{"id":1144,"date":"2012-04-12T20:23:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T03:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traveltattler.com\/?p=1144"},"modified":"2012-04-12T21:42:11","modified_gmt":"2012-04-13T04:42:11","slug":"take-a-long-term-cruise-on-disneys-crew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/library\/1144\/take-a-long-term-cruise-on-disneys-crew","title":{"rendered":"TAKE A LONG-TERM CRUISE…ON DISNEY FANTASY’S CREW!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Disney Fantasy docked at Castaway Cay, Disney's private Caribbean island.<\/p><\/div>\n

Can you imagine the notion of living and working on vacation with a six-month contract aboard a luxury ocean liner? When Disney Cruise Line sent its\u2019 fanciful new ship named Fantasy on its maiden voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida in April, more than 1,500 housekeepers, waiters, stage performers, chefs, lifeguards, laundry attendants, retail clerks, maintenance people and others and more were on board living out their fantasy of life on the high seas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it, and you can see why,\u201d said Sammy, who traveled from\u00a0India\u00a0to serve drinks at Currents, an elegant poolside bar on an adults-only deck with a sweeping, 13th<\/sup> story view of Fantasy\u2019s stern and the\u00a0Caribbean Sea. \u201cDuring our six-month contract we work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, but I love meeting people and talking with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crew members rotate through a 100-person crew dining room for buffet meals and share a guest room. \u201cMy roommate and I work different shifts, so we hardly even see each other,\u201d Sammy said. Crew lodging and meals are provided. Sammy said the crew members aboard the Fantasy also enjoy their own very nice bar and lounge, plus a back deck overlooking Fantasy\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hire people who have that \u2018spark of personality\u2019 and then treat them like guests onboard,\u201d Brent Davies, cruise director on the Disney Fantasy, explained. \u201cThe crew is very proud of the ship and welcome guests onboard as if it were their own home, which it is, since they live on board.\u201d Davies, an Australian, has been at sea for 13 years having started as a youth program coordinator in the cruise lines \u201cteens-only\u201d facilities. \u201cThe average Disney crew member stays three to five years, but some become addicted and make a career of it, like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShore leave\u201d for some of the crew means working as lifeguards and servers for seven hours on Castaway Cay, Disney\u2019s idyllic private island, with beaches, snorkeling, sailing and swimming with manta rays in calm, crystal blue water. \u201cHow can I complain, I have the warm sun on my face here in paradise while standing in the surf with happy people on vacation,\u201d said a young man from\u00a0Wales\u00a0who said he was making $450 per-week and gets two months off between contracts. Disney\u2019s guests on board aren\u2019t the only happy ones. Waiter and waitress Branel, from\u00a0India\u00a0and his colleague Jelena, from\u00a0Croatia, gave diners fun brain-teasing riddles to children in between courses at Animator\u2019s Palette, the ships\u2019 colorful, high-tech, interactive cartoon-themed restaurant. Our smiling cabin attendant Allan, from\u00a0Thailand, tied clean towels into the shapes of whimsical animals each day and left them on the bed as a surprise during his housekeeping duties.<\/p>\n

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Jelena and Branel, two of Disney's superstar smiling servers.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ozer Balli, Disney Cruise Line\u2019s VP of Hotel Operations says recruiters are honest with crew candidates before they ever get on board. \u201cWe paint an honest picture, because it\u2019s a big transition for young people. Six months away from home living and working at sea with 4,000 passengers is a lifestyle not just a job. Once here, though, crew members have the rare experience of working alongside people of 65 different nationalities and the excitement of learning every aspect of the 13-deck vessel.\u201d The crew\u2019s extensive training in Disney\u2019s \u201cTraditions\u201d class ensures guests top-level service quality and fun\u2026with dignity\u2026aboard the Disney Fantasy or any of Disney\u2019s ship.<\/p>\n

Ship Tips:<\/p>\n

-Though you might be tempted to lounge on deck and\u00a0watch the sunset, see the colorful stage shows presented each night in the stylish, expansive Walt Disney Theater on board.\u00a0Disney Wishes, Aladdin, and Disney Dreams\u00a0last only 45 minutes and are a marvel of inspiring creativity and performance art.<\/p>\n

-Give your teenager space to attend Edge, a supervised, teen-only club that stays open past midnight. Movies, karaoke, trivia games, treats and fun in a high-tech, snazzy environment gives you time to visit the nightclubs and them time to feel special.<\/p>\n

-Spend\u00a0as much time as you can on Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island,\u00a0during the ship’s stop there.\u00a0The gangplank usually opens at 9:00 am and the boat departs at 5:00 pm. Your\u00a0idyllic time ashore there snorkeling, sunning, lying in a hammock, biking, swimming, sailing and more will pass by in a flash.<\/p>\n

-If possible, make sure one of your evening dinners is in Animator’s Palette. You’ll be asked to draw a cartoon at the beginning of the dinner…and treated to a\u00a0delightful\u00a0surprise at the end!<\/p>\n

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Goofy Golf 13 stories above the biggest water hazard on earth!<\/p><\/div>\n

-Europa, an adults-only section of\u00a0nightclubs on board offers exquisitely\u00a0decorated nightclubs\u00a0designed to evoke Ireland (O’Gills), London (The Tube), Italy (La Piazza),\u00a0Paris (Ohh-La-La), and a\u00a0world lounge (Skyline) where the view magically changes every 15 minutes. Live music and entertainment is offered nightly in various parts of Europa.<\/p>\n

-The champagne Sail Away toast, Pirate Party, and Fireworks at Sea are festive events on deck you won’t want to miss. They set Disney Cruise Lines apart from any other.<\/p>\n

-Palo and Remy are adults-only, high-end, gourmet restaurants 13 stories up on the back of the ship. They also offer a quiet, elegant, open-air lounge perfect for a cigar and cognac. There are also adults-only sections of the ship for sunbathing, swimming, and cocktails.<\/p>\n

-Goofy’s mini-golf on the back of the ship offers a nine-hole course with better panoramic ocean views than Pebble Beach could ever dream of!<\/p>\n

To book a cruise, or a career, visit www.DisneyCruise.com<\/a> or call\u00a0(800) 951-3532<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Michigan-based travel writer Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at\u00a0InviteYourself@aol.com<\/a> or via\u00a0www.TravelTattler.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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