Financial Planning | Lime Music

A lot of you have asked us for advice on how to save more money on board, and we’re happy to share what we know. So here’s our take on it.

Cruise ship jobs are unique for quite a few reasons. One is that your basic living expenses are covered – room, closet, bed: check, three meals a day: check, etc – so that virtually none of your monthly salary needs to go towards those basic life expenses for which most people on planet Earth need to budget. With this logic, you should be saving close to $1500 (if not more) each month, returning home from your contract with several thousand US dollars (or the equivalent of that amount). And yet there are some folks who come home with very little, or, even if they have saved a bit, they blown through that money after six weeks of vacation.

So let’s talk about taking steps to prevent your funds from running low or running out.

-First, track your expenditures. Most of us think we have a fairly good idea of what and how we spend our money – that is, until we write it all down. Maybe we go shopping for clothes a bit more often that we thought, or our crew bar bill is actually three times larger that what we expected, or when we combine taxi fares, food in ports, and miscellaneous expenses, we’re spending half of our paycheck. By writing down every single expenditure each day, you can now understand not only where your money is going, but see trends in where you spend your money and if there’s any correlation between certain activities, times of the month, etc. Every time you spend money, pull out your phone, and fire up your preferred app for tracking expenditures. Some of us use Saver – it costs $5 to download, but it’s user-friendly, you can create budgets for different categories, and you can even input expenditures in different currencies. There are other free options like Spendee and Wally that are simpler, but also quite useful.

-Budget. Now that you know where you’re spending money and approximately how much you spend per month, decide how much you want to save, and then do the math. If you earn $2200 each month, and you want to save $1500 of that, then your spending limit is $700. And if you find you’re currently spending $1100, well, you need to find ways to cut $400 out. Maybe it means making a schedule where once or twice a cruise, you make sure you stay on board – practice, read a book, do headstands – thereby spending no money that day. Or maybe it means limiting yourself to only two shopping trips a month, and that no single trip can exceed $200. Or maybe it means setting a crew bar budget and either not going down there every night or just drinking less when you’re there (your liver will thank you).

-Stick to it. Creating the budget is one thing, but acting on it is another thing entirely. One way to help yourself out is to allot a certain percentage of your salary straight to your bank account. Most crew cards allow you the option of automatically sending a percentage of your choosing to your account, so you don’t even have to remind yourself to do this. You’re just left with a small amount in your crew card account, and be strict – don’t allow yourself to take out money from your bank account! Only use what’s left in your crew card, and if at the end of the month, you have a little extra, you can decide whether to add it to your bank account and save even more, or spend it as a treat to yourself. But at least the money you’ve sworn to save is already sitting in your bank account, so you’re on pace to save according to your goal.

Again, this is all easier said than done. But shoot big: do the math at the very beginning of your contract, and set a goal for total money saved by the time you walk off with all your luggage. And then budget on your vacation, too! Make choices based on your weekly average expenditures, the amount of time you’ll be home, and how much you want to dip into your funds, and be smart about it. Finish up your vacation with a nice cushion of savings, and then you can simply start adding to that as soon as you start your next contract.

Also, if you tend to live more frugally (or want to start doing that), we highly recommend reading the Mr Money Mustache Blog. Lots of great advice and ideas you can implement right away.

The next level in this game is actually investing your money, so that your savings earns money on itself, but we’ll get around to that a little later on. For now, get a handle on your finances, create a plan, be disciplined, and let the savings begin!

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American saxophonist Keith McKelley has spent a lot of time on the big stage, where he’s also made a name for himself with the Aerophone, Roland’s model of the EWI. Originally from Ohio, he moved to Los Angeles in 2013, where he’s worked as a live and session musician, as well as a producer.

Keith has shared the stage and the studio with an assortment of artists that includes Usher, Phillip Bailey, Mary J. Blige, Rapper Logic, Jhene Aiko, John Lindahl, Gin Wigmore, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, David Foster, Tyrese, Larry Dunn, Bob James, Harvey Mason, Raphael Saadiq, Andrew Gouche, Solange Knowles, Bill “The Buddha” Dickens, Micki Howard, Angela Bofill, Marcus Johnson, Marc de Clive-Lowe, and others. He’s also performed on Carnival Cruise Lines and released three original albums.

Keith continues to be an integral part of the LA music scene, always striving to create music that is at a high level, that will last, and that is absolutely heartfelt.

Portuguese guitarist Nuno Monteiro’s varied career includes musicals, tours, cruising, conservatory teaching, a degree in Flamenco guitar, and projects ranging from jazz to blues, pop to rock, and funk to Latin.

He has enjoyed collaborations with Steve Larkins, Kim Purling, Paul Baker, Mark Anthony, Glenn McNamara, Nijel Rawlins, John Bressler, the Corleone Big Band, and four years of touring with the international vocalist Jose Alberto Reis. He also toured as the lead guitarist for Mamma Mia! for two years, performing over one thousand shows for over two million people.

Nuno has also spent multiple contracts performing with Princess Cruises and traveling much of the world. He currently resides in Porto, where he continues to play, teach, and consistently produce tasty lines on his guitar.

Lewis Sutch is a British pianist who has performed all over the world, both solo and with various renowned acts. Conservatory-trained in both jazz and classical piano, he’s since broadened his scope with gigs ranging from pop to blues to rock, through everything from ships to tours to the circus.

Over the course of two seasons on tour with Giffords Circus in London, he performed to 80,000+ people across the UK, including notable celebrities such as Adele, Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Knopfler, Jennifer Saunders, Jamie Cullum, Hugh Grant and Vivianne Westwood. He’s also had the privilege of playing some of the top venues across England, including Blenheim Palace and Ronnie Scott’s.

Subsequently, Lewis has traveled to 6 continents as a pianist and musical director for Holland America Line and Royal Caribbean, most recently finishing a year-long run with Postmodern Jukebox on Deck. He currently splits time between the UK and the US, continuing to perform and hone his craft.

Oscar Cordero is a trumpet player with a wealth of professional experience, in styles ranging from classical to pop to jazz, and across three continents. He won the position of Associated Soloist at the National Philharmonic of Venezuela at the age of 17, and would eventually move to Europe for various performance opportunities.

Among the musicals he’s played are Les Miserables, Chicago, Saturday Night Fever, Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Spamalot, and On Your Feet. And his performance and touring credits include international artists such as Ray Barreto, Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Isaac Delgado, Paloma San Basilio, Malu, Luisito y Robert Quintero, and many others.

As has been the case in his native Venezuela as well as Spain, Oscar has become a top-call musician in the Netherlands, where he currently resides, performs, and continues to blast high notes for days.

Omer Idan is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger from Eilat, Israel, and there are few places on the planet he hasn’t visited with a guitar or bass in hand. While studying jazz at the Rimon School in Ramat Hashasron, he formed the fusion ensemble The Boogie Knight, and would go on to tour with other groups such as Los Omres and the Groove Ambassadors.

Starting in 2015, Omer took his talents to the sea and spent several contracts as a musician and musical director with Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruises, during which time he performed on all seven continents, with hundreds of artists from all over the world, to audiences all around the world. He’s also had the pleasure of collaborating with Tararam, Laila Malcus, and many other artists.

Omer has settled back in Tel Aviv, where he continues to perform, produce, and create groovy, innovative music at an alarmingly high level.

Hailing from Texas, Mike Brehm is a trumpet player, arranger and composer whose wealth of gig experience ranges from cruise ships to the US Navy. After graduating from Texas State with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, he went on to play lead trumpet for Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises for several years.

In 2016, he joined the ranks of the US Navy Fleet Bands, and has spent the past three years stationed outside of Seattle, Washington, performing and arranging for the Navy Band Northwest. Through his performing career he has played alongside Tony Vega, Rufus Reid, Bob Mintzer, Michael Philip Mossman, Bob Shephard, and Marvin Stamm.

Mike has recently accepted a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and will move cross-country with his rad family later this year to begin his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance and light up the northeast with his playing.

Argentinian-born Leandro Garcia is a pianist, arranger and composer who has performed on the stages of major cities all over the world, including Barcelona, Rome, Paris, London, Boston, and New York City, in addition to extensive touring and festivals in his native country.

He’s also familiar with much of the world’s waterways, having served as a bandleader for Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines over the course of several years. His writing and composing during this time led to his recognition at the Fondo Nacional de las Artes, in the jazz category, for his solo album Despierta, in 2017.

Leandro also spent time in the Buenos Aires musical theater scene, where he has performed shows such as Chicago and Les Miserables; he’s also been featured as a pianist and vocalist in top jazz clubs around the city, and currently continues to teach, perform, and craft sweet lines on his piano.

Hailing from the country of Colombia, Mario Criales is a bassist, vocalist, composer and author who, after winning several awards for bass performance in his youth, has enjoyed a career of touring and performing that has taken him from Honduras to Kenya to Italy. He has also sailed much of the globe as a bandleader for Holland America Line, and is endorsed by Aguilar amps.

Much of Mario’s career has been spent as an ambassador of joropo, a hybrid style of music originating in his native Colombia. To this end, he has given masterclasses at prestigious institutions such as the Berklee School of Music, released an original album entitled Influencias, and published a book, El Bajo y el Joropo Llanero, in 2017.

That said, Mario’s passion for joropo has never compromised his love and dedication to other styles, from jazz to pop to classical. He currently resides in Amsterdam, where he continues to perform, teach, compose, and churn out intoxicatingly groovy bass lines.

Carl Mörner Ringström is a Swedish guitarist, arranger and composer. Since graduating with a masters from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Carl has offered up his musical wisdom through clinics, workshops and masterclasses, and has performed everywhere from tours to cruise ships to various other big stages around the world.

Notable collaborations include Henrik Linder of Dirty Loops fame, Louis Cole, Virgil Donati, David Binney, Wayne Krantz, Claudia Campagnol, Sidsel Storm, Malene Mortensen, Marius Neset, Snorre Kirk and Vivian Buczek. He was also nominated for a BMW World Jazz Award in 2015, and is endorsed by Yamaha and Line6.

After stints in Copenhagen and New York, Carl is currently based in Stockholm, where he continues to write, teach, perform, and transfix listeners with everything from adult chords to thrash metal solos.

Multi-instrumentalist Giacomo Riggi’s career has taken him all over the map, literally. He’s won many awards in his native Italy for both composition and performance in piano and classical percussion; toured Europe, Asia and the Americas with orchestras and jazz ensembles; and sailed around the world as a bandleader and musical director on cruise ships and with Cirque du Soleil.

He’s collaborated with a long list of artists that includes Danilo Rea, Mauro Grossi, Tony Scott, Garrison Fewell, Marlene VerPlanck, Paul McCandless, and others, and he’s sung with Bobby McFerrin multiple times. He’s also performed his show Sonic Odyssey as a headliner on Royal Caribbean cruises. And he’s released three albums as a leader, including Izevarm and Into My Life.

Giacomo is currently based in Tuscany, where he organizes concerts, explores the musical boundaries of everything from the vibraphone to the harpejji, and continues to learn, experiment, share, and stay curious.

Latin Grammy-nominated Felipe Castro is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist whose 26-year career spans performing, recording and arranging in a variety of styles — from jazz, bossa, merengue, and salsa, to pop, funk, gospel, and house music — for countless Spanish and international artists.

His touring credits include names like Tony Succar, Carlinhos Brown, Bonnie Tyler, Matthew Herbert, David Bisbal, Inna, Chino and Nacho, Mónica Naranjo, Ana Torroja, David Civera, Natalia Jiménez, Merche, Malú, and many others, and he has also performed his headlining show on P&O and Princess Cruises.

Felipe currently resides in Holland, where he continues to arrange, tour, and crank out earth-shattering solo after solo.

Ben Todd is a drummer, percussionist, composer and bandleader from Adelaide in South Australia. Over the past 10 years, he’s been touring the world with Cirque du Soleil as a featured drummer, percussionist and now-bandleader with 3 of their shows, Corteo, Kooza, and most recently, Volta. During this time, Ben has performed in Japan, Russia, the US, Spain, Canada, France, Belgium and England for a total of over 1500 shows.

Prior to joining Cirque, Ben performed with a wide range of artists back in Australia including Kate Cebrano, Paulini, Ben Folds, Doug Parkinson, Rhonda Burchmore, James Morrison, David Campbell, Barry Humphries and Glen Shorrok, as well as pit orchestra work for many musical theater shows including the Australia / New Zealand tour of Cats, Miss Saigon, Grease, Metro Street and The Candyman.

In 2007, Ben was selected as a James Morrison Jazz Scholarship finalist. The following year, he was a featured artist at Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Melbourne, Australia, and he would be asked back to perform again in 2015, this time in a duo format with multi-instrumentalist Adam Page. He’s also released three albums as a leader, including 20Ten and The Ben Todd Quintet. He continues to tour, perform, and do awesome things behind the drum kit.

Originally from central Michigan, Jim Lutz has appeared on stages, in recording studios, and in broadcast media across dozens of major cities around the world, with credits that include Cirque du Soleil, Disney, and the TONY® and EMMY® award-winning production “Blast!”

From 2010-2015, Jim was the music director and played trombones, keyboards, sequences, and effects on Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza. More recently, Jim was the associate conductor and trombonist for Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour in New York, served as associate music supervisor for Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour das Musical in Hamburg, Germany, and was the Ableton designer for Cirque du Soleil’s Twas The Night Before.

Jim currently resides in the greater NYC area and continues to perform, compose, produce and, as he sees it, tell stories, stir emotions, and help to bring a little bit more beauty into our world through music.