Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opening reports and using Boarding Groups at Disneyland

[IMixHits]

They keep whispering to one another in regard to @IMixHits' shoes: "What are those?"

Probably because they can’t wear Yeezy’s at work

 

[TP2000]

Yes, what a difference in culture! It's wonderful to see and something not as prevalent as it once was in WDW/DL. Western culture, particularly the US, is a much more "me" centered society. Even the US Disney parks aren't immune to the culture at large.

The theme parks are mainly employing young people so it will always have a workplace force leaning towards their societal norms. Very hard for companies in that situation to stay "traditional" in company culture - at least here in the western world.

True, there are cultural differences between Japan and the USA.

And yet I can go into several upscale hotels right here in Orange County and be treated on the same level as Tokyo CM's; the Hotel Montage in Laguna Beach and Pelican Hill in Newport Beach come to mind instantly, while the Ritz-Carlton's in Laguna and Rancho Mirage consistently hit it out of the park for me. On the opposite end of the pricing spectrum, I can walk into the In-N-Out Burger two miles from my house and be treated very well and have the exceedingly polite and well groomed kids behind the counter focused only on me and my order, not the latest gossip as they lean against the shake machine. And across the parking lot is a Chick-Fil-A where the same high standards are on display from a different company. But go two blocks down the street to the McDonald's and its a disaster.

It is entirely possible for young Americans in 2020 to provide excellent customer service. The three CM's shown above at Rise Before Dawn are not achieving that standard; they were likely poorly trained and are clearly being poorly supervised and/or held to any meaningful standard.

 

[IMixHits]

Ah yes, those Cast Members have very clearly been trained in the fine art of hospitality! God forbid they start chatting with the assembled "guests" sitting on the floor and focus on others, instead of ignoring the "guests" to talk amongst themselves and focus on work gossip.

Nice job TDA. Your training programs are clearly top notch. World Class!

Meanwhile, in Tokyo...

Actually, they were quite nice and informative. I took this shot after about 15 minutes. We had gotten very lucky as they stopped the line in the hallway prior to the first show room. Had we been any further, we would have been let out with a fast pass. I kindly asked one of the cast members if I could sit there and they obliged. This “gossiping” picture was at a time when they were swapping positions and briefing each other before that exchange. Two of the cast members were very engaging with other guests behind me and accommodating them in and out to use the restrooms. We also asked what seemed to be the biggest cause for delays and mechanical breakdowns (and who knows how much they really now or reveal) but one did say say the complexity of the trackless system and one ride vehicle getting out of sync ends up being quite problematic.

 

[TP2000]

Looks like I'm going to the park a week from Monday- when it opens at 9 am.

How busy has the park been prior to open? I'll likely try for a group since my group hasn't gone on it yet, but I worry that with the later open most people who sleep in at the hotels will still be able to make it in and try their hand at the lottery.

I went in on a 9am park opening. Get to a security tent no later than 8am so you can get thru the lines and then thru the park turnstiles by 8:45am. I did that basic timing and Main Street was busy but not crazy crowded. Don't go down into the street itself, try to find a quiet corner.

I had great AT&T reception up on the terrace next to the train station, and there weren't many people up there.

 

[180º]

Did it occur to you all that maybe those cast members needed to step away from interacting with guests to quickly give important operational updates to their coworkers? Imagine you’re the guest taking the photo. You’re not going to take pictures of the CM while he/she is talking to you.

 

[TP2000]

Did it occur to you all that maybe those cast members needed to step away from interacting with guests to quickly give important operational updates to their coworkers? Imagine you’re the guest taking the photo. You’re not going to take pictures of the CM while he/she is talking to you.

That might be what's happening. Although as all of us here visit Disneyland regularly, so I think we know what was going on in that photo. But maybe it's not what was happening here?

@IMixHits, were these three CM's taking a moment away from politely interacting with the crowd sitting on the ground during this extended delay? Or was that their main pose and purpose in that room during your time there?

 

[IMixHits]

That might be what's happening. Although as all of us here visit Disneyland regularly, so I think we know what was going on in that photo. But maybe it's not what was happening here?

@IMixHits, were these three CM's taking a moment away from politely interacting with the crowd sitting on the ground during this extended delay? Or was that their main pose and purpose in that room during your time there?

I replied to that earlier but because I've only read posts here for years and never posted there's a moderator delay. But yes, they were discussing operational situations. Also, I was the only person sitting in that room. Everyone else was in the hallway/queue prior to that doorway.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Did it occur to you all that maybe those cast members needed to step away from interacting with guests to quickly give important operational updates to their coworkers? Imagine you’re the guest taking the photo. You’re not going to take pictures of the CM while he/she is talking to you.

Most likely true.

But they’re onstage the whole time. body language is important.

I had the misfortune of interrupting two CMs in the Hub dishing to one another the delicious happenings in the world famous Disneyland training program- “I was training at 5am and she was giving me DEATH glares and I had to be like I’m not flirting with your boyfriend!”

Her wing-tipped eyeliner was so heavy even I thought she was trying to make a move on me.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m not ashamed to say that I spoke to my co-workers while onstage (the horror!) and to make things worse, our conversations weren’t always about Fantasyland and guests.

The kind of robotic behavior Disney and, as I see here, some fans expect of cast members is one of the main reasons why I would never work for the company again. I got pulled to the side once by one of my leads for not smiling enough. I almost got written up for being at the nurses’ and getting treatment for an open wound during my fifth hour. It was moments like these that made me realize that Disney was not concerned for me as a human being, but wanted me to as perfect as possible for guests.

Side banter does not equal bad guest service. My conversations about things outside of work never stopped me from doing my job, “making magic,” and making sure guests were having wonderful experiences. My conversations never stopped the good reports I received from guest service. I’d argue the side conversations that had nothing to do with guests and Fantasyland helped us establish camaraderie and actually benefited guests in the long run. I realized I was at my best when I worked with CMs I knew well and got along with the best. We’d always talk to each other about picking guests out of crowds for random acts of kindness (making magic) and would team up to ensure guest satisfaction. I’m not saying any and all side banter is okay, but it’s not always bad.

It’s entirely possible that the CMs photographed were actually talking about what was going on with the ride and how long it would take to get it back up and going.

CMs are human beings, folks.

 

[Mickeyboof]

I’m not ashamed to say that I spoke to my co-workers while onstage (the horror!) and to make things worse, our conversations weren’t always about Fantasyland and guests.

The kind of robotic behavior Disney and, as I see here, some fans expect of cast members is one of the main reasons why I would never work for the company again. I got pulled to the side once by one of my leads for not smiling enough. I almost got written up for being at the nurses’ and getting treatment for an open wound during my fifth hour. It was moments like these that made me realize that Disney was not concerned for me as a human being, but wanted me to as perfect as possible for guests.

Side banter does not equal bad guest service. My conversations about things outside of work never stopped me from doing my job, “making magic,” and making sure guests were having wonderful experiences. My conversations never stopped the good reports I received from guest service. I’d argue the side conversations that had nothing to do with guests and Fantasyland helped us establish camaraderie and actually benefited guests in the long run. I realized I was at my best when I worked with CMs I knew well and got along with the best. We’d always talk to each other about picking guests out of crowds for random acts of kindness (making magic) and would team up to ensure guest satisfaction. I’m not saying any and all side banter is okay, but it’s not always bad.

It’s entirely possible that the CMs photographed were actually talking about what was going on with the ride and how long it would take to get it back up and going.

CMs are human beings, folks.

I don’t care to hear two CMs complain about their shift schedules (which is talked about way way WAY too often) or that “I like knotts better” as was said to me when I was taken to the wheel house of the Mark Twain.

In immersive Batuu, I don’t want to hear Jon and Marcus talk about how slow the dinner hours were at Docking Bay 7.

I heard a “ my life” because someone had to begin training at 5am on Incredicoaster. I have a 5am on Tuesday, but I don’t go out to the house and complain out loud for the audience to hear.

Now, there is no excuse for not prioritizing safety, but conversations about the real world should be left for backstage banter, group chats, and grindr.

Why is it so ridiculously hard for employees to simply keep quiet and maintain decorum?

 

[Emmanuel]

The streak of bad Sundays at Rise appears to have cracked. Currently calling groups 131-147

 

[Californian Elitist]

I don’t care to hear two CMs complain about their shift schedules (which is talked about way way WAY too often) or that “I like knotts better” as was said to me when I was taken to the wheel house of the Mark Twain.

In immersive Batuu, I don’t want to hear Jon and Marcus talk about how slow the dinner hours were at Docking Bay 7.

I heard a “**** my life” because someone had to begin training at 5am on Incredicoaster. I have a 5am on Tuesday, but I don’t go out to the house and complain out loud for the audience to hear.

Now, there is no excuse for not prioritizing safety, but conversations about the real world should be left for backstage banter, group chats, and grindr.

Why is it so ridiculously hard for employees to simply keep quiet and maintain decorum?

If you don’t care to hear side banter, then refrain from visiting the parks, as you will continue to be disappointed.

Why is it so ridiculously hard for guests to realize that expecting CMs to NEVER talk about things unrelated to the parks and guests is indeed ridiculous?

 

[Mickeyboof]

If you don’t care to hear side banter, then refrain from visiting the parks, as you will continue to be disappointed.

Why is it so ridiculously hard for guests to realize that expecting CMs to NEVER talk about things unrelated to the parks and guests is indeed ridiculous?

Because when I worked front of house at an immersive show downtown New York, we didn’t talk about Patrick’s rager of a party the night before, or how we have an early call the next morning.

I expect a good quality show.

I don’t expect to walk down Main Street and hear about your day at crummy Disneyland.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Because when I worked front of house at an immersive show downtown New York, we didn’t talk about Patrick’s rager of a party the night before, or how we have an early call the next morning.

I expect a good quality show.

I don’t expect to walk down Main Street and hear about your day at crummy Disneyland.

You can expect things... Doesn’t mean they’re going to happen.

Stay in New York or deal with the fact that you’re going to occasionally hear side banter at the DLR. Again, not all side banter is appropriate, but it’s ludicrous to actually expect to not hear any side banter at all.

 

[flynnibus]

Standards... who needs em right?

Its not like its a job... they owe us jobs right?

 

[RobWDW1971]

If you don’t care to hear side banter, then refrain from visiting the parks, as you will continue to be disappointed.

Why is it so ridiculously hard for guests to realize that expecting CMs to NEVER talk about things unrelated to the parks and guests is indeed ridiculous?

It’s called a “break room” - go talk there.

(And yes I was a front line CM so save the speech)

 

[Curious Constance]

One reason why it’s probably a good idea to pay more to the CMs, so they can attract a higher quality candidate that knows better than to say F M L at work in front of guests.

One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing employees complain about their jobs in front of customers.

I would either fire the person who said that, or put him on an undesirable backstage job for a probationary period.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It’s called a “break room” - go talk there.

(And yes I was a front line CM so save the speech)

It’s called managing your expectations. If a CM wants to briefly ask how their fellow CM is doing, let them.

No speech needed, I already wrote my essay posts ago. I didn’t ask if you were a CM.

 

[Californian Elitist]

One reason why it’s probably a good idea to pay more to the CMs, so they can attract a higher quality candidate that knows better than to say F M L at work in front of guests.

One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing employees complain about their jobs in front of customers.

I would either fire the person who said that, or put him on an undesirable backstage job for a probationary period.

This kind of banter is indeed inappropriate.

 

[RobWDW1971]

It’s called managing your expectations. If a CM wants to briefly ask how their fellow CM is doing, let them.

No speech needed, I already wrote my essay posts ago. I didn’t ask if you were a CM.

Nobody here is talking about a CM briefly asking another CM how they are doing as one wouldn’t even notice such a greeting. It’s the extended conversations while ignoring guests that we witness all day, every day.

And I know you didn’t ask if I was a CM, I was looking to preempt a “you don’t understand what it’s like” response.

Focus on the guests and catch up with your friends backstage. Pretty low bar to clear.