Rude resort security guards?

[rotlex]

I don't understand why you think your resort ID would open up the gate at at different resort? Do the resorts actually look like they have enough parking for just any resort guest who decides to drive? I think you misunderstood the CM at CSR about using your resort ID at a different resort.

Also, didn't you see the signs at each resort connected to a theme park that they are sorry but they cannot provide parking for the theme parks?

I know just about every time we pulled up to our own resort in our car, there had to be at least one car that got turned around at the guard shack because they weren't supposed to be there. The security guards at the resort car entrances have to be the most patient people in the world because they hear so many bad stories.

By the way, I don't think they are rent a cops. They are Disney CMs just like the people at the front desk.

Again, another poster that is taking things way to personally, and again, I apologize, at this point, for even making this post.

I thought I could use my key card, if you read my original post, at any resort, as that is what the CM at CSR told us...and yes, I asked specifically about parking at other resorts for dining reasons. While we have travelled to WDW many times over the years, this was our first time driving, so I did not know ay better. To be literally berated by a few "guards" for not knowing any better, is unacceptable.

Again, I reiterate another post I just made, in stating that I did not mean to make anyone upset here, but simply post a comment, statement, question about whether anyone had run into this before.

I hate it when posts go this way, especially here, my favorite boards on the web, but I guess it's just the nature of people to get WAY to uptight over the smallest things.

From now on, I'll stick to posting only happy thoughts about Mickey and Gang, and never anything that might put a blemish on the wonders of the world.

 

[pioneer89]

I don't get the feeling that the gate guards are there to protect people or property.

They seem to be there for one reason only: to cut down on the number of people trying to use the resort parking lot for unauthorized reasons. (i.e. free parking.)

They are checking IDs and scrutinizing lists to make people who want to get some free parking think twice. "Are you supposed to be parking here?" is the only criteria they can use to decide if you go in, or stay out.

Sure, if a van full of masked men branishing AK-47s drove up, they would likely try to turn them away, but there is nothing to stop someone up to no good from hopping on the bus at DTD, and riding right into any resort.

P.S. to be clear, I see nothing wrong with this, that guard makes sure I have a parking spot available to me, and protects Disney's interest in collecting the parking fees from park visitors and such.

 

[Minder]

OK I am not going to quote all the posts that have gone past here, but I do have some insight on the subject.

I have done some security in my time in the Armed Forces, and there are a few important points here.

Firstly, the guards ARE there for your protection. Or more correctly, they are there to ensure that everyone follows Disney rules, and the Disney rules are there for your protection, and to ensure that everyone gets the enjoyment that they have paid for. Imagine for a moment if the guards did not check room keys at the GF, and 5000 MK guests parked at the GF to avoid the parking fees. How would you feel as a GF guest to find you had no place to park.

The rules are there to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all guests to the level they have purchased from Disney. If the guard informs you that you are breaking the Disney rules, it is not his/her fault. He/she MUST enforce those rules or they lose their job.

Having said all of that, Disney rules DO state that if you have an ADR at V&A then you have the right to park at the GF, but you still need to verify that for the guard, otherwise everyone would simply say they have an ADR and security is lost again.

Now, Disney guards deal with hundreds (If not thousands) of people every day who are trying to break the rules, or get around the rules, or who think for some reason the rules should not apply to them. This makes them all a very suspicious lot. Its ingrained into them by everyone who tries to get one past them.

So, all in all, I would conclude from the above that the Disney guards have probably THE single most difficult job on property. It is their job to tell people “No” If you aren’t breaking the rules, they stay out of your way, but its their job to know when you are breaking the rules, and stop you. NO ONE likes to be told “No” No one likes someone checking them to see if they are breaking the rules or not. So Disney guards spend a good deal of their time handling upset people. Trust me, that is REALLY hard on a person.

Finally, after having said all of the above. There is still NO EXCUSE for a Disney guard (Or any cast member) being rude to you, EVER. It is (or should be) their number one rule “Be polite to the customers”. There is nothing that can ruin a company’s reputation faster than rude employees, and since the guards are often the first people you meet, their attitude toward you is even more critically important. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and first impressions can taint an entire trip. They MUST be capable of shedding all of the negative feelings that they deal with on a constant basis, and treat every guest with respect and dignity, even the ones breaking the rules. It may feel good to get angry and be rude, but it is HORRIBLE for business, and Disney is first and foremost a business.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Funny how you get such a hard time when you are going into a resort. Meanwhile ANYONE can jump on the Disney buses from parks or resorts or DTD and go thru the gates at any resort without a blink of an eye......

The reason they give you a hard time is because you are parking your car at the resort and in many cases, people who try that do not belong there.

This has always been a major problem at the Contemporary.

Do you know how frustrating it is to be a guest there and not be able to find a parking spot due to people parking there illegally?

Before they clamped down, you could watch people drive in in the morning, park their cars in the lot, and walk to the MK.

I'm glad security got tough.

 

[Pats Dragon]

Actually the security guards at AK can REALLY be over the top!!!

 

[ThumperandLitenin]

Again, as stated in the post you quoted ( but apparently didn't actually read), the OP was there for dining, not for park parking.

She was also driving a car with no license, not even an id.

 

[Minder]

The reason they give you a hard time is because you are parking your car at the resort and in many cases, people who try that do not belong there.

This has always been a major problem at the Contemporary.

Do you know how frustrating it is to be a guest there and not be able to find a parking spot due to people parking there illegally?

Before they clamped down, you could watch people drive in in the morning, park their cars in the lot, and walk to the MK.

I'm glad security got tough.

Security is allowed to get tough, and should get tough.

But Tough does not mean Rude. As I stated above there is NEVER a good reason for them to be rude.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

DH and I always rent cars because we do not prefer to ride the Disney busses anymore. We DO follow the parking rules and so far have been lucky as far as short tempered gate attendants.

I will also say there are plenty of people who try to get around the rules and park where they should not.

I wonder if there is a reason these attendands are more cross....are there more drivers who are parking where they should not?

Perhaps if Disney improved their bus service and we didn't feel like Rhode Island Oreo Cookie Cows (cows with a black front and a black back and white in the middle - like an Oreo Cookie !! very cute) - moooing in unison when we board.....more people would forgo trying to get around the rules.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Security is allowed to get tough, and should get tough.

But Tough does not mean Rude. As I stated above there is NEVER a good reason for them to be rude.

And, until you get the other side of the story, rude is just one person's opinion.

 

[luvthemouse71]

The reason they give you a hard time is because you are parking your car at the resort and in many cases, people who try that do not belong there.

This has always been a major problem at the Contemporary.

Do you know how frustrating it is to be a guest there and not be able to find a parking spot due to people parking there illegally?

Before they clamped down, you could watch people drive in in the morning, park their cars in the lot, and walk to the MK.

I'm glad security got tough.

Me too..now if they could only clamp down on the damn pool hoppers..Uh Oh-I shouldn't have opened THAT can of worms.

I'm conflicted because I think it's nice to be able to scope out a resort maybe for next trip, to see if you'd like to stay there. But, really, I think they need to be a liitle more stern about people coming onto resort property who aren't staying there.

I'm not saying to not allow people to visit the resorts if they aren't a guest. But, there is nothing wrong, IMHO, with the security guards checking IDs and such. They don't know that you're a decent person-I'm sure they've had some real creeps here and there. They are just doing their job. Stern and non nonsense is fine-they shouldn't be outright rude however.

 

[maxiesmom]

In reading your post it doesn't sound like the guards were rude, more like they were no-nosense types. Which is a good thing in a security guard. I think part of your perception of the guards being rude maybe came from being embarassed the first you went out and unknowingly made a mistake trying to park.

As somone who has stayed at a monorail resort with a car, I am grateful that Disney seems to be cracking down on who is parking where for how long. It stinks to have to hunt and hunt for somewhere to park, and then ending up with a spot out in the Disney parking boonies.

 

[lopez]

Again, another poster that is taking things way to personally, and again, I apologize, at this point, for even making this post.

I thought I could use my key card, if you read my original post, at any resort, as that is what the CM at CSR told us...and yes, I asked specifically about parking at other resorts for dining reasons. While we have travelled to WDW many times over the years, this was our first time driving, so I did not know ay better. To be literally berated by a few "guards" for not knowing any better, is unacceptable.

Again, I reiterate another post I just made, in stating that I did not mean to make anyone upset here, but simply post a comment, statement, question about whether anyone had run into this before.

I hate it when posts go this way, especially here, my favorite boards on the web, but I guess it's just the nature of people to get WAY to uptight over the smallest things.

From now on, I'll stick to posting only happy thoughts about Mickey and Gang, and never anything that might put a blemish on the wonders of the world.

Don't get upset, a lot of people agree with you. Unfortunately, there are some people who can find no fault with Disney under any circumstances. The fact that you took the time to write and report on your experience is still appreciated by many.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Don't get upset, a lot of people agree with you. Unfortunately, there are some people who can find no fault with Disney under any circumstances. The fact that you took the time to write and report on your experience is still appreciated by many.

I agree - nothing wrong ever wrong with telling the truth! Keep posting it!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Don't get upset, a lot of people agree with you. Unfortunately, there are some people who can find no fault with Disney under any circumstances. The fact that you took the time to write and report on your experience is still appreciated by many.

Possible explanations regarding why an individual may have reacted the way apparently perceived is NOT the same as finding no fault with Disney.

The trend continued however when we drove over to the Boardwalk\Beach\Yacht club area for dinner that night. THe CM at our resort told us we could use our key card at any resorts parking area to get into the lots. Again, our first time driving, so we didn't know any better. I pulled up, inserted card at the BC area, and it didn't work.

Is it possible there was incomplete information or miscommunication here - again, on the part of individuals (CM and/or OP), no the employer? Is it possible the CM meant the OP could show the Key to the World at any resort, for parking access? Seems odd, given that (a) all Guests with vehicles are given parking 'passes' to place on the dashboard and (b) that even a new CM should be expected to be aware that parking at other resorts isn't automatic - but... There's no reasonable/common sense explanation why anyone* should expect all (potential) 22,000+ keycards** to provide access to all resorts; it's all in the programming.

*CMs much moreso than Guests.
**Yes, I know there are many more active Keys to the World at any given time; number is based on room count and presumes all KsttW for a given room would have identical access programming.

 

[Minder]

And, until you get the other side of the story, rude is just one person's opinion.

Aaahhh now we are really getting into some sticky areas.

On the one hand, it is only one side of the story, but its the guests side of the story, and the guest pays everyones salary. The guest is king, and the guests perception of the cast members actions is very very important. Word of mouth is HUGE for any service organization, and one upset guest is generally expected to represent 1000 lost customers. It really is big.

On the other hand, some guests simply are IDIOTS!, some guests get REALLY angry when the guard points out that the rules really really do apply to everyone. And some guests are simply spoiling for a fight. In these cases it does not matter what the guard does, the guest is going to be angry.

The real trick is figuring out which is which, and short of Taping or Videoing everything your in a real pickle. This is the exact reason that all highway patroll cars now have full time video camers recording everything they do.

 

[livie1205]

And, until you get the other side of the story, rude is just one person's opinion.

yeh and we will not ever know the other side...but why would she just make it up?If the guard DID treat her that way then it was RUDE and she should have reported it.When I went in june we went to the GF for tea and the guard AND the person parking cars said "hey you can hop the monorail and go watch the parade when you are done"They were very nice.I have never been held up at the gate because I couldnt find my ID and NEVER been treated like that lady was...I would have made a report for sure.

 

[livie1205]

Don't get upset, a lot of people agree with you. Unfortunately, there are some people who can find no fault with Disney under any circumstances. The fact that you took the time to write and report on your experience is still appreciated by many.

I AGREE 100% It is getting a little crazy how some people will just say disney is right NO MATTER WHAT...you would think they owned the place.There are guests that will complain over ever little thing BUT there are CMs that are rude and are at times wrong.I love wdw but not to the point where I am blinded to their faults.

 

[ElizabethB]

As far as security, the whole thing is a silly pretense. You give the security guard a room key or drivers license and the security guard looks at it. Big deal. What does that accomplish, pray tell? And, as others have pointed out, there is no security check whatsoever if you ride a bus over to a resort.

All the security check accomplishes is this: If there is a bombing or other attack at a hotel, WDW can defend against the many lawsuits that will result by pointing to "security measures" that were taken to try to prevent the attack.

The bag check at the parks accomplishes the same thing. WDW wants to be able to point to something they did to protect guests. It doesn't have to be effective. But, it does help in the defense of lawsuits.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I AGREE 100% It is getting a little crazy how some people will just say disney is right NO MATTER WHAT...you would think they owned the place.There are guests that will complain over ever little thing BUT there are CMs that are rude and are at times wrong.I love wdw but not to the point where I am blinded to their faults.

Again, we're not talking about Disney as the corporation. We're talking about individuals. Posters not coddling the OP and another poster with similar incidents are "defending" individuals; yes, individuals employed by Disney, but still just people - with all the human emotions, feelings, actions, and reactions to which the rest of us are entitled. And in the vein of Deb & Bill's response, 'rude' can be in the perception as easily as it can be genuine. Until/unless the CMs being discussed respond, we'll never know. Some of us are just trying, I think, to 'defend' them with alternate perspectives.

 

[SueSue]

After reading all these posts, I have never seen one (sorry if I missed it!) about getting a 2 hour pass to park in a lot if you have a ressie at a resort restaurant. Do they not do that any more?

If I remember correctly, at some of the resorts like Epcot ones, if you had an ADR, when you checked in you'd get a piece of paper that said you had 2 hours. This was supposed to deter those who were just trying to abuse the system and get free parking.

Now I'm sure security never had the manpower to actually enforce that ie going around the lot and ticketing or towing after 2 hours, but I'm sure that detered a few people.

I'm sorry people have experienced some rude CMs, but I'm sure Disney has a battle on their hands, trying to keep out all those who just want to take advantage. I also feel sorry for all the people (like me and many of you!) who actually stay in those resorts and have a heck of a time finding parking in your home resort lot!