CM's

[finchy3]

Got back recently from staying 12 nights at GC, the whole family noticed a sizeable minority of CM's looking disinterested and bored, just going through the motions.

It was our 1st trip in 3 years and we haven't noticed this before, it put a dampener on it some days which is sad. Just wondering if other people have noticed? It seemed to be mostly the ride operators.

Do you guy's know the best avenue to speak to DL about it?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Use the "contact us" link at the bottom of the DLR website page. You can email your concern and leave contact information if you want someone to get back to you. Don't be surprised if someone really does get back to you by phone or email. Disney takes these comments quite seriously.

 

[OneThree]

Got back recently from staying 12 nights at GC, the whole family noticed a sizeable minority of CM's looking disinterested and bored, just going through the motions.

It was our 1st trip in 3 years and we haven't noticed this before, it put a dampener on it some days which is sad. Just wondering if other people have noticed? It seemed to be mostly the ride operators.

Do you guy's know the best avenue to speak to DL about it?

We noticed a few CMs who looked like they would rather be anywhere than where they were but only had one real bad interaction where a CM at the Indy FP entrance literally snatched the FP from my son's hand to check the time. I stopped the whole line behind me to make sure the CM understood his attitude had better change (sorry to those guests behind me! ). I did not report him however I noticed he was no longer there when we got off the ride.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Use the "contact us" link at the bottom of the DLR website page. You can email your concern and leave contact information if you want someone to get back to you. Don't be surprised if someone really does get back to you by phone or email. Disney takes these comments quite seriously.

It's true. Disney does great follow up. Someone called me to talk about the positive experience I had with a CM a few years ago. I was shocked. Literally no other company has ever given me more than a "We have received your message. Thank you for your time" type response.

I have noticed a few CMs in the last couple of years that are not quite what I have come to expect from Disney CMs. It's the end of a very busy summer season though and I try to remind myself (as a former theme park employee) that getting through those last few weeks of the summer season can be torture. Hopefully it was just a fluke and they'll be back to their usual happy, peppy selves soon.

 

[Nonsuch]

"That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."
"What's in there?"
"Only what you take with you."

Yoda and Luke Skywalker

 

[socababy]

Keep in mind too that these CMs have to deal with some rude and mean guests too. I can only imagine that on some days after being talked down to by guests that they can no longer plaster that Disney smile on.

I haven't worked in a theme park but I did waitress for 8 years and on some days, you've just had enough of the rudeness of the guests. Everyone is entitled to an off day. Ripping a FP from a little boy's hand is not an off day though and can be seen as rather aggressive. That I wouldn't let slide and I too would have spoken up if that was done to my child too!

 

[Mama_bear]

We have also had some CM problems the last view visits, primarily at the Blue bayou and some really crazy ones when we did the Parade dining experience which I'm sure has to do with what a hot mess that whole situation was in general. I think over all they are also humans and you are bound to get people having bad days or people who are just bad apples.

 

[tarheelalum]

A lot of the cast members have to deal with some pretty awful people on a daily basis. A lot of the people they come across act as if they are a special flower and require to be treated as such. Many of cast members have college degrees but their job at Disneyland is the best job they can get in this part time service job economic recovery. And for southern California their job is very low paying so you cannot support yourself around Orange County unless you want to live one step above homelessness. I suspect many CM still live with their parents or with multiple roommates to get by. In the end you get what you pay for in life. You can't get a Lexus for Corolla prices. If Disneyland paid its employees the way Costco pays their people, I think you would see a better finished product. I've also dealt with some less than super CM in my time. A few of them were down right @#$%$#@. But I think the vast majority of cast members do a fantastic job when you consider all of the factors involved.

 

[Albort]

Its also the end of the summer... working 40+ hours a week in this kind of weather, dealing with rude guest and what not... its tiring... no to mention, many of them are starting school again... Also keep in mind that CM's day starts with trying to get to work, if you think getting from parking lot --> park is long, its just as long for the CMs...

source: i used to work there...

 

[minnieralyks]

I've always had fantastic experiences with Cast Members. I can only think of two negative experiences out of 20+ trips to Disneyland.

We have seen some guests being pretty awful to some of the Cast Members. I think a lot of it is mutual - you have to be cheerful and pleasant with people to get it back, especially if it is someone working in customer service where the person before you may have just been very rude to them before your interaction with them.

When I think of the Disneyland Cast Members, I think of the parade route CMs dancing in the street right as the Paint the Night soundtrack gets started, trying to get the crowd excited. I don't think of them as being bored or disinterested, because I've never witnessed them that way.

 

[offwithyourhead]

Unless someone is actually RUDE to you, I think you should let it go. Contacting Disney is not really necessary IMO.

These people are in customer service. No matter how peppy you are in general, some days you're a little off for one reason or another. It's hot as Hades out there, you've got tens of thousands of guests going through your line every day and a good number of them are probably entitled jerks or screeching children.

I can't imagine standing (!) outside all day every day. Some people are only able to have drinks while on their breaks. If you are only able to have water and go to the washroom every 3ish hours, I can imagine being uncomfortable and not at your best.

Give them a break. As long as they're not nasty to you (something I've never seen and only heard whispers of in legends) just put yourself in their shoes and don't get upset if they're not grinning like a cheshire cat for 8 hours, 5 days a week. It's a hard job.

 

[Agent 86]

I visited Disneyland in May 2016. The cast members were all "fine", not good and not bad. The only disappointing element I personally found was that despite wearing a "Happily Ever After" badge / button at all times over four days in the parks, I think only one cast member ever congratulated us. I even had to replace the button at one point as the clip broke and when I asked for a replacement button, the person who gave it to me couldn't have cared less. This was at Carthay Circle where we had lunch reservations, but they didn't even say congratulations or ensure that our server knew that we were celebrating.

I don't want to presume that it was because we're a same-sex couple, but after reading various reports about how friendly cast members are to guests celebrating special occasions and that they may even go out of their way to add some "Disney Magic", it was a little disappointing.

Of course, the most important thing is that the cast members didn't negatively impact our visit.

 

[tarheelalum]

I visited Disneyland in May 2016. The cast members were all "fine", not good and not bad. The only disappointing element I personally found was that despite wearing a "Happily Ever After" badge / button at all times over four days in the parks, I think only one cast member ever congratulated us. I even had to replace the button at one point as the clip broke and when I asked for a replacement button, the person who gave it to me couldn't have cared less. This was at Carthay Circle where we had lunch reservations, but they didn't even say congratulations or ensure that our server knew that we were celebrating.

I don't want to presume that it was because we're a same-sex couple, but after reading various reports about how friendly cast members are to guests celebrating special occasions and that they may even go out of their way to add some "Disney Magic", it was a little disappointing.

Of course, the most important thing is that the cast members didn't negatively impact our visit.

My wife and I experienced something similar a while back and we are not a same sex couple. Like you I've also read on this forum many times of how wonderful some people get treated with certain pens. I think it comes down to people just don't care. They are just doing their job and trying to get through their shift.

 

[traveln4fun]

I was just behind someone in a restaurant who wanted to know if there was a loaf of sour dough bread available. The cashier told her where it was and that she would have to check. The lady screamed at her "you look for me!" The cashier was behind a counter, there was a line of about 12 people and she was the only cashier available, and the bread was in front of the counter on the side. The cashier went to check and brought back a loaf of bread, then the lady showed her 2 drinks and the cashier assured her that she had rung them up. The response was "...and don't forget my fruit cup!" The cashier had included that, and was told "Do I get a bag or are you just going to keep throwing things at me?" "Don't forget my spoons!" The cashier told her they were in the front. (I got out of line to get her spoons) Then the lady said "...and don't roll your eyes at me, I'm a passholder!"
I've been a passholder for the last 20 years and I would never treat someone like that. It made me realize how much these cast members have to endure during a shift. We also never know what happened before we walked up to the cast member. There is no excuse for someone to be rude to a guest, but it goes both ways. We are not entitled to talk to these people however we choose just because we paid an admission or have an annual pass. As far as being a "passholder," and bringing it up like she owns the company, she should be embarrassed. Like they say...karma!

 

[DLRExpert]

I was just behind someone in a restaurant who wanted to know if there was a loaf of sour dough bread available. The cashier told her where it was and that she would have to check. The lady screamed at her "you look for me!" The cashier was behind a counter, there was a line of about 12 people and she was the only cashier available, and the bread was in front of the counter on the side. The cashier went to check and brought back a loaf of bread, then the lady showed her 2 drinks and the cashier assured her that she had rung them up. The response was "...and don't forget my fruit cup!" The cashier had included that, and was told "Do I get a bag or are you just going to keep throwing things at me?" "Don't forget my spoons!" The cashier told her they were in the front. (I got out of line to get her spoons) Then the lady said "...and don't roll your eyes at me, I'm a passholder!"
I've been a passholder for the last 20 years and I would never treat someone like that. It made me realize how much these cast members have to endure during a shift. We also never know what happened before we walked up to the cast member. There is no excuse for someone to be rude to a guest, but it goes both ways. We are not entitled to talk to these people however we choose just because we paid an admission or have an annual pass. As far as being a "passholder," and bringing it up like she owns the company, she should be embarrassed. Like they say...karma!

I would have stood up for the CM if have seen or heard that.

 

[alvernon90]

I stopped the whole line behind me to make sure the CM understood his attitude had better change

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and guess that didn't help too much. That's more like one of the stories people tell about guests to explain why CMs have such a bad attitude. "This mean lady didn't like the way I took the FP from her precious little snowflake so she scolded me like she was my mother while other guests waited behind her. God, I hate this job sometimes." At least, that's probably how it looked to the person who was not thinking "" while giving an attitude adjustment to a complete stranger.

As long as someone walks away from the interaction feeling better about themselves, the Disney magic is working, so it worked here! Kudos!

 

[minnieralyks]

I visited Disneyland in May 2016. The cast members were all "fine", not good and not bad. The only disappointing element I personally found was that despite wearing a "Happily Ever After" badge / button at all times over four days in the parks, I think only one cast member ever congratulated us. I even had to replace the button at one point as the clip broke and when I asked for a replacement button, the person who gave it to me couldn't have cared less. This was at Carthay Circle where we had lunch reservations, but they didn't even say congratulations or ensure that our server knew that we were celebrating.

I don't want to presume that it was because we're a same-sex couple, but after reading various reports about how friendly cast members are to guests celebrating special occasions and that they may even go out of their way to add some "Disney Magic", it was a little disappointing.

Of course, the most important thing is that the cast members didn't negatively impact our visit.

That is pretty comparable to my experience when I asked for a "Just Graduated" button, but I didn't think anything of it. I asked, they looked in their button basket, gave me one and said "Here you are!" to which I replied, "Thank you so much!"

They probably didn't want to assume the button was for you, because some guests may be offended in that regard as well. I even got a birthday button for my friend back home one time, and if they would have said happy birthday to me, I would have had to correct them and say the button was for my friend.

Next time, I would just tell them you're celebrating and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to acknowledge and celebrate with you at the restaurant! You may also have better luck with a "Happy Anniversary" or "Just Married" button. I actually wasn't even sure what those "Happily Ever After" buttons were meant for, because I've seen people of all ages wear them, including younger kiddos. Heck, I think I've even worn one in the past just thinking it was a fun button for everyday/ no special occasion use at the parks, similar to the "I'm Celebrating" buttons.

 

[traveln4fun]

The lady was so heated, I don't think my interfering would have helped, it would have escalated the situation. I got her the spoons so she could just leave the restaurant. I made sure I smiled and was extra nice to the cashier and she seemed to appreciate it. It was a pick and choose your battle type of situation and no one was going to win.

 

[Drcbelle]

On our last trip in Feb of this year I felt this same way about a few of the CMs. My observations were more of them complaining about other CMs rather than guests. I overheard two of them at one of the food carts loudly fighting with each other. That same day we had two guys talking negatively right over us about a co-worker as they were helping us board the storybook boats. The worst though was one of the characters who not only was late but totally broke character and was talking with his princess about what they were going to eat on their break in front of my two little ones. We also had some trouble at the Disneyland hotel with some of the staff being rude. I am definitely not a sensitive person when it comes to stuff like this but these interactions really made Disneyland seem much less magical to me and my kids as it had in the past. I did express my concerns via email and they did follow up on each one of them via phone. They gave me some compensation back because of something that happened at the hotel which was nice but the money wasn't the issue as much as the fact that that magical feeling just wasn't there as much as in the past.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I wonder what percent of the people here who complain about CM's not being 100% magical all the time act magical all the time when they are at work. I certainly try not to be rude, but not everything is sunshine and rainbows every day of the year. Maybe the CM just broke up with an SO. Maybe a parent is sick. Maybe they got cheated out of a raise or a promotion. Maybe they just got asked for the 3,000 when the 3 o'clock parade is. That doesn't mean it's OK to fight (verbally or otherwise) with another employee, but not every interaction is going to be like you are at Chick-fil-a.