Have you read the report re: what it's like to be a CM on DCL?

[branv]

This may already have been posted here, but I just now have read the first four installments on Allears.net about a girl's experience working on the DCL. I thought I understood what was meant by how hard these people work, but this was a real eye opener. I have to admit, it made me a feel a little guilty about all the fun I'm having while they're going through all of this. Thoughts?

Part I: http://allearsnet.com/cruise/issue389.htm
Part II: http://allearsnet.com/cruise/issue393.htm
Part III: http://allearsnet.com/cruise/issue398.htm
Part IV: http://www.allears.net/cruise/issue404.htm

 

[Chipfan]

Don't feel guilty about having fun while some of us are working. I work in the Oceaneers Club and for me personally I have a better time at work when I now that it it helping to make someones vacation enjoyable. If I can put a smile on a kids face or on a parents face when they come to pick up their children. Makes all the long hours that I put in all the more worth it. Its so much fun to wake up in the morning and know that you are going to be playing for the day with a bunch of great kids. yeah its a lot of hours in a week but atleast I enjoy what I do. Can you really pass up going to work and seeing Mickey Mouse. I know I couldn't

 

[DMMarla07860]

I wanna work for DCL, a couple more years and I can

 

[nzdisneymom]

Don't feel guilty about having fun while some of us are working. I work in the Oceaneers Club and for me personally I have a better time at work when I now that it it helping to make someones vacation enjoyable. If I can put a smile on a kids face or on a parents face when they come to pick up their children. Makes all the long hours that I put in all the more worth it. Its so much fun to wake up in the morning and know that you are going to be playing for the day with a bunch of great kids. yeah its a lot of hours in a week but atleast I enjoy what I do. Can you really pass up going to work and seeing Mickey Mouse. I know I couldn't

We were on the 7/18 Magic sailing in the Med and I just have to say how wonderful everyone in Children's Programming was - so wonderful in fact that I listed as many as I could remember their names on our comment card. My son loved being in the Lab and I loved that he looked forward to getting some exercise up on the sports deck or playing games with his new friends, and that the CMs were always willing to have a quick chat about whatever. And we saw a few out as escorts on shore excursions and enjoyed talking with them about their jobs / responsibilities and opportunities (or lack of) to see a bit of the "new world" that DCL was sailing in (compared to the Caribbean).

 

[dmi188]

Very interesting...thanks for posting the link!

 

[cruisinluver]

There was a blog by a DCL CM posted awhile back. Anyone save that link?

 

[Babs417]

Ill have to feed the crew when I go on my cruise

 

[misseulalie]

No wonder the servers devour the candy I buy them. They act like I've given them gold bars. This explains it!!!

 

[cmcvean]

This is really interesting. I wonder if things have changed since her experience. This also makes me wonder what I should bring on board for the crew members!!!

 

[cseca]

Don't feel guilty about having fun while some of us are working. I work in the Oceaneers Club and for me personally I have a better time at work when I now that it it helping to make someones vacation enjoyable. If I can put a smile on a kids face or on a parents face when they come to pick up their children. Makes all the long hours that I put in all the more worth it. Its so much fun to wake up in the morning and know that you are going to be playing for the day with a bunch of great kids. yeah its a lot of hours in a week but atleast I enjoy what I do. Can you really pass up going to work and seeing Mickey Mouse. I know I couldn't

-Sorry hope I'm not hijacking the thread-

I read that on allears and do feel bad for the CMs.
Altho it sounds like a great weight loss plan... just kiddin...
I hope the condition does get better, because I've been hearing great things about service on disney cruise line and would hate to see it decline because of it.

Hi Chipfan,
Will you be on Magic for Sept 1st sailing?
We don't have kids but I'd love to stop by and say Hi...

Also, what do you suggest to bring for CMs as thank you gifts?
People have mentioned calling cards or fresh fruit.
I understand the calling cards part but I don't understand how you could give CMs fresh fruit...
Any ideas?
Thank you!!!

 

[kke]

I have been considering bringing treats for the CMs in the kids' clubs -since they don't receive tips- now I'm sure I will! HOW MANY treats should I bring?

Both my children with be in the Oceaneer's Lab (DS8 & DD11), but I have no idea how many CMs they will interact with over the whole week. I'm sure they will have favorites! I'd hate to leave someone out. How many treats should I bring??

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

I'd love to know what to bring as well. I thought about bringing trail mix as it's more nutritious than candy but I don't know if that would be well received.

 

[Vanvmom]

As well as giving things to the servers and cabin steward, each time we ordered something from room service we gave them (along with a tip) a small cellophane bag filled with snack-size candies and a thank you card. I can remember more than one time when the CM we gave it to got teary and/or expressed how appreciative they were of the gesture. It only seemed a natural thing for us to do considering how magical they were making our vacation. Little did we know how big an impact it actually would be for them. Thinking back... it might have been nice to include a bag of microwave popcorn (I'm pretty certain a CM might have access to a microwave somewhere below deck).

 

[LoriS]

Don't feel guilty about having fun while some of us are working. I work in the Oceaneers Club and for me personally I have a better time at work when I now that it it helping to make someones vacation enjoyable. If I can put a smile on a kids face or on a parents face when they come to pick up their children. Makes all the long hours that I put in all the more worth it. Its so much fun to wake up in the morning and know that you are going to be playing for the day with a bunch of great kids. yeah its a lot of hours in a week but atleast I enjoy what I do. Can you really pass up going to work and seeing Mickey Mouse. I know I couldn't

My girls will be in the Oceaneer's Club the week of 9/15, will you be there then? It's always nice to meet a fellow Diser.

 

[Hygiene99]

There was a blog by a DCL CM posted awhile back. Anyone save that link?

www.defwack.com

Yip...

Does not seem to be coming up, right now?

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I take treats to All Inclusives in Mexico and never thought about taking some on the Magic. Guess I better rethink it.

 

[Empress Room]

I do not for one moment doubt how hard the crew of DCL ships work - and I think that this is true for all cruise lines and ships. It is definitely a lifestyle and workstyle choice that is not for everyone - and I have been nothing but impressed with the quality, service and work ethic/attitude of all DCL crew members on the many DCL cruises I've been fortunate to experience.

Having said that, I couldn't help but come away from Ms. Button's articles with a sour taste in my mouth - that she is nothing more than a complainer who perpetuates the American worker stereotype that our foreign neighbors most likely have. For example, she writes that she was only one of five Americans on the DCL Wonder crew and the crew mess catered to the foods and tastes of the many foreign crew members on board. I actually applaud DCL for that practice - why shouldn't there be a majority of foods that appeal to the majority of crew members? It's almost as if Ms. Button "expected" DCL to cater to her American tastes in food even though she was only one of five on board. That's a little presumptuous, IMHO.

And seasickness? Exactly what did Ms. Button expect when she decided to spend six months on the open sea? The same goes for crew quarters. I don't doubt that they are spartan in appearance and space, but again, that sort of goes with the territory, doesn't it? The conversations I have had with waitstaff, entertainment staff and room stewards over the years has been nothing but positive - the work is hard, but the satisfaction of pleasing guests outweighs it. In fact, nearly all have said that their ability to work on DCL has provided them (and their families) with opportunities (both financial and societal) that would otherwise not be available to them.

I remember reading an article about a cruise line (Royal Caribbean?) that encountered nothing but enormous problems when it entered the Hawaii cruise market and decided to use a ship flying the American flag as part of its marketing technique (as I understand it, a vast majority of crew members must be citizens of the country whose flag flies on the ship). The nearly-exclusive American crew's work ethic, dedication and service paled in comparison to ships who employed those from foreign countries and, as I recall, the cruise line was forced to spend thousands of dollars in retraining the American crew, concluding that our "entitlement society" culture did not translate very well to the obvious sacrifices, work hours and service-first mentality that is a necessity in the cruise industry.

I will be very interested in reading the remainder of Ms. Button's observations and experiences. So far, unfortunately, she appears to be perpetuating those negative stereotypes.

 

[Downrivermama]

I have been considering bringing treats for the CMs in the kids' clubs -since they don't receive tips- now I'm sure I will! HOW MANY treats should I bring?

Both my children with be in the Oceaneer's Lab (DS8 & DD11), but I have no idea how many CMs they will interact with over the whole week. I'm sure they will have favorites! I'd hate to leave someone out. How many treats should I bring??

In Feb I took a couple of bags of the mini Hershey's bars or mini mars bars. i put them in a gift bag and would take them down to the Oceaneer's Lab a couple nights apart. They loved them and I didn't have to worry about how many to have.

 

[Chipfan]

-Sorry hope I'm not hijacking the thread-

I read that on allears and do feel bad for the CMs.
Altho it sounds like a great weight loss plan... just kiddin...
I hope the condition does get better, because I've been hearing great things about service on disney cruise line and would hate to see it decline because of it.

Hi Chipfan,
Will you be on Magic for Sept 1st sailing?
We don't have kids but I'd love to stop by and say Hi...

Also, what do you suggest to bring for CMs as thank you gifts?
People have mentioned calling cards or fresh fruit.
I understand the calling cards part but I don't understand how you could give CMs fresh fruit...
Any ideas?
Thank you!!!

I should be back for the September 1st cruise. I'm actually just waiting at this point to get the go ahead to come back.

As far as thank you gifts I think I should preface this by saying they should only be given if we have actually done a job that you feel deserves a thank you gift. If you find that one CM went above and beyond then reward them don't feel that you have to give something to everyone just because they are there. Calling Cards are good we actually can only have a limited amount of fruit in our cabins so that probably isnt the best however candy is always good as is walmart gift cards. I also know that for me personally there are many times that I would be just as happy with a thank you as I would with a calling card, gift card or candy. Even just a little card saying thanks means as much if not more to me.

 

[cseca]

I should be back for the September 1st cruise. I'm actually just waiting at this point to get the go ahead to come back.

As far as thank you gifts I think I should preface this by saying they should only be given if we have actually done a job that you feel deserves a thank you gift. If you find that one CM went above and beyond then reward them don't feel that you have to give something to everyone just because they are there. Calling Cards are good we actually can only have a limited amount of fruit in our cabins so that probably isnt the best however candy is always good as is walmart gift cards. I also know that for me personally there are many times that I would be just as happy with a thank you as I would with a calling card, gift card or candy. Even just a little card saying thanks means as much if not more to me.

Thank you!
Candy and cards it is
Looking forward to meeting you in Sept.
If you are going to be back tell us how we could spot you outside of the kids club...