Current CM.. Any Questions?

[mcd2745]

Hi DCL Peeps!

I am an Entertainment CM and have worked in a couple of different positions on a few different ships (and WDW as well). If you have questions and can’t find the answer, please send them my way and I can try and help.
Mags

You likely won't know the answer to this, but.....are there ever discussions about adding more entertainment/activities later at night?

I wish there was more going on "late" nights. After the show - be it "Match Your Mate", comedian/magician/juggler, etc - ends in the main lounge (usually shortly after 11pm - which i don't even consider that late), there is absolutely zero going on. I've always thought 11:30pm or midnight would be a great time to offer Mixology, or maybe some late trivia could probably be done in the pub on the TV screens, possibly along with the Navigator app - so wouldn't even require a CM. Perhaps a midnight movie on Funnel Vision some nights. Heck, even leaving the Quiet cove pool and hot tub open until 1-2am would be great.

 

[CMontheseas]

Don’t your bosses stick up for you in these situations?

I wish I could say this was always but even as a Manager when I wanted to defend my team you have pressure from higher-ups like the Hotel General Manager that will reverse that just for guest satisfaction scores on the survey. The shorter the cruise, the quicker the solution has to be and it's generally whatever the guest wants.

(On the ships the way things are managed are completely different to the parks on land. There's a priority focus on those surveys and scores and sometimes this means management giving guests who are likely to return again the ability to complain and get their way if they threaten a poor survey score. )

 

[CMontheseas]

I wish I could say this was always but even as a Manager when I wanted to defend my team you have pressure from higher-ups like the Hotel General Manager that will reverse that just for guest satisfaction scores on the survey. The shorter the cruise, the quicker the solution has to be and it's generally whatever the guest wants.

(On the ships the way things are managed are completely different to the parks on land. There's a priority focus on those surveys and scores and sometimes this means management giving guests who are likely to return again the ability to complain and get their way if they threaten a poor survey score. )

But there are also really great managers that definitely do enforce policy and don't care about scores, but they're also the ones that don't intend to stick around for years!

 

[DMMarla07860]

You likely won't know the answer to this, but.....are there ever discussions about adding more entertainment/activities later at night?

I wish there was more going on "late" nights. After the show - be it "Match Your Mate", comedian/magician/juggler, etc - ends in the main lounge (usually shortly after 11pm - which i don't even consider that late), there is absolutely zero going on. I've always thought 11:30pm or midnight would be a great time to offer Mixology, or maybe some late trivia could probably be done in the pub on the TV screens, possibly along with the Navigator app - so wouldn't even require a CM. Perhaps a midnight movie on Funnel Vision some nights. Heck, even leaving the Quiet cove pool and hot tub open until 1-2am would be great.

a later mixology would be awesome. I'd do it I mean they do have a bar open till 1:00am

 

[happycamper47]

a later mixology would be awesome. I'd do it I mean they do have a bar open till 1:00am

But that ties up the staff and shuts the bar/slounge down for regular service.

 

[Mags2002]

You got to be Anna? That would be been so cool! She is my favorite.

Yes! She’s one of my favorites to hang out with!

 

[Mags2002]

What do cast members usually do on their time-off? I've read that CM's are not allowed to use the guest areas.

Some departments have Guest privileges, meaning they can do things around the ship in their time off (movies, shows, pools etc). For those who do not have Guest privileges there are crew areas to hang out in

 

[Mags2002]

You likely won't know the answer to this, but.....are there ever discussions about adding more entertainment/activities later at night?

I wish there was more going on "late" nights. After the show - be it "Match Your Mate", comedian/magician/juggler, etc - ends in the main lounge (usually shortly after 11pm - which i don't even consider that late), there is absolutely zero going on. I've always thought 11:30pm or midnight would be a great time to offer Mixology, or maybe some late trivia could probably be done in the pub on the TV screens, possibly along with the Navigator app - so wouldn't even require a CM. Perhaps a midnight movie on Funnel Vision some nights. Heck, even leaving the Quiet cove pool and hot tub open until 1-2am would be great.

I am not involved in/aware of any discussions to add any activities. Have you passed your feedback on to DCL?

 

[DMMarla07860]

But that ties up the staff and shuts the bar/slounge down for regular service.

Not if they do it at a bar that was already closed. I know at least on the Wish only one bar was open a hour later, 4 others closed and the bar staff from those don't go to opened bar. If and big if they could use one of closed bars and staff who were working at that. Like I say big IF

 

[Mags2002]

What is the difference between a guest cabin and a crew one?

Smaller, sharing with someone who is initially a stranger (Cast know each other pretty well before boarding; other departments you board and just get put in a cabin with someone), mostly no porthole (some crew cabins do have one, some Guest cabins don’t have one), limited storage space, bathroom is TINY

 

[mcd2745]

Not if they do it at a bar that was already closed. I know at least on the Wish only one bar was open a hour later, 4 others closed and the bar staff from those don't go to opened bar. If and big if they could use one of closed bars and staff who were working at that. Like I say big IF

Exactly. Generally, all bars are not being used at that time. They would be generating revenue at a time when they normally didn't. I'm sure the bar staff (Mixology usually has 3 people - the bartender, and 2 servers/assistants) wouldn't mind either since it means additional gratuities.

 

[mcd2745]

I am not involved in/aware of any discussions to add any activities. Have you passed your feedback on to DCL?

I mention it in every post-cruise survey and attach it to my comment card all the time (I have to use a separate piece of paper, since there really is no room on the "comment" card for...well, comments ).

 

[DisneyConvert]

The important thing to remember is that Disney Cruise Line guests are a very specific subset of Disney Guests in general: willing to spend more money for an experience available to a select few but also with the expectation that this cruise on the same ship will likely be a very similar set of events and entertainment that they're absolutely ok with. For us on board is so much more of a Groundhog Day effect that we work under, repeat cruisers and Castaway Club members love this consistency (some will go to the same trivia again on a back to back cruise and memorize the answers but pretend they don't know it; some will go back to the same characters just to say the same things again just to get the photo again but in another outfit or even "test" us to see if we remember them and obviously we'll always say yes)

In this way cruise guests tend to have less bad behavior to the characters because it's still a bit of a premium product for some, but with that also comes a higher level of expectation just because they've paid that much so one visit to Guest Services because a certain family is running late to a set could mean you're just not eating lunch that day

Wow. That's amazingly insightful.

 

[DisneyConvert]

You likely won't know the answer to this, but.....are there ever discussions about adding more entertainment/activities later at night?

I wish there was more going on "late" nights. After the show - be it "Match Your Mate", comedian/magician/juggler, etc - ends in the main lounge (usually shortly after 11pm - which i don't even consider that late), there is absolutely zero going on. I've always thought 11:30pm or midnight would be a great time to offer Mixology, or maybe some late trivia could probably be done in the pub on the TV screens, possibly along with the Navigator app - so wouldn't even require a CM. Perhaps a midnight movie on Funnel Vision some nights. Heck, even leaving the Quiet cove pool and hot tub open until 1-2am would be great.

This is a brilliant question that made me realize why DW and I really enjoy DCL.

For us, the 10:30 show in Fathoms (or wherever) IS late night entertainment and we like that the hallways are mostly quiet after that. Neither of us drink alcohol, so I don't know if that's a factor.

And we both usually get up by or before 7am, and love those early mornings when its quiet. Room service breakfast in our (Navigator's) Verandah is a big treat.
.
I think your question is valid, but the answer, which I think is "No" is actually satisfactory to me

 

[DisneyConvert]

I enjoy when I see crew doing things on their time off. Heck last cruise I was doing a 5k on Castaway and a few of the bar staff were off and taking a bike ride and said hey Julia as passing by

Exactly! They work so hard, and get very little time off.

I recall seeing some entertainment CM's at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. I said hello, they acknowledged and were friendly, but I left them alone as they should not have to be "on" with a guest during their time off.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Exactly. Generally, all bars are not being used at that time. They would be generating revenue at a time when they normally didn't. I'm sure the bar staff (Mixology usually has 3 people - the bartender, and 2 servers/assistants) wouldn't mind either since it means additional gratuities.

I should throw this idea to a few friends who are beverage managers see their thoughts

 

[FastPasser.]

Maggs2002, I realize both have pluses and minuses but do you prefer being a friend of a DCL princess or WDW princess?

 

[Mags2002]

Exactly. Generally, all bars are not being used at that time. They would be generating revenue at a time when they normally didn't. I'm sure the bar staff (Mixology usually has 3 people - the bartender, and 2 servers/assistants) wouldn't mind either since it means additional gratuities.

I am not certain, but it may also have something to do with scheduling and making sure that CMs have the correct amount of work hours and time off

 

[Mags2002]

Maggs2002, I realize both have pluses and minuses but do you prefer being a friend of a DCL princess or WDW princess?

Both definitely do have pluses and minuses!!!
But I think I like WDW. I was approved for a few different Princesses and fur characters (although I didn’t have many fur shifts) so I had some variety in my schedule.
While I have had different character roles on ships in different contracts, it is still very same same each day

 

[FastPasser.]

But I think I like WDW.

Not to mention a somewhat normal life when you’re not working.