Respecting Cast Members

[Chef Mickey]

I think cast members are better than they've ever been, but not everyone seems to agree. I was just at WDW last week and have nothing but positive feedback.

I think some of the negative experiences are a result of how the guests treat the cast members.

Here are some things I make sure I do every time I interact with a cast member and other things to keep in mind before you think they did a terrible job.

1) Greet them if approaching a cast member with a question.

• Examples: "Hello!" "Hi there!" "How are you today?" Don't just walk up to them and say, "Hey, where is Space Mountain?" or "When is the parade?"

2) Make eye contact. Take off your sunglasses, particualrly indoors if you're communicating with them. Don't just talk the other way and turn your head while directing a question in their general direction.

3) Thank them for their help and say please if you're asking for something.

4) Have realistic expectations. These people are trying their best, in general. If you ask them to give you a full refund because you were not seated until 20 minutes after your reservation (saw a woman demand this), expect that they won't do that.

5) Mistakes happen. Give them a chance to fix it and ask politely.

6) Remember, many of these people are essentially kids. Don't yell and scream when you don't get your way.

7) Respect their time and personal space. Don't get in their face, yell, or argue with them when they have a job to do. If you don't like the answer, take it up with guest services.

8) Be a human! Be kind to people who are doing a job for very little pay, are on their feet all day, and are dealing with thousands of people every day. If a cast member waves to you, wave back!

9) Make your kids respect cast members and costumed cast members too. Don't let kids scream and yell at characters. Make them understand they have other kids to see and they can't take 10 minutes with Mickey.

10) Remember, cast members are there to help but they are not miracle workers. Don't treat them like your personal slave.

Honestly, I just don't see it. I'm amazed at what the cast members do for the amount they are paid. They more than often go above and beyond and I can count on one hand the number of bad experiences I've had in 60+ trips to Disney.

 

[Mickey5150]

I complete agree. One thing I have learned in life is that if you ever work in any sort of service industry you seem to have a different perspective on the customer service around you. Of course I pretty laid back when it comes to things, nothing while on vacation is the end of the world. Relax and enjoy life.

 

[carriehpotter]

I agree 100% with everything you said. It really seems like more and more people are complaining about CMs, but I haven't seen this dip in quality that everyone else has, either. If anything, I've had some of the best CM experiences in the last few years. Sure, sometimes things go wrong or it's clear that a CM is having a bad day. Hey, I've been there, done that (worked a retail job for a year), so I completely get it and make sure to thank the CM even more than usual. I still think that Disney CMs, and especially WDW CMs, are the best in the business.

Nine times out of ten, you get back what you give. If you give a smile, a please, and a genuine thank you, then you'll most likely get the best out of that Cast Member.

 

[PurpleDragon]

I have always gone out of my way to be friendly and talkative with cast members. I did my fair share of working customer service in and out of theme parks here in GA, I know what its like to sit out in the hot sun all day and deal with rude people. That's why I'm always kind and friendly with cast members and I try to joke and put a smile on their face just as they do for guests, they go above and beyond everyday to make people's day more magical, they deserve a little kindness and positive feed back.

Heck, on our last visit we had a couple of cast members who went out of their way to make our 8 year old son feel special, so each time this happened we made it a point to go up to Guest Relations and tell them how great of a job that particular cast member was doing.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I agree 100% with everything you said. It really seems like more and more people are complaining about CMs, but I haven't seen this dip in quality that everyone else has, either. If anything, I've had some of the best CM experiences in the last few years. Sure, sometimes things go wrong or it's clear that a CM is having a bad day. Hey, I've been there, done that (worked a retail job for a year), so I completely get it and make sure to thank the CM even more than usual. I still think that Disney CMs, and especially WDW CMs, are the best in the business.

Nine times out of ten, you get back what you give. If you give a smile, a please, and a genuine thank you, then you'll most likely get the best out of that Cast Member.

I think a perceived dip in quality is almost directly proportional to a dip in the guest's behavior that perceives the poor service. Guest behavior is definitely near an all time low.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I agree completely. I always try and make sure I'm nice and respectful to Cast Members.

 

[Soarin2u]

Agreed. I also go out of my way to talk to them and ask them questions about where they work or what they're favorite attraction is. Not only am I beautifully bombarded with facts when I ask about their location but, when they tell me their favorite attraction, they'll give a very passionate answer. Going out of your way to be friendly with cast members shows why their so amazing.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'm always conversing with CM's and over the years have had very few issues where I'm unhappy with them. I havent seen very many cases where I would say guests mistreated them. When guests have gone overboard I've thought the CM's have handled themselves properly, with professionalism and great restraint. I look at them as others just like me trying to do their job, bring home a paycheck and get through their day. They are no less deserving of my respect and decency than any worker I come into contact with anywhere at home. I only wish they had the ability to throw out some of these bad eggs when they appear and mistreat / disrespect them.

 

[Stellajack]

Maybe it's because of my 'rose colored glasses', but I don't recall ever seeing CM's having negative interactions with any guest. I'm certain that others have had some abrasive encounters with CMs because of remarks on these boards, but my experiences have always been positive. My shoulder chip was knocked off a very long time ago and I never picked it back up. If the customer service doesn't include courtesy, try requesting another CM. It might make a huge difference.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Maybe it's because of my 'rose colored glasses',

I can assure you they are not rose colored!

 

[carriehpotter]

I think a perceived dip in quality is almost directly proportional to a dip in the guest's behavior that perceives the poor service. Guest behavior is definitely near an all time low.

Exactly! If I've ever seen a CM not being at their best, it's usually because there's a rude guest complaining or literally yelling in their face. Even the few times I've had a bad experience with a CM, I usually look back on the situation and realize, "Gee, if I had reacted/handled that differently, that interaction probably would have gone better." The guests are worse than ever, like you said (I've seen TONS of terrible guests over my last few trips), and the fact that the CMs are holding it together as well as they are in the face of that adversity, is a real testament to them.

 

[daisyduckie]

I read all of these negative posts and think they must go to a totally different Disney World than the one I go to. Sure there are some grumpy CMs, but they are few and far between in my experience, they are definitely not all over the place. I know this is not nice, but if every single CM you encounter is grumpy, only one factor is the same in your experience.

 

[sheriffwoody]

I grew up always being told to treat others how you'd like to be treated. Whether it's at WDW or my local Kroger, it's best to not be an a-hole. Wish more people would approach life this way.

 

[ShoalFox]

I must be really lucky since I find that all the cast members I encounter are very nice and helpful, as they should be. Also, the things you've listed don't just apply to talking to CMs, you should be respectful to everybody you encounter.

 

[bethymouse]

You catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar! Be Calm and thank a cast member.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I think cast members are better than they've ever been, but not everyone seems to agree. I was just at WDW last week and have nothing but positive feedback.

I think some of the negative experiences are a result of how the guests treat the cast members.

Here are some things I make sure I do every time I interact with a cast member and other things to keep in mind before you think they did a terrible job.

1) Greet them if approaching a cast member with a question.

• Examples: "Hello!" "Hi there!" "How are you today?" Don't just walk up to them and say, "Hey, where is Space Mountain?" or "When is the parade?"

2) Make eye contact. Take off your sunglasses, particualrly indoors if you're communicating with them. Don't just talk the other way and turn your head while directing a question in their general direction.

3) Thank them for their help and say please if you're asking for something.

4) Have realistic expectations. These people are trying their best, in general. If you ask them to give you a full refund because you were not seated until 20 minutes after your reservation (saw a woman demand this), expect that they won't do that.

5) Mistakes happen. Give them a chance to fix it and ask politely.

6) Remember, many of these people are essentially kids. Don't yell and scream when you don't get your way.

7) Respect their time and personal space. Don't get in their face, yell, or argue with them when they have a job to do. If you don't like the answer, take it up with guest services.

8) Be a human! Be kind to people who are doing a job for very little pay, are on their feet all day, and are dealing with thousands of people every day. If a cast member waves to you, wave back!

9) Make your kids respect cast members and costumed cast members too. Don't let kids scream and yell at characters. Make them understand they have other kids to see and they can't take 10 minutes with Mickey.

10) Remember, cast members are there to help but they are not miracle workers. Don't treat them like your personal slave.

Honestly, I just don't see it. I'm amazed at what the cast members do for the amount they are paid. They more than often go above and beyond and I can count on one hand the number of bad experiences I've had in 60+ trips to Disney.

I think cast members are better than they've ever been, but not everyone seems to agree. I was just at WDW last week and have nothing but positive feedback.

I think some of the negative experiences are a result of how the guests treat the cast members.

Here are some things I make sure I do every time I interact with a cast member and other things to keep in mind before you think they did a terrible job.

1) Greet them if approaching a cast member with a question.

• Examples: "Hello!" "Hi there!" "How are you today?" Don't just walk up to them and say, "Hey, where is Space Mountain?" or "When is the parade?"

2) Make eye contact. Take off your sunglasses, particualrly indoors if you're communicating with them. Don't just talk the other way and turn your head while directing a question in their general direction.

3) Thank them for their help and say please if you're asking for something.

4) Have realistic expectations. These people are trying their best, in general. If you ask them to give you a full refund because you were not seated until 20 minutes after your reservation (saw a woman demand this), expect that they won't do that.

5) Mistakes happen. Give them a chance to fix it and ask politely.

6) Remember, many of these people are essentially kids. Don't yell and scream when you don't get your way.

7) Respect their time and personal space. Don't get in their face, yell, or argue with them when they have a job to do. If you don't like the answer, take it up with guest services.

8) Be a human! Be kind to people who are doing a job for very little pay, are on their feet all day, and are dealing with thousands of people every day. If a cast member waves to you, wave back!

9) Make your kids respect cast members and costumed cast members too. Don't let kids scream and yell at characters. Make them understand they have other kids to see and they can't take 10 minutes with Mickey.

10) Remember, cast members are there to help but they are not miracle workers. Don't treat them like your personal slave.

Honestly, I just don't see it. I'm amazed at what the cast members do for the amount they are paid. They more than often go above and beyond and I can count on one hand the number of bad experiences I've had in 60+ trips to Disney.

Okay so this is really scary because I agree with you on another post. I think this makes two. Or maybe even three. And that means that hell is so frozen right now that not even the cast of Frozen could stand to be there.

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I appreciate this post so much and think all of your points are spot on! If you're respectful to a cast member, they will bend over backwards to do whatever they can for you (with very few exceptions).

 

[BigRedDad]

I always try to engage CMs. Most are far more willing to engage in conversation. There are others that are too busy or required to be somewhere in a rush for one reason or another. My DD loves pin trading. This gets her to engage more with them. In many cases they get into talking about favorite characters, rides, what they like to do. If I had to say, 60% are good, 30% are excellent, and 10% just don't engage easily. Some examples that come to mind:

Birdie (greeter at POR): My DD met him the first morning we were there. While I was getting us ready to head to the buses, they just talked at the door for what seemed like 5 minutes. She made sure she stopped to see him every chance she got to talk to him. The last day we were there waiting for DME, she asked him to sign her autograph book. He was completely thrilled to have been asked. I think in RL he is a widower and appreciated every moment with her. He spent about 30 minutes with her talking and I watched as he welled up.

Cashier at Boardwalk store: We had bought one of those small backpack clip stuffed animals at DtD (the ones that are about 4" and cost about $8). The little string that holds the clip ripped off. We went to the store, showed it to the college kid, and he said we had to have a receipt. I could have argued, but chose to go to the room (5 minutes away). We threw it out at DtD. We go to the front desk to see if we can get a pull of the room charges. The lady at Concierge asked why we needed it. We told her the story, she called to the store, and told us to meet another CM there. She told us we should have argued and asked to see the store manager. We go back down, meet the new CM, and she told my DD that Mickey was not happy it broke and told her to pick out 2.

 

[redsfan4life]

I grew up always being told to treat others how you'd like to be treated. Whether it's at WDW or my local Kroger, it's best to not be an a-hole. Wish more people would approach life this way.

As a Kroger employee I thank you for being kind

 

[Filby61]

The OP's list of how Disney customers should treat CMs is excellent. It applies well to all customer service employees.

It's unfortunate, however, that the OP ignores Disney Parks management's notoriously poor treatment of CMs as a major cause of morale problems and job dissatisfaction. Upper management's refusal to support their frontline CMs in disputes with abusive customers has been well documented for the last decade. Management's attitude that CMs are disposable and interchangeable is ingrained in Parks management culture: it shows in the cutting of perks and the slashing of hours, in the pathetically useless customer service training that the Company gives its employees, and in the poor quality of on-site employee services on both coasts.

There's no question that the abusive behavior of customers is getting enormously worse. There's also no question that Disney Parks management does essentially nothing to help its frontline employees deal with it. CMs are left hanging in the open, to defend themselves as best they can -- often at the risk of their jobs. Management continually demonstrates that they will take an abusive customer's word over a CM's, even when the CM is defended by a lead. The result is the crushing of CM morale, an increase in turnover, and the well documented decline in Disney's formerly high standards of customer service at both WDW and DLR.

At Disney the customers are bad. The bosses are worse. The CMs are caught in the middle. It's a reality that makes the simplistic "it's only a bad-customer problem" spin of the OP so specious.