Futurist
REAL magic is when you can make people WANT to bel
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
Before we all get even busier preparing for the cruise, and while there's tiny bit of breathing space because of the Labour Day weekend, let me put in a word for the cast & crew members (CMs). And please forgive me if I ramble.
Whenever you get great service from someone onboard, please take a minute to thank them, and also keep track of their name and where they're from. If possible, also find out which group they work with, and where you saw them. This also includes the characters, whom it is really easy to overlook. Here, though, you should also keep track of the time of day to make sure that the specific character gets the appropriate praise. I've been told that some of the characters have multiple personalities, if you catch my drift, so you want to make sure your praise reaches the right one.
The CMs in tippable positions, but especially the dining room servers and stateroom hosts, get very little in salary from DCL. Almost all of their income comes from tips. I know that many people have saved for years for this trip, so all I'm asking is that you be as generous as you can. If you can afford it, and assuming that our CMs give their usual outstanding service, tip over the recommended amounts, especially if you're traveling concierge and have a larger stateroom to clean.
But you can also do really nice things for the CMs that won't cost much or anything at all, just by taking notice of them. When you tell someone in a position of authority like one of the white uniformed officers about a CM that made your day, you help their career, and may get them a nice benefit, such as the opportunity to eat in one of our dining rooms instead of the crew mess, or get extra port time, or some extra time off. CMs work on 4-6 month contracts, and during that time, they work every day, sometimes 16-20 hours a day, so a little luxury like a special meal, or extra time off really means something to them. So when a CM makes you smile, try to find someone in authority who works in the same area as the CM who made you feel special and tell them. It's nice to tell the Chief Engineer about a Youth Activities CM, but it won't do anywhere near as much good as telling a YA manager the same thing. And if you see the Cruise Director, or better yet, seek him or her out, to tell them about a CM, you've just done a really good thing for a really great CM.
Beyond that, my DW and I buy pocket-sized candies for CMs in non-tippable positions. Tippable CMs don't like getting candy because they think you're giving it to them INSTEAD of tipping them. But even though the crew mess serves pretty good food (I'm told), it gets monotonous eating the same things over and over again for 4-6 months straight. And the only candy available onboard is the candy in the shops and CMs pay about the same prices for that as we do. My DW especially loves making CMs who don't generally deal with the public smile by thanking them, announcing that it's a Tuesday so they deserve a treat, and handing them a chocolate bar.
Having worked at sea for a year as a young man, I know that ordinary food gets really monotonous over time, and you get to craving other tastes. Some people think this is being condescending. I think it just makes sense.
But the single most important thing you can do for a CM is to mention them by name on the comment card at the end of the cruise. They get promotions from things like this. Even though your vacation is ending, and things are getting stressful, please take the time to fill out the card, and especially to mention someone who has gone out of their way to make your vacation magical. I always do this, and usually write a letter with more names and more details later as well. Yes, it takes some time but it means a tremendous amount to the CMs. Some of my greatest Disney regrets have come from NOT writing about a CM that made us feel good.
If there are Disney CMs in this thread, perhaps they could correct or add to anything I've said. I'm not 100% sure about all of it, but this is what I've gathered from 6 DCL cruises, plus talking to DCL people in positions of authority over the years.
And thanks.
See You Real Soon!
Richard
Whenever you get great service from someone onboard, please take a minute to thank them, and also keep track of their name and where they're from. If possible, also find out which group they work with, and where you saw them. This also includes the characters, whom it is really easy to overlook. Here, though, you should also keep track of the time of day to make sure that the specific character gets the appropriate praise. I've been told that some of the characters have multiple personalities, if you catch my drift, so you want to make sure your praise reaches the right one.
The CMs in tippable positions, but especially the dining room servers and stateroom hosts, get very little in salary from DCL. Almost all of their income comes from tips. I know that many people have saved for years for this trip, so all I'm asking is that you be as generous as you can. If you can afford it, and assuming that our CMs give their usual outstanding service, tip over the recommended amounts, especially if you're traveling concierge and have a larger stateroom to clean.
But you can also do really nice things for the CMs that won't cost much or anything at all, just by taking notice of them. When you tell someone in a position of authority like one of the white uniformed officers about a CM that made your day, you help their career, and may get them a nice benefit, such as the opportunity to eat in one of our dining rooms instead of the crew mess, or get extra port time, or some extra time off. CMs work on 4-6 month contracts, and during that time, they work every day, sometimes 16-20 hours a day, so a little luxury like a special meal, or extra time off really means something to them. So when a CM makes you smile, try to find someone in authority who works in the same area as the CM who made you feel special and tell them. It's nice to tell the Chief Engineer about a Youth Activities CM, but it won't do anywhere near as much good as telling a YA manager the same thing. And if you see the Cruise Director, or better yet, seek him or her out, to tell them about a CM, you've just done a really good thing for a really great CM.
Beyond that, my DW and I buy pocket-sized candies for CMs in non-tippable positions. Tippable CMs don't like getting candy because they think you're giving it to them INSTEAD of tipping them. But even though the crew mess serves pretty good food (I'm told), it gets monotonous eating the same things over and over again for 4-6 months straight. And the only candy available onboard is the candy in the shops and CMs pay about the same prices for that as we do. My DW especially loves making CMs who don't generally deal with the public smile by thanking them, announcing that it's a Tuesday so they deserve a treat, and handing them a chocolate bar.
Having worked at sea for a year as a young man, I know that ordinary food gets really monotonous over time, and you get to craving other tastes. Some people think this is being condescending. I think it just makes sense.
But the single most important thing you can do for a CM is to mention them by name on the comment card at the end of the cruise. They get promotions from things like this. Even though your vacation is ending, and things are getting stressful, please take the time to fill out the card, and especially to mention someone who has gone out of their way to make your vacation magical. I always do this, and usually write a letter with more names and more details later as well. Yes, it takes some time but it means a tremendous amount to the CMs. Some of my greatest Disney regrets have come from NOT writing about a CM that made us feel good.
If there are Disney CMs in this thread, perhaps they could correct or add to anything I've said. I'm not 100% sure about all of it, but this is what I've gathered from 6 DCL cruises, plus talking to DCL people in positions of authority over the years.
And thanks.
See You Real Soon!
Richard
lol But have to keep saying...."remember where you are going......
Robin & Angel "D". 
