How bad is it really?

[Pats Dragon]

Just a reminder of why we wear the masks- TWO physically fit friends -men - died of covid this past week. Ages 47 and 49. No underlying conditions.

 

[wings91]

Please just wear a mask.

 

[Dizgirl1]

We just got back from our WDW trip last night. Unfortunately, we did experience several rude cast members. These encounters, however, had nothing to do with Covid guidelines. We follow the guidelines exactly as instructed. I'm sure the cast members are stretched thin and are frustrated with people not following the guidelines, but we did follow them and were still talked to very rudely. I will say, in our experience, it was limited to the parks. Our resort cast members were wonderful.

A couple examples.... we returned to ROTR for our boarding group (it was down when our group was originally called) and the cast member asked if we originally scanned in. My husband misunderstood what he was asking and asked him to repeat his question and the cast member said " it's not a hard question either you checked in or you didn't" he raised his voice and rolled his eyes. And then yelled, "JUST GO".
Another example, in line at MMRR, my daughter bent over to tie her shoe and the cast member yelled "you need to move it! Keep up with the group in front of you. Do you even want to ride it?"
One time I was trying to pay with a gift card and it wasn't working, the cm was clearly annoyed and said, "can't you pay with something else"? I gladly used my band, but the next person in line had the exact same problem with a gift card, so I was made to feel that it was my error, when really, something was wrong with their system.
Several instances of things like, "move it people" "we don't have all day".

I know it may seem like these aren't big deals, but WDW is our happy place. We count the days between trips and because we love it so much, we were saddened by this. The feeling overall was like we were bothering them. It used to be that we were treated so wonderfully we couldn't wait to get back.
I remember someone once told me that Walt told his cast members something like, you never know if this is someone's one and only trip to WDW, make it magical.
I would hate to think someone's one and only trip left this kind of impression.

 

[Disneygirl678]

Just got back. Honestly, it's not all that bad. Yes, you have to have your mask on correctly all day. The CM's were all professional. I actually feel sorry for them having to repeat it sooooo much! People can't follow directions.

Same thing for lines, they are supposed to be socially distanced. Some were, but many people don't get that. When we went in January, most people were social distancing great in lines. Last week, not so much.

 

[DisneyMama811]

We just got back from our WDW trip last night. Unfortunately, we did experience several rude cast members. These encounters, however, had nothing to do with Covid guidelines. We follow the guidelines exactly as instructed. I'm sure the cast members are stretched thin and are frustrated with people not following the guidelines, but we did follow them and were still talked to very rudely. I will say, in our experience, it was limited to the parks. Our resort cast members were wonderful.

A couple examples.... we returned to ROTR for our boarding group (it was down when our group was originally called) and the cast member asked if we originally scanned in. My husband misunderstood what he was asking and asked him to repeat his question and the cast member said " it's not a hard question either you checked in or you didn't" he raised his voice and rolled his eyes. And then yelled, "JUST GO".
Another example, in line at MMRR, my daughter bent over to tie her shoe and the cast member yelled "you need to move it! Keep up with the group in front of you. Do you even want to ride it?"
One time I was trying to pay with a gift card and it wasn't working, the cm was clearly annoyed and said, "can't you pay with something else"? I gladly used my band, but the next person in line had the exact same problem with a gift card, so I was made to feel that it was my error, when really, something was wrong with their system.
Several instances of things like, "move it people" "we don't have all day".

I know it may seem like these aren't big deals, but WDW is our happy place. We count the days between trips and because we love it so much, we were saddened by this. The feeling overall was like we were bothering them. It used to be that we were treated so wonderfully we couldn't wait to get back.
I remember someone once told me that Walt told his cast members something like, you never know if this is someone's one and only trip to WDW, make it magical.
I would hate to think someone's one and only trip left this kind of impression.

these actually DO sound like a big deal, I get the CMs are stressed out but you don't speak to people like that!! especially a little girl tying her shoe! I'm sorry that happened to you

 

[DL1WDW2]

It feels like we are all learning how to play a new game with old rules that don’t work .

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Just echoing others. 2 trips since they reopened - one in Oct and one in Feb. Both times CM's have been polite. They have reminded some kids who let their masks fall mostly off, but they have always been polite about it. Some parents may consider that yelling at the kids, but I do not consider a CM saying in a speaking voice could you please make sure your mask covers your entire nose and mouth as yelling or being rude. As others have said, those who do not obey - especially after being told - are likely to get more stern warnings. But the kids I had with me, one of them her mask kept slipping and a CM one time politely asked her to correct it when I had not noticed it slip down. The fixed it and we moved on. All was good.

Overall, the CM's were cheerful, friendly and amazing.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

The politeness may change when it's 90 out with a heat index over 100. Be prepared for the coming months and the high humidity. It will stress out a lot of folks, including CM's working in the heat.

 

[Kimpossible1]

A couple examples.... we returned to ROTR for our boarding group (it was down when our group was originally called) and the cast member asked if we originally scanned in. My husband misunderstood what he was asking and asked him to repeat his question and the cast member said " it's not a hard question either you checked in or you didn't" he raised his voice and rolled his eyes. And then yelled, "JUST GO".
Another example, in line at MMRR, my daughter bent over to tie her shoe and the cast member yelled "you need to move it! Keep up with the group in front of you. Do you even want to ride it?"
One time I was trying to pay with a gift card and it wasn't working, the cm was clearly annoyed and said, "can't you pay with something else"? I gladly used my band, but the next person in line had the exact same problem with a gift card, so I was made to feel that it was my error, when really, something was wrong with their system.
Several instances of things like, "move it people" "we don't have all day".

I know it may seem like these aren't big deals, but WDW is our happy place. We count the days between trips and because we love it so much, we were saddened by this. The feeling overall was like we were bothering them. It used to be that we were treated so wonderfully we couldn't wait to get back.
I remember someone once told me that Walt told his cast members something like, you never know if this is someone's one and only trip to WDW, make it magical.
I would hate to think someone's one and only trip left this kind of impression.

Well I'm going to say it again....there are many displaced CM's that never intended on doing the role they are in currently. WDW has been changing and it's not the same as it was even 10 years ago. CM's were excited and privileged to work there, but WDW continued to get bigger and bigger and they couldn't be as selective. I think when I started there was 75,000 CM's at WDW. Many of the CM's work there because it's a job, not because it is Disney. Some of the CM's are working 6 and 7 days a week in mandatory overtime and they are tired, especially when they have to constantly tell guests what to do. I know two people at ROTR and one was called a ***** last week because someone didn't know about boarding groups and didn't have the MDE app on their phone....this is what they are facing daily. Please be kind to the CM's and see them as real people that are facing many obstacles right now.

 

[Evita_W]

Before I start I have no issues with wearing a mask. We went to Universal last year and were required to wear them. YET I’ve been hearing stories all over social media that Disney has gone overboard. Employees walking around yelling at kids if there mask is too low, not being able to take a sip of water while waiting outside in a hot line, not being able to remove them in restaurants until your food comes etc. People are making it seem that it is just miserable to go there at this time. That employees are extremely rude and the magic is completely gone. I’m overthinking and contemplating changing my plans and going to Universal instead. Once again this isn’t about having to wear a mask. This is about the overall atmosphere. We are suppose to be going this June.

Well, to eat or drink you need to be stationary; that being said, our experience was at most attractions you could take a quick sip of water up until a certain point while standing still. Most attractions have signs that say no eating or drinking beyond this point and they are strict from that point forward.

As for if the CMs are rude, honestly we never found any of them to be rude, in fact most went out of their way to be extremely nice when they saw something wrong. Now if the guest refused to comply they might get a little more aggressive; however, that becomes the fault of the guest at that point.

 

[Evita_W]

We were there last week. We enjoyed AK and HS. MK was a crazy mess. Epcot (our favorite park) was boring. We ended up leaving a day early. We did not use our last park ticket and had one more night at the hotel. We could not deal with the rude people. Bus/ skyliner lines were very long. So aspects of social distancing were great. Others not so great. We did not feel any of the Disney Magic. We have decided not to go back until things get back to a new normal. We missed the entertainment, characters, and food.

Interesting, we found most people to be super polite and friendly, the food while limited at some times was actually better than ever, especially at quick service since it was being prepared fresh to order. The character cavalcades were better than the normal meet and greets for us as you didn't have to wait in long lines to meet the characters. As for entertainment, it is still around if you look for it, but they do need to bring more back. As for skyliner lines, we never had any lines for them or the one time we took the bus to Disney Springs, the rest of the time we had a rental car, so probably not the best to respond to that part. And loved virtually no waits for anything, even though lines looked long at times.

 

[Evita_W]

Just echoing others. 2 trips since they reopened - one in Oct and one in Feb. Both times CM's have been polite. They have reminded some kids who let their masks fall mostly off, but they have always been polite about it. Some parents may consider that yelling at the kids, but I do not consider a CM saying in a speaking voice could you please make sure your mask covers your entire nose and mouth as yelling or being rude. As others have said, those who do not obey - especially after being told - are likely to get more stern warnings. But the kids I had with me, one of them her mask kept slipping and a CM one time politely asked her to correct it when I had not noticed it slip down. The fixed it and we moved on. All was good.

Overall, the CM's were cheerful, friendly and amazing.

I also saw a CM help a child figure out how to fix a mask that kept falling off, the kid was obviously trying their best, but just couldn't get it. In another instance a CM provided a disposable mask to someone whose mask broke. I don't think either of those were being rude either, they were helping to solve an issue.

 

[Missingmypooh]

Let me start by saying I’m pretty pro freedom anti mask BUT I know the rules at Disney, so I follow them.

i haven’t seen or encountered any CMs being rude about masks. Generally they’re polite. Sometimes alittle short and to the point, but really, who wants to be mask police? I don’t see them being rude at all.

since we’re privileged to go often, we’ve noticed the highs and lows of CMs (stress about work hours and income back in the summer, stress about crowds in the winter holidays, and now, just a general covid fatigue that we’re all feeling). If I had to compare, I would say the team members at uni are slightly more relaxed.

we went this week and had two magical experiences with CMs, no bad news to report there. The fatigue is in high gear With guests and CMs alike. We saw a few minor things that would never fly in 2020, but went unspoken to in 2021. Because I go so often it’s alittle more noticeable. So I don’t think you should be concerned with a sip of water here and there.

the crappy thing is just the change and loss of magic (for us, again we’re spoiled as locals) but most people who’ve been locked inside are happy to frolick the streets of MK with the drastic reductions in ‘normal’ operations.

I don’t think you should base your trip on opinions. Watch a few vlogs, decide on your comfort level, and make your own expectations! For all we know, another wave could come this winter and close everything down again, so base your decisions on what YOU want, and have a great time wherever you end up.

 

[jlwhitney]

The politeness may change when it's 90 out with a heat index over 100. Be prepared for the coming months and the high humidity. It will stress out a lot of folks, including CM's working in the heat.

I fully agree. This summer is gonna be nothing like last summer when the crowds were not there. Last summer people survived because they got alot down in a short period of time and didn't wait in semi long to long lines and the parks werent congested walking around. This summer its gonna be hot and crowded with the masks and its gonna be hard.

 

[pcollins48]

Our daughter is a former CM, some of the stories she has told us just make me shake my head. I don't like mask wearing but we will comply when we return this fall. I'm so proud of our autistic son, he has no idea why he's wearing a mask when we go to the mall, etc., but he does it. We consider it good practice for Disney World.

 

[Timandalicia]

We just got back from our WDW trip last night. Unfortunately, we did experience several rude cast members. These encounters, however, had nothing to do with Covid guidelines. We follow the guidelines exactly as instructed. I'm sure the cast members are stretched thin and are frustrated with people not following the guidelines, but we did follow them and were still talked to very rudely. I will say, in our experience, it was limited to the parks. Our resort cast members were wonderful.

A couple examples.... we returned to ROTR for our boarding group (it was down when our group was originally called) and the cast member asked if we originally scanned in. My husband misunderstood what he was asking and asked him to repeat his question and the cast member said " it's not a hard question either you checked in or you didn't" he raised his voice and rolled his eyes. And then yelled, "JUST GO".
Another example, in line at MMRR, my daughter bent over to tie her shoe and the cast member yelled "you need to move it! Keep up with the group in front of you. Do you even want to ride it?"
One time I was trying to pay with a gift card and it wasn't working, the cm was clearly annoyed and said, "can't you pay with something else"? I gladly used my band, but the next person in line had the exact same problem with a gift card, so I was made to feel that it was my error, when really, something was wrong with their system.
Several instances of things like, "move it people" "we don't have all day".

I know it may seem like these aren't big deals, but WDW is our happy place. We count the days between trips and because we love it so much, we were saddened by this. The feeling overall was like we were bothering them. It used to be that we were treated so wonderfully we couldn't wait to get back.
I remember someone once told me that Walt told his cast members something like, you never know if this is someone's one and only trip to WDW, make it magical.
I would hate to think someone's one and only trip left this kind of impression.

On a very rare occasion, a cast member will be having a bad day and may say something that they don’t mean to. I always try to be understanding.

 

[Lisa LSR]

We just got back from our WDW trip last night. Unfortunately, we did experience several rude cast members. These encounters, however, had nothing to do with Covid guidelines. We follow the guidelines exactly as instructed. I'm sure the cast members are stretched thin and are frustrated with people not following the guidelines, but we did follow them and were still talked to very rudely. I will say, in our experience, it was limited to the parks. Our resort cast members were wonderful.

A couple examples.... we returned to ROTR for our boarding group (it was down when our group was originally called) and the cast member asked if we originally scanned in. My husband misunderstood what he was asking and asked him to repeat his question and the cast member said " it's not a hard question either you checked in or you didn't" he raised his voice and rolled his eyes. And then yelled, "JUST GO".
Another example, in line at MMRR, my daughter bent over to tie her shoe and the cast member yelled "you need to move it! Keep up with the group in front of you. Do you even want to ride it?"
One time I was trying to pay with a gift card and it wasn't working, the cm was clearly annoyed and said, "can't you pay with something else"? I gladly used my band, but the next person in line had the exact same problem with a gift card, so I was made to feel that it was my error, when really, something was wrong with their system.
Several instances of things like, "move it people" "we don't have all day".

I know it may seem like these aren't big deals, but WDW is our happy place. We count the days between trips and because we love it so much, we were saddened by this. The feeling overall was like we were bothering them. It used to be that we were treated so wonderfully we couldn't wait to get back.
I remember someone once told me that Walt told his cast members something like, you never know if this is someone's one and only trip to WDW, make it magical.
I would hate to think someone's one and only trip left this kind of impression.

I'm just going to be totally honest here. I love Disney. We go once a year if possible. My kids have grown up loving WDW. We went last August and we are going at the end of this week. We wear masks and follow all the rules happily. But we save and scrimp to afford these trips. They are a big investment for us. If a CM spoke to me or my kids in that way, I'd say something. I wouldn't be rude or confrontational, but I'd say something. I'm paying a lot of money to be here and your job is to make this a happy experience for my family, so no, you won't speak rudely to me. I'm sorry if that ruffles any feathers but that's how I feel. It's unnecessary, uncalled for, and definitely not the way cast members are supposed to act like.

 

[Kimpossible1]

Yeah. I have certainly had my fair share of rude cast members. I call them out on it by saying, “That wasn’t part of your training”.

It makes them realize that they are off script and they need to check themselves.

Also, it makes them aware that I know how they are supposed to be conducting themselves. It’s has resulted in a 180 every time.

I'm just going to be totally honest here. I love Disney. We go once a year if possible. My kids have grown up loving WDW. We went last August and we are going at the end of this week. We wear masks and follow all the rules happily. But we save and scrimp to afford these trips. They are a big investment for us. If a CM spoke to me or my kids in that way, I'd say something. I wouldn't be rude or confrontational, but I'd say something. I'm paying a lot of money to be here and your job is to make this a happy experience for my family, so no, you won't speak rudely to me. I'm sorry if that ruffles any feathers but that's how I feel. It's unnecessary, uncalled for, and definitely not the way cast members are supposed to act like.

Again, WDW today isn't what WDW used to be...and anyone feeling superior to CM's should stop and think about their privilege and sense of entitlement. Most of the CM's I worked with couldn't afford a vacation like WDW, so going to WDW is a luxury. The CM's can help make it magical but right now their lives and jobs aren't very magical.
I'm really fuming right now, but I don't want to seem confrontational, so I'll just say that everyone should be nice to CM's, and please consider them as people.

 

[Timandalicia]

Again, WDW today isn't what WDW used to be...and anyone feeling superior to CM's should stop and think about their privilege and sense of entitlement. Most of the CM's I worked with couldn't afford a vacation like WDW, so going to WDW is a luxury. The CM's can help make it magical but right now their lives and jobs aren't very magical.
I'm really fuming right now, but I don't want to seem confrontational, so I'll just say that everyone should be nice to CM's, and please consider them as people.

I do. They are all human and I’m sure they are all very nice people. And I know every time they are being rude when I’m just being a normal person it has nothing to do with me. So mine is always a gentle reminder. But my post was a bit callous, so I can understand your frustration. I will edit it.

 

[Lisa LSR]

Again, WDW today isn't what WDW used to be...and anyone feeling superior to CM's should stop and think about their privilege and sense of entitlement. Most of the CM's I worked with couldn't afford a vacation like WDW, so going to WDW is a luxury. The CM's can help make it magical but right now their lives and jobs aren't very magical.
I'm really fuming right now, but I don't want to seem confrontational, so I'll just say that everyone should be nice to CM's, and please consider them as people.

I'm always nice to CMs. ALWAYS. I am a huge tipper, compliment them, always speak and thank them. And with all due respect, I am a school teacher at a non-profit so I probably make the same pay they do, so I don't have privilege or entitlement. All I basically said was if someone was rude to my kid, I'd politely say something. Yesterday, I ordered a burger at a restaurant and it came to me with jalapeños on it. Should I have just eaten it anyway rather than speaking up to the server? Did I show entitlement by asking for it to be fixed? Man, people really need to relax. You don't know me at all. I'm one of the nicest, kindest and most patient people. I'm sorry if my post came across mean. I am a mom and I don't want people yelling at my kids for tying their shoes. Have a nice day!