I enjoyed this video very much. I was part of the opening cast of The Disney Magic back in 1998-99. It warms my heart to hear you speak about the training experience you had because I was part of team that developed all the training for DCL. It was quite the undertaking because Disney was new to the Cruise Business and many "old school" cruise people pushed back against the way we were merging Disney's Training & Development best practices with the "way it had always been done." No doubt you learned about the Disney Difference and based on your experience on board you experienced it first hand. MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I love Disney Cruise Line. The "Earning my ears" is also a great conversation starter for guests who are Disney fans (like me) because then you can also welcome them on board and ask how their experience is going. 😃
So good to hear all of this. We’ve done 12 Disney cruises and love them. We always adore the cast members and I’m so glad to hear Disney takes care of their people ❤️ My daughter hopes to work on a Disney ship someday (she’s currently only 15)
I've sailed carnival, royal and Disney. Hands down the staff on Disney have been the best. Their attention to detail is what sets them apart. And love hearing that they treat their crew well .
I work at Disneyland, and I was very surprised how much training was involved! It was about three weeks for retail, between leaning Disney culture, then your duties in the retail department. Working at Disneyland is kind of the same. If you are focused on your job, and you work hard you will be fine. If you treat jour job like a game, you won't make it. After your probation period, you are allowed to go into the park as a guest for free on your day off, and you get an employee discount at certain food locations. The only downside is you might not like the hours you get scheduled.
We loved having the country the crew was from on their name tags. When my daughter had a school assignment to write a report on a country, she chose where her favorite server was from. She also learned a lot in brief conversations with crew about what their homes and home countries were like, etc. That might be what got her started as a world traveler. We also learned that some crww name tags show middle names or "fake" names to make them easier to pronounce, politically acceptable, or whatever. She practiced saying that server's real name correctly--a small gesture, but I suspect meaningful to him. A. Fos passengers, we also really enjoyed the "playfulness" of the crew in some instances. The crew doesn't hesitate to interact with passengers in casual ways. For instance, I was walking on the pool deck when there was a crew member collecting and cleaning up dishes that passengers had left after their breakfast. She was pushing a cart, and I moved to get out of her way. She moved in my direction. After a couple more attempts to be out of her way, she took off her hat and I realized that she'd been our Palo server the night before and was lightly teasing me. Another time, our server had been "blessed" with an obnoxious table of guests who were doing things like switching seats so she couldn't keep track of who had ordered what, etc. Again, we'd had this server on other cruises and very much liked her....and didn't like what that table was doing to her. Suddenly the head server was taking care of our table. I made a point of thanking her, and she commented that she wasn't going to let us be neglected when another crew member "had her hands busy." It was lovely that supervisors would jump in to help where needed. I guess it is only fair to say that we have 30 DCL cruises, including the first sailing of the Magic in 1998, That is a story unto itself!
I’m going on my first cruise in April, on the Disney Wish, and honestly, even though I’m not working for them, I’m kind of relieved to hear how you feel about them
sweet the tell all episode of your missing months on the secret ship prior to your latest RC contract. what a sweet gift to your followers! thanks and Happy Christmas, Lucy
I worked for them for 2 years almost 20 years ago now. In my experience the people who didn’t like working there weren’t great with rules, structure or long days. I thrive off of rules and structure so it was a great fit for me. I do feel like they were very transparent during the interview process about the expectations and responsibilities. I felt like I knew what I was getting into. I loved that job so much. I made friends for life there. I’m so glad it is still a good place to work.
I’m so glad I found this video! I followed your channel last year when I worked my first contract as a dj with NCL. Who would have guessed I’d be back on your channel a year later as I’m about to begin my journey with DCL later this year!
Love your videos and this one very much! I LOVE that every cast member is responsible for helping guests! I am in k-12 eduction and I have always felt this was our charge-HELP PEOPLE regardless of our position! I guess this helps explain the higher price of Disney cruises. 😊
My husband and I have sailed on most of the major cruise lines and our favorite is Disney. We recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on the Disney Fantasy and we were treated like royalty. Every crew member was a delight.
DCL are the only cruise line I’ve ever worked for. However I did two contracts with them, I had the most amazing time on the Magic and I couldn’t agree more with everything you said!
Disney is an amazing cruise experience. Food at Disney Parks can be over priced and not often an amazing experience. Disney cruise is a great dining experience. As a childless couple we have never found the Disney Cruise overrun with kids. We are big Disney fans.
Our opinion is that DCL has managed to keep the "good" stuff from the parks and get rid of the negatives. Our first DCL sailing was when my daughter was 7....and we added many more thru the years. The character experience is so much better than the parks, the endless walking has been eliminated, etc. We joke that Disney doesn't yet control the weather, but things can always be moved inside on the ships. The big negative to DCL is the cost, but other lines are catching up on that score! And then there are the parents who think that their responsibility ends when they set foot on a ship.....
Lucy - totally agree about the DCL cruises. We have been on a lot of them, and there is no comparison. We have yet to go on the Wish. That's because they did redesign/reallocate areas like the adult pool and sun bathing areas compared to their other ships. We've seen many reviews of the Wish, and although beautiful, not what were looking for. We'll continue going on the Fantasy which is our favorite. If you have more things to discuss about DCL, would love to hear your perspective in another video. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I started watching your videos to prepare for my first contract on the Disney Fantasy over a year ago. I’m on the Wonder right now, I met Josh and has no idea he was your partner! Glad you had a great time on the Wish. I haven’t been on any other cruise lines so it’s great to hear the comparison. Happy Holidays!
am in my crew cabin on Disney wish looking at your video and smiling 😅 you nailed it. happy holidays Lucy i miss seeing and having you and josh around you guys are awesome and amazing and i am truly happy to have met you guys and hang out and chat. ❤
Speaking as a passenger, I LOVE ❤️ Disney Cruises, and the staff is always pleasant. It is good to hear that the environment is very supportive for the staff. Kudos Disney!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Thank you for sharing this, Lucy.😊
Merry Christmas Lucy! 🎄My Mom and I did another mini-marathon yesterday and she loves you! 😀Thanks for another nice video, and I'm glad that you enjoyed your time on Disney. (Even though I admire their inclusiveness, much of the rest of their corporate culture isn't to my liking, but some do love it.) And, of course they are all about making everyone happy while keeping 'em safe on-land, and at sea. Going forward my concern for you is, Disney hinders your RU-vid creations versus Virgin that encourages it. Video looks good, but so far it published as 1080p, not in 4K...sometimes it takes longer for the higher res uploads to render and publish, so I'll check back later. Hope you are chillin' and enjoying your time home with family. Continue to enjoy an adventurous life...and Happy Christmas! 🎄Fair winds sweetie!
Happy Christmas John, I hope you and your mom have the best day! Thank you for the feed back on the video quality! It still needs some work but ill get there. Thanks again John. Happy Christmas!
I have cruised with Disney twice, both times on the Dream. The crew was absolutely phenomenal both times. Every single person we came across we could tell they love their job it was so amazing and honestly the crew was a big part of why we loved cruising with Disney!
As a retired producer and video engineer, I would like to give you some pointers. Either raise you chair or lower the billboard background. Reduce the light level, you are totally washed out. Move away frin the background and add a bit of backlight to highlight your hair and shoulders. I really enjoyed your videos as we cruised a lot and always wondered about the crew's background.
Hi Lucy....retired ad photographer of 32 years here. Love your videos. This one is soft visually. Part of it is the autofocus going in and out. IMHO, there is also a lot of lens flare. From the catchlight in your eyes, I think it it may be your camera ringlight reaching the camera lens from an angle. If so, try blocking it with black tape or cardboard. 4K should be much sharper than what you are getting. It also takes much longer to upload for when you are at sea again. Something to keep in mind. 1080P done right should be a great balance. Hope this helps :)
As a fan of Disney as a company I am so pleased to hear that you had a good time. I have known many people that have worked at the Florida Disney Theme Parks and ALL of them have been impressed with the culture, organization, and professionalism of the company as a whole. I myself LOVE visiting the parks, watching the movies, and supporting a diverse and inclusive company...!
I was on MSC fleet . It has got strict rules , but not anything that doesn't make sense. MSC also provides with the accomodation in hotel and picks up the crew to get on board, and it's not necessary to wait for centuries to embark and settle yourselfe. We had both in person and online trainings. On MSC people are very helpful for new embarked crews too. MSC is good for promoting people internallyI. I really enjoyed working on MSC Fleet. Unfortunately cannot say anything aboit Disney , sorry. Thanks for your amazing videos. I always advise new commers watch your videos before embarking, that's what I did and it was super helpful.❤❤
I love Disney!!! And I don't have children. I have even traveled solo and had a great time. The rotational dining is amazing too. I have nothing negative to report. Thanks for making this video.
Lucy, my second comment here...as I also have thoughts on your background / backdrop / resolution... The magnet wall is nice, although there may be some reflections (from some of the glossy magnets?) effecting your camera auto-focus...so, you may need to check camera settings... And, you might want to add your colorful world map that you used for a couple videos when on Disney, underneath / below the magnet board. That way you'll have some variable dark / colorful images from the magnets behind your head, and some white and some colors behind your neck and shoulders, it won't be "plain" and you don't have to worry about being "washed-out"? As for shooting in 4K, I think that is great, whether at sea or on-shore, just remember to use 60fps frame rate when filming anything in motion / live action...most tests with real human observations show that a large percentage prefer 1080p/60fps versus 4K at 30fps, especially for any live action scenes, but prefer 4K/60fps overall. However, uploading in 4K will take longer, so if you have limited internet bandwidth it may not be worthwhile (such as when on-board, except if on Virgin, where your wi-fi was free). Regarding the "does the audience need to see me doing a one-shot / monologue, in 4K", no 1080p is fine....but on a "mud-buggy", "wine tour", "city adventures" type excursions (or any live activity), then yes 4K/60fps is great (and most new cameras and most newer/higher-end smart phones can record in 4K/60fps...but some default to 24 o 30fps, to allow storage of more data / longer video clips....so, be sure to check your equipment settings) I hope this helps. Fair winds! Happy Christmas! 🎄
About the quality of the video: 4K is good but the issue on this specific video is that the focus keeps changing between you and the background, not the resolution. Try to turn off autofocus if that is the case and leave it focused on you:) Great content btw! I worked for Virgin on a couple of contracts now and used to watch your videos to get ready for it.
We are a Disney family but usually only the parks and cruising royal… it’s nice to hear you had such a positive experience. It’s a bummer that they would not approve you to do some other videos while on board! They have a great relationship with the Disney park Vloggers that it would have been great to bleed over to you!
My wife and I have been on two Disney cruises, one on the Wish, and one on the Fantasy. We had a great time on each and have 3 more booked. We’re going on the Treasure in May of ‘25.
Loved the video. Regarding quality, I think the issue with this one is the white wall and the white sweater with the dark background. I think the sweater washed you out and the dark board in the background confused the auto focus. 4k will definitely be harder onboard but I think is worth it when on land.
Thank you so much for the feedback and I completely agree about the jumper washing me out. Unfortunately I had already filmed the video by the time I realised that I blended into the wall ha ha. Thank you for the feedback and for watching the video. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Happy Christmas Lucy I very much enjoy your videos. I worked as a cruise travel agent for a few years and Disney was my favorite cruise to sail.. Keep up the goodwork and I hope 2024 brings nothing but good!
The idea that everyone serves as if they are a part of Guest Services explains two things that I have noticed on my Disney cruises. 1. You’re right. The line at Guest Services is much shorter than I have seen or experienced on other cruise lines. 2. I asked a crew member a question on one cruise that he didn’t know the answer to, but he insisted that I wait while he found out. I really didn’t want to wait, but he was so insistent that he would find out for me. He actually ran up the stairs and then came back with the answer. At the time I wondered if there was pressure for him to know all of the answers. Now it makes sense.
I started following you during the pandemic... I was with DCL (and only been with DCL) and watching you saying all of this about your experience made me soooooo happy!
Interesting that Disney is doing something for new employees that I have said for a while would be a perfect job for you and probably even better for a cruise line - taking new employees and helping them get up to speed with their now job.
As someone who has been on .. 7 (had to quickly count) Disney cruises now (not been on the Wish) this was a really cool video to watch. I have always noticed that the staff on Disney cruises are generally more helpful than on the others I've been on - but given how they are making it part of everyones job, that makes a lot of sense! It is great to hear that they take great care of their crew members - because as passangers we truly appreciate what you all do to make our vacations special!
It's nice to hear you speak about the positive experiences working for Disney, including your onboarding process. There's a reason why companies the world over come to Disney to observe and learn from how they handle the logistics of everything they do.
My wife and I enjoy going on Disney cruise line. We have gone on the Magic, the Wonder and the Fantasy. We will probably wait until the Wish starts doing longer cruises before we try her.
Blimey, you've lost so much weight and gained a boyfriend since the last vlog I watched. Congratulations! Disney sounds like a great ship to work for and that you get out what you put in. Many companies have so many negative staff. Must be great working with so much positivity!
I love your video! Can you please invite some CRUISE STAFF from Disney to make a video explaining about the job and duties onboard Disney Ships? Thanks a lot!!!
Loved meeting you on the Wish! I’ve been on 12 Disney cruises and one VV cruise. Disney is still the best, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend VV for adults.
I have never sailed on DCL as a passenger, but your review has made me want to apply for them as well. Aspiring crew member in either guest services or IT
@@CruisingAsCrew Thanks! i already have apps open with RCG and I know its a waiting game. Love cruising and my day job is IT support so thought may work well for that aspect. But tossed in guest services for extra opportunities when/if the interview happens
I really appreciate your sharing and your honesty, not that I haven't come to expect otherwise. I have a few friends who only sail Disney now after years on other cruise companies. Merry Christmas 🎄
My wife and I have cruised DCL multiple times now and have the Treasure booked in 2025. We have had nothing but outstanding experiences each time. Nearly everyone we encountered seemed to pride themselves on going above and beyond. Most surprisingly, we talked to MANY crew members on multiple ships that had 10+ years with DCL. We have even talked with multiple crew members that fell in love onboard and got married while working together. We also talked to a few crew members that didn't love the experience but 1) it is very hard to get a DCL crew member to open up about negitive things and 2) the majority of the negitive comments seemed to be related to "clique" behavior between people in different job categories, which I guess can happen anywhere. VIDEO ADVICE- I normally listen to your videos rather than watch. You need some sound treatments and/or a different mic to cut down on the room reverb.
I am a platinum castaway member on Disney Cruise Line. When the quality is less than it is very obvious to me. I love that they are very organized and dont put up with bad behavior. I like that there is no drink package. I like that there are no casinos. My kids have become adults and we all love to cruise with Disney. It isnt about the Mouse. Its about the quality of service.
Merry Christmas, Lucy! I'm very glad to hear you had such a wonderful experience working on the Disney Wish. This help to confirm why Disney Cruise Line is my favorite cruise line. From your comments, I believe you would jump at the chance to work for DCL again. I hope happens that that my wife and I can see you again. As for your video being in 4k, it looks like a winner to me. You look fantastic and the background of your magnets is marvelous. There were a few times the camera went out of focus when you moved, but nothing very distracting. I would love to hear more of your experiences on the Wish and working for Disney in general. Please keep up the great content. I always look forward to watching your posts.
Thanks Lucy - really enjoy your great content! - especially your 1st person views and the ibterviews you did on VV. The recent add of stock video adds nothing to your message... stick to your content... much stronger and real! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! I love your background so much but I think your auto-focus keeps trying to focus in the magnets. I think if you were a bit further away it wouldn’t do that, maybe? Anyway! Happy new year, I love it.
Disney cruise line belongs to the best 5 cruise lines to work for. Wow! I wish someone would have been pick me up at terminal. I was supposed to but nobody came. Needed to go my way to reception by myself. On the survey I highlighted this. That was cunard in Southampton..
Been watching your videos a couple years now, enjoy your personality and insight into the behind the scenes. Just you on the Wish, we sailed just before you got there. Anyway, could you explain your officer status and how various jobs equate to various “ranks” on board. I find all this very interesting and helps me appreciate crew even more. Thanks!
Thanks for this! I really dislike Royal and would rather go on any other line (yes, even Carnival or MSC). So seeing content from you that I can enjoy watching again is fantastic! I've missed you! Loved hearing about Disney! I hope to see more content that doesn't have to do with Royal.
5:36 filming in 4k for vlog type videos is fine, nothing wrong with the high resolution obviously but often I think HD is fine. I think in this particular video, the auto-focus focused on the magnet board behind you rather than on your face, and that likely has to do with you shooting against a white wall and wearing all white and being quite a bit overexposed. You might try experimenting with lower exposure levels and wearing something other than white when shooting against a mostly white background. I would also go for a more close up shot and center your face more in keeping with the rule of thirds but that's a personal preference 👍
Merry Christmas Lucy! The max resolution that came up for me was 1080 and it was fine. [You might be a bit careful that Disney doesn't make a fuss about your video with your current boss. From what I hear, they don't like their brand discussed .... good or bad..... unless it comes from Master Mouse Control]. Keep up the great posts!!
I am an INFP called the Mediator. I am a people pleaser when I am in a meaningful and being helpful kind of position.I do not want to find myself a culture that is loud and confident and crew is a bit there for the fun, I much rather be with people who know the rules, play by it, focus on good services and real, helpful and kind connections on board with each other with respect and understanding. I specifically loved that you said that individual skills and character will be taken into account of what you do on board. I would like to become youth staff on Disney. Would you say it is for me?
This video has brought up a lot of questions from the past, hope you don't mind them being asked. When on VV you ranked Free WiFi, single cabin and Adult only cruise line as your top three pros. Now having been on Disney Wish and RC Hots (I am surprised I didn't get a like for that abbreviation:) ) do those three preferences still remain?
This video was fantastic Lucy, thank you. I've been wanting to try Disney, particularly the Wish and this makes me happy to hear that they treat staff so well!! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
I was on the Wish too! Inaugural Cast (character performer). I agree that Disney is not super strict, although I have only worked on Disney so have nothing to compare it to. From a Cast perspective, we did have a few extra rules (etc can’t get tanned/burnt) that could get us into a bit of trouble!
Another great video, Lucy, but from a technical aspect, the 4K doesn't make much of a difference for me. I'm viewing in 1080 (the max resolution for my Macbook) and it's still slightly fuzzy. You're going to have to watch your bitrate on the export to make a difference. Your lighting is also washing you out a bit, so your white balance is slightly off. Keep 'em coming!
Nice video and very informative. The picture quality was nothing to brag about, It did not have 4k quality but rather, it looked like old quality TV picture. I liked your older videos better for the picture alone. My opinion
Lucy, Merry Christmas. Glad you enjoyed your time on Disney. As for video quality, it was fuzzy at times and maybe a little more contrast. White sweater on white background with blond hair. Keep the videos coming. They are great.
Hello Lucy. I enjoy your videos. Very informative and entertaining. I'm a past employee of CCL as a golf professional. Unfortunately that position has been eliminated from the ships. I would still contract if the position was available. I loved working as a crew member. One of our ports of call was Cozumel. I would go to the No Name Bar after golf and meet up with other crew members from all the ships in port at the time. If you've never been there I highly recommend you try it. Would make great content for a video.
Merry Christmas. I’m taking my kids on our first cruise on Disney Wonder in October 2024. I’m also looking forward to the Disney Adventure travelling out of Singapore. I’m hoping they do a cruise to Perth Western Australia. Thankyou
Wow Lucy!!!! Awesome video!!!! As I mentioned in another post that we had a family vacation on the Wish the week of September 12, 2022. It was awesome. I am not a Cast Member, but I am curious if you went through Traditions when you became a Cast Member and if so, can you say who ran the classes? I am in the parks all the time and even on the cruise, when I see the red "Earning My Ears" ribbon I always say, "Good luck with your ears". I can't get enough of Disney so if you would want to do another video I would love to watch. Thanks again for all you do!!!! Have a very Happy New Year.
Hi Lucy, don’t know if you mentioned in a previous video that I’m unaware of, but if your experience working onboard Disney was such a surprising delight, then why did you leave to go onboard Harmony?
Great Great video. The 4K needs to be adjusted. In and out focus was a little annoying. My wife and I love ya Lucy(and Josh). Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Would you do a video explaining rank on cruise ships? You mention that you are an officer as a shop keeper. Is that earned with your experience or are all shop keepers considered officers? Who else we might not expect has officer ranks?
