First Visit: Unimpressed

[Mark Snyder]

My family are WDW veterans. We've been several times, stayed at various resorts, enjoyed a variety of holidays, and vacationed during both the busy summer months and the slower-paced winter months. With every experience, we have been consistently "wowed" by our experiences with CM's in WDW. They have always been friendly, engaging, and a huge part of our decision to return year after year. Our consistently fantastic experiences with CM's in WDW had us very excited to visit DL for the first time last month. After all, this is Walt's park, and his spirit is sure to be everywhere in the park. Or so we thought...

At best, the DL CM's were less engaging than their counterparts in WDW. In some cases, they were rude and dismissive. On several occasions, CM's were more interested in having conversations with friends than interacting with (or even acknowledging) any of the guests. In fact, upon entering the parks on two different occasions, the CM's scanning park tickets held up the entire line while having conversations with friends/co-workers. Attraction operators could be heard complaining about their jobs, characters were often "not in character" (Ariel just took the picture - didn't even speak to us, even when my daughter referenced things like "the dingle-hopper"), and not once were the kids called "Prince" or "Princess" - something that happens every time we visit WDW (this is actually something the kids really look forward to!). I stopped to ask a CM about the Fastpass procedures for Fantasmic, and was rudely told, "There all gone. Get here earlier." Then she walked away.

This is not to say that every CM disappointed. The cast at Goofy's kitchen was remarkable, and the folks over at Star Wars Launch Bay were great! But, sad to say, our other encounters with CM's at DL far overshadowed these wonderful experiences.

 

[gottalovepluto]

There was another report CMs were unusually rude recently. While I can contribute grouchy to the obscenely miserable weather there is never a time it’s ok to be chatting away with friends. Please write guest services. The more detail you can give, the more chance they will be able to address the issue. Sounds like both a CM issue at the front gates & a management issue since the CMs had no worries about holding up the line.

Fwiw I’ve had bad runs ins and magical run ins with CMs at both DL & WDW. Thankfully I didn’t judge either park by one trip. The good stuff you describe at WDW usually happens at DLR as well. Recently the crowds have been extra heavy, the weather is crazy humid for CA & not letting up, & there were union disputes behind the scenes (idk what percentage of CMs are Union but they did finally settle on raises, this shouldn’t have affected their in-park performance but knowing you’re basically in a wage dispute with an employer can hit your psyche & job enthusiasm for sure).

Fwiw I had a nasty run-in with a CM last holiday season, I reported it to DL via Direct Message on Twitter fairly quickly that day & a couple hours later they were working to address the issue. Unfortunately I didn’t tell them the CMs name in my initial complaint & couldn’t remember it when they asked. Definitely my recommended route to report that sort of thing. (If you go that route please remember to DIRECT MESSAGE (private message), there’s no need to publicly post that sort of thing with Disneyland especially if you are naming a CM.) Twitter handle is @ DisneylandToday

 

[HydroGuy]

My family are WDW veterans. We've been several times, stayed at various resorts, enjoyed a variety of holidays, and vacationed during both the busy summer months and the slower-paced winter months. With every experience, we have been consistently "wowed" by our experiences with CM's in WDW. They have always been friendly, engaging, and a huge part of our decision to return year after year. Our consistently fantastic experiences with CM's in WDW had us very excited to visit DL for the first time last month. After all, this is Walt's park, and his spirit is sure to be everywhere in the park. Or so we thought...

At best, the DL CM's were less engaging than their counterparts in WDW. In some cases, they were rude and dismissive. On several occasions, CM's were more interested in having conversations with friends than interacting with (or even acknowledging) any of the guests. In fact, upon entering the parks on two different occasions, the CM's scanning park tickets held up the entire line while having conversations with friends/co-workers. Attraction operators could be heard complaining about their jobs, characters were often "not in character" (Ariel just took the picture - didn't even speak to us, even when my daughter referenced things like "the dingle-hopper"), and not once were the kids called "Prince" or "Princess" - something that happens every time we visit WDW (this is actually something the kids really look forward to!). I stopped to ask a CM about the Fastpass procedures for Fantasmic, and was rudely told, "There all gone. Get here earlier." Then she walked away.

This is not to say that every CM disappointed. The cast at Goofy's kitchen was remarkable, and the folks over at Star Wars Launch Bay were great! But, sad to say, our other encounters with CM's at DL far overshadowed these wonderful experiences.

I have no desire to comment or in any way negate your experience. I did find it confusing, though, if one read your thread title one would think you were unimpressed with DLR as a whole. And maybe you are. But your discussion focuses only on CMs seems off. DLR is not impressive because of the CMs? That is all???

Also, we have had problems around here with critical posts like this from a first time poster like you. It is always a bit suspicious that someone's very first post ever is so critical. Not invalid, necessarily. But suspicious.

 

[FCDub]

I try not to let things like this have any impact on my visit. I'm not there to be wowed by employees.

Sorry you didn't enjoy yourself, though.

 

[Chuck S]

I grew up in California, and went to Disneyland often as a child, even seeing Walt on a few occasions. I often hear this complaint about Disneyland. I would chalk it up to cultural differences. Californians are not, by nature, particularly chatty people. They never have been. Basically, they are always in a hurry to get somewhere. Notice they define distances in hours and minutes versus mileage. Some of the best neighbors and friends I've had are still in California, when we first moved to Texas, i wanted to finish sentences for other people, they talked so slow. My Grandma's sister said we needed to talk slower 'cause she couldn't hear that fast. Californians are very friendly and caring, but in a much different way from those in the South...again, cultural differences. The US is a big country, and California is 3000 miles from Florida.

 

[hootey]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience while visiting DL. My better half had a horrible first visit at WDW last fall. She went to inquire about it at a customer service office and the CM told her the "Parks have been very busy the last several days, don't worry about it- N E X T" She has not set foot inside WDW since but, she loves going to Universal every time she goes to Orlando on business(about every six weeks)

 

[bumbershoot]

At best, the DL CM's were less engaging than their counterparts in WDW. In some cases, they were rude and dismissive.

That is your experience on this trip. I have had multiple opposite experiences.

Ive been dismissed at Wdw so many times it’s painful.

Whereas I have many good conversations with DL CMs. None of whom are my friend, but if you saw one of those you’d likely think they are my friend because they’ve been so friendly while answering a question.

Californians are not, by nature, particularly chatty people.

Say what now? That’s one of the most mystifying statements I’ve ever heard. Or read. (From CA and most of my friends still live there even though I moved away)

 

[Indiana Scott]

Form other recent reports here, you experience was not unusual.
Please email Guest Services. It's very easy to do and they actually get back to you.
I had a manager call me on a report I made and he really seemed to be interested in researching the matter.

 

[norcalguy2014]

It’s always dangerous to generalize about something as broad as the quality of customer service and attitude in any service oriented environment. That said, I have had great CM encounters in both DL and WDW as well as ones that left much to be desired. In no instance though have I ever allowed a less than “magical” encounter with a CM spoil my overall joy at being at either park. I find that CM’s almost always reciprocate the attitude that I display towards them. If I’m friendly and respectful, they are almost always the same way towards me. As a WDW veteran, you didn’t go into DL with any kind of chip on your shoulder did you?

 

[DizMe]

I guess I'm wondering what the point is to your posting this. First trip to Disneyland and your first time posting is to come to a board of DL lovers and make a long negative statement about your experience. I'm not saying there aren't bad CM experiences, and I'm not even arguing with your viewpoint. I just wonder why you would bother to set up an account to write an all-negative post about DL to us. You must know that this is bound to cause some hard feelings. A better protocol, IMO, is to discuss the things you did like as well as what you feel could be improved.

ETA: I'm editing to add that I visited WDW once, years ago. I thought it was cool in some ways but I really liked DL a lot better. I know that's because it's what I grew up with and it holds a lot of sentimental memories for me, so I don't hold it against WDW. I later realized it was a me thing and not a failing of the resort. But my initial reaction was to be critical, and it took me some time to recognize my own part in that criticism. Sometimes, I think, we view things positively or negatively out of a sort of personal bias and expectation. That said, I did want to say again that your complaint of poor encounters with CMs at DL might be quite valid and as others have suggested, a report about it to DL would be a good idea.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with CM's at DL. DH and I have been to DL many times. Interacting with CM's is such a small part of our Disney vacations. I would like to hear more about anything you enjoyed at DL...favorite attractions, dining, evening entertainment. Did you like Carsland? Did you like having both parks and Downtown Disney all within walking distance? Stuff like that!

 

[DLgal]

I try not to let things like this have any impact on my visit. I'm not there to be wowed by employees.

Sorry you didn't enjoy yourself, though.

I agree. I mean, my encounters with CMs doesn't make or break my time at any Disney park. We interact with CMs more than most people too, since we use a DAS. I have visited Disneyland over 400 times and the vast majority are positive interactions. When I get the odd rude or distracted or dismissive cast member, I shrug and go on with my day. These people are humans, after all. No one can be "on" all the time, and a lot of the CMs are older/long time employees and those are the ones I typically get annoyed by because they are TOO friendly and chat up everyone (this is especially annoying at the turnstiles, bag checks, or cashiers at stores...because I am impatient, LOL).

By and large, though, I appreciate that DL employees at least know answers to the questions you ask them. I get a lot of misinformation and "I don't know" when I ask WDW CMs questions, because so many of them are CP or new hires and they literally don't know anything. That annoys me more than rude CMs.

 

[HydroGuy]

Everyone - please take into account this was a first time poster. Maybe we should stay away from this one and let this thread fade away?

 

[Catvondita]

I'm surprised that the interactions with the CMs overshadowed your whole trip. Disneyland is such an amazing place that I don't know if I personally would let all that get to me. I will say however, that my experience with CMs at DL have differed from my interactions with the ones at WDW.

For me I feel like the ones at DL are maybe more casual? Not rude in anyway (for me at least) but maybe less engaging and more like they just treat it as any other job. The CMs at WDW always came across as a little over the top and maybe even fake to me so I didn't mind my experience at DL because I really don't like chatting with people I don't know like that and the huge smiles are a bit creepy. But I was caught off guard by some of the interactions I've had-not in a negative way but I did notice a slight difference.

 

[ashley0139]

Great! You probably shouldn't come back then! Sorry you had such a horrible visit.

 

[Mark Snyder]

Based on others' posts, this is not an uncommon experience at DL. I apologize for being a first time contributor here, but that does not in any way invalidate this experience. Disney is a company that prides itself on customer service and, in this instance, it was sub par.

 

[bethwc101]

Based on others' posts, this is not an uncommon experience at DL. I apologize for being a first time contributor here, but that does not in any way invalidate this experience. Disney is a company that prides itself on customer service and, in this instance, it was sub par.

I think what some people are curious about is are you saying the rude CMs are the entire reason why you are unimpressed with DLR?
I have encountered grumpy CMs in the past, but I just continue on my day and don't let it affect my trip.
Were there other aspects of the park that disappointed you as well?

 

[McPhoenix]

In dozens of trips to Disneyland in recent years I can count the number of unpleasant interactions with CMs on one hand. But it does seem like there've been numerous such reports on these forums in recent months. Has something changed? We don't historically visit in the summer so maybe it's a seasonal thing due to unpleasant weather and exacerbated by the ever-increasing crowd levels?

 

[mgd]

Seems you report a handful of bad CMs: ticket gate, some rides, ariel
but other good: goofy's kitchen, star wars

In my experience, ride operators can range from not talking at all to being overly friendly to the point of embarrassing you. Seeing a few that don't acknowledge you with a smile is not great, but don't see it as ruining my ride in any way unless they make a mean/rude comment, which I have (rarely) seen happen.

Same with ticket scanners, some are stressed and all about moving people through, some are slow and chatty with a smile. Different people appreciate different styles when they enter the park.

As for ariel, who knows what her situation was. Maybe they are not supposed to speak much for photos, or she had a sore throat that day.

I think you are lucky if all your other disney interactions have been so sugary magical, and maybe your expectations are too high.

 

[Indiana Scott]

I think we do well to call attention to Disney's shortcomings. They may not know about problems or even if they do, without feedback from the customer they will not be encouraged to improve.