Really Bothered at Star Tours

[The Empress Lilly]

I nearly tagged you when this thread popped up. Yeah, the CM shoulda stayed on theme. No he wasn't offensive.

Your intuition is spot in. Indeed, this subject has been a bit of a slight annoyance to me too. I never really post about it for fear of sounding unsympathetic. Or, rather: being unsympathetic, for I care more about being than appearing.

But I wouldn't want to waste this swell opportunity to wind up my dear @BuddyThomas . =D

'Unsympathetic', because I believe a lot of these CM's do have their heart in the right place, or simply get carried away. Or, more banal, simply got bored when it turned out by week three that unskilled, repetitive labour is still just that even when performed at Disney. However, such nuance would get in the way of my first world rant, so here goes:

Can we please be refrained from your amateur theater antics? You are part of a scripted show. With you being an extra. Just because the director is not present doesn't mean the extras should take center stage. All the scares and frights by overly enthusiastic CM's at ToT got old real soon, the ride and atmosphere itself not so much. And that at least tries to add to rather than replace theme and mood. Unlike those CMs at Thunder who mistook a 19th century Western mine for 'cheap beach resort' and kept trying to whip the audience into a frenzy of foot-stomping rooting and hollering. Which left me riding my fav ride with a train full of clapping and chanting guests. Which at least only lasted three minutes, twenty-seven less than the screaming, rowdy audience ruining my relaxed chill coffee moment once whipped into a frenzy by a local crowd control CM when waiting for the parade.

Disney may not be a theater, but it is also not Spring Break Cancun either.

 

[ChesterKiwi]

It's understandable to be a little irritated by the CM taking you out of the constructed universe you're supposed to be in. I can see where that comes from and I agree that the CM was not doing the best job of being a "flight attendant" for Star Tours. However, I think making this big of a deal about it is way too much. People are going to make mistakes and holding a grudge against everyone who doesn't hold up to your expectations is just going to leave you sour. It's better to just move on.

 

[Incomudro]

I'm not defending mediocrity. I assume that Disney employees on ride duty are allowed to "perform" from a strict script to begin with. If this kid went off script, he will eventually be reprimanded. But regardless, this is so not a big deal that the fact that this is a thread is mind blowing. Kill me now. A ride operator was enthusiastic! Let's do everything we can to get him fired because he ruined less than 90 seconds of your vacation. Please. Let's all get a grip.

I agree.
The OP kind of went off his original post to now say that his or her problem was with the cast member breaking character.
That wasn't my read of the op's first post.
Now, while love a cast member who plays in character (wish they did more of it really) like we see at ToT and HM.
I just take this as a non issue, and something I personally wouldn't have even thought about.
I'd have had fun with it and laughed.

 

[Incomudro]

It's understandable to be a little irritated by the CM taking you out of the constructed universe you're supposed to be in. I can see where that comes from and I agree that the CM was not doing the best job of being a "flight attendant" for Star Tours. However, I think making this big of a deal about it is way too much. People are going to make mistakes and holding a grudge against everyone who doesn't hold up to your expectations is just going to leave you sour. It's better to just move on.

^^ This is what I was trying to say ^^

 

[Matt_Black]

Maybe the CM in question was having an off-day at work. Who here gives their best all the time at work every single day? I know I don't. Not to say that I don't work hard (some co-workers have taken to calling me "Beast Mode", and no they're not being ironic), but there are times when I don't fully apply myself for a variety of reasons.

 

[durhay]

A lot of people are getting all worked up for nothing trying to shut down the OP for "getting all worked up for nothing."

 

[ChesterKiwi]

A lot of people are getting all worked up for nothing trying to shut down the OP for "getting all worked up for nothing."

That doesn't make their points any less valid.

 

[Sans Souci]

That doesn't make their points any less valid.

It doesn't make the OP's feelings less valid, either. He posted his feelings and people decided to take incorrect leaps of logic, so they could flog him. I don't see how this is any different than someone posting they had a poor meal at a popular restaurant on property.

 

[Lucky]

I don't mind cheering and clapping on command...

Spoiler

...if I'm at a taping of "Family Feud."

 

[Goofyernmost]

The more I have thought about the situation, the more I think I understand what the OP was saying, to a degree. I do think that if the job of the CM is to maintain that fantasy, this guy failed a whole lot in trying to be a cheerleader or taking on the sole responsibility of "cheering people up". I also am aware that many people are uncomfortable with people forcing a mood on them. I'm one of them. I like things, sometimes a lot, but, my personality does not let me whoop it up or get so involved emotionally that I physically get involved with the action. In an attraction like Star Tours, I can enjoy just being in it, but, I could never get all emotionally fired up over it.

That said, I think that getting excessively bothered by something like that in a theme park is a waste of energy and time. However, I am quite mellow about things like that. It never bothers me any longer then the event actually goes on. Once it stops I usually just forget about it.

 

[Dartha Stewart]

Reminds me of a bit that comedian Dane Cook did on the art of cheering up crowds:

"Comedy crowds - we always want to come out and ask you, 'How you feeling?' We always say that, 'By a round of applause, how do you feel?' Right? 'By a round of applause, how you feeling?' It's the only place in the world that you judge how you're feeling by a round of applause... There's never like a car accident, people all over the ground, people running over - 'Ma'am! Ma'am! By a round of applause, how do you feel? By a round of applause - she's not clapping!!"

 

[copcarguyp71]

OP needs to either not be so serious or just stay home and watch YouTube ride-throughs.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

Guess the OP hadn't been to AK prior to DHS...

 

[Incomudro]

Reminds me of a bit that comedian Dane Cook did on the art of cheering up crowds:

"Comedy crowds - we always want to come out and ask you, 'How you feeling?' We always say that, 'By a round of applause, how do you feel?' Right? 'By a round of applause, how you feeling?' It's the only place in the world that you judge how you're feeling by a round of applause... There's never like a car accident, people all over the ground, people running over - 'Ma'am! Ma'am! By a round of applause, how do you feel? By a round of applause - she's not clapping!!"

And that's why Dane Cook wasn't funny.

 

[Matt_Black]

And that's why Dane Cook wasn't funny.

As painfully unfunny as he is, I will begrudgingly admit that his performance in the Planes franchise is serviceable. Not GOOD, mind you, but also not terrible.

 

[Princess_AmyK]

 

[EOD K9]

I get everyone's points, but I can't resist this one.

 

[Dartha Stewart]

And that's why Dane Cook wasn't funny.

He was never meant to be funny. I think he just likes to vent while pacing back & forth in front of audiences.

 

[TheGenXer]

Ironically, one reason the cast members tell such corny, innocuous jokes is to keep people from being offended since anything slightly left or right of center will lead to some overly sensitive person being outraged, eventually.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Ironically, one reason the cast members tell such corny, innocuous jokes is to keep people from being offended since anything slightly left or right of center will lead to some overly sensitive person being outraged, eventually.

Well, I for one am outraged that today's society will not let me be a strong adult. It reminds me of a meme I saw the other day. It said basically,... 60 years ago 18 year olds were running onto a beach in France, facing death and mutilation in the name of bravery and freedom. Today 18 year olds have to have a safe house to protect them from a comment that hurts their freaking feelings. I fear for our future.