Being a Disney Youth Activities Counselor: The Food Situation

The Food Situation

One of the biggest adjustments that we have to make from living on land is one of the most important things to many of us, and also what seems to dictate our mood for the rest of the day: OUR MEALS. As one of my fellow New Hires referred to it when he asked on the first day: "So...what's the food situation?"

Now don't get any ideas, especially if you've cruised before as a guest or passenger on another cruise line, about eating the great food in the restaurants every night, or being able to eat whenever you want to. Because as a Disney Youth Activities Counselor...you won't have that ability.
(Even though technically it says we do according to our Petty Officer rank privileges on board, that's been revoked and we're only allowed to eat our meals in the Crew Mess.)

The Crew Mess is where Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner take place for us on board.

Breakfast is normally from 6:00 am - 10:00 am

Lunch is served from 11:00am - 2:00pm

Dinner is 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Now just in case you've been screwed over with scheduling and your breaks don't actually let you eat anything all day, (which can happen! It's your responsibility to look over your schedule and tell a Manager so that they can change it around and let you go eat.) there is an additional mealtime:

Late Night Snack which is from 10:30 - 11:30 pm.

The 'Mess' as we call it, is large cafeteria at the Aft of the ship on Deck 1, and has its own galley/kitchens behind it. The food is served "buffet-style", in which you pick up your own tray, plate and cutlery, and pick and choose whatever it is you want. Now before you even touch anything, there are these large motion-sensor activated stations that you must always use whenever you enter and exit the Mess. You can always tell someone who is new to the ship by how long it takes them to wash their hands and figure out how to make the water start and stop.

(Handy tip: Hang back and watch people doing it for a while unless you want to be embarrassed while people make impatient noises in line behind you!)

The Crew Mess buffet area on the Dream/Fantasy

Now once you've got your plate and cutlery all nicely balanced, it's off to the food serving area with its expanse of sneeze-guards over steaming aluminum trays. Here's a breakdown of what the menu might be for each meal:

*Note that if you're either a) strictly vegetarian or b) allergic to a variety of things, the possibility of cross-contamination is high. Apparently when you first apply if you openly indicate any of this you get weeded out. If you managed to make it through... eating will be a big challenge.

BREAKFAST (6:00- 10:00am)

-Yogurt-

-Bread, Rolls for toasting. -

-Assorted mini pastries, danishes, and croissants-

-Peanut Butter and Jelly packets -

-Scrambled Eggs-

-Sausages-

-Roasted Potatoes-

-White Rice-

-Oatmeal-

-Grits-

-Ham slices-

-Juice/Water/Milk/Tea (the soft drink dispenser is usually not on for breakfast)-

LUNCH (11:00- 2:00pm)

-Lentil Soup (Changes daily)-

-Salad Bar with Cucumbers, Onions, Spinach, Hard boiled Eggs, Tomatoes, Lettuce-

- Assortment of Dressings (Italian, Thousand Island, Caesar, Raspberry) -

- White Rice -

- Cajun Roasted Potatoes -

- Parboiled Rice -

- Roasted Chicken Legs -

- Steamed Fish -

- Glazed Pork Loin Chops -

- Chicken Madeira -

- Fried Fish -

-Juice/Water/Milk/Tea/Soft Drinks (Coke Products, not Pepsi!) -

Glass Dessert Cabinet with assorted individual square slices of cake, blue or green jello, chocolate mousse

*Counselors in "the know" will usually hang around closer to 2pm, when the 'good food' i.e. better selections leftover from the higher-ranked Officers Mess is often brought to the Crew Mess and served in limited quantities. Reuben sandwiches, Philly cheese steaks, tortilla wraps, etc. *

DINNER (4:00 - 8:00pm)

-Cauliflower au gratin-

-Creamed Spinach -

-Parboiled Rice -

- Lamb Stew -

-Curried Beef in gravy-

-Jerk Chicken -

-Sundried tomato pasta -

-Fish in a sweet and sour sauce -

-Green peas -

-and surprise! White Rice -

-Juice/Water/Milk/Tea/Soft Drinks (Coke Products, not Pepsi!) -

Glass Dessert Cabinet with the same desserts from that morning. Maybe a sneaky parfait tossed in the mix.

And everyone's favorite/when the Dining staff will make a mad dash to beat you to it/long line-up hour

LATE-NIGHT SNACK (10:30 - 11:30pm)

- Steak -

- Hot dogs -

- Burgers -

- Sushi -

- Salmon -

- Sandwiches and Wraps -

- A lot more desserts -

- Ice cream! -

- Ham and Cheese Quiche -

- Beef Skewers -

- Grilled Chicken strips-

- Shrimp rolls -

-Fresh Fruit -

- Lobster -

- Fries -

- Pizza -

- Basically whatever was leftover from the guest dining rooms -

And for the stragglers.... Ramen noodle cups!

*Note the wide selection food isn't always guaranteed, but whatever does come out, it comes in waves of increasing goodness. People will circle like vultures and swoop. Watch out for sneaky Deck/Engine crewmembers who will hoard platefuls of things and bring it back to their own table. It's a very tense time, line-cutters are often called out. But if you can survive it - late night snack is where it's AT! *

Oh and there's usually a ketchup / mayonnaise or mustard dispenser, alongside bottles of various other condiments (hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, vinegar, olive oil).

...Now it doesn't sound too bad, and to be honest it really isn't terrible at all! But the tricky part will be getting used to the same thing day in, day out. It's kinda like going to a boarding school or a college with a menu that varies only very slightly from day to day. More cynical Counselors might call it prison food.

Most Counselors have adapted their own ways to reconciling themselves with the ship diet:

1) Going gung-ho and embracing the white rice for every meal

2) Being creative and transforming the food into different dishes themselves

3) Sneaking food from above deck or from the kid's meal time

4) Sticking with Salad and Peanut butter sandwiches.

If your contract happens to coincide with any major holidays, or independence days of various nations represented on board- usually we get a bonus dinner of decently delicious food and desserts all around! Everyone excitedly reports the news to each other upstairs in the youth spaces, and a buzz of sheer joy is felt as people leave for their dinner breaks and come back to revel in that satisfied states full of culinary delights. I wonder if it's very nice/very sad that our food situation can affect us so much!

I will now close with a lovely assortment of photos a fellow crewmember covertly took of the Crew Mess on a very ordinary day (and how ~~depressing~~ it can sometimes be):

Clearly Disney Show doesn't quite always extend to labelling food correctly.