Why this former cruise ship musician still lives at sea

In his 20s, Bryan James Henderson had big dreams for his music career. “Everybody who does music wants to be a star,” said Henderson. “And I found out that you can be totally fulfilled performing and living that type of life, but doing it on a ship.”

Though he said he did get tired of playing cruise ship staples like “Sweet Caroline,” “Friends in Low Places,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’," he enjoyed the unique type of adoration that comes from playing to a captive vacation audience. 

“You can make, like, super fans when you’re working on those ships,” he said. “As long as you're playing them what they want to hear? Shoot, they'll stick around all week long.” 

Henderson said he started out making around $2,500 a month, but worked his way up to better-paying gigs over time. And because cruise ship entertainers do not pay for lodging or food, their expenses are low.

But last year, Henderson switched from being a full-time cruise ship employee to a full-time cruise ship passenger when hisgirlfriend, a cruise ship dancer/aerialist, was hired to work on a ship on which he was not hired.

Now, he travels aboard her ship as a paying guest, albeit often with a friends-and-family discount. “I have been maxing out her allotment of times that I can come on the ship,” he said. 

These days, Henderson earns income from online content. “I’m very fortunate that there is a massive, massive group of people on this planet that are constantly keeping up with what's happening on cruises,” he said. Every few days, he posts vlogs to YouTube, which generate enough income to sustain his lifestyle.

Henderson acknowledges that living on ships has drawbacks. He’s away from family most of the year, and he’s constantly moving around, living out of a suitcase. “I know that’s not for everybody,” he said. “But the overall lifestyle of living on a ship is — it's been too good not to do.”

Click the audio player above to hear his story.