-boarding information before our performers are required to pay a cent.
Whenever possible, we don’t charge our performers
Lime Entertainment FAQ’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Places that publish how a cruise comic gets in, each checked on 10 November 2026. Save one to your booking desk to keep its status, a follow-up date and a note. 62 places in all, on the Career Atlas →
Published routeCarnival Cruise Line ships · Cruise line · Through an agent
Guest entertainers come to it through an agent. For comics: 90 minutes of different material (a 30-minute family-friendly show and two 30-minute adult shows), credits and bio as a PDF, a headshot, and two videos of show work, one PG and one adult. A gig is five performances, repeats included.
Worth knowing. It asks agents who aren’t yet set up with it to contact its guest entertainer team: without an agent, start with one.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeRoyal Caribbean ships · Cruise line · Profile
Its Headliner Entertainment careers list a Comedians position: professional comics who can work a comedy club or a theater setup, with at least an hour of varied material, clean and adult. Apply online by creating a profile on its site.
Worth knowing. Its list of positions loads with the page’s script. You must be 18 or older to be hired.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeNationwide · Cruise market · Form
An original family-friendly show and an adult (18+) show, each 30–55 minutes; comics are typically away three to seven days at a time.
Worth knowing. Read the agency’s and the cruise line’s contracts before signing.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeInternational · Cruise market · Form
Comics with 90+ minutes of clean material and the range for very different audiences: send videos of your stand-up through its application.
Worth knowing. Its FAQ says that where a line’s arrangement calls for it, it takes a commission from the salary on board: read its terms before you sign.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeMinneapolis, MN · Cruise market · Form
Representation for guest headliners, comedians among them: a full-length, stage-ready show with a record of playing captive audiences, a valid passport, a high-quality promo reel, and full-show footage if you have it (raw footage accepted). Engagements are fly-on, fly-off, generally 2–6 days.
Worth knowing. It says it may not answer quickly, and gets in touch when it sees an opportunity. Representation isn’t a booking.
Checked 10 November 2026None of the buyers on this page publishes what it pays a comic, so this page gives no figure. Lime’s FAQ says that where it charges, it takes a commission from the salary on board, after the audition, the contract and the paperwork: know any agency’s terms before you sign with it.
Ask an agency before you signRoad Maps: the Math of a Gig, with your own numbers · Get Paid, Get Back: the deal in writing · The IRS on gig work ↗
Fill in what you know once: it fills every note below and stays on this device. Anything left blank shows in [brackets], to fill in by hand.
Subject: Comedian submission: [Your name], clean and adult shows Hi [The booker's or agent's name], I'm [Your name], a stand-up from [Your home town], submitting as a comedian for [The line or agency]. Family-friendly show, [Your clean show, in minutes] minutes: [Your clean show's link] Adult show, [Your adult show, in minutes] minutes: [Your adult show's link] Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are]. My bio and headshot: [Your SUCDb record or website] I'm available [The dates you can do], and my passport is valid until [Your passport's expiry date]. Thank you for watching, [Your name]
Hi [The booker's or agent's name], Thank you for looking at my tape. Before I sign, may I ask: 1. Which lines do you book comics for? 2. Do you charge a commission, how much, and when is it taken? 3. Is the agreement exclusive, and how does it end? 4. What will you send the lines, and may I see it first? 5. Is there any fee before a contract is offered? Thank you, [Your name]
[The date you sent it] | [The line or agency] | sent: [What you sent] | link: [Your clean show's link] | heard back: [Any reply, and its date] | next step: [Your next step, and when]
[Your name] Stand-up comedian, [Your home town] [Your name] performs a family-friendly show of [Your clean show, in minutes] minutes and an adult show of [Your adult show, in minutes] minutes. Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are]. Video: [Your clean show's link] (clean) and [Your adult show's link] (adult) Contact: [Your email and phone]
Tick each piece when you have it: the day goes in your passport with it. The passport keeps your whole career's record on this device, to download, print and review once a year.
Nothing yet: your status changes and ticks appear here, each with its day.
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The buyers' rules are quoted from each buyer's own page, checked on 10 November 2026. A buyer can change its rules at any time, so read its page before you send anything.
By D.O.C. Editorial. This is one stop of the Stand-Up Career Atlas: cruises & travel, stop 2 of 5. It's a way to plan, not a promise of bookings: it gives no expected years, its only figures are the ones buyers and venues publish on their own pages, and the buyers' rules are theirs. For how comics get cruise and casino work, read How do comedians get casino and cruise ship gigs?.
Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy
