Cast members lying to your face

[HollyL]

Really necessary? Disney is supposed to be all about wholesome family fun, so having cast members lie to your face really shouldn't be part of the equation, right?

Okay, so we all know that the fastpass issue with RSR at DCA is a big cluster at opening time, so why not keep having an organized line at opening time? Yes, it will be a loooong line, we all know that. But, a line is organized, it's much better than lying to guests, having everyone crowd into the street, and then having to push and shove and back-track in order to get into the fast pass line, it was so ridiculous.

Before this trip last week, the last time we were at Disney was in December, 2012, when Carsland was still pretty new. I remember the line was formed by the Carthay Circle restaurant, and extending down the street by where TOT is before rope drop, and it was organized and all was good with the world, so why the change?

So, when I asked a cast member about where I needed to be for the fast pass line, and he told me there was no more line for RSR fast passes, and to wait in the street behind the rope, I just thought that was unnecessary. He knew where the line was going to be because 10 minutes after he lied to me, I saw him with the sign that said "RSR fastpass line".

Why would Disney feel the need to direct cast members to lie to their guests? Just go back to the old way, and have people wait in a line!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

well let me ask you, was this at ee/mm time ? because i did read they stopped letting ppl line up for fp before park opening.

 

[HollyL]

This was about 10 minutes before rope drop.

It caused everything to be chaotic because people were told to line up behind the rope, so once the rope dropped, and people were headed towards where the fast pass distribution was, and then told they had to get in line, which was way behind from where they were waiting, it caused people to have to push their way back to get in line. Luckily, I stayed close to the Carthay Circle restaurant because I had a feeling of what they were up to, so I was able to get in line in the right place at the right time while I watched the confused people who were at the front, close to the rope, have to battle their way against the crowd that was rushing their way forward. It was really dumb.

I heard chatter from a lot of upset people who were not happy about being misled like that. It was not a good way for those people to start their day.

 

[bakerudall]

It sounds like no faces were lied to. There is no lining up for fastpasses before rope drop, and after the rope drop he started forming the line. The system may be flawed, but that's no reason to question someone's honesty.

 

[SMD]

I've been to merchandise and other events when Disney said no lining up before x time. Only to show up a few minutes before x time and be told a line formed early and it was now capped. So I can understand no forming the line until the park opens to avoid guests having that negative experience as well. I know a line long enough to sell out. RSR FP isn't likely to form prior to park opening, but if Disney wants to do it the way that's described, that's their choice.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Lying is a pretty harsh term...there is a difference between the questions "where is the line?"..."there is no line" (as there is no line yet allowed before rope drop) and "once the park opens, where is the line going to begin?"

Not volunteering information that was not asked is not lying. Now, he could have been nice and offered you that intel, but then that would create the situation they are trying to avoid if they told everybody the same thing.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

It sounds like no faces were lied to. There is no lining up for fastpasses before rope drop, and after the rope drop he started forming the line. The system may be flawed, but that's no reason to question someone's honesty.

This is what happens when policy doesn't match reality. I'm sure the policy is "no lines for RSR FP's", but the reality is that there is still enough demand that a line is warranted.

I agree that the likely intention wasn't to lie. I can understand the frustration though. I have had a few conversations like this with CM's. I've found myself more suspicious lately of things they say to me.

 

[HollyL]

Well, when one asks where the line will form, and being told that they no longer do lines for the RSR fastpasses, I kind of consider that lying, but maybe that's just me.

Instead of telling people to go line up behind the rope, maybe tell people to stay in the area near the Carthay Circle Restaurant after the rope drops, as that is where the line generally forms. Not everyone is going to go after the fast passes, so that would put people in the general area, which would prevent having to have people push against the incoming crowd in order to get into the right area. It just doesn't make sense, and when people are dealing with a rush of strollers and not wanting their kids getting run over, it's uncomfortable for everyone, and too many opportunities for people to get hurt.

So, I will change the word "lie" to being misled, which I still don't think is very nice.

It's a very flawed system. People ask cast members for information to avoid ending up in an uncomfortable situation,.

For the most part, almost all of the cast members that I have encountered have been wonderful, but this guy just had an attitude towards everyone I saw him speak to. Yeah, maybe you are sick of getting asked the same question by people who just want to make sure to be at the right place, but that's your job, and if you don't like it, do something else.

It's one thing for the regulars, because they know how it works, but for first timers, it's all very confusing, and the people who got there early, standing right behind the rope, hoping to get a fast pass, end up getting the short end of the stick because they have to backtrack and end up in the end of the line.

That's all.

 

[tarheelalum]

If the cast member had explained their answer I could understand it but without clarification, it certainly seems like the cast member was lying. Maybe by policy Disneyland tells them to do that. If I were you I would go over to town hall and complain about that bigtime.

 

[Carolynleanne]

On one of our days while going through the turnstiles the guy in front of me asked the cast member if the rides listed as 'down' were JUST for today or if she knew anymore info on when they opened. She absent mindedly responded with, "Mmm hmm... just today."

Now I was well aware that this wasn't the case and told him the scheduled closures, but I'm assuming the cast member would have known this too? I'm guessing she was either not listening to what he was asking or didn't care to get into conversation with him.

I just felt bad that he was being given incorrect information in the parks.

 

[twodogs]

Well, when one asks where the line will form, and being told that they no longer do lines for the RSR fastpasses, I kind of consider that lying, but maybe that's just me.

Instead of telling people to go line up behind the rope, maybe tell people to stay in the area near the Carthay Circle Restaurant after the rope drops, as that is where the line generally forms. Not everyone is going to go after the fast passes, so that would put people in the general area, which would prevent having to have people push against the incoming crowd in order to get into the right area. It just doesn't make sense, and when people are dealing with a rush of strollers and not wanting their kids getting run over, it's uncomfortable for everyone, and too many opportunities for people to get hurt.

So, I will change the word "lie" to being misled, which I still don't think is very nice.

It's a very flawed system. People ask cast members for information to avoid ending up in an uncomfortable situation,.

For the most part, almost all of the cast members that I have encountered have been wonderful, but this guy just had an attitude towards everyone I saw him speak to. Yeah, maybe you are sick of getting asked the same question by people who just want to make sure to be at the right place, but that's your job, and if you don't like it, do something else.

It's one thing for the regulars, because they know how it works, but for first timers, it's all very confusing, and the people who got there early, standing right behind the rope, hoping to get a fast pass, end up getting the short end of the stick because they have to backtrack and end up in the end of the line.

That's all.

I can NOT imagine trying to walk backwards against the throng of people rushing to enter DCA at RD! This is not good! I agree that CMs seem to say different things to different people, or give out bad or vague information as well. I am not sure it is always intentional (though your case kind of sounds like it was), but it is frustrating and can be dangerous (as in your case). We were there last week, and they DID let us line up for FP inside the rope after we had entered for Early Entry. They turned on the FP machines about 5 minutes before regular park opening. I can't say if they let a FP line form outside the rope for regular entry, since we were already inside for early entry.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

While I can understand the OP's frustration, don't forget that there are thousands of CMs and they can't all know ALL the latest, most accurate info. We would love it if they could, but DLR veterans know the saying "ask 10 CMs, get 10 different answers" exists for a reason! It's great when you find a knowledgeable CM, even better if s/he offers helpful info without your having to ask, but clueless CMs are a fact of DLR life. Clueless doesn't equal lying (although there are CMs who will knowingly give dishonest/inaccurate answers -- thankfully, they don't seem to be the norm). Lastly, many colleges are out/getting out for the summer, so now is the start of new CM season -- be prepared for lots of odd, misleading answers from CMs who don't know what they're saying. (It is possible that the CM in question in the original post was new or very inexperienced.) All the more reason to be thankful for the boards here -- fore warned is fore armed, so to speak -- so that these unfortunate experiences don't ruin anyone's visit.

 

[HollyL]

While I can understand the OP's frustration, don't forget that there are thousands of CMs and they can't all know ALL the latest, most accurate info. We would love it if they could, but DLR veterans know the saying "ask 10 CMs, get 10 different answers" exists for a reason! It's great when you find a knowledgeable CM, even better if s/he offers helpful info without your having to ask, but clueless CMs are a fact of DLR life. Clueless doesn't equal lying (although there are CMs who will knowingly give dishonest/inaccurate answers -- thankfully, they don't seem to be the norm). Lastly, many colleges are out/getting out for the summer, so now is the start of new CM season -- be prepared for lots of odd, misleading answers from CMs who don't know what they're saying. (It is possible that the CM in question in the original post was new or very inexperienced.) All the more reason to be thankful for the boards here -- fore warned is fore armed, so to speak -- so that these unfortunate experiences don't ruin anyone's visit.

I can definitely understand that, BUT, the thing that really made me upset was the SAME cast member that told me (and many other people) that they no longer do lines for the RSR fastpasses was the SAME guy who, 10 minutes later was holding the sign that read "RSR fastpass line" (or something to that effect), so he was 100% aware that they indeed still did lines for the RSR fastpasses, and where that line was going to be, and directed people to wait in the opposite direction! His lie/mis-information caused a lot of trouble for people who were just trying to get information. He appeared to be in his late 30's - 40's, so not your typical college kid. I feel that it was 100% intentional that he fed people lies, and if he was directed by his management to do so, then, shame on Disney.

 

[HollyL]

I will reiterate, all other cast members we encountered were awesome - this guy was the exception.

 

[tomato]

While I understand your frustration, people DO make mistakes at their jobs. You say he was 100% aware, but you don't really know that. Maybe he misheard your question. Maybe he had been given different information by a higher-up when he got to work. Maybe they are in a transition period for moving/closing/changing that line and he thought that was the day things changed but he was wrong.

People make mistakes. Even in Disneyland!

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

While I understand your frustration, people DO make mistakes at their jobs. You say he was 100% aware, but you don't really know that. Maybe he misheard your question. Maybe he had been given different information by a higher-up when he got to work. Maybe they are in a transition period for moving/closing/changing that line and he thought that was the day things changed but he was wrong.

People make mistakes. Even in Disneyland!

Based on only the account of the OP, I don't think this was a mistake. The only scenario that makes sense to me is that they don't really want people lining up early nor do they want people lurking in the area of where the FP will start hence "there is no line for RSR FP's".

Really, there is no motive for lying, nor is there really any way he could have made a mistake. He probably should have said something to the effect of: "Officially, there is no line before rope drop, but after rope drop, if there is a line, it usually starts over there." I realize this would undermine the policy of "no lines for RSR FP's" that seems to be in place right now, but I'm not taking one for the team over a policy that has no application in reality.

 

[mom2rtk]

OP, I'd be irritated too.

 

[alvernon90]

He appeared to be in his late 30's - 40's, so not your typical college kid. I feel that it was 100% intentional that he fed people lies, and if he was directed by his management to do so, then, shame on Disney.

This is very interesting, because a while back we had a similar problem with a DCA cast member who fits this description.

We were going to skip the Carsland craziness at EMH by going past Soarin' and over toward TSMM. We waited at the rope over by Soarin' and the CM there told us that we had to join the main crowd because the rope he was standing at would not be opened at rope drop. It took me quite a bit of struggling to even understand what he was saying, because it made no sense. Finally we wandered away from the rope but not back to the main crowd. At rope drop, the same CM who told us that the rope would not open proceeded to open the rope. We walked past him and I said, "Guess you changed your mind, eh?" He ignored me.

I know that the plural of anecdote is not data, but this seems strange to me.

 

[DarthMole]

These CM's probably get asked 100 times a day "Where is the RSR FP line." because so many people expect there to be one before rope drop. They have their canned response ready before the gate even opens. I can see them giving the same response to someone asking where the RSR FP line will be just out of habit and not some sinister plan to lie or mislead. To me, the bigger issue is the overall policy to not have the process and locations better defined so people aren't having to backtrack to the actual line entrance. Disney must have their reasons to stop the line formation prior to rope drop, but it doesn't sound like it's working out too well. Do they still allow EMH guests to get in line before the regular guests? If not, maybe the "no line" policy is to put everyone on equal footing.

 

[dismomofbn]

When we were at the parks in January, we were able to line up in EMH since we were staying on site. Though it was convenient, I see how it was an advantage over all the other guests waiting at rope drop. When we were in the park this past week, it was clear that there is no line prior to rope drop and DCA was trying to maintain that the line does not exist until rope drop so I can see how that is the official answer. However, people who either visit the parks a lot or have done their homework know where to position themselves. The CM's are not going to tell people, "Hey there is no line but if you put yourself on this side of Carthay, you will be in position to rush the line at opening."
Once it was official opening, there was a cm that had a sign indicating the end of the line. Even with the crowds that hit last week, fast passes were available hours after the park opened. We are pretty go with the flow, so we decided to come back after two hours and still got a FP for 2:00.