How much do cruise comedians get paid?

Oscar Collazos: While I can't divulge specifics, I make a good living on ships. Standard comedy club pay on land is generally $50 to host and $100 to feature, with a typical weekend bringing in $200 to $600–$700 depending on the number of shows. Comics on ships make more than those numbers. Every ship pays different and every act gets paid different depending on how long you've been with the ships and what your agency has worked out.

Joe Briggs: It paid more. It was like $3,200 a week. I did Royal Caribbean and went to the Bahamas.

Dan Bublitz: The pay on a cruise is way better than doing a feature weekend at a comedy club or a one-nighter at a bar. Travel and accommodations are included, so the only things I really have to pay for are specialty restaurants, drinks, or extra entertainment.

Joe Dombrowski: The craziest part is how much you get paid for how little you actually work. You're on the ship for five days to a week, but you're only performing three or four half-hour sets. The rest of the time you've got free lodging, unlimited food, and you're hanging out with your friends.

What's the hardest part of performing on cruise ships?

Oscar Collazos: You are away a lot. I miss out on castings, showcase auditions, family occasions, sporting events, and other gatherings.

Joe Briggs: Being trapped on a ship with people who saw you do comedy.

Dan Rathmann: I performed on Carnival Cruise Valor with Lunchbox Comedy last November. Sailed from New Orleans to Cozumel. Since it was my first time on a cruise, I had no idea what it was like to be in the middle of the ocean, so it was a little bit of nerves on not knowing what to expect.

Dan Bublitz: The travel days. I once spent about 24 hours traveling after weather delays, got very little sleep, and then only had a handful of hours before I had to perform.

What's the best part of performing on cruise ships?

Oscar Collazos: I get paid well and don't have to lift a finger to promote my shows. I wake up, go to the theater, and there are 300 to 1,500 people waiting for my performance. There's no stress about selling seats.

Dan Rathmann: The best part was seeing new places I'd never been, making connections with new people, and having the opportunity to perform on a cruise.

Dan Bublitz: If this pays my bills and I get to see the world, that's a pretty great job. Outside of my shows, I can pretty much do whatever I want.

Joe Dombrowski: As a comic, it was the coolest gig I've ever done. It was the dream job. It's like leaving the pool, throwing on a shirt, doing 20 minutes, and then being done for a couple of days. I was only on the hook for three or four short sets. The rest of the time you're hanging out with friends, eating, and enjoying the cruise.

How do comedians get booked on cruise ships?

Oscar Collazos: You need an agent to get into the cruises. The best path is to submit a squeaky-clean 10- to 20-minute tape to cruise agencies or perform at cruise showcase events.

Joe Briggs: They happened to see me featuring for someone at the Improv in Fort Lauderdale.

Dan Rathmann: I performed at the Lunchbox Comedy Festival in Biloxi Beach, Mississippi, and was later invited to perform on the group's cruise.

Dan Bublitz: Before you can even get considered, you need about 90 minutes of material because you'll perform multiple different shows. I found my cruise agent through a Facebook post looking for comedians, and agencies only get paid when they book you, they should never charge upfront.

Joe Dombrowski: You can showcase for cruise lines and pick up work as one of their comedians. You need to be able to perform both clean and edgier material because cruises typically have family-friendly daytime shows and more adult late-night shows.

I spoke to Lizzie Chan, an improv teacher and one of the leaders behind Jakarta Improv Club, one of the only improv organizations in Indonesia. A former teacher who first discovered improv in Malaysia, she uses improv to help people become better storytellers.

  • KevOnStage shares on Hot Breath! that merchandise sales often generate far more revenue than performance fees early in his career, recalling a trip where a $150 booking led to $1,500 in merch sales.

  • Eric André discusses his new Netflix comedy Little Brother and the current state of the comedy industry in an interview with Matt Grobar on Deadline's Comedy Means Business podcast. Watch here. 

  • State of Comedy publishes a tribute to late New York comedian John Rosenberger, celebrating his lasting impact on the city's comedy scene.

  • Comedy UO brings its fourth annual Hamptons comedy show to SoulCycle's Bridgehampton location on July 11.

  • Wonder Project launches Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups on July 2, as the faith-based studio enters into stand-up comedy with six weekly specials.

  • Fanatics Sportsbook is launching Sketchy Bets, a five-episode animated comedy series narrated by SNL cast member Kam Patterson that turns real customer sports bets into sketch videos. 

  • Ms. Pat signs an expanded multi-year overall deal with BET Studios. Season 3B of Ms. Pat Settles It also premieres June 30.

  • Saturday Night Live France will debut on Canal+ this fall as a one-off special, with comedian Jean-Pascal Zadi set to host the official French adaptation of the SNL franchise. 

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert writers launch a DIY Emmy campaign after saying CBS was not funding an awards push for the show's final season, releasing a spoof video to promote its nomination bid. 

  • Will Ferrell stars in the newly released trailer for The Hawk, a Netflix comedy series about a washed-up golf pro chasing one last major championship. The series premieres July 16.

  • Ricky Gervais discusses Alley Cats, his upcoming Netflix animated sitcom about foul-mouthed British feral cats. 

  • Johnny Knoxville returns with the Jackass crew in Jackass: Best and Last, which was released in theaters on June 26. 

  • Bill Burr will star in Bender, a comedy set in 1970s Dublin that follows a teenager navigating post-punk culture. 

  • SNL alum Chloe Troast will write and star in Pepper Slit: Live in Her Living Room, an Off Broadway comedy running July 21 through Aug. 16.

  • Bill Carter argues that Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed represents a fundamentally different late-night business model, prioritizing low-cost and repeatable programming over a host-driven format.

Specials, Signings, Tours

  • Louis C.K. returns to Netflix with Ridiculous, his first comedy special for a major distributor since 2017, premiering June 30.

  • Michael Che teases a new stand-up special expected in about two months.

  • Ilana Glazer announces a second North American leg of her Ilana Glazer Live! tour.

Festivals This Month

Festival Submissions

  • Eyes Up Here Comedy Festival · July 22–25 & August 8, 2026 · Jersey City and Morristown, New Jersey. Submission fee: $15. Submission deadline: June 28. Submit here.

  • St. Marks Comedy Club 2nd Annual Comedy Competition · July 22, 2026 (competition begins) · New York City. $3,000 in prizes plus a year of spots at St. Marks. Submission fee: $20. Submission deadline: July 3. Submit here.

  • Out of Bounds Comedy Festival · November 5–8, 2026 · Austin, Texas. Submission fee: $15–$45. Submission deadline: June 30. Submit here.

  • Lookout Comedy Festival · October 14–17, 2026 · Chattanooga, Tennessee. At least two performance spots, a $100 stipend, and panels. Submission fee: $35. Submission deadline: June 30. Submit here.

  • Full list of festival submissions on our site here. We’ve also partnered with Inside Comedy to track festival submissions!

Comedy Jobs

Casting Calls / One-Offs

That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected]. 

Keep Reading

© 2026 The Jokebook.
beehiivPowered by beehiiv