Everest Experience to share as warning

[Hannathy]

I still can't gt my head around why you didn't say anything when it was happening? Why you followed silently?

I just think a loud hey what is going on? what are you doing? Suzy where is he taking you and why ?

would have been the thing to do.

 

[Rylee]

Why does nearly everyone feel the need to bash or be jerky? Some one even said "didn't happen"? Really? Im just making this up?

I was un aware that I needed to go breath by breath. My one son, Twin A, and I were first. We step up to the CM and answer "4" to the obligatory "How many in your party?" We are directed to the middle of the train which was right there by where the question was asked. We step into said line. Twin B says "Can we ride in the front?" and the CM directs them to the other line for those who are waiting on the front or back of the train. I see this and don't think any thing about it. My daughter is with my son. I am not allowing her to ride alone, she is with her brother. My daughter at that time says "I don't want to ride in the front" to her brother. (which Im sure was in a little sister whiney tone) The CM who is in charge of that line, then pulls her out of that line and takes her by the arm to the exit. I see this and leave Twin A in line. Twin B is still in line for the front. I follow a few steps behind. I am within earshot and he is saying nothing to her. She is now crying. She was not crying while in line. Whining yes, crying no. He puts her on the stone wall and turns and leaves. He says nothing to her and nothing to me. He does not tell her to wait here for your mom, he doesnt say ANYTHING! I go out the gate. I say to her "What was that about?" She said "I didn't want to ride in the front and he made me leave the line". I sit down on the opposite side of the wall. She is still crying. Another CM (a woman) walks and asks her "What's wrong? Did you not want to ride?" To which my daughter answers "I did, but not in the front row". The CM enters through the gate and nothing more is said.

Twin B did get reprimanded once he got off the line. As a parent, I chose to tend to the child in need before the child in trouble. Twin A was then allowed to ride EE again 3 more times with DD, in the middle of the train, while Twin B and I watched. Seemed like appropriate punishment to me.

Anyone else want to bash me or call me a liar?

Oh and I never said anything about expecting a CM to "babysit" my daughter, I just wouldn't expect one to set her free out in the park alone either.

My "warning" is that had I not been witness to this, I would have enjoyed EE, exited through the gift shop and where would my daughter have been? I would have no idea where she was. Its understandable that if you put a child on a ride alone, which I know is allowed, then you know to meet them at the exit. However, this is different because I put her on the ride with her brother and would have expected her to be there with him upon the completion of the ride.

So just knowing that it is a possibility might help someone else, that was my sole intention.

Geez.

I believed you in your original post.

Sounds to me like the CM only heard the first part of your daughter's sentence... "I don't want to ride," and didn't hear... "in the front."

I get what you are saying about a child riding alone, may not be waiting or found where one would expect them to be.

* For safety reasons, teach your daughter she has the RIGHT to challenge anyone, even authority figures, when they are trying to lead her anywhere.

 

[momofbcs]

Thanks for explaining I haven't read any more posts after this post of yours. I'm replying just to you. I'm so sorry your daughter had an experience like this. I do think that the power in the situation was in your hands when you chose to say nothing to the CM when he pulled her past you and you followed behind them. You also chose not to say anything to the woman cm. Finally you chose not to approach any CM at all after to ride and solve the situation. Therefore I don't understand what you expected to happen. I don't think the cm who put his hands on your daughter should have touched her. I don't think I could have contained myself.

They didnt walk past me, Twin A and I were a few feet further toward the front of the train and the line for the front car is closer to the back (seems weird)

He wasn't like squeezing her or anything, and I could see her. Its very loud in there. She saw me following them. You know that moment when you want to open your mouth but you are kinda so stunned at what is happening that words dont really form? thats where I was. Honestly, I was mad at both Twin B and DD. So thats why I was not sitting next to her on the stone wall but across from her. I must have had a bad scowl on my face because the second CM gave me one quick glance and turned away.

 

[Sydnerella]

Its always easier to play QB Monday AM. Sometimes we r shocked in a moment or trying to learn before we react.

Leave this mom alone. Miscommunication is often what leads to these exact situations.

Thanks for trying to inform other parents of how a situation was handled in the event we encounter something similar.

Glad the trip was good for all of you even with this strange occurrence.

 

[momofbcs]

I believed you in your original post.

Sounds to me like the CM only heard the first part of your daughter's sentence... "I don't want to ride," and didn't hear... "in the front."

I get what you are saying about a child riding alone, may not be waiting or found where one would expect them to be.

* For safety reasons, teach your daughter she has the RIGHT to challenge anyone, even authority figures, when they are trying to lead her anywhere.

Oh yea I agree! She can challenge anyone! I dont think she did because she knew I was behind them and she wasnt in any danger or anything. And that was also likely the cause of her getting taken out of line... standing up to her brother!

 

[mousermerf]

Notes..

It is against company policy for a CM to touch you/anyone without permission. Exceptions exist for safety related issues - example include bracing a guest with a wheelchair that is possible to topple over on a steep loading ramp, or tackle/blocking a child who is about to walk off a platform onto a ride track.

In this instance, it's a matter of if the CM offered his hand and the child took it, or did the CM grab the child's arm. One is an offensive that can lead to termination, the other is not.

Physical removal of someone from the load area - by means of taking their arm or other physical contact by the CM - should not happen.

 

[momofbcs]

Notes..

It is against company policy for a CM to touch you/anyone without permission. Exceptions exist for safety related issues - example include bracing a guest with a wheelchair that is possible to topple over on a steep loading ramp, or tackle/blocking a child who is about to walk off a platform onto a ride track.

In this instance, it's a matter of if the CM offered his hand and the child took it, or did the CM grab the child's arm. One is an offensive that can lead to termination, the other is not.

Physical removal of someone from the load area - by means of taking their arm or other physical contact by the CM - should not happen.

He took her by the arm. He did not do it in anger or roughly, just put his hand on her upper arm and guided her out.

 

[DallastoDisney]

I am very sorry that not only did you have a bad experience at DW but also here on Dis. Yes the situation sounds odd but that is exactly why you were passing along the information.
And I think everyone is overlooking one very important piece of the puzzle. You are a single mom tackling DW with twin teen boys and a young daughter. It's easy for others to judge and say what one would do differently but if they are lucky they haven't had to choose between reporting a negative incident or calming down an upset child. So I applaud you as you sound like a great mother who handled the situation very well. You were keeping your eyes on all your kids in a busy area, calmed your daughter down and chose to discipline your son as you saw fit. Kudos to you and ignore the judgmental fools who dare to call you a liar.

 

[OThopeful35]

She came on here to vent. We are supposed to be "Disney lovers" and be there for each other and talk about our experiences good or bad at Disney. It seems like every other thread on this site somebody is accusing another poster of lying or trying to prove their point or just being sarcastic. I'm so sick of reading negative posts by people.

On that note, I'm sorry this happened to you and your daughter. I would definitely talk to Disney about it whether or not you normally or do not normally complain. It's out of line a CM putting their hands on your daughter.

I agree with you. It's a shame you can't come on here and vent without being attacked.

OP, I am sorry that this happened to your daughter. The CM had no right to do that to your child. I'm glad you caught it in time.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

I still can't gt my head around why you didn't say anything when it was happening? Why you followed silently?

I just think a loud hey what is going on? what are you doing? Suzy where is he taking you and why ?

would have been the thing to do.

I think some of us, myself included, freeze in situations like this, kinda like a deer in headlights. It's like we're trying to process the situation before we react. Then after the fact the light bulb in the brain finally clicks on and you go damn, I should have done this, or said that. I guess it's that flight or fight response.

I thinking questioning the OP on why, is a question that she probably can't answer, things often happen so fast, and some of us just aren't that quick on our toes. That doesn't make us any less, it just means we're different. I'm sure the OP handled the situation to the best of her ability at the time.

 

[FigmentChick]

I think some of us, myself included, freeze in situations like this, kinda like a deer in headlights. It's like we're trying to process the situation before we react. Then after the fact the light bulb in the brain finally clicks on and you go damn, I should have done this, or said that. I guess it's that flight or fight response.

I thinking questioning the OP on why, is a question that she probably can't answer, things often happen so fast, and some of us just aren't that quick on our toes. That doesn't make us any less, it just means we're different. I'm sure the OP handled the situation to the best of her ability at the time.

I 100% agree with this! I am one of those "frozen"-type people and then, afterwards, I'll think "doh! I should have done (or said) such-and-such".

I also agree that although there are some really great people on the DIS (some I count as close friends even though we've never met), others tend to jump all over posters stating their lying or it's not Disney's fault or something else along those lines. This is exactly the reason I don't post a whole lot.

And my last Disney vacation? That's why I didn't do a trip report. We had issue after issue but I didn't want to bring it up on here for fear of being flamed. I really like reading the threads on here and I knew if people jumped all over me, I wouldn't be back. So, I kept my family's experience to myself even though I'm sure the lessons we learned could help others.

momofbcs, I read your post yesterday and believed you then. When you expounded upon the experience, it did help me visualize it a bit more, but I had already totally understood where you were coming from. I'm glad the experience didn't ruin the whole day for you and that the rest of your trip was great. Thank you for sharing the experience as this is something I, personally, need to be aware of when we visit next year. I always sit with DS4.5, but I know my DD12 and DS11 will want me to sit with them every once and awhile. So, that means one of the older two will be with the little guy. It scares me to know that if I look away for a second, one of my kids could be walked off the ride, so to speak. That makes me nervous. Thank you again!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I was within ten feet of my child and she was not being "disruptive".

I am also not accusing a CM of doing something "inappropriate".
There was no "verbal direction" given for her to be non-responsive to.

The child was not "unattended and unsupervised". I was right there. Her brother made an impulsive "ride in the front" request that split our group into 2 parts. That is no reflection on my opinion of my daughter's capacity to be unsupervised or unattended.

I found the reaction of the CM to be strange and irresponsible. I agree that BOTH should have been removed from line... I also think that big brother should have gone with her, which Im sure he would have done had I not been a few steps behind.

I think that if a child is removed from line for being disruptive and is with another child at the time, both should be removed and kept with a CM until the child or children is reconnected with the responsible adult and not just put outside the attraction into "general population".

Again, my intention was to let people know that it is a possibility for a child to be removed from line and left alone so if your child/children is riding a ride and they dont come off at the anticipated area in an appropriate amount of time, this is a possibility.

Sorry but you stated you were *shocked* the CM toucked your child.that the same as saying the CM did something wrong...if indeed a CM did touch your child!

Sorry this is just not adding up.

AKK

 

[goofy4tink]

Why does nearly everyone feel the need to bash or be jerky? Some one even said "didn't happen"? Really? Im just making this up?

I was un aware that I needed to go breath by breath. My one son, Twin A, and I were first. We step up to the CM and answer "4" to the obligatory "How many in your party?" We are directed to the middle of the train which was right there by where the question was asked. We step into said line. Twin B says "Can we ride in the front?" and the CM directs them to the other line for those who are waiting on the front or back of the train. I see this and don't think any thing about it. My daughter is with my son. I am not allowing her to ride alone, she is with her brother. My daughter at that time says "I don't want to ride in the front" to her brother. (which Im sure was in a little sister whiney tone) The CM who is in charge of that line, then pulls her out of that line and takes her by the arm to the exit. I see this and leave Twin A in line. Twin B is still in line for the front. I follow a few steps behind. I am within earshot and he is saying nothing to her. She is now crying. She was not crying while in line. Whining yes, crying no. He puts her on the stone wall and turns and leaves. He says nothing to her and nothing to me. He does not tell her to wait here for your mom, he doesnt say ANYTHING! I go out the gate. I say to her "What was that about?" She said "I didn't want to ride in the front and he made me leave the line". I sit down on the opposite side of the wall. She is still crying. Another CM (a woman) walks and asks her "What's wrong? Did you not want to ride?" To which my daughter answers "I did, but not in the front row". The CM enters through the gate and nothing more is said.

Twin B did get reprimanded once he got off the line. As a parent, I chose to tend to the child in need before the child in trouble. Twin A was then allowed to ride EE again 3 more times with DD, in the middle of the train, while Twin B and I watched. Seemed like appropriate punishment to me.

Anyone else want to bash me or call me a liar?

Oh and I never said anything about expecting a CM to "babysit" my daughter, I just wouldn't expect one to set her free out in the park alone either.

My "warning" is that had I not been witness to this, I would have enjoyed EE, exited through the gift shop and where would my daughter have been? I would have no idea where she was. Its understandable that if you put a child on a ride alone, which I know is allowed, then you know to meet them at the exit. However, this is different because I put her on the ride with her brother and would have expected her to be there with him upon the completion of the ride.

So just knowing that it is a possibility might help someone else, that was my sole intention.

Geez.

Thanks for the elaboration...it makes 'getting it' easier. I don't believe the CM acted inappropriately. I do think there was some miscommunication there. The CM may very well have just heard 'I don't want to ride..', and then guided your dd out of the attraction..the way they are supposed to. When the other CM asked what was the matter, your dd answered her, but that CM didn't understand what the real issue was. It's too bad a series of miscommunications had to negatively impact you and your kids.
I would have taken it up with a CM right then and there....you would have had the satisfaction of having it dealt with and been able to continue your day without feeling 'off' due to that experience.

Once again...always a good idea to deal with something right then. It leaves a much better taste in your mouth. But, many of us are hesitant to be labeled 'complainers'. It's almost as if we're programmed that way.

 

[RunDanceSkate]

The child was not "unattended and unsupervised". I was right there. Her brother made an impulsive "ride in the front" request that split our group into 2 parts. That is no reflection on my opinion of my daughter's capacity to be unsupervised or unattended..

A request to ride in the front does not split up a group of 4 or even 10. The entire group goes to the front of the ride line and get loaded onto the same train. When a front seat opened up your party would have been directed to seats 1 and 2. If you were a party of 10 you would have been directed to seats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Sometimes the wait can be fairly long. Sounds like the first problem here is that you didn't go to the front of train holding area with your children, keeping your group together, or you could have told your son no to sitting in the front.

 

[CrzyforPiglet]

How bizarre!

I think what bothers me most about what happened to you is that the CM didn't say anything to her. Granted he is trying to get a ride loaded so he couldn't have a lengthy convo with her but even as you stated, a simple "wait right here for your brother" would have been appropriate, I would definitely follow up with Disney on that one. That being said I don't think the second CM (the one loading the front car) realized the 4 of you were together and may have expected your son would have gotten out of line with her thinking he was responsible for her. Its the only thing I can think of that could possibly explain the CMs behavior. Either that or once he realized you were following them, thought what was going on was self evident. Again, either way something should have been said.

Happy to hear the rest of your vacation went well!

 

[TwoCortWort]

I just wanted to jump in and say I would still contact Disney and complain. I had an issue at Universal last year that involved my own safety and my family was against me complaining while we were at the park so I waited until I got home. But it wouldn't hurt in anyway to complain especially with what happened. If anyone at the park ever touched my niece, I would've given them a piece of my mind and demanded to speak to their supervisor.

 

[HelenParr]

OP,

Great elaboration, and for what it's worth (roughly zero ) I never thought you were lying or even exaggerating. I was also not surprised at what you originally described. I agree that CM should not have touched your daughter, and sounds like he misunderstood the situation.

We love EE and use the single rider line often. For those unfamiliar with the single rider line, or the specifics of EE loading set up, while you are in single rider line, you spend some time waiting and watching the load. You can hear the CM questions and guest answers as you wait to be loaded, and you start to see how it unfolds, good and bad. I assure you that some of the CMs are: having bad days, overhwhelmed, not good at math -- you name it. Mistakes are made. While the vast majority of the CMs seem great, I have witnessed many CM in meltdown and who get testy with guests, speak loudly and sharply without cause to guests, touch and "direct" guests physically, and who seem so stressed by the loading they either just started recently or won't last long at EE. More than average relative to other attractions.

I agree with PP that for whatever reason the CM did not realize you were 4 together. Does not excuse the touching and moving your daughter to the no-ride zone.

 

[awilliams4]

Just wanted to put this out there as a warning of sorts I guess... I feel it should be known that it can happen...

I was at AK with my 3 kids (Im a single mom). I have a 9 year old daughter and two 13 year old boys. One of which is 5'9" so he looks a lot older. Anyway...

In line for EE and one of my boys asks to ride with me, I usually ride with my 9 year old daughter and the boys ride together, so I was like ok. Well the CM directed us to the # slot and then we started going there when my other son who was with my daughter behind us in line asked to sit in the front. My daughter said "no, I dont wanna ride in the front" and the CM TOOK HER OUT OF THE LINE AND OUT OF THE RIDE OUT THE BACK GATE!!! WITHOUT AN ADULT AND SAT HER ON THE WALL ALONE!

Luckily, I saw this and was only about 15 seconds behind the CM, but he escorted her by the arm and she started bawling her eyes out. There was no asking her what was wrong or anything. Once outside the gate, she was crying and I was sitting across from her, another CM asked her what was wrong.

I was stunned that 1. someone put their hand on my child and 2. that they would escort a child alone out into the general public and leave them unattended.

No, I didnt complain. Im not the type, but I was stunned at what I was witnesses and very thankful that I didnt take my eyes off of her.

And it wasted out fast passes!

When the CM asked how many in your party prior to the back of the line, front of the line bypass, how many did you say? 2 or 4?

 

[Colleen27]

Well, I for one appreciate the heads-up because I'd assume that a child who panicked at loading would be escorted to the ride *exit* to reconnect with his/her party. As in "Wait here in the gift shop, your family will come out right through here", not taken to a random wall or seating area where it would be easily to miss one another.

As far as what happened, odds are the CM only heard the "I don't want to ride" in a whiny/scared tone and didn't hear the "in the front" qualifier. Both you and your DD need to work on speaking up! I know what it is like to be taken aback by something going on but addressing it in the moment at WDW is the best way to get a satisfactory outcome - in this case, you or your other son would most likely have been allowed to change places with her in the queue so she'd be in the middle and someone else would have joined your daring son in the front.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

This makes no sense.