You should already have plenty of lecture and presentation experience in UK or elsewhere.
You use PowerPoint on a regular basis
You already have a programme of lectures in place, minimum requirement is 5 lectures
Your material has been “tried and tested”.


It is the policy of the agency to meet and listen to prospective speaker. This is good for all concerned. We have seen you can meet the standard the cruise lines expect, we feel confident we can represent you, and you have the chance to weigh us up too!

We ask that you deliver part of a 45 minute presentation using PowerPoint. This is currently being done online using Zoom.

This is followed by discussion and feedback, by which time it is clear as to whether we feel your material is ideal for the majority of cruise lines. This is not draconian but we may ask you to do further work to meet the standard we strive for.
Once accepted we invite you to register with us.

Registration
Once accepted you will receive a registration form to complete and return, and a portal page will be created on this platform. The website subscription fee is £60 (inc VAT) and is payable annually.


Travel Insurance
In accordance with the Cruise Lines terms and conditions it is essential that you have an up-to-date travel insurance policy and you must ask that your policy is endorsed to show you will be in a lecturer/tutor capacity on board a cruise ship. In our experience the insurance companies do not increase the premium required. Be aware that non-declaration could nullify your cover

Your First Cruise
CONTRACTS. We shall contact you generally by email with cruise opportunities, and request you send us your proposed talk titles, if selected a Letter of Appointment (LOA) will follow. This is done by Signable an online signature process. The cruise line will then forward their contract, usually 2 months before you depart.

PREPARATION. Much of this is obvious.
o All lecturer material needs to be backed up in case something goes wrong. We recommend you take your own laptop (leads and adaptors) - and several versions of lectures on a number of memory sticks. Remember leads and adaptors.
o Dress code on board. We expect our speakers to be smart when lecturing. You are the professional and this is not the time for casual clothes. For women this means smart skirt or trousers and blouse and, if required, a jacket. For the men it should be shirt, tie, if this is your preference (and useful for a clip microphone), smart trousers and jacket or a suit. If you are in hot climates you may wish to reduce this to a clean pressed shirt with or without a tie.
o Depending on the length of the cruise there may be one or more formal night. A considerable proportion of the passengers will take formal attire.

EMBARKATION. Expect to find a note from the Cruise Director in your cabin inviting you to a meeting with other speakers and entertainment staff. It may be headed Meeting for Entertainers, but it also means all speakers and tutors. It’s an important meeting as it will help you understand the planning for the cruise, you will meet your fellow speakers, the teams and feel more comfortable from the start. From this meeting onwards your point of contact is the Cruise Director (your Boss) or Assistant CD. We strongly suggest you get to know the technicians who will be getting you ready for your lectures. If you are offered an equipment check take it!! If not, politely request it.

YOUR CABIN. Don’t expect a suite or a cabin with a balcony! You will have passenger status on board and will be berthed in a passenger cabin. It will be clean and ready for your arrival. If you encounter any problems in the first two days don’t rush to Reception to complain. This is one of the busiest time for them and they will not be pleased to see you when they are “full on “ with passengers. If in doubt have a quiet word with the Cruise Director and remember you won’t be in your cabin very much.


LECTURES. Exact timing of your talks will be published in the daily programme, usually delivered to your cabin during the evening before.

o Arrive 15 minutes before your start time to give you and the technicians time to get set up.
o You will have a 45 minute slot. Do not over-run. If this is a difficult area for you invest in a presenter with a built-in timer.
o We don’t advise Q&A, but you let the audience know you will be happy to take questions after the lecture, in a lounge specified. Always good to run this by the CD at the Entertainers Meeting. Above all, enjoy the experience!

DURING THE CRUISE. Never forget you are in the public eye at all times both on board and ashore.
o Don’t criticise, don’t get into any discussions on politics or religion. There will always be passengers who believe you have a free cruise and preferential treatment. Don’t provide any ammunition!
o Do mix with passengers whenever possible and make yourself available to answer questions.
o Onboard and on tours the old adage “Family hold back” applies – paying passengers have priority.
o If you have the opportunity to escort tours remember you are just that – the escort. Let the Tour Guide know at the start of the day, that you are an escort. Also use the microphone and introduce yourself to passengers as the Escort. Remember the Tour Guide has the exact itinerary and is responsible for the tour. You take the back seats on coaches.

DISEMBARKATION. Please make sure you have settled your on-board account before you disembark. Some cruise operators will allow you to disembark before passengers but you are more likely to follow standard disembarkation procedure which can be according to deck.

CRUISE REPORTS. We receive cruise feedback and always look forward to good news. We will put yours on your website entry. The system of scoring varies. Fred Olsen score from 1 to 5 with 5 being the top score. They are not happy with 3 or 60% and neither are we.
Saga score differently between 1 and 4 including decimal places, and the lower the score the better the result. If the score reaches 1.8 or above you will be unlikely to be re-appointed depending on the individual cruise and passenger feedback.

We hope you find this helpful. For those of you who have cruised as paying passengers you will understand much of this but still have plenty to learn. For those new to cruising this is the start of new experiences and once bitten….
We look forward to meeting and appointing you to Peel Talent and cruise ship lecturing.