Melt downs at the character meals

[goofydad621]

So I was talking to my DD who just turned 9 about our upcoming trip this Sept and was asking her where she wanted to eat ( we have a round table kind of thing that each one of us take turns at picking a table service meal and we go around until all our nights have a selection. Mom and Dad can still overrule but we don't usually) anyway she says Crystal palace because she loves there breakfast buffet and then she says "Remember that guy from last year" with this horrible look on her face.

When we were having breakfast there last year this older guy with family 2 tables over (thank goodness there was a buffer zone) erupted at their server that they had been there an hour and had yet to see tigger. He was slamming his hand down on the table and yelling, then he stood up and let me tell you thin guy was not small maybe 6'3-6'4 big frame maybe in his early 60's now in the face of his female server. She said I am sorry tigger had to leave for a minute and would be back shortly and she would get him to come to there table first. The guy kept at it, that was not good enough they had spent XXXXXX amount of (f-ing) dollars and he wanted his money back, Yes the f bomb had been dropped in the middle of the Crystal Palace with kids everywhere there were 3 kids at his table with the oldest maybe 10 or 11 by the looks. His server is looking a little scared and and is apologizing and will see what she could do and he is yelling that was not good enough. The manager appears and it starts all over again and now the language is just going down hill. Now the son gets up maybe late 30's and I thought he was going to tell dad to calm down and that it was alright but then he starts into the manager yelling about how much this vacation is costing him and yadda yadda yadda. The manager finally calmed them down enough to get them out of the restaurant I hope security was waiting for them. I was shocked ( and let me tell you it takes allot to shock me) When I asked our server who witnessed the whole thing he said it happens sometimes many times a day.

What have you witnessed seen anyhting like that?

 

[MOREMICKEY4ME]

I have never witnessed anything like that at Disney of all places!!!
Thank goodness... I am the type of person who will say something to the rude customer.
I know the CMs always have to put on a polite face and try to be as accomodating as they can be, but I don't!!!
I remember being younger and having customers be rude to me while waitressing or cashiering. I had to take it, and I vowed from that point forward, I would stand up for anyone in that position who couldn't say what they really felt.
The customer may have been right about not seeing Tigger, but that doesn't mean he has to start cursing or yelling. I would have loved to have been there!!! (My husband is cringing, just thinking of how I would have handled it)

 

[Epcot242]

Wow, that's horrible. Some people just don't know how to act. I mean, remember where you are! It's WDW, Tigger will be around at some point. It's not the end of the world!! That kind of behavior really ruins the Disney experience. And his poor kids...

 

[goofydad621]

I have never witnessed anything like that at Disney of all places!!!
Thank goodness... I am the type of person who will say something to the rude customer.
I know the CMs always have to put on a polite face and try to be as accomodating as they can be, but I don't!!!
I remember being younger and having customers be rude to me while waitressing or cashiering. I had to take it, and I vowed from that point forward, I would stand up for anyone in that position who couldn't say what they really felt.
The customer may have been right about not seeing Tigger, but that doesn't mean he has to start cursing or yelling. I would have loved to have been there!!! (My husband is cringing, just thinking of how I would have handled it)

I did start getting up not with thought of jumping in but I thought that he was going to get physical with his server, our server was next to our table and put his hand on myshoulder and shook his head no. I am not sure if he was afraid of it breaking out into an all out brawl or if he was ready to be the back up if needed? I felt bad for all the people there bith their families and the rest there.

 

[NYDisGuy]

Ive seen episodes where parents get too drunk and start acting stupid to their servers and the people around them. They usually get escorted out of the restaurant. Ive also witnessed a father punch out his own kid (had to be 10) before a spirit of aloha show. They let us in to clear out the area so security could do their thing. I wish they would realize that this is a public place with other families, some people think their money is worth more than others.

 

[wdw4us2]

I've been going to WDW regularly for over 30 years. The last few times we have been there, I commented to my husband that it seemed as though people are much angrier about things than they used to be.

Along with being angry is the more frequent use of bad language. I don't think people give any consideration as to who might be listening to their tirades - they're too selfish.

We have been to character meals when, for some reason, a particular character had not come to our table. We just told our server we hadn't seen them and asked if they knew when the character would be around. In every instance, the server came back and told us to wait a few minutes for the character.

I guess people don't remember the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar . . .

 

[KevinYee]

That family was way out of line.

At the same time, I wonder if this isn't a symptom of Disney over-stocking the restaurants, trying to fill them up too much, etc. I'm not calling Disney greedy or anything, but surely there's a line somewhere, and maybe they've crossed it.

 

[Katiebell]

Holy cow. No, I've never seen anything like that at Disney. When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought for sure someone was asking advice about what to do if their toddler had a meltdown at a character meal!

That behavior totally unacceptable in any establishment, let alone a Disney restaurant full of children. What's really sad is the poor children at his own table. Not only was the older man an obnoxious boor, but he had passed that down to his son, and now possibly his grandchildren. The patrons there had to witness that scene one time, and your DD remembers it clearly a year later. Think of those poor kids who have to witness that nonsense all the time.

I work in customer service, and it never ceases to amaze me that some people have the crazy idea that if they yell and swear at me, it will somehow make me more sympathetic to their situation, and more inclined to go out of my way to find a solution for them Sheesh, didn't their mamas ever teach them you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?

Edited to add: LOL, Lisa, how funny -- we were typing the same thing at the same time! Guess that just proves how true it is...

 

[Freyja]

Fortunately I´ve never whitnessed anything like that at Disney. How sad

 

[ang]

WOW!! some people do go to the extreme....They really did not prove anything....accept rudeness....

 

[saffy]

I used to work at Disneyland - I was a "main enterance cast member" - aka "ticket taker".

Part of our rotation was to work the exit, giving people leaving their handstamps for return. We had a "rule" that every hand stamp got put on the left hand - it had to do with the ability of the picture to transfer to someone else's hand. Anyway.

One morning, shortly after the park opened, I was working the exit (it was slow there that early in the morning). A man came up to go through and I offered to stamp his hand (everyone who leaves at 9:30 am wants a hand stamp!). He gave me his right hand, so I told him like I always did that we need to give a stamp on the left hand instead (happened all the time, no big deal, they just switched hands).

The man EXPLODED at me! Totally went off on me - "if I give you this hand, that's the f-ing hand you put the f-ing stamp on!"

Totally took me by surprise! I tried to stammar out an explanation of "if you come in with a stamp on your right hand, I can't guarantee they'll let you in" (the guy did have both hands, btw.). I tried to ask if there was a reason he couldn't, tried to volunteer for me to get a mgr so that when he came back if there was a problem with him not having a handstamp on the right hand, he could say "I spoke to (mgr's name) and they said it was ok", or something.

But, he just kept standing there SCREAMING at me to "stamp this f-ing hand!" Finally, my mgr did come out, escorted him out without a handstamp, and the guy wasn't allowed back in to the park or to his family.

That was approx 10 years ago and I still remember how incredibly weird it was that he responded like that!

 

[NU2WDW]

When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought for sure someone was asking advice about what to do if their toddler had a meltdown at a character meal!

Me too!!! Oh my gosh! I guess all of us have gotten impatient with service at some time or another, but geez, this really crosses the line. Had these people even TRIED simply asking the server to send Tigger over? Those poor kids must have been mortified --- and if they did finally get to meet the character, talk about the joy going out of a situation. All those kids will remember their WHOLE LIVES from that trip is this awful episode (and how many others like it???)

 

[jocktheglide]

man a person like that ruins it for everyone to be honest granted his tigger moment was ruined, but that does not mean he should ruin it for everyone else....

 

[Katiebell]

Finally, my mgr did come out, escorted him out without a handstamp, and the guy wasn't allowed back in to the park or to his family.

Aw, saffy, that must have been horrible! It makes me feel bad for you, because I have worked in customer service for years, and I remember probably the 3 or 4 worst calls I ever took, where the person was so nasty and vicious it left me shaking. It's a horrible feeling even on the phone and you had to deal with that man in public face to face. I'm REALLY glad your manager escorted him out of the park -- hope it taught that man a valuable lesson!

Your story reminded me of something we witnessed at the Monorail entrance gate in DTD at DL last year. A group of 3 adults and one child were entering the station, which is also a park entrance, in the late afternoon. All of them had handstamps except for one man. He argued with the CM's that the handstamp had washed off, that he went swimming, that it was stamped on the underside of his arm instead of the back of his hand and it wore off, all sorts of nonsense. Oh, and he didn't have his id to match to the signature on the back of the park pass he had in his possession. It was obvious that he was a friend or family member who had not paid admission, and was trying to use someone else's pass for the afternoon and evening. The CM's were very patient with him, explained that the stamps are always on the back of the hand, and the ink is very visible and hard to wash off. The party grew more argumentative and belligerent until the exasperated CM's finally let them in. We felt so bad for the CM's. Then the family entered the monorail car, smirking, and I thought how awful that they are teaching the child who was with them to lie, cheat, and be rude and intimidating to people until they get their own way. I wonder if they would be surprised if their child starts being sneaky and lying to them. What a terrible thing to teach a kid.

 

[princesstigerlilly]

What an awful thing to witness I didn't see anything at WDW, but I once saw something along those lines at Disneyland, on Christmas Day no less.

A family of adults went ballistic because my DBF at the time and I were sat at a tiny table for two before their family of 10 was seated (we checked in at the podium right after them, and were immediatly offered the table). We were at the Carnation Cafe and it was one of the few indoor seating places at the time, and it was lightly raining outdoors so it was packed in there. DBF and I were sat in at a tiny round table with two tiny chairs, next to the patio door (think old fashioned ice cream parlor wire chairs and table). The family was INSISTING they should be allowed to have that table, and be allowed to put 8 more chairs around it. The hostess tried to explain that there was no way their party would fit at that table and that they could NOT put 8 more chairs around the table and allow them to dine there for safery reasons alone, but they were NOT listening to her. One of the men actually started going around the restaurant trying to poll people about who had the 'right' to the table for two. People were obviously scared Two managers showed up and after some convincing, talked the folks into going onto the patio, where the complaining continued. Sitting by the open door was uncomfortable as they made remarks about us and the CMs, but we had a front row seat for what happened next.

After a few minutes 8 CMs in plain khaki trench coats showed up, moved the planters out of the way, and escorted them off the patio. The restaurant cheered, lol. One of the managers came to our table and assured us the family would be leaving the park and that we should order what we like as dinner was on them.

I was only 18 or 19 at the time and I know my reaction to that family would be very different now that I'm twice as old, lol. I can't imagine someone freaking out like that infront of my kids, I'd not be that quiet teenage girl I once was.

 

[Katiebell]

Those poor kids must have been mortified --- and if they did finally get to meet the character, talk about the joy going out of a situation. All those kids will remember their WHOLE LIVES from that trip is this awful episode (and how many others like it???)

Oh I know! I was trying to picture that...if Tigger came over to the table, grandpa and dad glaring and muttering swear words under their breath, the kids horrified that everyone in the restaurant is staring at their table, Tigger trying to act happy and bouncy, the kids dutifully hugging Tigger and posing with tearstained, solemn faces...oh, what a joyous Kodak moment that would be.

 

[princesspiglet]

We have not seen anything like this at a rest., but we did witness a meltdown at MGM last November during the Osbourne Lights. We were at the end of the lights and noticed two families standing right beside each other, looked like they were together. Well, one of the men was recording the light show and acidentally stepped forward and knocked over the other family's little girl (she was probably about 6). The little girl's father proceeded to push the other man and his cam-corder crashed on the ground. The camera man punched the other guy in the face and then the wives got into it and starting pushing each other. Seriously, DH and I thought it was part of the show...until a CM came over and tried to break the fight up. It took 3 CM's and finally a security person to stop it. Afterwards, the two men hugged each other and continued on their way. It was very surreal. We caught the whole thing on our camcorder because DH was taping the lightshow too!

Thankfully, DD was mesmerized by the light show and totally oblivious to the fight!

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Sorry to say we saw episodes like this a couple of times on our Christmas trip last year. One was at Restaurant Merakesh. A guy started complaining that the food was cr** (which it wasn't) and the service was cr**py and slow (it wasn't that we noticed). We were a couple of tables over from him and heard his comments loudly. I'm not one to confront anyone really(my Dh usually does that before I even think of it) but when he hit on the "magic phrase" Do you know what this trip cost me?!? I turned around and said "Yeah, about what it cost me, now buck up or shut up!" Needless to say my DH was stunned and the table between us and that family started clapping.

That seems to be the phrase that is most often thrown around now and it irritates me. If it cost you that much don't you think it costs everyone else a similar amount?!? Geesh!

 

[saffy]

Aw, saffy, that must have been horrible! It makes me feel bad for you, because I have worked in customer service for years, and I remember probably the 3 or 4 worst calls I ever took, where the person was so nasty and vicious it left me shaking. It's a horrible feeling even on the phone and you had to deal with that man in public face to face. I'm REALLY glad your manager escorted him out of the park -- hope it taught that man a valuable lesson!

The crazy thing was, if the guy had just said "listen, I am prone to allergies or rashes or whatever on that hand" or "I'd really rather have it on this one, would that be ok", I was slow at the time, totally would have worked out something with the manager there so it wouldn't have been a problem for him.

But, he just started shouting expletives at me! It almost made it not so bad, because he was so way out of line, I knew there was nothing I could do, you know?

And, as for the "do you know what it cost me" line, that just annoys me, too! Didn't you know what it was going to cost befoer you went? Either you know and accept that and shut up about it, or you don't go! Don't keep dragging up the price every time you want justification for a fight!

 

[Ragetti]

WOW! I've never seen anything like that. The only time I ever LOST IT with a customer service rep was about a year ago. The guy that had my telephone number before me was apparently a deabeat and we have debt collectors call ALL THE TIME. Most accept it when I tell them that the guy doesn't live here and that I don't know him. But one woman INSISTED that I was lying and that either I was him, or knew him. This went on for a couple weeks, and I finally just SCREAMED at her. I finally just called the States Attorney's office and reported the company. The company had the nerve to claim I had never infomred them that the number was incorrect. Sheesh.

Having said that, I can't IMAGINE losing it liek that in Disney... for almost any reason.