Confessor: Matt Yee
Location: Based in Honolulu
Favorite industry film: Titanic
Pet Peeve: "I hate leaving my boyfriend of 10 years onshore. It sucks."
Do you ever get seasick? I got seasick on my first night of my very first cruise. I thought, Oh, great, them goes my career on ships. The purser, this big friendly black gal, said, "Honey, just let it go!" go I didn't fight it, and I just let it all come up. That worked for me. Now I wear the wristbands, and I don't have a problem.
What's the most stable part of a ship? The middle of the ship on the lower floors. That's where Royal Caribbean places the ice skating rink. And that's where we "carnies" (that's what I like to call us entertainers) usually live. I here's the comedian the contortionist, the guy who flies around the stage, a couple singers--a real circus.
What's the difference between working on straight cruises and gay cruises? I love doing the gay Atlantis cruises the most. I can bring out drag, sing my gay songs, kiss my husband with no problem On straight cruises I try to wear a dress--but the market (a.k.a. the audience) just stares at me funny. But then the queens wouldn't sing "Margaritaville" if you paid them, so it all equals out.
What's the best thing about working on a cruise ship for a living? A cruise ship is like a little village of 5,000 people living in a confined area. You can't help but Pun into people again and again. People say hello to each other get permission to look each other in the eyes. You feel like you're a part of this neighborhood I enjoy facilitating that feeling in my shows And the crew--from places like Bosnia, Bulgaria, and the Philippines--goes back to their home countries with wonderful stories of how they love the gay cruises. Even the straight guys do--and not just because the queens drink like fish and tip well. A transformation happens on these cruise villages. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?