Salaries/Compensation of Crew??? Anybody have an idea? Wonder Crew seems SO Content!

[LoveThatMouse!]

We just returned from a WONDER-ful trip and the crew seems so much happier on DCL than other cruiselines we've sailed.... From talking with various crew members, we have gathered the following information, but I still would like to know more.​

What we know that could contribute to their happiness....

Their contracts are shorter than the other cruise lines approx. 4 months compared to 7 months and longer.
Vacation periods = 7 weeks.
DCL pays for their flights home and back for vacations.


What I still have questions about...

Are DCL crew members paid better....?
Are dining staff paid a salary as well as the tips they receive?
What would you estimate salaries to be in the positions that do not receive tips...ie. entertainment staff, children's clubs, characters/performers etc.?



Our family went into this vacation thinking far more about the crew as individuals rather than just DCL employees, and I dare say that we were significantly impacted by lovely crew members. Maybe it is my 'motherly' instinct that makes me want to know how they are compensated for their hard work. So thank you, to anyone who has any insight and would like to share.

 

[jrabbit]

Have heard that the Servers / Asst. Servers and Room Stewards make about $50 per MONTH - that should keep them happy

Maybe we're better "tippers" on DCL than on the other cruise lines:

 

[TSirgey]

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a conferece at the Hilton in Disney. They had an HR manager from Disney as a guest speaker.

Their hiring process itself is top notch compared to most other companies in the world. They start with the right people and their culture promotes tremendous customer service!

I would be interested in how they compensate their cast members on the DCL. I also wonder how their living quarters compare to other cruise lines.

 

[luv2cruzsus]

Look at this site:

http://disney.go.com/DisneyCruise/Jobs/

 

[disnutt]

It's the subliminal messages they play in the crew's cabins at night.

 

[NancyIL]

Interesting web site! Hmmm....wondering if DCL hires any of us middle-aged and up folks?

 

[disneydiva3]

It's the subliminal messages they play in the crew's cabins at night.

haha, good one...that's what my husband says!

 

[tvguy]

Have heard that the Servers / Asst. Servers and Room Stewards make about $50 per MONTH - that should keep them happy

Maybe we're better "tippers" on DCL than on the other cruise lines:

$50 a month plus tips sounds right. Just remember, that $50 is far more than they would earn in their home countries, and the tips allow some of them to work the ships for 7 or 8 years and go home and retire. I know our server on HAL's Amsterdam was in his 6th year on board, and was planning to retire the next year when he turned 30. He said he hated being away from his family, but that it has made him a weathy man by Indonesian standards.

 

[ShannonRT]

Our server on the Wonder last time was from India. He has a college degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management and could not get a job in India for 1/3 of what he made on DCL. His wife lives with his parents and he sends them all his money. And he said he was working a double contract at that time and would not see his family for 8 months. Luckily he was almost to the end while we were sailing.

I love talking to the castmembers about their jobs and family. These people work SO incredibly hard. They typically work at least 10-hour days 7-days per week. They never get a full day off, only hours at a time, which are usually spent sleeping or doing laundry.

We also had a server on the Magic from Ugganda (sp?) who had a 5-year-old daughter at home that lived with her sister. She told us she has several books on the ship, which her sister has duplicates of at home and she reads her daughter a book over the phone every night. It broke my heart. Makes us all really thankful that we are lucky enough to enjoy a cruise. Tip them really well, they deserve it!

 

[ShannonRT]

Oh yeah..forgot to add...a member of the entertainment staff told us their showers were so small, they didn't put the soap on their bodies. They just soaped up the walls and turned around! And they sleep in bunk beds, 2 people to a cabin.

 

[MouseFaninQueue]

Maybe we're better "tippers" on DCL than on the other cruise lines:

I would bet there is truth to this statement and it might not be as far off the mark as some might suggest.

disney cruiselines tend to market themselves to families by their very nature. As such a "typical" family is 2 adults and 2 children in 1 cabin. Whereas many other cruiselines tend to market themselves to couples (of varying ages) which tends to be 2 people to a cabin. Considering Disney's tip guidelines are per person per cruise in a cabin, the very nature of their tipping system means that 4 people in a cabin usually equates to larger tips on a per cabin basis.

Then there are those of us that have tipped above the "suggested" because someone did something really special that made your youngster smile all that much brighter, and presto bigger tip.

And I also think that Disney cruises, by their price structure, tend to attract those that can afford to tip more, thus the "suggested" tip is usally thought of as a "minimum" by many that book these trips.

Geez that can be taken in a snooty sort of way, but it's not menat to be. Just trying to analyze what I can see compared to other cruise lines.

 

[disneydiva3]

just a subjective question... what is the usual "tipping a little over?" is $50 too much and is $20 too little?

 

[interested]

Cannot be. Not per month.

 

[jzimmerman9]

We just got back from the Wonder and our server, Rolly, said they make $50 a month, but once you figure the tips they make a week (2 seatings every cruise and 2 cruises every week) they don't do that bad. He told us that servers and housekeepers make the most on the boat. It is also correct that Disney flys them home, no other cruise line does that. He said he was on a 6 month contract. He also said Disney has a no tolerance aditude when it comes to staff behavior...any complaints and the CM could be out on the spot. That's one of the reasons they really hit on you to fill out the comment cards at the end of your cruise. For the servers, a good comment card could land them better table sections (meaning more tables with bigger seating allowances.)

 

[laura1234]

So if we do the math...

Server - Tipping guideline $25.75 per person 7 day cruise

If the server could has 5 tables of 4 people per dining seating... that's ~$1K week.

Do the CM's have to pay taxes?

 

[brandysmommy]

Also does anyone know if the taxes they pay are different if they receive cash versus if the tip is charged?

 

[disneydiva3]

i think it's about half of that...they're making roughly $2000 a month.

wow, $50 a week...i had no idea.

 

[flexsmom]

Also does anyone know if the taxes they pay are different if they receive cash versus if the tip is charged?

That shouldn't make a difference. But keep in mind - the ship is not registered in the US, and most of the crew are not US citizens, so whatever tax they are paying, it is likely not US Federal income tax......

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

Also does anyone know if the taxes they pay are different if they receive cash versus if the tip is charged?

I think that the taxes must be different, since they probably do not declare the cash they get, at least I know that I wouldn´t.

 

[cruisinluver]

Tax is only withheld on US and Canadian employees. The rest pay in their own countries if at all. The salary is NOT $50 a month. There is a standard contract that gaurantees a certain pay per month should gratutities NOT get to that amount. If the gratuities fall below the guarantee, the cruiseline makes up the difference. IF the employee makes more, they get to keep it.

You also have to figure in room, board, medical and dental as part of their pay. Other cruiselines do in fact fly their employees home and back AFTER their first contract. It is not just Disney.

Approximately 20% of all passengers on all cruiselines do not tip at all. If you have families of four, that is A lot of extra money to add on to their cruise bill.