A returning act is one a line or an agent can book again without a second thought: shows that connected, a clean record on board, fresh material and dates that hold. Keep the shows changing, keep your agent current, and weigh each new run against your life at home and the land work it replaces.
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.
Cruise work builds what private and corporate buyers look for: long, clean shows and buyers who come back. These are the tests for that stop, from a buyer’s own published rules where one states it. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 4 true
14 steps in 4 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: Host, feature and headline and Build a career you can keep. In the D.O.C. book: topics 115–131, 435–455 and 400–455.
Host, feature and headline · roles-08
Count the runs a line or an agent actually offered you again, not the ones mentioned in passing.
Done when A verified date history, not a guess.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-01
Done when A before-and-after record of work done.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-07
Done when Backup of gigs, clips and agreements.
From the Career Field Manual: Build a repetition habit, Build a career you can keep and Assemble booking proof. In the D.O.C. book: topics 96–114, 415–434, 400–455 and 143–173.
Build a repetition habit · reps-08
Guests and crew may hear your shows more than once: a land room is where the next pieces get tested before they sail.
Done when A continuing place to test new work.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-04
Done when A schedule with protected writing time.
Assemble booking proof · package-04
A fresh video of each show, clean and adult, keeps your agent’s submissions current.
Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.
From the Career Field Manual: Get paid. Keep records. and Build a career you can keep. In the D.O.C. book: topics 234–289 and 400–455.
Get paid. Keep records. · money-09
Set the least a run must leave you after commission, costs and the land work it replaces, and write down the exceptions.
Done when A written threshold with explicit exceptions.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-02
Done when A change you can test next quarter.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-03
Done when Three measurable deliverables under your control.
Build a career you can keep · sustain-09
Decide how much time away suits you now: renewals and contracts that pay are the measure here, not miles or ships.
Done when A current definition in your own words.
From the Career Field Manual: Choose help when it solves a problem and Become the comic rooms trust. In the D.O.C. book: topics 290–313 and 400–434.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-02
Done when Your real workload, not an aspiration.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-03
Done when A specific time, access or negotiation problem.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-05
Before a new agency or a renewed agreement, read the commission, whether it’s exclusive, and how it ends.
Done when The agreement reviewed before signing.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-08
Done when Return requests or references, with permission.
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.
Its performers can arrange the next contract while on board, telling it first how much time off they want.
Can I arrange my next contract while on board?
simply let us know how much vacation time you’d like following the completion of your first contract
Lime Entertainment FAQ’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
A strong personality onstage, a connection with guests from all cultures, a positive outlook and good people skills.
Must have a strong personality onstage and be able to connect with guests from all cultures.
A positive outlook, outgoing personality along with good people skills is essential.
Carnival Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Keep records and receipts through the year, and if you work as an independent contractor, you may have to pay estimated tax each quarter.
Collect and keep your records and receipts during the year.
If you earn money for gig work as an independent contractor, you may have to pay quarterly estimated taxes.
The IRS on gig work’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Repeat work comes back through the line or the agent who booked you, not through a new submission form. To add another line, ask your agent first, or follow that line’s own route from the audition stop. 62 places to send a submission, on the Career Atlas →
None of the buyers on this page publishes what it pays a comic, so this page gives no figure. Compare runs on what they leave you, and on the time they take from home and from land work.
Before you sign another runRoad 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: [Your name]: dates for [The season or months] Hi [Your agent's or the line's contact], Thank you for [The last run you did with them]. I'm available for runs [The dates you're open], and not [The dates you're not]. Both shows have new material since you last saw them: [Your newest clips' link] Passport valid until [Your passport's expiry date]; medical valid until [Your medical's expiry date]. Best, [Your name]
[The ship or resort], [The run's dates] Fee: [The fee offered] Commission: [Any commission] Days away, travel included: [Days away, travel included] Land work it replaces: [The land work it replaces] What I keep: [What you'd keep] Right for me now: [Your decision, and why]
Hi [Your agent's or the line's contact], Thank you again for booking me on [The ship or resort]. I'm building my event work on land, and a short line from you about the run would help. May I quote you, with your name and title, on my website and in submissions? Thank you, [Your name]
[Your name] is a stand-up comedian from [Your home town] with a family-friendly show and an adult show, performed at sea and on land. Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are]. Clips and dates: [Your SUCDb record or website]
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 5 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 what cruise work asks of a comic, read How do comedians get casino and cruise ship gigs?.
Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy
