What would be your constructive criticism for CMs?

[flicx]

Agreed. The CMs generally do a great job, especially considering how GROSSLY UNDERPAID they are. The WDC makes obscene profits, year in and year out, and they can't pay higher than minimum wage to their front line employees? How shameful is that?

How true, how sad!!!!!

 

[surferdave]

Thanks for the responses. I am just wondering as I am a CM and found these boards when I first started - wanting to find out what mattered to the guests and then being able to handle things as they arose. I guess I'm saying I wanted to see WDW from the perspective of a Guest and then never left the DIS. I know there are more on here who do the same.

It's nice to hear nice things about the CMs, but it's also important to hear how we can improve.

Thanks for asking. Even people who do a great job need constructive criticism; in fact they are typically the ones who embrace it.

 

[jeffbear]

It's nice to hear nice things about the CMs, but it's also important to hear how we can improve.

The best Cast Member experiences I've had over the years (OK, decades) were when CMs "plus-sized" the experience even in ways that were quite simple and easy.

Example ... we just got back from a trip a couple of weeks ago and one of the CMs on Peter Pan's loading platform was miming sprinkling Pixie Dust on the safety lap bar and then snapping her fingers right as it lowered itself into place. So cool, so charming, so easy ...

Another example ... there's a boat operator on Bay Lake who sings classic Disney songs at the top of his lungs instead of playing a soundtrack. That's so freaking cool and the kids on the boat just beamed.

So my advice to CMs is that you need to actively participate in the magic of the place ... even if you're hung over and had a crappy morning commute. You'll stand out (in a good way) and you'll add more than you know to the experience for the families that wander into your path.

 

[ttintagel]

Almost all the negative experiences I've had with CM's were related to understaffing - there simply weren't enough CM's on duty to give enough attention to the number of guests that were there. I get that the company's trying to save money on labor, but you can only stretch one worker just so thin without sacrificing service.

The only advice I'd give is to resist the temptation to zone out and not engage with the guests as individuals. And I know how hard that can be; I've worked in customer-facing positions, and I know that a lot of people can be pretty awful. A lot of the time it can feel like, "They do NOT pay me enough to put up with these %^$#@'s." But you miss out on the good ones that way, too.

 

[SimonSez]

A couple years ago we were in line to order dinner at Pecos Bill. It was pretty chaotic with all the CM running around getting orders, A couple of them had that "deer in the headlights" look, which if I had been working there that night I probably would have too Anyway, one CM was standing away from the others not doing anything. People were asking her for this and that and her response was 'she couldn't leave the stack of paper cups' she seemed to be guarding. LOL, apparently that was her job that evening. She wasn't rude or anything and we still talk about the CM who couldn't leave the paper cups. I'm sure a supervisor told her to stand there, apparently guests have been known to take the cups. She was doing her job but we still laugh at her deadpan response

 

[Networth]

The same comment I would give any professional in the service/hospitality industry. Treat your guests how you would like to be treated on your vacations. Disney is a hospitality company, you don't go far being inhospitable and that starts with front of the line employees.

Technically works in most industries which is why it's so true.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We may be 32, but we arent too old to be princesses! It makes me smile when the address me as 'princess'. Even Belle at Storytime stopped and said "Oh hello Princesses!" to us!

On the Magic, I wore my pink "princess" cape with pink tiara and a Captain America marvel shirt. (what I wore to a 5k tough mudder the week we got back https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd....693_248824898653101_3240449562940376137_n.jpg
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hph...678_248825328653058_4766605446426271095_n.jpg )
Anyway, as I was walking from the theater, a CM says "Hey, its Princess Captain...Captain Princess, wait, its Princess America! That's a new one!" in his adorable accent.



Love the PP loading story. Yes, we know its pretend, but that's why we GO!

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Generally, I think the CMs do a great job.

My two points have already been touched on in this thread.

1) Initiate more in conversation with guests. I understand that some people are shy and some are more outgoing, but if you can chat with a colleague, then you can chat with a guest. As a person who is more on the shy side at first, I would really appreciate this!

I'm not a CM, but I work in the hospitality industry. I'm shy too at first, and although I do try and strike up a conversation when I'm in a position where I have dead air to fill, but I've always felt that guests could care less about having a conversation and probably just want to be left alone and talk with their families But seeing a comment like yours makes me feel like I should try and be a little more engaging!

 

[k5thbeatle]

Don't make up answers to questions that you don't know the answer to. It's OK to say "I don't know the answer to that."

Thank you, thank you, thank you for saying this!

I can't tell you how many times we were given wrong information just to "answer and sound intelligent". If you don't know, that's ok...just say so!

 

[k5thbeatle]

Agreed. The CMs generally do a great job, especially considering how GROSSLY UNDERPAID they are. The WDC makes obscene profits, year in and year out, and they can't pay higher than minimum wage to their front line employees? How shameful is that?

Ughh...you need to run/own a business sometime.

 

[k5thbeatle]

That's the response I came to give. My only real issue with CMs (on the phone and at various service locations) is telling me something I know isn't true because they don't want to admit they don't know the correct answer.

I haven't seen any bad CM behavior that I couldn't shrug off, but if there's a common denominator with the CMs who do or say something unpleasant, it's usually someone who is doing a traffic control job at a hectic time or location. I see this as yet another symptom of Disney trying to cram too many people in.

Great response!

 

[Pax]

Ughh...you need to run/own a business sometime.

I DO run/own a business. We pay our employees a living wage and provide at least decent health and retirement benefits (we're an E.S.O.P.). At their current profit levels Disney could come much closer than they do. Maybe it's about running/owning a good business.

As for the CM's, I love them all. They do so much for so little. Just be on stage always, and remember you are very much appreciated! We could not enjoy one single thing at Disney (all of them) without you.

Pax

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Only to some of the Photographers, quit chatting with other CMs while the kids (and adults) are interacting with the characters, just snap away. I got so annoyed the trip before last with the photographer at the Great Goofini, I shall name and shame, Jennifer. She just stood and watched and refused to do anything except a single posed shot, she missed some fabulous photo ops, this was with everyone, the family in front were having so much fun with Goofini and she did nothing. She moaned when I asked her to take a picture with my camera as well and it was a poor shot (how can you manage that with a point and shoot?) She was in a filthy mood and didn't hide it. there was a member of management at the exit and I made a complaint to him as I left. I should have followed it up by contacting Guest Relations as she was the worst I have ever encountered.
The way I see it is the photographers should just snap merrily away if there is clear interaction with characters, any that aren't perfect can be deleted by the guest, but, you can get some absolute corking photos as well, the guy who took photos of me waltzing with Carl Frederickson did that and I have some wonderful photos. It's better than standing there doing nothing.

 

[mrsksomeday]

I started going to WDW in 2006. I have noticed in the last two to three years that some cast members have been spending a lot of time talking to each other and not interacting with the guests as much as they used to.

I agree with the poster that said you are called cast members for a reason. You are on stage when you are working, you are part of the show.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I DO run/own a business. We pay our employees a living wage and provide at least decent health and retirement benefits (we're an E.S.O.P.). At their current profit levels Disney could come much closer than they do. Maybe it's about running/owning a good business.

As for the CM's, I love them all. They do so much for so little. Just be on stage always, and remember you are very much appreciated! We could not enjoy one single thing at Disney (all of them) without you.

Pax

In Walt's day, working at Disneyland was a potential career. Today, the company is awash in oceans of money, yet they treat their employees like burger flippers. If they want to provide excellent service, and retain the best employees, they need to stop understaffing, overworking and underpaying. Stop paying them as if they were students working there just for the summer, before they go back to school.

Disney will reap the long-term benefits because the company will earn and maintain a reputation for sterling customer service (which they earned decades away, but has been gradually eroded by their policies), and will retain CMs with experience and who add to the magic for guests.

 

[shan2321]

I only had 1 bad CM experience in all the times I've been to WDW. It was a character line for Jasmine. Well, without notice (we were next in line) Jasmine left and Apu came out with Aladdin. Of course my 5 year old could care less about the monkey or Aladdin. So we got out of line and I told the CM, it would be nice to let people know about a character change before waiting 30 minutes in the line. His response? "Not my problem"

I exchanges a few more words with him on how I didn't find his response appropriate for a CM and made a point to take down his name. He made a snarky comment to his coworker about me that my husband heard and needless to say, he no longer works as a CM.

Thats rare though.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I started going to WDW in 2006. I have noticed in the last two to three years that some cast members have been spending a lot of time talking to each other and not interacting with the guests as much as they used to.

I agree with the poster that said you are called cast members for a reason. You are on stage when you are working, you are part of the show.

I completely agree. I remember shopping last June and listening to two CMs complain about the hours they were working that day and how they couldn't wait to be done. I was so excited to be in my favorite place shopping and that made me want to leave. I felt like my being there was an inconvenience to them and it killed my Disney buzz I know they aren't paid well, but I had MANY jobs when I was younger in which I was paid minimum wage and I had an "on stage" mentality even when I was a cashier at my local grocery store. It just feels like they don't care enough to try to look past the negative and focus on the positive. Trust me, I was fussed at a LOT, but it doesn't give you the right to have a stinky attitude the rest of the day. (disclaimer - this isn't something I've seen often, just a few times!)

Like a PP said, it's not JUST WDW. This happens a lot with local places too. I think it's just the ME generation. (I'm not that old, and I know kids were like this when I was younger too, so I'm not trying to overgeneralize a whole generation, but it's definitely worse than it used to be.)

 

[Pats Dragon]

Well op, you asked so here goes: Went to Cape May with ADR for 5pm and checked in at 4:45. Were told we didn't have an ADR. We had smart phone with confirmation number so were given a pager but seated after dining room was full and walk-ins were seated. Podium cm was very rude. Manager discounted our proof of ADR's and said they must be for a different day and we might have already been charged as no shows. She said she would check but never returned to us at all. It sounds minor but I make ADR's 6 months in advance and have proof that I had the correct day in the form of a reminder from Disney!! I know mistakes will be made but cm's should not compound the injury with attitudes. You don't have to apologize but at least be civil when it is clearly a Disney or restaurant mistake. I think customer service has gotten worse and only old timers will remember how magical it used to be. A wonderful bus driver named Gordon, exemplifies the old cm magic. He heard that 2 small children had birthdays and sang a funny birthday song to them. He was sprinkling pixie dust and probably making his day more fun as well. Used to happen a lot. I would settle for blanket civility.