When CM's Go a Bit Overboard

[Bronson55]

Now that you mention it, on my last visit to the Country Bears in Adventureland the gal that opened the show went on with what can best be described as very lame humor including obscure references to millenials that didn't seem to land with anyone. This was quite different from the expected campy/corney Jungle Cruise banter.
In fact none of her one liners seemed to land. I felt bad for her as it was painfully awkward to watch. It didn't seem to be a delay tactic and she appeared to be pleased with her performance . Perhaps I was feeling embarrassed for her unnecessarily.

 

[PUSH]

A "rogue " bus driver!.... bus drivers are allowed to play with the crowd.

What!?

And here I thought they were always going off script...

 

[DisAl]

No, no, you're fine. Three minutes is a bit long to be improvising your own routine for a show, especially if Disney is as hard on deviating from the script as I've heard they've been. It's just not the time or the place to be doing that.

Maybe there was some sort of delay and the CM was just stalling for time?

 

[Shouldigo12]

Maybe there was some sort of delay and the CM was just stalling for time?

I suppose that's possible. I'll amend that to "cast members should not be inprovising that long, unless there was some sort of an issue and they needed to stall for time".

 

[Goofyernmost]

I can see that there are quite a few folks that would never make my party invitation list. My what a bunch of Debbie Downers. I don't believe that very many CM's interject anything unless there is a reason. There is no quicker way to lose a job then to go rogue at any Disney location. There is always time to fill, especially at shows as late stragglers slowly drag their feet to get seated and time will go by faster moaning at a bad joke then just sitting there wondering why it hadn't started yet.

Bus Drivers where required to interact with the riders with corny jokes and quizzes and still are encouraged to do it to some degree. However, it is finally sinking in that it is hardly the safest thing to be doing while transporting people through a lot of traffic. Two things have to apply for that to work, a person that can multi-task and are highly skilled at being a driver. The only reason that Disney gets away with it, is because for the most part they aren't going very fast. People are starting to realize that getting people to and from their destination is job one. Vaudeville is not a requirement for a CDL.

 

[Driver]

Try this line and see how it goes over... "You people better start laughing at my jokes or I'm gonna drive this bus right over a cliff."

Try this line and see how it goes over... "You people better start laughing at my jokes or I'm gonna drive this bus right over a cliff."

They know it would be an empty threat because there are no cliffs

 

[larryz]

They know it would be an empty threat because there are no cliffs

See -- that's part of the joke...

but if you're serious, you could always threaten to take them to Stitch's Great Escape...

 

[draybook]

A "rogue " bus driver!.... bus drivers are allowed to play with the crowd.

I doubt it. The Star Wars experience doesn't start until next year...

 

[THE Monorail Lime]

We had one CM on the tram to MK, which was really funny. He did a really good yoda voice .
But anyway, CM’s are just trying to make the experience more magical.

 

[Raineman]

It irks me to no end when a HM cast member puts ZERO effort into the role they have. Especially the ones at the front door of the mansion. It is a pretty easy role to play, just stand there and stare at people with a creepy look. Or when they rush the spiel in the chamber room and it has no spook at all.

I remember vividly one CM at HM that did her job very well. We had left our doom buggy at unload, and were walking to the exit, when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something in one of the recessed doorways on the right hand side, which actually gave me a genuine "jump scare"-it was a HM CM, standing there, staring, with a creepy look on her face. Since then, I always look in that area when I ride to make sure no one is lurking in the shadows, waiting for me.

 

[Driver]

See -- that's part of the joke...

but if you're serious, you could always threaten to take them to Stitch's Great Escape...

I know it was the joke I was just playing with you

 

[EvanAnderson]

The only reason I can see them doing this is due to a stall. If it was a show, maybe maintenance was looking at something and told the CM's to hold off for a bit until they say so. Was it late in the day? Near closing time? Maybe if the show was set to close at 8, but it was 7:57, they can't start it because if people walk in at 7:59, they have to run a whole other one.

 

[danyoung56]

There is a CM in DL named Maynard that's been there for many years. He fits the OP's description to a T. Many people just love him - I do not. He works mainly in the Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion. He's totally in character, but for me he's just too intrusive. I'm there to enjoy the attraction, not to see a one man show.

 

[TwilightZone]

There is a CM in DL named Maynard that's been there for many years. He fits the OP's description to a T. Many people just love him - I do not. He works mainly in the Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion. He's totally in character, but for me he's just too intrusive. I'm there to enjoy the attraction, not to see a one man show.

How dare you critique the all mighty
MAYNARD
/s

 

[thomas998]

They don't want to name the show because they don't want to call out the cast member working there.

Well the reality is if any CM was improvising then they probably were doing it because their was a problem with the show and they were told to stall for more time while the show was being set up... I can't imagine they would go off the script for no reason at all.

 

[thomas998]

What drives me crazy is the people who ride on the back of the parking lot trams. Some of them are great, some are obnoxious.

Great one- Had an older person at Epcot who was nice and calm, no shouting, and kept calling the park Epcot Center.

Bad one- obnoxiously Loud CM at Epcot telling us about princesses.

Also awful when they're shouting Disney trivia at 10pm at night after a long day at the park and you just want silence.

How can you tell if the person on the tram is calm and not shouting, everytime we've ridden the trams they seem to have the volume turned up so loud I might as well be at a Metalic conert... half the time I can't even understand what they are saying because the volume is so high that the speaks just start distorting everything.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I can understand why some people take issue with Maynard. I think he is funny and entertaining, but his routine is all about him, it is not in theme and has nothing to do with the Tiki Room or whatever other attraction he's at.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I like improv if it is done well. As a theatre major, though, I am nit-picky.

 

[danyoung56]

How dare you critique the all mighty
MAYNARD
/s

Yeah, I know a lot of people just love him. But his schtick doesn't work for me.

 

[Tori]

What drives me crazy is the people who ride on the back of the parking lot trams. Some of them are great, some are obnoxious.

Great one- Had an older person at Epcot who was nice and calm, no shouting, and kept calling the park Epcot Center.

Bad one- obnoxiously Loud CM at Epcot telling us about princesses.

Also awful when they're shouting Disney trivia at 10pm at night after a long day at the park and you just want silence.

How can you tell if the person on the tram is calm and not shouting, everytime we've ridden the trams they seem to have the volume turned up so loud I might as well be at a Metalic conert... half the time I can't even understand what they are saying because the volume is so high that the speaks just start distorting everything.

One reason why I don't ride the tram.