whereisDannyBlack

Hey everyone, hope you are all having a great week so far! I just posted my latest blog update, titled "Questions for a Shipboard Entertainer: Gaining weight, the food, contracts, perks, and shopping!" Within this update, I have answered 5 questions asked by CruiseCrazies members. I hope you enjoy it! http://www.cruisecra...s-and-shopping/

Hi everyone! Many people are fascinated about working aboard a modern day cruise ship. And I must say, it's a very cool gig. As soon as guests find out that I work aboard the ship, I am asked a wide range of questions.....I've been asked pretty much everything .... ranging from my personal experiences, how life really is at sea, crew contract questions, salary, food, perks, and more. I received some questions from CruiseCrazies members and I have compiled them below, along with my answers. I hope you enjoy, and please keep those questions coming! Q: Living on a cruise ship, how do you prevent the weight gain??? A: Most crew while living on the ship do not eat as much as the guests. We have certain dining times and do not have food everywhere we turn like the guests have. With the ships being so large we are also walking a lot daily (no cars) and we walk long distances at the ports. The only part crew find hard to avoid with gaining weight is drinking alcohol when they get off their shift and go to the crew bar. If this happens every night you will tend to see some weight gain. Q: Do you ever get to eat the same food as the passengers? A: In my position on this ship like other staff positions we get to have guest privileges and are allowed to eat where the guests eat but only during lunch and breakfast. If someone has family on board visiting, you can arrange to join them in the formal dining room. Q: What is the most common duration of contracts for shipboard employees? How does that work? A: For entertainment, most contracts are around 6 months. Some other positions such as spa have to join for 9 months on their first contract. Sometimes you can extend your contract but it is up to the head office to allow it. Q: What are the perks for working aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship? A: There are a lot of perks working with Carnival. Just being able to travel the world bringing your friend and family on board at a discount rate and meeting a lot of new people every week. Q: Is shopping onboard or in the ports really less expensive?? A: When buying something on a cruise ship it is always better to wait until later in the cruise when they have big deals... You might find a watch or necklace that you buy for $75 on the first day, that the second to last day it would be $40. When buying at the ports you just need to buy what you like but remember that you do not want to over pack on the way home if you are flying! Thanks for reading! *DB

Hey everyone, Check out my latest blog update, Cruising with Hurricanes and Rough Seas: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-16-cruising-with-hurricanes-and-rough-seas/ See you online! =)

With the topic of hurricanes in the weather, many people ask what cruise ships do in a hurricane situation. Cruise ships always stay clear of rough weather as much as possible, this could result in different ports than on the schedule, or even sea days. The captain of the ship will always do what is safest. When I was on the Carnival Legend our port schedules were Isle Rotaan, Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. There were times when a hurricane was brewing around Isle Rotaan and Belize, or the port would be destroyed from the storm. In these circumstances we would always stay where the weather was best, or where the ports would be safest. Guests would sometimes be mad but would rather have a good day at a port than bad weather in unsafe conditions. When it comes to rough seas, I have been through some crazy conditions where things in my room fall over. Luckily I do not get sea sick, but when the ship is rocky, the ship is quiet. People are usually sick in their rooms, but the best want to over come that sickness, is not to be cooped up in your room but out in the open air. It is near impossible to avoid rough seas, but typically last for 8 hours. I rarely get to see storms living on ships, because we avoid them at all costs. But when we do go through a storm, I am always the first one out ready to watch. They are always amazing to watch at sea. Thanks! *DB=

Happy hump day CruiseCrazies, I just posted my latest blog update... Carnival's Red Frog Pub, Onboard Crew Food, and Port Manning http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-15-carnivals-red-frog-pub-onboard-crew-food-and-port-manning/ Enjoy!

Hey CruiseCrazies, People often ask about life on board, different dramas, and annoyances of the job! But before I get into that subject, I will recap the last couple of weeks onboard the Carnival Magic. I have had family on board and will have friends and family visiting for just about the rest of the cruises that I have left until December 11th. The Red Frog has been packed just about every night I play. People are all around the stage dancing and having a great time... It wears me down but makes for a fun night. I had Kiss FM from Pennsylvania come do an interview with me for their morning show, and do some introductions while I played live. It was a crazy night! Just about any night I do my 80's medley of songs the bar will get crazy! I am starting to plan my 2012 schedule, mainly touring throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and England. Now getting into some of the "Ship Life" life. Living on a ship traveling around singing is a dream job, and it would be crazy for me to have any complaints, but with every job there are a couple of things that get you upset. Port Manning is something every crew has to be on once in a while, just to keep you on the ship for about a week without getting off at the ports to make sure in case of an onboard emergency happened while at port there is enough crew to keep it under control. Onboard this ship they do it every 21 days, which is absurd. My last ships it was once every 2 months. I do not understand the change on this ship but it is high up on the irritating ship life list. The food here for crew will be the top 3 for any crew member. They do not give us very much variety for food just a cafeteria style that gets old very very fast! When it comes to crew and drama, I try to be friends with every one and not get to involved in the drama... it could make for a looooooong contract when you do that! I have another blog for Q & A coming up. I will be answering a bunch of your questions, so please post them as a reply to this blog post, or send them to Jason directly....He's going to create a list of questions from CruiseCrazies members! Hope this was entertaining to read. Thanks for reading! -*DB-

Hey everyone, My blog has been updated with this week's post... Carnival Cruise Ports in the Western and Central Caribbean Included are tips on what to do (and what not to do) in the ports of Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Key West, Isle Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Costa Rica, and Panama. I hope you find this information helpful and informative in planning your upcoming shore excursions. http://www.cruisecra...tral-caribbean/ Enjoy!

In the first Carnival Cruise Ports blog I covered the Eastern Caribbean so now I will continue on with the western Caribbean and central ports. Let us begin with Jamaica. Jamaica is a place I have been a bunch of times and have probably climbed the falls so many times. It is an easy place to get to. If you get off the ship and pass the main gate you can find a cab driver that will drop you off at the falls for a total of $15 per cab. They will also pick you up at a certain time to take you back. When you get to the falls you can walk in and pay $15 each and walk down to the base of the falls. I would recommend either bringing water shoes or renting them for $8. As you are walking down to the base you can find places to rent a lock to put your things in... if you bring your own combination lock or lock with key you can just use the bin absolutely free. The price for the lock which will fit up to 5 peoples things is about $8 but when you return the lock you get $3 back. Try to get there around 10 and head back to the ship an hour before back on board. The other things to do in Jamaica is zip line, bob sled and the ski lift to the top. In all honesty, for the prices of the zip line, bob sled, and that mandatory ski lift to the top it is not worth the price. Not enough lines in the zip line, and the bob sled is about 2 mins long. Grand Cayman: Grand Cayman has a couple great places to see. One of my favorites for the golfers or wanna be golfers, the golf course is beautiful with many ocean views, and huge iguanas roaming around. If you do the sting ray tour you will love it, but i would recommend going to the beach after that part of the tour and not go to the turtle farm or "hell" which are big tourist traps. Cozumel: I love the food and beaches in Cozumel. I think most people go to Cozumel to party at Senior Frogs, Fat Tuesday's or Three Amigos. If you head 15 mins by cab you can see Paradise beach, which has a lot of great spots to relax and have fun on the beach side. If you find it online, you might be able to pre negotiate a good deal to spend the day there. The Twister tour to Paradise that the ship offers is a great deal. You would enjoy that. If you're looking for a great restaurant in the main town, have a cab driver take you to El Abullo Geraldo, it has great food for low prices. Key West: On of my favorite things to do in Key West, is to rent a moped scooter and travel all around and see it all. Scooter rental is around $35 for 4 hours, and $50 for the whole day. Isla Roatan, Honduras: This is a great beach port, and some great snorkeling areas. If you want to get away and see the island, you can hire a cab to take you around with a car of 4 you would pay roughly $100 for a tour. Belize: Many ships are pulling away from this place because of the inconvenience and the port fees. I am not a big fan of the Belize port, so if you're looking for relaxation, stay on the ship. If you are a scuba diver there are some great scuba areas where you can swim with sharks. If you see cave tubing in the excursion itinerary, it sounds a lot more exciting than it is. You lay in on a tube and drift down a river and under some dark caves chained up with several others. It is uncomfortable and not worth the 2 hours of travel time. Costa Maya: If you travel to Costa Maya and are interested in great Mayan ruin tour this is a fabulous port for that. If you're looking for fun in the sun, right off of the boat there is a great pool area with a bar built into it. Costa Rica: Two great things to do in Costa Rica; If you get off of the ship you can walk through the cheap souvenir area and find a good tour place at the back of the main port building and get a group of 8 people or more and be able to go zip lining, beach, and canal tour that is pretty fun, for about $45 each person. The zip lining is my favorite here. Another exciting excursion here is the river rafting, you will love this tour. It is fun, memorable and safe. This will be roughly $60 per person but you need at least 6 people on your raft. Panama: If you come to Panama, you must take a tour to Panama City which is an amazing New York like city that will blow your mind. The city is about an hour and a half away so you would need to get off the ship, find a tour guide and negotiate a good price. They will also stop at the Pacific side of the Panama Canal locks, which is the best part of the canal. You could get a full cab and pay about $50 per person to see it all. Have the driver take you to the high end peninsula where there are some great restaurants and beautiful views of the city. An honorable mention for Mexico which is on the western side, Ensenada, not the greatest port off the ship, but if you like to golf you must check out the golf course that is 45 mins off the port. It is the most beautiful course I have played at with the back 9 holes on the side of the ocean with giant cliffs and ocean breezes. That does it for the Caribbean Ports that I have been to. I hope you enjoyed my take on what to do at these ports. Stay tuned for my next blog more in depth with ship life. Thanks for reading. -*DB-

Hi everyone, Just updated the Danny Black Blog with my latest entry, titled Carnival Cruise Ports in the Eastern Caribbean. This latest blog post highlights some of my favorite things at each port and things you must do. Enjoy! http://www.cruisecra...tern-caribbean/

For this blog, I am going to go over a bunch of Caribbean cruise ports, talk about some of my favorite things at each port and things you must do. Eastern Caribbean: The eastern Caribbean is my favorite part of the Caribbean. The best beaches and sites for pictures and sailing around. Starting with Puerto Rico: Sailing into San Juan is one of my favorite parts of this port. You must get outside and see the sail in and sail away. Get a front row seat at the front of the boat. As far as what to do in San Juan, I would suggest seeing the Forts and walking around the city, possibly hire a cab to give you a grand tour. Depending on the time of year I could suggest the tour to see the Glowing water canoe tour. It is rather far away, but if you're in San Juan during the night and in the winter time, it is a must see. St. Thomas: What a great port, one of the best for snorkeling, I would suggest to get off the boat, and take the water taxi to St. Johns island, and Snorkel there. You can also hit some other beaches on the other side of St Thomas which would give you some great sights of the island. If you are a golfer, you would love the golf course in St. Thomas, it is a little expensive, but much worth the price to see some great spots on this island that no one else sees. St. Maartin: I have not been to St. Maartin a lot, but when i was there, I would recommend renting a jeep outside the ship, you can talk them down to $40 for the day, but there will be an extra fee of $10 after you agree to that price so don't be shocked. Take that jeep all over, especially the beach next to the airport. It is quite a sight to see 747's landing almost on top of you, or when they take off they will blow you into the water. Also venture on both sides of St. Maartin, the dutch side, and the french side. You will love the views while driving in a jeep with the top down. Antigua: If you're looking for the best beach, you have found it here. My personal favorite (Valley Church Beach) You can take a cab, for $30 total in your group and they will also wait there and take you back when you're ready. This beach is beautiful. This port is also another favorite for sailing away and watching the landscape as the boat sails away. St. Lucia: This island has fantastic landscape. I have some pictures that you wouldn't believe. Some fun places to go here are the mud volcano, where you can cover yourself with mud and it is rather refreshing, the zip line tour here is also fun if you are into excitement. St. Kitts: St. Kitts is not one of my favorite ports, but it does have a couple of great beaches to see. It is a very small island, and not entirely the safest place to be. Tortola: Tortola has 2 places I would recommend. One of the best beaches with amazing waves that you can boogie board or surf (inexpensive rental too). It is called Josiah's Bay... It is a CREW SECRET. You will not find guests at this beach. The Virgin Gorda is another place you might want to visit. You can get off the ship and take a water taxi across and walk right in. When the water taxi drops you off you have to pay for a cab to take you up the hill... It is a long walk otherwise. Virgina Gorda is a few beaches that are surrounded by giant boulders, and to get from one beach to the other you have to climb through caves. It is pretty neat, and the water is crystal clear. Nassau: Nassau is one of those bahama ports that you either go to the beach, or you go to Atlantis. The Atlantis water park is not all that bad though, but for the price $130 each, it is not worth it. However, there is a loophole! If you get a room at the hotel, it will cost around $200 for the night at the cheapest rate, which will get you 4 passes to the water part. That is a steal, and when you are done, you just check out! I just realized that this Blog is turning into a short novel, so I will save Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Key West, Isle Rotaan, Belize, Costa Maya, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ensenada (other side of Mexico) for the next one. Then I will start getting into the juicy crew life posts. You won't want to miss those. Thanks for reading! -*DB-

Hey everyone, Happy Monday! This week's blog has been updated! Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 2, discussing more Mediterranean ports! http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-12-carnival-magic-cruise-ports-part-2/ Enjoy!

Cruise Ports - Part 2: In part 2 of this blog I will be discussing more Mediterranean ports. Let us begin this series with Livorno. Livorno is a great port with a lot of great places to see. Two places I would recommend going to are Pisa & Florence. You would think that seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa might not be all that special but it is one of those amazing sights that makes you feel like you have crossed something off of your list. Florence is another beautiful place but is rather far from the port. Florence is a place where you just take in the atmosphere of an old city. You can take a bus from the city of Livorno to the train station and then head to Pisa for around $15 total. Taking a train to Florence would be like $25 total. The next destination to review is Venice. One of the most romantic and beautiful ports to sail in and away from. Make sure you are on the front of the ship watching us pull into or away from the city. When you are in Venice, I would recommend walking to most of the places. If you can not walk to well I would tell you to take a water taxi to St. Marks Square. The bell tower in St. Marks Square is the bell tower which you can take an elevator to the top for $12. You can get the best view of the whole city from the top. The best time of day to do this would be 6:30pm before they close the elevators. Around 5 pm you can take a Gondola ride. You will see the drivers all around the city, wearing the same outfits. They charge $90 for 30 minutes and up to 6 people per trip. In the evening you should take a stroll to the west side of the city and get some amazing pizza by the water. The next port is Dubrovnik, Croatia. This is a great port to walk around and see some amazing sights of the old city. You can walk to the bus stop and get a ride to the city. If you like excitement, I would recommend getting jet skis here and taking them all over. There are a lot of beautiful pictures you will take in Dubrovnik. Messina and Naples are not all that exciting of ports in my opinion. I have yet to discover much to do. Mt. Edna (the volcano) would be my only suggestion for an excursion in Messina, other than that I would recommend walking around the town or staying on the boat and resting up because you are on vacation! Naples has Pompei and Capri. Capri is what I would suggest to see out of Naples. You can take a chair to the top of the mountain and get a great perspective of the area. Pompei is good if you like old ruins and interested in history. I hope those are good suggestions for you guys. We also have Marseilles, Savona, and Palma De Mallorca, but I have not done anything in these ports that I can write about. Next week I will talk about my favorite Caribbean Ports and activities, and the blog after that I will get more into ship life, behind the scenes, even some of the drama (which is what many people have been requesting). Thanks for reading! -*DB

Hey everyone, This week's Blog has been updated! This time I speak about Monaco/Monte Carlo France, and Rome. Carnival Magic Cruise Ports - Part 1: http://www.cruisecra...e-ports-part-1/

Cruise Ports - Part 1: I am going to do a series of Blogs covering all the ports that the Carnival Magic goes through, and also most of the ports in the Caribbean that ships typically sail to. This will be a guide of things to look for at each port. Let us begin with Monaco/Monte Carlo France. This is one of the most beautiful ports you will see in Europe in my opinion. There are big yachts and many things to see. I would recommend walking around the city or getting a tour of the city. Nice and Eze are cities near by that are beautiful as well. I would recommend taking an excursion to see those places, or do your homework before and take the train there. Rome is the next destination on this Blog. There is a lot to see in Rome, but in fact you can see it all in 5 hours for $35 each person. Just take the local train for an hour ride, get off and see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevey Fountain, Pantheon, and the Vatican. There is one more place people talk about seeing, the Spanish steps. I would not recommend this site, only because it is not worth the time to get there. The secret of the Colosseum is to go to the Roman Forum across the street of the Colosseum and you can get your ticket in the Forum and it will also get you into the Colosseum without waiting in the crazy long line! By the time you get to the Vatican there is less people around and much easier to see inside. You can hire a guide to tour you through it all, but after you have seen the rest of Rome you might not be wanting a tour. If you have any questions about those ports, please let me know. I will give info on Livorno, Venice, Croatia, Messina, and Naples on the next Blog! Thanks for reading. -*DB-

Let me know when you get to the Rome Port... i can save you 100$ each person! And yes Nassau is one of those ports you need to travel with the crew... otherwise its not that great of a port!!! (in my mind)

Yes we do have to do those lifeboat drills, and stand there directing the guests. Its not my favorite thing but its only 20 mins a week... sometimes we have life boat drills when the guests are off the ship but that is one time a month, the other drills am not a part of! thanks for the question!

Hey everyone! Happy July 4 weekend! My latest blog has been posted - It's titled Frequently Asked Questions on Ship Life: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-10-blog-4-frequently-asked-questions-on-ship-life/ Enjoy!

I get asked a ton of questions every day by guests on the ship. Most of them are the same questions. I was able to compile a list of 10 questions that are asked most frequently. Q: How long have you been working on Ships? A: I have been working on ships since end of January 2010. I did a 6 month contract on the Carnival Freedom... I subbed in for someone on the Paradise out of LA for a couple weeks. Then I did 2 months on the Carnival Legend followed by 4 months back on the Carnival Freedom. 5 weeks after I flew to Europe for this current ship (Carnival Magic) Q: How did you get into working on ships? A: For me I saw an Ad in Craigslist working through an Agency that can put me on any cruise line. Landau.com is the company. It is expensive 15% is their fee but they do a good job. Another way to apply is to go to a cruise line's website and look for their application link! Q: Do you live on Deck 0 or below and share a room with others? A: While all ships and positions give different accommodations, I personally have been on a ship that was below sea level, and a room on the 4th floor.. My room on this ship is level 6 above the Disco. My position grants me my own room which rocks! The most roommates any crew has is 1. Some rooms join at the bathroom and shower, so 2 people might share that with 2 other people. Q: Can you get off the ship? A: Amazingly people ask this question a lot, and the answer is yes. All crew can get off the ship, most positions have their schedule during a port time. There is no reason for me to play while the guests are off the ship so I can get off the ship every port! Q: What do you do when you are not playing? A: When I am not playing, I am probably sleeping! haha most of the time, if I am not out at a Port using internet, I will be working on some side projects, video editing commercials for companies who hire me back in the States, writing songs, learning new covers, watching movies, working out, or talking with guests. Always trying to fill my time with something constructive. Q: What is next for me? A: I am not certain what I will be doing after this ship. I will have offers on other ships, but I have a few great opportunities and shows all around the US and other countries. Q: Do you get Free Internet on the Ship? A: The answer is No but it is at a discounted rate of what the guests pay. We pay per minute, and you can tell when you see a wifi hot spot in a port and all the crew is gathered around it! Q: Being away for so long, do you miss your friends and family? A: I have great friends and a spectacular family (not married or have kids of my own) but being away from them is hard but thanks to facebook, skype, and email, I can keep track of them and keep in touch! It also makes it that much better to see them when I get home, or when they come to visit. Q: How long is the turn over from cruise to cruise? A: There is no break between cruises. When the guests leave the ship a couple hours later new guests arrive and we leave that day! It is amazing how they can get everything set for the new cruise so quickly. Q: What is my favorite cruise destination? A: My favorite cruise destination would have to be the Eastern Caribbean. The islands in the Eastern Caribbean are beautiful and the beaches are incredible. Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Maartin, St Lucia, Antigua, Tortola are all my favorite ports! Georgous! If you have any questions just ask! I would love to answer some questions that I have not answered here! Thanks for reading... - DB-

Hi everyone, Hope you had a nice weekend! Just posted this week's blog update! You can find it here: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-9-how-to-save-some-on-your-cruise/

Blog 3: ShipLife how to save some $ on your cruise - Currently the Carnival Magic is doing a European Cruise until the end of October. Some of the most beautiful ports you can imagine seeing when we dock and sailing away. There are certainly some tricks and tips when going on a European/Mediterranean cruise. Money is key here. Euro cash are not hard to get at some of the bank ports, but Euros are nice to have when you are walking around and shopping, I would always suggest getting back on the boat to Eat and eating a good breakfast before you leave, because you will pay a lot more than you want for lunch in Europe. Do some homework for some of the ports that you are going to. I know that for what people will spend about 180$ per person for a Rome Excursion, I could tell you how to do it for only $35 + see more things! I will not say its a terrible thing to do an excursion with the ship. There are some positives for the price... the number 1 thing is not missing the ship. One thing that could save you a lot of money on a ship is just asking the crew... If someone were to ask me I would have no reason to not give them information that would get them to basically do what I would do. If you have any questions about some ports in the Caribbean or Mediterranean, please feel free to ask me. Also you can ask the bar staff what is the best deal on drinks and they will be honest. If you were in my bar, the Red Frog Pub you could order a tub of beer (100 ounces) which will give you roughly 7 drinks for a price point between $21 and $30 depending on the beer... $3.00 per drink is a great price on a ship. Stay tuned for my next Blog where I will provide answers to the most FAQ about working on a ship! Thanks for Reading... -*DB-

Good morning everyone, Blog Post #2 has been posted! http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/5/entry-8-blog-2-overview-of-the-redfrog-pub/ I look forward to reading all of your comments on my blog!

Blog 2: Overview of the RedFrog Pub... On the brand new Carnival Ship, Carnival Magic, they installed a new Pub idea... They are creating all kinds of brands around the ship with the sky coarse adventure, ocean plaza, superstar live, etc... The RedFrog Pub is a great start to some great ideas for future cruises. Instead of just a regular bar where people stop for a second listen to some kind of entertainment and head off, they created an experience for people to come, meet others, enjoy some life tunes (me) and become regulars there for the week.. I get a lot of comments that the RedFrog should be open later because people who are not fans of the Disco would rather spend their nights at the Pub. They offer some great prices on their drinks and a variety of GREAT food at prices like $3.33.. The first run got some commotion for the shortage of their Carnival branded beer called Thirsty Frog Red. It was not a shortage of beer, more of peoples choice of drink. It ran out quicker than they expected and was only with out that particular beer for a few days before the received more. Nothing to really blow out of proportion. It has been a success on this ship so far and is something they will start modeling into the future ships and even constructing in the older ships! Thanks for Reading... -*DB-

Blog 1: Introduction... Welcome to the brand new Danny Black Blog. I am brand new to CruiseCrazies but happy to be able to contribute to this site and all the crazy cruisers out there. I have been working for Carnival Cruise Lines as a soloist for the past year and a half. I have been all over the Caribbean, a couple cruises on the west coast. Over the past month I have been in the Mediterranean taking the brand new Carnival Magic out for its inaugural run and special cruises around the Mediterranean. I was selected as one of the top rated soloists to open the brand new bar called the Reg Frog Pub. It is a great bar and amazing experience to be a part of on a ship, not just from my point of view but the guests point of view. To see pictures of some of the ports and adventures of mine, check them out on my website theDannyBlack.com. In the upcoming blogs I will leave reviews and ideas for the different ports all over the world. Thanks for reading... -*DB-