Angry Disney Employee Fail - at Carousel of Progress

[1stStarIC2nite]

Cast member's fault. Period. This is not how you deal with a situation like this. I hope several people asked to see the manager or went to guest relations because of this.

Oh yes, it's the CM's fault people left. Which is why he said, "everyone, you should probably leave. This is going to take awhile. We aren't trying to resolve the situation at all." :brick:

It's a matter of following instructions. Put yourself in his shoes. The guests didn't understand that the ride cannot continue until everyone was seated. That's not a hard concept.

Things like this happen all the time, and people wonder why so many accidents happen.

 

[EvanAnderson]

Although he should have been nicer about it, it must have been so frustrating. I'm pretty sure outside the theater doors are pressure mats that stop the carousel if they're stepped on. My guess is that maintenance was in the middle of resetting and needed a certain amount of time, and each time someone exited and triggered the mats, they had to start all over again. I bet if everyone remained seated for 5-10 minutes, it would have been resolved.

 

[AdventurersClub]

Cast member should have called security.

 

[Ignohippo]

This is absolutely Guest = Fail

What I think people are missing is that we don't know how many times or how long he had been working to get people to sit down already. The person videotaping obviously saw something developing before he began shooting.

It appears to me the people leaving more than likely do not understand English. Perhaps Disney needs to install multi-lingual signage on the side walls that can be illuminated when this happens.

IMO, if an incident happens like this more than once, the ride should be emptied.

It reminds me of an incident I had when I was the manager of a roller coaster years ago. We had an enormous male (and I mean HUGE) being completely rude and obnoxious in line and making everyone miserable. We warned him multiple times to quiet down and he never would. Started screaming obscenities to us. I very politely asked him and his girlfriend to come to the front of the line to be next to ride. He thought he was getting a real treat. I put him in the train, locked his harness, and let everyone else off the train while we waited for security to come and collect him. The entire queue house erupted in cheers and laughter as he sat, locked in the train waiting for security.

Too bad they can't make an announcement that the doors are locked (even though they aren't).

 

[wdwfan22]

You aren't understanding. They can't do that.

You're blaming the cast member as though it was his fault. It wasn't. The fault lies with the people that are too good or aren't mentally capable enough to stay seated. His job isn't to escort those who got bored of the show out of the theater, it's his job to keep everyone within the building for their own safety.

Removing yourself from CoP is just as dangerous as removing yourself from Splash Mountain. It is a MOVING and OPERATING RIDE SYSTEM, and it is absolutely mandatory that you stay seated for the well-being of yourself and others.

It irritates you when you notice someone leaving the theater, doesn't it? If it can irritate you, then it can irritate the poor guy standing at the beginning of the ride. You would be pretty f*cking ed if ten people consecutively left the theater every couple of hours, too.

I'm not blaming anyone, I'm simply saying the Cast Member did nothing for Guest safety. The procedure doesn't work and that is Disney's fault. Guests will continue to exit when they choose to. They need another procedure in place for them to exit safely. YELLING over and over again to sit down doesn't do it.

 

[menamechris]

I'm not blaming anyone, I'm simply saying the Cast Member did nothing for Guest safety. The procedure doesn't work and that is Disney's fault. Guests will continue to exit when they choose to. They need another procedure in place for them to exit safely. YELLING over and over again to sit down doesn't do it.

I am actually not sure what else the cast member could have done. I do agree that his approach was probably counter-productive. A pre-recorded announcement would be appropriate for CoP. People respond to a "voice of authority" that a pre-recorded announcment provides, as opposed to a clearly frustrated young cast member yelling into a microphone.

I think someone else may have had the right idea that security should have been called and waiting for the disruptive guests. Whether they were ejected, or given a stern warning, it would have been appropriate.

 

[amejr999]

Guest fail. CM could use some elocution training, though-- shouting into a PA system is not a good idea.

 

[rct247]

It seems to me that most people who think the CM handled this wrong are the people who are not and have never been CMs, or at least attractions CMs. He very likely couldn't enter the theater for one reason or another. If one of my indoor rides breaks, I can NOT enter the ride (at the risk of termination) to begin evacuating without managerial consent and without shutting down and locking up the ride system and taking the key with me, and leaving my ID so everyone knows I'm inside. CoP is a show, yes, but it's also a moving ride, and anything that moves is operated VERY differently from a show. At the Tiki Room, sure, a CM can just go in and tell everyone to leave. But at CoP, everything changes because it is, in fact, a ride, with moving parts, and people can be injured if they enter/exit when they're not supposed to. Obviously they can't begin ride motion if someone has one foot in the moving theater and one on the stationary ground outside.

I was at Small World a few months ago and a CM yelled at a guest because he exited his vehicle early into a restricted area by climbing through ropes. It may seem like nothing because the ride has no lapbars, but had he lost his balance and fallen into the track, he could have been seriously injured by the wires in the water or by the moving belts or the pumps, or might even have drowned. Or he could have been hurt even if he fell back into the boat.




Definitely. If guests are misbehaving, and continue to do so after you tell them not to, you do have to raise your tone, because people are more likely to listen if you sound more serious and threatening. Using the soft-to-stern method is pretty common with Parade Audience Control, you'll notice. And I probably would have been pretty ed off too if I was that guy. CMs are people too, and I get angry sometimes.

First off, in the video there are two different people who come on the PA making announcements. I recognize both voices. The second is a regular CM. The first is a coordinator. The first does normally handling situations like this a bit on the rough side, but usually it is not without warrant. What the video does not capture is when the situation first starts to take place and how long the offenders had been doing so causing the show to be disrupted. At the start point of the video, there has probably been a period of time that has already passed. The CMs probably started out more calm, but as people are not following instructions in both English and Spanish, there does become a point where rough announcements like this must be made.

As the poster above pointed out, there are certain procedures that are in place on how to handle a situation like this. Although I do not know these procedures, I do know that the CMs can watch monitors of each theater and address situations via PA system. Once a guest exits and alarm is sounds and motion is stopped. If people continue to stand up and exit, the show cannot continue effectively trapping other guests. A manager has to be the one to make the call to have a CM stop the show and remove a guest or guests. The situation would require the entire attraction to be powered down. The amount of time to do this would probably cause more guests to exit not listening to instructions, so more than likely CMs would have to completely empty the building which ruins the experience for everyone and causes the entire attraction to be closed for a period of time while they evacuate and restart up the attraction. All of which is because people didn't follow instructions which are in place for their own safety.

I'm 110% on the CMs side on this one. No matter how demanding and annoying the PA announcements were, guests were clearly making it worse for everyone. ALWAYS LISTEN TO INSTRUCTIONS where you like it or not. They are there for a reason not to make you angry, not to suck the fun out of your trip, not to be mean. Oh, and don't think you are the exception, because there are no exceptions whether you have to use the bathroom, if you are bored, if you are scared or if you paid $5000 to get into the park.

All I can say is that if I were in that situation and I found a guest exiting when they were told not to, I would approach them and firmly tell them it was not ok in a firm tone even if it was not "Disney-esque". Safety is #1 and that triumphs over being kind and preserving the show for everyone else.

 

[redsfan4life]

Not a CM but I am on his side . He is trying to stop any unnecasary deaths or injuries . Yes the yelling probally did not help the sitution but telling them to remain seated for their safety was not either

 

[wdwfan22]

I guess the point that needs to be made, is that Disney's procedure currently in place for this attraction does NOT work. People are making excuses for the Cast Members and blamming the Guests. Forget about that. You will always have guests that will not follow the rules. There has to be a procedured in place to keep them from hurting themselfs and keep the show moving in a reasonable amount of time. Yelling over the PA and keeping the guests watching the same scene over and over again did nothing and in the end caused MORE guests to exit the attraction. So maybe Disney should relook into how to handle this.

 

[TalkingHead]

I bet anyone who is criticizing the CMs has never worked in the parks. If this is the CM I think it is, he's been working in the parks for several years, and I'd guess he's had his share of stupid guest behavior. He handled the situation as well as he could. As someone else said, if Disney wants to operate the attraction without a CM in each theater, then this is what is going to happen.

For people criticizing the CM's tone, would you prefer he politely (i.e. with a fake smile) ask people to remain seated please? Do you think the guests who were ignoring his instructions would have listened to him if he had used a "magical" tone of voice? I think a lot of guests think the rules don't apply to them, and they're at Disney World, so what's the worst that could happen? Use a more stern tone of voice. From the looks of things, it might not have been helping, but you can't say the CMs didn't try to correct the situation.

While we're on the subject, for what CMs have to deal with--situations like this, e.g.--they are massively underpaid. I don't think I ever worked a job that was as exhausting as the one I had at WDW, simply because you have to be on the lookout for idiot guest behavior all day long.

And I could be mistaken, but it sounded to me like the Spanish was being spoken by a second CM.

 

[TalkingHead]

I'm 110% on the CMs side on this one. No matter how demanding and annoying the PA announcements were, guests were clearly making it worse for everyone. ALWAYS LISTEN TO INSTRUCTIONS where you like it or not. They are there for a reason not to make you angry, not to suck the fun out of your trip, not to be mean. Oh, and don't think you are the exception, because there are no exceptions whether you have to use the bathroom, if you are bored, if you are scared or if you paid $5000 to get into the park.

All I can say is that if I were in that situation and I found a guest exiting when they were told not to, I would approach them and firmly tell them it was not ok in a firm tone even if it was not "Disney-esque". Safety is #1 and that triumphs over being kind and preserving the show for everyone else.

Exactly right.

 

[dr_teeth90210]

Idiot Guests. Idiot Cast Member. Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[TheBeatles]

Guests respond to loud and stern yelling at philharmagic better than actual talking over a microphone.

 

[kucarachi]

i remember one time we rode the C.O.P. and it was my newphews first time to disney world and the stupid ride would not rotate and then played the first scene 2 times...then the second scene 4 times i believe, and people were leaving left and right. We stayed thinking there is no way we'd ever take him on this again or that he'd want to and ended up spending another 20 to 25 min on it. It was hell on earth as far as being at an amusement park. When it breaks down like it usually does they should give you a chance to get off and actually enjoy working rides.

Im not saying the cast member was wrong or even think what he did was rude...but when your paying up the butt to go to disney and don't have a whole lot of time to get every ride in, you dont want an extra 20 min on something that is not the highlight of anybody's trip. My nephew was very good during the whole thing but he started yawning and it kind of took the wind out of our sails for an hour or two and taught us that the C.O.P. is only good if you need a break cause its very unpredictable as it breaks down almost every time we are on it.

 

[ob1thx1138]

I guess the point that needs to be made, is that Disney's procedure currently in place for this attraction does NOT work. People are making excuses for the Cast Members and blamming the Guests. Forget about that. You will always have guests that will not follow the rules. There has to be a procedured in place to keep them from hurting themselfs and keep the show moving in a reasonable amount of time. Yelling over the PA and keeping the guests watching the same scene over and over again did nothing and in the end caused MORE guests to exit the attraction. So maybe Disney should relook into how to handle this.

:sohappy:

 

[ob1thx1138]

For people criticizing the CM's tone, would you prefer he politely (i.e. with a fake smile) ask people to remain seated please? Do you think the guests who were ignoring his instructions would have listened to him if he had used a "magical" tone of voice? I think a lot of guests think the rules don't apply to them, and they're at Disney World, so what's the worst that could happen? Use a more stern tone of voice. From the looks of things, it might not have been helping, but you can't say the CMs didn't try to correct the situation.

The people that are going to disregard calm and cool verbal instructions will ignore them regardless of the tone. However the tone that was used in the recording will almost always provoke more people to want to take matters into their own hands and remove themselves from the hostile atmosphere. So in that situation his tone made matters worse and more than likely caused more people to leave than if he had kept his voice more cheerful and calm.

If in fact his only tool in this situation is to verbally instruct people to remain seated, then he needs to do so in a manner that will not escalate the situation.

If it is true that the people leaving made the reset have to start over then it should be standard procedure to only attempt a reset with guests on the attraction a minimum number of times. After that you are just going to get more and more people frustrated and moved to take matters into their own hands. An unrestrained person will only sit idly by for so long when there is a perfectly visible exit, especially if there is no real perceived threat. So you attempt the reset a couple times, and if people are still interrupting the reset procedure then you clear the attraction, reset it and allow guest back in.

 

[Skipper Dan]

Remember the scene in Jurassic Park when John Hammond is giving some sort of video presentation in a rotating theater? There were lapbars being used in the auditorium. Yet somehow Dr. Grant & company were able to bust open the restraints and leave the theater freely.

Tourists will find a way.

Dude, I was totally thinking that the whole time I was reading this thread!

I do understand the CM's frustration, I get it. I have a very low tolerance for simple-minded, inconsiderate, ignorant people, but still... come on. That was a little much. I agree with earlier posters, shut down the ride, and take care of the problem. I mean, if I had brought a friend or my girlfriend to the COP, and that was their first experience, I'd be very ticked, and unwilling to justify his actions. Even though I understand.

 

[Goofybynature]

Safety, Courtesy, Show and efficiency......

This is the order that we are taught by Disney to follow at all costs. Notice safety is number one. I'm sick and tired of all this "well that isn't very disney-esq" rubbish spouted by guests nowadays. Facts, remain facts. We give you these instructions for a distinct reason.... we aren't trying to be funny, we aren't trying to be a-holes about it, the rules are there for your safety!. If guests like these in the video are behaving in an unsafe manner, it puts not just your safety at risk but the CM's job too.... why you ask. We are audited for safety all the time and one slip up could mean a reprimand if not immediate expulsion from the company. I however understand somewhat if the guest doesn't speak very good English as most safety announcements are made in such a way. But when it boils down to it, because guests think by paying $100 per person, or whatever they pay, that they can do whatever they please and do whatever they want to do within that attraction and act like they own it. We as cm's (well at least in my attraction) all ways treat every guest with the same respect and decency, but there is a point where guests just become sheer defiant and refuse to do something we politely ask them not to do.... what do you think we should do? ignore it? let them get hurt? the answer every time for every cm is NO.

All CM's are good, nice, caring people. Disney wouldn't hire them otherwise. But we are all just people, and if some guests actions is putting my job at risk, you know I would of done the same thing.

 

[ScoutN]

Guest Relations "what is the problem, sir?"

Guest "the worker on that moving theatre ride told us we cannot leave the ride"

Guest Relations "Sir, for your safety you must remain seated on that attraction unless otherwise instructed by a Cast Member. It entails a rotating theatre that is capable of decapitating your worthless self if you do not listen."


Really people, Guest Relations will back up a CM when it comes to a safety violation as that. That CM kept his cool by far. Several would have called on the radio for security (as I have done at another park), that really throws a kink into someone's day.

Comments on how the CM is wrong from people who have never worked theme parks Ops causes me to :ROFL: