Bringing a touch of the Caribbean to the cruise ships

FRIDAY, JAN. 20: Robert Symons has been performing on cruise ships for over 23 years. He first started out as bass player in an Italian lounge band before moving on to Carnival Cruise Lines as a bass player in a rock and roll band. He has also worked for NCL, Princess, Holland America and Residence at Sea, but these days you can find Symons playing the steel pan on Celebrity Cruise Line’s Summit.  He learned how to play the instrument while living in St  Thomas. The ship is based out of San Juan and alternates Eastern and Western itineraries. We caught up with him while he was back home in Bermuda this week.

What do you like about being a steel pianist on the ship?

First of all, I’m a solo act so I don’t have to worry about politics or personalities. That also makes me a specialty musician.

I play on the Caribbean ships a lot because the instrument is from the Caribbean. As a soloist, I can play just about anything I want. It gives me a lot of freedom creatively.

Watching you play on the Celebrity Eclipse last year, it seems like the guests love to interact with you while you are playing.

People come up because they are curious about the instrument.

They have not heard or seen it before so I make a point that if they are generally interested in inviting them up to lean. I take the time with them, even during the song and give them a stick. It includes them so rather than it being me just playing, and them just listening, they get to come up and check it out.

How many shows might you do on a seven-day cruise?

I do two to three shows a day so it can be up to 21 shows.

Do you have a favourite venue to play on Celebrity?

There are two venues I enjoy playing. One is the pool deck. That’s usually a mid-afternoon show so people are just lounging about, relaxing and enjoying themselves. They are just hanging out and that’s a night vibe.

But my favourite venue is deck 10 aft. The one on the Celebrity Summit is called the Waterfall bar. That usually starts around 10pm until about 1am. It’s really nice. People have had dinner and been to the shows inside. Where I play on deck 10 is outside so there is fresh air and provides a really nice vibe. I can jazz it up but it depends on the vibe I’m getting back from the people and I might go somewhere else with it. Around midnight, 12:15am it gets really packed.

Cruising around the Caribbean, what are your favourite destinations?

I like St Maarten, Grenada and St Kitts. I’ve been to these islands multiple times over the years so I get to know the people there. St Maarten just seems to be alive with everyone so upbeat and friendly. There is just so much to do there. We dock on the Dutch side but there’s also the French side, and I like that a lot. I just get a moped and go over and just hang out.

How much free time do you have on the ship?

Quite a bit. I normally have practically the whole day. I normally have a 2:30pm to 3:30pm job as well as an 8pm job. I have quite a bit of free time.

Do you have to share quarters with any of the rest of the crew?

No. Because I am a specialty musician I get my own cabin.

What do you like about Celebrity’s ships?

It’s not so much the ship as each ship as its own soul and character. All of Celebrity’s ships I’ve done up until this one have been megaships and it’s always been the new ones, which I’ve always opened with them. On the Summit it has a totally relaxed vibe. I can just get on with my job and that’s fine as I can just get my groove on.