The Changing Face of Disneyland...

[Ronda_Rae]

Yes, I have had guests tell me to smile and stuff like that. I HATED IT!! Just 'cause maybe I wasn't smiling at that moment, doesn't mean I wasn't chipper. Where I worked, at some positions I would have so much going on, that you don't just stand there smiling while glancing through the crowd for shoes and small children. "Smile, you're in Disney World!" --- that is one of my most hated statements I was ever told.




And not saying her behavior is excusable, but sometimes, it seems there are just bad guest days. They have negative experiences, maybe with attraction down-times, long lines, full shows - and then they take it out on other people.

One of my best friends was working in a rather isolated position. Guests wanted to re-ride, and she simply asked that they walk around a poll about 2 feet away, rather than jumping over and under ropes. To this, a very tall, growling man (he was German, actually) stood over her, yelling, and calling her a Nazi. She did nothing to provoke it. He was escorted out of the park, and she ended up backstage in tears.

I guess we are all human, it's a two-way street, and some of us can control tempers and emotions better than others.

[ohboyohboy]

I would recommend that you contact the resort and let them know about your whole trip. It won't make your trip better, but maybe you will prevent another family from having the same bad experience that you had. Disney takes those comments very seriously.

i agree contact the disney co. best thing you could do.

[ismael flores]

Sorry you had such a bad time.

DO not let the incident go unnoticed, eventhough you did make a complain a city hall (hope it was in writing) follow it up with another written complain via e-mail at the resort website. Let them know how you feel.


Luckily i have never had any problems at the resort. Castmembers have been very nice and curtious. I am sure there are some that eventually have to have a bad day and do not know how to hold back whatever is fustrating them and not let it out on guests.


You also did come at a very busy time and guest could be quite bad and sometimes their is just so much a CM can take before exploding.
The large crowds could also be one of the reasons you noticed the maintenance problems. generally the place is kept very very clean but it doesn't take much to fill up trash cans and or kids dumping things in the waterways.

[iH8Strollers]

Yeah, going over Christmas has been a family tradition for a while now, but we have decided that we will never do that again. Next year we will shoot for January, or another time when it isn't so crowded.

thanks!!

[ismael flores]

oh by the way i do agree with you about the castmember placing her hand on your sisters shoulders. That is one thing that should never be done in any job.

There is no excuse for it and could not only get the person doing the touching in trouble but the company. It is called harrasment.

I think the lead (if there was one) should notice that one of its workers is having some issues. At this point a good leader would either move the worker so that he. she has as little interaction with guests or ask them to leave.

Any CM should realize that their job is to interact with guests and be as polite as possible. There are ways of handling things or saying things properly. When this guest commented to her about cheering up she should have left it at that. It was not only unprofessional but childish of her to retaliate and continue to Harrass the guest.

It is in peoples nature to have concern when someone seams unhappy or ill in place that is "Supposedly" the happiest place on earth.

It doesn't take much to burn off a couple calories and giving the guest a smile (and some people could use a few less calories) After all the guest that started the topic did respect the CM when they were asked to go to the front of the car

[Dodds]

I guess I feel that at the end of the day we are all human begins. There is no excuse for a cast member touching anyone, but as for the attitude, I think you have to understand that after a period of time where guest have probably mistreated the cast members, they can't help but to be a little edgy. Just walk away and don't comment on there attitude, it is really the best thing to do.

And look at it like this, would you make a comment like that if it were any where else, say a mall? To some cast members, the magic of the place is probably lessened due to the fact that they're there everyday and working. So to some extent, it probably feels more like an ordinary place to them than it does to you.

Some guest come in expecting that once they enter the resort, everything is different and everyday logic doesn't apply. The fact is, it's only an illusion that your in a completely different world. People still have bad days, have to put up with problems and get angry, the cast members are expected to keep as much of that away from the guests in order to keep the illusion going. Just because it's disneyland doesn't mean all of there problems just magically disappear and they should be happy all the time.

If I had to guess what makes a cast members like that explode, it would be that guests forget (as there supposes to) that the happiness is only an illusion and that people can in fact be unhappy as they are human beings just like the guests are. If someone came up to you after you were just yelled at by the cast member and told you to smile because it's disneyland, you would probably get made at them too. I guess what I am trying to say is that they are not the guards at Buckingham Palace, but people like you and me, it's there job to be as respectful as they can but don't hold it against them just because there not being super happy or curious on that particular day.

[iH8Strollers]

Ummmm No.

It's the happiest place on earth, they are supposed to be nice, it's their job.

Just like any other job, if you don't fulfill your obligations, or place your hands on a customer, you will and should be SACKED.

It's common in any kind of customer service job to require that you treat the customers in a certain way. I worked at Starbucks for 2 years, and it was very common for someone to be canned for being short or rude to a customer. It used to be that way at Disneyland, but things have changed. It's normal for someone to have a bad day, but if we let it effect our jobs and the way we address our clients, we won't be working there much longer.

The people who come to DLR are paying for a certain kind of advertised environment, and if someone wants to work there, they should deliver that.

Human Schmuman, they are employees as soon as they walk in that gate.

[Jennifer]

If the story is true, she most likely got some sort of demerit for her behavior. One incident does not get a cast member fired unless it is observed by management...etc. I know I would not want my job credibility to be based on one complaint made about me. It would be not fair since some people make up lies because they did not get something they wanted. I am not saying you did this, but guests will do it to "get back" at a cast member.

I am sorry you had such a terrible experience. As you said, do not go back if you feel you wasted $2000. I know I wouldn't...

[WallyBoag]

The attitude problem of the people working at the park, I think is more of a product of a generation of "slackers" than a Disneyland specific problem. Good service is extremely hard to find no matter where you go today. It's just more blatant when you go to Disneyland, a place that made a name for itself based on its service and see people like the one you encountered.

People feel entitled to everything now-a-days. Isn't it good enough that I push button make ride go? Now you want me to SMILE when I do it too? Isn't it bad enough that I have to seat people in an organized fashion on a ride? Now you want me to check to make sure the lap bars are locked too? Isn't it bad enough that I have to watch the trains as they go up the lifts, now you want me to pull a train because it's making a funny noise too?

I don't know what it is about Big Thunder either, but it seems to have a track record for the rudest, least safe, most complaining employees of anywhere in the park.

[ismael flores]

Having a bad day or having had a confrontation with someone else should not be an excuse for lack of respect or lack of being curtious to others.

Yes it is understandable, like i said earlier, to sometimes not have a good day but it is not an excuse to lash out at others.

A person telling someone to smile should not be a reason for anyone to get upset (when did this become bad?).
There are also ways of saying those same words. Some may say it in a friendly gesture, some might say it with sarchascam (spelling). This is when the peron getting the advise should be a bit upset but a person that deals with people all the time should know when to let things go. This CM should have known to let things go instead of creating a scene.

I have to agree with the poster that part of the Cm's duty is to keep the illusion that is being promoted. This is the rson they are considered CASTmembers compared to employees. They are part of a Cast -- a cast that is suppose to keep the illusion that everything is happy eventhough outside those gates chaos is destroying this world. Her reactions just created another chain reaction which at the end caused several guest to become upset. Her being pulled over to the side and several other bystanders being involved in the whole situation for no reason at all.


On Sunday (Christmas Eve) right before the Electrical parade a family got in front of another family that had been sitting in front of the BURRRBANk icecream having some icecream and relaxing while they waited for the parade. They had been there for over an hour (i know this because we were there for an hour and they had already been there) The man asked the other family to please move or sit down because they blocked the view of their child which had been excitedly awaiting the parade. the other family that had just pushed their way in reacted hastily and the father threatrened to fight the other man (really mature with a child in hand too)
we called a castmember they came got the story from us all, parade started they told the family that butted in to sit down (with a stearn but respectable voice twice) the man loudly told the CM to chill out and at first did not want to. She explained the reason for the request pointed out the children around and they complied, theparade started seconds later she walked away and stood nearby making sure they stayed down.

After the parade the CM aproached the family moved them aside and spoke to them. Handled the situation properly and everyone around had a very nice time.

This is exactly how a person that deals with thousands should handle situations instead the CM in the attraction not only started it but continued it for no reason at all.