Tidbits you've learned about crew members..

[Suzy Mouse]

While on the cruise I became curious to know about the members that work/live on the cruise ship. Here are some things I did find out...

*about 40-50 staff members live on Castaway Cay full time. They are in charge of the island keeping it clean and presentable for the next group of people that come on. Then once a month they take a cruise.

*the entertainment people on board have single rooms. Other workers have to share their rooms.


Anyone hear any other tidbits?

 

[princess Snow]

I am an entertainer onboard and have a couple of tidbits to finetune.

--Only a very small portion of the entertainers have their own rooms. Entertainment includes cruise staff, programmers, the musicians, and the show performers. The majority of us share.

--Most of the entertainers work all day like every other crewmember.

--I take offense to the comment that entertainers are not liked by other crewmembers. Maybe the CM who talked to you should speak for herself/himself and not all of us. I can assure you that the entertainment department is friendly and hardworking, and we have a very good reputation with most of our fellow CMs.

 

[Suzy Mouse]

princess Snow....

I apologize if what I wrote offended you. I edited it to remove something that might only pertain to her and not to others.

Again...my apologies.

 

[Hygiene99]

I Think the Number you got for the Crew members that live on Castawaycay is WAY high..
More like 10 I think.... could Be wrong.......... Peter

 

[Ella2]

No, that number is actually correct, there are about 30-40 people who live on the island full time.

 

[natdencro]

I think if you spoke to 50 different CM's about statistics on board, you would get 50 different stories. I believe CC people rotate every few weeks, and most CM's on board get along just great. DD certainly has enjoyed befriending pals from every department and nationality, just as the majority of CM's do. They are all "one big family" as we often are told! Nat

 

[femmfaerie]

A photographer friend told me that if a cast member recieves 10 good name comments they get a day off! This is a huge deal because they never get a day off. So if soem one goes out of there way for you, make sure you tell guest services! =)

 

[randytenn]

The cute and perky Ang gave the best statistic, I felt.

The Cruise staff survives on naps and Red Bull.

One of the best things I heard was about the entertainers. Perhaps Princess can confirm this. The actors in the shows are all Equity, so they get union scale. The foreign actors make better money then the American actors, because they don't have to pay taxes on the wages.

Sweet deal, if you can get it.

 

[jlawall]

Great tip FF!

 

[princess Snow]

Suzymouse,
No worries! You didn't offend me; my fellow CM's comment did. I only get touchy about these comments because my department as well as others work very hard to tear down the walls between CMs of different nationalities and salary levels. We really do strive to make a pleasant environment for each other and for our guests.

 

[princess Snow]

I can confirm that international performers do not have to pay American taxes. Yet they convert their earnings to their local currency when they return home, and some countries don't have the best exchange rate. So, in some cases, salaries may end up being about the same amount.
I know that each performer's salary and contract is negotiated separately, so each one has different conditions.

 

[vikingfans]

Princess Snow,

I just want to say THANK YOU for making my cruise experience the best!

I had an experience on a 3 night cruise last year where it seemed that the passengers were actually crabby and no matter what any cast member did, the passengers were never happy. (I'm sure that was not everywhere,but I did see it more than once on that curise) I could see that this was frustrating the cast members, so hubby and I decided to make our selves happy by making the cast members laugh. It seemed to lift all of our spirits and we had a grand time!

So thank you for being a fun cast member and putting up with crabby guests!

 

[princess Snow]

Thank you, Vikingfans!
It is always great to hear a guest talk about their wonderful experience. We DO hear lots of complaints sometimes (especially when we have to turn people away from seeing characters), so it's a blessing when our guests experience the "Disney Difference" and give us props.

 

[inkkognito]

PrincessSnow, are you on the Wonder? If so, look for the people wearing "Golden Mickeys" t-shirts in early Sept.! My husband and I like to make unique t-shirts, often involving the shows, and we have befriended many performers that way. The original Ensign Benson (from the first GM cast) has one of our Golden Mickeys shirts. On the Magic, we wore a shirt featuring members of the Wonder's Herc cast, and one of the entertainers liked it so much that we had one made for him with a picture of his cast and the # of the cast (I don't remember which, but maybe Magic 10). We have a blast with the entertainers as well as many of the other crew members...and after 38 cruises, we know quite a few! Since we sail almost every other month, we love seeing a new cast come on board and watching how they "mature" over the course of time.
Barb

 

[natdencro]

Sorry to say that the Servers do NOT ever get a DAY OFF in their contracts. If they get 100% excellent comment cards during a cruise, then they SHOULD get a breakfast/lunch off during the following week or so - but they ALWAYS have to work dinners/midnight buffets,etc. Many times these "offs" are cancelled due to sickness or staffing probs too.Their "bonus" time offs are priceless, so they all try to get excellent comments. Not many folk work 7days a week for 6 months continuous - without a day off.I know it's their choice, but its still hard work!Nat

 

[dbond]

We discovered on our recent Wonder cruise, that our server Mario, is married to Serena, a server in Palo's. They met while working together in Palo's and married. I think that is so romantic.

 

[din]

Some of you DIS may already know this...

The crew quarters is below the water line, so it is below deck 1, actually 2 decks( if I recall correctly) are below deck 1. So unless they go to the crew pool they barely see get any sun or freah air.

All the server that we have met are either working towards college, or getting experience to manage other similar type facilites (hotel etc)

BTW the way, on our last cruise we ran into our head waiter a few times, clean up deck 9 tables (by the pool), serving the buffet at night by the pool (all this after the 8:30 PM dinner is finished) and cleaning table at Topsiders (during breakfast)

So when it comes time to tip you head waiter, remember that they are also at other locations...

 

[Talking Hands]

Princess Snow, when I was on the Wonder last year the last night the cast signed the Mickey Mouse Song on the steps. Do they do that every cruise? For me it was the best Disney Magic since I am hard of hearing and use sing language to communicate on a regular basis. IT brought tears to my eyes.

 

[mmouse37]

Disney Hands....

DCL will provide signers to interpret the stage shows. We have seen them on several cruises and they told us that they come onboard when DCL requests them due to hearing imparied guests onboard for that particular cruise.

MJ

 

[KarenB]

When we were on the Magic on July 3-10, our disembarkation time from Cozumel was changed from 11pm to 1am. I asked why and was told that more that 85% of the comments scored an excellent rating, and this extra 2 hours was a reward. Our dining room server told us this so I am not sure it was for servers or the entire crew, or if it was for dining room comments or the entire experience. Anyway, then next day after Cozumel, our servers told us the extra 2 hours was very well worth it!!

I know there has been threads about the "excellent speech" but this is an example of how important these comments are to the crew.

Karen