Did I insult a Cast Member at the Haunted Mansion?!?

[spidey_99]

Ok- this may be a stupid queston but I had not ridden the Haunted Mansion in years until last Thursday and I think I may have been a jerk- unintentionally- to a CM who was working the ride...or perhaps it was all part of the show?

Me and my 5 year old were getting into our ride car and were just sitting down. As we did, the car goes by a cast member who is standing off to the side of the ride, right before the ride leaves the boarding area and heads into the mansion.

Well I'm telling my kid- who is a bit on edge- stuff like, "Aww, this is fun, it's silly...nothing in here is really scary"...and then we go, riding right by the cast member who is just looking down at us with this totally dead pan expression, totally still face...like she's mad at us or dead or something...and I say to my kid- totally knee jerk- in response to us seeing the stone faced Cast Member, "Ok, well SHE'S pretty scary"...

...and then I'm like: ooops! Was that an insult to the woman? I didn't mean to be a jerk. And so I ask: is that part of the ride? Is she supposed to be acting that way? Or did I just insult the poor woman?

Spidey

 

[DangerMouse]

I doubt the CM took it as an insult. The HM CM's are in "character" much like the ToT CM's. They are supposed to set a scary mood for the ride experience.

 

[Disney Dreams]

She was either playing up the mansion part or completely off in her own world somewhere. If you were boarding the ride and she didn't smile, tell you to enjoy your ride (or "Beware of the spirits" or something else that fits with mansion), she was most likely playing up the mansion. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm sure you didn't insult her. I'm sure she was totally in character and you probably made it hard for her to hold that character for the next Doom Buggy. lol

 

[daisy2jae]

I would have to agree they were playing the part. I wouldn't worry....

 

[lntsmom]

Luckily, the first time I took DS2 on HM, it was first thing in the morning and it was just the two of us in the stretching room. I told the CM that my son had just turned 4 and wasn't sure about the whole thing. The CM was wonderful and laid off the scary stuff! That was at DLR.

Last summer we rode HM at 1:45 a.m. That's right...the last ride before closing. The CM there was a hoot! She was barely a head taller than my son and stood right behind him, staring down at him with that "dead face" they use. He couldn't figure out what everyone else was laughing at until he turned around. First he jumped, then he started laughing along with everyone. The CM never cracked a smile. As we got out of the room I thanked her for making the last ride of the day special!

I'm sure they're used to all sorts of reactions to their shtick! If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it one bit!

 

[fairycat]

The CM did something I have seen a lot!!!!!!

I have seen CM's do several "dramatic" things right as you begin up the stairs. Dead pan face, saying "Boo", and other silly/scary things have been done on our rides. It is one of the character things they do.

I also don't believe you were rude or they thought you were being rude, especially with you making the ride less scary to your daughter. Don't worry it was all in fun

 

[jenjersnap]

She might have felt complimented, in fact!

 

[LavenderPeach]

I agree with the PPs. I don't think she was offended since she was trying to be scary. I was reading in one of my disneyland books (sorry, can't remember which one now) that the HM is the only place in DL where the cast members are encouraged not to smile.

 

[jemilah]

I am sure she was happy she was doing her job

 

[LuLusApple]

I agree also I am sure it was fine, and I am sure people make comments to them all the time. I know I usually laugh, but I am not being disrespectful.

 

[BecBennett]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

ya they had the same faces except the one helping us in he was just a hint nicer to my son, an smiling as he helped him the first time (in 07)

 

[avalon451]

"Ok, well, SHE'S pretty scary."

I'm sure she didn't take it wrong! By the way, how did your kid do on the rest of the ride?

 

[spidey_99]

"Ok, well, SHE'S pretty scary."

I'm sure she didn't take it wrong! By the way, how did your kid do on the rest of the ride?

She did pretty good, I think.

At one point the ride broke down and we were left sitting there- our car motionless- for a good 5 minutes and I was worried she was gonna freak out! All the sounds and effects and stuff just bombarding her, you know? And she freaked out about 6 months ago when I- stupidly- took her on Tower of Terror so I was SURE this was gonna be another one of those stupid dad brain fart decisions.

But she seemed to like it; like it was JUST a big toe over her threshold of what her 5 year old mind could take in terms of scares and creepy ideas. But heck, I was taken to JAWS when I was 5 years old and I think it both scared me for life and set me on the path for the creative work/life I do/have as an adult so hey, maybe I did that for her!

Altho we went BACK to the park yesterday and she was saying the whole time how she wanted to go BACK on the ride with her little sister (3 years old) but once she got up to the Haunted Mansion entrance she changed her mind. Poor kid

 

[Sherwin]

Haha, I bet she was actually zoning out.

 

[Grim_Grinning_Girl]

Maybe you insulted her by not having visited the ride in years . Castmembers at the Haunted Mansion & Tower of Terror a lot of times are in character.

The best act I've seen came from the Snow White Queen 'meet & greet' character. She was nasty & awesome, it was great! She had kids bow before approaching her, and scared several away - very hilarious! This was at California Adventure in October when they bring out more villians during the Halloween season, but I was happy to see her at Disneyland in April greeting appropriately outside the Snow White ride.

 

[dznee]

all the CM's who work the HM ride are scary looking and playing the part, for that matter, from the greeter outside to the person in the elevator who tells you to step into the "dead center" to the person who lets you off the ride. I love it!! I even try to mimick them sometimes.