Courtesy of Autumn Eliza Sheffy
- Autumn Eliza Sheffy spent five months living and performing on a German cruise ship in 2022.
- Since she performed at night, she spent the days exploring new countries and hanging with coworkers.
- She slept in a small metal cabin and struggled with phone service, but she loved the experience.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Autumn Eliza Sheffy, a 26-year-old who spent nearly five months aboard a cruise ship as a musical theater performer. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Not long after I accepted a job as a musical-theater performer aboard the AIDAluna, a luxury cruise ship based in Germany and owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, I had second thoughts.