Disney Cruise Line!

Hello Everyone!

I am starting this blog to document my journey working for the Disney Cruise Line. I will try and maintain this blog while I am working on board the Disney Wonder. My first contract is 14 December 2011 - 25 June 2012 and I will be based in Los Angeles for the Mexican Riviera cruises and the cruise to Hawaii, and then I will be based in Seattle for the Alaska cruises.

This whole process started after my parents went on a transatlantic cruise with Disney in April of last year. They told me how wonderful the cruise ship was and how the staff was super friendly. I really miss working for Disney; I love all their standards and I think if everyone could use Disney guest service standards the world would be a much nicer place. But I digress. I started researching different roles with the cruise line and found that I was only able to become a server. I have been working in the restaurant industry since I was 16 and I really didn't want to be a server on the ship. I applied in January through Cast-a-way knowing that I would most likely have to become a server. I e-mailed them my resume and then was told that I would get a phone interview! Excellent! I researched all the roles on the ship and found that guest services is where I really wanted to be. I LOVE working with guests and there is not greater feeling than solving someones problem and making their vacation that much more special. When I had the phone interview Eric said that the only position I was suitable for was as a server and I told him how I would rather be a youth councilor or work in guest services. He said my experience did not allow me to work in those areas and I would only be a server. That pretty much ended the phone interview there, I was positive I did not want to be a server.

So a few months passed and I still really wanted to work on the Disney Cruise Line. My parents and I went on a repositioning cruise from L.A. to Vancouver and that just cemented my desire to work on DCL. I had to find a way to work in guest services. So I e-mailed my resume and application directly to the DCL human resources and had a phone interview with LeeAnn in May. I told her how I wanted to work in guest relations and how my college diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management had prepared me for that role, and how working as a server at Disney World was similar to guest relations because you had to be able to solve problems completely unrelated to food service. I guess I convinced her because I was told I did very well in the interview and she just had to straighten my Disney re-hire status out. From May until August I waited to hear if I was going to be able to work for the cruise line. I had encouraging e-mails from LeeAnn, but I couldn't relax until I knew everything was taken care of.

So this brings us to two days ago. I got a call from LeeAnn offering me a job as a guest service hostess on the Disney Wonder on December 14th!!!!!!!!!!

I was beside myself with excitement!! I promptly accepted the position and she told me about the next steps I had to take. I have to get a police check and a medical exam before I can be officially hired. I am waiting for an e-mail to start those steps, but as long as they both come up clean (which I expect they will) everything should go very smoothly.

So now I have a million things running through my brain to prepare for leaving for my contract. I have to finish my last semester of University (which is easier said than done) and I have to think of all the things I need to pack. I imagine I will pack my suitcase and then have to take at least half of the items out.

That is my Disney Cruise Line adventure thus far, but I am sure there will be many more excited posts with random information. I will update with how the police check and medical turn out.

Toodle Loo!