The run is the audition for the next one. You join the ship, play each show you’re given to guests who may see you twice, live by the ship’s rules alongside the crew, and leave. Arrive with your documents in order and your show’s needs sent ahead, log each show, and give the entertainment team an easy decision next time.
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 signs a line or an agent looks for before booking a comic again, from their own pages where they publish one. 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: Become the comic rooms trust and Route the road, not the poster. In the D.O.C. book: topics 400–434, 197–233 and 314–347.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-02
A ship has its own rules for crew and guest areas, recording and conduct: read them before you board, and ask the entertainment team what applies to you.
Done when A note for rooms with different expectations.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-03
Done when Travel, arrival, set list, sound and exit.
Route the road, not the poster · road-06
Done when Items verified before departure.
Route the road, not the poster · road-07
Send your introduction and what the show needs to the ship’s entertainment team before you travel, and ask who you check in with when you board.
Done when Show advance and load-in instructions.
From the Career Field Manual: Route the road, not the poster and Become the comic rooms trust. In the D.O.C. book: topics 197–233, 314–347 and 400–434.
Route the road, not the poster · road-04
Fly-on days can be long: plan your rest before a show night, and know who to call if a connection is missed.
Done when Rest plan and latest safe departure time.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-05
Done when Consistent finish times over several sets.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-06
Done when Know who has authority and where to get help.
From the Career Field Manual: Do the first set and Build a repetition habit. In the D.O.C. book: topics 71–114, 96–114 and 415–434.
Do the first set · first-07
Done when A recording or a note explaining why not.
Build a repetition habit · reps-01
Done when Venue, date, minutes, set and room notes.
Do the first set · first-08
Done when Three specific observations from the room.
Build a repetition habit · reps-04
Guests may see you more than once on a sailing: change the weakest minute between shows.
Done when Two versions and the reason for the change.
From the Career Field Manual: Route the road, not the poster and Become the comic rooms trust. In the D.O.C. book: topics 197–233, 314–347 and 400–434.
Route the road, not the poster · road-08
Count what the run left you after any commission and the costs nobody repaid.
Done when Post-tour reconciliation, not ticket gross.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-07
Done when A concise thank-you or useful check-in.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-08
Ask the entertainment team or your agent for any feedback on the run, and keep it, with permission to share it.
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.
On board you’re part of the crew: shipboard personnel take part in safety drills, onboard staff and entertainers follow its Code of Conduct, and most entertainer positions have a single cabin.
all shipboard personnel are required to participate in various safety drills
All onboard staff and entertainers are bound by our Code of Conduct
positions are entitled to a single cabin
Princess Cruises Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Five performances a gig, repeats included, in a Punchliner Comedy Club beside the main theater, from a comic who connects with guests from all cultures.
Each gig consists of 5 performances which include repeats.
Each ship holds a Comedy Club Punchliner venue in addition to our Main Stage Theatre.
Must have a strong personality onstage and be able to connect with guests from all cultures.
Carnival Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Guest headliners are featured performers on a sailing, playing captive audiences in full-production theaters, on fly-on, fly-off engagements.
Guest Headliners are featured performers on a cruise ship's sailing and have captive audiences with state of the art theaters and full production capabilities.
Guest Headliner contracts are for fly-on, fly-off performance engagements
G.L. Berg Entertainment’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
No form puts you on a ship you’re already booked for: this run is the audition for the next one. Keep the line’s entertainment team and your agent informed, and send your dates when the run ends. 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. What counts here is the record: what you were paid, what it cost you, and what the run asked of you.
Keep, from this 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], comedian: [The ship or resort], [The run's dates] Hi [The entertainment team's or agent's contact], I'm joining [The ship or resort] on [The run's dates] for [Your shows on this run]. Ahead of time: My introduction: [Your introduction] Sound and stage: [Your sound and stage needs] My travel: [Your travel details] Who should I check in with when I board? Thank you, [Your name]
[The show date] | [The ship or resort] | [The room] | [Which show: clean or adult] | [Its length, in minutes] min | held: [What held] | change next time: [What you'll change]
Subject: Thank you, [The ship or resort] Hi [The entertainment team's or agent's contact], Thank you for having me on [The ship or resort] for [The run's dates]. [One line on how the run went] I'm free again from [When you're free next], with new material in both shows. My latest clips: [Your SUCDb record or website] Best, [Your name]
Ladies and gentlemen, our comedian tonight comes to us from [Your home town]. [One line of credits, as they are]. Please welcome [Your name]!
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.
Saved in this browser
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 4 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
