Hi, I’m Ri. I worked as a crew member on the Disney Fantasy/Wonder. As someone who has never been on a cruise ship prior to accepting that position, I had a lot of questions about how to prepare for life on the ocean.
Because I would potentially like to employed with the Walt Disney Company in the future, please keep the following in mind going forward because your situation might be different. **This advice is my own thoughts and experiences & in no way reflect TWDC**
My first contract was on the Disney Fantasy. At the time of posting this the Disney Fantasy is the newest and biggest ship in the Disney fleet, therefore the crew cabins are the nicest of the 4 ships. The rooms are same sex, but the floors are co-ed. I lived in the forward / front of the ship with another female within the same department. The typical cabin has two beds, a desk, chair, mini fridge, TV, small safe per person, and storage space. The desk has a light and small mirror, 4 outlets (2 UK and 2 US) and 4 drawers. Each bed has a reading light, small shelf and a privacy curtain. You also have a bathroom inside your room about the size of a airplane bathroom with a shower. My first impression of my cabin was that it was incredibly small but eventually it felt comfortable/cozy. There are cabin inspections every week and they’re pretty strict. With that being said it’s not hard to comply with the guidelines. Just make sure the trash is taken out/hidden appropriately, beds are made with your life jacket on top, and surfaces are clear/clean.
The storage space is actually quite generous, considering how much you can travel on the plane with. There is space under the bottom bunk for suitcases but I caution against bringing big hard shell ones, as they probably wont fit. I always overpack for everything and I brought too much clothing with me, 1000%.
Some things to consider while packing;
Wardrobe
1) As a Crew Member while in guest areas, you’ll need to be in ‘Disney Look’. Even if you’re not working. I’m not going to go too deep into this, but make sure you have conservative clothing / business casual outfits. If going out is a thing you like to do, some nicer looks are good, plus you might go out for a nice dinner or a crew party.
2) Think minimalist. depending on your job, you’re literally working ~10hrs a day, you won’t have time to be in anything other than your costume & Pj’s. Pack things that will mix and match well including shoes and belts. nobody cares if you wear the same outfit, everyone else is doing the same thing.
3) Take in consideration the time of year and ports of call your contract will be in. for example, I have been in both the Caribbean and Alaska within the same contract so I had to get creative with space. Holiday/themed crew parties are also a thing.
Laundry
I was provided two pillows, one set of linens and towels. As part of my benefits / privileges, we had a housekeeper that would come 3x a week to clean/vacuum and change out the linen for the cabin. I did eventually get my own sheets, which meant I washed them myself. I lived pretty close to a laundry room, thankfully, which made things easier. It’s open 24 hours and they provide generic detergent but I bought tide pods and dryer sheets for my own laundry. A laundry bag and cloths hangers are a few things I would recommend bringing as well.
Decoration
The walls on the Dream Class (Dream & Fantasy) ships are metal, so they encouraged us to only use magnets to decorate with. No tape. I bought a big tapestry and battery powered fairy lights, to make things a bit cozier. There’s also shelf/desk space to keep small things, but I personally wouldn’t waste much suitcase space on decorations. Photos/letters are good to bring though if you get homesick easily.
Electronics
As someone who spends her life online, I brought my laptop, camera and every charger known to man. Anything that needs to be plugged into the outlets on board needs to be inspected and given a sticker of approval by the electrical engineers, if it meets the voltage requirements. like I said earlier, there are only 2 of each outlet in your room and they’re as far from the bed as they could possibly be, so plan accordingly. I happened to bring my power extension cord for my mac and bought extra long lighting cord for my iPhone. I mostly kept my laptop at the end of my bed, as I trusted my roommates and felt comfortable enough not to lock up any of my things. They encourage us to use the safe in your wardrobe, but its not big enough to fit my large electronics anyways.
I think I covered most of what I would have found to be useful info but if you have more questions, I’m happy to answer them if I can.