'I quit Disney cruises after fracture from standing 80 hours in costume shoes'
A former Disney Cruise Line employee has spoken out about the gruelling working conditions on board the Disney Dream ship. Gianna Alexis shared her experience of enduring an 80-hour workweek without a single day off, resulting in a stress fracture due to the demanding nature of her job.
When Alexis joined Disney Cruise Line in 2017, she was initially thrilled to be part of the team. However, the reality of the job hit her hard. Working from 8.30am until 9 or 10pm, she found herself constantly on her feet, catering to young guests at the ship's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Contrary to her initial expectations of a magical experience, she found herself struggling to balance work and personal time. The confines of her tiny living space, which doubled as her workspace, only exacerbated her stress and exhaustion.
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Standing in costume shoes for 80 hours led to a stress fracture (Getty Images)"I didn't know the job would be physically demanding — I thought I would just be doing kids' hair, makeup, and nails," Alexis told Insider. "As a young 24-year-old, I went into this job blindly and wasn't fully prepared."
Alexis's experience shed light on the stringent regulations governing cruise ship employees. The stringent rules meant that even in her limited downtime, she couldn't enjoy the simple pleasures of watching TV or movies, opting instead to prioritize sleep due to sheer exhaustion. The demanding work schedule also affected her health, resulting in a stress fracture in her foot from standing for hours in costume shoes.
The job's physical demands were more than expected, causing severe exhaustion (Getty Images)What was even more disheartening was the disparity between the long hours worked and the meagre pay. Alexis revealed that she worked a minimum of 70 hours weekly and was paid only $423 a week, which equated to approximately $6 per hour.
Despite the exhausting workload, there was no overtime pay. Although employees received some benefits such as shipboard medical care and complimentary Disney theme park admission, the toll on their well-being was significant.
In addition to the physical strain, crew members like Alexis had limited freedom on the ship. Access to guest areas was restricted, and even something as simple as going to the movie theatre required managerial approval. The restrictions created a sense of isolation, contributing to the mental toll that many employees experienced.
Despite forming friendships, Alexis decided to quit after just four months (Corbis via Getty Images)"If the cruise was very full, we might need to free up room for guests," Alexis explained. "I worked in the shops, and our team was a small group of 30 crew members. We were able to go to more places on the ship easily.
"Typically, the larger teams weren't able to get clearance. The dining-room team, for example, is a 300-person team. If their manager gave everyone on that team permission to roam the ship, guest areas would become too crowded.
"I had a friend who was a server in the dining room. She wasn't able to go to the movie theater or the pools like I could. She was only allowed on the floor that she lived on and a spot called 'Deck 14,' which is a small outdoor smoking deck."
After four months of enduring the challenging conditions, Alexis made the difficult decision to quit. Despite the camaraderie she shared with her coworkers and the friendships she formed, the toll on her health and well-being became too much to bear.
Disney could not be reached for comment.
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