What a change in 6 months

My family and I go to disney every year in may and october we have for the past 4 years. The trip usually consists of myself my wife my 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter and every so often some of our family members tag along any way it is always such a pleasant trip that we look foward to going back and we make it a habit to have our next trip booked before we leave for the first trip that way my son can come home and start his countdown to his next trip( I own 850 dvc points) I am currently in the boardwalk villas since may 16 and have noticed such a change in the way the cast members treat you and it's not just one or two I would say 65% of the cast members I have encountered have not only been not as nice as usual but are outright nasty and rude. I was speaking to one of the cm's on the ferry from the ttc to mk and he said they have hired alot of part time help in the last 6 month's these people need to learn how to treat guests or be replaced if they are not I think it will definitely have an effect on the number of repeat visitors (especialy first time guests) . I hope this issue is addressed soon because if it is not I would seriosly reconsider my vaction spot come next may

 

[Fantasmic!329]

Huh, when I was there in August, CMs were just as friendly and helpful as ever. Enjoy the rest of your trip (it sounds as if you are still there.)

 

[General Grizz]

There's always the chance of running into a not-as-magical Cast Member. So be sure to let Guest Relations know about any specific incidents that ruin the magic - but also promote the good treatment of great Cast Members by also reporting their assistances.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

CMs not knowing their place, its outrageous

If theyre cheeky just give them a smack, a swift kick to the nackers soon focuses the attention I tend to find, after all you’ve been provoked.

Either that or just rip off there name tag and hand it in with a report of their behaviour to the appropriate manager.

Or alternatively stay at Universal resort

 

[sackbutt]

I recently took my band to Disneyland for the fourth time in seven years and noticed the same rude attitude. It's sad because that's one of things I have always been impressed with. Maybe they need a raise!

 

[mkepcotmgmak]

the only way to change the negative attitudes of cms is to take it to guest relations, or seek out a manager roaming the parks! not to get the cms in trouble, because everyone has an off day... but this is disney, there should be no such thing as an off day!

 

[WhenYouWish]

If theyre cheeky just give them a smack, a swift kick to the nackers soon focuses the attention I tend to find, after all you’ve been provoked.

:lol: That part cracked me up!

I've never personally run into any "problem" CMs (so far...knock on wood!). In fact, I tend to be a pretty shy person, especially on the phone, but I find it's always a pleasure to talk to a Disney rep. They're usually so patient and helpful. Even the time I attempted to make a PS for the Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast...an HOUR beforehand... ...the rep just kinda laughed and sighed for a sec, then she took the time to help me make a more feasable PS arrangement.

 

[nibblesandbits]

I was there from May 16-20th and I have to say that I really didn't notice a lot of rude cast members...except one, but that was because I was accidently breaking the rules and probably could have been hit by a bus or something. So truthfully, beneath the rough exterior, she was actually trying to keep me safe. But other than that, I just tried to be super nice to all the cast members and I felt like they appreciated that and in turn were just as wonderful as I would have expected.

I think that (besides the fact that there are a lot of new CM) a lot of it has to deal with the fact that there are actually a lot more rude guests in the world than there used to be, so CMs are tired are dealing with all the crap that gets put on them. So it might be a little harder to be happy all the time. I mean you try having to be sweet as pie to hoards of people after you've been b!tched at all day long for various things, many of which you as a CM have absolutely no control over. Truthfully, I think a majority of these CM actually deserve praise, not to be complained about.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

We've always found that CMs are happy to help - some will really go out of their way to assist and it is to these people I will say a BIG Thank You for making my holiday special

 

[midnightstar17]

I was WDW in April and also noticed a change in cast members from when I was there 2 years ago. Some cast members were indifferent. Like nibblesandbits twice they were rude because me and my friends broke the rules by accident but they could have been nicer about the way they handled it. At the Great Movie Ride, our tour guide said we could take pictures as long as there was no flash. Me and my one friend had disposable cameras that have those flash ready lights. Well, don't trust them. Mine went off and the tour guide said no flash photography. And then a minute later my friends went off. Then other people started taking flash photography. It stopped for awhile and then my camera said the flash wasn't on so I took a picture and the flash went off as did my friends later. After the ride the guide took me and my two friends aside and called the manager. We were so scared we were going to be arrested. We had to wait five minutes for the manager to come and then he didn't even talk. The guide gave us this whole spiel about how he could have fallen and died and stuff. We even said it was an accident but he didn't care. The way he did it was just wrong. We believe he singled us out because we were teenagers. It bothered us a lot. That evening at MK we went through a cast member entrace near the Riverboat and got yelled at by a cm but we had to do it or once we were going to be late.
Overall the cast members were very indifferent. We did meet a great street sweeper in MGM that told us a bunch of jokes that really brightened up our day.
I know this post is long but I have wanted to post this experience for so long and now I have. I love WDW and am going back this summer for the 1st time with my family!!!

 

[mkt]

I've noticed the declining standards of WDW CM's as well... I'm at the point of ignoring, since when I've gone to GR, nothing noticeable has been done to correct it, and when I send my emails to WDW Guest Communications, nothing is done. If someone wrongs me, I tell them on the spot that they're a f**kup and need to get employed elsewhere. And if they wanna pursue my statement any further, I'll give them a piece of mind.

Forget the middleman, I'll go to the source... and aim for the jugular.

 

[Robfasto]

I have to agree.... rudeness seems to rule.

My kids ended up stuck on Splash Mountain for nearly 1 hour Wednesday night (May 25) and the CM's around the attraction had no idea why, didn't attempt to find out why and in general didn't care why. I spoke to a manager and he really didn't seem to care about guest being stuck on a ride for a long period of time.

Worst of all they got stuck on right at the end of the ride within the queue area (1 boat between them and the unload station) and they still had to sit for nearly 1 hour. Afterards no one offered an apology, a sorry for your trouble or even a kiss of the backside...

 

[Disney13Scott]

I hope these bad experiences are just isolated and not the norm. I know everyone has a bad day and sometimes when I am getting yelled at for something I have no control of at my job, I think that if I ever get into that situation I should cut the person (CM) a break. I would say that a "I'm Sorry" from a CM would certainly help ease the pain of some of the problems that have been listed here. Having worked in customer service most of my adult life I know that sometimes things that go wrong are out of peoples hands and when I get angry at them, afterwards I wish I would have remained cool and just went with the flow. I try to remember that when things go wrong, it is up to me to decide if it is going to ruin my day. Most of the time I try to get over it and have fun, you can't rain on my Disney Parade!!!:sohappy:

 

[diveteam]

During my last trip to WDW in Sept 2004 we did not have any problem with any CM, everyone of them were more than happy to help us, hopefully it will be the same way when we return in November.

Mark

 

[DanStat]

The only really rude CMs I've encountered were the ones at Animal Kingdom. It was only one. If you don't like their actions, note their name and location and report them. Try not to let it ruin your vacation! Enjoy your time with your family.

 

[SIR90210]

ATO, where you that jack@ss at Screen Door, because you deserved... nah, I'm only joking. There will always be some rude CM's but most of them are still friendly and cheerful. BTW, welcome to the boards!

 

[AriBelle23]

I think that (besides the fact that there are a lot of new CM) a lot of it has to deal with the fact that there are actually a lot more rude guests in the world than there used to be, so CMs are tired are dealing with all the crap that gets put on them. So it might be a little harder to be happy all the time. I mean you try having to be sweet as pie to hoards of people after you've been b!tched at all day long for various things, many of which you as a CM have absolutely no control over. Truthfully, I think a majority of these CM actually deserve praise, not to be complained about.[/QUOTE]

YES!!! Could not have said it better. You must be a Cast Member to actually understand this.

 

[OmegaKnight]

Last week at work, I was talking to some guests around closing time at Test Track and I met one individual who was waiting for his family to come off the ride. I was asking how his day was going and he was telling me a story about rude cast members he saw over at the Garden Grill at The Land. Even the manager he spoke to was really rude as well. I could not believe this when I heard it. He said that when he went to GR to complain about it, all they did was give him a FastPass ticket for Test Track, which is good in the short term but doesn't help the long term problem.

 

[sheryl2007]

There are always two sides to every story, and you can't let anyone else ruin your vacation, you have worked too hard for it and waited too long!!!!!!!!! BUT rudeness is intolerable.

 

[nibblesandbits]

I think that (besides the fact that there are a lot of new CM) a lot of it has to deal with the fact that there are actually a lot more rude guests in the world than there used to be, so CMs are tired are dealing with all the crap that gets put on them. So it might be a little harder to be happy all the time. I mean you try having to be sweet as pie to hoards of people after you've been b!tched at all day long for various things, many of which you as a CM have absolutely no control over. Truthfully, I think a majority of these CM actually deserve praise, not to be complained about.

YES!!! Could not have said it better. You must be a Cast Member to actually understand this.

Nope, not a current or past CM. (I did work at Six Flags once though.) But the truth is, I work in Customer Service and I have to deal with the same types of people. So, I definitely understand where CMs are coming from.