BAD Disney Experience...

[pooh2001]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the characters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

 

[cmurray234]

I think most people know it's not cool to call kids names. I think they use the term "snowflake" in response to assumed parental action (or inaction). I think it's mostly just used to assert their own parental superiority.

Are there spoiled rotten kids out there? Absolutely. Can we tell who they are in the brief glimpse we get to see as strangers? Usually not.

Perhaps, but the term "snowflake" seems awfully close to name-calling in my book. And it's disparaging to the child.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I actually feel sorry for all the young kids nowadays at WDW

When mine were little-some 20 years ago , all the characters roamed freely in the parks, There were no lines (except the Ninja Turtles because THEY were SUPERStars!!)...i have so many pics of accidental encounters-it really was a different world back then

Oh maybe, a dozen years ago, I remember Goofy, grabbing my teenage daughter and making a "scene". He followed her, pleaded with her, got on his (or her ) knees and proposed.. Of course, this was to draw a crowd, (which it did). Or, maybe 8 years ago, when Tigger spent several minutes with my DGD...BOUNCING! It's still her favorite Disney moment. It would be an incredible sight to see such antics today. Yes, I miss those days. It really doesn't take much to create a "Magical Moment".

 

[mom2rtk]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the charaters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

So now we assume the OP had no character meals on their trip and only fed their kid unhealthy food?

Regardless of whether they had a character meal a day scheduled. This was their FIRST day at Disney, their FIRST character opportunity. They did not throw a fit that Snowflake....... I mean Snow White......... went on her break at all. They patiently waited .......... long past her break............. only to be abruptly dismissed. THIS was the issue.

 

[WDSearcher]

I think "snowflake" has become a generic and vastly overused term for any kid who happens to misbehave. Kind of like how "entitled" has become a generic term for anyone who does anything that someone else thinks they shouldn't do.

 

[mom2rtk]

Perhaps, but the term "snowflake" seems awfully close to name-calling in my book. And it's disparaging to the child.

I agree. It's very much flirting with that line. But people say "See, I'm not calling the child a name with that term. I'm merely commenting on parenting" (which they typically have not had the chance to even witness.)

 

[Jennasis]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the characters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

What the deuce does THAT have to do with anything????????

 

[TLSnell1981]

I really don't like that term. While, I understand, it's true meaning... All parents should THINK and FEEL, that THEIR child IS special. It gets used way too often and in a very derogatory way. IMO

 

[KGK]

Still haven't figured out exactly what OP wanted....

OP -- What would have made things better for you?

Earlier post someone said "She expected a bit of compassion and kindness from a CM at a place where they tout kindness and compassion and pixie dust in exchange for ungodly amounts of cash"

Is that what you wanted?

IMHO - you cannot buy compassoin and kindness for any amount of money. If you are "buying" it - it is not sincere and surely is not compassion and kindness.

Putting myself in your shoes, could anything have made this situation better? Everything is pure speculation.... We really just don't know if a stranger (the CM) trying to pacify your child would have worked or perhaps made the situation worse.

And I'm assuming, please correct me if I'm wrong, that there would not have been a problem is your child was not as upset as she was (pretty normal in my mind for a 3yo to have a meltdown).

But what did you want Disney to do right at that moment to try to make your child happy? And was there anything that you might have done?

 

[WDSearcher]

THIS. The new crop of CP kids started around then, and were all in training - it's very possible that the CM was, in fact, a newly minted CP and was dealing with things the best they could.

KC

Although -- and maybe it's just my experience -- but don't you find that "newly minted" employees tend to err towards over-doing customer service rather than presenting an indifferent expression and a shrug? Most new employees I've ever met anywhere tend to over-compensate when they're first starting out -- it's during that bright and shiny phase before the novelty of a new job wears off and they get bored and bitter.

I would expect a newly minted CP CM to be more frenzied about figuring out how to make it better and give excellent guest service than I would for them to be so blase as to look at a crying 3YO and say, "Whatever."

 

[cmurray234]

I think "snowflake" has become a generic and vastly overused term for any kid who happens to misbehave. Kind of like how "entitled" has become a generic term for anyone who does anything that someone else thinks they shouldn't do.

"Entitled" and "snowflake" are interchangeable terms. It's just that one is used to describe a child and one to describe an adult.

I agree. It's very much flirting with that line. But people say "See, I'm not calling the child a name with that term. I'm merely commenting on parenting" (which they typically have not had the chance to even witness.)

This.

 

[foodrocksluver]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the characters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

I'm pretty sure you're missing the entire point of what the OP was saying.

I don't agree that something should have been done beyond a simple "I'm sorry" but the point she was trying to make was that they were told SW would be back in a certain amount of time, that time passed, and then they were told she wasn't coming out AT ALL.

NOT that they had a "need, desire, demand" to see her. Her daughter wanted to see SW as she was clearly visible but wasn't able to do so as Snow had fallen ill. I'm having a hard time understanding what paying for a character meal and eating healthy CS food has to do with anything

And how do you know they didn't do a CS meal? They could have splurged to see characters from Winnie the Pooh at CP or to see the fab 5 at GG.

 

[cmurray234]

I really don't like that term. While, I understand, it's true meaning... All parents should THINK and FEEL, that THEIR child IS special. It gets used way too often and in a very derogatory way. IMO

It's confusing, isn't it? Of COURSE my children are special to me. What kind of parent would I be if I treated them as though they were unimportant?

That doesn't mean, obviously, that I think OTHER people should treat my children any differently than everyone else...but special? You BET they're special. And if that makes them a snowflake, then I'm a proud snowflake mama.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Still haven't figured out exactly what OP wanted....

OP -- What would have made things better for you?

Earlier post someone said "She expected a bit of compassion and kindness from a CM at a place where they tout kindness and compassion and pixie dust in exchange for ungodly amounts of cash"

Is that what you wanted?

IMHO - you cannot buy compassoin and kindness for any amount of money. If you are "buying" it - it is not sincere and surely is not compassion and kindness.

Putting myself in your shoes, could anything have made this situation better? Everything is pure speculation.... We really just don't know if a stranger (the CM) trying to pacify your child would have worked or perhaps made the situation worse.

And I'm assuming, please correct me if I'm wrong, that there would not have been a problem is your child was not as upset as she was (pretty normal in my mind for a 3yo to have a meltdown).

But what did you want Disney to do right at that moment to try to make your child happy? And was there anything that you might have done?

The problem? The CM works with customers and for Heavens sake, it's STILL touted, as The Happiest Place on Earth". . They should KNOW how to handle ANY situation. It's in the job description. This could/should have been handled differently...easy peasy.

 

[cmurray234]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the characters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

Whoa. That's an awful lot of assumptions to make in one post. How do you know the OP DIDN'T do character meals or that her child eat burgers, pizza and hot dogs the whole trip.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

WOW this thread has gotten long. As a parent to two young boys--3 and almost 6--I know how even the most non-snowflakey 3 YO could react this way. Both of mine would have at that age. My personal response would have been "no big deal--that's how things go," and sometimes I would have been able to redirect my kid's attention and we'd be fine, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way. A 3YO is a 3YO and has a 3YO's perspective. If something is wrong at this very moment, a 3YO cannot comprehend that it's not a big deal or that things will get better.

I did not read anything in the OP's post that indicated she wanted anyone to jump through hoops for her kid, but my experience in WDW has been that when something like this happens, they do something like bring the child a photo of the character and say "Snow White wanted you to have this." Would I freak out if that didn't happen? No. But I might be surprised that it didn't.

 

[LynnAquaheart]

Wow - a 3 year old can have a break down crying fit anywhere.
My kids were not teriible two's, they were hurendous three's

Now at DS age 20 and DD age 17 - it is where are the car keys?


If anyone is in need of seeing the characters at WDW, reserve a meal with characters



Yes, PAY to see the characters if you have a need, desire, demand, & must do.
Do not be cheap. WDW is not cheap.

Remember, the character is a person too - they need breaks to rest and to get away from whining children, and parents.

The parents of the 3 year should get over themselves and next time they go to WDW, plan some character meals for the family.

Besides, it is unhealthy to live on CS food...burgers, pizza, chicken fingers and hot dogs.

Seriously? Do you think that we are all so stupid that we need the obvious stated to us in gigantic red letters? The customer service issue here has nothing to do with whether or not the parent decided to book a character meal. I am glad that throwing around over $100 per meal (which easily occurs when you are talking about admitting a group of people to a character meal) is so easy for you. People have different planning needs, and not all of them are able to include luxuries like Cinderella's castle or Akershus, but that is neither here nor there. The whole issue brought up wasn't about an entitlement to meet chracters, it was about being brushed off, and like so many people have said before this, most people would be upset if this happened to them at a Wendy's let a lone if they were a three year old at Disney World. I touched on this in my earlier post but I will say it again. Disney World is an emotionally intense place, especially for small children whose entire universes are being rocked by their experiences because that is where they are at developmentally. Disney is fully aware of this! So, people who are so rigid that they can't imagine why you would take an extra moment to address the feelings of a small child need to get over themselves.

 

[photo_chick]

I love reading all these threads about magical moments at Disney, and I think I'd read so many of them before my last trip I thought every minute would be like heaven. But the first day were were there with our 3 year old, we had this experience:

We were walking outside Germany when we saw Snow White! It was the first time she'd seen any character. There was hardly a line, so we walked up there and waited. Then, the handler told me that Snow White needed to take a break and would be back in 15 minutes. I didn't think my 3-year old would wait that long, but she sat there, more patiently than I'd ever seen her, just waiting. While she was waiting, she picked a flower for Snow White, thought of questions she'd ask her, etc. etc. Well, 15 minutes became 20, and 20 became 30. I wanted to leave, but I couldn't do that to my daughter. Finally, the photographer came out and said that Snow White was "busy helping the dwarves" and couldn't come out (she'd actually gotten sick).

Well, my daughter was hysterical. She cried and cried and cried and nothing I could do would make her feel better. The other cast members there just shrugged and said they were sorry. I felt like that at the happiest place on earth, they could have at least done SOMETHING to make her feel better. Instead, they just sent us off on our way. My daughter was devastated and just wanted to go home. I did, too. They could see that, and they didn't seem to care.

After that, things did get better, and we did have a magical trip, obviously, or else we wouldn't be going back. And she did get to meet Snow White (and all the dwarves) eventually. But has anyone had something like that happen to them? And did the cast members do anything to try to make things better?

They apologized. Did you want something more? What else could they have done? This is no different then waiting in line for a ride only to get to the front and have it shut down. Yes, it blows. But it happens. Disney can't placate every kid throwing a tantrum because they didn't get what they wanted.

 

[mom2rtk]

It would have been cool if they had offered to take the child's autograph book backstage and gotten an autograph from Snow. There had to be a number of CM's backstage trained in doing Snow's autgraph. No expense, no big deal, but a big WINNER to an upset 3 year old.

 

[KGK]

The problem? The CM works with customers and for Heavens sake, it's STILL touted, as The Happiest Place on Earth". . They should KNOW how to handle ANY situation. It's in the job description. This could/should have been handled differently...easy peasy.

Oh of course