Here Now. Is it just me or are cast members not as friendly?

[disneynutz]

Here are my thoughts -

The source of Disney's CM pool has changed over the years, we can't expect all CP temp employees to be vested in creating what we feel is a magical experience.

On the guest side, what one guest feels is a less than magical CM another may feel that same CM is wonderful. It's all about expectations, perception, tolerance, and other human factors.

Bill

 

[Annadesu]

I found the CMs to be very nice the last time we visited, despite the throngs of rude, loud, ungracious individuals around them. If you work as a CM, you have my sympathy. I probably would not be able to handle some of the people I saw. lol

 

[hippiechicken]

I am always shocked by the number of rude guests. The worst was during Wishes over Thanksgiving... We saw one guest hit a CM because she was told that her son couldn't stand on the trash can. The CM was so calm and went on doing his job.
The CMs are just trying to do their jobs and some Guests think they don't have to follow the rules..

 

[mickeyluv'r]

This is one of the those no win threads. CM's are human just like everyone else.

I'm old enough to remember a time when the idea of corrupt clergy seemed unthinkable. Now that idea has been debunked. Many other professions have been put on then knocked off their pedestals.

I also had my share of customer service jobs. Customers can be rude. Some of my bosses were horrible. Working in customer service is no badge of immunity to bad conduct.

Disney is far too huge to say it is impossible that no CM has ever been rude.

It is pretty well reported on the DIS that the phone CM's frequently give inaccurate information.

If you want to have a good chuckle, search for disney stupid guest tricks.

 

[jenji124]

I was just there at the beginning of the month and encountered rude guests a couple times and observed rude guests several times. Didn't have problems with the Cast Members in fact some were really lovely. The only time I had an issue with one was when I was asking about line jumpers and what Disney's policy was on that because an entire group of 10 people cut in front of us and he looked at me like I had 2 heads. So that was frustrating, but other than that I didn't notice any rude Cast Members.

 

[Jennasis]

I was at Club Cool waiting to buy something from the little counter there (I think it was a bottle of water?). The guest ahead of me was berating the CM for something (it sounded like she was demanding to keep both copies of the charge slip??). She was rude at best, mean at worst while the CM tried to explain company policy. She eventually ended with a nasty name at him and stormed away. The CM turned to me and I could see him about to carry his experience with him into his next interaction...so as he looked up at me, I smiled broadly and winked at him and said "You are doing just fine!" His whole face softened and he smiled back and I could see his whole body just lose the tension. We chatted for a bit and parted with him in a better head space. I made sure to stop by guest services to let them know what a good job he was doing in case the other guest went to complain.

My point is, sometimes the rudeness is a carry over from something completely unrelated to me and a little pixie dust from ME goes a long way to turning it around for the CM and everyone else they'll meet that day.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

Is there really going to be a new thread started every time a CM looks at somebody the wrong way? It really serves no purpose, and brings down the boards IMO. It's not constructive, not entertaining... what's the point?

I don't know. If nothing else it provides an opportunity for people to deal with rudeness (assuming the word hasn't lost all meaning yet) before they go to WDW. Kind of like swinging two bats in the on-deck circle before stepping up to the plate.

 

[maxiesmom]

My dd1 did not sit until she was almost a year. Even with pt twice a week starting at 4 months. You know what I did, held her. I'm tired, I'm hungry etc etc, excuses. You're a parent, you take care of your child. By the time she was 8 months, I mastered the one-handed meal (with help cutting from my husband). Its part of the package. You get the cooing and cute stuff and the crap. You don't throw a hissy fit and be rude to a cm just doing their job. There were 10 people. If each held the child 5 minutes, everyone could eat with both hands. Its not difficult.

Exactly. My youngest niece went to WDW for the first time at 2 1/2 months old. We took turns holding her during meal times. It wasn't difficult at all. And we had 3 kids and only 5 adults.

 

[DoingDisney]

We found them nothing but happy and polite on our early December trip. I am positive there are cranky party poopers among them, but we've never had the misfortune of dealing with them.

The most honest response possible I think. Anyone here how denies the existence outright is just either a) lying, or b) being purposefully ignorant (since you can read a ton of reports here on the boards) or c) are just extremely naive.

I think Jennasis nails it. Its quite possible that people don't actually run into any less than happy happy CM, or as another poster noted she did run into one but was too overjoyed at the moment to even notice. I generally don't notice the cranky ones, but if I think about it I can pick some out. They exist, they exist everywhere. It is a fair question to ask if Disney morale is going down, or if cast members are less happy than they used to be. I don't think we are going to get any hard data on that, though complaints/concerns about it does seem to be going up here on the boards.

Our november trip was great, I can't really pick out anyone except perhaps one CM at Casey's, and I can hardly blame her given how slammed they were at the time. She was just rather annoyed with me when I asked if they no longer have the cheese sauce (which they don't and it sucked) ... Oh and we had a terrible experience with a bus driver, holy crumbs I actually almost forgot about that. So there you go, 2 Cranky CMs I can think of on our 8 day trip.

But generally still love me some CMs

 

[SnackCredit]

I notice how the CMs running attractions or transportation influence my enjoyment of the moment. Some CMs are overly repetitive with their announcements and sound like canned recordings (even more so than the canned recordings themselves!), others really have fun with the theme, and others are simply happy or laid-back.

One time last year, we also had a forgetful waitress at one restaurant, but she admitted that she was tired from a long shift (but also tried memorizing orders instead of jotting them down on paper), so we gave her a pass.

 

[Dorisk3]

Overworked and underpaid. Plus mostly the underpaid part, they seem to hire almost anyone now willing to work for so little money. We are in the parks once a week and frequently see CMs yawning, hiding out (FP photographers at HS), grouping together for gossip, and just not all that overly friendly or enthusiastic.

 

[HoboDan2012]

I just came back a few days ago from WDW and didn't experience a single rude cast member! I was rather pleased by this!

 

[Granny square]

Overworked and underpaid. Plus mostly the underpaid part, they seem to hire almost anyone now willing to work for so little money. We are in the parks once a week and frequently see CMs yawning, hiding out (FP photographers at HS), grouping together for gossip, and just not all that overly friendly or enthusiastic.

They are paid the going rate for non skilled labor. If you take the job do your job in the best way possible.

 

[Tony Amore]

I just got back from a 5 day WDW trip, and every CM I came in contact with was friendly and pleasant. The only ones that didn't initiate contact with me were the ones who were busy performing a task (such as the cleaning/housekeeping staff) and if I said hello to them, they always smiled and responded.

The only CM's that appeared to be in a dour mood were the servants at the Haunted Mansion... and that's how they're supposed to act!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Just wanted to chime in with my 2c. Seems quite a few responses attribute some of the "rudeness" to the DCP.
is there a correlation with the rudeness and the start of a new semester of DCP? The new DCP members just reported in the last few weeks. I wonder if this "rudeness" is just a lack of experience in the position and they are still so focused on doing the task at hand, that friendly customer interaction is not yet their priority. I also expect, as a couple posters mentioned, that these college students are new to the work-force. They are inexperienced at social interactions with adults and children, to the extent they get at WDW. Maybe because they grew up in a world of "social media" interactions and not so much face-to-face interactions.

And lastly, I wonder how much of the CM's rudeness is perceived by the customer. Certainly the people on these boards are more informed and feel more entitled to "everything" at WDW. We have all the "strategies" after all, to maximize our experiences. We expect to see more, do more, get more...How dare a CM not make MY day Magical.

 

[larryz]

Just wanted to chime in with my 2c. Seems quite a few responses attribute some of the "rudeness" to the DCP.
is there a correlation with the rudeness and the start of a new semester of DCP? The new DCP members just reported in the last few weeks. I wonder if this "rudeness" is just a lack of experience in the position and they are still so focused on doing the task at hand, that friendly customer interaction is not yet their priority.

Interesting perspective.

I'd see it as just the opposite -- new CP members all bright and bubbly, seasoned CP members more dour and jaded, having spent a whole semester being ground into Guest Debris.

 

[Clare Voince]

I've worked in customer service for 14 years. The only time people call me rude is when I deliver news they don't want to hear. They're just upset at the situation and want someone to blame, or occasionally, they think that threatening me with a complaint would get me to change my answer.. as if I had that power.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I can go back some years with reports of less than stellar CM's. The overwhelming majority are nice, and many have been stellar. We've been to WDW many times over many years. I've previously posted about all of these:

1. One year when DDP was fairly new, we paid for it, but it wasn't showing up on our cards. The first CM flat out insisted I had not paid for the DDP. I politely asked for a manager. She found my reservation in a different system, but sent me to the back of the concierge line to wait a second time, then disappeared, even though her authorization was required to resolve the situation. I had to wait a long time for her to re-emerge.

2. Another trip, I had a similar kind of situation at AKL. At check-in, the staff member told me I had to pay my entire room balance. When I explained I'd already paid, he flat out didn't believe me. Any time I've booked any room only at WDW, I've had to pay at least a deposit, so his whole tone was just odd. He should have said something like, "It isn't showing up, but let me ask a manager to review this for you." Instead he just kept insisting I had not paid. (DH wasn't with me, and had all the paperwork.)

3. Another trip, the bus driver said he wasn't cleared to drop us off. He held us for over 25 minutes about ten feet from one of the MK terminals. People were polite, but it was absurd. I don't blame the bus driver, but someone wasn't doing their job. Eventually a child crying that they needed a restroom got the door opened.

4. I've also had multiple bad encounters with faulty tickets and when trying to modify park tickets. Most gate CM's know the finger scan doesn't always work, but a few don't seem to think the scanners are ever wrong. Sometimes when the finger scan didn't work, CM's have been less than kind.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Interesting perspective.

I'd see it as just the opposite -- new CP members all bright and bubbly, seasoned CP members more dour and jaded, having spent a whole semester being ground into Guest Debris.

I think many of the less than stellar encounters we've had were likely CM's that felt overwhelmed when they were in an unfamiliar situation.

Instead of acknowledging that they didn't know what to do, or that the Disney computer system might have flaws, they doubled down and accused us of doing something wrong.



Oh, the last time we went to MK, I saw a ride operations CM biting her fingernails. Now I don't normally mind someone periodically biting a hangnail, but this CM was working a ride loading area. She went from touching the ride restraints, to fully putting her fingers in her mouth, to handling guests' items. She wasn't rude, but she was less than ideal. Her fingers were bitten down to almost bleeding. It just seemed to me that her supervisor hadn't done a good job.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Just wanted to chime in with my 2c. Seems quite a few responses attribute some of the "rudeness" to the DCP.
is there a correlation with the rudeness and the start of a new semester of DCP? The new DCP members just reported in the last few weeks. I wonder if this "rudeness" is just a lack of experience in the position and they are still so focused on doing the task at hand, that friendly customer interaction is not yet their priority. I also expect, as a couple posters mentioned, that these college students are new to the work-force. They are inexperienced at social interactions with adults and children, to the extent they get at WDW. Maybe because they grew up in a world of "social media" interactions and not so much face-to-face interactions.

And lastly, I wonder how much of the CM's rudeness is perceived by the customer. Certainly the people on these boards are more informed and feel more entitled to "everything" at WDW. We have all the "strategies" after all, to maximize our experiences. We expect to see more, do more, get more...How dare a CM not make MY day Magical.

I think the main correlation is that the Fall CPs leave a few days before the Spring CPs arrive due to housing needs. Then the training has to take place before the CP CMs are placed onstage with Trainers overseeing them.

During that time period, part-time and full-time CMs are working double or triple shifts thanks to Disney decreasing the number of Seasonal CMs. So, not just over-worked but grossly over-worked CMs due to Disney's workforce agenda.

It's too bad CMs can't share the trials of their workday. I read on social media last night that Mickey was at an onsite wedding. While posing for a photo with the Mother-of-the-Bride, the MOB leaned and licked Mickey's ear. She then told Mickey what she had done and "liked it." Kinda beyond rude: actually gross.