About | The Crew Hangout

Who am I?

My name is Adriano and I have worked on ships since 2007. It all started back in Hawaii where I was working as a camp counselor at a YMCA Camp, on the north shore of Oahu. I had a friend that mentioned that it was possible to have a similar job onboard cruise ships, like a “Camp at sea.” The idea intrigued me and I always had in the back of my mind as a possible future adventure. I watched various videos about working on cruise ships before, and I the more I learned about working onboard, the more enthusiastic I got.

When I was living in Orlando, Florida I saw an ad for Disney Cruise Line in the newspaper hiring for various positions to work onboard its ships, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic. Without hesitation I decided to apply for the job of Youth Counselor and the rest is history.

After going through interviews, I got the call that I got hired. It was very exciting knowing that something I had back in my mind was finally materializing. In order to work onboard Disney ships, I had to obtain a C1/D Visa (Crew/Transit Visa) back in Brazil, since this visa is only issued outside the United States.

So back I went to Brazil to get this visa. Disney provided all the necessary documentation for me to apply for this visa. With my visa in hands, flights booked by the company and bags ready, it was time to embark to Orlando, Florida to attend a week-long training at Disney World, with all perks included of course.

Keep in mind that not all companies will provide training/orientation before joining the ship. This will vary from company to company.

I was assigned to join the Disney Wonder in Port Canaveral. The ship was alternating between a 3 and 4 days Bahamas cruise, visiting Nassau and Disney’s private island called Castaway Cay.

After working for Disney, I moved on to work for Norwegian Cruise Line as Youth Counselor and later on, switched jobs, joining the NCL’s Shore Excursions team.

Working on ships has opened the world to me. I was able to visit places I wouldn’t have imagining visiting before. I met my wife working onboard and so many cool friends that we still keep in touch today.

Working on a cruise ship is not just a job but a lifestyle. It feels like you are living in a bubble and time onboard feels like an eternity when compared to life on land. It has been one of the best things that has happened to me and I hope it will be the same for you.