Singing, Sailing & Staying Sane: Life as a Traveling Performer With Sam Bello
Sam Bello’s performing career is nothing short of global. She’s toured North America in the musical CATS, performing eight shows a week all while moving from city to city. She’s done different shows on international cruise ships with stages that literally rock with the waves. She’s sung on ships that have taken her from Mexico to Norway, the Caribbean to Qatar. And she’s performed on stages in Saudi Arabia for a couple of months, covering many different roles.
But what makes Sam’s story so compelling isn’t just the travel or the roles. It’s how she’s navigated the ups and downs of this lifestyle—the long days, the tiny dressing rooms, the jet lag, the hotel living, the physical recovery, and the creative recalibrating that happens every time you step into a new space.
She’s lived the dream that so many singers and actors imagine… but she’s also learned what it really takes to keep that dream sustainable. How to stay healthy, how to pivot when needed, and how to protect your passion when the work gets heavy.
If you’ve ever thought about cruise contracts, touring shows, or taking your voice around the world—Sam’s story is one you’ll want to hear.
From Graduation to the Stage (And Sea)
Sam and Coach Emily go way back—they were room mates back in college and have known each other for years. After graduating, Sam jumped headfirst into the industry, landing a role in the CATS North American tour, which ran for nine months across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The show ran 8 times a week. Sometimes in three different cities in a single week. Sometimes with less than a day between performances and travel. And somehow, Sam kept going—not just physically, but vocally.
“I didn’t get sick until the very end,” she said. “And even then, it wasn’t burnout. It was COVID.”
When she was sick with COVID, she had to stay back in her hotel room while the rest of the crew travelled on to the next city. Once she was healthy again she was able to reunite with her crew. During that time Sam leaned on coach Emily as her vocal support during that time to whip her voice back into shape asap.
The Cruise Ship Chapter
After recovering from being on tour for 9 months for a couple weeks in her home state Texas, Sam moved to NYC and—just a few weeks later—landed a contract performing for a ****cruise line. She boarded with only a short rehearsal window and dove into a new world: singing full-length genre shows with titles like Heart of the Ocean, Rock Anthems, and Songs About Water.
Some quick cruise stats from Sam’s time onboard:
7 different shows
1–2 shows per day
Stops in the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean
Sometimes performed multiple roles in one day
“You’re not just learning one show… you’re learning seven,” Sam explained.
“And sometimes switching between them depending on how rough the ship is.”
When asked what the best part was, Sam didn’t hesitate:
“The people. You meet people from all over the world—and you’re traveling while doing what you love.”
She also said that the hardest thing she’s ever done was performing on a cruise ship stage in rough waters. Sometimes when it got really bad they had to wear their flat shoes instead of their heels. I can barely walk in heels and here they were performing on a rocking stage in heels - crazy!
Cruise Ship Performer Life: The Realities
I’ll be honest—when Sam started sharing what cruise life is actually like, I was fascinated. I’ve never done a cruise contract (I get motion sick just thinking about it 😅), but hearing about the structure, the pace, and the day-to-day gave me so much more respect for performers who do.
It’s not just singing a few songs in the evenings. It’s full-out shows, costume changes, live audiences, and sometimes doing it all again the next day - but a completely different show—on a moving ship.
Here’s what stood out the most:
Some of the hard stuff:
Constant AC on the whole ship (this is so drying for the voice!)
Sharing tight living quarters with a rotating cast and crew
Limited privacy and very little alone time
Physically demanding roles (sometimes in costume) under cruise lights
Adapting constantly—new ports, new schedules, and quick show switches
But also…
Some of the incredible parts:
Getting to see the world while doing what you love
Meeting people from all over the globe—and forming a little family at sea
Performing for diverse audiences in shows that pushed her creatively
Not having to worry about housing or food while under contract (huge!)
The sense of adventure that comes with waking up in a new country
It’s not the right fit for everyone, but for someone like Sam—who thrives on movement, variety, and performance—it was an amazing way to grow as an artist and a human.
Living And Performing In The Middle East
One of Sam’s recent gigs was performing different shows in Saudi Arabia. It was the theatre company’s goal to make performing arts more accessible in the Middle East, especially in hyper conservative countries like Saudi Arabia. One of the craziest things for her was starting these shows for kids at 10pm or even later. Because it is so hot there during the day, people are used to being out and about at night when the temperature has dropped.
She also had to learn these shows in matter of 2 weeks and cover multiple roles, depending on what was needed that night. She sometimes even helped out at the theatre next door that was putting on a completely different show. The amount of material Sam had to learn in a short period of time is not for the faint of heart. At this point she was so used to learning new material that she could pick up a new show pretty quickly. Memorizing lines and songs gets easier with practice. The more you do it, the faster you can memorize whole shows.
Contracts, Union, and What’s Next
Even though Sam thought she’s done with traveling so much for her work, she just booked another 7-month cruise contract, performing alongside her boyfriend (He’s a dancer from England and they met in Saudi Arabia - how cute!). But she’s firm that this is the last one. After that, Sam’s ready to settle down in New York City or London, shift into land-based musical theatre, and eventually explore opportunities in film and TV.
“This last cruise is kind of a closing chapter,” she said.
“I’ve loved it, but I’m ready to build something more permanent.”
We talked about how each experience—from touring CATS to performing internationally—has shaped her as both a performer and a person. But she’s clear: after this, she’s rooting down.
And if you’re thinking about cruise work, touring, or any kind of contract gig, auditions are part of the deal. Sam’s been through it all—union, non-union, international—and she had some great advice.
Here’s what stood out:
Union vs. Non-Union: What Singers Should Know
Union gives you protections—minimum rates, rehearsal standards, health contributions, breaks, and overall structure. But it also means you can only take union jobs unless given special exceptions. It’s more rigid, but more secure.
Non-Union gives you more freedom—especially for international contracts like cruises, resorts, and tours—but doesn’t offer the same benefits or workplace standards. You’re often paid less than union actors as you don’t have a union to advocate for you.
Sam’s has been able to do all this work as a non-union actor. She’s not sure yet if/when she wants to join the union, even though at this point she has enough credits to join if she wanted to. Her main concern is that it really limits the kind of work that you can do if you’re a union actor as only non-union actors can accept non-union work, but all actors can accept union work.
Final Thoughts: Performing Without Borders
Sam’s story is a reminder that your career doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Whether you’re on tour, on a ship, or in a 500-seat theater in New York, what matters most is doing the work in a way that feels true to you.
And that means taking care of your voice, staying curious, and finding passion in the doing, not just the destination.
🎧 Want to hear Sam’s full story?
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