[Dana]

Downsouthtigger -

I can totally understand that "run down" feeling you get when you are confronted with an unhappy guest or customer. I am a store manager and face these things on a daily basis too. Sometimes it's very easy to ask yourself "why am I doing this when it's not being appreciated?" It's very easy to get to you boiling point when being cursed at or watching someone throw trash on an area you just spent an hour cleaning. There has to be some middle where we can all get it back to the way it was at WDW. I'm certain that if guests tried to be a little more considerate, CM's wouldn't lose any of their magic. I lose the magic watching these people and I don't even work there. I want to ask them to take their families and go to another park and leave "ours" nice and neat the way it's intended to be. Yes, we pay to be there, but we still have to do our part and cleaning up after ones self isn't exaclty asking for much. The next time I encounter a not so perky CM, I will add a smile to my request and let them know how appreciated their hard work is.

BTW: the best way to deal with an irrate guest/customer while they are screaming at you is with a smile and a "have a magical day". It makes them look foolish. Of course there will always be one or two that have NO pride and no concern of their language or tone of voice, but it should work for most.

Thanks for a CM's perpective on this issue. It was great to hear another side.:)

[dznygrl]

Thanks Fred for putting things in perspective there! Really makes me re-think my goals in working for Disney...

I had begun to think for a while that customer service might not be so bad, even though I have a hard enough time being patient with people in the "real world." I am afraid I would not have the patience to deal with people whom I felt were disrespecting the magic of Disney.

From the time I was a toddler, all I wanted to do was be a character & perform in shows and parades. Maybe I will focus even harder on that goal, because the last thing I want to do is work face-to-face with Disney guests and end up being posted about on DC as a "grouchy" CM! :p

[downsouthtigger]

Dana, Kim, and all the others, thank you for welcoming my thoughts and opinions. With the thread being post and all the remarks I thought as a Cm I should say my part.
I love Disney so much and MK is my base of ops, so I care more about that park than any other. Plus as we all know thats where the magic starts.
There's so much to say and so many thoughts, but I can't find the words right now.
I just want to say thank you again to all those that read my posts and haven't criticized me. THank you for reading and looking at the other side, as in some ways we've all been there. :)
One last thing, Dana it's very funny what you said about the smiling and have a magical day. I've done that both on disney and off with folks, and it always makes them holler more. I guess I don't understand human nature too well!?:dazed

[MissDisney]

Downsouthtigger, Hang in there! It is lost on all of us that love WDW that the CMs have to put up with an enormous amount of you-know-what from bad guests. So when I get my smile and a wave from a CM, I am thrilled that they cared enough to make my day special. There will always be that one guest out there whose vacation will be transformed because ofpeople like you who go the extra mile to embody the magic! Thank you, all of you!

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by downsouthtigger


Al Weiss is a great guy, but we all know he can only tell you the good with whats going on with the parks, all part of guest relations.

downsouthtigger, I really want to thank you for your post. You made some very very good points and this being one of them.

I must comment about Cast Members over all. While in recent years we have come across CM's that have treated us as pest and not guest. For the most part and specially our most recent trip. The CM's were wonderful. More then once they went out of their way to be helpful. Our check in at Pop Century just last month was wonderful compared to our check in last august at CBR. Just like when I sent a letter after August complaining about feeling like a pest. just last week I sent one praising the CM's we came in contact with.
Now, we have never had but one real conflict with a CM, for the most part when we come in contact with a grumpy CM we shrug it off, thinking they may just be having a bad day. But here is what we have noticed about Cast Members and they way some are *Disney* and some are not. The younger CM's seem to always be nice and helpful and very Disney, while the older (and mostly female) Cast Members seem less likely to smile or want to even speak to us.

but downsouthtigger, CM'a like you are very important to us. No matter how many times we have gone to WDW. There is always special memories that invovle CM's and they make up for the bad experiences.. and as MissDisney, because of CM's like you, who go the extra mile to embody the magic, we still are very grateful to CM's for all they do to make our time at WDW special.
So I want to add my thank you .. for making us feel like Guest and not Pest

[Dana]

Originally posted by downsouthtigger
One last thing, Dana it's very funny what you said about the smiling and have a magical day. I've done that both on disney and off with folks, and it always makes them holler more. I guess I don't understand human nature too well!?:dazed

Maybe it's a Jersey thing..lol It always seems to work for me. Maybe it's the way I bat my eyes lashes...kidding. Hang in there for every guest who gives you a hard time, there are 100's who appreciate the HARD work you and your fellow CM's do. I would never critize you for entering your opinion in this thread. Quite the contrary. It was educational for us all to hear what you guys deal with. Like I said in my earlier post, when I encounter a not-so-magical CM now, I am going to try extra hard to show how much I appreciate them.:)

[disneyguy]

I just want to thank those CM's out there reading this who do care about their job, the people around them, and Disney overall. You do a wonderful job and the fact that you are doing a wonderful job makes you stand out from a lot of other CM's. You are the ones that make Disney, Disney. And we all thank you!

[lawwin]

Yes, IASW - the land of evil, smiling, dolls (can anyone find the end of that song - I've been trying for years) will close from June 7, 2004 through to March 18, 2005. I found this on Mouseplanet.com which also states that there will be upgrades to the lighting, audio, and electrical systems, rehabs to sets and Audio-Animatronic figures, asbestos abatement, roof repair, regular water maintenance (draining and refilling), and the possible addition of a new scene.

A new scene!!! More evil smiling dolls!!! NO!!!

but getting back to the article, what upsets me is that the Disney people keep refering to this 90% approval rating like it is a mantra. What they should be striving for is to please those 10% who found something upsetting, or those of us who have been loyal D-fans for decades who are upset about the direction our beloved MK is taking. I was an MK baby, and she is only 2 years younger than me. I made my first visit one month after the park opened, and to me the MK is Disney, the other parks don't mean as much. I feel like I am coming home when I go there. She is like an old friend to me. I was 13 before Disney opened EPCOT, so the only park I had to play in, and to spend my growing up years in was the MK, and pardon me if I want to see the powers that be at Disney looking at her through eyes as critical as Uncle Walt would have, because I really don't think that he would be happy with the condition she's in or the direction she's headed, so I think somebody needs to rethink the idea of opening up a new park and concentrating some time and attention on the one that started it all.

Just my opinion!!

[disneyguy]

Glad to see that getting some much needed rehab. Is it the oldest Fantasyland ride?? If not I am sure it is right up there. I agree that no new parks are needed just rehab and maybe construction of new rides. The innovation that made Disney so great needs to be returned.

[lawwin]

IASW, Peter Pan's Flight (which is also in bad shape), Dumbo, Snow White, and the Carousel were all there at the beginning. I can remember them back when I was a little kidand my first trip was in Nov. 1971 when I was 2. We have pictures of me back then on the Carousel and Dumbo's Flying Elephants.

When we went on PPF on our last visit in Oct. 2003, It was so sad to see the paint peeling off Wendy's face (the Wendy on the gangplank) and it was so obvious to me. I couldn't help but notice it because that one of the character's that the flying ship flies close to. I also noticed cracked paint on several of the other characters as well, but none was as obvious as Wendy. It just made me sad. My DD (who is 10) didn't notice because this was her first trip and she was caught up in the sensation of being on a flying ship, but I noticed as did my mother who was behind us. I couldn't believe that they would let that happen to that ride let alone any ride and it stuck in my head.

[dznygrl]

Originally posted by downsouthtigger
Dana, Kim, and all the others, thank you for welcoming my thoughts and opinions. With the thread being post and all the remarks I thought as a Cm I should say my part.
I love Disney so much and MK is my base of ops, so I care more about that park than any other. Plus as we all know thats where the magic starts.
There's so much to say and so many thoughts, but I can't find the words right now.
I just want to say thank you again to all those that read my posts and haven't criticized me. THank you for reading and looking at the other side, as in some ways we've all been there. :)

Fred, I honestly appreciate the input you offer in threads like this. It is frustrating to have a thread about CMs or similar situations, and not have an opinion from the opposite side of the story. Please keep offering your thoughts, because it brings these threads full-circle and we actually reach conclusions! :p

[ZarSu]

The parking lot is also in the process of being redone according to http://www.wdwmagic.com/ They also have pictures.

[Dana]

I am glad to see some much-needed renovations starting. I also agree that they should hold off on opening up new stuff and bring back the magic touch to what is there now. I understand their need to compete and keep WDW fresh with new attractions and such, but maybe htey should just concentrate on what is there for a bit. Either way, I'm going in January and every year after that I can.:)

[Screever]

Sorry everyone, I must admit I skipped a few of these pages...a girl's gotta study, ya know. :whistle:

SO GLAD to hear IASW will be going through rehab. A new scene sounds...interesting, I guess...but its the mildew I read about that worries me. I'm pretty much in remission from childhood asthma but my mom's got it now and it doesn't take much to set her off. Of course, the rooms are so large and grand that one probably wouldn't fall over choking :) but cieling tiles missing? That just doesn't seem safe...don't look up, one might fall on your head! Hehe.

I found the article interesting, but nitpicky. Yes, it is an old park but let's take a look at some other amusement parks. Anyone been to Six Flags America? I don't know about the other Six Flags but I won't be going back anytime soon. Trash-y.

It's a shame that Walt's "spit n shine finish" is being debated over like this, because yes, Fred, there's only SO MUCH a CM can do. When I was assigned condiment bar at Plaza or anywhere else it got a bit difficult to keep up with cleaning the ketchup that others had spilled, reloading those stinkin' heavy ketchup bags into the very inconvenient machines, all the while trying to avoid guests, their food, and their impatient sighs. There are alot of Cast Members at MK but how do we know that picture of the toilet paper wasn't taken before a CM could get there? We don't have 12 hands ya know.... (Okay, so I'm biased!) I'm VERY glad though, that safety is their first issue. The BTMR incident in DL last year doesn't help Disney much at all, but I am extremely releived to know that they do care. They must have Jiminy Cricket as their safety spokeperson. "I'm no fool, no siree, I'm gonna live to be 93!" :laugh Anyway, those are my thoughts.

[dznygrl]

Originally posted by Screever
Anyone been to Six Flags America? I don't know about the other Six Flags but I won't be going back anytime soon. Trash-y.

I've been to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and while I loved a lot of the rides, I do have to agree that it wasn't nearly as well-kept as I am used to Disney parks being.

Probably the biggest difference, though, is between their employees and Disney CMs. I've never seen so many impatient, eye-rolling, never-smiling ride operators as I did at Six Flags. Oh well! I guess that's why I'm hoping Disney CMs can hold onto the Magic...because you CMs are just so much better than other theme park workers...PERIOD! Don't ever forget that! :love: