Rude Castmembers at the Magic Kingdom

[LucyStorm]

Oh, and for the person who asked, it was the bus driver's personal cell phone. Seems his mom was also riding the bus, and he handed the phone to her when someone answered, and she had quite the conversation.

 

[Tikicampers]

You know, I've noticed that the CMs at Splash are a bit more temperamental than CMs at other rides.

Our one and only experience with a rude CM was at Splash. DH was trying to check the clock to see if we could use our fastpasses, and a CM pushed him out of the way. I don't think the CM meant to push him, as it wasn't very hard, but we just couldn't figure out why he did it. DH wasn't blocking the lines or anything.
This was on our Honeymoon, so we just let it go. In general we have great experiences with CMs, and I figure everyone is going to lose it once in while.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Have a magical day.

(Wife of a CM)

And in the bus driver's defense, the cell phone call was most likely job related. Sure, it could have been personal, but most likely not.

 

[LucyStorm]

Job related? So he called to an older woman on the bus--Mommy, here, take this?

 

[TheDogbots]

Whereas I understand the OP's original intention was to get something off their chest, and i really don't have a problem with that, I think the tone this thread has taken since that post is ridiculous.

With what, 50,000 workers at WDW(?) having a "bad" castmember or two is a really good thing... Remember that this is a very low paying job, you have two kinds of people mainly - those who love it, and those who need it. Both can have bad days... if service has been getting worse its only because the job is becoming less worth it to people. $6.50/h is barely enough to survive in Orlando, so many people are doing this job out of love. On the other side of things... The company is desperate to fill certain positions and will hire those who may not have been "fit" for duty 35 years ago. Its a trade off that they can win, they can always give people gift certificates and free meals to make up for the bad experiences that the cast member may cause, and they get that cast member's labour until they do do something too "undisney" to continue employment. Its not like they screen a lot of the positions, you walk into casting building and poof you get a job... pretty much whoever you are. They weed the good from the really bad rather quickly probably, and those who slip by probably won't slip by forever.


to put it in perspective let's look at Wal-Mart, something most of us have come in contact with. Wal-Mart pays around the same as Disney for the lower tier jobs. Since I only know a slight portion of people that enjoyed working there (and I am in college, so i know A LOT of people that have worked for the store in the last five years) it is easy to see that shopping in a Wal-Mart is not the most pleasant experience, the workers are friendly at best - but usually they just want to get you out of there. You don't have the large portion of people who "love" their job like you do at Disney so you don't have those "magical" experiences at Wal-Mart. I would bet if you go to WDW and really count how many terrific cast members you have opposed to just "good" or "decent" you will see that the numbers balance out. There are alot of "decent" cast members that you don't take a notice of normally. It was those terrific (and there is alot of them out there) that stand out in your mind. Those are the ones you remember, and the ones that create thoughts like "wow all the cast members are awesome at WDW." I am not saying that on some days good cast member are not terrific or vice versa, I am just saying that if you only remember the good you are going to have false expectations of WDW. That is why we should probably appreciate those cast members that go the extra mile even more, because they are the memorable ones. (ie: tip your mouse keeper.) Because without them, the place will be just like a giant wal-mart... disgruntled employees everywhere! If anyone has been at the Wal-Mart on 192 (or is it 535?) outside Disney you know what I am talking about. That is the worst Wal-Mart in the world.

and before anyone drops the old "well i pay for the service" line, you must obviously not have worked in the service industry. Low paying jobs + dealing with ignorant/irate/mean people all day long = unhappy employees = less customer friendly. Disney service is made different by those who care, and they only care because they were brought into the product for so long that it is magical to them still. But something can only stay so "magical" as long as it is feasible to live with. So if you want to improve the quality of cast member that you may think is "declining" then complain to Disney to pay them more. Because people are not going to care about the job if they don't see it as an option for permanent employment or at least paying a wage that is worth working for.

....Complaining about getting dirty looks when queuing for a line is hilarious. These people should be strict for safety reasons... and no matter who you are you should be listening to their instructions for the safety of yourself and others. Lets face it, using a voice that may be a touch offensive is more effective then asking a guest politely 7 times over.

Ok I will stop now. I probably could go on for a while...

 

[Conservative Hippie]

to put it in perspective let's look at Wal-Mart, something most of us have come in contact with. Wal-Mart pays around the same as Disney for the lower tier jobs. Since I only know a slight portion of people that enjoyed working there (and I am in college, so i know A LOT of people that have worked for the store in the last five years) it is easy to see that shopping in a Wal-Mart is not the most pleasant experience, the workers are friendly at best - but usually they just want to get you out of there. You don't have the large portion of people who "love" their job like you do at Disney so you don't have those "magical" experiences at Wal-Mart. I would bet if you go to WDW and really count how many terrific cast members you have opposed to just "good" or "decent" you will see that the numbers balance out. There are alot of "decent" cast members that you don't take a notice of normally. It was those terrific (and there is alot of them out there) that stand out in your mind. Those are the ones you remember, and the ones that create thoughts like "wow all the cast members are awesome at WDW." I am not saying that on some days good cast member are not terrific or vice versa, I am just saying that if you only remember the good you are going to have false expectations of WDW. That is why we should probably appreciate those cast members that go the extra mile even more, because they are the memorable ones. (ie: tip your mouse keeper.) Because without them, the place will be just like a giant wal-mart... disgruntled employees everywhere! If anyone has been at the Wal-Mart on 192 (or is it 535?) outside Disney you know what I am talking about. That is the worst Wal-Mart in the world.

and before anyone drops the old "well i pay for the service" line, you must obviously not have worked in the service industry. Low paying jobs + dealing with ignorant/irate/mean people all day long = unhappy employees = less customer friendly. Disney service is made different by those who care, and they only care because they were brought into the product for so long that it is magical to them still. But something can only stay so "magical" as long as it is feasible to live with. So if you want to improve the quality of cast member that you may think is "declining" then complain to Disney to pay them more. Because people are not going to care about the job if they don't see it as an option for permanent employment or at least paying a wage that is worth working for.

....Complaining about getting dirty looks when queuing for a line is hilarious. These people should be strict for safety reasons... and no matter who you are you should be listening to their instructions for the safety of yourself and others. Lets face it, using a voice that may be a touch offensive is more effective then asking a guest politely 7 times over.

Ok I will stop now. I probably could go on for a while...

It's the Wal-Mart on 192. I made the mistake of stopping in there once and asked someone where to find the camping supplies. She said, "I don't know what you are talking about."


And I missed the part about handing the cell phone to his Mommy.

 

[LucyStorm]

Thanks Hippie. And just so you know, when I PM'd the person who asked me to, I also applauded several cast members who I knew by name and location for their helpfulness.

And you're right, my original intent was not to pile on, just to vent, because I was so shocked that it happened. Notice I said that in close to 20 visits, I have NEVER encountered rude CM's. I applaud Disney and those cast members who love their jobs and create magic for the guests every day.

I work in a service industry. It is hard to keep a smile on your face when people are being rude to you. But it is part of the job. So you do it.

Giving instructions loudly so that the commands are obeyed is not what this thread was about. I quoted the specifics of what was said to me. And why I found it appalling.

The vast majority of castmembers at Disney are what makes it such a magical place.

 

[ellyn2000]

LucyStorm, at least you kept a good attitude about it. That within itself taught your children something about how to handle rude people.

 

[beagle744]

While we may be seeing a slip in patience among a few cast members these days, it's nothing compared to the increase in rudeness of some guests. That's not an excuse for a cast member being short with someone, but I'm willing to bet that even the most patient cast member might run out of patience after an exhausting day of dealing with difficult guests. I'm not saying wanting to have a seat on a bus is being difficult, but you don't know about the thousands of people that cast member has already dealt with that day.

Sometimes it's easier to drive your car to the parks, especially at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. It's often a shorter walk to the tram (everyone sits) than to the buses.

I was there is June and had about 3 instances when I wondered if the CM's understood their role as it related to customer service. Rude?...not really, but uninterested certainly.

But I do have to say that my patience was sorely tested by some of the other guests for various reasons.

 

[bumbershoot]

Something I noticed that I thought might need clarification...hope I clarify it correctly.

I believe in her fictitious mental statement she refers to one as a moron.

I believe it happens to a lot of people by their replies to this thread, not as isolated and fictitious as you believe.

I had to read d.j.'s sentence a few times too, b/c I just wasn't getting it. Then I realized s/he was meaning the thing the OP "said" in OP's head, it wasn't really done so it was fictitious, and it was a mental statement b/c it was something OP said in his/her head. So the fictitious mental statement referred to was, from the OP's post:

"No I won't, you moron, because I wasn't trying to get out of the park."


******
Now, when I read "rude castmembers at MK" I personally don't add words and think the OP is saying "all of the castmembers at MK are rude", I just think "oh, someone encountered rude castmembers at MK". I personally don't generalize when the statement is rather neutral, not saying two castmembers, not saying ALL castmembers...

So I definitely didn't think it was a generalization of all castmembers there.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Pack Patience and a Sense of Humor

You should totally have this as a tag!

 

[LucyStorm]

Ah, but the statement in my head wasn't fictitious, because I did say it in my head, just not out loud..... partly because I was so shocked, and partly because I don't believe in tit for tat

I think fictitious was just a bad choice of words, I understood that the poster was referring to what I said to myself in my head.

Now the question is, how many of you talk to yourself in your head when you are angry?

 

[susislickermouse]

And how many of you have ever worked as a CM at the Parks? Dealing with hundreds of thousands of people a day can make a person a little uptight at times. While I do not excuse bad behavior, I think that people are people whether you are CM at Disney or a clerk at Walmart and everyone has a bad day or a breaking point! After all they are not animatronics. And. haven't you ever just had a momentary lapse of reason? Get over it! It did NOT ruin your whole trip and if it pissed you off that bad, report it to City Hall. That is what they are there for as well as to report exemplary CM behavior which is what you will find 99.9% of the time. A few bad statements, probably uncalled for, ruins your day, I wonder what it is like when something really bad happens to you!
Sorry Just my humble opinion, I will crawl back under my rock now,
over and out...

 

[LucyStorm]

Wow. I don't see where I said anywhere that it ruined my day.

I have been in the service industry for 32 years in one aspect or another. I have dealt with many people acting like jerks. Never, in all of those years, did I take it out on an innocent person.

Statements are one thing, yelling is another. And in the service industry, the customer's perceptions are what make or break you. These are my perceptions of what occurred.

If I had done anything to these people, I might understand that they were testy, but I didn't. I didn't make unreasonable requests, I didn't do anything intentional to make their day harder. So don't take it out on me.

And neither should you. Sorry that you are having a bad day.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I was there is June and had about 3 instances when I wondered if the CM's understood their role as it related to customer service. Rude?...not really, but uninterested certainly.

I noticed this too on our last trip. We did not encounter any rude CM's
and of course MANY were wonderful, but I remember thinking several times that a CM looked bored or completely uninterested. Not rude, but also not smiling or making eye contact, that kind of thing.

It certainly didn't ruin my trip or anything, but it made me a little sad.

Then again, I do the hiring at the company where I work and believe me, I know how hard it is to find good employees, so I sympathize with Disney, maybe sometimes you have to hire some that aren't the cream of the crop versus not having enough staff because then everyone is complaining about that.

 

[Kama89]

I will crawl back under my rock now,

Good idea.

 

[bfeller]

And how many of you have ever worked as a CM at the Parks? Dealing with hundreds of thousands of people a day can make a person a little uptight at times. While I do not excuse bad behavior, I think that people are people whether you are CM at Disney or a clerk at Walmart and everyone has a bad day or a breaking point! After all they are not animatronics. And. haven't you ever just had a momentary lapse of reason? Get over it! It did NOT ruin your whole trip and if it pissed you off that bad, report it to City Hall. That is what they are there for as well as to report exemplary CM behavior which is what you will find 99.9% of the time. A few bad statements, probably uncalled for, ruins your day, I wonder what it is like when something really bad happens to you!
Sorry Just my humble opinion, I will crawl back under my rock now,
over and out...

Take a chill pill and quit putting words into someone's elses post.

 

[Gurgi]

And how many of you have ever worked as a CM at the Parks? Dealing with hundreds of thousands of people a day can make a person a little uptight at times. While I do not excuse bad behavior, I think that people are people whether you are CM at Disney or a clerk at Walmart and everyone has a bad day or a breaking point! After all they are not animatronics. And. haven't you ever just had a momentary lapse of reason? Get over it! It did NOT ruin your whole trip and if it pissed you off that bad, report it to City Hall. That is what they are there for as well as to report exemplary CM behavior which is what you will find 99.9% of the time. A few bad statements, probably uncalled for, ruins your day, I wonder what it is like when something really bad happens to you!
Sorry Just my humble opinion, I will crawl back under my rock now,
over and out...

I actually agree with you.

It drives me nuts sometimes when I see someone come on here and complain that their entire vacation was ruined because of a rude cm (*disclaimer: I realize the OP did not say her vacation was ruined, and she did not hint towards that).

I will say that PMing that info to someone on here asking about is going to probably get those CMs into trouble. If someone asks you something like that on here, you can pretty much bet that they work for Disney. The CMs you encontered may have been having a downright horrible day and something that they said, not realizing it came out as a little rude, will probably warrant them a write up or worse, a firing.

 

[bfeller]

I will say that PMing that info to someone on here asking about is going to probably get those CMs into trouble. If someone asks you something like that on here, you can pretty much bet that they work for Disney. The CMs you encontered may have been having a downright horrible day and something that they said, not realizing it came out as a little rude, will probably warrant them a write up or worse, a firing
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I think that many people have jobs that entail some type of consequence if they demonstrate behavior that is negative or uncalled for in their position, then the consequence of that action will happen. They could be written up, put on probation or possibly even dismissed. That is just the way it works. Every action has its consequence whether it is positive or negative.

 

[LucyStorm]

I don't disagree with you Gurgi. But I will say that the two at the MK were way past "a little rude". Otherwise, I would not have provided the information to the person who asked me to. Otherwise, I would not have even posted this thread.

Also, so that you know, I mentioned in my PM some castmembers who were wonderful so that they may be recognized as well.

Whether I PM someone who asks for the info here, or go to City Hall and complain as a previous poster suggested, those CM's could still be in trouble. If this is a one time incident, I doubt they have anything to worry about. If it has happened more than once, then they need to learn a difficult lesson through disciplinary action.

The other excuse that bugs me is the whole "they only make $x.xx an hour."
Any of us, at any time, have choices. There are lots of low paying jobs out there that don't require customer service skills. If you choose to work for Disney, you know what is expected. Their training program makes that quite clear.