Are Resort CMs Getting Lazy? I felt like I was a freaking ghost for half of my trip!

[pigletto]

The CMs on the cruise are above and beyond personable

This is pretty much the case on any cruise I have been on..not Disney but particularly Celebrity. The difference being these people are earning their tips which you will be leaving in little envelopes at the end of your cruise, and we were specifically told of the perks they get for glowing comment cards. They HAVE to work that much harder to be friendly.. it pays their bills. And as friendly as they are, sometimes it's too much and I feel like saying "Don't worry I will tip you" because I felt bad for them.

As far as resorts I expect polite, like I do from anyone I come in contact with, but that's about it. I'm thinking of the resort castmembers this past week. The resorts are likely packed, they are likely being run off their feet, and putting out a million fires. My guess is sometimes they are just plain tired.

 

[LiveYourLife]

They were too busy fawning over me. I spent $301.00 a night on my room

 

[Stinky_Pete]

They were too busy fawning over me. I spent $301.00 a night on my room

I guess you wore them out!

 

[Alexander]

Just speculating here, while the CMs are likely told to smile and greet the guests, I wonder how many come from countries where making eye contact and talking to strangers is not the norm. I always greet them first with a warm hello and friendly how are you. They are working their butts off for us, I feel we should be as friendly to them as they are to us.

 

[disnut8]

Well no disrespect to anyone else but the OP has made a reasonable observation. This is very noticable especially after you have been on DCL.
We have done many trips where we cruise first then go to WDW. The CMs on the cruise are above and beyond personable. Upon arriving at the resorts the difference is considerable- we are not people who like to be pampered but when you are approaching a CM in a hallway and there is no exchange even if you attempt first that is not ok.
We have been going for many years and there is a huge difference then when we first started going.

Linda

But you can't really compare a Disney World resort to a Disney World Cruise. Been on both. You are really pampered on the cruise because you basically have certain people "assigned" to you. It was great to have the fine service on the cruise but the person for us didn't have an entire floor of rooms to clean. She might have had twenty. And our two servers for our dinners only had a few tables. I don't think that's comparable to every single Cast Member at a Disney resort.

I posted earlier about staying offsite this trip. I'm here now and while the front desk person did an amazing job with a big snafu on our check-in process, I've seen other employees and have gotten nothing from any of them. Most just glance the other way. Never have that happen at Disney World.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I can't believe people notice such petty stuff while on vacation.

 

[declansdad]

I wouldn't lose sleep over it and it wouldn't ruin my stay.

 

[Texas Barbie]

Really, you spent vacation time tracking something like this and let it upset you. I think some people let the littlest things bother them.

This.

You're at the most magical place on earth. Enjoy it, and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[aubriee]

It's kind of funny about different guests having different experiences at different resorts.

I always come back from Pop Century and remark that I was so tired of having to be nice to all the Cast Members I encountered because they greeted me all the time. From the front desk person to the housekeepers to the mainteance people to the trash collectors, etc. I'm normally not a person who speaks first but they all did to me.

So no, resort Cast Members aren't all "lazy". I'm starting a Disney World trip tomorrow and staying offsite. I'll guarantee you I have almost no intereraction with any of the employees there except to get my room key.

I wouldn't necessarily bet on it. We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek this past May. I have never seen such a bunch of nice, almost overly friendly employees. Everyone we saw spoke to us and almost everyone asked if we were having a good time and if there was anything we needed, to just ask. I just wanted them to leave us alone. I will nod, smile, and even say hello to anyone, but am not one to carry on a conversation with strangers, but my husband never meets a stranger and is willing to talk to anyone for hours at time. I got so frustrated with him (and them). It was like we could never finish a conversation and it took forever to get from place to place.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I remember once at the boardwalk we had a family contest who spoke to the most CMs in one day because they all said hi. I believe we lost track it was so many.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Janepod]

Sorry if this has been posted/debated before, but this has really bothered me since getting back from my trip on Friday and would like to hear your input/thoughts/experiences.

Last week, we did a split stay - three nights at Port Orleans Riverside and four nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Because I had never stayed at either resort, I spent a good deal of time exploring and experiencing each resort. That, along with walking to and from the room, eateries, and the pool, made for me walking past many CMs.

I cannot tell you how many CMs I encountered on my stay who I walked past who did not acknowledge me. At all. I'm not talking about me being one of a long line of people filtering out of the pool area. I'm talking about me and a CM in a corridor or pathway and getting NOTHING. I would smile and they would just continue to stare straight ahead - it started to become almost comical. But really, I began to feel like I was a ghost.

The first time it happened, I wrote it off. The second time, I thought it was weird. After the third time, I started counting. I would smile at every CM I came into contact with (not anything different from what I would normally do). Many of them would smile or offer some kind of greeting, but the number of them who did not was staggering, especially when you keep in mind that a simple greeting is so easy! Depending on how picky I want to be with the acknowledgements, it was around 15 CMs over the course of 7 days. Ouch.

Now, I'm not saying that each CM I run into needs to give me a standing ovation or sprinkle rose petals for me down the hallway, but isn't it the first rule of good hotel hospitality (and normal social decency) to at least acknowledge a person with a smile, hello, or at least a nod, especially if you are the only two people on a pathway/corridor? In that regard, I was treated better by complete strangers in the hallway at times!

I know that this was a small detail in an otherwise smooth trip, but small details go a long way, especially when you're paying $200-$300/night to stay there.

If this is how CMs are going to treat guests, what would keep me there, especially when there is a Four Seasons opening soon right on the outskirts of Disney??

I have never heard of that being the first rule of hospitality. If anything, I though housekeeping was supposed to be invisible.

 

[gogo]

OP, after reading your post it did jog my memory while staying at the Poly in the Hawaii Bldg. It has been a couple of years. But, I do remember coming and going past the CM desk as you enter the bldg. The CM's sitting there rarely looked up from their desk and I thought that was a little indifferent on their part. So, I do get what you are saying. Although, I haven't thought of it until reading this thread.

Another time while staying on the Club level at the Beach Club, I had to walk approximatley 3 hallways to get to my room. A male CM was walking at a fast clip with a food cart and almost ran me over. I actually smiled and stepped out of the way. I caught a disgusted look on his face as though I was in his way. Now, that irritated me for a little while after.

But, overall, most CM's have been friendly and it hasn't negatively effected my vacation. Sorry, you encountered it so much. Hope everything else was good!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I stayed a week at AKL in June and the CM's seemed extremely friendly.. I got many welcome home's and happy birthdays.. To the point i would be discussing something with my DD and I wouldn't hear it till my DD made me aware

 

[kimmyann]

Well, when we went in 2009 & stayed at POFQ, you would think that we were the enemy as far as the CM's were concerned. Just about every single one we encountered was either rude or just whatever in concern of us. Now, the one's we did encounter were the ones flying by on golf carts, the receptionist (which I was actually embarrassed by her attitude while with my DD), or the food service workers. The housekeepers were great! Now, I don't expect anything special at all, but I also expect better customer service than my local Walmart for the amount of money I paid to stay there.

Heck, I was even spoken to as a child & embarrassed in front of my kids for asking about the line for a ride from an old man. Old man, you need to just retire. I'm just now after 4 years considering a return visit & the lack of customer service has been a great factor.

 

[tuckerkeys]

just have to say that this is the strangest complaint I have read about on the dis......lines, crowds, heat....I get...but not saying hi in a resort??

 

[MyHappiestPlace]

I have had only great encounters this visit. Stayed one night at poly and then two at fort. All the CM at the Poly said aloha whether it was front desk merchandise or food and beverage. And I stayed on July 4 when the resort was a madhouse! Capt cooks was insane and they sell managed to say aloha and accommodate all my allergy requests with no issues.

 

[gogo]

just have to say that this is the strangest complaint I have read about on the dis......lines, crowds, heat....I get...but not saying hi in a resort??

I kind of read between the lines and I didn't take it that the OP was disheartened by CM's not saying Hi. It sounded like it was being ignored or acknowledged when there were just the two of them in a hallway, etc. When something repeatedly occurs, I think a person does take notice.

I don't think the post was strange at all. It was something the OP experienced and wanted to comment on it. Let's not make people afraid to post comments or experiences.

 

[saskdw]

just have to say that this is the strangest complaint I have read about on the dis......lines, crowds, heat....I get...but not saying hi in a resort??

My initial reaction to this post was the same as yours. However after giving it some thought I think I understand. I remember our first WDW trip in 2008 noticing how happy and friendly all the CM's were. I must admit it does add to the magic of a Disney trip. Encountering pleasant happy people around every corner you can't help but be happy yourself. It is infectious. I found about 90% of the WDW CM's to be this way and our two stays at CSR since then were the same.

I haven't experienced that same level of pleasantness consistently at any other resort we've stayed at. Yes there are good people everywhere, but not as consistent as WDW. I think I probably would notice next trip if that changed. It wouldn't ruin my trip, but I would notice. I think that's all the OP was getting at that they noticed a difference. I always wondered where they find 10,000 people that happy to hire in one area!

 

[dfarner]

We are here now...been here for 10 days and leaving tomorrow. We stayed one night at POR and the remainder at BC, club level. I have noticed most all of the castmembers we have encountered-at the resorts, parks, or restaurants-to be friendly and helpful.
I have also noticed a ridiculous amount of unsupervised, loud, badly behaved children everywhere. I have noticed guests YELLING at lifeguards at the pool. I have noticed a woman belittling a club castmember for not having sugar-free cookies at her disposal at 10:00pm. In short, I have noticed an abundance of rude, snarky guests with an extreme sense of entitlement and no sense of ownership for their own vacation enjoyment.
These castmembers come from all over the world, and deal with people from all over the world. I think they do their best to help each guest have a magical vacation.
So sorry your experience wasn't what you had hoped for. Maybe your next trip will be better

 

[DWillowBay]

We are here now...been here for 10 days and leaving tomorrow. We stayed one night at POR and the remainder at BC, club level. I have noticed most all of the castmembers we have encountered-at the resorts, parks, or restaurants-to be friendly and helpful.
I have also noticed a ridiculous amount of unsupervised, loud, badly behaved children everywhere. I have noticed guests YELLING at lifeguards at the pool. I have noticed a woman belittling a club castmember for not having sugar-free cookies at her disposal at 10:00pm. In short, I have noticed an abundance of rude, snarky guests with an extreme sense of entitlement and no sense of ownership for their own vacation enjoyment.
These castmembers come from all over the world, and deal with people from all over the world. I think they do their best to help each guest have a magical vacation.
So sorry your experience wasn't what you had hoped for. Maybe your next trip will be better

An unfortunately common state of the world right now. Rather than be grateful for the abundance we have been blessed with, we demand even more. We have lost our awareness that our words / actions have impact on others. Causes me to check my own behavior and express my gratefulness to CMs. I really do appreciate their work.