Year of Million Dreams...CM Nightmare?

[Granny]

Disney World is launching a new program called "The Year of a Million Dreams" - but you'll have to luck out to take advantage of it. Starting Oct. 1, Disney cast members will be empowered to grant wishes big and small to guests - including free dining, ticket upgrades, FastPasses that allow entry into all the major attractions, shopping sprees and opportunities to travel the world to be grand marshal at parades in Disney parks globally. Starting in January, families visiting the park will be chosen at random to stay atop Cinderella's Castle in Disney's first-ever castle suite.

I see that this new promotion will have tons of new prizes, including a free DVC membership!

I hope I'm wrong, but does anyone else see this as being a nightmare for CM's? If someone standing next to a guest gets a nice prize, how many people are going to feel "entitled" to one of these "dreams" for themselves? I guess with the "I shelled out all this money and Disney better make it magical for me" mentality, I can see poor CM's being browbeaten because Little Johnny is crying because we didn't win a cool prize, or other such nonsense.

I think I'm feeling a little too jaded this morning, but I just have this bad feeling that there will be a significant number of guests who will be disappointed if they don't get one of those million dreams.

I hope I'm off base on this.


And how many points per night is that Castle Suite anyway?

 

[bobbiwoz]

How many people will spend the year trying to be inconspicuously off by themselves so the crowd envy doesn't happen?

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

Not only a nightmare for the CM's but has WAY too much room for "cahootinizing" if you know what I mean!

 

[Judy WI]

I had wondered about the same thing. How do you pick one out of a large group of people - and not have the rest attach the poor CM. And heaven help them in keeping an excepted mix of people. Very hard to make everyone happy. Thought maybe they would do a computer thing with the ticket machines and pull people aside when they were "picked".

 

[CarolA]

CMs do this KNOW! I don't think it is going to be a problem.

CMs give out the Magical Moments certificates, they pick folks for parades, they pick folks to open the park, they give out "fast passes" etc..... I think the majority of CMs can do this in the way it's intended.

(And I expect that the loudest complaints about NOT getting prizes will come from DVC members and AP holders as "proof" that "Disney doesn't love us" where the "I paid for Magic" mentality is most rampant!)

 

[Fitswimmer]

I hope I'm wrong, but does anyone else see this as being a nightmare for CM's?

It's going to be awful for them. Good grief, you've seen on these boards how people get when the least little thing doesn't go their way, or when they don't get something that they feel they are entitled to. There was a post not long ago where somebody complained because a CM didn't say "Welcome Home"! Can you imagine the griping and whining about this??

There has to be a better way to make this happen than by putting it all on the CM's.

 

[spiceycat]

I agreed - even back in 90's - when they were having the 10th anniversary - and the computer picked the winners going through the ticket entry.

you should have seem the complaining....

we heard because for some reason mother won just about every time. Now I didn't but she did.

 

[ADP]

I really don't think it's going to be handled that way. I have read on a few websites that Cast Member protocol for the contest has been well defined. Part of the procedure for awarding prizes to guests will be Cast Members tapping someone on the shoulder and taking them to an area where there is little public interaction if any at all.

If I were a Cast Member during this contest I would absolutely love handing out these prizes to random guests just to see there reaction. I think it's a great opportunity for them to do something extrordinary.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I really don't know how to say this and be politically correct and I also don't want anyone to get the wrong impression, but does an average, non-minority family with kids that aren't "child" aged even stand a chance? I just feel like the guidelines given to CM's will require them to target certain groups: minorities, disabled persons, young families, etc. because I feel Disney as a whole, really tries to be PC. I'm not saying one group doesn't deserve it more than another, but as a family that has always just "blended into the woodwork", I would like to think we would at least have a chance. Heck, I'd be happy just to get one of the FastPasses!

In general, my family has always been polite, my kids are well-behaved and always patiently wait their turn when going on rides or meeting characters, just take one of something to make sure everyone gets one, pick things up that have been dropped and hand them back to the owner, etc...these are the types of things I would like a CM to notice. You know, just the little things in life that we do everyday without even thinking about it, that help build character.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I really don't know how to say this and be politically correct and I also don't want anyone to get the wrong impression, but does an average, non-minority family with kids that aren't "child" aged even stand a chance? I just feel like the guidelines given to CM's will require them to target certain groups: minorities, disabled persons, young families, etc. because I feel Disney as a whole, really tries to be PC. I'm not saying one group doesn't deserve it more than another, but as a family that has always just "blended into the woodwork", I would like to think we would at least have a chance. Heck, I'd be happy just to get one of the FastPasses!

Try being a non-minority, child-free adult-we don't have a prayer!

This is exactly why the CM driven option is a problem. You're going to have institutionalized and unintentional bias towards specific types of guests.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I agree with that logic as well. Being an aging white couple who are empty nesters means this is going to be a non-event like many others at WDW are for us.

 

[Groucho]

One of the rumors I read (don't remember where, but one of those Disney sites that are about 75% complaining and 25% legit "insider" news) was that they were actually taking the decision-making process away from the CMs. The CMs would give them out, but the actual recipient would be someone who was in a specific place at a specific time, no matter who they are.

I don't buy that, even if the CMs do the picking, that it'd only go to people who fit a certain "look" or who have kids the correct age. I'd like to think that Disney doesn't work that way (and what I've experienced first-hand and read about bears that out.) They're not casting a commercial, after all.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Okay Fitswimmer and Diane -- I'm going to get FastPasses using our AP's, tap you on the shoulder, and give them to you. Ha ha...we might just have to spread our own magic, eh?

 

[Sammie]

One of the rumors I read (don't remember where, but one of those Disney sites that are about 75% complaining and 25% legit "insider" news) was that they were actually taking the decision-making process away from the CMs. The CMs would give them out, but the actual recipient would be someone who was in a specific place at a specific time, no matter who they are.

I don't buy that, even if the CMs do the picking, that it'd only go to people who fit a certain "look" or who have kids the correct age. I'd like to think that Disney doesn't work that way (and what I've experienced first-hand and read about bears that out.) They're not casting a commercial, after all.

This is what I was told also, such as the certain number guest to purchase a turkey leg. The CMs will do the presenting but they are not doing the choosing.

 

[Sammie]

I think I'm feeling a little too jaded this morning, but I just have this bad feeling that there will be a significant number of guests who will be disappointed if they don't get one of those million dreams

But isn't that the way with all contests. Not everyone is going to win and therefore some are going to be disappointed.

I guess if it truly bothers someone they can avoid WDW this year.

 

[Sammie]

CMs do this KNOW! I don't think it is going to be a problem.

CMs give out the Magical Moments certificates, they pick folks for parades, they pick folks to open the park, they give out "fast passes" etc..... I think the majority of CMs can do this in the way it's intended.

(And I expect that the loudest complaints about NOT getting prizes will come from DVC members and AP holders as "proof" that "Disney doesn't love us" where the "I paid for Magic" mentality is most rampant!)

Oh Carol, that is the best comment yet. I do wonder if present DVC members can win the DVC membership?

 

[paulh]

the way i look at it if the cast member gives out a prize they dont even know what it is,it will be in a sealed envolope for the lucky winner to open.As most will be fastpasses the cast members themselfs will be surpised when its a big winner.This takes away the temtation for the cast member to cherry pick who they give a big prize to
Paulh

 

[Buckalew11]

I would love to be the person handing out the prizes. That would be soo cool!

People just need to grow up and be happy for others. The entitlement attitude drives me crazy.

Last Oct. I was given a MM Lemon Ice frozen dessert in AK at the end of the day. Saved me what? 2 bucks or something? I was the happy person in the AK. I even had mom take my pic with that freebie! LOL There is a lot of magic in WDW and if it isn't coming to you then spread it to someone else!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

LOL There is a lot of magic in WDW and if it isn't coming to you then spread it to someone else!

I agree with this completely!!! We give away FastPasses we can't use, give up seats on the bus, etc. Like I said earlier in this thread...it's the little things we do for others that make us a better person. How can that not be a win-win situation?

 

[disneyfansmandl]

Hello,

While I agree people will complain (people are still people even at Disneyworld or Disneyland) I think the castmembers will be just fine. We had AP's for Disneyland for 10 years until last year (we moved to Boise, ID) and in that time we experienced several castmembers who would go out of their way to make our trip special. For example, my wife lost a pin back and lost one of those Coca Cola limited pins. She and I looked all over for it and a CM said he saw one in an employee lounge. He acually asked where we would be in an hour and tracked us down and traded my wife for another pin. Great service comes from great CM's no matter whether it is year of a million dreams or not.