I was a mainstage performer and loved my time there. Living on a ship can suck but working for Disney is amazing and our hours were way better than everyone else on the ship. The show quality is fabulous and the shows never get old because you're constantly on for a new track. The people who keep returning can get jaded at times but if you keep your head up the atmosphere truly is magical. As a mainstage perfomer housing is great and you get perks most crew doesn't. The late night rehearsals get old and "crossover" rehearsal hours are really really bad, but it's all temporary. For the travel and pay I can't complain! (edited)

Too much work not enough pay.

Con: they sometimes hire people with little to no talent. Pro: Those folks don’t get asked back.

I will go out to say I was a character performer on this contract and I am very appreciative of the time I got to spend on board the Disney Fantasy. That being said, nothing is perfect. In terms of pay, compared to other performing jobs, was not bad at all. However, character performers got paid half of what MainStage got while working at least twice the amount of hours, which is not cool at all. Not saying MainStage didn’t deserve to make what they did, but you got to make it make sense. We were working 60 hours a week to put it in perspective. If you are a character dancer, unless on one of the classic ships, please be prepared to not dance as much as you think you’re going to or want to. I did seven day cruises and for deck shows, only got to dance for 11 minutes for one show, 22 minutes for another show, and one of the MainStage shows for a part of it. Basically maybe an hour total of dancing that cruise, and I was lucky and had probably the best dancer track out of all the character performers. You will not get to dance as much as you hope. Character performers also live in shared living spaces, which is fine but the rooms are TINY. We still have it better than a lot of the workers on the ship though, so I can’t complain too much about it. There are some privileges, like you can eat at cabanas and the free quick service places, but it’s guest first and sometimes the workers will be rude, even though it’s not your fault for having the privilege. Unfortunately, that privilege can be taken away as well. You can submit a dining request to eat at one of the restaurants, but unless you have family and friends sailing, theres a good chance if you’re a character performer it’ll be denied. MainStage does not have this problem unless they’re in a show at the time. The character manager for the majority of the my contract was not the best. She was slightly lower hungry and a suck up to the higher ups, which sometimes would negatively impact us. On top of that, we’ve had safety issues during rehearsals/ performances that she did not really addressed. She, at least to me, seemed to care more about moving up in the company herself they our well being. Outside of our job, she was a decent human being though. Though it’s not perfect, there are some cool things about the job. I got to travel to all these places I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to and you do get time off to enjoy times at these ports. It really helps with keeping the job fun and it was worth it. You also get to bank A LOT of money. I was able to pay for a vacation because of it. I also got to meet some of the greatest human beings on Earth that I still talk to today. The cast members there are amazing people who are going to do amazing things. Overall, I enjoyed my time there, and if you want to travel, work on a cruise, and be friends with some of the Disney characters, you will have a great time.

I think your experience really depends on your cast and your contract. The one I was on debuted a lot of new content, so we had a lot of late night rehearsals on the ship (11pm-1am). That said, if you're a mainstage performer, you'll rarely work 30 hours a week, so the hours are pretty nice. DCL can basically add any additional performance content to your schedule and not pay you extra for it (or pay you a very small amount), so be aware that can happen. One of the best things about DCL though is that they really do train you for employment, so if you need to learn how to properly understudy or you want to improve your dance ability or your harmonizing ability, you'll get thrown into all sorts of performance scenarios where you have room to grow. I would definitely recommend doing DCL for someone straight out of school, because you make good money, you have plenty of time to sunbathe and go to the gym, and the schedule isn't grueling like a tour or an 8-show week of the same show. Rehearsing in Toronto is also lovely, and the accommodations are wonderful. That said, ship life can be very hard (it was for me), and you're basically leaving everything behind for 10 or so months, so it's hard to have a life outside the ship. You pay per GB for internet, you're surrounded by white steel walls, and you feel this vacation mindset because you're on a cruise ship, but actually you're just always at work and don't get to ever leave--but that's with any ship. The rules for DCL are stricter than other ships. And you definitely work more than other ships, as you'll have character greeter duties every week, but in comparison with the character performer schedules, it's a breeze. (edited)

I can't say enough good things about working for Disney Cruise Line. The quality of the shows are at a very high level. The talent they bring in is always absolutely on point, so you are surrounded by a ton of people who are just nailing it on the stage. Everyone inspires each other. Be aware, the rules on the ship are likely the most strict compared to other cruise lines. People are always looking to sue Disney over anything to get free stuff. It is unfortunate, but true. I have made some of the closest friends from this job. Even the people I did not bond with during the gig, we later run into each other and it is like seeing family you missed a ton. One of the best experiences of my life. And that is coming from someone who was eager to end the contract because I was tired of living on a ship.