What is a Media Cruise

One of the most prevalent, not to mention fun and unique, jobs we have had is the opportunity to be a part of multiple ship launches and media cruises. 

Most cruise lines will invite Media, Social Influencers, and other entities that report on, or promote, the cruise industry, when they are rolling out a new ship. These media sailings are usually 1-2 days and there will be several of them before the ship begins revenue cruises. Sometimes it’s just a trip offshore with no destination (they are promoting the ship, not ports of call), and other times they will stop at one of their private islands. Perfect Day at Coco Cay, where Royal Caribbean often stops, is an example of this. The private islands are very popular and sometimes are an extension of the ship’s themes.

The media cruises that we work on usually have us providing several different production services. One of our main services is to provide the set up for Live Shot locations, including crew and equipment, for any media that needs to do a live stand up. Since we are on board for the whole length of the cruise, we can bring all the necessary equipment. This allows the media guests to spend more time seeing the ship without needing their own set of equipment. Some clients will do Media Tours with numerous broadcast outlets over the course of several hours on whatever day they schedule.

This service is a part of the full onboard production services the company that we work for provides during these sailings. Us, or other production teams brought on by the cruise line will shoot video of every amenity on the ship and have it ready for the guests. They also bring on several editing bays, with editors. Several camera teams will go around the ship with the reporters and shoot any pieces to camera that they may want. Once done with that, the reporter will record their audio track and meet up with one of the editors to put their story together using the footage that we shoot of them on camera and any relevant video that was shot and stored earlier. Once their stories are uploaded and the broadcast scheduled, we provide live shot services for the reporter to introduce their story during their newscast. Providing full production services for the media and social influencers, allows the cruise line to ensure a high-quality product across the many outlets that cover it. 

To learn more about the services we offer or how we can help add value through media to your brand or business, contact Roger Prehoda at roger@jollyrogerimages.com.