We hated the Disney Cruise

[Anonymous]

https://www.glassdoor.com/Monthly-Pay/Royal-Caribbean-Group-Waiter-Monthly-Pay-E3579_D_KO22,28.htm

Servers earn upwards of $5k/month on Royal Caribbean, and I suspect Disney servers earn as much if not more.

They also typically work a 6 month contract and then go home for 6-12 months before signing another contract.

Yes, there are a lot of south Asian servers. But on Disney, we also saw several European servers.

ICYMI: cruise lines have been safe havens for the lgbtq for decades. Many staff flee countries and families that don’t accept them and find not only a safe haven on the ship, but a community that becomes their family. I’ve met staff on Disney wonder and magic who have been on the ship for many, many years. There’s a reason for that and it has nothing to do with money.

[Anonymous]

Savvy crew members realize there is a pecking order in the cruise industry. Disney attracts people with money (as opposed to carnival or Norwegian), and Americans tip while the rest of the world seemingly does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.glassdoor.com/Monthly-Pay/Royal-Caribbean-Group-Waiter-Monthly-Pay-E3579_D_KO22,28.htm

Servers earn upwards of $5k/month on Royal Caribbean, and I suspect Disney servers earn as much if not more.

They also typically work a 6 month contract and then go home for 6-12 months before signing another contract.

Yes, there are a lot of south Asian servers. But on Disney, we also saw several European servers.

ICYMI: cruise lines have been safe havens for the lgbtq for decades. Many staff flee countries and families that don’t accept them and find not only a safe haven on the ship, but a community that becomes their family. I’ve met staff on Disney wonder and magic who have been on the ship for many, many years. There’s a reason for that and it has nothing to do with money.

Keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night. You are actively choosing to ignore the truth so you can still take your stupid trips for cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.glassdoor.com/Monthly-Pay/Royal-Caribbean-Group-Waiter-Monthly-Pay-E3579_D_KO22,28.htm

Servers earn upwards of $5k/month on Royal Caribbean, and I suspect Disney servers earn as much if not more.

They also typically work a 6 month contract and then go home for 6-12 months before signing another contract.

Yes, there are a lot of south Asian servers. But on Disney, we also saw several European servers.

ICYMI: cruise lines have been safe havens for the lgbtq for decades. Many staff flee countries and families that don’t accept them and find not only a safe haven on the ship, but a community that becomes their family. I’ve met staff on Disney wonder and magic who have been on the ship for many, many years. There’s a reason for that and it has nothing to do with money.

Keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night. You are actively choosing to ignore the truth so you can still take your stupid trips for cheap.

Your alternative is to boycott cruises and essentially eliminate a big employer of south Asians and lgbtq. Umkay.

You rely on a sad article featuring a former carnival cruise line worker. Was the article written before the class action lawsuit that secured better conditions for workers?

I’ve cruised Disney and RC and had long conversations with crew members. Servers and cabin stewards make tons in cash tips. When you cruise, there’s a minimum tip per person, but most Americans tip on top of that. We tip in cash directly to staff on top of the tips we always prepay when we book the cruise.

I know people from the lgbtq community whose first jobs were on cruise ships before they immigrated to a country that accepted them. I’ve also met gay staff on Disney cruises who have been on the same ship for 10+ years because the crew is their family.

But go ahead and criticize without any firsthand knowledge or ever having spoken with crew members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.glassdoor.com/Monthly-Pay/Royal-Caribbean-Group-Waiter-Monthly-Pay-E3579_D_KO22,28.htm

Servers earn upwards of $5k/month on Royal Caribbean, and I suspect Disney servers earn as much if not more.

They also typically work a 6 month contract and then go home for 6-12 months before signing another contract.

Yes, there are a lot of south Asian servers. But on Disney, we also saw several European servers.

ICYMI: cruise lines have been safe havens for the lgbtq for decades. Many staff flee countries and families that don’t accept them and find not only a safe haven on the ship, but a community that becomes their family. I’ve met staff on Disney wonder and magic who have been on the ship for many, many years. There’s a reason for that and it has nothing to do with money.

Keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night. You are actively choosing to ignore the truth so you can still take your stupid trips for cheap.

Your alternative is to boycott cruises and essentially eliminate a big employer of south Asians and lgbtq. Umkay.

You rely on a sad article featuring a former carnival cruise line worker. Was the article written before the class action lawsuit that secured better conditions for workers?

I’ve cruised Disney and RC and had long conversations with crew members. Servers and cabin stewards make tons in cash tips. When you cruise, there’s a minimum tip per person, but most Americans tip on top of that. We tip in cash directly to staff on top of the tips we always prepay when we book the cruise.

I know people from the lgbtq community whose first jobs were on cruise ships before they immigrated to a country that accepted them. I’ve also met gay staff on Disney cruises who have been on the same ship for 10+ years because the crew is their family.

But go ahead and criticize without any firsthand knowledge or ever having spoken with crew members.

There are myriad articles out there and myriad investigations. The fact that it is all done under foreign flags is what allows them to continue to do this. If people boycotted them, you think the whole cruise business would just go out of business? Never even took one business class did you. I like your sample of the crew members you talked to WHO'S JOB it is to say things to make you happy. Cruises are really for the simple minded amongst us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.glassdoor.com/Monthly-Pay/Royal-Caribbean-Group-Waiter-Monthly-Pay-E3579_D_KO22,28.htm

Servers earn upwards of $5k/month on Royal Caribbean, and I suspect Disney servers earn as much if not more.

They also typically work a 6 month contract and then go home for 6-12 months before signing another contract.

Yes, there are a lot of south Asian servers. But on Disney, we also saw several European servers.

ICYMI: cruise lines have been safe havens for the lgbtq for decades. Many staff flee countries and families that don’t accept them and find not only a safe haven on the ship, but a community that becomes their family. I’ve met staff on Disney wonder and magic who have been on the ship for many, many years. There’s a reason for that and it has nothing to do with money.

Keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night. You are actively choosing to ignore the truth so you can still take your stupid trips for cheap.

Your alternative is to boycott cruises and essentially eliminate a big employer of south Asians and lgbtq. Umkay.

You rely on a sad article featuring a former carnival cruise line worker. Was the article written before the class action lawsuit that secured better conditions for workers?

I’ve cruised Disney and RC and had long conversations with crew members. Servers and cabin stewards make tons in cash tips. When you cruise, there’s a minimum tip per person, but most Americans tip on top of that. We tip in cash directly to staff on top of the tips we always prepay when we book the cruise.

I know people from the lgbtq community whose first jobs were on cruise ships before they immigrated to a country that accepted them. I’ve also met gay staff on Disney cruises who have been on the same ship for 10+ years because the crew is their family.

But go ahead and criticize without any firsthand knowledge or ever having spoken with crew members.

There are myriad articles out there and myriad investigations. The fact that it is all done under foreign flags is what allows them to continue to do this. If people boycotted them, you think the whole cruise business would just go out of business? Never even took one business class did you. I like your sample of the crew members you talked to WHO'S JOB it is to say things to make you happy. Cruises are really for the simple minded amongst us.

Actually, they should play up the poverty wages to prompt guests to tip more.

They pocket the cash they receive on top of their wages and tips people pay using credit cards. It’s not unusual for families to tip hundreds on top of the suggested tip amount, and most tip in cash.

I’m really curious how much you think people make in the hospitality industry in general? I mean, the bartender I know who works seasonally at a US resort banks enough to only work 6 months a year, but he’s an anomaly. The luxury resort pays him pennies but he makes big tips since he’s charming and Americans tip well.

You’re delusional if you think your vacation is truly more ethical.

Do you stay at airbnbs? Do you realize how airbnbs have gentrified entire communities and impacted housing costs? I don’t use airbnbs at all.

Do you realize the impact of Uber on unionized taxi drivers?

Do you shop at Walmart or target?

I wish I could introduce you to my gay friends who literally avoided homelessness and built successful lives thanks to getting their start on a cruise ship.

[Anonymous]

Also FYI for people that haven’t cruises before….historically the tips that are included in your price are the bare minimum. It’s typically to give at least a $100 in cash to your cabin steward and your waiter at the end of the week.

Also for those of you worried about labor conditions, how many of you check the unionized status of your hotel before you book? The hotel and restaurant workers union posts a list. Hotel cleaners are some of the most underpaid, overworked and disrespected workers in this country and the ones that aren’t unionized have very few rights and basically no advocate. Their workload are a lot worse than the workload of cabin stewards on the cruise ships—hotels have so much turnover in guests they know no one will really complain. On a cruise ship, there is much more individualized attention so the cabin stewards have fewer rooms to manage and actual downtime built in to the schedule so that if guests want to find them and ask for something that’s a possibility. Hotel cleaning staff don’t even have downtime to use the restroom, really — their room quotas are awful.

The truth is that the global economy is built on income inequality and exploitation. We all draw certain lines as a consumer about what we are willing to tolerate and not, while hopefully doing what we can as individuals to mitigate it.

The environmental issues with cruising are, to me, more problematic as compared with other types of leisure activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here.

7 day cruise on the fantasy in March.
Insanely crowded.
Pools packed like sardines. Literally. No swimming possible - just standing.
Service in restaurants sooooo slow.
Huge lines for aqua duck.
Huge lines for character meet n greet.
Restaurants jam packed all the time.
Food mediocre.
It would have been fine if it was cheaper. But it's pricey.
We spent the same at very high end resorts.

We love WDW so we aren't haters.
We even enjoy the occasional Applebee's

I think what you experienced was all the post-Covid travelers. We're not traveling to any popular destinations for at least another year until the "amateurs" are done with their post-Covid "we saved a shit ton of money over the past two years so let's splurge" trips.

OP posted in 2015.