Sad Meeting with Buzz Lightyear

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm so sorry you had that experience.

I might also consider that Buzz has a very limited field of vision and range of motion in that costume.

The actions of the handler could also have been keeping your son safe.

My children are a range of ages and I always would assume the responsibility or their behavior if they darted off towards a character. I try to cut the characters and their handlers some slack.

It is also a good idea to let your kids know that when you are waiting in line, you will try to get to see the character.

We must understand that even if you are the line cut off, an emergency could happen meaning the character needs to leave IMMEDIATELY. It simply cannot be helped.

I'm glad that you handled it well with your son.

 

[collegejunkie]

what i meant by my advice to go to guest services is that sometimes they are able to work their disney magic. i had actually originally meant it to be in regards to the rude CM - guest services would want to hear about that. even if they couldn't help with finding buzz for the child, they could ask the CM to be a bit more understanding when handling a child that they weren't expecting to come up.

i've always had success in asking guest services for help with something. i don't see why it's "silly" for me to let someone else know that they may get lucky by asking for some help behind the scenes.

 

[tinkerpea]

When ever i have been at Disney the last few yrs they have always put a rope across the Charecter meat and greet if that charecter is coming to the end of their time! Or a Cm has stood there and told everybody that the Charecter is going for a break but will be bk in 10/15 mins and you can come bk and wait again then, The poor Cms have then been told,My son only wants a quick autograph and picture! or I think thats out of order we have walked all the way over here!!! Cant you just let us through???? Imagine if they let everybody who said that into the line there would be no Autogragh with the Charecter as he/she would be keeled over then it would be OH NO GOOFY ETC is dead!!!! Now that would upset your child

I totally understand that you can not always keep a tight grip on your child and i think its very unfair to say that its the OP fault for letting go or not holding her sons hand tight enough!!!! That IMO proberly couldnt be helped,what should have been done though is the OP could quickly get her child and actuallu=y say sorry to the charecter and then tell her child to just wave goodbye,(the charecter would proberbly waved back making the child feel special) as i have seen plenty of times that this has happened and as the CM is trying to get the Charecter to his safe place they will usually wave to any kids on the way to the safe place! that makes my children happy enough then we just tell them that we will come back when he has finished his drink lunch( everybody needs to eat right) even Tigger etc
I do hope that the CM wasnt rude and just worried for the person he was protecting and the child that was stopping them! Ive seen Cms and Charecters get mobbed half of which the kids and PARENTS!! are still following lets say WOODY into the staff only areas
I dont think reporting the Charecter or Cm would have gotten them anywhere as what could they have done apart from jot down that the child was told he could not see get pic with Buzz??
I have actually wprked as a Charecter,and let me tell you in the heat in England(clearly not hot LOL) you get to a point where you can feel a little faint and we have sighns that we tell our helpers and they then get us out of the area-normally followed by lots of kids,It really doesnt help you but its part of the job,you cant just stop smiling and waving because you are suffering from the heat or standing or tight outfit etc you have to keep in Charecter until your out of site!

 

[DuckMom]

I'm sorry you had that experience. I am the mother of two little boys and one worshiped Buzz on our last trip and now the little one adores him ... and would probably do the same thing your son did.

I read your post though and immediately thought of my old job. I used to to PR and community relations for a minor league baseball team and was very often out with players on my own for events or just down on the field during practice. I was always the one who had to turn down autographs, cut off talks, turn down kids etc. It stunk because I was the "bad guy," but it protected the players and kept their "standing" as nice guys in place. Trust me, it was not fun ... and I can think of several times where I was called some not nice names by grown adults, but it was part of the gig. The worst was when we had major league players rehabbing and I had to turn people away. One time, we had a mother sending her kid down for autographed item after autographed item and she had him changing jackets/adding a hat, etc, so we hopefully wouldn't pick up on it. I finally was told by player's agent to stop it ... and I'm sure I looked like a grade A you know what, but I had to be firm with the parent. I tried to be as nice as possible, but I wouldn't doubt if people thought I was being horrible and rude.

I guess what I'm trying to say (through my Benadryl haze) is the handler's first responsibility is to Buzz and keeping him safe. I know that goes against all things Disney, but think about how horrid it would be for all involved if a bunch of kids saw Buzz on the ground or if Buzz knocked over a kid. I would highly doubt that Buzz has great vision in that suit and the character is probably prepared for kids coming from one side and the CM was probably trying to protect both Buzz and your son.

That said, again I am sorry for the interaction you had. It sounds like you handled it beautifully ... even if you were so sad inside.

 

[bumbershoot]

What if the OP's son did make it up to Buzz, grabbed him from behind, got tripped up, and fell and got hurt? Or what if Buzz got tripped and fell, and his helmet came off?

They have to protect the character who, unless it is a face character, probably has a very limited field of vision and can't see much of anything, has a big bulky costume on, and can probably be tripped very easily.

I might also consider that Buzz has a very limited field of vision and range of motion in that costume.

The actions of the handler could also have been keeping your son safe.

These are all exactly what I thought when I read the post. The CM was keeping Buzz AND your son safe from each other. Thank goodness for the CM.

 

[Sinderelly]

I felt sad reading this for OP's 4 yr old. My DGS is obsessed with Buzz and I can't wait to see him meet Buzz. I think we all but could be a litle less harsh. This was a 4 yr old who was probably so excited to see Buzz he just ran. I think the CM can protect the character and also be kind to guests especially little ones. I'm glad Buzz is still your DS' hero.

 

[brymolmom]

I felt sad reading this for OP's 4 yr old. My DGS is obsessed with Buzz and I can't wait to see him meet Buzz. I think we all but could be a litle less harsh. This was a 4 yr old who was probably so excited to see Buzz he just ran. I think the CM can protect the character and also be kind to guests especially little ones. I'm glad Buzz is still your DS' hero.

I agree to a point, but kindness usually takes time too. And likely these CM's had to get Buzz immediately backstage. I would like to hear what was said. I would guess it was blunt and quick but not really rude - except in the eyes of a parent whose heart is breaking for their sad child. But to take the time to kneel down to a 4 yo's level and say 'I'm so sorry buddy, but Buzz has a really important meeting about defending the universe' or other, while sweet, likely isn't practical as they might have to do it to 20 or more kids and that would take too much time. Then they'd REALLY be in trouble as a 2nd Buzz would be walking out at a specified time and obviously if 2 Buzz's are out at the same time then parents would be ALL in an uproar that the 'magic' was ruined for their child.

 

[azdizzymom]

what i meant by my advice to go to guest services is that sometimes they are able to work their disney magic. i had actually originally meant it to be in regards to the rude CM - guest services would want to hear about that. even if they couldn't help with finding buzz for the child, they could ask the CM to be a bit more understanding when handling a child that they weren't expecting to come up.

i've always had success in asking guest services for help with something. i don't see why it's "silly" for me to let someone else know that they may get lucky by asking for some help behind the scenes.

Still think this is sillly advice as the CM was doing their job. It appears that the majority of people here believe CM was doing his job and didn't do anything wrong. Is it fair for a CM to have a complaint on their record or against them because they were doing their job and some parent felt they were rude. I am sure that the CM'S are verbally abused many times....by parents saying just one picture, etc.I AM NOT SAYING IN ANY WAY THAT OP DID THIS!!! I have witnessed people get pissed when they see people getting pictures taken in the entrance to Disney World...there is a line BUT some people think they can just take their little kids and NOT wait in line....just one quick picture. Yes, sometimes those waiting patiently in line are adults or families with teenagers (e.g. my family). It is NOT fair to those waiting in line...the CM's have to step in and say you need to get in line...but these parents can be rude. It is right to go walk to guest services and say I was treated rudely by a CM....would that person explain that they had tried to just walk up to character and get picture taken without waiting in line....nope. Probably would put blinders on and just say I was treated rudely. Is this true...nope. CM was doing their job. Kids of all ages need to learn to wait in line. It appears to be a problem for some ...especially at Disney. Sorry when we first went to Disney when my boys were 4 and 5 they learned to wait in line (we had done Cedar Point, Kings Island and county fair before this). They didn't have someone hold a place in line so they could join. They learned to go potty before getting in a long line----we had potty breaks. They learned to wait in line for characters...and sometimes we might not get to see the one they wanted. Heartbreaking, yes but kids are resilient. They forget very quickly.

I think we disagree on this. If you want to suggest to go to guest services that is your opinion. My opinion is it is a silly idea. It could get a good CM in trouble who was just doing their job. Think CM did their job and did nothing wrong. Kids need to learn to wait and follow the rules. There are rules to see Buzz and any character. The rule was Buzz had to leave and couldn't talk to anyone else. Someone could get hurt...including a child, adult, CM or Buzz.

Sometimes you do get impromptu interactions with characters. Last summer in Disneyland we were having a family moment in front of the train station. We were not yelling but mom wasn't happy with kids behavior (13 and 14 year old boys). The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland was walking with a CM...came up and had us all hug...with her! People were looking...my boys were embarrassed BUT it was one of the best memories. She then walked back through gates...obviously for a break. It made us all smile and forget the stupidity. So sometimes yes there are impromptu moments of Disney magic but sometimes we don't get to see our characters.

 

[nealsmith]

Our last couple trips there was a CM at the end of every character line letting folks know where the end of the line was. A few times were were close to last and many times were were warned entering the line that the characters were going to take a rest prior to us getting to the front of the line - so it was our choice.

A few times we were not allwed to enter a line as the characters were done for the day and the last guests were already in line. No need for ballons or banners - it was made very clear by the CM's.

This has been our experience about 90% of the time as well (last trip was in 2009). I agree with others who've commented, you can't expect a random meeting in the park while the characters are just walking from A to B. If they are just walking somewhere we just wave.

I don't know how many times we kept missing Alice. But once we made real effort to track her down it was not problem. Kept asking CMs where we could find her until we got an answer and then actually ended up waiting 2nd in line, this was in Epcot.

As far as a CM or anyone else being rude, I always try and turn the other cheek. Especially in this instance... your kids are watching you. I think that is the overwhelming lesson to be learned here. IMO

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

The guard was doing his job. it's not his job to be nice per say but to keep the CM in the costume safe.

I think, OP, you handled it well enough and the plus is that your son didn't have a bad interaction with Buzz just another human being.

 

[deegack]

I'm another on the cm doing his job team. When we were there is Nov the cm always told people if they would not get to see the character during that session.

We were waiting for Goofy (DD's favorite at the time) and were the last family. The cm told everyone who came behind us that Goofy had to go to get some lunch. One family with a little girl hung around. When it was our turn we went up and DD was in heaven. Then about a minute later the other little girl ran up and hugged goofy's legs then turned around so mom could get pictures. It took a few minutes to get it sorted out but all these cute pictures of DD kissing goofy's nose and patting him on the head have this little girl in them. The CM apologized profusely. She was answering a question from someone and was distracted for a second. My mom was next to this family and said the mother told the daughter to do it. Did it ruin my DD's experience. No, she didn't know what was happening and she was in heaven with Goofy. The pictures were ruined thought.

The character handlers have a tough job. They have to be the bad guy. I try to always give them the benefit of the doubt if they seem a bit short.

 

[ChattaAlley]

1. The CM does act like a body guard protecting both the character AND the children running up to the character. I imagine it is hard for the character to see and to have an unattended child run towards them when he or she is trying to leave does call for a body guard. The CM was doing his/her job. You as a parent were not.


2. Disney does train cast members. The cast member was doing his or her job in stepping between Buzz and your child. Your child could have caused an uncontrollable situation. Buzz could have been surrounded by more and more kids if your child had been allowed to interact even if for a second with Buzz. There were obviously numerous other kids who had been turned away from the line who also has Buzz as their favorite character. You as a parent were not trained at how to handle your child in this situation. Yes, you did a good job explaining Buzz had a mission to do. But to complain weeks later is petty.

To the person who said to go to guest services. That is so stupid! This happens all the time and people just have to let it go. Kids these days need to learn to handle disappointment- not meeting their favorite character, not making the travel team, losing a game of soccer, baseball, football AND NOT GETTING A TROPHY! To suggest a parent go whine and complain that a character walked away from their child is stupid. Think of the terminally ill kids or special need kids who don't get to meet their favorite character. Think of the just plain ordinary child who didn't get to meet Buzz because it was time for him to go and the line cutoff was right after he/she walked up. Cast member says...sorry Buzz can't see anymore people now. Is this rude, is person acting like body guard...nope. This cast member is doing their job. The parents have no right to go whine and complain to guest services.

Be happy your kids get to go to Disney. Be happy you are able to afford to go. Be happy your child is healthy and can enjoy the trip. Be happy your child got to see Buzz up close even if without interaction. Grow up and put it behind you. Don't whine on the boards later or tell someone to go to guest services to see if they could make it right!

WOW How rude you are. I am SO sure you are the most attentive perfect parent and has a strong handle on your child at ALL times... Geez.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

1. The CM does act like a body guard protecting both the character AND the children running up to the character. I imagine it is hard for the character to see and to have an unattended child run towards them when he or she is trying to leave does call for a body guard. The CM was doing his/her job. You as a parent were not.

2. Disney does train cast members. The cast member was doing his or her job in stepping between Buzz and your child. Your child could have caused an uncontrollable situation. Buzz could have been surrounded by more and more kids if your child had been allowed to interact even if for a second with Buzz. There were obviously numerous other kids who had been turned away from the line who also has Buzz as their favorite character. You as a parent were not trained at how to handle your child in this situation. Yes, you did a good job explaining Buzz had a mission to do. But to complain weeks later is petty.

To the person who said to go to guest services. That is so stupid! This happens all the time and people just have to let it go. Kids these days need to learn to handle disappointment- not meeting their favorite character, not making the travel team, losing a game of soccer, baseball, football AND NOT GETTING A TROPHY! To suggest a parent go whine and complain that a character walked away from their child is stupid. Think of the terminally ill kids or special need kids who don't get to meet their favorite character. Think of the just plain ordinary child who didn't get to meet Buzz because it was time for him to go and the line cutoff was right after he/she walked up. Cast member says...sorry Buzz can't see anymore people now. Is this rude, is person acting like body guard...nope. This cast member is doing their job. The parents have no right to go whine and complain to guest services.

Be happy your kids get to go to Disney. Be happy you are able to afford to go. Be happy your child is healthy and can enjoy the trip. Be happy your child got to see Buzz up close even if without interaction. Grow up and put it behind you. Don't whine on the boards later or tell someone to go to guest services to see if they could make it right!

Some very good points. I guess the only way to really ensure your child meets and gets the experience you want is to book a character dining experience.

 

[azdizzymom]

WOW How rude you are. I am SO sure you are the most attentive perfect parent and has a strong handle on your child at ALL times... Geez.

Never said I was perfect!
Just suggested OP didn't have control of her child! We have all lost our children's hands in crowds. BUT OP then complains that CM was rude when the CM was not rude...just doing their job. My kids also knew at that age not to run off....nope we are not perfect...far from it. Just saying OP should take some of the blame too.....she whines about CM but doesn't lay any fault on her child running off. She whines that CM was mean...when they were not. All the other kids got turned away....her child didn't wait and got told Buzz had to leave. My kids have had that happen too. No one is perfect....we all make mistakes. Think OP did great job explaining where Buzz had to go...but needs to take responsibility for the situation happening. Also, would like to know why they didn't get in line before they got on ride. If I remember correctly exit and entrance are near each other (BUT I COULD BE WRONG)!!

I'm done...I apologize to OP if I offended her with the comment. I shouldn't have said it. TO Chattaalley you are just as rude commenting on me ....so have a great day!

Off to get my perfect children and be the perfect mom driving the perfect car with the perfect hair and nails and have dinner cooked pearls on like June Cleaver, etc. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT I HAVE A BRIDGE IN BROOKLYN FOR SALE TOO!

 

[crisi]

For us, knowing to wait in line for characters was part of our pre-park preparation for kids - my kids knew at 2 1/2 that you didn't run up to characters but you waited in line. (To the point that I've waited in lines I had no desire to wait in because my kids have said "see, the line is still open....") Also they knew EVEN BETTER that you don't run anywhere at WDW (now they are tweens and have learned the "walk quick through the crowds trick"). Its too easy to dart away from Mom and Dad and get lost, and too easy to dart in front of a stroller or even just someone walking and looking at something other than stray small children in their path. (My son was a champion at running off and getting lost as a little kid, so putting the Fear of God into him at Disney was a critical task. He's still bad about running off without telling you where he is going, but at twelve, we don't worry about him getting drown in the pond or lost in the woods any longer.)

I'm sorry the CM seemed rude to you. They don't have a lot of time to deal with any one event because someone else might take advantage of their turned attention (like the Goofy story above).

 

[princessmom29]

Sorry, but the CM did hs job. At 4 ,a kid should know how to wait in line like eveyone else, and telling him Buzz is done greeting for a while should have been sufficient. I think the whole "important mission" bit was completely unecessary. I would have told DD the truth at that age. No need to sugar coat.

 

[mdsoccermom]

For a 4 year old, meeting a favorite character is Very important.

Most Disney World cast members have good training and can handle this (complicated, to say the least) job; but I had a sad experience with my 4 year old son a few weeks ago, leaving one of the attracions, Buzz lightyear was finishing his greeting time, and unexpetedly my son let go of my hand and ran to him.
The supporting cast member helping Buzz acted like a bodyguard in a dangerous neighborhood cantina, aggresively stepping in front of my son...

The few seconds it took for me to control my child were realy disappointing for me because the attitude of these guy was really completely devoid of basic common sense. Attitude, voice, all rude; with a 4 year old...

It took me a few minutes of explaining to my son that Buzz was very busy and on his way to an important mission. (As I write this my boy is playing whith a Buzz action figure...)

I would have thought Disney training prepares cast members for this kind of situations. But I see it does not...

The CM was trained and doing his job. I have a feeling that the perceived "rudeness" is a bit overblown. Anyway, when a CM is handling a character, they don't have time to coddle a child when it's a matter of safety. If a kid is charging at Buzz Lightyear, the CM needs to stop him in his tracks to prevent him from plowing into Buzz. And when a character's greeting time is up, it's up. Can you imagine what would happen if Buzz (or any other character), stopped to greet just one more kid?

The suggestion of going to guest services just because a parent was offended by a CM doing his job is just silly.

 

[mickeymel]

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

For a 4 year old, meeting a favorite character is Very important.

Most Disney World cast members have good training and can handle this (complicated, to say the least) job; but I had a sad experience with my 4 year old son a few weeks ago, leaving one of the attracions, Buzz lightyear was finishing his greeting time, and unexpetedly my son let go of my hand and ran to him.
The supporting cast member helping Buzz acted like a bodyguard in a dangerous neighborhood cantina, aggresively stepping in front of my son...

The few seconds it took for me to control my child were realy disappointing for me because the attitude of these guy was really completely devoid of basic common sense. Attitude, voice, all rude; with a 4 year old...

It took me a few minutes of explaining to my son that Buzz was very busy and on his way to an important mission. (As I write this my boy is playing whith a Buzz action figure...)

I would have thought Disney training prepares cast members for this kind of situations. But I see it does not...

You all do realize while most posters have been here for quite a while and are debating back and forth and the OP has one post, and hasn't returned. I often wonder how much they are sitting back and reading us hashing it out and laughing to themselves. Just something else to ponder tonight!

 

[ChattaAlley]

Ummmm...If you were as smart as you think you are you would notice I did not quote you (unless you are using 2 different screen names). And I highly doubt I am as rude as you, but anywho.

Never said I was perfect!
Just suggested OP didn't have control of her child! We have all lost our children's hands in crowds. BUT OP then complains that CM was rude when the CM was not rude...just doing their job. My kids also knew at that age not to run off....nope we are not perfect...far from it. Just saying OP should take some of the blame too.....she whines about CM but doesn't lay any fault on her child running off. She whines that CM was mean...when they were not. All the other kids got turned away....her child didn't wait and got told Buzz had to leave. My kids have had that happen too. No one is perfect....we all make mistakes. Think OP did great job explaining where Buzz had to go...but needs to take responsibility for the situation happening. Also, would like to know why they didn't get in line before they got on ride. If I remember correctly exit and entrance are near each other (BUT I COULD BE WRONG)!!

I'm done...I apologize to OP if I offended her with the comment. I shouldn't have said it. TO Chattaalley you are just as rude commenting on me ....so have a great day!

Off to get my perfect children and be the perfect mom driving the perfect car with the perfect hair and nails and have dinner cooked pearls on like June Cleaver, etc. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT I HAVE A BRIDGE IN BROOKLYN FOR SALE TOO!