'Real' conversations with CM's

[FortWildernessLoopy]

As a former CM, I can say that you are cautioned very harshly against breaking character or ruining the magic in any way in a front of the guests. Since most CMs work there because of their love of Disney and usually very happy memories as a child, its not a hard directive. Imagine if someone broke the magic and some little ears heard them.

I am 36 yrs old and I KNOW there is only one Mickey, that Tinkerbell flies only with the aide of faith trust and Pixie Dust, and the best way to get through the parks quickly is to head to your left when you get inside.

 

[CursedCarolers]

My parents are DVC members, with the Beach Club as their home resort.

They really look forward to talking with Art, the gentleman who dresses as a sea captain and greets everyone with a salute as they walk in the hotel. (I think Art was even featured in one of Samantha Brown's Disney specials on teh Travel Channel.)

Anyway, one day, Art wasn't "on duty," so my Mom asked a manager where he was. The manager told her he was out sick. The next day, Art was back. As he and my Mom talked, Art revealed that he was just diagnosed with cancer. He seemed to be his usual upbeat self, but it's just a good lesson to remember that everyone, including Disney CMs, is fighting his or her own battles, so be extra nice.

(My parents, wife, kids, and I are going back to the BC in 9 days, so you can bet our first order of business will be to chat with Art.)

Oh no! I didn't know that. Art is great. I can't say I've actually spoken to him but saying hello to him made my day everyday last year.

 

[fla4fun]

Many years ago, when we were preparing to move to Orlando, part of the family was here, and part was still living about two hours away. So every chance we got, we'd book a room at CR and get together. So the CM's there got to know us pretty well, especially at the Concourse Steakhouse, which was our favorite dinner spot. One server in particular became our favorite and we became friends outside of Disney - still are, even though he retired from Disney a few years ago. I think it's probably easier to engage resort CM's in conversation than park CM's, because they aren't so much playing a role.

 

[Diznygrl]

Not too much of a break in character, but we got a kick out of it. We were meeting Sorcerer Mickey at the animation building. When Mickey saw my brother's Electric Mayhem (from the Muppets) shirt he got really excited and started pointing to it and kept giving a thumbs up and shaking my brother's hand...guess Mickey is a big Electric Mayhem fan!


Also, one that happened at DL about 12 years ago. We were at the special annual passholder premiere of Light Magic (for those of you who don't know, it was a very short-lived nighttime parade-like thing that replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade). Well, the show didn't go over too well as many people there that night were not impressed. Anyway, as we were entering the monorail station to go back to the hotel, a CM asked us and some ladies in front of us how we liked the show. We all said it was okay...I guess not really wanting to unload our disappointment on him. But then the CM looks over his shoulder, turns back to us and says, "Well personally, I thought it SUCKED!"



BTW, Belle's engagement ring and Cousin Wallpaper...too funny!!

 

[CursedCarolers]

Not too much of a break in character, but we got a kick out of it. We were meeting Sorcerer Mickey at the animation building. When Mickey saw my brother's Electric Mayhem (from the Muppets) shirt he got really excited and started pointing to it and kept giving a thumbs up and shaking my brother's hand...guess Mickey is a big Electric Mayhem fan!

My respect for Mickey Mouse just went up some more. Didn't know that was still possible.

 

[epd0407]

Anyone have a story to share where a CM went 'out of character' to share a secret or just acted like 'themselves' with you? Like, did Cinderella confess to you that her back was killing her from hugging so many kids all day?

Great Thread!!

On what I believe was our Dec 06 Trip my wife and I were the only ones on the bud from Pop to MK. We were sitting in the front of the bus and I struck a conversation with the driver We learned soooo much about the parks rom this guy that i almost certain he wasnt supposed to tell us. We learned where all the speed traps that the HP use (Showed us one). Told us that each night Timkerbell jumped from the castle she got a nice stipend in her pay (told us the number I just dont remember). Told us the CM who did it couldnt do it more than twice a week and about the waivers she has to sign. Told us that a @ the time a majority of the Mickeys were elderly women. We also learned that the bus drivers are HELLA low payed positions. and just so much else. He did complain about his job but it certainly did make the ride bearable.

 

[JPS439]

I was waiting on line for the ToT with a friend of mine who was scared out of her mind to ride it but was determined to do so. As she got closer to loading she was practically hyperventilating and getting more and more nervous by the second. The cast member running the line noticed her (she was hard to miss) grabbed by the shoulders, looked her right in the eyes and said

"you're in Disney, this is the safest elevator you're ever going to be on"

It calmed her down just long enough for the elevator doors to close when she immediately started going nuts again...

 

[DisneyObsessive]

I was waiting on line for the ToT with a friend of mine who was scared out of her mind to ride it but was determined to do so. As she got closer to loading she was practically hyperventilating and getting more and more nervous by the second. The cast member running the line noticed her (she was hard to miss) grabbed by the shoulders, looked her right in the eyes and said

"you're in Disney, this is the safest elevator you're ever going to be on"

It calmed her down just long enough for the elevator doors to close when she immediately started going nuts again...

You know, thinking of it like that makes ToT a WHOLE lot less scary! i like that!

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

As a former CM, I can say that you are cautioned very harshly against breaking character or ruining the magic in any way in a front of the guests.

Very true -- one of the primary directives for current CMs is to stay in character - primarily because the majority of Guests don't want "real" interactions. That's why they come to Disney: to escape the real world.

The closest I've ever come to breaking character is to tell guests who ask, "Working for Disney isn't for everyone. Personally, I enjoy it. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here." I think that shows; I have Guests comment "You obviously love your job!" on a daily basis -- and I'd much rather they say that than "Gosh, why don't you quit and find a better job? You obviously hate this one".

For the record: yes, I have Good Days and Bad Days, just like you do at your job. I just try to leave the attitude in my car when I park in the cast parking lot.

 

[AustinTink]

Ours was in Disney Land. We noticed on our trips to the Land that characters used to appear without handlers from time to time. One day we spotted Snow White at the entrance without a handler. She had just appeared so there were just a handful of families in line to greet her. Then a large family speaking spanish came running up and cut the line rushing her. She tried to tell them in English that there were others waiting before them. They kept on, pushing their kids in for pictures.

I was pretty mad and I felt so bad for Snow White out there trying to defend herself. I yelled at the top of my lungs in Spanish, "Hey! There's a line for Snow White and it's back here. Leave her alone!" They all whipped around stunned. Some left and some went to the back of the line.

Snow White mouthed "Thank you" to me and when we got to the front she told me thank you so much princess.

This past year we noticed all the characters at Disney Land had handlers.

 

[marielynn724]

Then there was that whole getting pushed by Minnie at Disneyland, but that's a whole other story.

i'd certainly like to hear that story!

 

[paintnolish]

Not a break from character, but it was an awesome interaction. We had an early ADR at Ohana Bfast. Mickey was the first one out and our table was the first stop. My ds gave him a pic of Mickey he had drawn. Mickey picked him up and hugged him. Then, he wrote a letter to him in his autograph book, offering him a job as an animator when he grew up. It was so cute. DS was in awe. It meant a lot, too, to me, since we were going through a rough time (newly divorced and ds and dd were starting 1st and K in a new school).

 

[marielynn724]

I was in the Morocco pavilion at Epcot back in 2003 - it was in early November (still during Food & Wine Fest) and was not crowded at all. Morocco especially seemed empty. I was 17 at the time, and was bored of whatever my parents were doing so I wandered around the shops and hidden nooks of the pavilion. What did I stumble upon but a little photo op room in which Aladdin and Jasmine were goofing around together, singing "a whole new world" (REALLY badly!) and dancing together. No one else was there and they were totally mortified when they realized I had walked in on them! It was HILARIOUS!

 

[Smiley.Socks]

I love this thread!
I have two scenario's I think could relate to this.

First one..

When me and my family were at a park some 9-10 years ago, we were waiting in line for Pluto, I believe. His handler announced that Pluto would be signing one more autograph and then it was time for him to have a nap. I would have been the next person in the que, so obviously, I was pleased. Then, a spanish family cut the que infront of us. I started crying (I was about 3. XD), and suddenly Pluto shakes his head at the family and points to me to come forward for an autograph!

My second one, not really a break of character.. but still.
This August, DM, DF & I were at RnRC, and purchasing our ride picture. I noticed that our server was from the city near us, in Wales. Now, really, going to Disney, I didn't really expect to see someone from such a little country! We had a great conversation about how long she had been working there, how she was enjoying, how we were enjoying, if her family came to visit, etc. It was great.

 

[Fenchurch]

We were at MNSSHP in 07, and my sister (a "bigger" girl) was dressed as Tracey Turnblad (from Hairspray). White shirt, checkered skirt, wig and all. She got lots of compliments from various CM's that night! We were in line for HM and dh and I were dressed as ghost maid/butler, so we got a few "get back to work" type comments from CM's, all completely deadpan. Close to the doors the CM said the same type of thing to us, we laughed, then he looked behind us at sis, threw his hands up to his cheeks, and squealed "ohmygodTraceyTurnblad!!!!" He immediately got back in character, but we talked about that for the rest of the trip!

 

[July Kitten]

Gosh, all of these stories are hilarious! I love this thread.

This happened last night at DL. We're both big nerds and our clothing choices usually reflect that. Last night, DH (who loves The Big Lebowski) wore his "Dude Abides" t-shirt. While disembarking from the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, a CM smiled and said to him, "The Chinaman is NOT the issue...please step to the right."

It's nice to know that CMs are movie geeks just like us regular folk. :

 

[wickywinn]

Probably when I was waiting to get on Space Mountain, standing on a number. One of the cm's came over, quietly asked how old I was (19 at the time) and whispered, "I get off at 9 - come back and see me..."

Is that out of character enough?

And yes, I went back...I was 19 afterall and he was a hottie!

 

[Mamise 62]

A few years ago, my 10 year old son and I got caught in a downpour in Frontierland and took refuge under the umbrella of a rolling popcorn and coke cart (staffed by a young lady in the college program). While it rained, she told us all about the college program and gave my son free popcorn. Very nice person.

During the same trip, I was paying the bill at Hollywood and Vine while the waitress was putting two of my kid's milkshakes into "to go" cups. As she did so, she addressed them very politely but directly and asked if they had thanked their parents for taking them on such a nice vacation, that they were fortunate to have such a nice opportunity, and that saying "thanks" to mom and dad would be a good idea. She offered her comments so gracefully that my kids were spurred to offer us their thanks and my wife and I appreciated the comments of a "stranger".

 

[goofy's friends]

our first trip as adults, we had our 3 year old with us. We went to pooh's breakfast before having to leave on the last day. While there, she colored a picture that she wanted to give to "silly dog," Goofy. Well, luckily, Goofy was over by the teacups (we let her choose one ride before we left). She gave him the picture. I let DH walk out ahead of us so I could get the picture back, since I didn't think he would have anything to do with it. It was very early morning so no one was around. When I went to get it back, Goofy hugged it to him and wouldn't let me have it. I was confused since I knew he just got out there, so the handler told me they have a special bulletin board in the back for special gifts from guest. i thought that was very sweet.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

Probably when I was waiting to get on Space Mountain, standing on a number. One of the cm's came over, quietly asked how old I was (19 at the time) and whispered, "I get off at 9 - come back and see me..."

Is that out of character enough?

And yes, I went back...I was 19 afterall and he was a hottie!