A few Questions

Hey Guys, i have been looking into working for DCL, as cruise staff.. i have a few questions and would appreciate any responses, to help me in making my decision!

1. What is the pay? I'm not expecting it to be much, but is it enough to save and travel with after the program has finished.
2. Is it true that you work 4 months and get 2 months off paid?
3. Do disney pay for your flights?
4. What type of responsibilites do cruise staff have?
5. How long does it take to arrange an interview
6. I understand its hard work, working everyday, im prepared to work that, but is it worth it in comparison to working in the parks.

I think thats about it for now, hehe, all help would be much appreciated

 

Hi, I just had an interview for DCL for Youth counsellor via Excellent Entertainment, well not really an interview as they gave me the wrong date but anyway, they told me loads of stuff.
1. They don't actually mention this at all...! But most entry level jobs are paid hourly and as it is 70hr+ a week, you tend to save alot, as there is nothing to spend it on i would imagine, other than at the crew bar!
2. It depends on the contract, youth counsellor was about 4-4.5 months then 6-8 weeks off, although i don't think its paid (maybe it is if you renew your contract before the vacation)
3. Yes and put you up during Traditions at WDW
4. Look at dcljobs.com, it has all the job stuff. When i was on the cruises as a guest, they did all the adult activites and loads more i think...
5. Depends on the role and the agency you use, they tend to have a few interview sessions per year
6. Having worked in the parks, i reckon dcl will be harder because its a 7-day working week, you don't get your nice 2 days off, obviously varying what you do, when things have to be done.

The interviewer i had was stressing the obvious: You're always onboard, the tight shared living conditions, long hours...

Can't decide if i want it more than doing CRP in EPCOT... i guess its better than nothing and i'll take what i can get!
Good luck!

 

Hey, Thanks for the info! How long did excellent entertainment take to get back to you, i sent them my cv about a week ago, do they usually take this long to reply? Thanks again!

 

No probs, good luck getting in. Hmm I think it took at while, can't really remember...maybe a few weeks? Caroline was friendly enough so if in doubt write again and ask for a rough idea of when they are recruiting again. I don't even know when i'd start if i get it, they weren't really forthcoming on dates damn them...

If you're still wondering in a few weeks, I'll let you know what they said at the interview...

 

Dani

 

Hey guys,

I would like to apply to DCL for either a food and beverage positions or cruise staff (ideally i'd like to do guest relations/rooms, but I don't think they recruit for that from the UK do they?).

My question is, what the hell does it take to get an interview!? I did the ICP in Food and Beverage back in 2005 and since then have been working in the hospitality industry and am currently working as Cabin Crew. I applied a couple of years ago and was basically told that even after doing the ICP for a year i "didn't have any relevant experience". I sent off an application to the F+B recruiters yesterday and have had an e-mail this morning that just says nothing more than "We have decided not to process your application any further" with no further information as to why!

Are there any recruiters out there for Guest Relations positions? Are DCL just not recruiting at the moment?

 

I'm just throwing this out there in case anybody is interested, but this is a link to sort of a miniature blog of one CM's experience working on the Disney Wonder:

http://allears.net/cruise/issue389.htm

To get to the next part in the series, just scroll down and look at the left side bar until you see "Disney Cruise Line: A Cast
Member in Training" and a link to different parts below that.

Just thought it might give you a little glimpse into things, but bear in mind that it's a different experience for everybody, so anything that this person may raise as a complaint may be something that won't bother you much at all!

I've always thought it would be great to work for DCL, and even better to work on Castaway Cay! I love da Caribbean life mon!

 

U don't wanna work on CC!!! Believe me. It is fantastic whenever you get the chance to spend some off-time on CC but not when you have to work.

 

Hello everyone. I am a current Youth Activities Counsellor on the Wonder so I may be able to rectify some of these questions...

Everyones pay works slightly different... depending what country you are from. For most roles at DCL though expect between $4-$7 an hour. It doesn't sound very much at first but you have to take into account that there are no expenses. Food and accomodation is included at DCL pay for your flights from your country and back home to your country. If you successfully complete your contract you get a bonus which is 25% of everything you earned... however, they are in the process of changing this so it is going to work differently in the future...

Cruise staff is one of the more difficult positions to get... just because there are so few of them! Not saying it is an impossible position to get but the cruise director usually looks to Youth Activities first when there is an opening for a new cruise staff member.

Goodluck to everyone wanting to apply. It's an awesome job. I can say with total confidence I have enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than working at Walt Disney World. www.dcljobs.com will answer any questions about applying to the cruise line!

Peace

 

Hey my dear little Ben!! Glad you've made it back on these boards! How are you enjoying your break? I'm in the middle of sending everything back to EE, passed the medical and just need to send my official letter back to the embassy as the one i took with me wasn't good enough!

Can't believe its better than WDW - how? No coke to clean up perhaps...?! Hopefully joining you soon...when did they give you a start date...or how long through your contract do they ask if you want to renew it - its killing me not knowing when i could start, but i guess as son as all the paperwork is ready, i'll be in a better position...

Have fun in the sun Lizziexxx

 

Lizzie! I didn't realise it was you until I really studied your picture and screen name haha!

For contract start dates... it all happens rather randomly. Excellent Entertainment could call you at any point. They actually rang me even before I had my visa asking if I wanted to start in October. I declined that one because the start date was literally four days after my visa appointment so I was worried I wouldn't have had my passport back in time.

I can't really remember when I got offered my November start date... I feel like it was about three weeks before they wanted me to go... so yeh it all happens rather quickly.

I like it more than WDW just because the atmosphere is a lot more positive.
Being on vacation in Disney World made me realise how much more miserable people are there... but then the cruise has a lot more of a controlled environment... we always know how many people are coming and we always know how many children there are going to be.

And the job is a lot more closer to my personality... Youth Activities involves a lot more entertaining than you might expect. Expect to dance dance dance and get on the mic... especially if you end up in the Oceaneer Club haha!

As for renewing... they don't really ask you... you just put on your contract reviews whether you would like to come back. I would consider your position permanent unless you do lots of bad things and they could opt not to rehire you... everyone just takes it one contract at a time... even the managers

 

Ben!! You're home! Haha you'll see i have been talking about you here...
Now I have gotten over being rejected from the CRP (why????) I'm looking forward to getting on the cruise. Glad you had a great time, sounds good that you can inject yourself into the job, rather than just being told what to do...Although i hate my job at the moment, it's in a toy shop which means there are lots of little kiddies, and i had forgotten how much fun there are! I asked for younger kids in my interview so fingers crossed one of those becomes available...The oceaneer club is like 7yo? Is that where you were?
Sooo jealous you have already done a contract, how long do you have off between them?
Also I read on the other post that you auditioned for character - that's cool, especially since YA is entertainment too! Its good its all internal, on the ship...
I'm ready to dance dance dance - call me Caroline!!

 

Ah I wouldn't worry about the CRP. I'm sure there is a fateful reason you didn't get on it. Hats off to everyone that does it but I can't help but see it as a bit of a deadend. If you want a career with Disney it kind of gets you nowhere. And I always thought it was ironic it was called the cultural program because it's not all that cultural. I'm sure you'll remember the days on the bus where it was futureworld Vs the world showcase haha. We hated them right? Especially if you finished work at 9PM to get pushed off the bus by the chinese. Hahaha. Memories!

I felt it was very segregated and I could see afterwards if I'd done that program I would have been making a whole new bunch of english friends in a foreign country... again... not ideal for someone so culturally fascinated as me haha.

I do think it's a great program though... but more for someone who wants a year out or someone who wants a unique travel experience that isn't all spend, spend, spend, debt, debt, debt haha.

The Oceaneer Club is ages 3-4 and 5-7. They are altogether at some points (usually in the evenings) but largely they have their own activities. And that is where I am. I spent equal time in both age groups. 5-7s is the biggest group and probably the hardest, yet I found the 3-4 more challenging in some ways... just because they can be so dopey! It is not as easy to round them all up because they get distracted by shiny objects haha. Your age group isn't set in stone though... you can ask to move or they may just move you as a surprise haha.

You normally get six weeks off between contracts but everyone that left before me got their vacations extended to eight weeks. You don't have to accept it but its quite common for that to happen.

I did audition for characters... they are hoping to make that more of a regular thing but unfortuntely there are not that many characters so height is a big factor. 5ft 4 to 5ft 6 is quite a good range because you can double up as multiple characters. I could only be friends with pluto right now and even that is quite a close call coz I'm very slightly over 5ft 8 which is the max height. However you have a 'disney height' which is usually slightly less than your real height.

Can't wait to see you again! I really hope you come to the Wonder with me a Drew... we'd be one step close to Disney domination haha.

 

Replied to t'other before reading this one!

You make very good points about CRP - I remember thinking i would hate it when we were there - you live and work with UK people - not very American/citizen of the world!! God I hated the bloody Pavillion lot and I didn't really finish at 9 ever! So really shouldn't be one of them....Hehe no offense intended to anyone from there really Plus my mother always promoted the cruise more as potential career plan lol!

Eeeek, will send off my CRB tomo - am so focused on it now! Caroline replied and said there might be may/june starts so fingers crossed!!! I need to get out of Bromley pronto!

 

Hi, in response to my post earlier in this thread.... i recieved an e-mail from International Services the other day advertising position for DCL, and so I decided to just send my CV off again (in spite of then turning me down before). Today i got an e-mail from Patricia Luec at international services asking me to ring her tomorrow! Not sure if she just wants to shout at me for being so annoying and bombarding her so many times with my CV, or maybe it could be for an interview, it doesn't state anything else in the e-mail other than "Ring me tomorrow between 9 and 12"!

Chris

 

Oh good news Chris - well done and let us know how it goes!

 

Well actually not so good! It was basically to say that i can't apply for a Dining Room Server role as i haven't had waiter experience within the last 2 years, even tho i have previous been a server on the Cultural Rep programme and worked in a restaurant for 8 years! And my entire CV is customer service orientated (front of house in a concert hall, cabin crew...) She basically said get a waiter job for the summer and contact her again in September!

 

Oh that kinda sucks buddy! Did you consider applying to a different role or are you set on becoming a server? Goodluck!

P.S There is a link posted to a blog on this post... an experience of working on the cruise line or something. Just wanted to say if you do happen to read that, try and take it with a pinch of salt. It was written a long time ago so a lot has changed on board since that time. I read that and it kind of frightened me a little... don't let it put you off... it is quite negatively slanted. And I also must add... every role is different... and every contract is different. And it's never the completely same experience when you go return... sometimes a good thing... sometimes a bad thing.

 

Hi guys, I hope you are great.
I have a question? do you have any adress where I can apply? I am from Mexico and I have sent emails asking for information to the adress I saw for apply in mexico in the DCL page but they don´t answer to me, so I want to know if I have any other option to send my cv.
Thank you!

 

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