Oh the Privileged Life

Soooooo if you wanna hit up Disney World with me this March......let me know :D 

FREE! FREE! FREEE! (Mostly.)

Tips and Tidbits from my peers!

So a massive Thank You to everyone who has been trawling the seafloor of the internet in order to help me with my journey- and also thank you to all the Cast/Crew Members I've met lately as we all collectively bond over the idea that we've signed off our lives to the sea witch for the next while and need to be prepared.


I am super appreciative, and so is everyone else trying to pack their lives/get ready!
Remember - everything in this post is courtesy of other people and their opinions/ideas - entirely their property and I lay no claim to them whatsoever!
So let's get on with it:

TIPS AND TIDBITS FROM THE CAST AND CREW

"Everyone over packs the first contract - so don't worry too much.  Here's a general list..

• Tolietries (shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, sun screen etc) enough for the first 2 or 3 weeks (you can buy them in port but may not have a chance to for a while depending on your schedule). You will have access to a walmart in Port Canaveral

• Lots of socks and underwear (I would bring enough for 3 weeks just in case I didn't get a chance to do laundry). A Laundry bag.

• Clothes for off time - crew bar, ports, bathing suit and a fancy outfit or two (they have nicer crew events).  Make sure to bring some warmer clothes too as Florida/Bahamas gets cold in the winter)

• Proper footwear (you cannot get footwear easily before you get on the ship) avoid the hassle and bring the proper footwear with you.

• Laptop if you have one, DVDs,Camera, hair dryer if you use one, battery operated alarm clock

• Money for the first couple weeks (as it may be a bit before you get your paycheck)

• If you have guest privileges (some positions are allowed to use certain guest areas on time off ) make sure to bring disney look clothes

• If there is something you can only get at home (candy, specific brand of toiletries etc) make sure to bring a good supply.  You can bring only certain types of food on the ship (basically dry goods like snack food), so I would always bring some meal bars, crackers etc on just so I had them in case I was hungry or slept through a meal.

• A beach towel

• Medication (they do have sea calm and pain relievers available at anytime outside med center)

• Pictures of family/friends and any small comfort items, magnets (the walls in your room are magnetic - to hand pictures and notes up).

• On the Dream there is room under the beds to store things, but on the magic and wonder there are just drawers - so if you by any chance get transferred to the Magic/Wonder it is better to have a soft case luggage so you can store it."

-Nicole

 "Make sure you take an adapter plug for every electrical item you are taking (something they didn't tell me before I went).  When you take your stuff to electrical they will stick a label on every item you have a plug for, and then tape your plug to that item.  Luckily lots of my stuff changed through my laptop, but unless you plan on hiding your things every week for cabin inspection, make sure you take enough!'

 -Louisa

"-Bring lots of comfortable clothes (ah my days of accessorizing are long gone, bring on the sweatpants!)
-Make friends in all departments, you never know when you will need their help
-Don’t leave your laundry unattended for too long
-Use your safe (I finally learnt how to use it! Don’t worry mom, they hold on to my passport so it wasn’t in there)
-Buy an American phone because phone cards are ridiculous and I whip right through them
-When using the internet, type all your messages out in Word first and then copy and paste them into the emails once you have signed on…as I am super cheap and stingy with my internet card.
-Febreeze. Enough said.
-Sleep any chance you can.
-Eat when you can, even if you’re not hungry, you will be hungry later when your break gets swapped around or you’re too lazy to get up for breakfast…
-Snacks are your friend when you’re too lazy to get up for breakfast.

-Run around a lot during the day so you don’t feel bad about eating so much."

 -Amanda

" I would recommend taking a cell phone... but not a contract one because that is going to be real expensive with the constant roaming charges.

If you take along an unlocked phone that can accept sim cards there is a sim card you can buy so that you can make calls/receive texts at sea.  It is kind of expensive but cheaper than using 'oceanphone' from the phone in your cabin.  It's useful to have if you are desperate to call home.

American cell phone is a great idea.  Whichever ship you end up in you should be in an american port at least two times a week.  I actually use that to call to the UK when I need to. And it's not extortionate to text home either. Most Europeans I know do not have us cell phones... Only the British really.

Internet is a ongoing debate. You will use it... There is no way around it really. Because like you said it is the best way to communicate while at sea. It's probably equivalent to the speed of dial up... So things like Skype come and go... And downloading anything is usually a big no no. There are times when it is slower than others. Usually between 11pm and 1 am when everyone is using it. And sometimes you can't even get on it because it can only cope with so many users logged into it at anyone time."

-Ben

 "As for advice... I feel like I could write a whole book on it.  Biggest ones: make sure you have balance in your life on board.  Have fun, but makes sure to get enough sleep and take time to yourself as you need it.  Don't lose sight of the reason you are there and the job you have to do, there will be many things that will cloud that."

-Nicole

 "My next post will consist of what I forgot to bring.

Forgotten List

1. Febreeze
2. Duvet
3. Suitcase
4. Magnets
5. Pictures
6. Clock
7. Powerbar
8. Small decorations
9. Baskets for wardrobe
10. Plain t-shirts (Disney Look)
11. Laundry Basket/Bag 
12. More snack foods (granola bars, etc)"

-Amanda

"DCL provide a lot of stuff... towels and linens included.

You should just bring any personal items you require... shower gel... hair products... toothpaste... but even if you forget there is the crew store.

YourTV is equipt with a DVD player so you might want to bring a few movies (as long as they are Region 1) or CDs.

On the clothes front... it's always a good idea to not bring too much.  You'll be in your work clothes most of the time.  Cabins are designed well for storage but they are still very small.  Think logically... swimming shorts, one smart outfit (i.e shirt and tie).  It's warm all year round but can get chilly during the evenings in the winter months... so just incase someone has told you it's a great idea to just bring t shirts and shorts... pack a sweater haha.

You can always buy new clothes at the mall anyway.

Laptop is up to you... the ship is wireless (you have to pay for the internet by buying cards tho) but there is an internet cafe with computers if you decide not to bring a laptop.  My first contract I didn't have a laptop and I got on fine... but I guess it's annoying not to have it if you need to do things like update your ipod... upload pictures etc.

For youth activities you'll also need a pair of white sneakers, a pair of black dress shoes and a pair of teevo sandals (for Castaway Cay).  Beware of visible logos on the sneakers.  You can normally find good Nike ones tho that are all white... they are ok to have the 'Nike tick' visible as long as it is not completely obvious.

If you have problems obtaining any of the shoes you can get them here.  Before you get on the ship you will stay at Disney World... there are stores in the Disney area that sell suitable trainers.  The teevo sandals are a little harder to find if you don't know the requirements but you can order on board and use your trainers while you wait for them to arrive."

-Ben

 "The wonder doesn't have a lot of storage for suitcases so it is better if you use a soft sided duffle bag (I got one with wheels).  The normal rolly bags will be a pain to store.

Life on board can be hard at times, and I don't know if you celebrate Christmas or not, but it is hard over the holidays, especially if you are new.  There will be holiday parties and such which are lots of fun.  You may want to bring some nicer outfits for those.

Bring anything from Canada that you cannot get in the US.  On the West coast, there is a Walmart in one of the Mexican ports (PV I think).  It's always good to bring enough toiletries and such to last the first 3 weeks just in case you cannot get to a store due to days off. "

-Nicole

VII. Disney's Mission: Timekeeper

MISSION: TIMEKEEPER

Apparently this is cool and vital enough that Disney actively encourages its new hires to play!
(To be fair I'm actually learning a whole lot about the Company. Maybe this is Phase One of the brainwassssshinnnnng)

http://welcome.dcljobs.com/welcome/mission-timekeeper/

Enjoy!

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

II. The Process

So getting started with a career with a cruise company isn't exactly an easy, fast process - at least not for Disney. I began this whole thing over a year ago and now still have 2 pieces of paperwork to complete before I take off in 2 weeks!

BUT - for those of you wanting to start the whole process, I'll give you a play-by-play of all the hoops I had to jump through to get 'er done.


->First things first:
Now just a bit of background about me - I've been working with kids and in the travel agency for the past 6 years (and doin a pretty awesome job of it apparently!). I've been picked up by several tour companies to lead and guide trips to Boston, Quebec City, Toronto, Washington, New York, Ottawa, Niagara Falls - and a bunch of other random places. I continued on by working at an International language camp in Quebec and Ontario. In both I spent my time visiting monuments, attractions, museums, watching Broadway shows and circus performances, eating local food and speaking in foreign tongues while I kept kids entertained and educated.

 It was working these jobs that I realised that I really didn't mind living away from home for half the year, living out of a suitcase was a breeze and traveling gave me one seeerious high that I never got from my studies. But one step up from traveling the world via motorcoach was either flight attendant as a man of the skies or crew member on board a ship - and I really wanted to keep working with kids , cause this was something that surprisingly came very naturally to me.

In the end, my Pacific heritage and islander birth leaned on being a seaman instead of a flyboy, and after a cruise with the family I was hooked.

The Application:

Speaking from a purely Canadian perspective, most of the people I know who've landed jobs on boards have gone to a hiring agency online, who handles your application and refers you to the cruise lines.

I originally tried Page Marine Crews : http://www.pmcmarine.com  
-They take care of cruise lines like Cunard, Princess, Holland America, and P&O. These cruises go like, EVERYWHERE. Especially the Mediterranean and Pacific.

Sadly they never got back to me and I was kinda bummed out.
So I tried another recruiter, Cast-A-Way: http://cast-a-way.com/main/home.html
-They handle cruise companies like Carnival, Steiner and of course, Disney Cruise Line.

The first time I applied to Cast-A-Way, I didn't hear anything back - and didn't land an interview! (Le sadface.) Now that only depressed me because a fellow colleague & good friend at the time also wanted to apply and I helped him with the process - and he managed to land interviews and the job, and sailed off to the Mediterranean while I sulked like a jealous, jealous boy.




BUT after a few months of moping and renewing my passport, I decided to try again!
Now it can be nerve-wracking since for many of these companies, all you have is an online application to fill out, and often you have to compartmentalise your stellar resumé into a wee box.

Put A LOT of thought and effort into this. This is apparently where a lot of would-be candidates slip up because they forgot to fill in a section. In my case the first time, my passport status was still pending so I left that section blank and figured I could tell them to fill it in later. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING BLANK!

This is where they will automatically toss your online application into the reject pile while they're weeding through:

• Can't commit to a 6-month contract? -NEXT.

• Only want seasonal employment? -NEXT.

• Have a visible tattoo? -NEXT. (At least for Disney)

And as far as your spoken languages & skills go, that's all extra and wasn't required for my job really.


What would really up your chances of getting in to the first interview - which is a phone call that screens applicants - is to have the following ready and perfect:

-> First Aid Certification
-> Passport valid for at least 2-3 years after application
-> Professional reference letters in hand and ready to go
-> A follow-up email or phone call!
As they process tonnes of applicants across the country and worldwide, make SURE you follow up - it could be the difference between your application being skipped over or remembered!


Finally, do your research! Look up the various positions on board and see how it fits with your current array of experience. Look up how much money they make, what their living conditions are like, and what life on a cruise ship is.

I spent months dedicated to research - many people sign up for a position on board to find out that it's one of the crappiest, gratuity-only, working-to-the-bone and no-sunlight jobs ever (re: Dining Room Server). A book I can recommend to you that will definitely make you change your mind if you're looking to be a server or anyone that works for tips on board is called: Cruise Ship Confidential.Look for it at Chapters/Indigo and skim through it, its pretty accurate to what life is like below deck beyond the passenger area. Also look up crew member videos on youtube to get a good idea of what the living situation is. There used to be a number of blogs like this talking about the whole shebang but the latest ones now go back to 2008 :S

 So really look into it; I made a point of tailoring my CV/resumé with lots of youth-related and travel-oriented experience to make myself super attractive to Disney.


And finally, when I'd submitted everything for a second time last August - I just crossed my fingers and waited. And waited. For weeks. Until finally, I then decided that JUST in case, I would email them directly my CV/resume with a stellar cover letter attached in case anything fell through the cracks online.

Not more than 2 minutes after, I got an email back:
 "

Thank you!

Nicola will be in touch with you soon to set up a preliminary phone interview .

Good luck!

Kind regards,

Tracy Braunstein

Cast-A-Way

www.cast-a-way.com"

And that's when I knew my application had gotten through, and I was ready to face the next level of this whole process. 

Up next: The GAZILLION BAGILLION (only slightly exaggerated) interviews!