IV. Carnival or Disney?

Where did I leave off ....

So I got called back a group interview for Carnival Cruise Lines, while the prospect of Disney loomed on the horizon. Either way I wanted to keep my options open, so I sent a really nice thank-you note to Wendy for coming up to Canada for the group interview. Again, I used some quick internet sleuthing to find out her full name and address, but chose to send it through Cast-A-way. "Nice touch ;) " , my Professional Crew Advisor said. 

About 3 days after the group interview I received an email:

"Good Afternoon Prince!

Congratulations on your successful interview with Carnival Cruise Lines! Carnival is delighted to offer you a position as Circle C Director!

Attached to this email you will find a document outlining the next steps you will need to take to prepare you to head out to sea. Please be aware that your position with Carnival is contingent on passing your medical, fingerprint and background search... "

Not only was I just a counsellor - but heck, they thought I'd be a great Circle C Director! A pretty stellar entry position, this meant I was already able to plan out my own activities for the younger teens. That said, apparently Carnival also had the rowdier ships. This was where it would be jam packed full of young people, drinking, having wild parties, throwing up everywhere and definitely not as high of a child-to-adult ratio as Disney. Sounded pretty legit, and Carnival went to Australia and Europe, while Disney wouldn't by the time I'd be working.

Than again, mind you - this was still fresh on everyone's minds from the week prior:

Wendy even talked about the ill-fated Costa Concordia disaster at the Group Interview, considering Costa's part of Carnival. But apparently, the best time to ever be on a cruise ship is RIGHT AFTER any sort of mishap, because that's when you know things will be stricter. They also said that post-Concordia we definitely wouldn't be as lax and fun as before, either.

But for me to continue on with Carnival, I needed to:

• Get my medical screening done, costing me about $430 - $600
• Get a criminal background check done, costing about $45
• Get First Aid/CPR Certification, costing about $130
• Pay for my one-way flight down to wherever I'd be boarding the ship, which could be like $100-$200 if I got it crazy cheap. OR it could be way more.

This was looking like a potential $1000 investment just to get on board and start working.
The thing with Disney however, was that they would pay for most of this for me. Even my flights.

So naturally I was like... "So, Nicola - I just want to see if I even have a shot at landing Disney, otherwise I'd take Carnival in a heartbeat."

4 days later, I got an email asking for my availability for ANOTHER phone screening in February, this time from a Disney slant. 

THE PHONE INTERVIEW, ROUND 2

I was so excited, I  anxiously checked my schedule to see if I could block off some time to have another phone call, this time - with Disney. 

I was in Québec City for work, doing this:

YEP. I missed the interview because I was dog-sledding in our icy Canadian wilderness. Pretty worth it though! Can't get more stereotypical than that!

(...til the animal cruelty happened. But that's another story.)

It wasn't til about 20 days later that I'd finally have another crack at it. And success! It was pretty much the same as the first time, except with a stronger focus on Disney's really strict employment standards:

->I couldn't have any visible tattoos whatsoever. At any moment if you could be glimpsed by the guests "onstage" as they called it, you had to be covered up.

->I couldn't have any facial hair unless it was a completely grown mustache. Pfft as if that's ever gonna happen.

->I had to hack off my long flowing curls and have it short.

->I couldn't wear glasses in funky colours. I had to say goodbye to my green contact lenses because they might appear too unnatural for my skin tone.

-> I couldn't have any earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, what-have-you. No jewelry except for one ring on each finger.

 Uh oh Dumbledore, that better be one massive ring on your left hand or Disney won't like it.

 This was all part of a special set of Appearance Guidelines known as the "Disney Look". Stay tuned, more on that later - I'll even stick it up here for you all to see exactly how badly most people won't pass these standards!

And if I was going to get very far, I would have to make sure I matched this look by the time I had a video interview and an in-person interview with the Disney reps in the following month.

 ALSO, 

Before even scheduling a video interview with a Disney representative, I had to have 5 documents completed and sent back in:

1. A brand-new application form specific to Disney.
2. A drug acknowledgment form stating that I knew drugs were very, very bad and a no-no. And that I've never, ever used them in my life. And as a Disney Cast Member I would be subject to drug testing before I boarded and then every so often, just in case.
3. A safety certificate form basically saying that I have had zero marine officer safety training.
4. A checklist ensuring I meet all of the Disney standards.
5. And an information sheet with my general information for filing.

 This, in addition to another copy of my passport, a new written work reference and contact number, and my Skype address was all that I needed to advance to the next level. Hooray!

After all this was done, it would be another month before the actual interview so I got my hair did, saw Crest Whitestrips on sale and snagged those, cause why not?

This stuff realllllly works. For serious. Get Advanced Seal. It's way worth it.

 Aaand on top of that I made sure that I stayed away from drugs while I was surrounded by stoner friends and lived with two awesome dudes who kept a huge pile of it on the living room table. 

Easy Peasy!

I got one last burst of advice and encouragement from Cast-a-Way the night before the video interview :

"Please answer the call with camera (if possible) and dress as though you were at a regular job interview- business attire. Ladies please wear tasteful make-up and have you hair neat and away from your face, gentle men, if you have any facial hair, please ensure it is trimmed and tidy.

They are looking for sparkling personalities, so put your best foot forward- just like you did with me!!!"

And after that, it would be up to me.

------

THE DISNEY INTERVIEWS

So my life at this point was centred on the idea of going full-tilt at nabbing this job. My first Disney interview would be via online video all the way down to Celebration, Florida on March 20th, at exactly noon. I wondered if I would be hungry during, or if the interviewer would be impatiently waiting for their lunch break. 

I spent the morning cleaning my room from its usual disarray to make my backdrop seem like I was a fun, whimsical, organised & wholesome young man. i.e.: no dirty laundry or condoms or passed-out dudes or bottles of Crown Royal in the shot.

Yeah, yeah I'm a young guy. Don't judge me.

After that was all clean, I worked on myself and hoped that I looked like a young, classic go-getter type with a charming Disney spirit and a glowing personality. I turned on my Skype for a good half hour in advance, playing around with the lighting in my room and the volume levels til I thought I put on a decent show. 

I decided against wearing glasses and laid all of my paperwork around me offscreen so I looked prepared. I figured I shouldn't be just dressed from the waist-up lest I need to grab something and the interviewer saw me in my boxers - so again, I decided to be fully dressed in appropriate interview attire down to the socks and shoes. . It really made me feel "in the zone", as it were. I prayed that my roommates wouldn't choose this time to start blasting music or anything on the TV.

Seriously, I must've looked like such a nutcase getting so prepared, but heck- it's Disney. This is the kinda stuff you gotta do. Noon came and went, and I waited for a nerve-wracking 10 minutes fighting the urge to bite my nails while I debated what kind of greeting I should open up with. "How are ya! How's it goin? Hi there! Hello there! Hidy-ho!"

-When that Skype ringing sound started:

I sat up straight, my heart all the way up in my throat.

"Hello, Prince, can you hear me?" The interviewer lady said on the other end.

"Hi, yes - Good how are you?" I said, inwardly facepalming while beaming at my laptop camera.

 But after that, the rest of the interview went swimmingly. I spent so much of the time flashing a smile at her and just having a good time with it - this apparently made the difference in the end. The things I had to talk about/had been asked about were:

• What did I know about Disney Cruise Line, the ships, and the company in general.
• What did I know about the role I would be playing on board, and what I thought about it.
• What's the most important thing that I would need to have being a part of the Disney Show.
• What my experience was like working with children and youth.
• What my goals are in life, what did I originally set out to become?
• How comfortable I am adapting to different situations and different kinds of people.
• How open I am to different lifestyles, cultures, different habits and ways of living.
• What sets Disney apart from working anywhere else.
• Why do I want to do it?

Finally, it was time for me to ask any questions I had for her and so I asked about the process coming up, what kinds of benefits and privileges come with my position, and MOST IMPORTANTLY - in what ways would I be able to continue to grow with Disney. They apparently loooooove it when people show interest in that - they'd sooner hire someone who is, rather than someone who just wants to "travel and see the world for like, a year".

I mean- yes of course you want to travel. Of course you want to go to exotic locales and enjoy the sun, yadda yadda yadda - they know all this. If you're thinking of applying, don't let that be your only motivation. Also its very good to be honest about doing it to be able to save money and not have to worry about living expenses. They get that its a job.

This whole thing lasted about half an hour to 40 minutes, and luckily I had my notepad with me because there were a TONNE of notes to jot down about what was next in the process. I did have to tell her that my availability would be pending my sister's wedding the first week of October (and that was the only time she didn't smile the whole interview - she said she was hoping I'd be ready to go in the next month but that hopefully I wouldn't need to do the whole process again if I got the position.)

I asked about the in-person interview at a hotel in Downtown Toronto, like my friend had to do last year. Apparently she had seen/heard enough for me that I didn't need to come in for that. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, but I thanked her warmly all the same.

And that was it! I spent the rest of the day wondering if I'd said enough, or if that availability thing pretty much doomed me. Either way I resolved that working for Carnival would still be just as great and that I could always reapply for Disney the next time around.

The next day however, I got an email.

"Congratulations!  You have been successful in your interview with Disney Cruise Line! We would like to consider you further in the hiring process as a

Youth Activities Counselor!"

 

It was March 21st. I was in bed. I jumped up and screamed.

NEXT  UP: THE LONG SUMMER OF GETTING STUFF DONE