Has a CM ever been rude/nasty to you?

[maxiesmom]

The only "bad" experience I ever had was in September 2007 at the All Star Music. There were 5 of us: my mother, her wife, my aunt and my best friend. My mother has a disability in which she cannot walk properly (due to an unfortunate incident during a routine knee replacement surgery) and it is extremely difficult for her to get around comfortably. When we were checking in the CM directed us to 2 separate rooms, both on the 2nd floor of the Jazz building. My mother specifically requested a handicap accessible room in the Calypso building and when booking was told it would be no problem whatsoever. The CM that was checking us in basically threw her hands up in the air and said "I don't know what to tell you. We don't have a handicap room for you!" It was awful. My mom, aunt, and I are all Disney veterans but this was my mother's wife and my best friend's first visit. I was horrified that they were experiencing this and we had literally just stepped off the Magical Express! My mother politely asked for a supervisor. She immediately got tears in her eyes...her disability is one that came to her late in life (she was 45) and she was not used to being "handicapped" as this was only 3 years after it happened. The supervisor was very competent and understanding. My mom and her wife got the room they requested, and my aunt, my best friend and I were all upgraded to a Family Suite at no charge. Which ended up being great because we each got a separate bed to sleep in. I'm glad that it was handled by the supervisor properly but sad that it had to happen in the first place. Other than that I have always had amazing experiences with CMs over the years...I will be 30 in October and have been going to WDW pretty routinely since I was 9!

Unless you go through the special services division, all requests are just that, requests. Rooms are not blocked out as you book, they are pre-assigned just a few days before your trip. And even then "your" room can be taken and given to someone else. I hate that they promise things when you make your reservation, when they have no control at all over room inventory, and making sure you get what you ask for.

Trust me, I've been there and done that, only at the Music resort. Booked a preferred room as my mom had had some minor surgery, and was told at check in none were available. Only they would do nothing for me.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I've had a few encounters. But I know what they go through, because I work in a guest service focused job too, so if I do have bad service I let it go. And I make a point to go to Guest Relations to leave good comments for the awesome CMs I meet. But I'll share two bad experiences, both at WDW:

At the first 24-hour Disney day my friends and I wanted a photo in front of the castle. It was already pretty late at this point (like maybe 2 AM), so I know guest service might not be as stellar. The Photopass CM was pretty surly with us- my friend began to explain her camera to him but he just snapped that he knew how to use it already. No smile, or anything. He directed us to move over a bit for the photo.. however, even in the dark I could see he was directing is with one finger- his middle one. Almost went to Guest Relations for that one, but I gave it a pass.

At MK last year my friends and I went to eat at The Plaza Restaurant. We had a reservation but somehow we still hadn't been called to sit after like an hour. The hostess at the front acted as if we had two heads for even speaking to her. No smile at all, not even when she eventually seated us. I would have let it pass, but my former CM friend spoke to the manager about it.

 

[disney meema]

A bus driver at the Floridian. He shut the back bus door on my the 5 yr old grandsons arm, and when I yelled for him to open it he got all nasty with me and my husband ... Said he didn't close it blah blah blah! We went directly to the hotel manager who was very kind and the the transportation manager called us to get the details. We were compensated but still wish it never happened instead. My grandson had bruising on his arm but otherwise healed perfectly, kind of traumatic all around

 

[KulaMauiMouse]

I wonder if this has to do with how people retain memories. I have been to Disneyland dozens of times over the years and I can't remember a single rude CM. Curt, certainly, but they are usually task oriented at the time (directing parade traffic, counter food servers with a lot of people in line, etc). I wonder if I just have selective memories about the happiest place on earth? I can't imagine in all that time I've never come across one out of line person, but all I can think of is awesome CMs.
I can, on the other hand, recall some horrific guest behavior! I try my best not to be "that person"!!

 

[ttintagel]

The only problem we have had in the last 17 years of going to WDW was with a CM at HM. It was the last day of our 7 day trip and my DS wanted to ride HM one last time. My DH uses a GAC so we went to the ride exit like it was with the old setup. He showed the CM his GAC and the CM looked him up and down and asked.."Did you get this card just to skip lines????" My husband replied, "No" then the CM asked in a very sarcastic tone, "Well then what is wrong with you?" My DH had to explain his medical history (which he is very uncomfortable talking about) to him before he would let us on the ride. I went straight to GR and reported this CM.

In all the times I've been to the Haunted Mansion, I've only ever met two CM's who WEREN'T horribly rude. My theory is that they shuffle any CM with a bad attitude or a personality problem back there in the hopes that people won't notice and will think they're just trying to be "spooky."

 

[luvthemouse71]

Not crazy rude or anything, but while picking up hotdogs in Caseys one evening I had a cm who was a little less bubbly than most, and when I used the word "pop" she got all snotty, repeating pop like she'd never heard the word before then said (not to nicely) "you must be from the North" then repeated pop again under her breath and laughed.

I was kind of taken aback a bit. No way I was the first one to ever use pop instead of soda in Casey's

That's weird, because most people in New England, which is "up north", say soda instead of pop.

I did live in Pennsylvania for 3 years and they called it pop. Not sure about New York though.

 

[SillySallySews]

I lived the first 22 years of my life in PA and called it soda lol! I don't remember where I first heard the term pop but it was not while I lived in the northeast.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I thought this was interesting...

http://popvssoda.com/

 

[SillySallySews]

I thought this was interesting...

http://popvssoda.com/

That's awesome! Now they need to make one for lollipops and sprinkles...or suckers and jimmies, whichever you prefer.

 

[jswCHDWish]

We recently went on our first trip to Disney as part of my son's Wish for Make-a-Wish. He was born with a life threatening heart condition, and being a HUGE Star Wars fan he chose to go to Disney for Star Wars Weekend. We, of course, had been planning for months and the excitement building up, researching, my wife was reading the forum DAILY about how to make the trip as magical as possible.
We were really blown away and surprised by how rude the cast members we encountered were when we went. Maybe it was because a huge event and the crowds were big and it was really hot. (We went May 29, 30, June 1 of this year) But unfortunately our entire time at Disney was unpleasant. Here are just two situations that really bothered me:
The night of the 30th we were in Magic Kingdom and getting ready for the mainstreet electric parade. It's my wife, my son(11 the wish kid), my daughter(7), my daughter(1), and myself. I'm not sure if anyone else has ever noticed but Wish families and the wish kids are pretty easy to spot, we wear the Make A Wish shirts, we had a pin from GKTW, a 1st time visitors pass, and the genie pass hanging from a lanyard around my neck. The Wish families are allowed to sit in a roped off section for disabled guests, kids like my son and ect. We walked up to the roped off section, the baby is in a stroller, and the cast member says we can't get in unless we take the baby out of the stroller, fold it up and put it away. The way she was relaying the information was really snappy, but we shrugged it off and while it was a bit of a pain in the **** we folded it up and sat down. A few minutes later another wish family comes behind us and the wish kid is in a stroller, and she's obviously VERY sick with cancer or some type of illness(no hair, very sickly, just really sad state) and they had a pass that shows that her stroller is used as a wheelchair and that they are supposed to have access to disabled patron seating. The cast member handling the rope wouldn't let the kid in!! She kept insisting that the parents must take her out of the stroller to get in and fold the stroller up and put it else where. This continues on for quite a few minutes and eventually the family, along with the little girl who was very sick.
Another issue that SINCERELY bothered me was while we were in Hollywood Studios. This was our first day there. We had just signed up for Jedi Training, been to Darth Mall, saw actual Darth Maul from a distance, my son is in STAR WARS HEAVEN. We are making our way back to the area for Jedi Training when, Oh my goodness Queen Amidala is headed our way. My son is excited, so excited he can barely talk. She's about to walk by us when he goes "Excuse me... Please.. Queen Amidala" and stretches out his autograph book when the cast member very rudely and impatiently says "She'll be over there *vaguely points in some direction" and will be giving autographs" and walks off. Leaving my son just standing there, in his jedi robes with both his Make A Wish button and GKTW button in plain sight.
Now I understand that they have designated spots for autographs and times, I wasnt upset at all that we'd ahve to go somewhere else, but the manner in which she said it, how rude and abbrasive she was, and how she didn't even really tell us where to go really really shocked me.
The entire time we were at Disney, for 3 day(Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom) the atmosphere and attitude of everyone we encountered was rushed, rude and abbrasive. Maybe it was bc of the Star Wars Weekend, or because it was hot but we were just really surprised that that just happened to be our first visit and experience at Disney and it was no where near magical.
Hopefully, granting my son makes it through his surgeries we'll go back and we'll have a magical experience. But it really bothers me how the cast members were towards that little girl, for all anyone of us know that could have been her last trip before she passed. I know that often the heat can make someone a little grouchy, as can crowds and maybe before they encountered us they had encountered really rude guests. I just wish that the cast members we had encountered would have taken note that these kids were Wish kids and that sometimes the only thing they have to hold onto during doctors visits, procedures, ect is just that little hope of magic.
We did speak to several families who also stayed at the GKTW village who felt the same way we did about the atmosphere encountered at Disney. I will say that, although Disney may have been a little disappointing, as a whole our Wish Trip was very pleasant and one of the main contributing factors of that was how wonderful, sweet, and magical the people at the GKTW Village were and at Universal Studios. They sincerely made the whole Wish Trip a great experience, I only wish that Disney had too.

 

[jswCHDWish]

I just want to make sure that we aren't sounding ungrateful for our trip with Make A Wish. It was great and apart from our experiences at Disney our whole trip was amazing. We were actually blown away by how amazing, nice, friendly and magical the people at Universal Studios were because originally we had intended on skipping out on Universal Studios but decided after disappointing days and Disney "why not" and the whole atmosphere was laid back, everyone was nice and friendly. It was kind of what we had expected at Disney.

 

[brertoad]

To the previous poster, I am sorry that you did not experience Disney at it's best. SW weekends are so hectic. Also, the hard ticket events like MNSSHP, and MVMCP are also insane, the cast members are usually herding people like cattle all day long, and directing traffic around - I've heard the annoyance in their voices. But, I'm glad that you and your family at least got to go. Hopefully you will have some good memories of the trip to make up for the rudeness that you had experienced.


In our Disney adventures, we've only come across a few that I can remember that rubbed me the wrong way. One CM totally came off as being rude even sarcastic, he works over in the Big Top Circus tent at the cash register, maybe late teens/early twenties. The others have been really insane custodial workers, one at Epcot Norway who was slamming the metal chairs and tables around (we were the only ones there) probably trying to get us to leave even though the park was still open. The other was a crazy custodial worker in Fantasy Land who kept slamming down a butler (the sweeping bucket), every step he took down came the butler or scrapping it across the ground... Weird.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

The only experiences I have had with rude CMs have occurred surrounding parade times in Magic Kingdom. People don't follow instructions (many do not speak English), it can be extremely crowded, and it is naturally frustrating for cast members. I am not excusing rude behavior but I definitely get where it is coming from. I think it is the same situation with Star Wars Weekends. Characters and their handlers are bombarded as they walk to their respective destinations so they walk at a bit of a clip, still the handlers should not respond rudely.

So sorry your trip to Disney was less than magical and glad the folks at Universal were so great. One of my dear friends, who died two years ago of breast cancer, was granted a make a wish trip with her husband and young son. Their experience was indeed magical and special beyond their wildest dreams. They were selected as grand marshals for the day parade at Magic Kingdom. I still cry thinking about it. I am saddened that your family did not feel special because I know from experience that it can be. Best wishes for you and your family and esp your child.

That said, what happened to the family with the child in the stroller used as a wheelchair was inexcusable and needs to be reported. Include the date, time, and exact location in your report. That cast member needs to be re-trained immediately.

 

[pbruce706]

That's weird, because most people in New England, which is "up north", say soda instead of pop.

I did live in Pennsylvania for 3 years and they called it pop. Not sure about New York though.

I think the North refers to Canada. We do say Pop.

 

[ladyjubilee]

We were at HS, during SWW, to celebrate finalizing my son's adoption. We were in the shop specially to buy a R2D2 toy as another child had broken my son's. My son is non-verbal and doesn't always understand spoken language.

Anyway, there was a spill beside register when I pulled up with his stroller. I told the CM counter and he said it was ok, that they knew and another cm just had to get the mop to clean it up. He rang the R2 and I gave it to my son. I was also getting some, ok lots of other stuff. The next think I know, son is panicked on the floor trying to wipe up the mess with his hands and screaming. The CM that came to clean up the spill thought my son was the spiller and had snapped "look at this mess you made." Any other kid I'm sure it wouldn't have been a big deal, but my son couldn't understand exactly what it was he was supposed to have done wrong.

He was very apologetic and I'm sure it was just the stress of packed day, but it took 3 weeks before my son would even touch his R2.

 

[HM2012Butler]

I've never really encountered a rude CM. Then again, I'm not always the most pleasant. Maybe I'm the rude CM?!

 

[cakebaker]

I've had less than magical encounters, but nothing I would classify as out and out rude. At least not in the parks. I've had 2 bus drivers that were beyond rude though.

I have run into several over the phone when dealing with guest services.

When I get exceptional service, I'm always sure to stop by guest services and fill out a card. By the same token, I never, ever let rude or bad service go unreported. If a employee is rude to guests and no one tells anyone, it just continues.

 

[surferdave]

I've never really encountered a rude CM. Then again, I'm not always the most pleasant. Maybe I'm the rude CM?!

"Everyone has one ******* friend. If you don't, then you're the ******* friend."

 

[HM2012Butler]

"Everyone has one ******* friend. If you don't, then you're the ******* friend."

Haha very true! I'm just messing around. I know I'm not rude as a CM. Sometimes I'm sarcastic but guests usually assume I'm in character. It's a win win situation

 

[tyniknate]

That is true. I have been going since 1982, and there is definetely a change in attitude in most CM. They used to be way nicer and really went beyond to satisfy guest needs. Now they are just nice. Except for a CM in a kiosk in Epcot, that was really rude. I was asking about the difference between coffees and she said that i had to read the menu, that she did not had time. The thing is that there was no other person in the line. ��

I think the general overall attitude of people has become much more rude since 1982. Its become socially acceptable to behave in that manner. It would come to reason that with the rudeness of guests increasing 1000% since then that there would be some increase in the attitude of those employed at WDW. After all, a person can only smile while being bullied and bossed and abused for so long. Even the cast members have a breaking point. It may not have been you, specifically, who gave them a hard time, but the five people they dealt with before you might have been real pistols. Doesn't make it right, but I can see where it can happen.