Another Question!

Another Question!

"Why do Americans have to get one?"

(Re: No I-94, no Getting off!)

This is an excellent question, and I don't really know why they make Americans go through that whole tedious process when clearly anyone with American citizenship should be able to get off with no problems.

(And believe me, many Americans have made it quite vocal and clear that this makes no sense)

Part of it might have to do with the fact that you will never be in possession of your Passport at any point when you step off in land, and thus having a solid I-94 is technically your only proof of being allowed to legally be there. And even if you might have your driver's license or state identification card on you, maybe those doesn't count?

Either way it's one of those silly requirements that's part of working on a ship that everybody still has to endure!

No 1-94, No Getting Off!

No 1-94, No Getting Off!

A big part of the allure of sailing on a cruise ship is the idea that you will be able to get off in exotic locales, exciting cities, experiencing the local culture and cuisine and all of the tantalizing entertainment venues just like one of the Guests. And you definitely can!

However, if you're on a ship that visits American destinations, this won't be an immediate reality until you've acquired the I-94. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_I-94  <- Read this Wikipedia page for more.
For us seafaring folk, this form is reduced to miniature form and is about the same size and thickness as a receipt you'd get from an ATM machine.

This teensy, flimsy piece of paper is only granted to you if you pass something called  crew-wide immigration. 

 If you don't get one, you're not getting off in any American ports.

 

 (of course no YA in their right mind would wear their gross Costume in Port... unless ironically I guess.)

 Which sadly means that even if you have the day off, or the ship is staying overnight, you won't be able to do anything but look at that particular city from the ship.

So that means not getting off in Alaska, or Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or Hawaii, or Miami, or Key West, or Galveston, or New York, or any other bit of American soil during the span of your contract unless you manage to get one of those 1-94s. Of course, if you're American you don't have to worry about it as much.


The reasoning behind it is so that any non-Americans don't get the idea to abandon ship and run off in Port to start new lives in America on Disney's dime. Not to say they couldn't do that even after getting an 1-94, but at least they've been tracked by immigration.

THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS

This is one of those things that EVERYONE has to do, even if you're American. The whole ship is sent in waves to get their immigration done (hehe...waves. That's water fairy humor. I mean, ship crew member humor).

By this I mean that regardless of whether it takes place in the Port itself or in the big Walt Disney Theater where the inspectors come on board, organizationally they only send groups of crew members to do it at a time, based on Department so that all 1000 crew members don't rush at once. It's usually structured something like:

6-7 AM: Dining Room and Galley
7-8 AM: Entertainment and Mainstage
8-9 AM: Youth Activities and Merchandise
9-10 AM: Housekeeping and Galley
10-11AM: Deck and Engine

...and so on.

For the most part, we've done it all in the Walt Disney Theater where the officers and managers all glad in their gleaming whites organize and corral you into rows of seats to wait your turn. The immigration inspectors are all lined up behind various desks on stage, a conspicuous pile of hot coffee and breakfast pastries and sandwiches for them to eat just behind - the hungry masses of tired crew members drowsy and grumbling in the audience.

When you first enter the theater you wait in line to receive your passport back (one of the only times during your time on board that you will ever SEE your passport from the day you board until the day you go home). If you're lucky, you will be sat with other members of your department, virtually unrecognizable by their unkempt hair and lack of makeup. Depending on how lax the Port or ship is, sometimes you can get away with heading up directly in comfortable clothing. Sometimes you will be strictly refused entry until you return in presentable "Disney Look" business casual clothing. Also depending on your country of origin, the air is filled with the feeling of tension and anxiety or irritated boredom over the proceedings that follow. What I mean by that is that certain departments are more likely to BREEZE through immigration based on their cultural/national makeup, while others won't.


The worst part is that this is often done on Port days where many people don't work until much later in the day, forcing you to wake up extra early. And even though it's extra early, you cannot even take a quick nap while seated in the plush cushions of the theater seats as you're constantly made to shift rows and then stand in line towards the stage as immigration proceeds. If you could see it, it's really a morning filled with tired, anxious people. Your ship officers are probably also not thrilled to wake up early and be dressed immaculately in their white uniforms and be standing for the whole time directing the crew. The gruff immigration inspectors on stage munching away on their breakfast snacks makes the whole scenario juts peachy.


Eventually you'll make it up to the stage and wait your turn to be seen by an immigration official. It's always a bit awkward as there's a couple hundred other people watching you from the audience. You hand over your passport to the immigration and they'll probably ask you a few cursory questions:

• Where are you from?
• What do you do on board?
• Have you been to the United States before?
• How long have you worked for DCL?

And if you answer those questions to their satisfaction, they'll issue you a new I-94, stamp it and retain your passport. And that's on the luckier side. Most Americans and Canadians will get by with a "Hi, how are you?" and automatically get their I-94. Youth Activities Counselors and the countries that make up the department also get by without too much hassle.


Watching other departments go through immigration isn't quite as pleasant, however. Usually they'll get more varied and probing questions asking about their family or friends in the United States, how much contact they've had with them, what other jobs they've held in the past, anything. They get stricter based on recent incidents - http://www.cruisebruise.com/Cruise_Ship_Crew_Ship_Jumpers.html

Because these workers in various departments might not have the best command of English, they're more likely to trip up or fumble in their immigration answers and are more likely to get denied access to American soil. They've also been known to deny any I-94s to people from the same country, regardless of department! (For example: even an Indonesian-born high ranking officer was denied an I-94 due to a recent case of Indonesian crew members illegally leaving ships in Los Angeles!)


Immigration also only really happens every 1-2 months, so you might be waiting around for a while after first joining the ship to get off in American ports. It's really a matter of lucky timing for the most part, imagine coming back for a contract right before an overnight stay in an American port and having that whole night + morning free? What a bummer.


Oh and if you happen to ever lose that little flimsy piece of paper? You're paying $300 to get it replaced. Because even if you aren't getting off in any other American ports for the next while,  you're expected to hand it right back to immigration officials when you leave the ship.






 

Cabin Inspections aka How to be Treated like a Child

Cabin Inspections aka How to be Treated like a Child

(From https://www.facebook.com/highfiveI95)

Can I say this right now - FUCK Cabin Inspection.

There. I Did it.

On behalf of every crew member on every ship in the world right now.

Cabin Inspection is one of those things that, in theory is probably very much needed in terms of health and safety on board as it makes sure that crew members aren't hoarding illicit substances (see my post on Drugs and Alcohol), or food products that can spoil and make roommates sick, or attract pests and rats, or hidden tunnels between cabins (if anyone on the Dream or Fantasy can attest to the "Narnia" tunnels beneath the desks and bedframes), or any homemade explosives and weapons.

Sure, that's all well and good, but there are a lot of incredibly daft and ridiculous parts of Cabin Inspection that just about render the practice ... stupidly annoying in my opinion. This is what happens:

Every week or two there will be a notice given the night before that there will be a shipwide Cabin inspection to have all rooms ready for it the following morning at about 10am. Sometimes these can be on the same scheduled day as usual, or completely random. There have been times when rumors of a sudden Cabin Inspection have resulted in a flurry and panic to clean when it was just a false alarm.

To have your cabin room ready for inspection, you're expected to:

• make your bed and have nothing on it except for your lifejacket and safety card (a small slip of paper you're expected to keep in pristine condition. If there is anything broken or uneven on your lifejacket or safety card, you get in trouble for it!)
• make sure the floor is clean of all debris and vacuumed
• empty your trash and bring it all to the incinerator room (as if anybody actually does that late at night before inspection. Just hide it in your closet)
• make sure no decorations are hanging up like stickers, tape, posters, etc. Usually these are allowed, but this seems to vary.
• clean your ashtray
• defrost the freezer in the minifridge
• make sure your sprinkers aren't rusted and your air filter is clean
• clean the inside of your fridge and don't put anything on or around it (make sure no illegal food is hidden in there)
• clean your bathroom
• dust all surfaces
• make sure you are awake and not in bed
• leave the room during inspection
• turn off all lights and electronics

Now this seems reasonably tolerable if not a scratch above irritating to have to do, but luckily for the small size of your shared room I suppose. But there are just a few problems with Cabin Inspection:

• The inspections vary depending on who's doing it. So the people doing Cabin inspections will be the officers on board, including your managers. The way it is structured is that your Youth Activities managers won't be allowed to inspect your cabins for favoritism or whatever. While they do have a checklist to go over to make sure specific tasks are completed, how picky or stringent they are with enforcing them depends on who the inspectors are. You could have the upbeat character manager who used to be Mary Poppins ("friends with Mary Poppins" in Disney-speak) at Disneyland who will let you go with your bed a bit wrinkled or your desk a bit cluttered. Or you could have the head of housekeeping who is in a massively bitchy mood who will make your cabin as "not ready for inspection" for leaving your uniform on your chair or having dust underneath your closet or not all of the shower curtain hooks being properly hooked (all possible things to be docked on).
• The inspections could last very long. So if you're just about to start work, you can't get ready or be in your cabin to shower or get dressed. Either you have to get yourself settled an hour before you need to, or you risk waiting outside for them to come around your "block" of cabins and finish before you rush to work. Often times there will be people impatiently waiting around for cabin inspection to finish just to get access to their things.
• You get in trouble for things that you shouldn't have to be responsible for. Now the same can't be said for all crew members, but for a Youth Activities Counselor your cabin comes with housekeeping services twice a week who are expected to empty your wastebins and vacuum your floor and  make your beds. If the housekeeper didn't do a good job of vacuuming your floor, that ought to be their fault. I hardly think we should be getting in trouble for the "sprinkler being a bit rusty" or "the fridge not being completely defrosted" or the "air filter being dusty". But you do if they're feeling like complete assholes. And the worst part is- you might think you're doing completely fine and ok because for the previous 8 inspections they all said it was fine, but the 9th inspector decides to be a little prick about it being at fault for weeks. Still your fault!
• You can just hide things in your closet. Like the image at the top of this post implies, yes a lot of crew members can relate to just jamming their trash bags into the bottom of their closet to hide until cabin inspection passes. Because they're technically not allowed to go into your "personal" items. But wait, this means that you can just about shove everything else in there too - your illegal weapons, knives, pipebombs, nutella, yogurt cups, milk products, glow in the dark stickers, bottles of vodka and tequila, baggies of weed, your pill bottles filled with ecstasy and oxycontin - whatever floats yer boat. And since that's true....what's the point!?
• For any small infraction during Cabin Inspection your managers is obliged to give you discipline. That's right, so for any of the seemingly innocuous things, a note is made and the Youth Activities management has to speak with you about it (even though they often know exactly how unfair it could be) -  writing everyone's names up for the whole staff to see regarding meeting individually in their office. A little warning may not be a big deal, but several could cost your job promotions or the ability to do more with your career at sea. Imagine not getting promoted to be an Assistant Manager because your roommate accidentally left your light on in the bathroom?

Cigarettes and Alcohol

Cigarettes and Alcohol

(During this post, feel free to listen to some music I've thoughtfully put here for you)

So no surprise, working for Disney on a ship is essentially has the same strict expectations and regulations for drug and alcohol use as you would expect in the Parks.
Except I don't think you'd ever get away with being buzzed walking through any other Disney property like you would heading through the ship back from a crew party.

DRUGS

As far as illegal drugs go, zero tolerance.
So just to get that out of the way, if they find any illegal drugs in your possession they will terminate you immediately and very possibly turn you over to the authorities. I've seen it happen!

Considering all of our ships port in the Caribbean and Jamaica you can imagine how "not difficult" it is to score drugs on land. Especially since there are guys on the street that can easily tell crew members apart from the Guests and will offer it right up to you then and there! In Vancouver, marijuana was everywhere. In Colombia, cocaine. In Spain, MDMA. In Miami, heroin.


Luckily though, every time you get on and off the ship in many of these ports a drug-sniffer dog will go through your bags to check if there's any contraband. Sometimes the officers are incredibly friendly, sometimes they're not the sort of pleasant people to joke with.

If you do somehow manage to smuggle it onboard, know that every Cast and Crew Member is subject to random drug testing. I'm not sure how often this actually happens though, since in my years of working for DCL I've only been tested twice.

1. For my pre-employment medical screening they took a blood and urine sample.
2. The day I joined the ship they took a saliva and urine sample.

People I knew in YA were tested far more often, and these were the kind you wouldn't be surprised if they had contact with a puff here and here so I'm not sure as to how "random" the drug tests really are.

That said, the testing itself is a pretty awkward situation. You're in the hospital wing on board along with ship's officers and whole bunch of other people from different departments who have been taken from work (they don't give you any advance warning). Then, they tell you to stick the saliva swab in your mouth or tell you to go pee in a cup in the adjacent bathroom. And it isn't the time for stage fright, everyone can fully hear you aiming for the cup as they're completely quiet either waiting their turn to muster up some urine or have a big white stick shoved in the side of their mouths.

And you know it's judgement hour since you can hear if anyone's forgotten to flush or wash their hands. Guaranteed everyone pees on themselves a little.

CIGARETTES

Much like the parks, smoking can only be done in designated smoking areas on board. There's been a big deal made about it ever since a guest once smoked on a balcony and instead of putting out their cigarette, it quickly ignited their balcony furniture and the result was....

  For the Crew, there are technically only two areas where we can light up. And that is: The crew-only deck, or the crew smoking area/lounge (depending on which ship you're assigned to). And again, if smoking anywhere outside you cannot be visible to guests. In terms of the cramped little smoking lounge, it's virtually like being hot boxed with tobacco smell clinging to your hair and clothes.

When I first started we were allowed to smoke within our cabins (in that teeny space! Imagine smoking in a walk-in closet! ) but only with the full consent of all persons sharing that room. That is, if you lived with a non-smoker you certainly were not allowed to smoke anywhere in the room, even in the bathroom. However recently rules became tighter across all cruise lines apparently and now you are no longer able to smoke there either!

ALCOHOL

Much is said about cruise ship workers partaking in swigs of alcohol and cheap beers and much merriment, and I'll admit I have definitely had more than enough to drink on many nights. It really brings you back to those 18-year old days being carefree and belligerently drunk and dancing up on randoms.

Especially with ports in Mexico and the Caribbean, tequila and rum pretty much get handed to you if you say you're a Crew Member anywhere you go, in the hopes that their restaurant or excursion will be mentioned to guests by the crew.

But when it comes to hard liquors, any bottles are immediately confiscated by security as soon as you board the ship and aren't granted to you until you leave your contract. If they find any in your crew cabin, you face heavy discipline or termination!

(You know you're a drunk Crew Member when they know you by name but you don't ever remember being here.)


However where some cruise companies might allow certain members of the crew to drink up on deck, Disney has a zero alcohol policy when in any guest areas. Which means that during work hours you must have a 0% BAC (blood alcohol content),  so if you happen to go out and have a nice boozy lunch in Nassau you better hope you don't work immediately afterwards.  (That said, I have known my share of YAs who all had several margaritas in Port and went back to work with the best poker faces I've ever seen in my college years).


The same goes for work the next morning, especially after big holidays like Christmas or New Years Eve or St Patrick's Day or Halloween, you're expected to be able to function 100% and smile and do the whole Disney show thing! ...Even though we're all dying inside with hangovers and Counselors are sprawled over stools or trying to catch sneaky naps in hidden places.


On some ships, they're very strict about enforcing rules in the crew bar limiting how much a crew member can actually purchase at a time; and if they're buying more than one drink they must be with the person whom they're buying for. Maybe cruise management really didn't know what to do with all those drunken sailors after all.

But even with all of the alcohol-infused shenanigans happening below decks, they will also often use a breathalyzer on suspicious crew members they suspect of being inebriated. On some ships they're lax about it, but on others.... let's just say that on the Disney Dream there's a famous case of 5 YA Counselors all terminated and told to pack their bags for the following morning after getting caught one night.



So the moral of the story is.... don't get caught!

The YA Creed

THE YA CREED

If you've worked in Youth Activities for Disney, you'll find that we often have to do many many more things than Counselors would do at other jobs. Often we don't know about the extent of all of these things until we're already on board. So on behalf of our sisters and (handful of) brothers working on the seas: I present to you, the YA Creed. 

How Ship Life Is Like College

HOW SHIP LIFE IS LIKE COLLEGE

I was going to write a similarly-themed blog post about this....but instead I found someone else's blog who did it already. Oh well! Enjoy:

http://mackenzieames.com/2013/11/14/how-ship-life-is-like-college/

or get a head start on things on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/disneycruiselinecrew/

Standing Out...Or Just Standing Around

Standing Out...Or Just Standing Around

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the job for many new Counselors is the standing. Standing, standing, standing - something that will possibly do wonders for your posture and calorie burning but make your feet hate you SO much for not spending more money on comfortable white trainers before you signed on for your contract.

There are two sides to this which can be looked at glass half-full and half-empty and they are:

1) I'm getting paid to stand around here and not have to do much. Easiest. Job. Ever!!!!

or

2) I'm wasting my time just standing around all day. Worst. Boring. Part. Of. My. Job. Ever.

Make no mistake, there will be parts of your job that have you scheduled to do little more than stand, fixed in a location for half an hour at several different times during the day. 

Examples of this will be:

• standing next to the slide to watch for injuries/inappropriate behavior
• standing next to the restrooms to watch for adults/kids washing their hands
• standing on the snorkel beach on Castaway Cay for a few hours to make sure no one's playing in the sand or putting beach chairs down by the water.
• standing in the Oceaneer Club or Lab in case Counselor next to the restrooms needs help
• standing at the Front desk
• standing in the secret passage
• standing to observe children during meals
• standing to guard an exit door
• standing by a stairwell during a transition
• standing by the front of the space to greet guests and give information
• standing next to one of several different exit gates in Scuttle's Cove to prevent escape

Some managers will attempt to sweeten the idea by saying "You can still play games and interact with the kids in that area! You can make it fun! You can use that time to think!".

And oh think I did. I thought about how much more I could be better using my time than standing around. I thought about whether I'd rather be standing behind a Mcdonalds or Starbucks counter or next to this restroom. I thought about whether I was doing this job for the money or the experience of standing. I thought about whether standing on a beach was better than standing outside a pub handing out flyers.

Needless to say, there were a lot of conflicting emotions here. But prepare yourself for it; some Counselors might call it being a glorified security guard, some might call it "bitch-work" but at the end of the day if you're looking to make some money at this (why?! why!?): You've just earned about $3 standing around not having to do much. Not too shabby!

If you're doing it for the experience: You've just spent 30 minutes of your life standing around on a ship/on a beach. Not too shabby compared to worse things you could be doing.

But please, please invest in comfortable shoes. Because honey, if you get caught sitting down, you know a managers gonna come swooping in and telling you to stand back up. And take your hands out of your pockets. And stop reading or doing anything else when you should be looking focused. Disney show, after all.

 

Overtime...Anytime!

Overtime...Anytime!

Another question from the blog:

"Would you recommend for new folks to request overtime? Can you change your mind mid contract?"

Unsurprisingly, the way hourly wages are determined and overtime is calculated is different from on land. In fact, on DCL this is regulated by an external process known as "POB" which is held incredibly sacred (to the point that "breaking POB", or not properly logging your hours/going over/under your required amount could result in discipline.  Before you begin work as a Youth Activities Counselor, you will be pretty much expected to sign a form accepting overtime hours. When I was hired this seemed to be more of a requirement for the position than a choice, with the reason citing POB and not wanting to break any regulations.

Please feel free to ask further questions about this while you are on board... but don't be surprised if you're cornered into agreeing to anything once you're already stuck on the ship! As far as changing your mind about this mid-contract... I don't think we were given any opportunity to afterwards!

Hot and Cold

 Hot and Cold

Hello Followers,

Sorry about the lack of updates lately, the account's been hacked and I just got it recovered today!

 Another question today:

"What is the temperature like in the crew cabins?"

 There's a bit of an adjustable thermostat but the reliability of this can depend from the older ships to the newer ones. Generally speaking, the closer your cabin is to the hull of the ship (the outer edge close to the water), the colder it'll normally be so you/your roommate will want to agree to raise the temperature of the cabin.

However, if you're unlucky enough to be situated directly near the laundry rooms as I was one contract (and many YA Counselors are), your room can get unbearably hot. Incredibly hot. 

It's a real toss up, but most people don't complain too much about the cabin temperature in our department!

Fact vs Fantasy 2

Fact vs Fantasy 2

It's time for another round of Fact vs Fantasy! This time, talking about Crew Amenities on board. 

First off, take a look at the official video:

Fantasy: "Crew Life on board is good because there's lots of things you can do. There's plenty for us to do on board."
Fact:...If you have deck privileges. Luckily for you, Youth Activities Counselors are ranked as "Petty Officers" on board and DO have these privileges. However for most other positions on board (rule of thumb: if their nametag says a foreign developing country, chances are they


Fantasy: "It's pretty easy to go from one spot to another without going into guest areas."
Fact: Don't be fooled though, that gleaming white 1-95 (main street/hallway/corridor/walkway on Deck 1 for Crew Members to pass through the entire length of the ship) may be jammed full of people/cargo at different parts of the day and is only really empty before 6am and at nighttime after midnight. Besides sometimes being crowded (don't get me started on what it's like during Crew Drill), it's the host of horrible smells coming from the incinerator and the occasional waft of raw meat that brings you back to Chinatown in Manhattan. Or actual China.


Fantasy: "We have a lot of amenities. We have the Crew Store which is amazing when you run out of hair products or food if you're hungry, a little snack on the side."
Fact: The Crew Store doesn't really count as "a lot" of amenities, but it's true that you have certain hair products and snacks (Disney-branded candy and sweets, a lot of Lays chips, Doritos bags). The worst part about the Crew store are its opening hours which can be only 6-10pm on some days. forcing you to run there during  break or sneak off during work hours.


Fantasy: "A Dining area where you can go and have a nice meal. The food is really...outstanding."
Fact:Where you CAN have a nice meal, if there's one there that day. Outstanding if you compare it to what you'd get in certain crew member's developing countries! Read up more on: "The Food Situation".


Fantasy: "There's the Crew Gym Open 24 hours a day. There's a nice relaxing area with a coffee machine where you can bring your laptop."
Fact: The Crew Lounge and crew gym you'll find will be often dominated by Housekeeping or Dining Staff that won't have the guest privileges of Youth Activities Counselors. That said, be prepared to be openly ogled and stared at by many of the men in those departments while you're down there. It's not always the most bright, welcoming spaces unless you go at non-busy times. I think Flynn Rider described it best during Rapunzel's first visit to the Snuggly Duckling:

Fantasy: "We have the crew bar...it's very nice."
Fact:A lot of fun times have been had in the Crew Bar, which Crew Members will call "The Library" or "The Barbecue" where they can purchase and consume "Apple Juice" or "Read Books" in their Disney secret speak. After you get over the fact that it's basically like hanging around someone's basement on the older ships. It's actually quite a different story on the newer ships where it's bigger and an airier space.

Fantasy: "We have a medical center on board which is really good if you're not feeling well. They have everything you need. We are covered by medical insurance so you don't have to go ashore."
Fact: Again...only within certain time restrictions. I.e. after 8:30-10:00 in the morning, and 3:00pm - 6:00pm in the afternoon. Anything beyond those general times you have to call the surly on-duty nurse who will hopefully not make you feel like you're disturbing them by calling. Most of the time you'll be able to spend some time in there but it feels like you really have to prove to them that you have a legitimate ailment before they do anything beyond prescribe you painkillers or Sea-Calm medicine. It really does seem like they'll give you any advanced treatment as a last resort (which is actually onshore hospitalization/being medically debarked for a while/ending your contract.) And sometimes, treatment isn't free if you have to get it done off the ship! It's definitely a step up if you come from a country that provides no medical coverage though! It sadly ends as soon as you step off the ship, so you have no coverage to speak of between contracts.

Fantasy: "Having amenities is good because it makes you feel like they actually care about you outside of work."
Fact: Which I wish was true all of the time. I've have incredible managers and Human Resources people, and trainers, and Crew Activities Managers, and Doctors who really did care about the welfare of all of the crew...but we also had some bad apples in the bunch. Some really bad eggs (and wish Disney didn't hire them as often as they do!).

The Harsh Reality

The Harsh Reality

So I spoke to a friend who wants to be a Counselor, but she told me that learning about some of the things on board kinda freaked her out a bit (ahem a lot) and doesn't want to apply anymore! That is definitely not my intention. Hopefully I don't come off as too cynical, I'm aiming for something that goes along the lines of sardonic/sarcastic without veering too far into the negative here. It can definitely feel that way though when you compare this to:

Most of what you're going to be hearing from Disney directly is the saccharine, overly happy and positive aspects of the job. Most recruiters will also downplay any of the real grittier aspects of life on board, eschewing those in favor of rosier pictures painted of carefree joyous work. Which it is at times, it really is! It's just....not so all the time, if not most of the time.

A good recruiter will give you a good balance of good and bad, pros and cons to the job itself. Mine was an excellent example of this but I was so stubborn and already far gone into my Disney day dreaming that I didn't take her warnings to heart and I regretted it in hindsight once I was on board.

 I feel like one of the biggest reasons why so many of my colleagues in the department don't stick around for that long after being hired is that the disappointment sets in and is a dramatic let down if you haven't prepared yourself well enough for it.

Successful Counselors who stick it out and move up in this seafaring life will prepare for the worst, accept the unpleasant parts of the work alongside the happier things, and are easygoing enough to soldier on and deal with it. So yes, I encourage you all to apply and try it out, but only if you've decided that you're determined enough to stick it out! I don't intend to freak you or psyche you out, I just want our new Counselors to be fully prepared and resigned to their tasks ahead.

SO what'll it be? Are ya in?

Example Packing List

Example Packing List

So many people about to embark on their adventure working on the high seas always worry about packing. No matter who you are, this is always one of those weird stresses that always get me each time I come back out for a contract. Rest assured by this point I have it down to a science in my suitcase...but maybe you're currently looking at all of your stuff at a loss for what's actually necessary for your 4-5 months at sea.

But no matter if you're a boy or girl, old or young, rich or poor, I have one very important piece of advice.
Always Remember: You WILL end up buying a lot of Disney merchandise and memorabilia before you go home.

This is almost a given. Everybody does it, and is the cause for much last-minute consternation when things just don't fit. So you could budget room in your suitcase for it now or leave that for Future-You to deal with. Anyway.... to the list!

PACKING LIST

• Underwear  (good for at least 2 weeks...you do change your undies every day right?)
• Socks 7 pairs (white)- good for a week, feel free to reuse. Plenty available to buy on board.
• Socks/Stockings 1-2  pairs (black)- for when you do Welcome line or the odd fancy night out
• Tennis/Running Shoes/Trainers 1 pair -(all white, no other colors or big markings. No canvas like Converse. Must be leather, no scuff, white soles, white laces. Some managers are very strict on your shoes! They aren't really available to buy on board, stores in various ports will have some. Most counselors buy REALLY cheap ones and toss them at the end of their contract.)
• Beach sandals 1 pair-  (black, Teva-style) used if you're going to Castaway Cay during your contract. If you're on a ship that doesn't go there more than 5 times, don't waste your money - you can always just wear white shoes and socks.
• Formal shoes/ nice heels 1 pair (black)- Useful for welcome line and also for formal nights on deck.
• Flipflops/thongs/slippers 1 pair (any color)- Handy to be worn in your cabin or when swimming up on deck. Can only be worn during your time off.
• Comfortable walking shoes 1 pair - plan ahead to see where you will be going to decide the best kinds of shoes you want to wear while in port or on excursions. You don't want to be wearing your work shoes all the time.
• Sensible shirts/blouses 2-4 - for when you're spending time in guest areas, must be Disney-Look
• Skirts/Shorts 2-4 -again for guest areas
• Pants 2 -also for guest areas if you like wearing pants
• Jeans 1-2 - for throwing on the go to the crew bar or out in Port
• Pajamas 1 - to sleep in, silly!
• Nice dresses - for fancier parties and nights out at the bar, this will happen about 3-4 times during your contract
• Nice shirts/blouses - Maybe a bit sexier or cuter, or things you couldn't pull off in guest areas
• Comfortable sweater 1-2 - In case you want to do some stargazing to be up on deck, it can get very cool and windy
• Hair ties/ribbons, headbands and clips like, 10-20- must be under an inch wide. Trust me, you'll be wearing your hair up a lot of the time.

 Extra useful things:

• Water-resistant watch
• Curling iron or straightener
• Glasses or Contact Lens case
• Contact Lens solution for 1-2 months
• Makeup to last at least 1-2 months
• Sanitary products
• Toothbrush
• Toiletries for the first 1-2 weeks... after that you can pretty much just buy stuff on board
• Snacks from home. Loads to take the edge off of the sudden change in your food and help make friends.
• Laptop or ipad or Device - so that you can access internet. The crew lounge with computers is always full of creepers. 
• Headphones
• Alarm Clock
• Pillow covers or comfy throw blanket from home
• Favorite stuffed toy mementos
• A good camera!

 Stuff you'll probably end up buying while in Port anyway:

• Sunglasses
• A hat
• Beach towel
• Goggles 
• Scarf
• Replacement flipflops for the ones you lost after that drunken party night
• Bracelets/necklaces you can never wear while at work/in guest areas anyway
• Bottle opener or Wine corkscrew

That should be the essential things, let me know if there's anything I forgot!

Confessions of a Disney Employee

Confessions of a Disney Employee

As a little bonus, because I haven't written as often, watch this, as know that we can all definitely relate to how he was feeling:




And Part 2!

Your Disney Career: Moving Up in YA

Your Disney Career: Moving Up in YA

I recently got another reader question:  

"with that tie shouldn't it be assistant manager mcgee?" 

(re: A Typical Day in the Life of a Counselor )

And I thought it would be a nice opportunity to talk about the different levels of of dominance jobs in our Youth Activities department!

For the uninitiated or unschooled in Disney lingo, this is no longer to be called your job, it is your "Role". Most people start off their Roles in YA as a Counselor at the very bottom and, if the Cinderella story goes perfectly, will gradually progress onwards and continue getting stepped up until they attain the role up top, which is the MYA, or Manager of Youth Activities. Here's a little look at what I call:

"The Evolution of a YA Counselor"

-------------------------------------------------------------------->

The progression from not only increases in privileges, but also pay and overall happiness!

Starting Roles

NURSERY COUNSELOR: Not technically the "bottom", but Nursery counselors do not necessarily make as much per paycheck as other members of the department. In addition to this, the duties of a Nursery Counselor are much less than that of an ordinary counselor; their space is more confined and the range of activities is very limited. Often Nursery Counselors do not get to see the programs or interact with the Disney characters and often feel separated from the rest of the staff. Nursery counselors wear light blue and are usually left to remain on board during every Castaway Cay day.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES COUNSELOR: The most basic role where the majority of the staff are. It is from this Role that you may "step up" and move into different specialized spaces in the department, into a performance position, or progress into a managerial stream. Often Nursery Counselors who've had enough of the babies and wish to take on more duties will progress into a Counselor Role and learn all of the additional procedures. Usually Counselors will be made to work in either the Oceaneer Club or Lab environments during their first contracts, and then made to work in the other space before moving forward. In the Counselor role there is a sub-hierarchy of Counselors with varying responsibilities and abilities I'll go into more depth further down. Most people that you will meet and work with will be in this Role, and most people who will quit or be terminated will also be in this Role.

TEEN COUNSELOR: Usually after a few months working as a Counselor in one of the spaces (or less, depending on a combination of lucky timing and persistence) a Counselor will be asked to move into a new role in the Edge or Vibe spaces on board. Teen Counselors typically have later starts (10am onwards) but often  much later finishes (12am- 2am). It is not uncommon for Teen Counselors to not be able to "go out" or socialize as much as their Counselor friends for this reason. However also for this reason, Teen Counselors may be exempted from cabin inspections to allow them extra sleeping time. In addition, as a Teen Counselor, a lot of the strict rules about watching for injuries, making sure children are carefully signed in and out of the space via wristbands, making sure they are fed, etc. are not taken to as extreme a level in the Teen spaces since they are older and much of these rules don't even exist in those areas. Teen Counselors are even often capable of convincing their kids to leave the space and bring them food to eat - since managers aren't as present as they are in the Lab/Club spaces. 

Teen Counselors also have more ability to be able to run their own games and programs and freely move around their spaces, as opposed to the Counselors who must remain in fixed locations during their scheduling. (See A Typical Day in the Life of a Counselor )

Because of these added perks, there is usually tough competition to snag one of these Roles. Usually a lot easier for guys to get it as they typically pick even amounts of male and female counselors for the teens (and there are always about 9:1 females to males in Youth Activities). If all else fails, crying and persistently asking for it every week seems to do the trick, and Managers have admitted in the past.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES ENTERTAINMENT HOST (YAEH) : A step up from the Counselor position, The Entertainment Host, or Ent Host Role may be also applied into directly. Requires an audition involving the memorization of a script or two from the programs we do, strong microphone skills and stage presence. This comes with a pay increase and immediate removal of the 'dirtier" parts of the Counselor roles such as taking out the trash or performing opening, closing and daily bleaching and cleaning. Also removes the duty of serving any meals in the space and eliminates the risk of having to sign children in or out. Ent Hosts do the majority of interaction with Disney characters and engage the kids in programs like science, animation, storytelling, dancing, etc. Ent Hosts are fitted for several different costumes that they will perform in, and are often given hours of "script/rehearsal time" to learn and memorize at their leisure (and if they were already memorized, this became paid naptime). Compared to the standard Counselor Ent Hosts have it much easier; during my time as an Ent Hostess I was able to use the long hours of prep time I had before and after programs to sneak away to my cabin or to go have a snack, something most Counselors weren't able to do! Many Counselors view this as incredibly unfair by comparison on top of the increase in pay. In contrast, there are some Ent Hosts who also may not have been humbled by the Counselor role and feel entitled to their additional privilege.

*From the Ent Host Role, moving upwards may be into Ent Host management as in the newer ships, or a common trend is to progress into Cruise Staff.

ASSISTANT MANAGER: Normally stepped up from the Counselor Role after they have successfully been able to perform several contracts in many, if not all of the spaces on board. Will usually be pulled from Counselors who have moved into a Trainer Role. Formerly responsible for the creation of the daily schedule, now is responsible for overseeing the flow of scheduled activities, overseeing the floor, and dealing with challenges as they arise. Assistant Managers wear what they affectionately call "bus driver" suits across all 4 ships that don't do too much for your figure unless you're a sturdily built male. Assistant Managers generally include the Training Coordinator (TC), Ent Host Manager, and Nursery Assistant Manager (NAM) in the wearing of this suit and their expanded Officer privileges which includes the Officer's Bar and Deck food as well as a pay increase. They still however have to share the same sized rooms as Counselors with a roommate. 

LAB/CLUB MANAGER: Oversees either the Nursery/Oceaneer Club space or the Vibe/Edge/Oceaneer Lab spaces and the programming in each. A step above Assistant, the Manager is also he signing authority on your performance reviews and your discipline. On that note, to be stepped up or promoted into this Role would usually require a fairly clean record card and a considerable amount of experience on more than one ship on the fleet. Sometimes hired externally much to the chagrin of long-time Counselors/Assistant Managers looking to progress. Managers wear full officer whites and striped epaulets denoting their position, and enjoy a higher salary with a slightly larger cabin. Often in charge of resolving day to day issues and guest recovery/dealing with complaints and Counselor issues. Also usually the person to go to when needing Dining requests or Excursion requests to be signed.

MANAGER OF YOUTH ACTIVITIES (MYA): The head honcho of the department, the most effective ones are those who have spent the time and moved into the Role from a lowly start as a Counselor. You'll quickly learn that the terrible ones will have stepped into the job without having ever worked as a Disney Counselor before and make stupid mistakes repeatedly. Depending on their personality and leadership style, may either often be on the floor helping out and alleviating busy periods as needed, (good MYA) or will confine themselves to their office and hang around the teen spaces from time to time (bad MYA). Usually being called to their office is a big deal as everyone will know (since you won't be in your scheduled location at the time), and more often than not will either indicate a change of Role on board, termination, or transferal to another ship. It's important that more Counselors prepare themselves and work hard to progress into this role in order to have really good and effective MYAs to lead the department! In addition to having a really nice paycheck, they also get private guest staterooms to themselves along with requisite room service and a personal office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE THREE LEVELS OF YOUTH ACTIVITIES COUNSELOR

Within the realm of being a Counselor, there are three different types, which tend to correspond with seniority and competency at the job. The decision to move you into these duties will be made by the Training Coordinator typically based on how well you're doing and how long you've stuck around at the current position. That said some Counselors can work for years without ever moving up if their computer/management skills are pretty crappy.


At the first level, basic Counselors spend a lot of time learning things, making crafts, participating in programs, and really just having a fun time on board. This is the happy period of the job where none of the many associated risks of becoming terminated are readily evident because many things don't apply to you yet. Also time for Counselors to be scheduled on serving food or standing next to the restrooms more often than not.



 

DESK ANCHOR (DA)
After a while, you might be paired up with a trainer when management basically decides that you should be trained to operate the front desk (and might have something to do with the fact that 5 people who were all desk-trained quit last week). This includes signing children in and out, and interacting with parents and their issues. Becoming a "multitasking expert" is just a nice way of saying: keeping a Disney smile on while everything goes to shit around you simultaneously. Sometimes involving actual shit. As it says in the diagram, it is usually in this stage of employment that most people leave the job due to the tediousness (once you are trained to be on Desk, life almost immediately changes from happy-go-lucky freer times to one spent stuck there for hours on end. This almost seems like a very hyperbolic exaggeration.....but just wait til it happens to you).
It's not always bad up on Desk, depending on the people who you're scheduled alongside, and sometimes the parents you meet are very friendly. On the other hand, it also gets very stressful and busy and sometimes the guests are incredibly rude and you have to pay VERY close attention to who exactly is passing through your gates alongside the desk each time you unlock it.

IF YOU MAKE ANY MISTAKE ABOUT ACCIDENTALLY FORGETTING TO DO ANYTHING WHILE AT A COMPUTER MAY MICKEY HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
Really though, every error, no matter how minuscule is treated with such crazy severity it's insane. Almost ridiculous how stressful your life becomes for these things. Prepare for it, I've warned ya! Don't screw up! Oh and for all of this extra responsibility on your back, there is no raise or promotion. Congrats.


GROUP ANCHOR (GA)
Now after a considerable amount of time slugging it out as a Desk Anchor and doing a good job, the management might decide that it's a good time for you to move up and become a GA (not because 3 of the people who were GA-trained also got fired the previous week or anything) , whose responsibility it is to make sure people are standing in their correct spots every time there is a rotation each half-hour and also deal with every injury, potty accident, protein spill (vomit), angry parent, kid dispute, counselor issue, phone call, allergy and medical alert. You are however awarded the ability to roam around the space freely in order to accomplish these duties. With great power comes great responsibility after all. Even though being able to walk around shouldn't really be considered a great power, it's a pretty liberating thing to be able to do after a few months working as a Counselor. Normally not too bad of a job but if shit hits the fan - let's say a Counselor serving food accidentally gets the kids with 10000 allergies and you didn't pick up on it, or the Desk Anchor accidentally lets a parent leave with their child without scanning their wristband, or an activity isn't running at its scheduled time - guess whose fault it is? THAT'S RIGHT - YOURS!

You gotta deal with it now, you're basically the manager of the house and just as liable to get disciplined if you don't deal with it well, since you weren't able to manage the Counselors properly. You're the one who has to make phone calls and make sure people have woken up in time for work, you're the one who has to hunt down people around the ship if they're not at their scheduled spot, and in the event that anyone's not picking up the slack...look like you have to step in for a while.  And again, for all of this lovely extra duty and burden placed on you....no additional pay raise or promotion. Just extra work. Yay! Well done!


TRAINER
And if you've successfully managed to survive long enough to remain a Counselor at GA level with a nice spotless record, you might be eligible to become a new Trainer in the department based on your skill and merit (and not because a handful of our staff Trainers all quit together after their friend got fired). Trainers have the duty of being assigned to a hapless Counselor as you prepare them for the role of Desk Anchor or Group Anchor and hope they turn out well because it's your butt if they don't learn how to do things properly.

Oh,and for this little promotion in the department, you don't get higher pay, but instead a nice pin!

Worth it.
*Update* Maybe worth about $20-$40 to be exact:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313&_nkw=disney+trainer+pin&_sacat=0&_from=R40



And that's the general job progression in Youth Activities. Though I probably sound more cynical and less upbeat about it at this point, should also speak volumes about how encouraging the whole thing is! Until next time!

Your Cozy Cabin

Your Cozy Cabin

Do you sometimes ever get the urge to dwell in a small, enclosed space? When you apply to college or uni, do you prefer the smallest dorm rooms for that sleek, compact feel? Are you a gnome?

Then perhaps Crew Cabin life is PERFECT for you! Joking aside, this is a very real part of the life at sea and for the vast majority of us (except maybe 20 people out of a crew of 1000+) wouldn't call this a comfortable, ideal living set up. But like everything else on board, you learn to deal with it.

Let's start with the official look at our luxe livin', and then I'll comment on it in more detail:

Doesn't that just give us a pretty contrived  upbeat picture of living at sea? 

While a lot of what they said wasn't false, you bet that when the cameras aren't rolling there's a different story to tell. Here's the deal:

LOCATION:

Ever dream about living Under the Sea? Well now you can! Claustrophobic people beware, because the majority of the crew cabins are below deck = under the waterline. Especially so for Youth Activities who usually sleep just under the 1-95, or the main corridor through the interior of the ship.

It's a pretty chilling thought sometimes to know that there are fishies swimming not too far away! Because of our room location on board we feel like we're in Titanic's steerage, down to the white walls and white metal stairwells everywhere. Obviously because of where it is there are no windows looking out anywhere, so get used to sleeping in complete darkness and never seeing the world sailing outside unless at work upstairs!

With our proximity under the 1-95 with all of the foot and machinery traffic just above us, and the work going on below decks underneath us, you get used to all kinds of clanging and thunderous noises at any hours of the day. The worst are Embarkation days when you hear all of the watertight doors opening and all of the luggage being moved around, it's like railway cars are running into each other all around you and the metal walls just amplify the noise.

On the bright side, being so far down underneath the ship it's much less rocky and I will say the for the limited amount of sleep I got, it was MUCH easier to be rocked gently away!

CABIN SIZE

The images that they show you of the cabins vary from ship to ship, and those wide angles can be deceiving. I've added a layout of the cabins along with the basic sizes (because no one else has it online!) so you can plot it out at home and get a feel for how big this will be before you go:

This is the cabin without all of your things in there, so imagine how cramped it'll already be with that ladder in place and the chair in the middle of the room. The thing with the chair is that it pretty much stays fixed right in the middle of your living area. I thought you'd have room to fit it under your desk, but your mini-fridge and waste bin will be under there! This really barely gives you a foot (A foot!!) of space to move around the room while you're roomie's in there.

For extra room, people used to put their chairs in the shower when they were expecting people over. When you're trying to have a little party/get together in your room, it can usually comfortably fit about 4-6 people. I've seen a cabin party packed over 15+ though with people jammed up in the toilet and the bunks.

Generally speaking, the whole set up would feel just a bit larger than a suburban bathroom. And don't forget - no windows!

THE BEDS

The beds are single bunks. But can reasonably fit another person lying alongside you as long as your arms are around each other and your legs intertwined somewhat. (Don't ask how I know this. ;) But there are also privacy curtains around the side of the bed)

The mattress itself is firm, so don't expect a pillow top luxury memory foam mattress here. As in the videos above, they'll provide you with basic bedding, white sheets and a pillow that will be made for you from time to time. Always lift the mattress when you first move in to clean it out...I know I got a few nasty surprises (ahem. condoms. old underwear.) when I did. OR maybe you'd rather dare not look!

The blankets are ok, nothing to write home about. A lot of people buy nice fuzzy soft ones in port, but those personal ones don't get cleaned or changed out for free.
These are tiny bunks that are closer to a coffin than the bunk beds kids have with all of that head space. As far as clearance goes, I was never able to actually sit up fully in bed - you're always bending your neck, or shoulders, or arms to do it.

This really isn't so bad though, and is part of your privilege as a "Petty Officer" to have just one other roommates. If the ship is running short on beds or there was a mix-up in room assignment, you could be living on decks below with housekeepers or deck cleaners who are in rooms of 4- 6.

It's happened on occasion to a YA Counselor, but luckily they'll usually move you within a move as beds get available/people go home. If you can imagine how often new people switch in and out of rooms every few months, you can bed that HUNDRED of people have shared that same bed. When you think about all of the activities that might go on in bed... you hope to goodness that all of the previous occupants were so unattractive to not have had any sexual activity in your room!

THE BATHROOM

It's small. Big surprise. But if you're a bigger/rounder bout the middle or basically anything bigger than a 5-foot 2 tall girl, get used to the shower curtain sensually draping itself all wet and intimate against you every time. Of course you could always try to  shower without the curtain, but then the floor floods. Big time.

Otherwise, no gigantic complaints. But don't drink the water!! The environmental officers stress that, especially since people tried to make tea or noodles and eat in their rooms with the bathroom water and presumably got sick and died. Maybe not died, but that scared me off of drinking any of it. We're expected to go to one of the water fountains above or to the crew mess, or buy bottled water and keep it in our fridge.


Oh if you're on the classic ships (Magic/Wonder)....expect the toilet to stop working or people to complain about floods once every two months. They're old ships.

STORAGE AND CLOSET SPACE

Not much. The little bit of space on top of the closets is usually taken up by work shoes and your big clunky life vest that you can't remove from your cabin.

The closets are about 1-2 feet wide with one closet rod in the middle to hang things up, and usually 3 wire-basket type drawers to store things. It's not a lot of room and oh- remember those 2 big suitcases you decided to bring with you? You either gotta jam them in your closet too or hope your roommate doesn't mind it taking up some floor space.

Usually under the bunks there's a storage drawer, but don't kid yourself - there's only really enough room for underwear or shoes. At the head or foot of the bed there might be a little room for storing things like stuffed animals and personal items, but this is only like a 4-5 inch ledge space.

The desk also has about 2 storage drawers, and two ledges above it where the TV takes up space.

Hopefully your or your roommate doesn't need a lot of storage or things will be really crammed. I knew some people who never fully unpacked their suitcases and just kept them on their beds and brought them down at night, they had no other storage room!

THE TV

Not too much to say about the TV, they have a built-in DVD player and on the newer ships they actually have movies on demand which is SO awesome. The channels we get are just about what the guests watch like news - CNN, NBC, BBC, FOX. A few channels dedicated just to Disney movies constantly looping all day, a Disney junior or Disney channel channel channel, a documentary channel, a music video channel and a rotation of movies alongside the usual port adventures and guest information channels..

One of the most useful channels is one showing a view outside of the bridge (where the captain/officers drive the ol' ship). If your roommate is keen they'll keep it on this channel so at least you'll know when it's night/day. Kind of like a little 'window' to the outside. There's also one showing our map, but what would've really helped is a big clock channel. Or maybe an aquarium. OR maybe a fireplace. How hard can that be to make it feel more homey?




MOVING DAY

The worst. Just to prepare you.... this is a pretty horribly stressful ordeal.

Note that as soon as you move in, someone will have just moved out of that room a few hours ago. You might even see them in the process, this is how it works.
When you first move into the ship each time, you're usually given about an hour or so to do it early in the morning and settle in.

At the exact same time, the person moving out is given that same amount of time to move out all of their things and vacate the room usually before 8 or 9 am. This usually leads to a bit of awkwardness with you and all of your stuff trying to get it in there from the hallway, while the former occupant awkwardly tries to move everything out into the hallway at the same time. If you've been paying attention so far, you'll know there really isn't enough room to accomplish this well.

Oh and the best part - because it's so early on home port day, usually this has to be accomplished without waking up the other person sleeping in their bunk or disturbing their things!

It's usually much more stressful on the person moving out, because not only do they have to move their things out of the room, it needs to wait for their manager to come and inspect it before they can go anywhere, they need to go down to the laundry area and get the sheets replaced and washed, they need to return all of their work clothes to Costuming, and finally get all of their documents approved at the Crew Office before being able to leave the ship. All while lugging their shit up and down various sets of stairs - WITHIN THE SPACE OF AN HOUR. Barely possible to do this calmly and efficiently unless you have next to no belongings; you'll know who's leaving the ship by the harried and stressed out expressions on their faces.This is where having really good friends on board comes into play, so try not to be unpleasant to people!


It's double stressful if you're not even leaving the ship, because that means you have to not only move out of your current room, but also move into your new one within that short allotted time. Horrible things, I tells ya. Especially if let's say...you're also scheduled to work right afterwards.

ROOMMATES

If you've ever been to a sleepaway camp, or in a shared dorm room, or in a hostel, this will not be anything too hard to get used to. This person will hear all of your sleeping noises, and you will hear theirs. You will get used to their smells and their bathroom habits. Yes, you will hear them pooping from your bed but politely ignore it.

They are going to be your life and your everything for the next little while, so hopefully you get along!

I'm lucky to have had AMAZING roommates who I've laughed with, cried with (so much crying. So much bonding!), and keep in touch with. You end up knowing so much more about their families and their loved ones and their lives when you share such a small space. You can have cozy nights in and cuddle, or paint each other's nails, or pre-drink while picking outfits for that special Crew party that night. Because you're in Youth Activities (thank god), you'll most likely be placed with very similar people who are friendly enough to love Disney and love kids, and be that same wide-eyed ingenue fresh out of college who just wants to have fun and sail the seas and is ok watching The Little Mermaid with you over and over again!

....But then sometimes you might not be so lucky. Sometimes maybe you're stuck with that Counselor who has been there for years and is incredibly surly and has given up on life altogether. Sometimes you'll have a roommate who you will never see because if they're working in another space (Edge or Vibe) and when they're home they close their bed curtains on you. OR they're sleeping in...another person's cabin. Sometimes you might luck out and have the department's resident YA Bitch who will smoke in you cabin against the rules, be a total slob and touch your things and use your soap and eat your snacks and say awful things to you. Or... you could just end up in a room with someone in a completely different department by chance with 30 years of an age gap and nothing in common, who smells so foul and walks around naked so it's like living with your aunt Olga who doesn't speak much English.

Like they said in the video above, they can move you! ...Sometimes. It takes a long process of talking to your managers and explaining your situation; often you will have to have perfect timing in a way that one of your friends on board will have a roommate leaving soon. Then both of you have to confirm that you would like to move in together and ....just pray that it happens soon enough. This can take a week, and it can take over a month. In the most extreme cases it's been done overnight with some very lucky shuffling and a lot of different people waking up early to pack their things.


If your roommate does end up being a total douche and there's no way your managers are going to move you for a while... rest assured it won't be forever!
In fact only in rare cases will you have the same roommate for the whole 4-5 months duration of your contract, it can change so often!

PRIVACY

Like I mentioned above there are curtains around the bed, but beyond that there barely is any privacy. You will almost never have any time to yourself on board, in your own room and you can't exactly ask your roommate to leave for a while- because that's their living space too. Where you see in the video a single room, this privilege is only reserved for the highest ranking managers, Captain, Cruise Director, and officers and the principal main stage cast (who will work much less hours than you do, I might add). Not even Mickey Mouse gets his own room, nor do the princesses. Your Youth Activities managers will often have to share as well except those at the very top!


So lack of privacy is very well felt on board.
Some people either 1) Find places to go and spend time outside of their cabin, like out on deck at night  or 2) Not care about the lack of privacy and let it all hang out.

Part 2) is especially interesting when it comes to intimacy and having relations on board. First off, don't expect anyone not to know what's going on because even if your roommate doesn't say anything, they'll see it in the corridor if not hear you through the walls. The "scrunchie/tie handle" rule you pick up in college can be effective sometimes as a sign to your roommate to be careful when entering as you might be busy...getting busy. Sometimes a sticky note or magnet on the door helps - but on stricter ships officers go around removing things from doors and tossing them out.

Being honest and planning things out with your roommate works best. But don't be surprised if you walk in on each other naked or having sex at some point, it's bound to happen and happens often on board. Be pretty straightforward about your sleepover policy, and if it's mutually agreed upon, make sure you both have good headphones to block out the sounds going on above/below you!

Anything I missed? Anything you really want to know about? Leave me a question below!