People wanting good seats for bingo began to arrive early, and I ended up with 500 people who learned more about the ocean than they ever expected to know. What makes the audiences unique is their maturity and broad experience. Many are retired chief executive officers, physicians, lawyers, engineers and other professionals. You have to like to be on stage. Sometimes the sea gets rough.
Availability is important in getting jobs.
Cruise lines often decide at the last minute that they have space and want a lecturer in some specialty. We once received a call on a Friday night asking if we could be in Cape Town, South Africa, a week later. The ship in this case, the Royal Viking Sun, was leaving on a voyage to Brazil and Barbados. Thus, in addition to air reservations we had to get Brazilian visas. Those seven days proved to be an adventure in and of themselves.