João Wolf - Cruise Director - Part 1 - How singers can impress their cruise director

Ever wondered what a cruise director actually does? How much influence they have over whether an act will be booked again? What they actually want from their entertainers onboard? There's a lot of information here I know you won't want to miss. Formerly a journalist and actor, Cruise Director João Wolf has years of experience with one of the world's largest cruise lines. I managed to sit down with João and ask the kind of questions we entertainers want to know the answers to, but never really get a chance to ask.

You'll learn about the kind of audiences you can expect to find on a cruise ship, which artistes do well and are in demand, the importance of guest questionnaires, how to connect with as many nationalities and demographics as possible, how to ask the cruise director for help without undermining your professionalism.

In part 1, João explains the importance of connecting with the audience through language and cultural references. Often cruises will have a mixture of American, German, Brazilian, British and Italian guests and it's a real challenge to connect with everyone in the audience. He gives tips on how to relate to them all and discusses the kind of acts that are the most successful on his ship. We chat about telling jokes to international audiences and the dangers of translating your whole show. We discuss exactly which kinds of acts a major cruise line like Royal Caribbean is booking for their ships and why I was almost fired before I'd even started my season with them in Brazil.