Character meet and greets are the worst part of WDW now! My story..

[fbb]

last year while I was with my wife and 3 year old son, one of the MK ticket takers was extremely rude and outright hostile to me and falsely accused me of something I did not do, and then finished the interaction by implicitly challenging me to a fight. I (and the other families in line) almost could not believe it was happening at the time. I did take down the guy's name and I did complain after the fact, and got a response suggesting he was spoken to (or even disciplined), but I should not have had to experience that in the first place.

We're listening...

 

[mm1971]

One thing that was interesting too that I left out, not a complaint, just an observation- later in the trip we did encounter another combined goofy/pluto character line at AK. There we got in line (this area, had an actual roped off area, not just a makeshift line, much better organized)- was told after a few minutes in waiting in they were taking a break and would be "right back".

We waiting around 10 minutes and they came back & took more kids- we were in line maybe 10-15 more minutes until we reached front- as they were taking us, they told the party behind us that we were the last before break.

So, apparently costumed characters only work 10 - 15 minutes between breaks, and it was not a super hot day- a very overcast and comfortably cool 70 degrees. Anyone know from experience if this is normal? It just seems a little overdrastic. I know costumes must be hot, but still..

But apparently I was THIS close to being the odd man out, again.

OK. I was reading through and had some sympathy for your situation and was going to comment at the end, but your latest comment really sticks with me and really makes me question who was really the issue. I understand the disappointment of not being let in line in your first instance. I also think not paying attention to the CM may have been part of the issue, but still no excuse for being rude.

Now on to the comment. Now you want to decide how long a character stays out and when breaks are needed? Overdrastic? Maybe the CM had to go to the bathroom or maybe it is policy. I won't get personal here, but who are you to criticize how long a CM needs to be stationed or when breaks occur? It is for the safety of the employee. Have you ever worked in this type of job? I just don't get it I guess.

 

[kittyninja]

Forgot to copy it to quote but usually, yes, they have another character ready for when the first one gets back! They do sets like these throughout the day. Sometimes, they have random M&Gs (possibly like the Goofy/Pluto OP was in line for) and with these they may just be out for a random 15 minutes because they had the CM and had the time! We do not know. Generally though, like a well oiled machine, Mickey goes to "have some cheese" and that Mickey is immediately replaced by another and the time you wait is just to get #1 back there and #2 out!

Now that I'm older, I try to make it special for kids! I was the last person in line for a random M&G and saw a cute kid with parents get turned away. I (well me and my sister) called to them and let them take our place! (After all we were like 17 and 23 and had been many times and would be back lol) It made that kid's day (and probably helped the parent out a bit too)! I don't feel entitled at Disney but I don't like rude CM and unfortunately you will get them there...that's humans!

 

[JRawkSteady]

Character Meet & Greets were so much better in the 80s and 90s. No "official" lines, not set times, characters would just appear as if they lived there and were just roaming the neighborhood...and you felt so lucky when you caught them! These are memories I will never forget.

I know it'll never happen again, but if I had 3 WDW wishes, bringing Meet & Greets back to the more relaxing and magical way they used to be would be one of them.

 

[ellie'smom]

At Disney I've seen "difficult" guests as well as "difficult" CMs .( Both need to have time outs ) Maybe what we have is a classic standoff: I think you're rude to me, I become rude to you. You know a little from column A, a little from column B . Either way who lost was the 5 year old. That said I know how upsetting it is to encounter a what you yourself consider a rude employee/ service provider. I still seethe when you think about one particular encounter.: furious: There is a waitress from Ohana's Lilo and Stitch breakfast I still would like to punch 7 months later, she was so obnoxious
Time for me to go stand in the corner and tell myself:you need to rethink your attitude lady...

 

[World Showcaser]

Character Meet & Greets were so much better in the 80s and 90s. No "official" lines, not set times, characters would just appear as if they lived there and were just roaming the neighborhood...and you felt so lucky when you caught them! These are memories I will never forget.

I know it'll never happen again, but if I had 3 WDW wishes, bringing Meet & Greets back to the more relaxing and magical way they used to be would be one of them.

Well, to each his/her own, but what was so great about having to fight your way to a character and getting at least 5 other children in every photo?

 

[RichmondTiggerFan]

...

If OP truly believed that he was wronged in what happened, he should write to Disney and voice his disappointment. No one here can change policies at WDW or work to make character greetings less regimented.

I second this. Let Disney know about it!

 

[sharadoc]

Well, to each his/her own, but what was so great about having to fight your way to a character and getting at least 5 other children in every photo?

But you usually didn't! Generally you would have 1 or 2 other families around. Nobody cared that much, the characters were just part of the scenery. And they were so plentiful that the only time we took pictures was with different outfits or unique characters. We have some cool one - Mickey and Minnie in the silver rainbow spacesuits at Epcot, King John from Robin Hood, too many to mention! That all ended in the 90's.

 

[WDSearcher]

I fully agree that one isolated incident is not enough to make a generalized statement, but at least in my and my family's opinion (and others with whom I have spoken), the customer service is not the same. Ironically, where I see it most often is in the "good" customer service- I literally used to feel like I was on a movie set or in a promotional video or something - nobody could really be that friendly, helpful, courteous, etc. It always remained "good" customer service, but it no longer quite has that same feeling. It has improved somewhat (in my opinion) from the lowest ebb, but it is not quite back there yet. In Disney's defense, they are sort of fighting against a general cultural trend toward less customer service, etc. (as I said before, the "twitter"/real housewives/etc. phenomenom.)

But I also fully believe that bad behavior is tolerated in a way inconceivable even a few years ago, based on an experience I had last year. It was literally so bad it was like out of a movie (in a bad way rather than a good way). I am a super easy-going guy (my wife even cites to my "affability" as why she likes me so much), and last year while I was with my wife and 3 year old son, one of the MK ticket takers was extremely rude and outright hostile to me and falsely accused me of something I did not do, and then finished the interaction by implicitly challenging me to a fight. I (and the other families in line) almost could not believe it was happening at the time. I did take down the guy's name and I did complain after the fact, and got a response suggesting he was spoken to (or even disciplined), but I should not have had to experience that in the first place.

Of course you shouldn't have. But, looking back, was it an isolated experience in an otherwise good vacation? Or was it indicative of all of the CM interactions you had?

I'm fully aware that one lousy encounter can ruin an entire stay, but most people tend to talk about the decline of customer service at Disney by following that with a single example. After which they generally say something like, "except for that, the rest of the trip was great."

From Disney's standpoint, they're not getting any credit for the 500 CMs and customer service interactions you're getting that are meeting or exceeding your expectations. But they're getting plenty of blame for the single one that didn't. Even with your story, you say that bad behavior is being tolerated. Yet, you received an answer to your complaint that led you to believe the CM was spoken to (or disciplined). So then ... not tolerated.

Another problem is that many people -- when they run into that sub-par CM -- don't ever take the time to tell Disney about it. They'll post here, or put it on their FB page or whatever, but they'll never actually send a letter or e-mail to the one entity that can do something about it. Sure, Disney reads these boards (and others), but reading this post gives no info on when this situation happened, who the CM was, or even who the person is that it happened to. Unless "mikeyg1479" made his reservation under that name, Disney can't even find the family this happened to in order to get more info and investigate the situation.

It may sound trite, but Disney can't fix a problem that they don't know exists. Venting here will get you a whole lot of "Oh -- that happened to me once" or "you were in the wrong and this is why" replies. But it will do nothing towards informing Disney that this particular character handler at this particular location was totally inappropriate. And without those specifics, there's not a lot Disney can do. And so that character handler gets the tacit reassurance that their behavior is just fine. After all, no one has complained.

"But I didn't want to take time away from my vacation to hike to GS and complain." OK ... understandable. So write it down and make a note and send it in later. But don't expect Disney to take the time to fix something if you're not willing to take the time to tell them it's broken.

If you want to change the "World" ... TELL DISNEY. And tell them every single time it happens. And if you want to toss in a compliment here and there so that those people can be recognized and put forth as examples of who's doing it right ... that'd be nice too.

 

[Kristine316]

Kinda sad that several responses were of the variety that "Oh well, too bad, you got in line past the cutoff, deal with it" attitudes. Sorry, but that is unacceptable.

For all the Disney worship that is spread on these boards and how Disney always goes "above and beyond" in the customer service realm, spending a couple more minutes so a 5 yr old can get their picture taken with Goofy or Pluto seems well within the guidelines of providing proper customer service.

It wasn't like he walked up 5 or 10 minutes after they had decided to set a cutoff. I think we all understand that obviously they have to have a last guest so the character can take a break, but kinda shocked by some of "tough luck" responses from some of you when it wouldn't have taken more than a couple minutes to make a child at DISNEY happy.

I am not surprised at all. I knew as soon as I read the OP's comments that they would get the "tough luck" or the questioning of their comments from some on this board.. and we have had both in the 7 or 8 responses I have read before yours.

The truth is if anyone says anything bad about Disney or complains about something.. even something small, there are a certain number of posters who will jump right on that. I have noticed this frequently over the years I have been a member.

Disney is just a company and as wonderful as it is, they are NOT perfect and considering the gigantic expense it is to have a Disney vacation I think people have a right to complain a little if there is an issue.

I don't have a problem with the line cut off.. it sucks but, I can understand the need to keep everything extremely tight and running down to the second.. however,. the rudeness is unacceptable.
My attitude is that it is never "ok" for a CM or any other customer service worker to get rude with a customer... ever. Even if the customer is name calling and being totally out of control, the worker is to handle it responsibly and professionally and not escalate the situation. And I have worked in customer service for years so I understand how difficult it can be.

 

[Joanna71985]

I think this would have been a better way to handle it. I've seen some people hog the character and stand up there for like five minutes. It's really annoying. If there's no one else waiting then whatever but when there's a line up get your couple of quick snaps and move on. That way everyone gets a turn.

There are even lists of character interaction tips with suggested questions you can ask the characters and other tips on how to further monopolize the characters time. I think it's a little sick. Doesn't anyone care about sharing and giving everyone a turn?

I think how you were treated by the CMs was uncalled for.

Now, while I don't think each group should take 5+ minutes each, there is nothing wrong with interacting (and having fun) with the character. Also, as long as you are in line, 99% of the time you will see that character (exceptions being SWW where the characters can potentially change, and a couple of other places). So everyone will end up getting a turn

 

[JRawkSteady]

But you usually didn't! Generally you would have 1 or 2 other families around. Nobody cared that much, the characters were just part of the scenery. And they were so plentiful that the only time we took pictures was with different outfits or unique characters. We have some cool one - Mickey and Minnie in the silver rainbow spacesuits at Epcot, King John from Robin Hood, too many to mention! That all ended in the 90's.

Exactly! When Disney created lines, it created a desire to wait it them. Ya know, the old "If you build it, they will come." I never had to fight for autographs and pictures. My mom has huge stacks of photos with me and all the characters in the 80s and early 90s, and you rarely see a crowd.

 

[Sunnywho]

In the Gaston situation, the handler should have called security instead of escalating the yelling.

 

[estherhead]

Oh yes, you haven't had a bad character experience until you've been to DLP!

Having said that, we were also once told to move along from a general character area. Several years ago we were waiting for DH somewhere in Frontierland when a character meet and greet set themselves up (I want to say Toy Story characters but might be talking a load of rubbish). We were nowhere near the characters and weren't even paying that much attention, but the handler decided that the whole area to the left had to be completely clear of people. The handler was pretty abrupt and not very polite as he told us we had to "move on". It might be a cultural difference, but I don't like being barked at!

We were at California Adventure last summer and there is a meet and great area under a ride on Paradise Pier. There was no one in line so we hopped in but the CM said we couldn't as Buzz Lightyear was leaving and would be back in 15 minutes. So we left the line to hover where we saw other people hovering who had obviously attempted the same thing. So he came over there and told us to stop hovering. The oddest thing to me was it was just 15 minutes and there was an actual set up queue area. It was just weird to not let us stand in it. We chose to not wait. But when we went by there again the pretending they aren't hovering people rushed the new Buzz. Surely this is way more stressful than just letting them stand in the actual line? No one ever was allowed in that queue and we were by there several times that week. Why build a meet and great queue and then hire a person to stop people from getting into it?

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

Exactly! When Disney created lines, it created a desire to wait it them. Ya know, the old "If you build it, they will come." I never had to fight for autographs and pictures. My mom has huge stacks of photos with me and all the characters in the 80s and early 90s, and you rarely see a crowd.

Yes, but how much of that was due to the fact that crowds were lower in the 80's and early 90's?

Now there are so many more media outlets to plan a vacation, be exposed to Disney, etc. that I would imagine there are simply more people going. If that is true, then they would have to organize the characters more rather than letting a mob of children and their parents swarm them. I have a hard time believing that the demand was created simply because Disney scheduled character lines. But that's just me.

 

[mom2rtk]

Exactly! When Disney created lines, it created a desire to wait it them. Ya know, the old "If you build it, they will come." I never had to fight for autographs and pictures. My mom has huge stacks of photos with me and all the characters in the 80s and early 90s, and you rarely see a crowd.

I sort of see that as a "chicken and the egg" argument. You say the demand came about because of the lines. I say the lines came about because of the demand.

 

[mom2rtk]

We were at California Adventure last summer and there is a meet and great area under a ride on Paradise Pier. There was no one in line so we hopped in but the CM said we couldn't as Buzz Lightyear was leaving and would be back in 15 minutes. So we left the line to hover where we saw other people hovering who had obviously attempted the same thing. So he came over there and told us to stop hovering. The oddest thing to me was it was just 15 minutes and there was an actual set up queue area. It was just weird to not let us stand in it. We chose to not wait. But when we went by there again the pretending they aren't hovering people rushed the new Buzz. Surely this is way more stressful than just letting them stand in the actual line? No one ever was allowed in that queue and we were by there several times that week. Why build a meet and great queue and then hire a person to stop people from getting into it?

I agree. That is odd.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Yes, but how much of that was due to the fact that crowds were lower in the 80's and early 90's?

Now there are so many more media outlets to plan a vacation, be exposed to Disney, etc. that I would imagine there are simply more people going. If that is true, then they would have to organize the characters more rather than letting a mob of children and their parents swarm them. I have a hard time believing that the demand was created simply because Disney scheduled character lines. But that's just me.

You have a point. Maybe I'm just pining for those days...but still...ya never know.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

You have a point. Maybe I'm just pining for those days...but still...ya never know.

I'd like the old days too but the cat's out of the bag that Disney is THE place to vacation!

We tend to eat at character meals just to avoid waiting in lines or being told the line is closed. So for instance, my kids love the classic characters so we make sure to hit up Chef Mickey's or Ohana.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

If I was talked to in the manner you say by ANYone wearing a Disney name badge, they'd be reported so fast their head would spin. There's tact and there's rudeness. Wow.

This is what I was thinking.

OP - I had a CM start to get rude with me like that once because I was watching a character and she told me I couldn't watch. I told her to call either security or Bob Iger because there were no signs posted stating otherwise. (I was actually waiting for my kid's friend who was 2 deep in line) She said it was an unwritten rule. She said I had to move. It was rude of me and I shouldn't have done it, but I laughed right at her and stepped over 1 step and said "there I moved". I then told her that her efforts would be better spent watching the character instead of me and if she felt the need to be controlling, she should go enforce the no flash photography rule on dark rides or no line jumping, another unwritten rule. She turned around at the point and didn't say another word to me.