When working for DCL, when exactly are you working?

[GottaLoveDisneyAndFood]

Hi, I have been a camp counselor for 5 years now and I am wanting to expand my experience by working as a youth counselor on one of the cruise ships. I have read and researched but I can't seem to figure out what and when the hours and months are when you work.

Are the working hours/months different for each person or for the ship? Is it the same months every year that you work? Also I know you have some months in which you aren't on a ship are you getting paid during that time too?

 

[Dug720]

If you work on a ship, you will be on a contract. Many are 4 months on, 2 months off - I'm not sure what the kids' club people are on, but it would follow that pattern. It can change by a week or two (or sometimes more) depending on the needs. If they have people who have to be delayed getting to their contract (illness just before flying, something interrupting air travel, etc.) then you would be asked to stay on until your replacement gets there. So it's not going to be exactly the same time off each contract.

No. When you are not on the ship, you are not paid. So you have to learn to budget what you make while on board to last the time you are off.

 

[Dug720]

Additionally, your hours would be during the time the kids' clubs are open - but would likely vary as not everyone is in there the entire time they're open. You'd likely also have duties on Castaway Cay.

The only group that comes on and goes off at the same time is the stage entertainment/character friends. That unit is hired as a group, rehearse as a group, are trained as a group, embark as a group, and barring something major (like if someone gets themselves separated from the Disney Company) happening, they leave as a group. Not like a land-based show where they can replace people on the regular. As far as I know, all the other areas have people coming and going every week.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

@bbel has worked in youth activities. Batsignal.

 

[bbel]

My first question would be do you want to work for Disney in a kids club? Or do you want to work with kids in more of a camp style and/or travel the world? Because if its the second another cruiseline would probably be a much better fit, I know from personal experience doing both haha.

Technically you're on call all the time as your have to respond to certain emergencies, but normal hours are primarily anything between 9am to midnight (earlier if you're opening, later if you're closing). But you can start as early as 6am if you're helping with shore ex, tenders or debark. And can finish as late as 2- 3am if you're in teens (vibe).

You'll work around 11 hours on a sea day, maybe 9 on a port and maybe have 3-4 hours off in port if you're lucky. No days off so that's forn7 days a week for 4 months then 4-6 weeks off. (My other cruise line was much for flexible with vacation time and contract length so you could fit it around things like weddings or big birthdays at home.) Everyone's contracts overlap so most cruises there will be a couple of people in your team signing on and signing off, which means not everyone is completely fresh or completely exhausted at the same time which is nice. Usually the people you join the ship with,you'll leave at the same time too, or within a cruise or two, and then probably go back for the next contract pretty much the same time, but not always.

 

[GottaLoveDisneyAndFood]

My first question would be do you want to work for Disney in a kids club? Or do you want to work with kids in more of a camp style and/or travel the world? Because if its the second another cruiseline would probably be a much better fit, I know from personal experience doing both haha.

Technically you're on call all the time as your have to respond to certain emergencies, but normal hours are primarily anything between 9am to midnight (earlier if you're opening, later if you're closing). But you can start as early as 6am if you're helping with shore ex, tenders or debark. And can finish as late as 2- 3am if you're in teens (vibe).

You'll work around 11 hours on a sea day, maybe 9 on a port and maybe have 3-4 hours off in port if you're lucky. No days off so that's forn7 days a week for 4 months then 4-6 weeks off. (My other cruise line was much for flexible with vacation time and contract length so you could fit it around things like weddings or big birthdays at home.) Everyone's contracts overlap so most cruises there will be a couple of people in your team signing on and signing off, which means not everyone is completely fresh or completely exhausted at the same time which is nice. Usually the people you join the ship with,you'll leave at the same time too, or within a cruise or two, and then probably go back for the next contract pretty much the same time, but not always.

I'm used to working from 7am- midnight, so I'm not to worried about long hours. I have been doing camp for a while and I am interested in working for Disney in the kids club to get some experience in a different working environment. I have general idea for kids club, but what are the specific responsibilities and activities you do in kids club?

 

[bbel]

I'm used to working from 7am- midnight, so I'm not to worried about long hours. I have been doing camp for a while and I am interested in working for Disney in the kids club to get some experience in a different working environment. I have general idea for kids club, but what are the specific responsibilities and activities you do in kids club?

If you're just youth staff your main job is standing in certain areas, making sure kids don't damage themselves or others, if you're entertainment host you're running a lot more of the activities/shows, but that's quite a different job and requires more of an acting/performing background.
You tend to move around every half an hour or so. Your day might be something like: stand outside the bathroom, then stand at the top of the slide, then check kids in, then stand at the bottom of the slide, then back outside the bathroom, then support an ent host with science or other activities, then run a game of gaga ball, then back to outside the bathroom again... and an hour of cleaning at the end of the day. (When I moved lines we gave a quick go over but then housekeeping came in for a deep clean at the end of each day which is something I could see Disney doing when they start sailing again)
I personally couldn't go back to it, I'm too used to running full sessions instead of the odd game and getting to know kids and their families and being busy and feeling valued. Disney was a lot more of working hard, hardly working lol, easy money tho and you get to say you work for disney.

If you go to the nursery there's obviously a lot more responsibility, and its pretty much the same as working with that age on land, different kind of hard work in there, but unless you're nursery staff it's rare you'll be in there, maybe a couple of hours over the whole contract.

Teen staff is a bit more intense too as again, your running it and there's less staff, but you do get to know the kids better. It can be hard if you have the more difficult kids as you never see the parents. If anything happens between the kids, it falls back on you, so like the nursery there's more but different responsibility.

When I worked there I thought YS at Disney was the best thing ever, but I'm definitely more an activity based person, so found i was much better suited and much happier elsewhere.

A while back I did a comparison of the Disney and royal clubs. While it's a comparison and focuses on 2 cruise lines, it also gives a lot of details of how they run, which might give you a bit of an insight of what it's like to work in them. Obviously its all pre covid and I have no idea what it will be like going back, especially as some of the changes for the UK cruises effect the kids clubs. Its over on the Royal page, but here's a link: https://www.disboards.com/threads/my-comparison-ish-of-royals-and-disneys-kids-clubs.3756878/

If you have any questions feel free to ask, its been a while for the DCL kids club side of things, but basic ship life doesn't really change even on different ships or with different companies...

 

[insureman]

If you're just youth staff your main job is standing in certain areas, making sure kids don't damage themselves or others, if you're entertainment host you're running a lot more of the activities/shows, but that's quite a different job and requires more of an acting/performing background.
You tend to move around every half an hour or so. Your day might be something like: stand outside the bathroom, then stand at the top of the slide, then check kids in, then stand at the bottom of the slide, then back outside the bathroom, then support an ent host with science or other activities, then run a game of gaga ball, then back to outside the bathroom again... and an hour of cleaning at the end of the day. (When I moved lines we gave a quick go over but then housekeeping came in for a deep clean at the end of each day which is something I could see Disney doing when they start sailing again)
I personally couldn't go back to it, I'm too used to running full sessions instead of the odd game and getting to know kids and their families and being busy and feeling valued. Disney was a lot more of working hard, hardly working lol, easy money tho and you get to say you work for disney.

If you go to the nursery there's obviously a lot more responsibility, and its pretty much the same as working with that age on land, different kind of hard work in there, but unless you're nursery staff it's rare you'll be in there, maybe a couple of hours over the whole contract.

Teen staff is a bit more intense too as again, your running it and there's less staff, but you do get to know the kids better. It can be hard if you have the more difficult kids as you never see the parents. If anything happens between the kids, it falls back on you, so like the nursery there's more but different responsibility.

When I worked there I thought YS at Disney was the best thing ever, but I'm definitely more an activity based person, so found i was much better suited and much happier elsewhere.

A while back I did a comparison of the Disney and royal clubs. While it's a comparison and focuses on 2 cruise lines, it also gives a lot of details of how they run, which might give you a bit of an insight of what it's like to work in them. Obviously its all pre covid and I have no idea what it will be like going back, especially as some of the changes for the UK cruises effect the kids clubs. Its over on the Royal page, but here's a link: https://www.disboards.com/threads/my-comparison-ish-of-royals-and-disneys-kids-clubs.3756878/

If you have any questions feel free to ask, its been a while for the DCL kids club side of things, but basic ship life doesn't really change even on different ships or with different companies...

Great explanation bbel!

 

[GottaLoveDisneyAndFood]

So what about when you get off time? Are you able to get off the ship if it's docked or are you required to stay on the ship?

 

[BadPinkTink]

@GottaLoveDisneyAndFood
You should really go to YouTube and , theres lots of former DCL crew from various departments who have vlogged their experiences.

You should check out Miranda Roseanne On YouTube In 2018 she Vlogged about her experiences as a Youth Activities crew member on Disney Cruise Line. She has a series of videos about the whole process, from the hiring process, onboard the ship and crew life. She had a 4 month contract but left before the end of her contract and she explains why she left.

Another former Disney Cruise Line crew is Gianna Alexis - Fairy Godmother Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique She has a lot more videos and really gives alot of information about her experiences. In the end she also left Disney Cruise Line before the end of her contract.

At the moment I'm currently following 2 Royal Caribbean crew on YouTube who have vlogged their Covid experiences and their return to ship life. This will give you an idea of ship life now, in Covid times.

Jordan Bauth - Professional Ice Skater on Adventure of The Seas

Chris Wong - Casino

 

[dclpluto]

I'm used to working from 7am- midnight, so I'm not to worried about long hours. I have been doing camp for a while and I am interested in working for Disney in the kids club to get some experience in a different working environment. I have general idea for kids club, but what are the specific responsibilities and activities you do in kids club?

you will not be working like that on a cruise ship. There is a law that you can’t work more than 91 hours a week. Not positive on the 91 but know it’s 90 something. So if it is 91 that’s a average of 13 hours a day.

 

[bbel]

So what about when you get off time? Are you able to get off the ship if it's docked or are you required to stay on the ship?

Yes, if you have time off as long as you don't have IMP (in port manning, which seems to be a DCL thing, which basically means you have to stay onboard in case of an emergency and it works out about 1 every 4 or 5 ports, but there's a whole rota for that) or there's drill, but you can get off after drill if there's time. Sometimes we were only in port long enough for drill.
Youth staff at DCL means 3 hours is a long break.
Sometimes its not worth it, when you factor in getting changed, getting off the gangway, and the same in reverse, especially if the port is away from anything.
All aboard for crew at DCL always seemed to be an hour before the guests too.
I would always try to get off tho, even if it was for 45minutes. Just to keep your sanity.