BAD Disney Experience...

[lugnut33]

Right, but at the same token the OP could have done the same thing. Why does it have to be the CM that does it? That's where I'm confused.

Indeed, Mom could have done the same. I was just thinking about the moment when the CM came out and the mom and daughter were still standing there. When the CM saw the little girl break out into tears he/she could have done what I mentioned. Just an idea of mine, not saying it's right or wrong.

 

[KGK]

They could have come out and told her before she waited with her 3 year old for forty minutes. The CM probably forgot to tell her. The CM was wrong for not telling her that SW wasn't coming out. If I was told to wait for something for 15 minutes and 30-40 minutes later was told I would not get what I was waiting for, I would be annoyed. .....

Yes but that's not really the point. I don't think any rational person would disagree that the CM might (MIGHT) have been able to handle that part of the situation better (we really are making assumptions because we don't know what happened behind the scenes).

My point is that after the child had (again, my opinion normal behavior for a 3 year old) the tantrum the OP wanted something magical to happen.

What did the OP want? Would a balloon, ice cream, something "physical" have helped? Did the OP want the CM to do a happy dance? What would have helped? And if the child wasn't "happy" after the CM did whatever, then what? Sometimes kids aren't happy until they want to be happy. Regardless of what any adult does.

Many have suggested a sticker. Would a sticker have helped? Is a sticker that much of a deal breaker (ooooh my vacation was magical when the CM put a sticker on my kid's shirt --- oh no, my vacation was ruined because my child didn't get a sticker) What could the CM do that the parent could not?

OP What would you want the CM to do after leaving you stranded (and let's agree at this point that leaving you waiting was not good even though I'm not sure that's an issue) there for 40 minutes and "causing" your child to have a meltdown?

What would have made you happy?

 

[maxiesmom]

Indeed, Mom could have done the same. I was just thinking about the moment when the CM came out and the mom and daughter were still standing there. When the CM saw the little girl break out into tears he/she could have done what I mentioned. Just an idea of mine, not saying it's right or wrong.

They may have been able to take the child to see another character. But the OP seems pretty adamant that it was this character in particular that her daughter wanted to see. For some children, one princess is not as good as another. And it also assumes the other characters were ready to meet people, and if they were didn't already have a line of children waiting for them.

 

[goofy4tink]

Not true.

Well it is kinda true. A 'snowflake' is the child whose parents feel that their child is so incredibly special that they are entitled to all sorts of stuff and at the same time, is to be excused from less than stellar behaviour.
Now...does anyone here think this 3 y/o child was a 'snowflake'?? Doubt it. Not even sure where that came from. 3 y/o kids melt down..it's in the 3 y/o play book.
Was mom right in thinking that something 'should' have been done to make her dd feel better about missing a character?? No, not really. Would it have been nice if the CMs had come up with something to make the little girl happy? Sure.
Let me elaborate. Back about 3 years ago, I traveled to WDW with a friend who hadn't been there in about 15 years. She was so excited to go.....she was almost as excited as a little kid. About 2 days into our 5 day stay, she started having issues with her camera. It messed up photos, it stopped taking photos. So, she finally gave up. She had to just keep those character meetings as memories. Of course, I had taken some photos after her camera started acting up, but she had lost a bunch of shots prior to that. Well, fast forward to our last day. We were eating breakfast at Goofy's Beach Blast at BC. We got to talking about taking photos with the characters with our server. My friend was telling her how her camera had died and she had no photos of Pooh or such. Well....at the end of our breakfast, the server returned with our check, and a photo card for my friend. It had Pooh and his friends on it...and they had all signed the inside. Now...we all know how this occurred. What made it so special was that the server did it to begin with. It was a very nice thing to do and my friend still talks about it.
So....I'm sure the Epcot CMs could have figured out some small way to make a little girl happy.

My issue???? That mom expects it. Yes, it's upsetting to see your child disappointed. It kills me to see my dd upset and disappointed. But, that's part of life. And I don't much care if you're in school, at home, on the ball field, play auditions or 'The Most Magical Place on Earth'...stuff happens, and you face disappointment. It happens to adults, it happens to kids. Deal with it and move on. I can't imagine expecting that something should be done for my child if she is disappointed. Yes, it would have been nice if a CM had come back and explained that Snow White was sick and wasn't going to be able to come back out. That would have been nice after the 15 mins went by. After all...there is a schedule for character meet and greets. That's why a CM can call a particular number and find where, and when, certain characters will be, so they can inform the guests. Yes, it was an unusual situation. One that was upsetting and hugely disappointing to a young child. It's too bad that we seem to find fault with the mother for what some choose to believe is bad parenting, while others find fault with the CMs lack of compassion. There is a middle ground you know.

 

[wdwfanatic316]

I believe the whole point that the OP was making was that the CM did not show any compassion or regret to the OP or her child. Obviously it was not the CM's fault that SW was sick, it was the way it was his/her indifference that bothered the OP. Would a sticker/balloon/anything have made the child stop crying or feel better? We have no way of knowing. But, it would have meant A LOT to the OP that the CM (or Disney) at least tried!

 

[kstinw19]

As someone who has been "in that line of work" here is what I would have done:

First, I would have come out sooner if I knew there was a child waiting for Snow White.

Secondly, I would have said that Snow White was busy with the dwarves but if she had an autograph book with her, I would have told her that I will take it to her and get Snow White to sign it for her.

Thirdly, I would have found out where Snow White would appear next and let them know.

I believe that things are quite different nowadays as to when i was around, so I think that the character greeters that are with the characters are not necessarily character performers but are strictly "greeters". Now I am not saying all of them, but some of them may not take their as importantly as we would have being a sometimes "greeter" and most of the time "performer".

I am sorry that this happened to your little girl. And I am sorry that so many have jumped on you for it.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I think one important takeaway is that no one should ever wait more than a few minutes to see Snow White. She isn't popular and the line is always short. Heck even her ride line is always short.

 

[Seeker615]

I really don't think that the mom in this case was trying to "get something". I think she was upset over the way the issue was handled.

I learned a long time ago that there is "on stage" and "off stage" behavior. When you are officially at work you put on your "on stage" face and behave in a manner that is appropriate for your line of work. Whether or not you are having a bad day you don't bring it to work with you. Now at Disney I would assume customer service and going above and beyond to make your day magical is part of your job when you are "on stage".

I think all that was needed was an apology and like some others said maybe this cast member talking to the child. Kids love having someone get down to their level and explaining things. Would the kid have been happy? Maybe not but the mom in this case would have felt satisfied that the cast member at least tried.

 

[ccgirl]

Indeed, Mom could have done the same. I was just thinking about the moment when the CM came out and the mom and daughter were still standing there. When the CM saw the little girl break out into tears he/she could have done what I mentioned. Just an idea of mine, not saying it's right or wrong.

True. But, I guess my point is lots of kids get disappointed for one way or another and I think it is up to us parents to act appropriately, whether that is taking their mind of their disappointment etc.

They may have been able to take the child to see another character. But the OP seems pretty adamant that it was this character in particular that her daughter wanted to see. For some children, one princess is not as good as another. And it also assumes the other characters were ready to meet people, and if they were didn't already have a line of children waiting for them.

If it was so important for my DD to see a character, I would have booked a character meal. I would not have chanced it that we would see a character at a certain time at a meet & Greet. I know the character is only there for so long and there is a chance not everyone in line would see them.

Case in point, my children really wanted to see Winnie the Pooh. We waited in a very long line. We were the next up and they changed Winnie for another character. My kids were very disappointed. Did I expect anything for their disappointment? Nope...just told them Winnie was tired and the other character was there now. They could either get their autograph or we could move on and hope we see Winnie at another time. No biggie really.

 

[alliejay]

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?

This has been asked and answered numerous times!

 

[mom2rtk]

This has been asked and answered numerous times!

Yep. Complete with many very specific and appropriate suggestions. Come to find out it didn't even require a night in the castle, loss of job by the CM or Snow White infecting half of Germany.

 

[TLSnell1981]

That's DisneyLAND.

Well, yes...I stand corrected. I guess, Disney World's slogan changes... "Where Dreams Come True"...."What Will You Celebrate".."What Happened to the Magic"?
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[KellyNY]

I think part of the problem is we, DISers so used to threads when people complain to get something out of Disney that we fail to see that not everyone this way. OP never suggested anything but compassion, while we, DISers were suggesting FPs, gift cards and such to solve the problem. Sometimes nice word counts much more then anything else and this is a true expectation that cannot ever be considered an entitlement, JMHO.

 

[KGK]

This has been asked and answered numerous times!

I've read thru 18 pages and have not seen where the OP has answered this question. A lot of suggestions from everyone else.

Please feel free to point me in the right direction.

I wonder what the CM involved would be saying. I'd love to hear his/her side of the story...

 

[WDSearcher]

my goodness this has been a fun read. Entitled kids! Bad Parenting! Near death of a cast member! Destruction of Disney property! Now if only someone had mentioned pool hopping as a means to cheer the child, this would have it all.

My two cents- I've been going to Disney since I was a little child in the 80's, in all that time, you know from experience you're going to have good CM's and bad, great moments that keep you coming back, and less magical moments that make you grit your teeth and you roll with it, because you know the good outweighs the bad.

Over the last couple years, I've been going with my nephew, who is 3 (and a seasoned disney traveler), and I've learned there is nothing worse or more dramatic than the tear-filled disappointment of a 3-year old, and if your FIRST experience at Disney, the happiest place on earth, place marketed to the nth degree with nothing but happy magic and no frowns (however unrealistic this portrayal actually is) is the gut-wrenching disappointment of your little child, which is met with indifference, that's kinda the worst foot you can start out on. To the OP, I'm glad the rest of the trip made up for it, in the future remember at least one bad thing happens on every trip, its really best if you get it out of the way early.

I LOVE this!

I'm so using this when I come up against a guest who's having a bad day.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I've read thru 18 pages and have not seen where the OP has answered this question. A lot of suggestions from everyone else.

Please feel free to point me in the right direction.

I suppose I would have liked some compassion, rather than shrugging and being like "Whatever." Smiles would've been nice. And yes, telling us where we might be able to see another character would have been great. Many cast members do seem to know how to go above and beyond... because I'm sure I'm not the first person this has happened to. Instead, they were really rude and indifferent.

Now, can we stick a fork in this thread? I tried to walk away, hoping it would quietly go away, but it KEEPS COMING BACK!

 

[WDSearcher]

I've read thru 18 pages and have not seen where the OP has answered this question. A lot of suggestions from everyone else.

Please feel free to point me in the right direction.

Post #31, from the OP:

Gosh, you guys are tough. I am not one to complain, and in fact I didn't... there are some squeaky wheels that would have demanded attention, but I just told them it was a shame because she'd never waited 40 minutes so patiently in her life, then took my bawling child and walked away. After waiting 25 minutes longer than I was told... it would have been nice if someone had come out and told us earlier. I mean, first hour in Disney World ever, and this is what happens?

I suppose I would have liked some compassion, rather than shrugging and being like "Whatever." Smiles would've been nice. And yes, telling us where we might be able to see another character would have been great. Many cast members do seem to know how to go above and beyond... because I'm sure I'm not the first person this has happened to. Instead, they were really rude and indifferent.

 

[cmurray234]

Well it is kinda true. A 'snowflake' is the child whose parents feel that their child is so incredibly special that they are entitled to all sorts of stuff and at the same time, is to be excused from less than stellar behaviour.
Now...does anyone here think this 3 y/o child was a 'snowflake'?? Doubt it. Not even sure where that came from. 3 y/o kids melt down..it's in the 3 y/o play book.

I know what a "snowflake" is supposed to mean, but people just end up using it to describe any child who behaves in a way that is disruptive.

And where it came from is that a couple of people in this thread called this child both "snowflake" and "spoiled"....which proves my point, I think.

 

[lugnut33]

Now, can we stick a fork in this thread? I tried to walk away, hoping it would quietly go away, but it KEEPS COMING BACK!

Don't worry about it. This thread has turned into one of those discussion where nobody is ever going to agree, just like free dining and stroller threads. No matter how much you now try to defend yourself some people will never understand it your way.

 

[KGK]

Post #31, from the OP:

Gosh, you guys are tough. I am not one to complain, and in fact I didn't... there are some squeaky wheels that would have demanded attention,

Yep, squeaky wheels and "not one to complain" (to guest relations who may be able to do something but let me complain about BAD Disney Experience to others...??)

"I suppose I would have liked some compassion, rather than shrugging and being like "Whatever." Smiles would've been nice."

Compassion? Difficult for some people to show. Difficult for some people to recognize.

HOWEVER I TOTALLY AGREE that the cast member should never have shrugged and said whatever. Really and truly I would have had him/her fired. (did he/she really do that? I'm flabbergasted at the nerve of that CM)

I'll be back in a few minutes, need more popcorn.