DisneylandDarren
Disney Cruise Lover
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2002
Firstly,
CONGRATULATIONS JULIE AND GARRY!!!!, Great news about your baby girl!!!
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Lori - Thankyou for your concern about my current work situation.
On that front I would like to say...
Although I may make out McDonalds it a bit of a nightmare I do actually enjoy working there a lot. I have a lot of great friends there and apart from this last run of shifts I've had, usually my work hours aren't too bad. Also I'm due for promotion soon meaning that I would become a Shift Running manager (able to run the store alone without any other manager being present, corr they must trust me!), I have been told that hopefully during the second quarter of this year I will be sent on my training course for this. So hopefully it should all happen before the summer!
Now, on the subject of Disney. As you all know I absolutly love Disney. I had an absolutly amazing time when I worked at WDW. I spent just under a year there and never wanted to leave, but unfortunatly due to Visa's you can only stay there for one year. So my next option was to go and work for Disney Cruise Line. All I can say about DCL is that it was an experience. DCL is no WDW. While working for DCL it didn't feel like I was working for Disney at all. As far as I'm concerned they treet the crew very badly.
Long hours, Low pay, No respect, No Life. It is no wonder that there is virtually no one from the USA or UK working on-board.
I've probably told you some of this before but to give you an idea of life in the dining room on-board DCL....
1) You work an 85 hour week although you sign a contract in which you agree to work up to 94 hours
2) You get paid $14.50 a week (yes thats forteen dollars and 50 cents), That equates to around 17 cents an hour.
3) Even during your first 2 weeks training where you make no tips at all, they still have the cheek to pay you that!
4) You have to live in the tinyest space ever, and the crew cabins are in serious need of a refit. When I arrived at my cabin it was very dirty. To cupboard in the bathroom was rotting away. The plug in the bathroom didn't work there was just peices of metal hanging out. The carpet in the room was nasty. and the my cabin was so small two people could not pass inside it!
5) You never seem to get much respect from the managers, and they are always wanting you to do more and more. From cleaning that goes from the sublime to the rediculess, to staying later and later after closing time to do extra jobs. Also no matter how hard we worked it often seemed like it wasn't enough.
6) Having to work with crew from certain areas of the world (namely the Phillipines and India [no racism intended]) who will be as nice as anything to there guest but then stab all the other crew in the back. All they care about is the money and nothing else. They will steel your equiptment from you sidestand making your job very difficult. They will push everyone around in the galley. They will try to leave earlier than everyone else after dinner.
7) Even though you are working 85 hours a week, still being expected to find time to - clean your cabin for cabin inspection once a week, attend drills and safety classes (unpaid) virtually every other day, change your costume about 3 times a day at wardrobe, and do all your washing.
8) Having to put up with guests who believe:
A - They've paid so much for there cruise anyway they believe they shouldn't have to tip.
B - We only work dinner and therefore don't deserve the full tip amount.
C - Try to work out the amount were all making in tips and come to a figure that is wrong, and then believe were all rich and therefore we're being tipped to much.
Believe me - many people undertip. But if you think what it would cost you in tips to eat 7 Four course dinner, 7 Three course lunches and 7 breakfasts in a restuarant on land, then $18.75 for you assistant and $25.75 for your server for all the service they provide is really nothing. (I'm sorry I know I really don't need to say this to you all as I know you already understand the importance of tipping and I know you all probably over tip). As long as people left the standard amount we were always more than happy.
*** CONTINUED IN NEXT POST ***
CONGRATULATIONS JULIE AND GARRY!!!!, Great news about your baby girl!!!
------
Lori - Thankyou for your concern about my current work situation.
On that front I would like to say...
Although I may make out McDonalds it a bit of a nightmare I do actually enjoy working there a lot. I have a lot of great friends there and apart from this last run of shifts I've had, usually my work hours aren't too bad. Also I'm due for promotion soon meaning that I would become a Shift Running manager (able to run the store alone without any other manager being present, corr they must trust me!), I have been told that hopefully during the second quarter of this year I will be sent on my training course for this. So hopefully it should all happen before the summer!
Now, on the subject of Disney. As you all know I absolutly love Disney. I had an absolutly amazing time when I worked at WDW. I spent just under a year there and never wanted to leave, but unfortunatly due to Visa's you can only stay there for one year. So my next option was to go and work for Disney Cruise Line. All I can say about DCL is that it was an experience. DCL is no WDW. While working for DCL it didn't feel like I was working for Disney at all. As far as I'm concerned they treet the crew very badly.
Long hours, Low pay, No respect, No Life. It is no wonder that there is virtually no one from the USA or UK working on-board.
I've probably told you some of this before but to give you an idea of life in the dining room on-board DCL....
1) You work an 85 hour week although you sign a contract in which you agree to work up to 94 hours
2) You get paid $14.50 a week (yes thats forteen dollars and 50 cents), That equates to around 17 cents an hour.
3) Even during your first 2 weeks training where you make no tips at all, they still have the cheek to pay you that!
4) You have to live in the tinyest space ever, and the crew cabins are in serious need of a refit. When I arrived at my cabin it was very dirty. To cupboard in the bathroom was rotting away. The plug in the bathroom didn't work there was just peices of metal hanging out. The carpet in the room was nasty. and the my cabin was so small two people could not pass inside it!
5) You never seem to get much respect from the managers, and they are always wanting you to do more and more. From cleaning that goes from the sublime to the rediculess, to staying later and later after closing time to do extra jobs. Also no matter how hard we worked it often seemed like it wasn't enough.
6) Having to work with crew from certain areas of the world (namely the Phillipines and India [no racism intended]) who will be as nice as anything to there guest but then stab all the other crew in the back. All they care about is the money and nothing else. They will steel your equiptment from you sidestand making your job very difficult. They will push everyone around in the galley. They will try to leave earlier than everyone else after dinner.
7) Even though you are working 85 hours a week, still being expected to find time to - clean your cabin for cabin inspection once a week, attend drills and safety classes (unpaid) virtually every other day, change your costume about 3 times a day at wardrobe, and do all your washing.
8) Having to put up with guests who believe:
A - They've paid so much for there cruise anyway they believe they shouldn't have to tip.
B - We only work dinner and therefore don't deserve the full tip amount.
C - Try to work out the amount were all making in tips and come to a figure that is wrong, and then believe were all rich and therefore we're being tipped to much.
Believe me - many people undertip. But if you think what it would cost you in tips to eat 7 Four course dinner, 7 Three course lunches and 7 breakfasts in a restuarant on land, then $18.75 for you assistant and $25.75 for your server for all the service they provide is really nothing. (I'm sorry I know I really don't need to say this to you all as I know you already understand the importance of tipping and I know you all probably over tip). As long as people left the standard amount we were always more than happy.
*** CONTINUED IN NEXT POST ***
LOL
So, do we spend the money to get there faster or drive again and hope that Kaleigh does better this trip? It is so hard to justify the cost on transportation!
Wow, those kids sure keep hopping!
