Notes from the World, Jan 1-7, 2007

[wedway71]

Just wanted to put in my two cents...

Either I'm a very perceptive 18yo or I just see what everyone else sees, but I thought I would try to provide some insight if anybody can gather any from my post. :wave:

I was a CP last year and I was cast at Pleasure Island in Admissions... If you don't really know what that is, it's basically consists of training the cast member on the island to check IDs, supply hand stamps and wristbands, and keeping an accurate count of how many people are in a club at a given time... When you think about it, PI is not the most glamorous place to work at the World and it is very hard to create magic with people who aren't really going to remember it the next day...

Anyways, I went into work everyday (running and) believing that my job was to become the highlight of each guests day... to make them go home and say "Gee, that CM at PI was really swell!" Of course, I know that that's not going to happen, but that's besides the point.

I've had my share of rude guests... Specifically, ones that were furious that they actually needed a ticket to get into the clubs during our "special event weekend" (GayDays). He was becoming threatening to three other cast members and myself... We were actually scared he was going to hit one of us... and I being the closest one to him physically, I was the first to get mentally worried... In the end, a manager just gave him comps... And I can understand why because we had such a line of guests out of Motion it was insane...

Being at PI you get a range of guests from the really sweet sober ones to the really drunk scary ones. I used to have at least 3 or 4 CMs a night asking me why I'm so happy and why I care about this job if I don't get paid much blah blah blah... I used to tell them that it's my job to care... The guests are just that... they're guests and I think they should be treated like that... and most of the time, the response from the CM was that they don't get paid enough to care.

I think it's sad that a lot of Disney CMs just see it as a job. I also think that when you work for Disney it should be magical... We create memories for our guests that they can't get anywhere else. We MAKE the magic! I mean, what's more magical than that?

As for the college program, I do agree with PieBald. I know that most of the friends and roommates I had during the program saw it as a chance to party all the time and complained EVERY day when they got home. Needless to say, those weren't really the people I hung out with.

I think it's awesome when you can find a friend on the CP program that loves Disney as much as you and loves to go to the parks to just watch all the magic take place...

Now that I've finished my ramblings... I'm going to go make a sandwich. :wave:

It is CMS like you that make me enjoy every minute of my vacation-THANK YOU.
AS far as you manager comping the irate guy after you clearly went by the book-he was 100% wrong.Im in Mid level mgt with Target and have 17 years of management experience.He should have backed you and let the guest know not only did you do your job but he was thankful you did it so well.The angry guest wanted to getr into an event that was not free and all the others paid so he should tonce and a while WDW mgt does have to let people know its not a free for all at the kingdom.
And again Thank you:wave:

 

[Disney05]

First of all, there is NO excuse for being rude. I work in an industry that caters to people with A LOT of money, many millionaires. They are treated very well and still they'll sometimes be bitchy to you. Kill them with kindness. I've seen guests at the World be rude to CM's and I'm shocked. Yes we pay through the nose to visit but that gives us no right to complain about very minor things. Alright maybe we can complain but don't out a CM. If they really stopped to think about what they are complaining about they might just see it's no big deal. Just relax. Now that minimum wage is $7.15/hr, other than food servers, what does Disney pay?

 

[wedway71]

First of all, there is NO excuse for being rude. I work in an industry that caters to people with A LOT of money, many millionaires. They are treated very well and still they'll sometimes be bitchy to you. Kill them with kindness. I've seen guests at the World be rude to CM's and I'm shocked. Yes we pay through the nose to visit but that gives us no right to complain about very minor things. Alright maybe we can complain but don't out a CM. If they really stopped to think about what they are complaining about they might just see it's no big deal. Just relax. Now that minimum wage is $7.15/hr, other than food servers, what does Disney pay?

Has that 7.15 been officially changed?When and if it does WDW will have to pay at least that but will pay more to be competitive.

 

[juan]

the minimum wage bill still has to pass the senate and be signed by the president to up it to $7.15

__________________
While I believe that there is no excuse for a CM giving bad service, I think some of the problems faced by the OP can be blamed on the CP program. Fall CP's finished the 1-3rd and new ones started this passed week. Since CP's make up a large chunk of QSFB and operations, the CP transition could be why the staff was stretched so thin. I worked the 4th and we weren't up to staff due to all the CP's leaving. The bad service can be blamed on the exiting CP's wanting to go home and not really caring about their job any more.
___________________
The OP's incident at Coronado could have been isolated, because I stayed there the same week and had nothing but great service the entire time.

___________________
I think one problem with CM's is that they don't realize that some of the simplest gestures can make a guest's day. The simple, "Let me take a picture of all of you" works wonders. I comped ice cream for kids that had birthday buttons. I also kept a pocketful of fastpasses to surprise people that needed just a little magic in their day.
Things like this only took 20 seconds, but often changed the entire day for guests.

 

[Mr Disney]

It is CMS like you that make me enjoy every minute of my vacation-THANK YOU.
AS far as you manager comping the irate guy after you clearly went by the book-he was 100% wrong.Im in Mid level mgt with Target and have 17 years of management experience.He should have backed you and let the guest know not only did you do your job but he was thankful you did it so well.The angry guest wanted to getr into an event that was not free and all the others paid so he should tonce and a while WDW mgt does have to let people know its not a free for all at the kingdom.
And again Thank you:wave:

You're welcome! I like to wave :wave: lol

 

[patricia27]

Last summer my husband was so ready to complain about a cast member who was so grumpy when he asked for some extra milk in his coffee-- she tried to say there wasn`t any --yet there was a whole lot in the fridge.
I always start every interaction with cast members with a smile,eye contact and respect. We found the bus drivers so helpful and willing to go that bit extra-- we had waited ages for a bus to Old Key West Resort-- then the driver for Port Orleons stopped and said I`m going your way I`ll drop you off !! What great guest service!!
P.S Does anyone know the dates for the 2007 Star Wars Weekends.

 

[Disney05]

Has that 7.15 been officially changed?When and if it does WDW will have to pay at least that but will pay more to be competitive.

Up here in NY the minimum wage went to $7.15/hr as of Jan 1st. I guess it's different in every state.

 

[goof29]

If the minimum wage bill passes the Senate, it will take a scheduled 26 months for the increases to reach $7.25.

 

[Northgurl24]

I agree with a lot of the CP's that have posted here. I too was a CP and I tried everyday to make people happy. I mean come on, you are at the Happiest Place on Earth, so why not be happy.
I also do agree that there are A LOT of unhappy guests out there who try to find every little thing wrong and take it out on CM's. I have people try to yell and even hit me because their kid isnt tall enough to ride!! I was also over at LMA during the holidays and the show closed to capacity and I actually had a guest hit a fellow castmember! I have never seen anything like that in my life.
When people are nice to me and make me happy while at work I usually try and thank them by either letting them ride again or giving them fastpasses. Having a simple conversation with me made the day completely different.
*just a note, if you see a CM doing something above and beyond please go tell someone. that is the best thing a guest can do for a CM*

 

[Bratstarman]

I think this is wandering from the points I made...

I think my comments are being interpreted as a criticism of all cast members, and that is not true. We experienced many wonderful cast members at Dworld this visit. Please let me make three clarifying points:

1) The average quality of CMs appears to be declining. I think this is because the number of poor cast members is increasing. If anything, the good ones seem to be getting better, but they are becoming fewer.

2) The number of castmembers in key areas appears to be decreasing, making folks overworked and more stressed. One person to direct outgoing traffic in the Epcot parking lot is kind of silly.

3) Guests continue to be very abusive to CMs and over time that will only decrease the quality of the "immersive experience" for us all.

To my mind, the combination of 1, 2, and 3 leads to a train wreck down the road. I think Disney is trying to approach these problems with technology - we shall see if it works.

 

[Mr Disney]

I think my comments are being interpreted as a criticism of all cast members, and that is not true. We experienced many wonderful cast members at Dworld this visit. Please let me make three clarifying points:

1) The average quality of CMs appears to be declining. I think this is because the number of poor cast members is increasing. If anything, the good ones seem to be getting better, but they are becoming fewer.

2) The number of castmembers in key areas appears to be decreasing, making folks overworked and more stressed. One person to direct outgoing traffic in the Epcot parking lot is kind of silly.

3) Guests continue to be very abusive to CMs and over time that will only decrease the quality of the "immersive experience" for us all.

To my mind, the combination of 1, 2, and 3 leads to a train wreck down the road. I think Disney is trying to approach these problems with technology - we shall see if it works.

I hate technology...

Please press 1 for Disney's Blu-Ray Discs
Please press 2 for Disney DVD and VHS Video
Please press, please press...

I just want to talk to a live cast member!

 

[smk]

INDY???? HIYA FROM FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP:wave:

Lawrence Township. GO COLTS!

 

[dreamscometrue]

There are great cast members and there are poor cast members, but the fact is still that Disney is still the single largest one site employer in the country ( world?). Or atleast thats what I remember hearing. As a cast memeber I think I do and great job. And I know alot of other cast members who are incredible. But unfortunately not everyone in the world can be great nor incredible. Maybe everyone should give Disney a break, or move down here and work and change it. I would love if disney raised their hiring standards, but then you would complain as hotels had to close and everything changes with not enough castmembers to run the parks. I know some cast members are less than stellar, but alot of them are made that way by the guest, Sometimes they can be absolutly horrible.

I don't know, I love my job and have a large group of friends whom loe their jobs as well. I just wish we could all get along.

I'm not sure about all getting along and there are issues with CMs as there are with employees everywhere, but being a nice guest goes a long way in many instances. During every trip, I've witnessed some moron yelling at a CM (and often his/her own family members). I'm always thanking CMs for what they do, I tip frequently and often give little note cards (made up before we leave home) thanking CMs for helping us have a Magical vacation. I know in my job, I hear 1 'thanks' for every 5 'angry cursing adults'. The 'Thank You' can make my day or week.

 

[disneymonger]

My thoughts

I'm going to address several issues in my reply, since I frequent the parks several times a year.

Cast member issues
There is such an increase in the amount of CMs who are in the college program, and a majority of them seem to come from south of the border. When I was there in January of 2006, pretty much every CM I encountered had a Brazilian flag on their name tag. Now, I live in Miami and experience some very rude people from South of the Border. I don't know why they would go and work for a place where customer service is supposed to be the most important thing if the pay is so bad and they have no intention of living up to the Disney name:brick: . A thank you goes a very long way! When I go to WDW I am so excited and couldn't be happier and not an ounce of bad attitude follows me to the parks. These guests who mistreat the CMs are obviously unhappy being in WDW and want to make sure everyone knows it. CMs are there to help the guests and of course CMs are going to be less than thrilled to be nice and helpful to people who treat them poorly. It is these hardworking individuals who keep the parks clean and help make many vacations memorable. Without these people, you'd have to find out for yourself what time the 8:00 parade starts...:dazzle: It is simply a combination of unhappy guests and unhappy CMs that are bringing everything down. I am one of those guests that always thanks every CM who offers me any type of assistance...I know their jobs are stressful and hard and giving them a sense of appreciation could help them understand why they do what they do in the first place.

Monorail issues
I have been in the first car several times and everyone is right - sometimes you will get a driver who knows all the details about the monorail system and other times you'll get a driver who doesn't want to talk at all.

I'm leaving on Friday to WDW and will make sure to post a bulletin of what I've seen. Hopefully my vacation will not be filled with poor customer service and awkward CM moments.

 

[packwingfn]

I think it's awesome when you can find a friend on the CP program that loves Disney as much as you and loves to go to the parks to just watch all the magic take place...

When I join the College Program down in the Fall, I hope I find someone obsessed over Disney as me so we can have fun finding all the hidden mickeys, go on all the tours, explore the hotels etc. I mean I like to party but it's not the reason why I'm going down there. I love everything to do with Disney and I would love to create some magic while I'm down there too.

And I also HATED how much christmas music was still being played in most of the parks up until Sunday the 7th. But there was still plenty of christmas music in Epcot, and Main Street and it seemed like the same 3 songs. However by Sunday the 7th, I noticed the music in Adventureland, Frontier etc were all back to normal and my hotel too at least

 

[Jazmine's man]

You get what you pay for. Why would a young teen whose only working for 6 months put a lot of effort and time into their job for next to nothing. Self satification and pride in ones work doesn't exist anymore. The saying goes" Show me the money". Truely applies. Sad but true. And that is Disneys fault. Not the cast workers.

 

[thisisnotanexit]

i'm glad to hear someone else comment on this. i thought i was just being trivial haha. service, for probably the past 2 years, has slowly gone down hill. that is part of the magic, and i hope that magic doesn't fade completely. however, i do appreciate all of the wonderful workers that can still be found there :sohappy:

 

[Mr Disney]

When I join the College Program down in the Fall, I hope I find someone obsessed over Disney as me so we can have fun finding all the hidden mickeys, go on all the tours, explore the hotels etc. I mean I like to party but it's not the reason why I'm going down there. I love everything to do with Disney and I would love to create some magic while I'm down there too.

And I also HATED how much christmas music was still being played in most of the parks up until Sunday the 7th. But there was still plenty of christmas music in Epcot, and Main Street and it seemed like the same 3 songs. However by Sunday the 7th, I noticed the music in Adventureland, Frontier etc were all back to normal and my hotel too at least

I'm going down VERY soon so I'll prolly be down there... and I am OBSESSED and LOVE to go every day on my days off... not to mention I have friends in GR... haha :slurp:

 

[Mr Disney]

however, i do appreciate all of the wonderful workers that can still be found there :sohappy:

And we appreciate all of the happy and thankful guests that come to the parks and resorts! :wave:

 

[MnDisneyFan]

We took our family to Disney last April/May 2006. My kids had a blast. ages 20-17-15-12-8. First time for 3 of them. We had a great time. If we had an rude CM I don't remember any way because the good memories out weighed the bad.

We may have come in contact with some fellow posters while visiting the parks, If we did again, I would like to say. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

How do I know we had a great time? Because everyone of my kids came up to me and said "Thanks Dad" And it wouldn't have happened without GREAT CAST MEMBERS !!!!!!!

I look forward to our next trip in a few weeks.