Anyone notice a dramatic difference between DL and WDW employees?

[dsny1mom]

Yes my family has noticed a sizeable differance between DLR and DW CMs.

The opposite of your expeirences, though.

IMHO people ignore less than perfect behavior with the CMs at their prefered park and some even enjoy calling out less then prefered behavior in the parks they like less.

My nephew and his family go to DW twice a year, have been DVC at DW since the first year it was available and have metioned numerous bad DW CM behaviors to me. Yet they still think DW has the market cornered on magic and call DLR a "dump".

I could share stories about DW CMs that would curl hair, but I won't as I know there are good on both coasts!

I will say though that overhearng CMs having personal conversations is no big deal to me and does not detract from the magic. However if I never hear another fake "have a magical day" come out of a robotic CM's mouth it would be too soon!

dsny1mom

 

[starjazz]

Don't take this the wrong way (great way to start, huh?)...

Are you for real? You think there's something in the water? The training? DLR is just full of mean old CMs?

Its funny cuz I read on the WDW thread that the CMs over there are grumpier than DLR. Currently, they were speculating that its because with all of the FP+ changes, etc., they are facing more unhappy guests.

There's different kinds of people all over the world having different kinds of days, etc. You never know. But I don't think you paint with a broad brush on this topic.

 

[DLandgirlie]

Hi Local here!

Sadly I have never been to WDW, so I cannot give my 2cents on comparison but I can say that DL park cast members do have ups and downs. In other words, there are inconsistencies with cast member behavior towards guests. I have been going to the parks since I was little so I know the culture of DL well. It is hit or miss with cast member friendliness. I only can recall maybe a few (less than three) overall negative interactions, but for me the positive interactions always stand out in my head so I try and compliment those members and report a good feedback to guest relations when it happens. Other than that, most cast members are neutral, meaning they do there job and that's it, which is fine because again it's the culture of DL. But I encourage people who do experience negative interactions, that have left a bad image of cast members overall, to report it to guest relations, because IMO, it should only be neutral or positive interactions at DL.

 

[starjazz]

I only can recall maybe a few (less than three)...

A few, but less than three, officially equals "a couple". Or two.

 

[SweetAlex]

I'm not surprised that TripAdvisor has so many people complaining about rude CMs but not for the reason you would think. I think what's important to remember is that most happy customers don't bother reporting the great time, it's mostly the unhappy customers who feel the need to voice their disappointment that contribute to these sites. This is fine, it's just always something that you have to consider before assuming so many are unhappy. It's not the case, it's just that the unhappy ones are the ones speaking up.

We've been to Disney twice in the last 3 years and are going again in December. I can honestly remember ONE out of the hundreds of CMs that we interacted with that was unhappy/rude. Our brains are strange. We will remember that ONE bad experience more clearly than the multitude of good. For instance, I could pick that bad employee out of a lineup of 100. But could I pick out the ones that were excellent? Nope. But that doesn't mean they don't exist.

I think CMs are amazing and have an incredibly difficult job of dealing with VERY frustrating people ALL day long. I can't imagine dealing with some of the guests we see every time while still maintaining a "magical" attitude. I wish the guests would more respectful of each other, the CMs and the rules put in place for their own safety and enjoyment.

 

[Mkrop]

Funny we just went to DL at the beg of Aug and I commented to DH how much friendlier and helpful the CMs at DL were. There were two CMs at Flos that were just so nice and stood out.

We got to WDW all the time, and the CMs there are nice too but since FP+ and magic bands have hit we have noticed a differnce. They are stressed. And the CMs at AKL were incompentent when we were there in Dec.

So we have had the opposite experience than those on Trip Advisor.

I also dont know where all the locals were bc no one spoke English when we were in lines. It was Spanish, and Chinese, and Japanese, and some Arabic. And the one family that we chatted with in the Jungle Cruise line were from Oregon.

 

[disney world dreamer]

Interesting. I am an FBLA advisor who also attended nationals and DLR with my members. We encountered nothing but friendly and helpful cast members. I guess it was just the timing of our visits.

i went on thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday.
i encountered the rude, gossiping, unhelpful cast members on thursday at disneyland and friday at california adventure.
i admit that saturday and sunday were much more pleasant experiences.

 

[DDhunter]

My family and I just got APs this summer after a 2 year hiatus from the park and we have been multiple times (around 9) this summer. In that time I ran into 1 CM that I considered "rude" and she actually turned out to be fantastic after our encounter became extremely long and our issue difficult to fix.

They do herd people during parades, Fantasmic and fireworks pretty aggressively, but they do that out of necessity, so I don't ever hold that against them. Also in loading and unloading certain rides they are very regimented, but that is because they have to be to keep the ride functional.

I think if you go in expecting "rude" CMs that is what you will get. Attitude is everything and that includes your own. Also, I have never let a "bad" CM or an obnoxious guest ruin any trip to Disneyland, only I have the power to do that.

 

[briggscreek]

We've always had good experiences with CM's at DL, but nothing that stands out as magical. I've only been to WDW once, but several CM's went out of their way to be helpful and made my trip extra special. I'm not sure it was a difference in the parks though, I think I just got lucky.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've visited both parks several times. We've visited WDW too many times to count and now live about 2 miles from the Castle. We've visited DL at least six times and are going again in a few months. We know a lot of WDW CM's personally. We know a couple of DL CM's personally. With all that background let me say that in general we've found the DL CM's to be more enthusiastic than the WDW ones.

 

[Laz]

i went on thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday.
i encountered the rude, gossiping, unhelpful cast members on thursday at disneyland and friday at california adventure.
i admit that saturday and sunday were much more pleasant experiences.

We were there Tuesday-Friday. Could day of the week make a difference?

 

[DLandgirlie]

A few, but less than three, officially equals "a couple". Or two.

Haha good editing...yea I should have said a couple!

 

[mom2rtk]

Funny we just went to DL at the beg of Aug and I commented to DH how much friendlier and helpful the CMs at DL were. There were two CMs at Flos that were just so nice and stood out.

We got to WDW all the time, and the CMs there are nice too but since FP+ and magic bands have hit we have noticed a differnce. They are stressed. And the CMs at AKL were incompentent when we were there in Dec.

So we have had the opposite experience than those on Trip Advisor.

I also dont know where all the locals were bc no one spoke English when we were in lines. It was Spanish, and Chinese, and Japanese, and some Arabic. And the one family that we chatted with in the Jungle Cruise line were from Oregon.

I was just going to add that I've seem more reports of rude stressed out CMs at WDW lately than I ever have before.

 

[GeneralTso]

My experience in the world, even at Disney, is that if you are looking for rude or bad behavior, I promise, you will find it.

The vast majority of people working at Disney on either coast are happy to be there, they like their jobs and are great.
They're also just real people like you and me. They have bad days. They have a real life and stuff happens.

It's not just automatically magical once you step through the pearly gates.

If I encounter something "off" I just keep it moving and don't bother with it.
They are in a service industry and that can be hard sometimes. Especially when people spend pretty big $$ and expect and demand a lot.

 

[Iceman93]

Well I wholeheartedly agree with GeneralTso, on all points!

I also have a theory about the proportion of outstanding vs. substandard CMs on both coasts. DLR seems to have a lot more veteran CMs, who have worked at the park for years or decades. That either means they love the place and are filled with pixie dust (I find this to be the vast majority) or have gotten a bid jaded and forgot why they started working at The Happiest Place on Earth in the first place.

My recent trips to WDW have left me absolutely stunned at the percentage of CMs who are working there on the college program. That means that every semester there is a new batch of thousands of eager, excited, starry-eyed CMs. They took the internship because they love Disney or at least resonate with the corporate values, are freshly out of Traditions training (and all the pixie dust that entails), and are still excited to go to work each day (mostly). They're also not empowered to deal with anything other than the most standard of situations, and have to rely more heavily on leads and managers whenever something out of the ordinary happens.

I have a theory about the guest mix at both resorts, but will hold onto that for now...

 

[ClaraOswald]

Deja vu. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3319164

 

[disnyrtl]

You know, I think you are right. I DO notice a difference in cast members between the parks. Maybe one cause is like real estate, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. WDW seems to be more of the "flagship" of the parks and I am sure people would rather work there than DL. also if you look at the badges, you will notice more and more of the cast members are from the local area at DL, but at WDW you will see them from ALL OVER the world. I JUST got back from a very short DL trip on Saturday and I was just thinking the same thing. HOWEVER, Disney magic is still found both places and the cast members are BY FAR better than other theme parks. He'll try a trip to a local siz flags and you will see what I mean....or worse, go to a local or state fair and the difference is night and day. Even so, there is a difference that I can notice. Maybe my opinion is colored given that I was born and raised in Florida.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Deja vu. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3319164

It looks like people from Texas just don't like Disneyland CMs. LOL

 

[ClosetDisneyJunkie]

My experience in the world, even at Disney, is that if you are looking for rude or bad behavior, I promise, you will find it.

The vast majority of people working at Disney on either coast are happy to be there, they like their jobs and are great.
They're also just real people like you and me. They have bad days. They have a real life and stuff happens.

It's not just automatically magical once you step through the pearly gates.

If I encounter something "off" I just keep it moving and don't bother with it.
They are in a service industry and that can be hard sometimes. Especially when people spend pretty big $$ and expect and demand a lot.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

And I can only speak to my own experience, but my interactions with CMs at DLR have been nothing short of fantastic. I don't go as often as some, so my sample size is more limited, but in the few times I have been in the last couple of years I can think of a number of great experiences:

1) being upgraded at DLH without asking or even hinting (or even really thinking about it).

2) The employee at the shop on Main Street taking their time to find the perfect fit box in the back room for the fragile Mickey Nutcracker I was bringing back for my niece.

3) The universally warm welcomes given to said niece when she came with me to the park the next year for her first Disneyland trip, along with the awesome CM Tigger who could instinctively tell that she was a little shy and let her come up to him and warm up to him.

4) The CMs everywhere in the parks on the trip when my mom joined us not long after unexpected knee surgery which really hampered her mobility for a time. They ushered her through like a princess without making her feel out of place or a spectacle (the disney trip plans pre-existed the surgery and she was really pretty embarrassed/mortified about the whole thing, until the CM's worked their magic).

Just a few examples, but this is just over the last couple of years, and is in addition to the hundreds of more run of the mill hellos, smiles and general niceties you see every day.

These people have to deal with, let's face it, a pretty trying public every single day and not just smile, but be magical. I couldn't do it. I'm certain there is some evidence behind some of the reviews of poor behavior, but I guess i've been lucky.

 

[Dionnemay]

Don't take this the wrong way (great way to start, huh?)...

Are you for real? You think there's something in the water? The training? DLR is just full of mean old CMs?

Its funny cuz I read on the WDW thread that the CMs over there are grumpier than DLR. Currently, they were speculating that its because with all of the FP+ changes, etc., they are facing more unhappy guests.

There's different kinds of people all over the world having different kinds of days, etc. You never know. But I don't think you paint with a broad brush on this topic.

LOL no I dont take it the wrong way.

I understand people have different experiences and can take away different opinions based on that--its probably all coincidence and timing.

ALL of my experiences at WDW have been good...personally I honestly cannot think of one time where a Cm has made me or my children feel ill at ease. Maybe its by sheer happenstance that the few times I've had bad experiences with CMs was at DL. That's just me being plain honest- no "Park Preference" causing me to dismiss or favor CMs.
Even so, the few bad run ins Ive had even at Dl are rare compared to the # of times Ive been there and I still think BOTH parks model better customer service than ANY theme park Ive been to.

I love both Disney parks and prefer them over any the which is why anytime I have extra time and $$- even though I TRY to force myself to consider other options like six Flags (which I have been to many times but my kids haven't) -if I can afford Disney- that's where we always end up haha.

ONE time I finally cracked and did Universal- the commercials looked fun so I decided to compromise and still do DL but add one day at Universal Hollywood.

Lets just say myself AND the kids were anxious to get back to Dl after our brief stint at Universal.

For one, I went through a travel agency and there was a small mix- up. at Dl they handled it very quickly and were very friendly and accommodating and made sure we had refreshments while we waited and we were in the park within 20 minutes.

At Universal, the same mix-up was handled differently. We waited over 3 hours in the sun for them to call the travel company part of the wait was because they went to lunch and told us to come back in an hour) before we finally got in.
Then I discovered that Hollywood Universal wasn't the one on the commercials- it was Florida. Hollywood Uni was mostly shows- very few rides, and hardly any of the fun ones were available for small children (mine were 5 & 8) so we mainly walked around, saw a tepid Spider-man show, and they played in the Nickelodeon water play area. After about 3 hours they were bored and wanted to go back to Dl so we drove back and spent the rest of the day at DL.


Yes, I'm sure many people have had bad experiences at WDW as well...I just haven't. So if you put yourself in MY shoes , where the few times Ive had bad CM interactions was only at DL and THEN I when I read the negative reviews on DL, people are sharing experiencing almost verbatim the same moods and attitudes of SOME DL CM's that I had PLUS following up almost universally with having a better experience at WDW- that it would confirm my own experience and make me wonder if there is indeed a difference and why that is so.

Simone with an opposite experience (Bad WDW CM run ins- vs- Good Dl Cm run ins) would wonder the opposite so I'm not saying either is right or wrong--just musing on my own experiences.

And like I said, even at DL, its RARE...I usually have a great time . I get that people are human and its not natural to keep a smile on your face 8 hours a day so I probably dont notice or dont make a big deal when there's a beleaguered CM at either park but in MY experience, Dl is the only one of the two where it was bad enough for me to remember years later.