Ever have CM's take the Magic out of it?

[andyman8]

Oddly enough, I consider CMs like any other employee. I don't really hold them to a higher standard or anything because, in the end, there just paid employees at Disney.

They, in my experiences, have provided me with outstanding service and have always been polite and kind, yet in all honesty, they're people, too, who work at Disney for their job.

 

[akayek31]

I have been taking my kids (almost grown now ) since 2008. I finally took my DS to Crystal Palace because he has loved those characters all his life and we had the TiW discount. Our server was horrible. I told him that we had the TiW card. He said "I have to get my manager to approve it" and took the card. When he came back he brought the black book with the check in it. We had just sat down. We sat with empty drink glasses for at least 30 minutes (couldn't find him) and when he came around I asked for refills and he said "what both of you" I was so ticked off by then and to make it all worse Eyoree skipped the table and when he was brought back by he refused to sign the autograph book. I should have gotten the manager because since I used TiW the server got a $9 tip for the worse service ever. After this I stopped telling servers at the beginning of the meal we had TiW. DS said it was the worst dining experience we have ever had at Disney.

 

[bizzarehippy]

We had a bad bus driver a few weeks ago. This guy was quite possibly drunk. He pulled up on the curb with both tires, had no a/c on and we were COOKING on that 95* day, then he slammed on the brakes so hard that my kids and I slammed into the metal partition thing we were standing next to. That driver was really lucky he didn't hurt someone. I complained back at our resort. I do wonder what happened to that guy. The transportation dept was wonderful and grateful for my call.

 

[chloe4ever]

I would not let a CM take the "magic out of anything" because short of slapping me in the face or shoving me or perhaps cursing me out......I don't really care how they treat me. They don't fit into my expectations for my vacation--this would apply to any vacation and any hospitality worker. I just have no idea why people let small things bother them or care about these type of things. So a CM did not grin at your child or was talking cr*p about someone else--who cares.......seriously.

The only thing that "bothers" me about Disney CM's is that for the most part they are more anal and preach more about all the freakin rules that Disney institutes. That is the only thing that annoys me about their behavior. Yes, I know that car 23 miles away is coming and I cannot place a toe outside the white line...............and the trams are so dangerous and anyone under 38 cannot sit on the outside.............and dare I try to walk/run in front of the parade that is 2 miles away...........but all these anal things do not bother me, they are just things that me and boyfriend laugh at when we are at Disney. The way they treat everyone like they are infants and everything is SO dangerous.

 

[RyanHorizon]

My girlfriend asked when we could walk under the castle, as it was roped off for a show out in front. The CM told her "there really isn't much to see in there." talk about a downer!

 

[Mom2HandR]

Last week the hostesses at Akershus were much more interested in talking to each other than helping people on line. The guests had to help each other. I found them not rude but certainly not helpful.
A cashier at Columbia House gave my husband a hard time about buying kids' meals on our DDP. Not sure why.
Other than that staff were fine or great.

 

[staceyatdisney]

I have no doubt there are a few "bad apples" but last week we never encountered a single CM that was less than awesome. I always wonder how Disney does it. I mean CM's are human, it's hot, AND guests can be pretty rude to them. I will spare the details to keep true to the topic, but we witnessed some pretty rude behavior by other guests - that can the magic out of it for me.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I've noticed a general...let's call it relaxation...of standards as applied to younger employees at most places in the past few years and I don't think Disney is above it. I would imagine they encourage their folks to break that stereotype but it seems so many places are just sick of fighting what they're seeing as the new normal. For example, 10 years ago when I was a teen and a cashier, we were not allowed to talk to other cashiers unless it was a work related question and especially not when customers were in line. Now at the same place I see 3 in a row carrying on conversations or calling out to other employees at they walk by. We would have been reamed if we pulled that when I started. I see it even more in department stores or small mall stores where there isn't a lot of foot traffic or there isn't a manager around to babysit. I think it's great when people make good friends in the workplace but for crying out loud I don't really want to hear you tell your coworkers that you finally found a thong that doesn't ride up *true story* while your buddy is cashing me out. As far as Disney goes, I don't expect people working in the same area not to talk to each other, but I do expect that if I approach them for whatever reason, I better take priority.

 

[SIMJUN]

There isn't a cast member born that could take the magic out of it for me.

Some fellow guests have come closer to doing that, but I try to make sure that no one puts a damper on my Disney time.

 

[Butterbunkins]

Not until our last trip. One of our first experiences was with an extremely rude woman at the gift shop of our hotel. One of the other CMs implied they have a lot of problems with her.

Then we had a woman serving our QS lunch who wouldn't get off her cell phone. This was at the hot dog stand at the BW so she was all by herself. It didn't ruin my experience or anything, but as a customer ANYWHERE I think that's rude and as a former CM I was shocked.

And at a gift shop at AK we asked about something specific we were looking for that they didn't have and the CM proceed to complain and whine about how she is stuck dealing with guests wanting things she isn't provided. Hey I get it lady, its not your fault some people are probably pretty rude about it but I wasn't and besides I paid a lot of money to be here and to be disappointed, you are getting paid to be a representative of Disney and to field these complaints.

I can't think of any issues from other trips, but on this last one (our honeymoon ) we were somehow a magnet.

 

[sephorachick]

On my trip in November the girl giving out tickets at Astro Orbiter was kinda rude w/ an attitude but we shrugged it off.

At All Star Rolls cafe I asked for red velvvet cupcake & the CM asked me which one it was which I found out but maybe he was new so I forgave that the cupcake ended up being DRY & yuck I threw it away after all of that LOL

 

[raven69david]

Sorry you make minimum wage, hate your job and/or your life. If you don't like it...go work for Six Flags. You'll fit right in.

That's hilarious and yet SO TRUE.

 

[Magpie]

I've noticed a general...let's call it relaxation...of standards as applied to younger employees at most places in the past few years and I don't think Disney is above it. I would imagine they encourage their folks to break that stereotype but it seems so many places are just sick of fighting what they're seeing as the new normal. For example, 10 years ago when I was a teen and a cashier, we were not allowed to talk to other cashiers unless it was a work related question and especially not when customers were in line. Now at the same place I see 3 in a row carrying on conversations or calling out to other employees at they walk by. We would have been reamed if we pulled that when I started. I see it even more in department stores or small mall stores where there isn't a lot of foot traffic or there isn't a manager around to babysit. I think it's great when people make good friends in the workplace but for crying out loud I don't really want to hear you tell your coworkers that you finally found a thong that doesn't ride up *true story* while your buddy is cashing me out. As far as Disney goes, I don't expect people working in the same area not to talk to each other, but I do expect that if I approach them for whatever reason, I better take priority.

I haven't seen a relaxing of standards... when *I* was working in the service industry 20 years ago, the rules were pretty lax in the places I worked. If we weren't serving people yogurt, we were standing around behind the counter yakking about our personal lives. And the conversation didn't stop just because a customer had arrived.

And when I worked in the comic book shop (!), the guys I worked with acted like actually acknowledging the customer was a privilege, not an obligation on their part. They'd only help if they felt like it. (But then again, some of our customers were like drug addicts, coming back every week for their mylar-encased, mint-condition fix.)

But now it's 20 years later and my co-author works in an independent bookstore, and I've finally learned what real, quality customer service looks like. The people who work in that bookstore all understand that the survival of the store rests on their shoulders and they take their job very seriously. They're as awesome as any Disney CM, on their best day.

All of which is to say - it ain't the youth today going to heck in a handbasket, it's the standards set and enforced by the individual employer. Same as it's always been.

 

[mieshie75]

I work in retail. And although I have had only one rude cm at disney. I can see why sometimes they get over whelmed. At the store where I work, I have a hard time with people screaming "hey you how much is this" from across the store. I have also had people while I am cashing out a customer litereally push there way in line and demand to know how much something is. It is not just disney, It is the entire society that we live it. My parents would have killed me if I ever acted like that and I would kill my kids if they ever acted like that. But some people just don't care.

 

[Berlioz70]

I even had the young girl who was wrapping my DD hair give a play-by-play of a date she had with another CM. Totally inappropriate conversation.

I have to chuckle, because the people who wrap hair are not actually CMs, they are operating participants. They do not work for Disney, they do not get the same training as CMs, and their expectations are set up by their parent company.

While it certainly does not excuse the behavior as there are several awful CM experiences mentioned on this thread, I just had to throw that out there for perspective.

 

[jkjs]

The only time I can ever remember a CM taking the Magic out of it was on the trip where my son finally hit 40 inches tall. He just made it and had to stand perfectly erect to hit the bar. It has been my experience that CMs will try everything to have the child be tall enough.

He had done all the rides with a 40" requirement except for Dinosaur which was the last one to hit. When the CM tried to measure him he didn't "make" it as he was slouching a bit. She said he can't ride it and wouldn't even remeasure him! I said look, he's rode every other 40" ride could you try again. She wouldn't!

So we left and went back later and she wasn't there and he passed with no issue. So we are in the queue near the loading areas for the ride, there she IS!. She pulls my son out of line and measures him again which he passed.

 

[archdandy]

On our last trip there was an incident with a CM that was kind of like a cold wind, it kind of just took me out of the magic for a few moments. Nothing actually happened to us but it was just after Wishes had ended and the park was obviously a mad house as people tried to get to the buses. We were trying to get out by Crystal Palace and there were a couple of CM's who were trying to herd people in one direction and one of the CM's was quite snippy with the other one. I felt bad for the girl. I understand that it was probably frustrating but she shouldn't have talked to the other CM like that.

 

[minnie mum]

He had done all the rides with a 40" requirement except for Dinosaur which was the last one to hit. When the CM tried to measure him he didn't "make" it as he was slouching a bit. She said he can't ride it and wouldn't even remeasure him! I said look, he's rode every other 40" ride could you try again. She wouldn't!

So we left and went back later and she wasn't there and he passed with no issue. So we are in the queue near the loading areas for the ride, there she IS!. She pulls my son out of line and measures him again which he passed.

Sorry, but that CM was just doing her job properly. Your son did not measure up when she checked him the first time. I always feel sorry for these CMs since they take so much abuse from parents every day, all day long. And most rides with a height requirement do a second check before boarding the ride, so I don't see why you were surprised with that either.

 

[Deesknee]

About 15 years ago I purchased a nice shirt from the gift shop in the Contemporary Resort. We were staying there. Disney had recently started delivering your purchases to your resort room. As this was to be a surprise for my DH for our anniversary, I thought delivery was perfect. Except it never showed up. When I went back to the gift shop, they basically accused me of stealing! verifying my room # (which was correct), then stating with an attitude of accusation that I should not be surprised if men in suits are looking around my resort room, as they are security. Turns out it was delivered to the wrong room. I received a floral arrangement for my troubles.

The only other time that stands out is when we took DD to FINALLY meet Cinderella, again this was about 15-16 years ago. We finally found her sitting on her thrown in the castle. My daughter was sooooo excited. As my daughter approached, Cinderella said hello, then looked at her watch, and grunted. It wasn't like we took any time, no autograph, no picture even. I felt so badly for my daughter this CM had no personality. I get that they are young adults, and it's hot, and kids can be ...a handful...not to mention parents, but did NOONE prepare you for what being a character entails. long days, hot days, people. Maybe this woman as well as some of the others explained in this thread should have been stacking strollers.

 

[scubamouse]

We were just there and the only rudeness we had was when DD was trying to meet Duffy and her handler announced he was going on a cookie break just as it was our turn. When I asked why she hadn't let people in line know how long Duffy would be there, she got pretty snotty and said he'd be back in 5 minutes. He was and we waited but I thought she could have handled it a lot better, like they did in the past when they managed the timing process better.

I have a funny story though. We were at World of Disney and I was looking for some 'mine, mine, mine' collection items. I asked a CM about it and he said 'Oh, I don't work here'. I said 'I'm sorry' and started to walk away and he said 'I'm kidding, how can I help you'. I asked if he had customer complaint line on speed dial and he got all panicky explaining his joke. I started laughing and saying I was joking too. Then we both started laughing and I didn't even blame him when they didn't have what I was looking for in the store