Above: Jordan Bauth ignites on the crowd during the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas tour.
By Kama Stigall
Many people dream of traveling the world. Twenty-seven-year-old figure skater Jordan Bauth is one of the lucky few who not only gets to travel, but gets paid to do so, as a cruise ship performer.
Bauth, who is originally from Buffalo, New York, started skating at an early age.
“I first started skating when I was 4 years old,” she said. “I first was introduced to the sport by my mom, who was a professional ice skater in her younger years and became a coach afterward. She would bring me to the rink while she coached, and I begged her to let me on the ice. And the rest is history!”
Bauth had a successful competitive skating career, competing at the U.S. Junior Championships and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. In addition, she competed at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria. She was part of the gold medal-winning mixed team at the event.
She skated competitively for 16 years before making the switch to professional skating. Shortly after graduating from Buffalo State University with a degree in fashion merchandising in 2019, she accepted her first contract with the Royal Caribbean cruise line.
“I always knew I wanted to skate professionally in shows once I graduated university,” Bauth said. “During my senior year, I put together an audition video to send off to a few different companies.
“My coaches suggested I apply to work on a cruise ship as it is a great opportunity. I sent my audition in and they accepted my offer during my final semester of university. I began my first contract in August 2019.”
Having the opportunity to combine her two passions — skating and travel — seemed like a perfect next step.
“Skating on a cruise ship was initially intriguing, because I’ve always loved to travel and had this intense desire to see the world,” Bauth said. “When I learned I could get paid to skate while simultaneously traveling all over the globe, I knew it was a dream job for me.”
To date, she has performed on six different Royal Caribbean Ships, including Allure of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas. During her time at sea, she has skated solo roles.
Bauth’s current ship is the Utopia of the Seas, one of the newest and biggest cruise ships in the world. She started her current contract in June 2024 and is part of the original cast of the “Youtopia” show. Her current role on the show is “Tutti Frutti Girl.”
It goes without saying that one of the biggest benefits of being a cruise ship skater is getting to travel the globe. So far, Bauth has visited 44 different countries.
“I have been very fortunate to see so much of the world in my 20s,” she said.
Having visited so many beautiful and exotic places, it is difficult for Bauth to pick her favorite.
“It’s extremely hard to pick just one, but I would have to say Italy is my favorite country I’ve visited so far,” she said. “Everything about Italy is incredible. It is such a beautiful country with so much history, friendly people, incredible food and rich culture.”
Besides having the opportunity to travel, Bauth has cherished being able to meet new people through professional skating.
“It is a very rare opportunity to meet and work alongside people from all different countries,” she said. “Working onboard is a unique environment that helps you not only grow as an individual but also build lifelong relationships. The friends you make onboard become your family away from home. Living and working in the same space allows you to get to know others on an extremely deep level.”
Though it sounds like a dreamy experience, there are some drawbacks to being a performer.
“The most challenging part about working onboard a cruise ship is how long you are away from home,” Bauth said. “Contract lengths can vary depending on the ship, but on average you are working away for six to eight months at a time, without vacation time to visit home.”
In addition to performing, Bauth has become an influencer in the travel space. She documents her experiences as a cruise ship skater on her popular YouTube channel (@jbauth), where she has more than 90,000 subscribers.
Bauth will wrap up her current contract with Royal Caribbean in December 2024. Without a doubt, she has enjoyed her time as a cruise ship skater and is grateful for the experience she has gained.
“I can’t express how amazing this job is,” Bauth said.
For a peek into Jordan Bauth’s cruise ship adventures, check out her YouTube channel.
