To Whom Would I Write/Email/Call?

[Missy1961]

A possible plan B:
Bring along a spare bottle of champagne for the Captain to share with his/her significant other whenever they Do celebrate New Years.

I know you mean well, but I wouldn't do this either. The captain may not be allowed to accept a gift at all, and alcohol may be a bad gift for a lot of reasons - some people don't drink because of religious reasons or because they are alcoholics, they may not like alcohol, etc.

 

[Missy1961]

While I'm sure your intentions are the best, this really strikes me as kind of "the call is coming from inside the house" territory.

I personally would not want a perfect stranger on the cruise with my family, and if I were the captain's wife, this would seem very odd to me, and no way would I even consider it.

I had that thought too. If I'm the SO of the captain, I wouldn't be interested in going along and watching him/her work while I'm the guest of a stranger. Not a fun night for me.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Boat captains are allowed to accept monetary tips; I don't know about gifts.

 

[Allison]

yep, totally agree!

The thought of some random person being at my husbands work (and not knowing or ever having met him before) and inviting me to join them for dinner .... just plain weird. Why on earth would someone want to spend NYE with a random stranger??!

I know the OP means well but it is inappropriate in a work situation to try and track down an employee's significant other and bring them into a professional interaction between employee and guest.

 

[Missyrose]

Boat captains are allowed to accept monetary tips; I don't know about gifts.

And I would feel bad for the captain if he or she doesn't have a significant other.

 

[mirage0306]

I know the OP means well but it is inappropriate in a work situation to try and track down an employee's significant other and bring them into a professional interaction between employee and guest.

Yes, this.

I wouldn't want to go if I were the significant other, either.

 

[Itinkso]

A better option may be to post your cruise offer on the Solo Travelers board and see if anyone would like to join your family in celebrating New Year's Eve. That way you can "converse" ahead of time and get to know the DISer. Probably would be much more doable and you would still feel good about sharing your cruise.

 

[sunnyday123]

yep, totally agree!

The thought of some random person being at my husbands work (and not knowing or ever having met him before) and inviting me to join them for dinner .... just plain weird. Why on earth would someone want to spend NYE with a random stranger??!

I just can't wrap my head around this either. The Captain isn't there to make everlasting friends with people, and that would only make his SO feel the need to be "working" as well.

 

[artemis4]

OP, I think this a very fun idea and I understand the spirit in which you want to make the offer. I could see DH and I or many of our friends doing something similar in your shoes or accepting as the SO of the captain. That said, I doubt that Disney would allow it. It is also a personality crap shoot. You may end up with a SO who feels obligated to be like a semi-professional hostess instead of the relaxed guest. I think it is great that you thought if this, and I could see it being well received in a smaller marina. I just don't think it can happen at Disney. I like the previous suggestion of posting to the solo travelers board, though. What a fun way to meet people and enjoy an evening.

 

[LiveYourLife]

I fall into this would be weird camp. For everyone. I think if the OP feels that a little extra appreciation of a CM working on NYE is warranted, then a gratuity would be the most appropriate.

OP, if cash is not something that makes you comfortable, a gift card (even a Disney gift card) would be a great way to show your gratitude.

And CONGRATS on snagging the Mother of all Fireworks cruises, OP! Enjoy!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

A better option may be to post your cruise offer on the Solo Travelers board and see if anyone would like to join your family in celebrating New Year's Eve. That way you can "converse" ahead of time and get to know the DISer. Probably would be much more doable and you would still feel good about sharing your cruise.

That sounds like a much better option.

 

[CPT Tripss]

i fall into this would be weird camp. For everyone. I think if the op feels that a little extra appreciation of a cm working on nye is warranted, then a gratuity would be the most appropriate.

Op, if cash is not something that makes you comfortable, a gift card (even a disney gift card) would be a great way to show your gratitude.

And congrats on snagging the mother of all fireworks cruises, op! Enjoy!!!

ita

 

[over50visits]

I was very lucky and able to book an Illuminations Fireworks Cruise for New Years Eve. There will only be 5 of us and I'd really like to contact someone at Disney to find out who our Captain will be so that I may somehow invite the Captain's spouse or significant other to join us. I know it's a longshot and that they probably won't schedule the personnel for many months to come, but I'd like to try. Any suggestions on where to start?

What a wonderful thought. I'm sure you'll be told lots of reasons why you shouldn't/can't do this, but wouldn't it be great if you could make it work! He/she would be your guest (not the Captain's), and you can invite anyone you want.

If nothing else, when you get there walk down to the dock and talk to them. I hope pixie dust hits you and them and this works!

 

[breakin2]

Might as well go for the full-on creepy vibe and ask if he/she has any children so you can take them to the park.

 

[faithtrustpixie]

You are so sweet to think of the Captains significant other. But, If I can add a little perspective, my DH has a job in tech theatre that takes him away from me almost every New Years Eve. While this is a bummer, he usually brings home a nice tip and some other swag which we enjoy the next day.

To be honest, if I had a chance to hang out and watch him work, or just make some other fun NYE plans and enjoy a nice dinner in a day or two with the $$$ he brings home, I'd pick the latter -- and I have done so many times.

Maybe a nice tip and a nice note would be a nice gesture?

 

[chartle]

What a wonderful thought. I'm sure you'll be told lots of reasons why you shouldn't/can't do this, but wouldn't it be great if you could make it work! He/she would be your guest (not the Captain's), and you can invite anyone you want.

If nothing else, when you get there walk down to the dock and talk to them. I hope pixie dust hits you and them and this works!

I'm with the "not a good idea" crowd for what I bolded in your post. So you are going to invite a complete stranger who is going to feel uncomfortable all night. Probably sitting in the corner feeling like a 5th wheel.

Also for at least me NYE is not that big of a deal.

 

[sookie]

I understand this and would not be looking to get any personal information. The way I look at, the Captain wouldn't be "bringing" their significant other with them. They would be my guest. There's no reason to think that having their significant other onboard would make them any less professional. Disney may think otherwise and if that's the case I'll just have to accept that. In the meantime, I'd like to give it a shot.

Re-read that and think about it. It sounds funny. And not funny ha-ha.

I'm actually having trouble putting it into words.

 

[Allison]

He/she would be your guest (not the Captain's), and you can invite anyone you want.

s!

That line of thought wouldn't fly where I work and it points to a line of reasoning that is part of why we have a conflict of interest policy in place. A situation like this would be required to be reported and would be evaluated for appropriateness.

I'm curious who you think it would wonderful for if it worked?

 

[Hopefully]

There is no way that Disney will give you contact information for a CM - it's both illegal and unethical.

I also can't imagine that a cast member would be allowed to bring their significant other with them to work. The boat captain is a professional with a job to do. It's not a social occasion for them.

I totally agree

 

[Disney Frenhines]

What a lovely idea, I know it's not within protocol, but, it's NYE, not just any old day, it would be a thoughtful gesture and I hope you can pull it off.