How to become a cruise ship lecturer

October 5, 2024 5:51 AM

We recently went on a cruise and enjoyed the Enrichment lecture. My partner, who is a university professor, would enjoy doing something like this and he reckons he could come up with some topics of general interest to cruise goers. However, we're not sure how someone goes about becoming a cruise guest lecturer.

I was thinking we should reach out to them somehow, but we're not sure what the best way to do this is, and whom to get in touch with exactly.

posted by strekker to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total)

Get in touch with a current lecturer (perhaps one from the cruise you were just on) and ask how they got the gig.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:04 AM on October 5 [4 favorites]

I would start a career search in a more general sense, versus specifically for a cruise. Perhaps look into becoming a tour guide first, and see if that leads to jobs that are more specific to your friend's level of education, knowledge and specialty. And then more specifically to an expert with professorial training and experience. Regardless of the topic, this kind of position falls in the entertainment field, which means it's going to be rare and competitive to get into. Good luck, that's a very interesting niche to be in.
posted by SoberHighland at 6:33 AM on October 5 [1 favorite]

My uncle did this. Unfortunately, he and my aunt both died, so I can't ask them, but I'm pretty sure that he was approached by someone on the cruise line. He had written a couple of books and already did lectures for the general public in his area of expertise.
posted by amarynth at 6:37 AM on October 5 [1 favorite]

I know someone who did this, they were approached because of their specific expertise. I'm sure it couldn't hurt to approach a cruise line that might be relevant - I'd let them know what topics you can cover and how it might fit within certain itineraries, and attach a version of your resume that focuses on public speaking/topics you've lectured on that might be relevant.
posted by coffeecat at 6:51 AM on October 5 [4 favorites]

Does your partner's university do those fancy alumni trips? That can be an excellent starting point to break into this kind of business. Smithsonian Journeys and National Geographic run trips with big rosters of faculty lecturers--it could be good to research there to see how your partner could pitch their work to them.
posted by TwoStride at 7:48 AM on October 5 [2 favorites]

I know some Stanford alums who do the alumni trips, and it definitely seems like a summer gig for some Stanford faculty.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:25 AM on October 5

Don't know how legit they are, but the search term "cruise ship speakers" gets interesting results.
posted by stormyteal at 10:30 AM on October 5

I know people who’ve done this, and they all had very specific expertise relevant to the cruise itself rather than general interest topics. eg. Sub Antarctic bird life on cruises going to South Georgia; first person accounts of life in small island communities visited by the ship etc. These also gave them the connections they needed - they were already the kinds of people involved in shore-based tourism as experts and knew people working in the cruise industry who gave them occasional opportunities to lecture.

So yeah, in those cases I think it was about niche expertise rather than general interest.
posted by penguin pie at 1:17 PM on October 5 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for the replies. I know a lot of cruises want people who know something relevant to the cruise itinerary itself. But the lecture we saw was just a random history talk. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to ask this person how he got there, as he kind of ran off to meet someone at the end.

My googling suggests that there are kind of talent agencies where you can register and hopefully get discovered by cruise companies (unfortunately, if you do get placed, you have to pay a fee to the company). In terms of direct contacts for the company, I have scoured the Princess cruises website and they have definitely tried to hide any contact information related to HR or the hiring process.

I don't THINK we have alumni trips here, although I'll ask. We are in Australia, and I think that might be an American thing.
posted by strekker at 3:05 PM on October 5

Best answer: It looks like cruise companies call these jobs "Enrichment" or "Entertainment" and they seem to run hiring through websites adjacent to the main cruise website.

Viking Cruises is hiring for several of these roles. Looks like you pick your specialty area and apply.

Princess doesn't currently have any enrichment roles open, but they would list them here when they do.

Seabourn calls them "guest speakers" and encourages you to contact them at the link they provide.
posted by luzdeluna at 6:54 PM on October 5 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for the links. I hadn't actually considered Viking or Seabourn (mainly because they were out of our price range when we were looking for cruises to pay for ourselves), but it looks like they are definitely more amenable to being contacted. After doing more research, it looks like the more upmarket cruise lines focus more on these kinds of academic enrichment activities, relative to more family focused lines like Carnival, which doesn't even bother with the lectures. So maybe we can focus our search more on the luxury end.
posted by strekker at 10:22 PM on October 5 [1 favorite]

I know people who’ve done this, and they all had very specific expertise relevant to the cruise itself rather than general interest topics.
I have a relative who did this for a number of years having written some books on “ The Golden Age of passenger ships”. I also know two artists who have picked up the job after running watercolour courses.
posted by rongorongo at 2:09 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm in Australia and went through the hiring process as a musician last year, so maybe something from my experience can be useful to you.

Someone in one of my bands saw a recruiting ad - I think it was posted in the most 'legitimate' Facebook group in my city for musicians looking for gigs, though they also had flyers etc and asked people to pass the message on that they were hiring. The ad asked for musicians to apply to audition for cruise ship show slots, with an email attached for EOI. It was posted by a recruiter working for Blackburn International, who supplies cruise ships with talents, and they replied to our email introducing ourselves and what we offer with a thank you email that included an audition slot selection link. We did the audition at a local music studio, and it was pretty low key and chill. The recruiters were musicians themselves and it was quite beginner friendly. They asked also for a show reel and a 1 minute recording from each of the members introducing ourselves and what we do.

We didn't get in that round - they did say in the initial email they weren't looking for our configuration this time but to audition anyway because they have clients who are looking for our configuration. They must've thought we were suitable because they emailed us earlier this year to ask if we would be available for a 6 month contract later in the year for one of those clients (no, alas).

This is their page for 'Enrichment' and it seems they list all open talent positions on their Careers page.

I'm not sure if it'd be similar for lecturers at all, but thinking through my music colleagues who have worked cruises, I think charisma, 'concept', and how well they physically present themselves is likely what really bumped them to the top in consideration.
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 3:38 AM on October 6 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks @womb of things to be and tomb of things that were, that's really useful intel. I will look into Blackburn International.
posted by strekker at 4:30 AM on October 6

>I'm not sure if it'd be similar for lecturers at all, but thinking through my music colleagues who?>have worked cruises, I think charisma, 'concept', and how well they physically present >themselves is likely what really bumped them to the top in consideration.

Just to echo this.

Last time I was on a short cruise, there was an onboard speaker about the local sea life.

One thing that stood out. She translated the "boring" information of whales and porpoises into content that was very tabloid-esque and very "New York Post" style.

I'm sure she would not have gotten the job if she had given her lecture in dry science speak. Cruise ship operators, certainly those catering to mainstream markets, don't just want a speaker; they want someone who can deliver the information in an entertaining way.
posted by jacobean at 5:32 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]