Hey guys, I"m in the midst of applying to be a YAC for DCL. I've done a lot of research on here, read some of the blogs that have been posted, watched the YouTube videos, etc...but nobody seems to mention any downsides besides the long hours and the smaller issues (laundry, food, etc). I did see something about how strict the rules are in management, can anyone elaborate on this? I'm pretty much a rule follower, but I'm curious. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post! TL;DR: Tell me some little-known best and worst parts about working for DCL
I sent you a PM with more info. There really are pros and cons to every job - and they are highly reliant on the person. I think the YAC position on DCL is wonderful and would highly recommend it, but with that being said I know it's not for everyone. The best parts - the people (Crew and guests) become like family. There is a bond that is hard to explain. And secondly you get to be a part of these magical moments for guests (and especially kids) and impact their lives - while our actions aren't saving the world, they are making people happy and that's pretty awesome.
The biggest downside is sickness. Some days your body will tell you no but you have to make it keep going even though you can't be bothered. It's not like the real world where you can call in if you don't feel quite up to working. You have to be proper dying to be signed off... And when you are you'll be lucky to have more than a day signed off work. One of the major factors that made me leave was the amount of times I would get sick. Being around kids all the time you are more prone to pick things up. I would get strep throat at least once a contract and sometimes you get other weird illnesses just from the sheer fact of being exhausted. I wouldn't say the management is 'strict' in the sense you think. At the end of the day it's disney and they have very high standards and specific guidelines. It is the managers job to enforce this. They are only there to protect you because with a company like disney there are thousands of others eager to take your job, so the slightest incompetency and they have a reason to not renw your contract. If you weren't able to adapt to them I don't think you would be applying anyway though so I wouldn't worry about that. As with any work place you'll get good managers and bad managers. It's all down to personalities and how well you get on with other people. Promotions are also a major frustration. I don't know if it is still the case but in my two years, new hires were frequently brought on board to take management roles instead of letting an experienced crew member have the position. This would create a lot of tension on board as crew that had been there a while we're quite rightly p***ed off. I believe this was a massive miscommunication though between shoreside teams and shipboard. It's a rather bizarre recruitment process really. The only other major downside is all the amount of real world experiences you'll miss out on... weddings, babies, pop concerts, nights out with your friends just to name a few. Yes you'll have plenty of fun nights working on the ship but its a bubble existence. At the end of my two years with dcl I found I had become quite a hard person on the inside when it came to relationships. Goodbyes become normal to you and you learn not to get upset when people aren't there anymore. In that sense it's a rather fickle environment to work in. Hope that gives you some insight On a plus, I would say even if you do one contract it is worth it for the experience. If you can handle it do another few contracts. But you are never obliged to keep going back.
It varies on the personal which ship.the less ports your ship goes... The less money u spend on souvenirs. No etc. If u behave not set itself a budget. I can easily save up to a couple of grand
