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What It’s Like to Work on Disney Cruise Line

By: Author Kim

Posted on Published: June 23, 2020  - Last updated: October 5, 2023

The thought of sailing onboard the Disney Cruise Line is usually a stress-free image. Imagine long days basking in the sun, spa treatments, gourmet dinners and intriguing ports of call as a DCL guest. But what is it like to work on Disney Cruise Line ?

For crew members setting sail on the Disney Cruise Line, the days are filled with staff meetings, long hours on your feet and plenty of costume changes. I should know. I worked on the Disney Wonder cruise ship  back in 1999 as it was inaugurated. While you might think that a lot has changed in that time, apparently it hasn’t (I’ll tell you how I know that later on.)

Enjoy this behind the scenes look of what it’s really like working on a cruise ship and discover whether life on the open seas is really as exciting as it seems.

This series first appeared back in 2007 on AllEars.net when my friend Deb, the editor and founder of AllEars.net, asked me to share my experiences as a DCL crew member in her emails. 

All photos were taken in 1999. That’s why they look old and blurry! I had to take a picture of them in my scrapbook to share with you.

Table of Contents

How I Got a Job on the Disney Cruise Line

Working onboard a cruise ship had always been a dream of mine, much like many other travelers who take a relaxing, week-long cruise and then imagine how much fun it must be to work onboard a ship.  Luckily, my dream coincided with my employment with the Walt Disney Company while they were planning the inaugural cruise season of the Disney Wonder. 

Through my position with Disney’s On-Property Sales and Marketing Division, I was part of a team given the task to introduce the new Disney Wonder crew members, most of whom were from foreign countries and had never been to Walt Disney World, to the wonders of the Walt Disney World Resort Property.

While talking with the crew members for three days, I decided that I just had to get a job onboard the Disney Cruise Line. 

Wondering how to work on a cruise ship? Well, for me, it was having an introduction to the DCL staff from a crew member that I met on the three-day tour. But it wasn’t that simple. After a month of leaving voice mails and resumes with the Disney Cruise Line’s Human Resources Department, I was finally called in for an interview.

The interview was in a small office in Celebration, Florida. The office was crammed with all of the essentials that it takes to run a cruise line from the shore while all of the action takes place on the ocean. 

The questions were typical of any position where you’re in charge of entertaining guests….hypothetical “what-ifs” on how you would handle a power outage during a dance party, what to do with unruly guests, etc. 

I was warned of the rigors of working onboard a cruise line….the long hours and no days off during your six months on the ship.  I wanted to work onboard so badly by this point, though, that it would have taken a lot to dissuade me. 

When I got the call offering me a Cruise Staff position underneath the Cruise Director onboard the Disney Wonder, I was ecstatic.  I had only two weeks to prepare , though.  I had to quit my job at the Walt Disney World Resort because the Walt Disney Company is NOT the same as the Disney Cruise Line company. 

Turning in my cast member ID and giving up my Walt Disney Company seniority was hard, but the prospect of a new career with the Disney Cruise Line was exciting.

Preparing to Live on a Cruise Ship

I then had to move out of my apartment, pack all my belongings and drive to my parents home in North Carolina (during a hurricane evacuation, no less) where I would be leaving all of my possessions for the next six months.  As soon as I got home, I had to start packing once again.

If you have ever tried to pack for a one-week vacation using only two suitcases, imagine packing for six months using only two suitcases . 

Because of weight and space issues, crew members were restricted on how much luggage they could bring on the ship.  Every single item I packed had to face extreme scrutiny. 

After packing shoes, outerwear, personal clothing, and medicines and toiletries to last at least a month or two in case I couldn’t get off of the ship, I was only able to pack a couple photos and mementos to stave off homesickness for the next half a year. 

You quickly learn what is important and what is not when you’re essentially living out of two suitcases for six months.

I was flown back to Orlando to report for initial training at the Disney Cruise Line offices in Celebration, FL .  In a small room filled with people from all nationalities, we discussed contracts, pay scales, and received a hefty dose of Disney “pixie dust.” 

Working for Disney is Different on the Cruise Line

Right from the beginning, though, I stood out like a sore thumb. 

I was the only American in this group to be training for a Disney Cruise Line position.  In fact, once I got onboard, I found out I was one of only five Americans among the approximately 900 crew members , and three of the Americans were behind-the-scenes in Human Resources and never had guest contact. 

As long-time cruisers probably have realized, Americans aren’t common among ship’s crew members, mainly because the pay is so low . (If you’re not cool with making slightly above minimum wage, you might want to consider another type of employment.)

Citizens of other nations, though, can usually end up making a decent amount of money with currency exchanges, so foreign nationalities are common among cruise ship staff.

I was also different because I knew Disney. Almost no one in my training group had ever been to ANY Disney theme park. Much less the Walt Disney World Resort which is so close to the cruise terminal and is part of the cruise-land travel packages. 

Though everyone seemed to know Mickey Mouse, no one really understood the legacy of Walt Disney or the stellar customer service that Disney is known for. 

As a former cast member who could easily recite the seven principles of Guest Satisfaction, who relied on implementing Guest Satisfaction Surveys to address guest complaints and who recently interviewed for a position on the Disney Traditions training staff which “pixie dusts” new cast members, I was completely unprepared for fellow crew members to know so little about the legendary company they were working for.  It was a major blow to me, having been such a Disney nut while working for the company, and it would continue to play a role in my days onboard the Disney Cruise Line.

Disney Cruise Line Crew Member Training

After training at the Celebration offices, we were transported to Port Canaveral for additional days of training in one of the most important aspects of life at sea…fire safety. 

Though many cruisers might think that the ship capsizing on the water or falling overboard and drowning is their biggest danger, one of the most dangerous things that can happen at sea is a fire.  If a fire were to break out onboard a cruise ship, it could quickly spread throughout the entire ship, making evacuation very challenging, to say the least.  So crew members receive extensive training in fire prevention and safety, and continue to do so throughout their tenure onboard the ship.   We reported to duty at the fire training offices used by all of the cruise lines at Port Canaveral.  After hours of classroom training and instruction in the use of fire extinguishers, we were ready for the hands-on training. 

One by one, we were paired with a team of firemen and entered a room with a simulated fire.  We were shown how to spray the fire extinguisher, aiming the nozzle towards the base of the fire to quickly extinguish it.  It was one of the scariest moments of the training, yet it was also one of the highlights.  I don’t really remember anything from my classroom training, now many years ago, but the image of facing a fire and using the fire extinguisher will always be burned in my mind, so to speak, and that is the whole point of a crew member’s fire safety training.   On our last night on dry land, our training team gathered in the hotel bar and raised our glasses to the new adventure that awaited us the next day and for the next six months. 

We would still be training as a team, learning about the basics of working onboard the Disney Cruise Line, but now we would be onboard the Disney Wonder, which was dry docked in preparation for its inaugural press events.  Excitement filled the air as we wondered who our roommates would be, how tiny the crew cabins were and what our positions would be like.  Little did we know that the relaxed and carefree atmosphere that we were enjoying would soon change as soon as we stepped onboard the ship.

Becoming a Crew Member Onboard the Disney Cruise Line

After days of land-based training, my training team was brought by van to the Disney Cruise Line’s crew area.  We gathered our luggage and followed our Human Resources leader to the security gate, where we were cleared through and were soon walking across the cargo loading areas to the crew gangway which leads into the lower decks of the ship. 

For most of us, the anticipation was overwhelming.  Few people really know what life is like on the crew levels of a cruise ship, and we were about to experience it for the first time.

Boarding the ship from the crew entrance is definitely not the same as boarding through the guest entrance.  The gangway leads into a no-frills bay which is usually loud and bustling with crew members scurrying through the crew quarters, cargo being brought onboard, and plenty of security and immigration personnel overseeing your every move.

Our first stop was the Crew Office , a really tiny room on a lower deck of the ship where paychecks, room assignments and benefits are handled . 

Even though the Crew Office is a central part of every crew member’s life while onboard, the space was ridiculously small.  Three people maximum could fit in the space behind the counter, so bringing in an entire training team meant that we were standing in line in the hallway with our luggage, eagerly anticipating our room assignments, crew IDs, etc. 

On pay days, the Crew Office would invariably have long lines with crew members trying to cash checks or pay bills.  Crew members soon learned that if you needed to take care of financial problems or any other type of issue that the office handled, you’d need to go late in the night unless you wanted to waste a lot of time.  It was sort of like the DMV, only for a ship.

After much waiting, we were finally given our room assignments .  Crew members are typically roomed with someone in the same department.  Most rooms sleep two people. 

For instance, dining staff will be roomed together and housekeeping crew members would be roomed together, but chances are a dining crew member and someone from housekeeping would rarely, if never, be in the same room.  This is because of the odd work hours on the ship.  Typically, crew members working in the same department would have comparable working and sleeping hours, and would be spending the most time together. 

Who your roommate is depends on who has an empty space in their room at the beginning of your contract.  As crew member’s contracts end and begin over staggered times, there’s a continuous flow of empty rooms.

As a member of the Cruise Staff, I was part of the Programming Division.  Since our staff only had about eight members, we were combined with the Children’s Programming staff, which was considerably larger.  My room assignment was with Allison, a Canadian who worked in Children’s Programming.

What Are the Crew Rooms Like on a Cruise Ship?  

I thought for sure I took pictures of my room, but I can’t find them! Wish I could show you what it looked like!

The number one question that I’m always asked about working on the ship is “What were the rooms like?”  Let me tell you, the first time I opened the door to my crew room, it took my breath away (not in a good way, either!)  I don’t think it’s possible to imagine how tiny a crew room is without actually seeing it! 

Seriously, your mind can’t even fathom such things.

When I opened the door to my home-away-from home for the first time, the door swung into the room and immediately took up half of the interior space.  To my left was a wall that had two narrow desks, each with one shelf above with metal railings so your items wouldn’t fly off during rough waters. We had a television on one of the shelves, which broadcast the guest television channels as well as an additional movie channel for the crew.

Immediately in front of me were two bunk beds.  I don’t think they were even a normal-size twin bed, they were so small.  Thankfully, though, they each had a curtain that could be pulled the entire length of the bed so that you could sleep while your roommate had the lights on. 

Though we each had two closets, which would hold about eight hangers each, most of the storage was in and under the bed.  The headboard and footboard could be lifted up for some small storage and we each had a drawer under the lower bunk.  That’s it.

If all of this wasn’t depressing enough, I hadn’t even stepped inside the “bathroom” yet, which was being hidden by the opened room door. 

Crew bathrooms are very reminiscent of airline bathrooms, only with a really tiny shower in the corner.  The shower is in the shape of a triangle, and you can’t lift both arms up at once without hitting the shower curtain and having it cling to you.  The toilet and sink were crammed in there, too, with very little storage space.

The room was entirely too small for one person (more senior members of staff did get single rooms). Imagine putting two people in it at the same time – there was no room to even move around, since we had about nine square feet of open floor space. 

When my boyfriend sent me a bouquet of flowers on my birthday, the flowers ended up taking up so much room that we had pollen on our clothes for about a week, since the flower arrangement consumed about half of our useable walking area by the door. 

At Christmas, my family wanted to send me a small tabletop tree to decorate.  They just couldn’t comprehend that there was literally no surface space to set a tree on.

So, that was to be my living arrangements for the next six months.  I would soon learn that I was directly under the luggage loading area, too, which meant that every debarkation morning, the walls would literally start shaking as passenger’s luggage was being carted off the ship directly above my head about 5 a.m. 

Thankfully, my room was right next to the elevator because I never did learn to navigate my way through the maze of rooms that created the crew quarters.  Every single room looked the same, and countless times I got lost trying to find my way back from the laundry room.

Doing Laundry on a Cruise Ship and Being Assigned Costumes to Wear 

Doing laundry on the ship was a new experience, too.  Because of strange work hours, I would have to put in a load of laundry before heading off to host a dance party, and hope that no one was stealing my clothes as I was doing the twist and the hand jive in WaveBands. In between shows, I would run down to the crew area to put my clothes in the dryer, and then run back up to the guest area to socialize with the guests.

I didn’t have to do too much laundry, though, because all crew members are fitted for costumes as soon as they get onboard. You never have to wash your costumes, you just bring them down to costuming to exchange them for clean clothes, hopefully ones that are actually your size. The costuming area is hidden away among the lower decks, where the heat and steam from the industrial washers and dryers creates agonizingly miserable conditions for the crew members whose job it is to wash bedding, towels, costumes and linens all day.

Each crew member has a series of costume pieces, depending on their position. I was taken in the back of the costuming department and measured for a wide array of costumes that I would need during my varied job duties:

• Formal nautical outfit for standing in the embarkation greeting line
• Slacks and a blazer for standing behind the Guest Services counter
• Polo shirts and shorts, as well as pants, for walking along the deck and hosting deck parties
• Shirts and shorts to be worn on Castaway Cay, as well as a bathing suit
• Silk shirts and dressy pants for evening activities
• Outerwear jacket and belts that corresponded to each outfit. 

I also received two nametags, the defining moment when you know that you are truly a crew member . Sure, signing the contracts and getting a crew ID makes you feel like a crew member, but for me, it was official when I had the nametag that was to be worn at all times so that guests could identify me as part of the crew.

The last pieces of my costume were my favorites.  We hosted two themed dance parties on each sailing, a 1950s party and a 1970s party, so we had to have appropriate costumes. Those weren’t to be found in normal costuming, though. 

We got those from theater costuming .  It was so exciting to go behind the stage of the Walt Disney Theater to the costuming department, where racks upon racks of fanciful show costumes were hanging.

A seamstress that was dedicated to keeping up the costumes for the theater productions also fitted the Cruise Staff for our specialty costumes. Since the girl who I had replaced on Cruise Staff was the exact size that I was, I didn’t need to have a costume specifically made for me, but we went through the paces of measuring me to make sure that we had the perfect fit. I was assigned a green felt poodle skirt with a crinoline underlay, a cardigan sweater and gauzy scarf for the 1950s party, and a lime green pantsuit for the 1970s party.

Safety Training for My Disney Cruise Line Job 

After coming aboard as a new crew member, there is not much time for rest, and there won’t be until after your contract ends. It’s that simple. And NOT an exaggeration.

Safety training starts just hours after you board the ship, beginning with the assignment of a life jacket and your crew station during an emergency. While you will see some crew members positioned throughout the ship during each safety drill before embarking on your cruise, every crew member has a position to take somewhere in the ship should there be an actual emergency .

As part of the Cruise Staff, my position would have been in the Oceaneer Club, checking I.D.’s of children who were being picked up by their parents.

Safety training is taken extremely seriously among crew members onboard the Disney Cruise Line.  There are strict guidelines to follow, stringent protocols in place for every conceivable event, and at no time will a half-hearted attitude be tolerated . 

The safety training for all of the new crew members in my training class started with thick manuals of information that we read, discussed and were then tested on during numerous classes that took place in the crew lounge area below the guest decks. Medical emergencies, life boat drills, fire safety, etc. were thoroughly covered in every aspect.

Crew members can expect to frequently be retested on safety procedures at any time and you could possibly lose your job if you can’t pass a test on safety protocol. You can’t just study a safety booklet enough to pass a test and then forget the information, much like in high school or college, so all of the new crew members spent hours learning and memorizing safety procedures.   After classroom discussions, we had tours of the ship with the lead crew member in charge of Safety. Though you can spend hours reading manuals about the safety precautions that are installed in the ship, it only takes a minute or two of a demonstration to instill in you an appreciation and understanding of all that it takes to make a ship safe on the ocean.

We watched demonstrations of the water-tight doors that can be closed through various areas of the ship, listening as the doors lumbered loudly to seal off a corridor while bright strobe lights lit up the hallway and a deafening alarm pealed through the surrounding area.

We then took a tour of the ship’s bridge, where a large electronic chart of every square foot on the ship was mounted on the wall. A myriad of different colored mini lights represented sensors throughout the ship that were monitoring heat, electrical currents and water levels, constantly scouring the ship for any small problem that might occur. We inspected life boats and completed training in evacuation procedures. In a matter of a day or two, our new training class had become experts in safety at sea.   After the majority of safety training was completed, we were then allowed to report to our individual crew assignments for job-specific training, which would continue to be interspersed with safety training for the next week or two.  I reported to the Assistant Cruise Director who immediately started training me in my role as a member of the Cruise Staff.

Sea Sickness While Working on a Cruise Ship

Since the Cruise Staff department is relatively small, it’s necessary for new crew members to jump right in and quickly learn the ropes.  One of my first activities was helping to host the 50s dance party.  Though I might have looked the part while doing the Twist in my poodle skirt, guests probably didn’t realize that I was battling one of the worst cases of seasickness that I had ever encountered.   I have suffered from motion sickness my entire life, even getting sick on the mountainous roads of my hometown. I was so anxious to work onboard a cruise ship, though, that I didn’t want to admit that seasickness would be a problem for me. And I thought I’d get over it.

It turned out to become a HUGE problem that never ended. That first night while sailing, all I wanted to do was hang over the side of the deck and be sick, but as I soon found out, seasickness is not an excuse for missing work !

As I sat with my head between my knees in the cramped, darkened DJ booth at WaveBands, I soon wondered what I had gotten myself into. But, receiving no sympathy from my fellow crew members, I had to get out on the dance floor and try to keep my footing while the ship rocked and my stomach churned.    I assumed that I would eventually get accustomed to the motion of the ship and that my seasickness would become a thing of the past. That never happened. 

What did happen was that I frequently visited the crew member portion of the Infirmary and grabbed handfuls of packets of seasickness pills that were readily available in a handy bin right next to the aspirin.

There were many times when I had to get through a deck party or dance party or other event simply by sheer will, but I soon found out that one of the best remedies for seasickness was to simply stop thinking about it and go on with life. It worked just as well as the mountain of seasickness pills that I must have consumed during my time onboard.

Working with the Cruise Director 

Learning the ropes of hosting dance parties and deck parties was pretty simple. My job as a Cruise Staff crew member was simply making sure that people had a great time, whether it was dancing in the crowds during the Sail Away party or talking with guests before the Disney Theatre performances.

Other parts of my job required much more training. 

On embarkation days, the Cruise Staff manned the shore excursions desk, booking shore excursions and answering questions about what was available at our ports of call.

I had to become familiar with the most popular shore excursion destinations, so during the first two cruises I was able to take shore excursions along with guests so that I would be able to answer guest questions on future sailings.

On subsequent sailings, a member of the Cruise Staff was sometimes assigned to be onboard a shore excursion in case problems arose, so I frequently was able to enjoy a boat tour around Nassau or a trip to Atlantis.

Note: Disney Cruise Line has since changed the roles of the Cruise Staff. Now, there are separate crew members just for shore excursions and different crew members for entertainment. When we sailed on the Disney Fantasy during its inaugural year, I found this out by talking with crew members. I was a little jealous that they had less work to do than I did!   Another aspect of my job that required in-depth training was the family activities. We used microphones for most events, so there was training in the electrical systems for each venue, plus how to handle technical glitches with the microphone in case the Engineering Staff was unable to show up for each activity.

I had to receive training for the DJ stations at each venue, too, just in case I had to handle the sound as well as host an event. Learning the technical aspects of sound was a piece of cake compared to trying to operate a movie screen in Animator’s Palate, which I never really mastered.

Each activity that we hosted onboard had its own set of challenges.

For one event, guests made cars out of potatoes and assorted vegetables and raced against each other to compete for a prize. The activity sounds simple enough, but required much planning and execution.

I had to learn where the produce supply pantry was located below decks. This might not sound like a big deal, but I frequently got lost in the crew decks because everything looked the same and there were so many small alcoves and hidden doors.

Picking up pounds of potatoes, celery, carrots and the like wasn’t always easy, either, as you had to sign out the produce with kitchen managers who frequently weren’t aware of why we needed their produce, resulting in challenging conversations.

Then we had to transport the vegetables to guest areas, but not using guest elevators, which was strictly forbidden .

Once inside the lounge, we would then have to set up the supplies before finally arranging with the Entertainment department the arrival of Mickey Mouse at the end of the races.

What seems like a simple one-hour activity to guests could actually take two to three hours of prep time and scheduling , trying to get many different parts of the ship to cohesively work together, which isn’t always easy.

After the first few sailings, I was finally starting to get used to my new position. Hosting dance parties and teaching guests how to do the Electric Slide had become second nature to me. Preparing the Disney Theatre for each production was my nighttime ritual.

I was equally adept at exercising with Goofy on the sports deck as I was hosting the elegant Captain’s reception with everyone dressed in their finest. 

Hardest Part of Living on a Cruise Ship

While I was easily adapting to my new role in entertaining guests, I wasn’t adapting as easily to the living conditions of a cruise ship crew member.

Surprisingly, the hardest aspect of cruise ship life for me was the strange sensation of feeling like I was living in a foreign world, even though I spent so much time in Port Canaveral and on a Disney ship full of Americans.   As I mentioned before, I was one of only a handful of Americans to be working onboard the Disney Wonder. My immediate boss was also an American and had worked at the Walt Disney World Resort, too, so we had a great deal in common and I had someone that I could easily talk to.

Everyone else, though, was from a myriad of different nationalities. When you’re living and working with other people in a very close environment, cultural differences tend to become much more pronounced.   Though everyone on my team came from an English-speaking country, our phrases and vocabulary definitely weren’t the same. There were many, many times that our conversations seemed to need an interpreter, even though we were all speaking English.

I know I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, because many guests would come up to me and say “Oh, you’re from the United States!  I can actually understand what you’re saying!”

Of course, language was just one of our cultural differences. Throughout the ship, everyone had a different style of dress when they weren’t wearing their cruise line uniforms, different political views, different work habits and ethics, different ways of dealing with the opposite sex….everything seemed to be different.

It was as if I was living in a foreign country and dealing with culture shock, yet twice a week I would sail back to port in my home country and yet not feel like I was home at all.

What Crew Members Eat on the Disney Cruise Line

One of the biggest cultural differences of all was the food .

In the crew mess below decks, the cafeteria is a display of multicultural tastes. Never in my life had I seen broths served with every meal, yet apparently this is common in many countries, so there was always a large vat of some type of broth liquid available. Rice is also a mainstay, and there was plenty of it. 

There were more hot teas to chose from than I had ever been used to before. Yet for all of the nods towards other country’s culinary tastes, there was rarely a supply of “American” food, such as sandwiches, hamburgers, pastas, etc.

This might sound like a blessing in disguise, since American diets are traditionally too heavy with too many calories. Yet, when you’re working for 18 hours a day on your feet doing very physical activities, you need some substance to get you through the day and we were definitely NOT getting it.

The food situation became so bad that my boss, knowing my journalism background, asked me to write a letter to DCL management to increase the foods available and their quality.  The lack of edible food in the cafeteria was a situation affecting everyone.

Though there are plenty of places onboard the ship for guests to get a quick snack whenever they want, it was not like that for the crew. The Crew Mess was essentially your one-stop dining destination, and if you weren’t eating food there (especially when they were closed periodically throughout the day), then you had to rely on food you bought in port.

The problem with that, though, is that you actually needed time to get off the ship, get transportation to a store to buy food (which has to be prepackaged and not fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. because of Customs rules) and get back to the ship. With our work schedules, that didn’t happen too often. 

And if you remember my description of our crew rooms in a previous article, there was no room to store food even if you were able to purchase it.

Perhaps during a cruise you might have seen some crew members dressed in work clothes eating in guest areas.  As officers, you are allowed to do that, and as a member of the Cruise Staff, I was a very low ranking officer but still had that privilege.

However, my boss didn’t think it would look appropriate, so we weren’t even allowed to go to the snack bars, even though it should have been one of the perks of my job. 

With the lack of food that I was willing to eat and the heavy amount of physical activity every day, I was soon losing weight at a rapid pace. By the end of my time with the DCL, I was stick thin and my clothes just hung on me. I was already wearing the smallest size costume that was available, and even those quickly became too big, even the bathing suit.

It was a serious medical problem that guests would find hard to believe with the extravagance of food in the guest areas, yet the lack of food for the crew was a problem nonetheless.

When I was able to get off the ship, my only concern was finding a place to eat. To this day, I still consider a Subway sandwich that I bought in Nassau to be one of the top ten food highlights of my life .

Before you start questioning my taste, I also consider Artist Point and Victoria and Albert’s at Walt Disney World to be among the tops, too. But I had been so hungry for so long and just wanted something “American” that every single bite of that sandwich tasted like a little bit of heaven to me.

You might be wondering to yourself, why was it so hard to get off the ship to get food? After all, guests can come and go whenever you’re in port. Not crew members.

Getting Off a Cruise Ship as a Crew Member

When most people dream about getting a job on a cruise ship and sailing the world, they imagine working onboard a ship while still being able to enjoy the freedoms and little luxuries of being a guest. They think, “Wouldn’t it be nice to work as a waiter onboard, and get to explore Cozumel or Nassau during the day before heading to work for the rest of the night?”

Unfortunately, it does not work that way.

The most important difference between cruise line guests and crew members is the sheer frustration in just trying to disembark the ship.

It’s important to point out that this has nothing to do with the Disney Cruise Line itself. It’s just the nature of the industry and a myriad of Customs rules.

As a guest, you anxiously await the general disembarking announcement of each port day so that you can start walking down the gangway and begin exploring the port of call. Just because the ship is in a port of call, though, doesn’t mean that the crew members will be disembarking, too.

When we were in ports during the sailing, such as Nassau, the crew were allowed to get off the ship along with everyone else. However, you actually needed the time to do it .

Crew members’ schedules are highly erratic and rarely are you given an eight-hour time span in which to work, like most jobs on dry land. You might be scheduled for work for an hour, with an hour break, and then work again for a couple of hours with 30 minutes off.

My team’s daily schedules came in a tiny, pocket-sized Excel document. Each 24-hour day was sectioned off in 30-minute segments. I just about went blind trying to decipher which blocks of the column were shaded in for work and which were break times, because every single day we had a different schedule.

The entire Cruise Staff team religiously walked around with an Excel document folded up in their back pocket because we never knew for certain where we were supposed to be at any given time in any day.

The thought of working for an hour or two and then having a break for a while sounds good in theory, until you try to do it while living on a ship.

You know how it can take up to 15-20 minutes to walk from your stateroom just to get some lunch? It is the same problem for crew members. So a 30-minute or hour break is quickly eaten up with travel time just to get back to your room or the crew mess.

With a schedule like that, it’s nearly impossible to find the time to clear Customs getting off the ship, go somewhere, and then wait in line to get back onboard and report to duty on time in the appropriate costume.

Other than leading shore excursions, I rarely ever got off the ship in the Bahamas because it was physically impossible. And you rarely, if ever, get a day off … for six months straight.

Do You Get Any Time Off When Working on a Cruise Ship?

Though some crew members, such as the dining staff, had a more structured work schedule and were allowed half days off every now and then or large blocks of personal time, the Cruise Staff never had that luxury.

With only six to eight people on staff at any time, we all worked around the clock. Typical days would start at 8 a.m. and not end until well after midnight, especially if you were hosting a deck party or acting as DJ for a club.

We actually had staff meetings at 2 a.m. , the only time when one of us wasn’t working, so even if your work day ended at 10 p.m., you couldn’t really get much sleep because you had to be in a meeting at 2 a.m.

We also had staff meetings while we were docked in Port Canaveral, the only time that we really had the opportunity to run errands, get a haircut or go to Wal-Mart. Though some other crew members had the luxury of being able to go into town all day while in our home port, the Cruise Staff always had to be back on the ship well before lunchtime, because we were all expected to be a part of the receiving line for newly embarking guests, as well as manning the Excursion Desk.

Though the Cruise Staff’s schedules made it extremely difficult to find time to get off the ship in Port Canaveral, the Customs officials made it a crazy guessing game for all of the crew members. Any time we were in Port Canaveral, crew members could not just walk off the ship like the guests. We had to wait for “windows.” These “windows” were pockets of time that Customs would allow crew members to disembark.

The “windows” were never at the same time, might only occur every one to two hours, and there was never a specified amount of time that the “window” was open.

So, early every Thursday and Sunday (well before 7 a.m.), all of the crew members would start gathering anxiously in the elevator waiting area near the Infirmary, just outside of the crew disembarking point. Crew members were sitting on the floor, lying on the steps or standing up in a crowd of bodies who were desperately trying to get off the ship.

No one knew when Customs would start scanning the first crew member ID and allowing you to get off the ship. When the process did start happening, there would be a rush of people pushing their way forward and trying to get through the security line, because sometimes Customs allowed the disembarking phase to last for 30-45 minutes, while sometimes they mysteriously closed it off after 15 minutes, possibly not to reopen for another three hours.

The “windows” situation was a source of high stress and exasperation for every crew member on board. You were never guaranteed the ability to get off of the ship to go buy some toothpaste or get a new pair of sneakers. It wasn’t just for crew members working onboard the ship, though.

Even DCL shore-side staff who came to the ship while it was in port to take care of some business would often become trapped onboard because of the “windows.” The “windows” were finally discontinued in 2007, much to the enjoyment of every DCL crew member. Next time you sail, ask a crew member who has been around for more than a year about the crew “windows.” You’re sure to get some good horror stories.

Though there were many challenges in trying to disembark the Disney Wonder as a crew member, there were many reasons to stay onboard.

Crew Life Onboard a Cruise Ship

Just like cruise line guests are excited and eager to enjoy the deck parties, cocktail evenings and other occasions to have fun and celebrate, the crew members are anxious for events of their own. While it is fun to work a party as a crew member, you’re still expected to serve the guests and be professional.

Let’s face it, crew members need time to themselves when they’re not serving the fruity frozen drink of the day, dancing the electric slide or wearing the requisite shorts with a hem two inches above your knee caps.

That’s where the crew pool comes in.

Some guests are aware of the Disney Cruise Line crew member pool which is located at the bow of the ship. You might have seen it from the guest decks and wondered, “How do I get to that pool? There’s hardly anyone there!” or you might have heard about it during DCL trivia contests.

The crew pool is literally one of the few places where crew members can just hang out and be themselves, without fear of acting improperly in front of guests.

During the day, crew members can work on their tan, take a swim, or just socialize in the open air and sunshine. At night, the crew pool transforms itself into party central. This is where the crew members gather to have drinks, talk about their day and socialize. It’s essentially just like any bar you’d go to after a long day of work or during a night out on the town. Crew parties last until the wee hours of the night, and sometimes they actually have a theme, like a costume night.

When it was raining or the winds were just too rough, crew parties were held inside. There was one common crew area, beside the crew mess, where many crew activities took place. It was generally just a meeting room, filled with seats and booths. This is where we had crew training during our orientation onboard the ship.

However, at night, crew members gather here to watch movies, have impromptu parties and generally just gather with friends. Since crew rooms are so small and there are few places available anywhere on the ship where crew members can congregate outside of guest contact, these were essentially the places to be seen.

Occasionally, crew members were allowed to “take over” guest areas. The Cruise Staff and Children’s Programming Department routinely had parties in the area that used to be the ESPN Club the night before members of our staff left the ship at the end of their contract. Since this occurred quite frequently, we could easily have gatherings in the Club late in the evening on the nights before disembarkation when guests were busy packing their suitcases and weren’t staying in the clubs too late.

We were also fortunate to be able to take over the Spa late one night. We weren’t able to enjoy spa services, but we could utilize the steam showers and saunas. At that point, a full size shower was definitely a luxury experience .

Crew members could go to the spa for discounted services or haircuts, but it still wasn’t cheap. For hair cuts and personal grooming supplies , most crew members tried to get to Wal-Mart, Walgreens or the mall when we were in our home port.

Thankfully, there is a transportation service just for crew members that allowed us to get into the city and run our errands without needing to hire a taxi. The crew buses service all cruise lines, and are essentially shuttle buses that have scheduled pick up times at the most popular spots that crew members frequent. Without the crew shuttles, it would have been much more difficult to get into town since very few crew members have cars.

Time in port is also when crew members try to get in contact with their family. Since most crew members are not from the U.S., it’s a challenge for them to find and use international calling cards on the public pay phones that are banked outside of the crew disembarkation point.

Have you ever noticed the lines of crew members standing around pay phones at ports of call? This is the only time that we were able to really talk to our families, and the nuances of trying to use international calling cards are extremely frustrating. Remember, we have very little time off the ship so being patient and trying to figure out the phones while the time clock is ticking is extremely annoying.

I was reduced to tears more than once just trying to get a phone call to go through to my family in the U.S. from a pay phone in the Bahamas or Mexico. In fact, there’s a pay phone in Cozumel that took quite a “beating” during my frustration in trying to make an international phone call. (I never did succeed.)

Of course, if you have a cell phone you can use it while in port… in theory.

Do cell phones work on cruise ships? Not really, in my experience. And that’s even on a sailing in 2019 that I had problem using my phone while in port for debarkation.

Though I had a cell phone back then, it wouldn’t pick up reception on most parts of the ship while in port. I walked the decks endlessly trying to get a signal.

Though reception was a bit better while we were sailing out of port, I was usually working during that time and couldn’t make any calls. So, in order to stay in touch with my family and hear their voices, I either had to take a crew shuttle into town so I could get phone reception and call them around 7 or 8 a.m. (thankfully my family was in the same time zone that I was), or use the static-filled public phones in ports of call while other crew members were standing in line behind me anxiously awaiting their turn on the phone.

Getting Mail and Phone Calls on a Cruise Ship

When I was a crew member, the Internet was not available on the Disney Wonder, so times have changed, thankfully for the better. (However, I heard in the videos posted below that paying for the privilege of internet as a crew member eats up half of your salary, which isn’t too much to begin with.)

One of the only public places for crew members to check their email was at an Internet cafe somewhere on Nassau. I never did visit the cafe, because I never had time. Remember, it’s really difficult for some crew members to have enough free time to do any errands off of the ship. Since we stayed late in port at Nassau, many crew members would head to the cafe at one or two in the morning.

For the international crew members, email was the cheapest and easiest way to keep in touch with their friends and family. However, all of the cruise lines that docked in port had crew members who were all competing for the computer terminals at the Internet cafe. Just because you had the time and the money for a taxi to travel there, it didn’t necessarily mean you were going to be able to check your email.

If you weren’t using a pay phone, cell phone or email, your communication with the rest of the outside world relied on your postal mail… if you got it.

Since we were living on a ship, mail only came twice a week while we were in port. Our mail was sent to a stateside address, then delivered to the heads of each department on the ship. For instance, all of the Cruise Staff personal mail was delivered to our boss, who then had to hand it out individually.

So it’s not like you’re ordering supplies on Amazon.com and getting them in a couple days.

For me, mail was mainly cards and letters from my family and boyfriend, but some crew members relied on the mail to receive credit card bills and other important financial matters.

If there was a delay in the mail, it could really mean trouble, especially since the outgoing mail had to wait until you came back in port several days later and then had to pass through the chain of command once again.

Mail delivery was one of the highlights of my week, since it was one of the few ways I could keep in touch with my family. If they sent pictures, I would immediately tape them to the walls of my bunk bed. I kept every single card and letter. I was ecstatic when I would get a small gift in the mail. The mail system was my lifeline to the life that I was used to back on dry land.

Having Guests Visit You Onboard the Cruise Ship

Luckily for me, I had friends and family in the area who wanted to drive to Port Canaveral to see me, so I was really able to stay in touch with people. But it’s not like a crew member can just walk off of a ship to see someone that has popped in to say hi.

Because of the previously mentioned crew “windows,” it was really hard for anyone to come see you on the cruise ship. That made seeing my boyfriend, who would drive an hour each weekend to the port to see me for just a few brief hours, really difficult. Because if I missed a crew window, I wouldn’t see him again for a week.

In fact, one weekend the crew “windows” were never opened and we were not allowed to leave the ship. My boyfriend was waiting on the dock to see me, and my cell phone had no reception in port. Even the onboard satellite phones that cost about $8 a minute weren’t working because we were in port, so there was no way to let him know that I wasn’t going to be allowed off of the ship.

Frustrating isn’t even the word to describe what it feels like when you can’t see friends or family who are so close, yet so far, in the bureaucratic red tape of sailing in international waters.

Another time, my aunt and family surprised me by driving to the port to see me, not realizing the legalities that were involved with me getting off of the ship. They were in the boarding terminal and somehow got a message through to my boss on the ship that they were there. I was ecstatic, but I couldn’t leave the ship.

Thankfully, my boss was able to somehow pull some strings and get the appropriate paperwork together for me to simply step off of the gangway into the boarding terminal so that I could see my family. By that time, though, so much time had passed doing the paperwork that it was a very brief reunion.

To get around all of the red tape and spend some quality time with me, my boyfriend surprised me on Thanksgiving by booking a stay on the Thanksgiving sailing. The entire lobby heard me scream when I saw him walk off of the gangway into the main lobby of the ship.

While I was so happy that I would be able to spend time with him, once again the intricate laws of the cruise line would limit our time.

Just to be able to have dinner in Palo’s, I had to request special written permission from one of the heads of the dining department to be in the restaurant, because I was a crew member. My schedule for the sailing had already been made, so there was no way to get a few extra hours off.

During my limited time off, I just really wanted to relax and enjoy a decent meal so we ordered room service from his stateroom. The room service waiter recognized me and nearly refused to serve us the food because I was a crew member, even though it was ordered by a paying DCL guest.

While it was clearly obvious that I was forbidden to be in guest areas to socialize when I wasn’t on the clock, it was also forbidden for any guests to enter the crew quarters, so the complexities of trying to find a time and place to visit a personal acquaintance were quite frustrating.

Cruise Line Crew Member Contracts

Crew members are signed to a contract of a specific length, usually six to nine months. At the end of the contract, you can choose to extend the contract with no time off, or sign up again for another contract with a set amount of time off in between, typically six weeks.

You are paid a base wage with cash compensation for each week of your contract. Then money is accrued per week to be paid as a cash bonus when your contract is up.

Included in your monetary compensation will be non-cash compensation such as food and rooming. So you won’t be charged for that, but they consider the value of that as part of your compensation package.

With a crazy work schedule and little sleep, I decided not to renew my contract. Though I will always look back at my time with Disney Cruise Line with fond memories, and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, I knew that signing up for another half of a year onboard the ship was just not for me .

Leaving the ship is a bittersweet time. You’re excited to get on dry land for more than several hours at a time. It’s exhilarating to return to a bedroom or a house with a normal size bathroom and closets and bed. It’s a comfort to realize that you don’t have to battle daily with seasickness anymore.

But there’s also what you leave behind.

The crew members onboard cruise ships become a tight-knit family… after all, you live and work with these people every day, all day, with little or no contact with your actual family. When saying goodbye, it’s a very real possibility that you’ll never see your fellow crew members again.

Everyone comes from around the world, so it’s not as easy as returning to a city and being in the same geographical area as old friends.

And there’s no guarantee that when you come back to the ship, if you renewed your contract, that your friends would still be onboard. Contracts end and begin at staggered times, people get transferred to other ships, etc.

How Guests Impact Crew Member’s Lives

And then there are the guests. Some guests really can make your day or your entire week, and it’s kind of sad to think that you’ll be leaving those experiences behind.

On one cruise, I was talking with a family who knew where I lived (a remarkable occurrence since I was living in a tiny town at the time). After commenting that I didn’t get many opportunities to talk with my family, they got my mom’s email address and emailed her to tell her that I was doing OK and they had just visited with me on the ship. That one simple act still remains with me today. It was something so simple, so easy, yet meant so much to me.

I started a conversation with another guest at a pin-trading event onboard. I was commenting how Chip and Dale were my favorite characters and I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to buy a Chip and Dale pin on land, since they weren’t available onboard the DCL. Surprisingly, the woman bought a Chip and Dale pin when she got back to Orlando and mailed it to me on the ship.

Once again, such a simple act, yet it meant so much to me.

Would I Work on the Disney Cruise Line Again?

Those are the things that I remember most about my time onboard the Disney Wonder. Yes, the crazy work hours and unusual living conditions are always in the back of my mind, but I focus more on the unique opportunities that I was fortunate enough to experience, the places that I traveled, and the people from around the world that I met.

I remember the exciting energy that was present on the ship each and every time we set sail. Every sailing was a new and different experience that was entirely shaped by the people who chose to set sail with us on that specific voyage.

Some sailings were more boisterous than others, some were more subdued, yet each took on a different feel depending on who checked in on embarkation day.

After I first left Disney Cruise Line, I felt a lot of nostalgia. There were a lot of crew members on the shows and commercials who I used to work with, and seeing them on television doing a role that I used to do brings back a lot of memories. I missed my extended family. I missed the allure of sailing.

But over time, I realized that I am too old and know too much to do that life again. The amount of work that you are asked to do, and the personal freedoms you give up, are too great for the small amount of money that you make. (And, yeah, it’s small! My contract actually stated that I had a 70-hour work week. Though I feel like I worked more.)

Sailing as a crew member onboard a cruise ship isn’t a permanent vacation. Neither is travel writing or full-time RVing. People like to look in at your life from the outside and assume it’s all fun. Without knowing the crazy amount of work it takes to get there.

I thought that crew member life would have gotten better in the two decades since I was a Disney Cruise Line crew member. I was shocked to find out it really hasn’t.

During one late night binge-watching on YouTube, I found the Gianna Alexis channel . And it was very disturbing to hear that not much has changed while living on a cruise ship, even 20 years later.

P.S. 20 years ago there was NO WAY that I would have been allowed to take video or photos or document my life on DCL the way that YouTubers can now. 

Here’s some of her videos that you’ll want to listen to in order to know what life is like onboard the Disney Cruise Line now:

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Thursday 8th of December 2022

I just came back from my first Disney cruise, and for some reason I was dying to know what it’s like to work there. Your article answered everything I was curious about and more. Thank you for sharing! I’ll definitely have a greater appreciation for all that the staff do next time I go on board again!

Sandra, so glad you enjoyed the cruise! Yes, there's so much more that goes on behind the scenes!

Monday 18th of July 2022

This is such an honest and insightful post, thank you for writing it! I have just graduated as a teacher and have been looking at applying to the youth Activities department role on board!

Sophie, Thank you! The Youth Activities Department is a great place! If you apply, good luck!!! Enjoy every moment.

• Disney Cruise Line

What is the pay structure of the employees on the Disney cruise?

By JaneHughes , March 8, 2010 in Disney Cruise Line

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We have just returned from a Royal Carribean cruise and a few of the staff advised that the majority of their compensation came from tips. Does anyone know if this is the same situation on a Disney cruise?

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Our server in the last cruise explained to us that their income is based on the tips just like any other cruise. Being under Bahamas contract, they keep every cent which means that they don't pay any tax at all. Our server also stated that there will be times when they do not receive any tip at all. Many guests do not show up for breakfast and suddenly disappear without leaving them any tip.

I have to believe it is similar to my experience working as a server in a major chain restaurant a few years back.

You get a very small base pay (2.50/hr) and your income is based mostly on a tip. Granted they do also get other perks, probably, free food, board, and great tax laws

I think a great thing is the pre-paid gratuities...on the Disney cruise we took last month we did this. I guess however you still must put the little stub in the envelope and give that to your server or room attendant...they in turn must have to give this to "someone" to get their pay.

We felt the service was worth way more than what we had for the pre-paid tips and added more $'s in each envelope. They all work so hard and truly gave the best service of any line I've sailed on (including Regent).

It depends on the area they are assigned/contracted for.From what I understand, its alot like the parks and college program.

Tip oriented areas such as wait staff, and room stewards, generally get a fairly low base pay, and the balance is made up in tips.As posted above.

Areas such as guest relations,or entertainment get a higher base pay since they do not have a tip oportunity.Other areas that you dont ever see such as laundry personel or cooks would be in the same group.

I think, though I cant swear to it off hand, that Disney may take a certain amount back, for room and board.Much like the college program.They also pay for things like alcohol onboard, and things from a crew only store.

I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree.

They work harder than a hotel houskeeper. At a hotel, they'll do your room once per day. On a ship, it's usually twice plus the towel animals, turndown and the frequent guest requests. Knowing people that have worked in both jobs, I know that ship guests use their room a lot more than hotel guests and thus create more work for the staff.

I guess we were the exception then. We spent very little time in our room; we were only there to sleep and get ready for dinner. They came in once to clean up (I don't think they change the sheets daily like they do in a hotel) in the afternoon and a second time to turn down the bed and put the animal in the room. We also cleaned up after ourselves everyday. Maybe we are not the typical guests.

keishashadow

I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week . Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree.

only if every cabins tips the suggested gratuity. Im sure there are many who stiff them:(.

fyi, the stewards (and all employees) pay for their own transport to/from employment on the ship and have families back 'home' to support including medical, food & housing, etc. They do far more than make the beds in the cabins, your bathroom is cleaned everyday. fyi, many of the stewards employ assistants (those who work in other capacities about the ship & are moonlighting) to help them get all the work they are expected to complete done.

One more thing, the way I understand it these people work cruises back to back with little time off. Is that correct? Sorry your cruise on the Magic was not better. We have only been on 1 cruise on the Magic, last year, and it was incredible.:)

cruise newbie127

Furthermore, the wait staff not only serve guests at dinner, they work the other venues for lunch and breakfast as well - such as the BBQ on Castaway Cay, and the "fast food" places. Your tips pay them for that as well.

Majesty Fan

Husband used to work for RCI as a waiter. Yes they make about $50 per month w/o tips. They aslo have to pay for thier laundry room cleaning fee, internet, etc. Some people tip the suggested amt some do not and some do not tip at all. There is no off days off. The wait staff may get a breakfast or lunch off but never a day. They work 6 mo contract and pay for thier ticket. The wait staff tips are not pooled but the CS not so sure as on the Magic we had 2 people.

• 2 years later...

mattypatty03

A housekeeper in a hotel also makes at least minimum wage. Stateroom

Attendants do not.

A housekeeper in a hotel also makes at least minimum wage. Stateroom Attendants do not.

So you had to bring up a thread from 3 years ago to make this comment?

So you had to bring up a thread from 3 years ago to make this comment?   :)

I'm betting MattyPatty was doing a search for something, this thread came up, and he/she didn't realize it was a REALLY OLD thread upon replying.

JoJoluv2cruz

Not sure what the purpose of this thread is??? No one is being made to work these cruise ships. I'm sure the work is hard and the hours are long, but the employees choose to do it. Many of them are young and do it for the excitement before moving on to other careers and others are making much more money then they could ever make in their home country. It's nice to be concerned for their well being but please stop with the guilt trips. :mad:

What I was told was thet they get their money/tips even without the ticket stub. There are records of what was charged to the room for their tip.

I get what you are saying. I used to feel badly for the staff. But when you come across some that have been with DCL for many cruises, I figured if it was that bad they wouldn't renew their contract. They do work very hard though.

I think a great thing is the pre-paid gratuities...on the Disney cruise we took last month we did this. I guess however you still must put the little stub in the envelope and give that to your server or room attendant...they in turn must have to give this to "someone" to get their pay.   We felt the service was worth way more than what we had for the pre-paid tips and added more $'s in each envelope. They all work so hard and truly gave the best service of any line I've sailed on (including Regent).

If you are sailing concierge they take care of it all for you. You only need to fill out the amounts on the sheet and sign the bottom.

We didn't tip extra on our three day as we only ate in the MDR once for dinner and twice for lunch, never for breakfast. We did tip the servers in Palo and Remy as well as the sommelier in both and room service.

Tonka's Skipper

]There is alot of work behind the scenes they do as well, not to mention bring and taking away your lugage.

Honestly these CM's, all of them work hard, long hours, to give us tha excellent cruise and deserve every penny they get.:D

If you can effort a cruise,you should not be complaining!:confused:

This comes up on every cruise line's forum.

Here's the long and short of it. Consider the auto tip part of the fare. If the employees were compensated the same amount as salary, they would have to pay more fees and taxes on it PLUS it would be factored into the cruise fare.

Round numbers:

If employees make $5 per day plus $10 in tips, they earn $15 per day. That means Disney pays 1000 crew $5000 per day for a 3000 passenger ship plus $30000 from the passengers.

If Disney just paid them $15 per day, Disney would pay the full $35000, divided up among 3000 passengers, with a markup to handle taxes and admin, your price per cruise would be about $14 per day higher, MORE than you pay with auto-tip.

It depends on the area they are assigned/contracted for.From what I understand, its alot like the parks and college program.   Tip oriented areas such as wait staff, and room stewards, generally get a fairly low base pay, and the balance is made up in tips.As posted above. Areas such as guest relations,or entertainment get a higher base pay since they do not have a tip oportunity.Other areas that you dont ever see such as laundry personel or cooks would be in the same group.   I think, though I cant swear to it off hand, that Disney may take a certain amount back, for room and board.Much like the college program.They also pay for things like alcohol onboard, and things from a crew only store.

On the ship there is no money taken for room and board. Uniforms are provided and cleaned for free. On some lines, all personal laundry is also cleaned for free, others either provide discounted laundry service or a self-serve room for crew. Most lines provide healthcare while on the ship for free, officers and higher level hotel staff (reception, etc.) entertainment, and certain technical services (I/T, A/V, etc.)get health insurance as if they were working for any land based organization.

Items of a personal nature such as Internet, alcohol, toiletries, etc. can be purchased through the crew store which usually has no or minimal mark up.

It all varies by ship and cruise line. Some are pretty notorious for treating their crew like dirt, others are known for taking great care of them. DCL is in the middle.

only if every cabins tips the suggested gratuity. Im sure there are many who stiff them:(.   fyi, the stewards (and all employees) pay for their own transport to/from employment on the ship and have families back 'home' to support including medical, food & housing, etc. They do far more than make the beds in the cabins, your bathroom is cleaned everyday. fyi, many of the stewards employ assistants (those who work in other capacities about the ship & are moonlighting) to help them get all the work they are expected to complete done.

Re: travel costs for the staff.........a number of DCL staff have told us they pay 50% towards their travel home costs :)

Re: travel costs for the staff.........a number of DCL staff have told us they pay 50% towards their travel home costs

DCL pays for CMs to get all the way home when their contract ends. Some other cruiselines only pay to nearest airport. And others, not even that much.

Entertainers are on a totally different pay situation than the rest of the boat. My cousin is an Equity performer currently playing Ensign Benson on the Wonder. Her contract is for 9 months (1 month was for rehersals in Toranto- where she had her own 1 bedroom apartment overlooking CN Tower) Disney has paid for all her airfare (from NYC to Toronto, Toronto to LA, and from Miami to whereever she decided to go in May). She lives in a room alone with a porthole. She doesn't pay for any room/board/or laundry. (she does pay for internet access). She started making $900 a week, but now she is up to $1200- plus some bonuses for sticking out the contract for certain times (a bonus after the first 6 weeks, etc).

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• Disney Cruise Line

Ever Wondered What Its Like to Work on a Disney Cruise Line Ship?

by Melissa Roden · January 13, 2022

Admittedly, if there’s one job I have fantasized about having, it is seeing the world and sailing the seas on a cruise ship!  If you’ve ever sailed with Disney Cruise Line then you know that youth activities are one of the HUGE bonuses of choosing to sail with Disney. With Disney its not just about exciting ports-of-call but encouraging young passengers to use their imaginations and inspiring hours of fun.  

Disney recently checked in with Stephanie, a youth activities manager on the Disney Dream who talked about what a day at the office is like!  

“I grew up in a home daycare center established and owned by my mom, so working with children and childhood development has always been part of my DNA.” After years of helping her mom and being surrounded by growing toddlers and young, imaginative minds, working with children not only became second nature to her, but it was also inspiring and fun. “Children are hilarious, creative and curious. Being part of their growth and development is very rewarding,” Stephanie shared.

Stephanie adds that she’s always dreamed of traveling the world and seeing new places.  So, new a career at sea with Disney was the perfect career path as it combined both of her interests! 

“The idea of traveling the world and being able to see many different places that I had never been exposed to inspired me to begin my career at sea,” Stephanie said. “To be able to bring these two parts of my world together, both a love for travel and a passion for childcare, and successfully make a career out of it, it’s like a dream come true.”

With Disney Cruise Lines, it also helps to have a love of Disney and Stephanie has this in abundance. She remembers owning VHS tapes of almost every Disney movie as a kid.  Now she gets to bring these stories to life and create magical moments for guests in Disney’s Oceaneer Club

Stephanie said that she has worked for Disney Cruise Line for nine years and has been placed on both the Disney Wonder and the Disney Dream.  In her current role, she brings the magic to kids, tweens and teens at the exclusive youth spaces available on the Disney dream!  When guests stop me to tell me how special and magical their experience has been in our youth spaces, that’s so rewarding for me,” said Stephanie. 

So what’s the best part about working for Disney Cruise Line? According to Stephanie its not about the fabulous destinations but rather the people behind the magic.  Stephanie said that for her meeting people from so many different walks of life has given her a global extended family.  She joked that she has a couch to crash on in at least 10 different countries. 

When asked if there’s a particular sailing that was super memorable, Stephanie advises that it was a sailing she went on with her mom!  She recalls, “It was her first time on a Disney cruise and her first time meeting Mickey Mouse! It was such a magical experience for both of us, and I was very proud to show my mom the Disney Dream and for her to meet all of the amazing people who I’ve gotten to know on board. My family is very proud of all that I’ve accomplished at Disney Cruise Line over the years, and they love to share my stories with anyone who will listen.”

I’m definitely envious of Stephanie’s career! Though a future as a Disney Cruise Line employee may not be in the cards,  you can still experience all of the magic of a Disney getaway at sea by booking your package today!  Sailings are currently available to reserve through Spring of 2023. 

Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney Cruise Line news and updates!

Didn’t make it to Disney in 2021!? Well we’ve got some fantastic news- Disney Packages are currently available to book through the end of 2022! That gives you plenty of time to plan that magical getaway and I’m here to help. 

With new policies and procedures in place during the year ahead, there’s never been a better time to work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who can help you navigate through Disney’s new way of doing things!  I’ll be on hand to assist with everything from finding that perfect package and getting the best deals to organizing park passes, Disney Genie+ and dining reservations.  Best of all- my services are ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Just fill out my form  HERE  to get your FREE, no-obligation quote. Alternatively, feel free to reach out at  [email protected]  or follow along on  Facebook

Tags: Careers Disney Cruise Line Disney Dream Youth Activities

Melissa Roden

As an agent with MickeyTravels and a Blogger with MickeyBlog I enjoy sharing, tips, tricks and advice to help readers and clients get the most out of your time with Disney. When I'm not helping clients plan their perfect holidays or nab those hard-to-get discounts you can find me enjoying a Dole Whip at Disney World with my daughter! Reach out for a FREE, no obligation quote at 1.800.801.4025 or find me on Facebook !

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Curious about what it’s like to be part of the crew on a Disney Cruise Ship, or maybe you’re a guest who’s intrigued by the inner workings of the magic? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Having spent three contracts across two ships, I’ve got the inside scoop to satisfy your curiosity. In this blog, we’re diving deep below the Disney decks and uncovering the secrets, perks, and unique experiences that come with the territory. And, if you’re interested in the flip side of this enchanted journey, you can also check out my previous blog post where I candidly discuss the reasons behind my departure from Disney Cruise Line. 

Whether you’re considering a career onboard or just want to peek behind the curtain, this insider’s guide will give you a firsthand look at the enchanting world that keeps Disney Cruise Line sailing smoothly. So, let’s hoist the anchor and embark on this informative journey together!

In total, I got to check out like 20-something countries in just a year and a half. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was often just a quick pitstop, a few hours at a time, but you know what they say about making the most of every moment, right? So, whenever my schedule allowed, I tried to do something different at each port. And let me tell you, each Disney Cruise Ship has its own unique itinerary, and those routes change up seasonally to keep things fresh.

After my stint in the Bahamas during my first contract, I was itching for a change of scenery. Then came the transfer to the Disney Wonder, and that’s when the real adventure kicked in. One of the standout moments for me was when we sailed through the legendary Panama Canal – talk about once in a lifetime moment! And cruising up the stunning West Coast from sunny San Diego to the iconic San Francisco, and eventually up to the postcard-perfect landscapes of Vancouver and Alaska, those were days etched in my memory.

If I’d stuck around, I had this dream of working on the Disney Magic. Why? Because I wanted to experience that Atlantic crossing action, setting sail from New York City and heading straight for the enchanting destinations of Europe. And here’s the kicker, with new ships joining the Disney fleet, there are endless opportunities to keep discovering new places and making those unforgettable memories.

Friends all over the world

So, let’s talk about the incredible friends I made during my time on the ship. I had roommates hailing from Canada, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, and even Australia. While most of the guests are usually American, the crew represents a whopping 60 different nationalities.  Since Americans were in the minority, I got a crash course in cultural diversity every day.  There was even a period of time where I was the only American on the lifeguard team, and let me tell you, that was a wild experience.   However, making friends on ships is a bittersweet thing, because yes, it can be tough when you’re constantly saying goodbye to friends as they come and go. But on the flip side, it’s pretty damn cool to have friends scattered all over the world.

Just to give you an idea of how these friendships can stick, recently, a friend I met on the ships came all the way to Seattle to hang out with me. I’ve also got a wedding invitation from England for later this year. But the craziest part? When I was down in New Zealand, I met up with a couple of crew members, and one of them, believe it or not, was in the same new hire group as me. Small world, right?

Disney cast discounts

Now, let’s chat about one of the sweetest perks of being a cast member – those coveted cast discounts. I mean, who doesn’t love a good discount, right? As any fellow cast member will gladly spill the beans, we get some pretty cool deals, like discounts on food, merch, and even free entry to *most Disney parks. Yep, you heard that right – free park entry, folks!

But it doesn’t stop there. You can even score a discount on certain cruises. My parents got to sail with me on a breathtaking Alaska cruise, and it saved them a boatload of cash. How? Well, Disney occasionally opens up some unoccupied staterooms to us cast members, and they’re practically a steal.

But, and this is a big ‘but,’ please don’t even think about asking for a cast member’s discount. Disney keeps a watchful eye on this stuff, mainly for friends and family or for the cast member themselves. It’s not a free-for-all. However, if you happen to be a three-striped officer or higher, you’ve got the power to sign people on for a cruise for free*. Yep, free!

Free port adventures

Now for one of my favorite perks of being a lifeguard onboard – the free port adventures. So, here’s the deal: lifeguards were part of the ‘port adventures’ department, which meant we had the inside scoop on some pretty epic excursions, and the best part? We could ‘audit’ certain PAs for free. Yep, you heard me right – FREE.

No need to reach for your wallet because all you had to do was fill out a survey after you got back, and voila, you’re off on an adventure. And here’s the kicker – it was usually paid time, which meant we didn’t have to clock out to enjoy these experiences.

I mean, I’ve swum with sea turtles and stingrays in the Bahamas, hopped in a sea plane and soared over the Tongass, which happens to be the nation’s largest national forest, and I’ve even gone dogsledding on a glacier in Alaska. These were the kind of adventures you’d usually have to fork over some serious cash for, but for us, it was just another day at the office. Can you say ‘living the dream’

Room, board, and drinks

So, here’s the scoop: our meals are technically ‘free’ in the crew mess, but every now and then, we’d hit the jackpot with dinners in fancy places like Palo or enjoy ‘movie nights’ where they’d deliver delicious food and sodas right to the crew lounge. But wait, there’s more – as Petty Officers™, we had the privilege to dine in the regular dining rooms with the guests if we felt like it. Eating in Tiana’s place or Animator’s Palate set us back around $6, plus a tip, and for a meal at Palo, it was roughly $40, plus tip. Unless, of course, it was a recognition dinner, then our leaders would foot the bill. Now, Remy, that’s the super fancy restaurant on the Dream Class ships, we were not allowed a reservation there.

Technically, per my contract, I could munch on quick bites at any of the upper deck stations, but that’s where it gets interesting. It wasn’t exactly encouraged by our leaders and fellow crew members to ask for ‘upstairs’ meals too often. It’s not a complaint, just keeping it real.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the crew bar. Those drinks came with a heavily discounted price tag too. We’re talking a beer for around $1 and some change. During the day, it functioned like your average coffee shop, with the bonus option to grab a smoothie, Red Bull, or even a candy bar if that’s your jam.

Crew events

Now, when it comes to epic parties, you can always count on the entertainment department to take it up a notch. They threw the best shindigs, from silent discos where you danced the night away with wireless headphones to celebrating Christmas in July right on the Walt Disney Theater stage. They knew how to bring the fun.

But that’s not all; there were other awesome happenings like Crew Awards, where the spotlight shone on outstanding crew members. And whenever we hit a top-notch guest satisfaction score, it was party time – ‘sponsored’ by none other than the captain himself. Now, that’s how you know you’re on a ship that values its crew.

So, whether it was department-specific gatherings or ship-wide celebrations, there was never a dull moment in the world of Disney Cruise Line crew life.

TLDR; I worked on a shop and talked about the good stuff.

Thanks for reading & drink more water -Ri

As an experienced freelance copywriter and web content writer, I help businesses and brands find their voice, tell their story and spread their message, using copy that engages, informs, persuades, motivates, challenges, provokes and entertains.

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16 Things Staff Have Said About Working Aboard Disney Cruises

Things change when you’re working onboard a Disney cruise rather than just enjoying it.

Disneyland is supposed to be the most magical place on Earth, so what does that make Disney cruises? From the sounds of it, Disney cruises are just as magical as going to one of the parks – perhaps for some folks, it may be an even better time since you’re out at sea! There are tons of entertaining things to do on a Disney cruise, from meeting the characters to hanging out in one of the clubs or activity centers to indulging in a tempting buffet. Most guests leave happy (and maybe slightly bloated) after setting sail on a Disney cruise.

But what about the employees? Things change when you’re working onboard a Disney cruise rather than just enjoying it. Cruise employees get to see all of the behind-the-scenes drama. There’s not much room for downtime or having a personal life when working on a cruise since you can’t exactly get off the ship when your shift ends. Working on a Disney cruise sounds like a lot of hard work, but at the same time, many current and former staff say it was one of their best experiences. Keep reading to see 15 things Disney cruise employees have actually said about working on the water.

16 “Lie To Us To Get An Upgrade”

Some staff is able to give guests upgrades at their discretions, such as free goodies or better accommodation. While there’s no single way to get on an employee’s good side, one Reddit user who used to work for a Disney cruise liner recommends fibbing about special occasions “Tell them it's your birthday trip, you're proposing, anniversary, etc. Disney loves to celebrate!” DisneyAMA explained online.

15 “We Work Over 100 Hours Per Week”

According to employee reviews on Indeed , Disney cruise employees are expected to work long hours without necessarily getting adequately compensated. A former chef de cuisine for a Disney cruise wrote this scathing review; “verbal and physical abuse, forcing us to lie about our working hours, stopping us from having a break.” Another former employee adds that it’s not uncommon to work “100-110 hours a week.”

14 “It's Possible To Get Fired Mid-Cruise”

Just because you’re in the middle of the ocean doesn’t mean your job isn’t on the line. Disney AMA explains that employees who are fired mid-cruise are expected to get off the ship when it next docks. “If it's a very serious offense, they'll station a security guard outside your room and you'd be escorted for the rest of the time on the ship,” the Reddit user explained.

13 “We Totally Date Each Other”

Although we’ve all been warned not to date our co-workers, it doesn’t sound like Disney cruise employees take that to heart. DisneyAMA admits many co-workers become involved with each other during their time at sea. “You are confined on a ship from 4-9 months with only these people,” the Reddit user wrote. “The young 21 years olds hook up just as much as the 40 something married with kids people do!”

12 “Don’t Expect Us To Potty-Train Your Kids”

Disney cruise employees are not allowed to take a child to the bathroom for legal reasons, but when the parents are off somewhere enjoying the adult-friendly cruise activities, they don’t always have the option to wait. “We are not allowed to clean them or wipe them if they have accidents,” DisneyAMA explained on Reddit. “We do because the parents are awful and never actually answer their phones.”

RELATED:  20 Photos Taken By Passengers Aboard Disney Cruises

11 “We Can Be Fired For Becoming Friends With Guests”

Disney cruise employees are expected to provide stellar service, but they’re also expected to remain professional. This means no exchanging personal information with guests, even if they’ve developed a friendly dynamic with one another. I became friends with one family and exchanged contact information,” DisneyAMA explained. “The mom and I have become quite close friends... which is a huge no-no and a terminable offense.”

10 “It's The Kids (Not Adults) Who Start Fights”

Disney cruises are a fun, family-oriented vacation. But given how many kids are on board a ship at one time means some things are bound to go wrong. Writing on Reddit, DisneyAMA revealed that their worst guest interaction happened when one child hit another, sending the parents into an uproar. “We had a kid who was hit in the head by another kid. the former employee explained. “[The parents] wanted the kid (Who was about 4) and his family all kicked off the ship and demanded HUGE compensation...”

9 “We Can Get You The Best Seat... Just Ask”

All you’ve got to do is ask! If you want a seat to remember, such as one of the coveted Enchanted Garden Booths, then simply ask one of the cruise employees. It’s not a guarantee that they’ll be able to fulfill your request, but according to Travel + Leisure, this is the most convenient way to ensure you have an incredible dining experience at sea.

RELATED:  15 Strange (But True) Facts Parents Should Know About Disney Cruises

8 “This Jobs Takes A Toll On Our Mental Health”

Disneyland may be the happiest place on Earth, but we’re not sure if that applies to the employees. Former Disney cruise employees have been honest about the toll working on the infamous ships takes on their mental health. Having to smile 24/7 – no matter how rude guests maybe – isn’t as easy as it sounds. “I really enjoyed my time on the ship, but it was truly a roller coaster of emotions. You are always exhausted, so emotions are heightened,” Reddit user DisneyAMA explained.

7 “There’s A High Turnover Rate”

While there are some employees who have been with Disney cruises for decades, many of the staff you’ll encounter are relatively new, as there’s a high turn-over rate. After their first 4 to 5 months, many staff is hesitant to sign up again because of how taxing the job is. There’s even a high turnover rate when it comes to management. “The management onboard changed every three or four months and some managers are good at being managers where others should not be managers at all,” one ex-employee wrote on Indeed.

6 “The Accommodations Are Cramped”

It’s obvious that cruise ship employees are expected to sleep on the ship during their time at sea, but according to ex-Disney cruise employees, the accommodations are anything by lavish. A former youth Activities Entertainment Host described the rooms as “tiny cabins with a roommate.” Don’t expect much privacy during your hours off!

RELATED:  15 Intense Rules Passengers Have To Follow Aboard A Disney Cruise

5 “We're Forced To Take Vacation Time”

Business Insider explains that most crew members are on a four to five-month contract. But after that expires, they’re required to take an 8-week ‘vacation’ before they’re allowed to work on another ship. One ex-employee tells the publication it’s a way to protect the mental health of the staff. "Let's face it, it's hard work being 'on' six days out of seven. It's good to go home and see our families and recharge our batteries," they explained.

4 “We Get To Enjoy Free Food”

One of the best parts of cruises is the buffet, and when you’re working on a Disney cruise ship, you can fully expect to enjoy the large quantities of food. Many former employees note on Indeed that staff gets their food for free. The only downside? Don’t expect a lot of variety or the highest quality of food.

3 “Don’t Bother With The Character Meet-and-Greets”

It’s understandable why guests would assume the character meet-and-greets are the best places to say hi to Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck – but it’s actually not! Travel + Leisure recommends waiting until you see a character freely wandering around the cruise, like on the pool deck or even in the elevator. That way, you won’t be waiting in line for hours.

2 “We Put Up With A Lot Of Wardrobe Changes”

Many guests are impressed by how intricate the employee uniforms are – there’s basically a different uniform for every position. One former employee admitted on Indeed they would change their “uniform 3 times a day for locations,” depending on where they were needed to work.

1 “Careful What You Say On Comment Cards”

Many guests don’t realize how much of an impact filling in a comments card can be. According to Business Insider, complaints are taken seriously by management. "Our managers really do read all of those, and if we've made a guest unhappy, we'll definitely be reprimanded," a former employee tells the publication, adding that staff may also be rewarded for a very positive comment card.

NEXT:  Captain Marvel Will Join Disney Cruise Lines In 2019

26 Disney cruise tips, tricks, secrets and extra magic to unlock when setting sail with Mickey

Disney Cruise Line might be a comparatively small cruise line with just five ships, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in popularity and enthusiastic fans. It also has some unique approaches to cruising that may surprise you — whether you're a first-time cruiser or an experienced cruiser on a different line.

After sailing on six Disney Cruise Line voyages across four of its ships in the last few years, I've picked up a few hacks and money-saving techniques I'm happy to pass on to you. No matter if this is your first time at sea or your 99th, you can benefit from this list of 26 Disney cruise tips, tricks and secrets.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

You can find discounts on Disney Cruises

Disney cruises are generally more expensive than other family-friendly competitors such as Royal Caribbean , but there are still ways to save money on a Disney cruise . Here are some different discounts you can find for Disney Cruise Line.

When booking a Disney cruise, your best move is to book the cruise as soon as it becomes available. You'll have the best selection of cabins and generally the best prices. Sometimes, you can find discounts closer to the sailing if certain room types aren't selling as hoped.

Sail one-way

A few times a year, Disney ships based in seasonal homeports need to head toward their next cruising region. When that happens, the ships sail one-way (aka repositioning) cruises , starting in one port and ending in a different one. You can often book these one-off sailings for less money than the normal round-trip cruises that start and end in the same spot.

For example, Disney Dream will sail a three-night cruise to move it from San Juan to Ft. Lauderdale in November. You can book a cabin with a balcony for $1,580 for two people, which is a solid price on Disney Dream. The $3,326 price tag for a concierge-level cabin is very good; those cabins usually start at close to $800 to $1,000 higher on many other three-night sailings.

Remember to factor in the cost of two one-way flights when you're calculating the savings bonus of taking a one-way cruise.

Related: Ultimate guide to Disney Cruise Line

Let Disney pick your cabin

If you're not picky about which cabin you get, an easy way to save a substantial amount of cash on your Disney cruise is to let Disney pick your cabin for you. You select a room type (such as an inside room or one with a balcony) and then let Disney assign you to a specific cabin location closer to sailing. For your flexibility, this type of guaranteed fare comes at a discount.

In the example below, you'll see the cheapest inside cabin where you pick a specific room on the ship is $2,072, while the price starts at $1,488 if you let Disney choose which inside room you get. This type of fare comes with additional restrictions, so read the fine print carefully. I've done this multiple times and have always been happy with the room location I've received.

Upgrade your room at the port for less

Depending on the ship's occupancy, it can be cheaper to upgrade your cabin at the port right before you board than in advance. There's no guarantee a better room will be available, but it can't hurt to ask when you are checking in inside the port just before boarding if nicer rooms are available.

If higher room categories have gone unsold, the check-in staff can tell you the price to upgrade to a nicer room; they can reference a spreadsheet that outlines the upgrade rates based on your current cabin and fare. In my experience, you can save up to half the cost compared to upgrading your room in advance.

Pay with points or discounted Disney gift cards

You can pay with discounted Disney gift cards to save a little money. There are many ways to do this, but stacking credit card bonus categories with discounted gift cards that can be available at places like Sam's Club or even Target can knock around 5% off the total price without too much effort.

You can also use some types of credit card points and miles to pay for a Disney cruise. For example, you can use Capital One miles from cards such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees ) and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , (see rates and fees) to cover all or part of any charge that's considered a travel expense.

The Disney Visa Card also offers some onboard savings perks and you can enjoy 0% APR for six months on your Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 19.24%-28.24%.

Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles

FOR NO-COST ASSISTANCE WITH PLANNING AND BOOKING YOUR NEXT DISNEY VACATION, CHECK OUT TPG'S DISNEY BOOKING PARTNER, MOUSE COUNSELORS .

2 rooms are cheaper than a suite

If your family is considering getting a suite to spread out and have more space, but are finding the prices for Disney Cruise Line suites to be prohibitively high, consider connecting staterooms instead. A family of four can expect to spend about 50% more on connecting cabins instead of all staying in one room, which is likely a lot less than buying up to a suite which can be several times the cost of a regular room.

Get free Mickey ice cream bars (and more) from room service

Unless you're staying in a concierge-level stateroom (more on that soon), room service on a Disney cruise is relatively basic. However, it's available at no extra charge, so use it as much or as little as you like.

I'm a fan of ordering room service for a quick breakfast (or that first hit of coffee) or for a fun anytime treat of Mickey ice cream bars. I often order Uncrustables from room service the night before port days to toss in my bag for the family to eat while ashore. My girls learned how to politely call to order these by the second or third day of the cruise.

It's a common courtesy to add a few dollars for a tip to the slip that you'll sign when the order is delivered.

Order as much dinner as you want

On Disney Cruise Line, you'll be assigned a dinner rotation through the three included restaurants on the ship. Your serving team will rotate with you, which is pretty fun as they get to know you and your preferences.

Since this food is all included, don't be shy. If you can't decide between the shrimp or salmon entree, try both. Order a couple of appetizers or be daring and try a dish you've never tasted before.

When it comes time for dessert, create your own sampler-platter for the table and taste them rather than limiting yourself to one selection.

You aren't locked into your assigned dining plans

If, for some reason, your assigned order of restaurants or tablemates (if you have any) aren't working out, don't be shy about asking guest services to make alterations. They will connect you with the appropriate people within the dining team to make necessary adjustments.

New movie releases are shown in the theaters

While a movie theater may sound like a strange place to spend a few hours at sea, I recommend making time to go see a new Disney movie while on your next Disney Cruise. The ships show first-run movies, so instead of heading to your local theater to see the next Marvel, Pixar or other Disney film released close to your cruise date, save some money and enjoy the movie at sea for no extra charge.

In fact, if you are at sea when a new Disney movie premieres on land, you'll get to see it the same night on the ship, too.

It's cash-free on the ship — except for this

You don't need much cash while on a Disney cruise. Your "Key to the World" room key serves as your form of payment and identification on the ship. I highly recommend bringing a lanyard to keep track of this important card if it's your first Disney voyage. Return cruisers are given a lanyard in their cabin.

However, if you want to add an extra tip to your service team at the end of the cruise beyond the standard amount that's charged to your folio, it's nice to do that with cash. If you are staying in a concierge-level room, you may want to pack some extra cash for the concierge lounge hosts and the evening bartenders, too.

Your kids can (maybe) get into an older club

Disney Cruise Line divides kids into four age groups — the nursery (up to age 3), the primary kids club (3–12), a tween club (11–14) and a teen club (14–17). The clubs, other than the nursery, are complimentary, so the magic age for a Disney cruise begins once your child is at least 3 years old and potty-trained, so they can enjoy time in the kids clubs while you enjoy … whatever you want.

Once your kid is ready to age up to the next club, they can actually do that a little early with your permission. For example, my oldest was able to level up to the tween club at 10 years old and the teen club at 13 years old with a signed slip from me, so use (or hide) that information as it suits you best. I will say that once your kid levels up in those clubs, they probably won't go back much to the previous club.

Take note that the tween and teen clubs allow kids to come and go at will. If you need your child to be monitored, then they will need to stay in the main kids club, which is open through age 12.

Hit the pools early or late to avoid crowds

If you don't want to swim in a crowded pool or wait in a long line for a slide around the AquaDuck or AquaMouse, you'll need to employ some strategy. I recommend heading to the waterslide the second you board the ship if it is warm enough in your port, as that is as empty as it's going to get.

If you miss that window, mornings are also pretty empty, as are late afternoons as everyone starts to get ready for the evening. Avoid mid-day on sea days at all costs unless you like swimming with dozens of your new best friends.

You'll want to decorate your door

The cabin doors on a Disney cruise are almost all metal, so decorative magnets will stick to the doors nicely. Pack themed magnets to decorate your door. Not only is it fun to participate in this shipwide decoration, but the personalized door serves to help kids (or tired adults) find their cabin should they forget the room number.

You can keep things simple or order personalized magnets on a site like Etsy in advance of your sailing. You may see some doors that go all out and even have pouches with goodies in them. Those hanging pouches are known as fish extenders (as they hang off of a fish built into the ship). They often signify that the cabin is participating in a gift exchange with others on the cruise that they arranged beforehand on Facebook.

Your sailing has a Facebook group and it's worth joining

Speaking of Facebook, the odds are excellent that your individual sailing has a Facebook group with several hundred people in it. If you wish to participate in gift exchanges, get to know your shipmates pre-cruise or tap into a hive mind for advice on picking excursions and packing, it's a big asset to belong to a group specific to your sailing.

Go to Facebook and search for your sailing (e.g. Disney Wonder Alaska June 12 - 19). You'll likely find a "private" group that's not officially affiliated with the cruise line. Join the group to be kept in the loop and to drum up excitement for your trip before you set sail.

Soda is free if you know where to look

If you order a can of Coke in the dining room or from room service, it's going to cost you a few dollars, but you can get as much free soda as you want from the fountain. These are usually located on the pool deck and in the buffet area. Bring a refillable bottle so you can easily take your soda with you around the ship.

Check the app for happy hours

Alcohol isn't free on board, but you can find discounted drinks at happy hour. On my most recent Disney cruise, select drinks were 50% off from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the ship's pub. Check your Navigator app during your sailing to look for happy hours on your Disney cruise.

The best merchandise sells out

If you see a cool hat, sweatshirt or shirt you adore, buy it as soon as you spot it. The onboard gift shops are only open while the ship is at sea, and the popular items sell out (and generally don't get restocked while you're on board).

A Disney cruise is not just for families

There's no doubt that families make up a large portion of the Disney Cruise Line passenger base, but a Disney cruise is not just for kids . The ships cater to childless couples and friend groups with special spaces reserved just for grownups.

Each ship has an adults-only nightlife area and/or multiple bars and lounges to visit in the evening. An adults-only sun deck includes a pool and space to sunbathe. Each ship also has one or two adults-only restaurants you can retreat to at dinnertime if you want to ensure a high-end and kid-free meal. (You'll have to pay extra for these meals, however.)

Disney offers legitimately good liquor and tastings

On top of the cocktails and drinks you may expect, Disney ships offer some very high-end liquors on board. I shared a photo of the below beverage cart on Instagram while on a recent cruise and got dozens of messages from people shocked Disney would have Pappy's bourbon. That specific 23-year-old bottle goes for several hundred dollars per drink, and it's on board Disney cruise ships.

If you're looking for something more affordable, sign up for one of the various beverage-tasting classes on offer. Most of the tastings are $40 - $50, and you'll get to sample a few drinks, as well as learn more about wine, tequila, bourbon and other beverages.

You don't need to pay for motion sickness pills

If you find the motion of the ocean to be a bit more than you bargained for, head to guest services, and they will give you — and your kids — motion sickness pills free of charge.

Pro tip: Don't wait until you are feeling terrible to start battling any potential motion sickness . At the first signs of queasiness, seek out a remedy. Green apples and ginger candy are alternatives for travelers who prefer not to take medicine.

The concierge lounge is extra magical

If you want your own personal Fairy Godmother who all but ensures you get the bookings you want, the best meal times, coveted reservations at the adults-only restaurants and cabana access at Castaway Cay, then book yourself into a concierge-level cabin or suite.

You'll get all that, plus you can board the ship first and skip the lines when disembarking. Concierge guests get exclusive access to a lounge with included evening drinks and a private sun deck (with a hot tub on Disney Wish ). You can order meals from the onboard restaurants to your room, and hang out with a Disney character in the lounge one evening of the cruise.

Not to mention, you'll be staying in some of the nicest and largest accommodations on the ship.

Concierge-level rooms do not come cheap, but they're the way to go if you want cream-of-the-crop service on a Disney cruise. I'd venture that the added perks and extra booking window for specialty restaurants and Castaway Cay are most valuable on the shorter Disney cruises of three or four nights.

Related: What it's like on a $10,000 Disney Wish concierge cruise

Find your way by looking at the carpet

It can be disorienting at first to find your way around a cruise ship, but Disney makes it easy to know if you are heading forward or aft when you're in the long cabin hallways. If the carpet design is upside down, you're heading toward the back of the ship, but if it is right side up, you're heading to the front of the ship. In the photo below, the globe is the clue.

Late dinner is better

Disney cruise ships offer two dinner options — early or late seating. Your showtime for the evening entertainment is opposite your dinner; if you have an early dinner, you have the late show and vice versa.

It's logical to assume that an early dinner at 5:45 p.m., as opposed to late dinner at 8:15 p.m., is better if you have little kids. Having done both, I'd say that late dinner is vastly superior in most situations.

First, 5:45 p.m. is too early to have made the most of your day and be ready for dinner. With all there is to eat on the cruise, you might not even be hungry yet. Beyond that, if you aren't heading into the dark theater to see the show until 8:15 p.m., it can be hard for little ones to sit still or stay awake.

However, if you see the show first and then eat dinner, the servers are great about expressing your meal with little kids. It's better to do a quick dinner and then head to bed (or back to the kids club!) than an early dinner and miss the evening shows because your kid no longer has the ability to sit still.

The $45 adult restaurant is worth it

If you enjoy fine dining, book a fancy dinner at one of the adults-only restaurants. Depending on which ship you are on, there will be one or two restaurants that are reserved for adults — Palo and perhaps also Remy or Enchante .

Remy and Enchante are super-fancy and pricy, but Palo is approachable-fancy and costs an additional $45 per person for the set menu. It's 100% worth the money if you can get a booking.

You'll leave any cartoony trace of Disney behind as you leisurely indulge on beef tenderloin, sea scallops, grilled lobster with pasta, calamari and chocolate souffle.

The best character meetings aren't the posted ones

You'll find many character meet-and-greets on the itinerary for each day where it's known that Mickey, Donald or Minnie will be at a specific place at a specific time for a brief hello and a photo. Those meetups are great, but they are not the best character interactions you'll find on Disney Cruise Line.

The best time you'll have with characters will be when you least expect to see them. You might spot Goofy walking around in his pajamas, Donald waddling out on the deck or Minnie strolling the halls in her finest dress.

These encounters can't be planned or predicted, but without the lines and forced nature of a quick photo, the more free-form interaction with the characters is better than any planned photo sessions you'll find on land or sea.

All the characters come out to say goodbye on the last night

On the last night of each cruise, all of the classic characters come out to the atrium for a short time (15 - 20 minutes) so you can snap a quick photo with anyone you missed before they do their final farewell presentation. Check your app for this goodbye show, which usually occurs around 10 or 10:30 p.m.

Pro tip: If you have a specific character you want to photograph, ask a cast member setting up for the event where that character usually stands during photo time. That way, you can position yourself in the right area to snap a photo because the event can turn chaotic in a hurry.

Skip the debarkation line by carrying your own bags

Getting off the ship at the same time as thousands of other guests can be a buzzkill, so don't do that. If you can manage your own bags, don't put them out the night before and take them off the ship yourself the final morning.

That leaves you free to disembark as early as possible before the regular disembarkation begins, which might be around 7:30 a.m. or so, depending on the port, weather and other factors. You can avoid the crowds because you don't have to wait for your luggage to be assembled along with everyone else.

You can bring your own water and wine

If you want to have bottled water at the ready, bring a case of it onboard. It will need to be sealed in its original packaging and you have to carry it on (instead of having it in checked luggage), but it can be worth it if you want to save money for the truly yummy drinks.

If you enjoy wine or beer out on your veranda, you can save a little cash by bringing your own alcohol onboard , with limits. Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or a six-pack of beer (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. Again, these beverages need to be carried on and not stashed in checked bags.

You can enjoy the spa without a treatment

If you love the idea of spa-like quiet and relaxation without paying around $200+ per treatment, look into the Rainforest Room in the Senses Spa, which costs much less than that per day. Depending on demand, you can book a one-day pass or get a pass that lasts the duration of your cruise. Inquire in the spa as to availability and exact pricing, but it's certainly going to be less than a spa treatment.

Each of the Disney ships has its own version of this room. On Disney Wish, the space has not only the heated loungers that are a common fixture in each of these thermal areas, but also an indoor and outdoor lounge component, a steam room, a chilled ice room and a relaxing water feature for dangling your feet.

Bottom line

You can't go wrong in booking a Disney cruise as there is already so much included and available at your fingertips. But with a little knowledge, you can skip some of the common first-timer mistakes and board like a pro, starting with your first cruise.

Related reading:

• What it's like inside the Disney Wish Star Wars-themed bar
• Everything you need to know about Disney Wish
• The best credit cards for Disney
• Best destinations you can sail to on a Disney cruise
• Everything you need to know about Disney's loyalty program
• The 2 types of Disney Cruise Line ships, explained

How Does Tipping Work on a Disney Cruise?  Your Guide to Gratuities

Tipping is often a source of confusion on Disney cruises. Does gratuity come with the fare? If not, when should you tip, and how much? How does tipping work on a Disney Cruise?  Here are the answers you need to know.

Note: Disney updated its standard gratuity amounts in July 2022.  This article has been updated to reflect the new amounts.

Is Tipping Included in the Cost of a Disney Cruise?

The cost of a Disney cruise covers your stateroom , activities, and dining experiences (except for specialty dining). But there’s one thing that’s not included in the base price of a Disney cruise: gratuities. Even though gratuities are technically optional, it is customary to tip certain crew members, and Disney expects you to do it.

In some situations, gratuities are automatically added to your stateroom account; in others, you decide whether to tip.

When are Automatic Gratuities Added to your Account?

There are four Crew Members Disney always expects you to tip, as they serve you for the entire duration of your cruise.  To simplify the tipping process, Disney automatically charges these gratuities to your onboard account at the end of your cruise (unless you have prepaid the gratuities or instructed Guest Services not to add them).

Which Crew Members Are Covered by Automatic Gratuities?

The four tipping positions associated with automatic gratuities are your stateroom host/hostess and three members of your regular dining room serving crew:

Your designated dining room server is responsible for taking care of the table service during dinner at the rotational dining restaurants .

Disney adds $4.75 (per passenger, per night) in automatic gratuity for your Server. 

Here’s what you can expect to pay the Server for the length of your cruise (in total):

• For a 3-night cruise: $14.25
• For a 4-night cruise: $19.00
• For a 7-night cruise: $33.25

Assistant Server

This person assists your dining room server with the drinks, food, and cleanup.

Disney adds $3.75 (per passenger, per night) in automatic gratuity for your Assistant Server.

Here’s what you can expect to pay the Assistant Server for the length of your cruise (in total):

• For a 3-night cruise: $11.25
• For a 4-night cruise: $15.00
• For a 7-night cruise: $26.25

Dining Room Head Server

The Head Server acts as a maître d’. You will be assigned a Head Server, who will check in with you and ensure you are satisfied with your dining experience, and oversees the other servers.

Disney adds $1.25 (per passenger, per night) in automatic gratuity for your Head Server.

Here’s what you can expect to pay the Head Server for the length of your cruise (in total):

• For a 3-night cruise: $3.75
• For a 4-night cruise: $5.00
• For a 7-night cruise: $8.75

Stateroom Host/Hostess

Your Stateroom Host/Hostess is the person who cleans your stateroom every day. They are responsible for making your bed, turning it down at night, leaving chocolate, etc.

Disney adds $4.75 (per passenger, per night) in automatic gratuity for your Stateroom Host.

Here’s what you can expect to pay the Stateroom Host for the length of your cruise (in total):

For those staying in a Concierge-level room, additional tipping is customary for the Stateroom Assistant Host and the Concierge Lounge staff.

Stateroom on the Disney Dream

To calculate the total amount of automatic gratuity you are expected to pay, add up the total nightly tips for each of these four categories ($4.75 + $3.75 + 1.25 + $4.75 = $14.50 ), then multiply that by the number of people sailing (regardless of age) and by the number of nights your cruise will last.

For example, a couple on a 3-night cruise should expect to tip $87.00 ($14.50 x 2 x 3).

A family of four on a 7-night cruise will have a suggested tip of $406 ($14.50 x 4 x 7).

Most people find that Disney’s automatic gratuities process helps simplify the tipping process. However, you may wish to do things differently. You can request to adjust these amounts, pay gratuities in cash, or pre-pay before your cruise begins (see below).

Note : The Dining Room Manager may also be tipped, though most people do not. Additionally, if any of the service crew members do not provide the quality of service you expect, please let management know immediately. Disney Cruise Line will do everything it can to rectify the situation. They will also accommodate your dietary needs if you make them known before ordering.

How do you Pre-Pay Gratuities on a Disney Cruise?

Gratuities are added to your Disney cruise account automatically prior to the end of your cruise as a default. It is also possible to pay the suggested tip in advance by contacting either Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent no later than three days before the cruise starts .

If you prefer to pay for everything before you step aboard, that’s great! Just make sure you pre-pay the tips at least three days before your departure date, and you’ll have nothing to worry about on your cruise.

If you have questions about tipping on Disney cruises, want to step up your pre-payments, or wonder how much a Disney cruise will cost , it’s time to contact The Vacationeer . They can provide up to $1,000 in FREE Disney onboard credit , Disney’s best available pricing, and expert planning advice and assistance.

Can you Remove Gratuities on a Disney Cruise?

Yes, you can remove, reduce, or increase the automatic gratuities on a Disney cruise by visiting Guest Services during the cruise. 

Disney automatically charges your onboard account the standard tip amounts (unless you pre-pay). No tip amount is set in stone, so Disney allows you to adjust them before the cruise ends if you want to give more or wish to give less; just contact Guest Services onboard your Disney Cruise .

How Do my Crew Members Know I Tipped Them?

At the end of your cruise, you will receive four envelopes and a sheet detailing all automatic tips that have been charged to your room folio.  This sheet is perforated so you can separate the section relating to each Crew Member and place it in the envelope (along with additional cash should you desire).

You may give these envelopes directly to the serving team on the last night at dinner or at breakfast on your final morning.  For your stateroom hostess, you may give the envelope to them in person or leave it in your room.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a chance to pass a tip envelope to a particular Crew Member… they’ll still receive the appropriate amount designated for them in your stateroom folio (but of course won’t get any actual cash you might have included).

Tipping Envelopes are provided at the end of your Disney Cruise

To summarize how Disney’s automatic gratuities work, you can 1. let Disney charge your account automatically, 2. pre-pay your gratuities, or 3. pass out individual envelopes with cash. It’s up to you! Just let your travel agent or Guest Services know if you wish to do something other than automatic gratuities.

Are Tips included at Palo and Remy?

Specialty dining on Disney cruises is a step above the regular dining room experience and is not included in a Disney cruise’s base price. You can choose between Palo and Remy, which both offer exquisite cuisine and an intimate setting.

Regarding tipping, an 18% gratuity will automatically be applied at dinner at Palo & Remy . However, you can also add additional gratuity if you feel that the service warrants it. For brunch, tips are included in the dining charge, but you can add gratuity if you desire . Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how much to tip, but remember that the staff greatly appreciates the extra gratuity.

How Does Tipping Work at Bars and Clubs ?

Bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs will be automatically charged an 18% gratuity. Gratuities may be charged to your stateroom folio.

A gratuity of 18% will be automatically added to any drink ordered from a bartender, whether it is non-alcoholic or alcoholic. Sodas, bottled water, and alcohol ordered from room service will also have an automatic gratuity. Additionally, your server will add a gratuity to your bill if you order bottled water, a smoothie, or alcohol in the dining rooms.

Do you Tip for Room Service on a Disney Cruise?

Room service is one of the many perks of being on cruising with Disney . You can order anything you want, and it will be brought right to your stateroom door. Best of all, with the exception of a few packaged items and drinks, room service is complimentary. However, even though there is no charge for the food, it is customary to tip the person who brings it to your room .

You can add a tip to your onboard account when you sign the bill or give a cash tip. Most people leave a tip of at least $5. Whether or not you choose to tip is up to you.

Do you have questions about gratuities on the Disney Cruise Line? Contact the DCL experts at The Vacationeer for answers.

They can also advise you on the best Disney cruise ships , tell you which Disney Cruises depart from Florida , share their favorite Castaway Cay tips , and give you helpful ways to save money on a Disney cruise .

Contact The Vacationeer for a free, no-obligation quote today!

Are Gratuities Included for Spa Services?

Senses Spa & Salon offers a wide range of spa services, including massages, facials, and other pampering services. Unfortunately, the cost of spa services is not included in the Disney cruise nor its per-night automatic gratuities (though we still consider spa treatments at Senses to be a worthy splurge ).

That said, an 18% gratuity will automatically be applied to all spa services you receive. You do not need to add more unless you are so inclined. 

Senses Spa & Salon | Image © Disney

Can you use Cash on a Disney Cruise Ship?

When planning a Disney cruise, one question that often arises is whether you can use cash onboard the ship. The answer is that all onboard purchases are charged back to your stateroom folio, but you can use cash to pay that folio.  You can also give tips via cash if you wish.   Here are a few things to keep in mind.

To begin with, you may use the credit card on file, American Express Travelers Cheques denominated in USD (United States Dollars), or pay with cash. Secondly, you must settle all charges before you leave the ship. This means that if you plan on using cash, you’ll need to have enough to cover your entire bill (or at least have a second payment method to use as well). Lastly, remember that gratuities are not included in your cruise fare, so you’ll need to have cash on hand to tip bus drivers, porters, tour guides, etc

When you’re off the ship at a port (except for Disney’s private island Castaway Cay ), your shipboard folio is no good for payment.  Local currency or a credit/debit card is needed.

It’s generally best to bring a mix of cash and other forms of payment when cruising with Disney. That way, you’ll be prepared for anything.

How Much Do you Tip a Porter on a Disney Cruise?

Remember to bring small bills with you. This will make it easier to tip porters and bus drivers without breaking larger bills. Second, if you use Disney transportation (or any other transportation services), consider giving your bus driver a few dollars after arriving.

You should also tip people who assist you with your luggage, whether they’re unloading your bags from a bus or bringing them to your stateroom. It’s up to you how much you tip.

Should you Tip the Tour Guides on Port Adventures? 

If you’re taking a Disney cruise, consider bringing some cash to tip your tour guides and drivers. While it’s not required, it’s good etiquette to show your appreciation for their service with a gratuity.

Most guides and drivers are very familiar with the customs of their home country, so they can be a valuable resource for information about what to see and do during your trip. They may also be able to provide insights into the culture that you wouldn’t get from reading a guidebook.

Tipping is generally done in cash, and US dollars are widely accepted in many foreign ports, so if you’re planning to take an excursion while on your cruise, be sure to bring some cash to show your appreciation for your guides and drivers.

How Does Tipping Work for the Concierge Level?

Prepare to tip even more if you are sailing at the concierge level . Concierge hosts rely heavily on tips, so be sure to tip generously . How much you tip is always up to you, but Disney now recommends at least $8 per passenger, per night, for the Concierge Lounge hosts.  In addition, you’ll find your Concierge Stateroom Assistant Host is factored into the nightly automatic gratuities normally reserved only for the Stateroom Host and dining room staff. Remember that your concierge hosts are there to make your cruise as enjoyable as possible, so don’t hesitate to give them a little extra if they go above and beyond.

Are you expected to Tip for Disney Babysitting Services?

On a Disney Cruise, gratuity is not expected for babysitting services . However, if you feel that the babysitter did an exceptional job and you would like to show your appreciation, you may do so at your discretion.

Do you have questions? Are you ready to book your Disney Cruise? The Vacationeer can help!

If you need help planning and booking your magical Disney Cruise Line vacation, please contact our friends at The Vacationeer . Their services are always helpful and free of charge!

We hope our How Does Tipping Work on a Disney Cruise article will help you prepare for your magical vacation at sea. Happy sailing!

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Placeholder: 8 Questions and Answers

Updated January 21, 2024

What is a placeholder?

A placeholder is a special onboard discount offer on a future Disney cruise. You pay $250 to get a placeholder; the $250 goes towards the cost of the future cruise.

The Disney Cruise Line Onboard Booking Offer allows Guests to make a Placeholder Reservation for a future Disney cruise and enjoy 10% savings off prevailing rates as quoted on disneycruise.com, plus enjoy a reduced deposit on sailings 7 nights and longer . The offer is valid for up to 2 staterooms on one sail date per household on board, regardless of the number of adults in the household. This offer is valid for Categories 4 to 11 only. The cruise must commence within 24 months after the Placeholder Reservation was booked, or the reservation will automatically cancel.

Why should I book a Placeholder?

To save 10% off the prevailing cruise rate of your future cruise. Also, for cruises 7+ nights, the deposit is 10% of the cruise fare. Cruises under 7 nights require a 20% deposit of the cruise fare.

A Placeholder Reservation is an open-ended reservation that allows Guests to select their future sail date at a later time. A $250 deposit must be paid while on board and is fully refundable if the reservation is cancelled. Once a sail date is selected, standard cancellation fees apply.

How do you book a placeholder?

As I mentioned, you can only book your placeholder while aboard a Disney cruise. There are now two ways to book: the DCL Navigator app or going to the Future Cruise Sails desk and picking up a form.

Where do I go to book the placeholder?

Update March 2023 . The Future Cruise desk is not regularly open since Covid. Book your placeholder on the app. Go to the Future Cruise desk, complete the form and drop it into the box located on the desk. I always take a picture of the form after I fill it out, just in case it gets misplaced at the Future Cruise desk. Choose the save 10% off your next cruise on the app. You will be taken to the payment page. If you want to use a different card than the one you have on file, you can.

Your placeholder will be pending until the payment has cleared through the system. I would recommend taking a screenshot of the page in case you have any problems and don’t receive a confirmation of your placeholder.

When can I use my placeholder?

You must use it within 24 months of booking. Disney is strict with the deadline. If the next cruise you want to book is a day after the placeholder expires, you will not be able to use it.

Pro tip: book it as late on the cruise as you can. Don’t wait too late, though. The 10% off future cruise link disappears at midnight of the last full day. I waited too long and had to go to the Guest Services desk to request a form.

10% savings applies only to sailings that commence within 24 months after the Placeholder Reservation is booked on board.

Who can book a placeholder?

Anyone over the age of 18 can book up to two staterooms on one sail date per household onboard.

What is the catch?

You can not use a placeholder on blackout dates or for concierge-level bookings. Also, you currently need to call Disney to apply the placeholder to your chosen cruise. Therefore, if you are booking on opening day, you could be on the phone, on hold for hours.

Blockout dates apply; please contact Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent for specific block out dates. Reservations for future cruises that fall on block out dates are not eligible for the 10% savings offer. The offer cannot be combined with Florida Resident Rates, U.S. Military Rates or with any other special Rates.

Can I transfer it to my travel agent or Costco?

Yes, you have 30 days from purchasing the placeholder on the ship to transfer it to the TA of your choice if you did not name one when you purchased it.

What if I forget to book a placeholder?

I know this is the answer to question number nine, but recently Disney started a new offer for first-time cruisers. Once you disembark your first cruise, you can save up to $350 on your next one with the Castaway Club Welcome Offer . You can save up to $50 a night on the first 7 nights of your second cruise if you book it within 60 days of disembarking.

I hope that I answered many of the questions about placeholders for booking a future Disney cruise. Make sure you check my post about joining a fish extender exchange. Sign up for the newsletter to keep up to date with the latest Disney news and discounts . Check out some of our other tips and tricks for your next Disney Cruise.

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28 thoughts on “ placeholder: 8 questions and answers ”.

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We last cruised in February 2020 before the COVID shutdown. We secured a placeholder while on board. Do you know if placeholder deadlines have been extended since cruising has not yet resumed?

As far as I know, if you book a cruise with a placeholder before it expires you can use it to book a cruise up to Fall 2022. If you have not used your placeholder and the expiry date passes DCL will refund your money.

In my Castaway Club account, my pre-COVID placeholder is listed as one of my cruises with a Jan 1, 2034 date in a GTY room.

With the placeholder to I need to cruise within 24 months or do I need to book within 24 months?

Your cruise needs to begin within 24 months.

Hi, as a very lucky cruiser in the UK we did a 3 day cruise based in the UK, whilst onboard we booked a placeholder an received a confirmation email. I have just tried to use but was informed this couldn’t be used as the option was not taken? I booked the original through a T/A and they are confused also. Disney cruise not that helpful when called, any ideas what I can do? I have checked my credit card and they have not taken payment

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Hi – one additional point with the new way of booking On-Board Booking placeholders – if you use the app it will default to your credit card on file. We like to purchase ours with Disney Gift Cards (since we get those at a 5% discount from Target) and there’s no way to do that via the app. You have to go to Guest Services while on the cruise, tell them you want to purchase a placeholder with a Gift Card, and they will set up the order for Disney to follow up with you when you are back home to take the payment and give you your reservation number. It’s a very inefficient system – some folks have had to wait a considerable period of time before getting that call. I ended up calling DCL and getting it arranged when I returned home by calling them instead of waiting for them to call me. Just wanted to share my experience on this specific item. Thank you for all this wonderful info!

How do we actually apply the placeholder credit when booking? I can’t figure it out.

You need to call DCL to apply the placeholder for your booking. The $250 you paid for the placeholder will go towards your deposit.

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Does the 10% discount apply to a cruise booked in the 24 months or is that only for booked cruises while on the current cruise ? Thanks, I can’t seem to figure that part out !

I am not sure what you are asking? The 10% is for any regularly priced cruise fare. The cruise must begin within 24 months of when you booked the placeholder. If your cruise starts on the July 17, 2022 and you book the placeholder on July 21, 2022. You can get the discount on ant cruise that begins by July 21, 2024. It is always a good idea to book your placeholder near the end of your trip. I hope that answers your question 🙂

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Re: the Costco transfer: The 30-day countdown begins on THE DAY YOU PURCHASE THE PLACEHOLDER. You need to purchase a cruise AND transfer it to Costco within that window. If you buy the placeholder and then purchase a cruise with it more than a month later, you are SOL.

My wife and I bought a placeholder onboard the Vancouver-Hawaii cruise last April, and then later that summer, used it to buy a Northern Europe cruise for this September. The next day I called Costco to transfer it, and they couldn’t do it because the purchase date of the cruise gets listed as the purchase date of the placeholder!

Yes, you must transfer the placeholder within 30 days of purchasing it.

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One placeholder ($250) will give you a 10% discount on up to two rooms on a future cruise? Or is it purchase two placeholders ($500) for use on a 10% discount on two rooms on a future cruise? 1 placeholder=1 discounted room or 1 placeholder=2 discounted rooms? Also, if two placeholders purchased they have to be used on SAME future cruise? I’m reading conflicting answers throughout various posts and not sure what is true/false

You need 1 placeholder for 1 discounted room. If you purchase two placeholders on a cruise they must be used on the same cruise. I hope that helps 🙂

Hi! My husband and I are taking our second Disney cruise in February (we got a placeholder last year). On this cruise, can we get placeholders for two cabins with one being for us and the other for my daughter and her family?

Yes you can. Each cabin can book up to two placeholders to be used on one future cruise.

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If we use our placeholder for back to back shorter cruises do we get 10% discount on both cruises? Or would it just be on the first one?

No, sadly you only get the discount on one cruise.

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At Disney World, adult visitors increasingly mix remote work and play

When working remotely on a laptop, technically, a worker can be anywhere. They could even be at Disney World.

From Disney bloggers and freelance journalists to tech industry professionals, travel agents and people with double monitors at Epcot, adult Disney World fans are documenting their remote work habit from inside the parks in social media posts.

It’s a phenomenon that has gained steam since around 2022, with a post-pandemic surge of people returning to the theme parks and the rise of both remote work and jobs in which people never truly sign off.

“People want to move to Orlando, they want to feel like they live in Disney World,” said AJ Wolfe, who has been writing about Disney parks, including via her popular Disney Food Blog , for more than 15 years. “You’re closer to the place that makes you happy, and you can access it much more quickly when you’re done working.”

Wolfe has been working in the parks and advising people where the best places are to work within them for almost as long. Since the parks reopened in late 2020 after Covid-19 forced their first-ever extended closure, Wolfe said she’s been noticing more people purposefully choosing to work remotely from inside Disney World.

“Lines are blurring between conventional workspaces and leisure time across the board,” she said. “I think people are adopting and looking to adopt a situation where they can work at the same time they’re experiencing something they enjoy.”

Disney World’s committed and vociferous fan base — there are dozens of online communities and creators dedicated to almost everything about the parks — has wrestled with the remote work practices.

The emerging practice has drawn some disbelief — and criticism. In late April, an Orlando resident posted on the Disney World subreddit about setting up a workspace at a cafe that opened in 2022 in Epcot. The thread had to be locked after users started complaining that the remote worker could be taking up a table that other guests wanted to use to eat (the post was from a Tuesday afternoon and the cafe appeared mostly empty).

Disney has also installed more places throughout the resort where people can charge their phones, since the mobile Disney World app has become an essential part of the experience — guests use it to bypass lines, order food, scan tickets, check wait times and more. Many counter service and cafe-style restaurants inside the parks have places to charge your devices. The newer wireless charging ports, like at the Epcot cafe, and outlets have in turn provided a place for people to plug in their tablet or laptop.

“I think they also probably realized that would also benefit folks who have just moved to Orlando to be closer to the parks and need some place to work,” Wolfe said.

Walt Disney World didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The rise of remote work at Disney World is accompanied by the steady growth of online content related to Disney Parks in general. Wolfe, who is working on a book about the “ Disney Adults ” phenomenon, said online “side hustles” related to Disney World are becoming more common.

Some of the people who have posted about working inside Disney World also offer travel-planning services to other Disney fans. Dozens of people have full-time jobs creating daily content about and from within the Disney parks, posting on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and blogs. They are almost never officially affiliated with The Walt Disney Co. They often fall somewhere between independent media and professional fans .

Separately, there are even more people who don’t make money from posting about Disney, but instead find community from sharing their Disney experiences online.

“It’s that vibe of ‘Epcot is my coffee shop,’” Wolfe said. “Instead of ‘I’m going to close my laptop and start watching Netflix,’ it’s like, ‘I’m going to close my laptop and go on Spaceship Earth.’”

Kat Tenbarge is a tech and culture reporter for NBC News Digital. She can be reached at [email protected]

Raising the Bar: Meet Principal Counsel Diana

Today, we’re visiting Team Disney for a Q&A with a Principal Counsel for Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line, Diana. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Diana moved to the United States at five years old and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. After launching her legal career, she eventually moved to Orlando to raise her daughters and jumped at the chance to support complex legal work at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

Read along to learn more about Diana’s career protecting the magic in Disney Legal!

What can you tell us about your Disney career so far?

“I’ve been with the company a little over six years. I started as an Associate Principal Counsel for the Regulatory and Operations legal team supporting Walt Disney World Resort. I was promoted to Principal Counsel about 3 years ago when I started supporting Disney Cruise Line in addition to Walt Disney World Resort. The breadth of the operations of the Disney company is unmatched. There are so many opportunities to grow and learn different areas of the law within Disney! I would never have had the opportunity to learn all of the different areas that I currently support anywhere else.”

What’s a day in the life like in your role?

“There is never a dull moment at work. I provide legal support and advice for all operational and regulatory aspects of the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line. In addition, I support Disney Cruise Line’s international projects and expansions. The variety and complexity of the legal work that I handle is unparalleled and you truly cannot find a more interesting or challenging lawyer job! One minute I am looking into a question about a standard for Walt Disney World Resort, and the next minute (literally) I am jumping on a call to negotiate a multi-million-dollar contract for Disney Cruise Line.”

Can you share some favorite work memories?

“I have so many… it’s hard to pick just one! I recall attending Traditions and getting my name tag, which was such a proud and happy moment. My other favorite experiences are when I get to see first-hand all the incredible things that the Disney teams work on! For example, I got to attend the Disney Wish christening a couple of years ago. I met Tinker Bell before she flew out of the castle one night! I also got to see where some of the music is recorded for the theme parks and hold one of the Emmys the team had won! And on one recent team outing, we met with the Animal Sciences team to learn more about the animals they care for at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.”

Time for some fun questions! Who is your favorite Disney character?

“My favorite Disney character is Judy Hopps. There are so many reasons to love her. She’s small like me (lol), super ambitious and driven towards her goals and achieves them in the face of adversity and naysayers. She’s also an optimist, cheerful and kind.”

Imagine you’re spending a day off from work at Disney. Which park do you go to and what are your must-dos?

“I love EPCOT, especially during festivals! We ‘eat around the world’ and ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind - my favorite ride of all time. My family is also obsessed with Disney Cruise Line!”

How does it feel to work for a company with a legacy like Disney’s?

During the early years of my life in the U.S., my parents did not have a lot of money, so we did not take family vacations. But one day when I was about 6 years old, my parents told us that we were going to Walt Disney World! We had the best two days visiting Magic Kingdom Theme Park and EPCOT! We made so many memories. Among the couple of souvenirs we got, my dad bought a Mickey Mouse sport mug for himself. He used it every day until (unfortunately) the lip of the cup got chipped. But he still kept it and he was not one to keep anything!

Today, I have his mug on display in my home office to remind me of my dad and the wonderful time we had together as a family at Walt Disney World. I could never have imagined when I was 6 years old that I would be a lawyer for Disney! I take great pride in working for Disney because I am now part of a team that helps other families make special memories of their own.”

“Disney is an iconic company not only because of the unique and unparalleled content it produces but because it is woven into so many special memories for so many people … like myself.

Ready to start the next chapter of your career? Be part of the story and explore available roles on DisneyCareers.com today!

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Why disney stock dropped sharply despite nearing streaming profit, improved earnings outlook.

The entertainment giant reported mixed fiscal second-quarter earnings and some near-term challenges, including at theme parks.

By Georg Szalai

Georg Szalai

Global Business Editor

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Disney ‘s latest quarterly earnings report and conference call with management had much for Wall Street to like, including progress toward streaming profits and an increased full-year earnings forecast, but it wasn’t enough to keep its shares from dropping around 10 percent on Tuesday.

As of 12:15 p.m. E.T., Disney’s stock was down 10.4 percent at $104.32, making it one of the stock’s worst days over the past year.

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All in all, it wasn’t enough to boost bullishness to new heights. And with Disney’s stock up nearly 20 percent so far in 2024 before the earnings update, well ahead of the broad-based S&P 500 stock index’s gain of around 9 percent, it seemed like it would have been too big an ask to beat investors’ expectations so convincingly as to drive the shares even higher right now.

Not that there wasn’t a focus on the positive expected later this year. For example, many financial experts highlighted the fact that Disney narrowed its streaming loss to $18 million and even reached a $47 million profit when excluding ESPN+, while reiterating that its streaming division will be in the black in the fiscal fourth quarter, as previously promised, and be a “meaningful future growth driver for the company.”

With consistent streaming profitability having long been an elusive goal for entertainment titans, Wall Street observers, in their post-earnings commentary, touched on the success of Disney and CEO Bob Iger, who recently emerged from a bruising proxy battle, in approaching it. The latest streaming improvements also come after an extended struggle to convince analysts that Iger’s overhaul initiatives will pay off.

Here is a closer look at Wall Street experts’ key takeaways from Disney’s latest results and forecasts.

Bank of America analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich reiterated her “buy” rating and $145 price target on Disney’s stock on Tuesday. “Disney reported a solid fiscal second quarter with revenue essentially inline and operating income modestly ahead of our expectations,” she cheered. “The company also raised their fiscal year 2024 earnings per share outlook to 25 percent, versus at least 20 percent previously.”

The expert highlighted that Disney’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) did better than she had expected, while traditional TV came in weaker. “DTC outperforms while linear lower than expected,” she concluded in the headline to one of the paragraphs in her report. “Linear networks operating income was $752 million (versus our $800 million) as lower domestic revenue was driven by lower affiliate revenue due to the non-renewal of carriage of certain networks and a decline in advertising revenue attributable to a lower average viewership.”

Another gray cloud in the sky was provided by a look at the current quarter. “Disney now expects fiscal third-quarter experiences operating income to be similar to the prior year which implies operating income around $300 million below our current forecast,” she noted.

Reif Ehrlich’s overall bullish takeaway: “Disney has a collection of best-in-class premier assets (in content/IP as well as theme parks). Near-term catalysts include: 1) additional updates on strategic priorities for Disney, 2) an inflection in profitability in DTC.”

“DTC was profitable,” excluding ESPN, he wrote. “Management expects softer DTC profits in the fiscal third quarter (UBS estimate: -$52 million) due to Hotstar but profitability in the fiscal fourth quarter. Core Disney+ subscribers increased by 6.3 million (UBS estimate 5.9 million; guide 5.5-6.0 million), including 7.9 million in the U.S. and Canada adds with the Charter deal (UBS estimate 7.5 million). Hulu subs increased by 0.5 million (UBS estimate: flat) versus 1.2 million in the fiscal first quarter.”

Hodulik also emphasized Disney’s increased full-year earnings outlook but pointed out “mixed” theme parks commentary that didn’t surprise him too much. “Disney reported stronger earnings per share and in-line revenues, while forward commentary for the parks was mixed due to higher costs from the new cruise ship (similar to previous launches).”

Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino maintained his “peer perform” rating without a stock price target in his first take. He highlighted “better results at DTC and sports, and in-line experiences, partially offset by softer linear networks and content/licensing performance .”

The expert explained that linear results were “impacted by the non-renewal of carriage of certain networks by Charter,” while the content/licensing business posted a quarterly loss as “revenue came in weaker at $1.39 billion (consensus: $1.51 billion) as there were no significant titles in the current quarter.”

But it’s not all roses. “Disney’s business is facing a few challenges. $2 billion in goodwill impairments driven by Disney’s operations in India and linear business are weighing on results, in addition to the ongoing cord-cutting pressure that will continue to impact Disney’s networks,” warned Lumley.

And then there is that old question of who will succeed Iger. “Investors are still looking for clarity on succession planning. We’ve heard from our experts that Dana Walden is the frontrunner for the CEO role, but at this point nothing is set in stone,” highlighted Lumley. “We might not hear any updates until 2025 as Disney’s board makes sure it finds the right candidate for the job.”

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