disney cruise job

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>My D just booked a job as a main stage performer on a Disney cruise line. She is super excited, but I have all types of questions. Just wondering if any CC parents have had a child on a DCL cruise contract that can offer advice about this type of job. I especially would like advice on the following:</p>

<ol>
<li> Best way to stay in contact.</li>
<li> Best way for D to get cash.</li>
<li> Any advice on the best way to take the cruise and spend time with child.</li>
</ol>

2

<p>You may wish to contact a regular member on this board by the name of onstage, whose daughter performed on a cruise ship last year, but not with Disney. She may see this post but if not, you could private message her.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! Will try to contact her.</p>

4

<p>My SIL has performed on Disney cruises, as well as others. I don’t know the answers to your questions (tho IIRC she had internet on the ships and I assume there are onboard cash machines or the Purser’s desk), but I do recall that with Disney she was not able to use the guest areas of the ships. That may have been because she played a scary villain in one show, but I do recall that it made those trips feel VERY long for her. IIRC, she was usually able to invite friends to share her cabin at a very reduced rate, but not sure if this was true for Disney since she wasn’t able to mingle with the guests on those.</p>

5

<p>Hi there! I have a friend who has worked several cruises (though they were not with Disney). To stay in contact, she recently got an iPhone, and that made life a lot easier for her to get a hold of people because when she was docked, she could find WiFi and Skype or FaceTime for free. Facebook, silly as it sounds, was also a good resource. I can’t exactly speak to how she got cash if she needed it, but I actually don’t think she ever did. She lived essentially cost-free while she was on the ship, plus got paid, and from the conversations we had, she was having no problems paying back her student loans, cell phone bill, etc while she was on the ship, plus had plenty left over to go out with her friends while she was at port. Even when she was home in between jobs for a couple of months at a time, money didn’t seem like much of an issue, and I’m almost positive her parents never helped except to give her a free place to live. Lastly, I know that the cruise line my friend worked for offered really amazing discounts to her friends and family (same rate for both, I believe), and while I never went, her mom did twice, and I think both times were because my friend was informed that the cruise was underbooked and they offered even bigger incentives to friends and family. She’s currently on a ship that is doing the Hawaii / New Zealand / Tahiti circuit, so I am DEFINITELY interested in taking advantage of THAT :slight_smile: haha.</p>

<p>I know that was a all a bit speculative, but I hope it helped some! Congrats to your daughter on booking the job!</p>

6

<p>My D worked for Carnival for over a year, and has had several friends who have worked for Disney. To answer your questions:

  1. IPhones are great; internet aboard ship is available for a fee, but tends to be slow so it gets expensive. Most employees take advantage of free wireless centers that can be found in almost every cruise port.
  2. The cruiselines have a procedure for depositing or cashing paychecks; the specific procedure for Disney will most likely be outlined in your D’s employee packet. She will not need much cash, though. A cruise job can be a great way to save money!
  3. Disney has a discount for family and friends which is very good, as long as the cruise is not sold out. This does mean, though, that you can’t make your plans till quite close to the cruise departure date. My husband and I took 5 cruises while my D was on the ships! Once our cabin was even upgraded for no charge. You might even be able to stay in your D’s cabin, depending on her roommate situation. I will warn you though, employee cabins are really tiny!<br>
    Please feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions.</p>