We were in Disney a month ago and when we were on Kilimanjaro safaris, we were told when we approached the giraffes that we couldn’t stop because they have a new baby or two and they aren’t really used to the trucks yet. So they try to keep the noise level low and the truck moving at that one part. I don’t think the cast member was being rude at all I believe they were just following the rules and the guest recorded at the wrong time. Thank you for making this video. I love all your content on your channel.
I'm SO glad you mentioned this! This video clip I showed was actually from around that time. That's probably what was going on and the cast member may have not explained that well (or at all). But that makes perfect sense! Cast members have to follow the four keys (safety, courtesy, show and efficiency) and they're like the main core values. People forget that they're in order of importance - safety comes before courtesy. So while this cast member may have seemed "rude" or "uncourteous" they were probably prioritizing safety which is what they're supposed to do!
I love hearing your perspective on these kind of things! I got engaged at Disneyland back in 2017 & my fiance and I were waiting in line to meet Jasmine and Aladdin when Gaston walked by showing off his muscles so my fiance got an awesome picture. A cast member saw this and my fiance showed him a few pictures and accidently went back 1 picture too far & it was of my ring. He asked if we'd recently gotten engaged, we said yes, and after we met Jasmine and Aladdin he took us inside the Princess Fantasy Faire building to meet like 4 princesses without waiting in line and clearly told them about our engagement because they were all giving us marriage advice. It was my best magical moment and I'll never forget the experience that man gave us ❤️
I've seen more rude guests than rude cast members. In order to get friendly service you should be friendly! Last trip I checked into my hotel, and the girl working seemed off and not overly friendly. A moment later, she said with tears in her eyes, excuse me I'm so sorry I'm just trying to pull myself together. I was kind to her and told her it was okay, I worked in customer service too. She took a moment to herself, then told me she was new and the man in line before me had yelled at her and called her names and she wasn't sure what to do. Just be nice everyone; cast members are human and they have feelings.
They are human. Guests don't know what really happens "backstage ". Lots of managers put pressures on cast members. Some don't even know how to lead their team without being tactful. Too many rules to follow. I've encountered cast members who have worked 14 days straight without a day off. Standing 8 hours a day in FL humid heat and not being able to fan yourself because guests can't see this. Being constantly monitored by cameras everywhere. Just think of working under the hot 109 degree sun. Its not easy work. Guests should be treated with respect and I've met lots of wonderful people. But I've met few who are rude for no reason provoked. Would I got back to worked with a contractor company there again. Not in a million years. Its not because of the guests. Treat people with respect and you get respect back. Most managers have egos...they are the problem. They act like gods because they work for the Big Company. Seeing is believing.
Really? I’ve only seen one some young teen by herself but usually all the guests are nice I’ve never really had a problem with them but a lot of the cast members can be rude
For my 16th birthday my family took me to Disneyland and on the day of my birthday I was wearing a pin to sho it was my birthday. We stopped in front of the Peter Pan ride and I really wanted to go on it but the wait was about 90 mins so my family didn’t want to wait.... but then the employee working at the exit saw us and that it was my birthday and let us go through the exit and get right on the ride:) it was a small thing but it helped make my birthday amazing!
One of my most treasured memories is being called a princess by a cast member at Blizzard Beach when I visited Disney World for the first (and only) time at 12 years old. I was queuing up for one of the slides next to the Summit Plummet and when it was my turn the lifeguard said "There you go, princess!". It may seem like such a small thing but at the time I had started to become so insecure and disgusted with myself, and her gesture made me feel super special.
I’ve had a rude CM encounter before that I shared in a comment in one of your older videos. But I wanted to comment here after you mentioned being nice to CMs. When I was a CM at Disneyland, there was a guest who told me “thank you for being here today” and it really made my day!! I worked really hard making every guest experience a good one which got sooo tough when I had to interact with hundreds of them over the course of my shift and to be appreciated like that was just so nice.
I remember going to disney for 4 days when i was 8 the year after princess and the frog came out and tiana was my fave princess and i really wanted to meet her before i left the first 3 days was unsuccesful so on the 3rd day i went to the mickey cafe like every other night and there was this one attendant/worker who always chatted to me to make my day special on the 3rd she asked if id seen tiana yet and i said no half an hour later she came back and said go to the princess pavilion at 8:30 someone wants to meet me so on the next/last day of the trip we went to the pavilion dressed as tiana an attendant asked if i was (my name) i said yes and got told to follow her and took me to this room and there was tiana. If it wasnt for the attendant in the cafe i would never have met her and for that i am truly grateful 💚
That is so wonderful! I love hearing about magical moments created by cast members! I'm sure it was something small on their part, but made a lasting impression on you!
I am an annual pass holder and one of the best memories that we have had took place the very first time we went to Epcot! My little sister managed to wear flip flops to the park without my mom noticing. Eventually the shoes broke so she was just walking around barefoot. (we checked a few gift shops for shoes including Mouse Gear) Me and my sister were having an interaction with Snow White when the character attendant noticed that my sister wasn't wearing shoes. He told us that she can't walk around barefoot. We had explained to the cast member that we checked the gift shops and there were not any shoes that fit my sister. He took us to the gift shop in Germany and showed us some really nice Adidas shoes. These shoes were about $150 and my mom was irritated because we didn't want to waste money on the shoes but she didn't say anything and the cast member found my sister's size for her and was super nice about it. We got the shoes and walked out. I asked my mom how much the shoes were and she told me. I was in shock that she just had to pay that. Then she explained that the cast member gave us the shoes completely for free! I was in shock because it was not his fault or Disney's fault that my sister broke her shoe. This cast member was truly amazing but I didn't get his name unfortunately. I didn't know about cast compliments then and I wish we had another way to thank him for his amazing service. It truly made our day!
Wow!! That was so nice of him! It's true, unfortunately you cannot meet the characters barefoot. But honestly there's a lot of shops (even in Epcot) where they have flip flops for maybe $15. I'm surprised he didn't show you those instead! Haha
My first trip to WDW was on my daughter’s Make A Wish trip January 2010. CM’s were wonderful to us. One gentleman at Columbia Harbor House recognized how much she was struggling. He came over and said - it’s my job here to find one family and make their day special. Honestly, we barely had any money and he got us a banquet, found us a quiet area, sat down with me and all 4 kids and just absolutely made our day. We were able to eat, laugh, talk and share stories with him. 3 months later we found out cancer was back and she died in 2011. I will never forget that gentleman or the small sweet things every cast member did for her on that trip. From free dole whips to nice greetings, she was treated like royalty. Human kindness matters and I will always go back to WDW and remember to continue to return the favor. ♥️
I love how empathic you are when it comes to your experiences. It’s so important to put yourself in others shoes, and acknowledge where they are coming from. Thank you for being such a great role model😊
Most cast members are really rude after fireworks when they direct traffic but I understand that they get stressed and they have a job to do and they could be tired too so I try not to be too upset
I've definitely experienced that too! There was one shift I had as a character performer where I was near a PAC (parade audience control) cast member - those are the same cast members you're referring to. I was amazed at how rude and horrible the guests were to that cast member because they were just doing their job (trying to keep an area clear and keep guests/performers safe). The amount of harassment those cast members have to endure is truly unimaginable. I've heard horror stories of guests becoming verbally and physically violent towards CMs in those roles. So I think by the end of the night they're probably just really tired of it. Before working for Disney I would've been annoyed by their attitudes, but now after seeing and hearing stories I'm really not surprised.
Guest Magical moment story!: I was at WDW last spring. I had literally dreamed and saved and cried many tears over this trip. It was the end of day and I have had the most amazing day. Nothing went wrong. It was crazy. But then came time for the fireworks. I was tired and was looking for a spot to stand and as you know, it can be near impossible once it starts getting full. I was starting to give up and a cast member over heard me tell my friend who I was there with, “let’s just head out... I don’t see anywhere to stand and keep getting told to move by CMs.” This CM comes running over to me, leaving his station(he was waving a yellow light stick waving the crowd in a traffic flow) He says “ma’am, please don’t leave! Follow me!” And he leads me and my friend past the hordes of people and shows me his favorite place to stand that no one really realizes they can stand at. I was floored. I was SO happy. I didn’t have a kid with me, there was no real reason for this guy to be so nice to me. But he made my day and allowed me to get to see the fireworks with a perfect view and I could literally put my arms out and twirl around with the space around me. It was amazing. ❤️
One of my favorite memories is when I went with my boyfriend (soon to be fiance, he proposed in front of the castle the next day!) In 2016 and our triple A advisor had messed up our tickets and reservations entirely and concierge at our resort (all star music) had completely helped us out and gave us free tickets for the day including park hopper. Other things that happened that made that trip so magical but once in a while someone was kinda unhappy but I would always ask to try to help their mood and make them feel like their work is appreciated by guests ♡
That's amazing that they did that for you! Honestly small acts of kindness go a long way at Disney! And I think that's so wonderful that you would try to lift their spirits! Honestly if they're seeming unhappy they're probably feeling underappreciated. So I'm sure you going out of your way to appreciate them probably helped a lot!
I hardly ever meet rude cast members, but my favorite experience what probably the group of cast members that were working together then I went to go meet Woody and Jessie. In the back of my autograph book I have a page for cast members who have a very happy heart and are just doing their job well, and I noticed that this group of cast members were doing just that, and making all the other guests in front of me have a really great experience so I asked them to sign my book while Woody and Jessie we’re checking on bullseye. And later when I was walking off to go meet mike and sully, I just hear “I GOT TO SIGN THE BOOK!” It was so much fun and a very memorable experience, and just made my day. Thank you to all of those wonderful cast members!
Honestly asking cast members for their signature makes them feel SO special! It never happened to me as an attendant but I really wished it could've! It just makes you feel appreciated and valued, and I think it's so wonderful that you do that!
When I was younger my mom and I heard that if you found a paintbrush on Tom Sawyer's Island you would receive an extra fastpass from a cast member. Disney never announced that they did not do that anymore. So, we searched for a LONG time trying to find a paintbrush. Finally, we found one. We went to tell a cast member and get our extra fastpass but she rudely informed us that the one we found was the last paintbrush that they could not find when they tried to dispose of them all. We told her that we heard we would get an extra fastpass. She basically told us "we don't do that anymore, oh well." we wasted over an hour of our time for nothing. However, on the bright side, we were allowed to keep the paintbrush and it was a fun memory :D
That's sad! I feel like in that situation it really wouldn't have been that difficult for her to just give you an extra fastpass. But I'm glad you're trying to see the bright side!
One time when I was 5 or 6 my family and I were in the queue for Big Thunder (which was and is my favorite ride) and the ride broke down when we were right by where they give you a number at the front. The cast member noticed that I was obviously very upset and confused and was she so kind and came over and had a great conversation with me for a solid 10 minutes until the ride was fixed. She even traded pins with me and was so awesome and I still remember her name to this day!
Why do people think they can be rude and nasty to a person for any reason? I don’t work for Disney, but I work in retail and 95% of customers are lovely. But, that other 5%... With any situation, get in the other person’s perspective. If they can’t help you, get someone else, but be nice. Rudeness is never acceptable.
I agree, I think this goes for customer service roles in general! Thankfully it's only a select few, but I agree, putting yourself in someone else's shoes definitely helps in situations like these!
Thank you for this video!! I am a current cast member, thank you for defending us, but ALSO calling out the people on their bullsh*t! Similar story, last Sunday I actually rear ended someone at a light, we both pulled over, I was in my costume (had my name tag off, but still obvious 😂). The people I hit were two women with their magicbands and park clothes on 😩 I completely lost it, started sobbing, and apologizing, they were so sweet, but the reason I was crying was because i, a cast member, literally hit guests. Everyone was okay, she was so sweet and went and got me a cold water bottler from her cooler for the parks. But still, regardless of it being on property and off the clock, I STILL REPRESENT THE COMPANY. Everything worked out, but it was still hard. Defending cast members is so important, within reason, but it is so important to realize that we are still people with emotions and feelings. I have also been in tough situations at work, someone threw a paper cup at me, sworn at me, and complained to me about things out of my control. thank you so so much for this video! ❤️❤️
I LOVE seeing this video from a former CM's perspective! I also totally think you bring up a good point; as cost goes up, guests expect the quality of service to also go up. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes total sense. However, I think that there are so many CMs that go above and beyond no matter what that it outweighs the grumpy interactions. I remember when my little sister and I met Max Goof in Hollywood Studios a couple of years ago (RIP Great Movie Ride) and he was the goofiest, adorably nervous, and suitably flirtatious. It made for just a precious interaction. As teenagers, we both really loved that even without having to talk, Max was great at making us both feel special.
I truly believe that is the root of the problem. But I don't think it'll be fixed anytime soon - I'm sure a big reason for the prices increasing is to help with crowd control. And that's such a sweet memory! I had a memorable experience meeting Ariel when I was a teenager and it really stuck with me! I think people sometimes forget that teenagers/adults want to enjoy it and have fun too!
I definitely am more conscious of cast members and what they might be going through after being a CP. I was in merchandise at the Grand Floridian and I was young and nervous even after my training period was over. I would get a ton of requests and questions I couldn’t always answer but not allowed to directly say no to. Many guests would yell at me and say I “ruined their vacations” or make me cry on my shift because I didn’t have something in stock or because I had to tell guests that the monorail was down and they needed to take the ferry or bus to get to magic kingdom. I felt like maybe nerves make you more quiet and reserved even on stage because that was my experience at first so maybe that was seen as rude to guests. Of course I have seen the occasional rude CM but I try to focus more on the positive because I know there is always so much more positive in Disney than negative! I love you Mackenzie! Thanks for another amazing video on perspectives at the happiest place on Earth 😁
I think there definitely is a lack of cast members speaking up about the reality of their job. You and I can both agree we LOVED working for Disney! But it was pretty surprising to see how some of the guests behaved. I think guests forget CMs are people too (kinda like how people forget the creator behind the UA-cam videos has feelings and reads comments). It took a while, but I finally realized that I wasn't ruining their vacations by not allowing them to see one character and they were probably just deflecting some pent up energy out on me. Doesn't make it right, but it allowed me to have more patience with some of the ruder guests.
kenziemacbrown I love Disney and loved working for them but it is so true that many cast members can be treated a bit unfairly by guests. Whenever someone seemed lacking in motivation at the Grand older cast members would tell us to look at the room rates and ticket rates and told us that is why we have such high standards for our guest services. This motivated me on the daily so I always tried to go above and beyond for every guest to make their experience in my shop just as magical as a park experience even though I wasn’t even in a park. 😂 Luckily I had a great support group in my roommates and great experiences with so many other guests I was able to grow and understand that rude guests were not trying to attack me but just overwhelmed and I could try to make their day a bit better. My favorite story is your from when your manager helped the guest have a magical experience with his family. It is so sweet and gives a strong positive message always give the benefit of the doubt to people because we never know what they might be going through
Everyone is stressed even in WDW I know how hard the cm work but everyone is stressed just by day to day living let alone paying so much for a “vacation “.
True! I talked about that at the end of the video, but I truly believe people are going to be more and more unhappy at the parks as the prices increase. The guests are going to expect better and better services and experience (as they should since they're paying more). But I think that's why we see guests that are so unhappy and when they take it out on the CMs they get unhappy and it's just a vicious cycle.
At Disney or not, when I come across not so nice workers, I try to be extra kind with them because they obviously are having a worse day than me. And they are just people, including at Disney. I always get names of cast members who go the extra mile to make a difference for me and refer them for it. Love these videos, Kenzie!! Oh, and I got to meet Ariel while on my trip.. :)
That's great that you do that! I wish I had known about 4 keys cards years ago. It truly does make a difference so now I try to write CMs 4 keys cards at guest services when I can! And yay!! I'm so glad you got the chance to meet her :)
2 years ago, my family and friends went to disney world for a quick trip. I was in line for soarin and the cast member had directed me to go to line 3 or something. I said under my breath, nooo, because that was the lowest one, hence i would be seeing dangling feet. the cast member was like “is there a problem?” in a very, very sranky and rude attitude. mind you, i was a preteen. i thought this cast member shouldnt have said anything personally, and if they did not handle it like a cast member should. that whole trip it seemed like every cast member we encounter was not in a good mood.
I went last year to Disneyland for my birthday, I was wearing the birthday pin, I went to buy a snow white backpack that said "fairest one of all" and when I was about to pay the cm wished me a happy birthday, when she saw my mom with me she said a joke like copying what the backpack said including my mom, tbh I can't remember how she said it but it was hilarious, she was soo nice, she made my day, all the cast members I met that day were really nice. I feel bad that some people are rude to them, I think that almost all of them are really doing their best, but bad days can happen.
Girl I feel ya! Especially when dining, I always noticed that as soon as the cast member who was our server found out we were cast members as well, the service worsened. Also I saw that as an entertainment cm, other workers would almost poke fun at our job, saying it wasn’t real work. Love these kind of vids!
Isn't that interesting? I would get that too every once in a while! Or when I was in entertainment I felt like the guests that were the neediest (basically wanting a photoshoot with the character) were cast members. I didn't really touch on cast members as guests in the park, but I definitely felt like those were the guests that tried to get the most perks. I try to be very careful not to do that when I visit the parks and to be respectful of how long I'm spending with characters. Like if I want a photo, and a signature and a video and a photo with my friend I'll typically only do one or two of those things and get back in line rather than spending like 5 minutes holding up the line.
On our last trip to WDW we were on the safari and the driver had asked a child MULTIPLE times to sit down because they were in a moving vehicle and it was very dangerous etc etc, the parents did nothing to make the child sit so the driver drove through many area without stopping or slowing as they usually would and when we came to the rickety bridge they simply drove over and didn't make the bridge go to the side like it normally does...people could take that as the CM being rude but truly I find it is more and more times the guests that are just not being respectful about the fact that this is a JOB for the CM. Either way, Great video Mackenzie, thank you for this! :)
I think sometimes people think they're in a safe bubble when they're at Disney. Which most of the time, is great! But there are still dangers at the parks (people have died on rides, wild animals, etc.) and safety is Disney's top priority - above courtesy!
I'm from a foreign country and I visited Disney World last summer for a week. I remembered sitting at a restaurant at Hollywood Studios with Mickey and Minnie characters and listening to people sitting next to us complaining to the cast member about how expensive the check was and how ridiculous that they only saw a few characters. I forgot what they actually said but I could tell from their expressions that they were giving the cast member a hard time. So I told my grandmother who is local and she just stood up and told the mean people that the cast member was doing such a great job to make sure we are having a good time bla bla bla just to get her out of that situation. After that my grandma told me that people work at Disney for fun but not to make money because they don't get paid very well. I was pretty shocked when I heard that because I thought that the expectations for cast members are really high and they deserve to be paid more. I've also noticed that if you are kinder to the cast members they would be willing to go the extra mile for you, but not in a "oh it's your job so you should do it" way. I think the guests who were upset that they didn't see the giraffe should communicate nicely with the cast members and I'm pretty sure they would let you go on the ride again or explain to you why that is, not posting videos afterwards because that doesn't really solve the problem. Anyways I really do hope that they give the people working at Disney a raise cause the pay is ridiculously low!
That was really nice of your grandmother! I agree, they do get paid very little and have to deal with a lot of negative people too. And most often they have no way to fix whatever the guest is unhappy about! It's a great reminder to think about the circumstances and whether or not the person we're complaining to actually has the power to change the situation.
Hey Kenzie! I just got back from a Disney cruise and Disney world last week :) it was so amazing and magical I will never forget it! I don’t really find it rude that the cast member didn’t talk for 2 minutes. I went on Kilimanjaro safaris twice on my recent trip, and near the end of the tour the first time I went the driver didn’t say much for about 1 minute near the end of the tour cause there wasn’t any animals. I also saw many baby giraffes and both times the drivers said “they can’t stop for every animal and them not wanting to disturb the animals” which I understand. Some people just want to ruin the Disney magic. Great video you made some really good points! And good luck with your wedding! (Idk if it already happened or not), but good luck!
I can relate. Been seeing articles about rude cast members. Read in an article that someone was being rude in tiktok live streams. After reading that article I decided I ain't saving money up for a Disney theme park
I’ve only had one experience with a “rude” cast member. My partner and I were getting on Indiana Jones in Disneyland, as we got to the front of the line we requested to be in the front of the car, the cast member rolled his eyes and said, “well you’re gonna have to wait” and pointed to the side. To my knowledge cast members aren’t supposed to point? So we stood to the side and waited, as the next car rolled in he purposely put other guests in the front row, turned, looked at us and started laughing! I kindly asked to see his name on his tag and he wouldn’t let me see. I immediately went to a different cast member let them know the situation and asked for their assistance. That cast member was VERY apologetic, put us right in the front, and gave us the other cast members name. I went to Disneyland City Hall to let them know about the situation and they were very sweet about it and apologetic as well and totally turned our trip around. It was just a bummer because at Disneyland I feel is the only place where guests don’t have to worry about dealing with situations like that.
Part of the problem nowadays is that people think rules don’t apply to them. They think they are above everyone else. So when someone actually doing their job approaches them and enforced a rule they get offended and bent out of shape it’s pathetic
The absolute only rude cast members I’ve ever encountered were at the Haunted Mansion. My pet theory is that when a cast member has personality problems they assign them to the Mansion in the hope that their issues will come across as just being “spooky” or “eccentric.” The only other problem I ever had was a very young CM at WDW’s Pirates insisting he “wasn’t allowed” to send mobility-impaired guests back to ground level in the elevator when the speed ramp was broken. Luckily his lead happened along a few minutes later and sent us up.
I’m a former cast member who’s been almost physically assaulted by a guest over one of our credit card machines not working (we still had three that were working, but the one in the line he was in stopped working and was only taking cash). He invaded my space while screaming, cornered me against a wall, and I’m pretty sure the only reason he didn’t hit me is because my coworker got my leader. I’ve also seen my friends get yelled at simply because we were closing our restaurant for the night, I’ve had people swear at me... it’s crazy. Thank you for defending the cast members and calling rude guests out, because - regardless of how much you’re spending on your vacation - it’s never okay to treat people like that. We’re still human beings, we have feelings (that one guy had me sobbing in the background and the only reason I didn’t get an ER is because my shift was over in ten minutes), and we’re trying to do our best to keep everyone safe and happy while keep everything in order.
I agree, and I hope that more people speak out about it in the future! I think people have no idea how rude some guests can be and it's absolutely not ok. I feel like guests really don't realize that cast members are human beings and they need to be treated with dignity. I get that not every cast member is perfect, but it's astounding how horribly some guests will treat cast members.
kenziemacbrown exactly. I’ve definitely worked with some cast members that are not what perfect cast members and I’ve actually seen them be rude to guests, but even then they don’t deserve to be treated horribly
Being at WDW several times I don’t recall ever having an experience with a rude cast member.. however I’ve experienced SEVERAL rude guests especially during parades and fireworks. I couldn’t imagine being a CM and getting yelled at and cussed out by guests but still having the expectation to smile and be overly nice. I have the most respect for CM and how they handle their self in difficult situations. Sure sometimes they might come off “rude” but you don’t know the day they have had dealing with the thousands of demanding guests.
I agree, I think it's more common to see rude guests than rude cast members. Not sure what happens to make people so upset during shows. Maybe for the fireworks they're just done after being there all day. But still, seeing the way some people treat cast members makes me so sad!
I go to Disney often. I only remember one rude cast member. So I have 3 kiddos that I take. Our Disney traditions include thanking every cast member we interact with and going out of our way to thank those with dirty jobs (bathroom attendants, street cleaners etc) we want them to know that they make Disney magic. One trip the youngest had to wee badly. The women's line was huge. She got taken into a men's room to avoid an accident. As always she spotted an attendant and thanked them. The person went off about females not belonging in the make bathrooms. It was frustrating because we try so hard to be nice.
can i just say that I love making magical moments for cast members!! A lot of cm's can get pretty bored with their job pretty easily, so I understand when they go a little monotone or aren't living up to the incredibly high Disney standards. Most cast members who are "rude" to guests are just tired. But give them something to talk about, even as much as saying hi. I've seen so many cast members light up after saying hi to them cause no one ever does!! Cast members are humans too and are probably experiencing the same fatigue and heat that the guests are.
I have a story. I took my daughter to Disney World for her 7th birthday 2 years ago. I had gone to Disney World the year before with my other daughter and knew that I could not be around Chewbacca. Something about being right beside him or touching him made me anxious. So when my daughter went to meet Chewbacca I went in with her, but stayed off to the side while she visited him. About 10 seconds in he motions for me to come over to him, I said " no thank you!" And he kept motioning me over and then started walking over to me. I immediately turned around and put my face into the wall and said "no no no no...." He put his hand on my shoulder and I immediately had a panic attack, like a full blown panic attack. All I remember next is one of the attendants holding me trying to help me calm down and the other one over with my daughter and C trying to distract her. It took probably a good 10 minutes before I could actual move. In the end the manager gave my daughter and I tickets to the dessert fireworks show and some birthday treats for her which was nice. I'm just hoping they talk to all cast members about not touching the guest if they say no. I have a trauma history (including being raped) and that probably played a part in it. My daughter had to witness me having a panic attack (I'm sure that was traumatizing). The whole thing gives me anxiety just thinking about it! And we are going back next year and I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again. I'll be sure to stress the importance of not wanting Chewbacca to be near me.
I was just on my first Disney World trip last week. My friend and I wanted to ride Expedition Everest, but he was really nervous about roller coasters. We talked to a guest member who explained the ride to us, and she told us that sitting up front wasn't as intense as sitting in the back. And when she noticed it was our first trip and just the two of us, she took us over to the single rider line and we were able to bypass the 55 minute standby wait time because they wanted my friend to be able to enjoy it without worrying about the ride for 50 minutes.
My family went to WDW for the first time when I was in middle school in the fall (2005).The only bad experience I remember was a really curt Jasmine. I can’t remember if she was at a character meal or if we had gone to her meet and greet spot. She didn’t try to engage with us but I did end up with her autograph anyways. It was a weird experience.
thank you so much for this!! as a cast member myself, my goal is never to be purposefully rude or ruin a guest’s day. I always get frustrated when people get mad at me for doing my job (like having them move through the pathway, not letting them sit in reserved spots, etc.). I never want to make a guest upset but I am there for a reason! keeping guests safe may mean sometimes sacrificing some of their convenience or happiness. I appreciate you so respectfully pointing out different reasons for each side seeming rude
When I’m door greeting at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I’m not allowed to let any person inside who isn’t there for a reservation. LOTS of guests want to go inside and look, but per my management I’m not allowed to let anybody without a reservation in. That rule does come straight from management and I could get in serious trouble if I start letting people in. We have these rules in place to protect the privacy of the little kids inside. Parents don’t want strangers to have photos of their kids for obvious reasons. People constantly think I’m rude because I won’t let them do what they want. I typically try to explain to them why these rules are in place, but they usually don’t listen. One of my best friends was yelled at by a guest for this same reason and the guest told my friend that they were going to report her. Guests need to remember that we do indeed make magic, but we also have rules in place that we are required to follow. And more often than not the rules are in place for the safety of guests and cast members!
I actually never knew that about the boutique, but it makes sense! Plus I'm sure there's not a lot of space in there anyways for extra people to be wandering around. I was never worried when people would threaten to report me for doing my job, but it still doesn't make you feel great to have people angry at you for maintaining safety.
Ive NEVER met a rude cast member at Disneyland. There gave been a couple of guest. I've met TERRIBLY RUDE cast members at Disney World. But I will go again. My son wants to go back and try again.
This is a great video, Kenzie. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts, and for being so respectful and thoughtful in the process! It’s always so important to look at things from other people’s perspectives, and that’s one thing I really appreciate about these types of videos you do on your channel. Keep up the good work!
Love the painting in the background. My daughter would love it. She’s heading to cosmetology school with the hopes of working Disney spas/Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Do you remember where you got it?
I have never been a cast member but as someone who has worked almost 11 years in retail, I understand how it is hard for both the cast member and the guest so I try to respectful as possible for both. My most magical experience was last year I went down to Disney World for my birthday taking my sister and friend with me. The day we arrived it was my actual birthday so the lady at the check in desk gave me a pin and even upgraded our room for free which really made our trip and was so nice of the cast member too. I made sure to thank them and report the magical moment too so they could be recognized for it
I have a story about a somewhat rude cast member and a guest who saved the day! I was at the Food and Wine fest in Epcot, on my birthday which happened to be the last day of our trip. My feet... oh boy. I never knew feet could hurt so bad. Anyways, I had a massive blister that popped so I ran into the first merch store I saw and asked the cast member if they had bandaids or if there were some I could buy. She looked at me, and said "Sorry no they're only for cast members"... which I was like..."oh...uh...ok well could you point me in the direction of where I can get some??" and before she could say anything more this sweet mom with a stoller says "Don't worry I have some!!" she helped me to the bench and helped me clean the blister and put on the bandaid. She was my saviour! I don't blame the cast member, certainly didn't ruin the trip or anything but I was sooooo thankful for that sweet guest who was more than willing to help out a complete stranger who was bleeding through her sock hahahah
Liz Letourneau Big corporations (like Disney), will often have restrictions on who can give medical treatment. Even if it is just a band-aid, it technically could be seen as a liability. Cast members cannot under any circumstances provide medical treatment. So it’s not even somewhat rude. They are following policies in order to keep you as safe as possible. Just clearing this up ☺️
I wasn't asking for them to put it on me, just looking to be pointed in the right direction to get my hands on one. I totally get that and that could have been communicated if that was the case but honestly the guest was so quick to offer that I didn't even give the cast member the option to explain further. The tone of her voice seemed rude but I totally get it!! No harm no foul
Liz Letourneau I get it, but they can’t even give you one. It’s super super strict. However I definitely agree that she probably should’ve communicated differently. Saying she had band-aids but that they were only for cast members isn’t the best way to handle it. You should have immediately been pointed to a first aid station!
I’ve honestly never had any amazing or terrible experiences with CMs. I kind of expect to not get the same amount of extra magical service as an adult as someone with kids might get, so just getting what’s expected is fine with me! Sure, I’ve had some encounters with grumpy PAC but anyone who’s ever done any kind of crowd control knows that there’s not really a “nice” way to do it. There are totally a few CMs though that I remember simply because they were just genuinely nice, caring people.
I'd say most of my experiences with cast members are pretty neutral as well! And yeah, I would be surprised to see happy, joyful PAC CMs! Haha I honestly just don't think they have time to be over the top nice just because they have to control SO many guests.
I am about to move because I will be a cast member next month! It’s so cool to hear your stories and know that there are ways to create magic even in the tough situations. You’re amazing, girl! ♥️
I'm so excited for you! And I hope videos like this don't scare you at all, the vast majority of the guests are SO incredibly kind! You're going to love it :)
People are always saying how you should be kind to CMs (and I agree), but there are so many other professions that people are just horribly rude to and shouldn’t be. Teachers, doctors, nurses, retail employees, generally any public-facing job... they all get screamed at for no reason. How do people find the entitlement within themselves to be so horrible to other people?
I agree, this doesn't just apply to cast members but everyone in general. After having three customer service-related jobs myself it really opened my eyes to how people in those types of roles are treated (and I feel like teachers, doctors, nurses, retail employees fit into that category of serving others). It definitely isn't right and I feel like they deserve a lot of kindness!
I love how you opened everyone to the reality of how Florida heat can change things. It's so true. This is why rotation in the parks is so so important.
I know I'm SUPER crabby when I'm hot, especially when it's humid and I feel sticky. Yuck! So I'm sure that makes people more unhappy (guests and cast members alike).
I know this video is a little older but one time I went to Disney in December last year and we hadn't been there in 5 years. Well when we were trying to get around the park while a parade was going on and we were told to go one way but it led to a dead end. So my dad and my sister and my grandma ran across the street under the ropes before the parade started so we could go to where we need. Well me and my mom and my grandpa got stuck behind. A cast member came up to us and was being very rude to us and treated us as if we were idiots. My mom was trying to explain that we were told to go this way to get across and to where we need to go. Well the cast member goes along the lines of well no one told you to go this way when many people told us to go the way we went to get across. She made my mom feel very stupid and wrong and the cast member never even said sorry to us once. I found that very rude that she couldnt take the time to apologize that we were told incorrect things and that she was basically scolding at us for no reason. It definitely ruined the rest of the day. I don't know if the worker was in a bad mood or anything but she at least could have said sorry that your day isnt working out right. Or something like that.
Usually I have wonderful experiences with CM's but I have had 3 bad experiences. I understand you trying to justify those CM's and understand that you're looking at a more positive side, but No, I do not excuse them. The reason why is because we all have a job to do that we signed up for and when we're on duty we represent our company and being rude, unprofessional, or just nasty is unacceptable. Don't bring ur personal life to work and vice versa and it's really that simple. I've done customer service for over 20 years and when I go to work in a bad mood I try my best to remember that I have to get my act together while on shift and if I feel terrible then I will take a break and cry my eyes out. Disney CM's are held to higher standards with good reason. I understand that it's difficult at times but when working at a Disney park CM's must remember that it's not cheap to visit and people pay a lot of money to go and make wonderful memories and cast members play a major role in that. So a CM's job at customer service is by far much more important than my job at customer service. When a CM applies for a job they know it's going to be incredibly hot because it's Florida. So that's not excusable. Look at the character performers for example. They do a PHENOMENAL job rain or shine, hot or cold. That's what we as visitors expect out of Disney. I just wish that CM's were paid more because they truly deserve it. Every single one of them.
I went to DL and a cast member handed the guy in front me a flashlight so that he could find the Eeyore sign at Indiana Jones. A cast member inside the ride was really rude about him using it
That's cool, but sad the other cast member wasn't nice about it! Maybe there's some rules against them doing that, but I've seen the Eeyore sign before because a cast member pointed it out - it's really neat!
True! Someone else mentioned in the comments that they were there a month ago (the same time when the person shared the video) and there were new baby giraffes and the cast members were instructed to not stop and to not make a ton of noise since the baby giraffes weren't accustomed to that yet. I'm sure the cast member probably didn't do the best job explaining that to the guests, but if you have to do that for EVERY tour I'm sure it can be easy to forget - especially if it was something new.
I'm not sure if I shared this story before but as a guest I completely understand closing line I was in line waiting to meet Mary Poppins and Burt at DL. Burt asked me to be the end of line. People tried to get me to allow them into the line and I was like Burt is going to remember me
As someone who is getting ready to start their CP, this was such a learning experience! This is a great way of letting people know that situations can be easily misinterpreted. Thanks so much posting, you always handle your guest/experience (whether the incident was bad or good) videos with such class! Another great video, as always ! Lots of love 💕
So I worked at Kilimanjaro Safaris not too long ago and I know that driver. She’s not the most bubbly person in the world by any means, but she does her job, and more importantly people don’t realize how EXHAUSTING that job actually is. I had more than one safari where I didn’t say much, either because there wasn’t much to see or I was just beat. The point of the experience is to experience the magic of seeing these living animals in real life, not to spotlight a cast member, so I think what she did was fine. The animals are and always will be the star of the show
That's really good to hear, especially since you know her too! I feel like people judge things too quickly without understanding the full context. And honestly, I don't think you have to be 100% bubbly all the time to do your job well. I really hope that she's not taking this situation personally. I think a lot of cast members can relate and understand that the expectations guests had in this scenario were unrealistic.
I remember the first time coming to Disney World without my older brother we always go to Disney when they have the Christmas lights up. So of course I’m super upset and getting tearful. One of the cast members said cheer up have a magical day. I wanted to lash out but good thing I didn’t just because I’m upset doesn’t mean I have to ruin other people’s experiences. Btw my brother passed away on Christmas to so it is ten times more emotional for me.
We went to Disney World in December. We were waiting in line to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. We had our 18month old daughter with us. She was getting cranky because it was cold. She was fussy and the character attendant took the time to give her some stickers to play with and make her smile. It was such a little gesture but it made such a huge difference. When we finally got to meet the characters it was so worth it. The other experience that I recall is a photographer (she captured some amazing moments between my daughter and Buzz Lightyear), and the character Buzz Lightyear himself. My daughter is named Jessie and when Buzz heard her name he started drawing hearts around her, blowing kisses. She was thrilled and was touching Buzzes face, holding hands, etc. the photographer captured every sweet moment. And I loved the whole interaction
A lot of people think that the cast members who work at Space Mountain in Disneyland Anaheim are rude. They’re just doing their job. If the ride backs up then it breaks down. Move all the way up the gates, get on quickly, and when the lap bars are released get off quickly.
In terms of wanting to meet a Disney character, but you guys having to close the line (which I don't fault you for), I was once in line to meet Buzz Lightyear. One of the cast members said that Buzz would be leaving soon and that only a few more people could see him. I'm a grown adult. I know it's a guy in a costume. There are kids behind me who want to meet him. I leave the line and let the kids get their picture taken with him instead. And you know what? I felt great doing that. If there is an announcement that they are closing the meet and greet line soon, please let the kids go before you if you are an adult.
I’ve never had a problem with Cast Members but I have had to deal with rude guests on my last trip to Disney. Like in Hollywood Studios we were walking and this lady was not paying attention and ran straight into my mom and didn’t say sorry and it really made a bunch of us upset. I’ve had a group of people stop right in the middle of the walkway while I was trying to keep up with my dad, I had said excuse me a few times and they never moved so I had to push my way through even though I didn’t really want to.
I completely forgot to mention this as well. But my older brother has a disability from being in the navy so he can’t stand in long lines or with a big group of people around him or he will start to freak out. We really wanted to go ride Big Thunder Mountain but there was a really long wait and we didn’t want to put him through that. So my brother went up to one of the guys working the front and talked with him, my brother told him his situation. So the CM working asked how many people where there all together, so my brother told him and he told him to come back with all of us and he will gives us fast passes to go through. But when we all got there he just let us go straight through without fast passes which I thought was really nice of him.
That was really nice of the cast member! They may have gotten rid of it, but I believe Disney had special passes or a program for guests who couldn't wait in lines or be in crowds. They may have gotten rid of it from people taking advantage of it, but you should ask about that the next time you visit!
The best Disney memories that i have is watching FANTASMIC at Disneyland and i was trying to look for a seat and i ask the cast member politely and i told her that i have a disability pass and so one time she told me that there is a restaurant and she told me i have to ask if i can seat outside i mean the restaurant balcony but then it was close but this two other cast member was so very,very nice to me and also i was celebrating my birthday and i have a birthday button and then they just let me in and i seat in the balcony with a cool view so i can see everything up high and i almost cried because that’s like the best thing ever and after FANTASMIC i was walking through the exit and then i was like i don’t wanna leave so i cried inside the car on the way home because this is how much i love Disney and the cast members. (Pls tell me if i have wrong grammar or wrong spelling 😅).
I have been to Disney 17 times in my 21 years of life and I can probably count on one hand the number of truly "rude" castmembers I've encountered, and even at that it's never been catastrophic or "report them" worthy. Travelling the parks with my two wheelchair-bound special needs siblings, my family has certainly presented our fair share of difficult situations, and the Castmembers have never been anything but absolutely beyond wonderful. When I hear people complaining about castmembers so rude they aught to be fired, or saying that the castmembers were rude their whole trip, I really wonder how much they're twisting the story, what THEIR behavior to those castmembers was like, and how "rude" the Castmembers were truly being (knowing the real case is that they probably weren't spreading maximum pixie dust or allowing rule breaking) It's of course not to say that awful instances don't happen, but at the end of the day, 99.99% of Castmembers are absolutely wonderful, and that fact far outweighs any rude encounters for me. It breaks my heart when I see people putting down Castmembers, because it is the Castmembers who have given me my best vacation memories every year, and they make me proud to be a Disney fan. What I wish people would realize, along with the fact that Castmembers are humans who can make mistakes and also are following safety rules, is that if you sew kindness you will get it back. I've always found that the best way to have a magical experience with a Castmember is to be magical to them yourself!
Hey Mackenzie, really great video. I enjoyed it and I really appreciate your objectivity but also your empathy for both CMs and guests. There was one time I was (what I would refer to as) a 'Disney jerk', but I've never been nasty to anyone and I almost always try to keep in mind the other guests around me and also to be patient and understanding of CMs too, they have a lot to deal with. To put on a happy face and really make things magical for guests in the midst of dealing with rude guests or even difficult co-workers is quite an achievement and I really respect that.
you are so well spoken. i’ve had such an awful experience with a cast member. it left a really bad taste in my mouth, but i didn’t want her to ruin my trip. so i’ve forgiven her and the situation she put me through. it doesn’t excuse the way she lashed out on me, but i’m sure her reactions run deeper in her personal life. i still love disney and going to the parks. it really is an escape from the real world. 😊
Also not everyone is going to be happy and peppy all the time and I think people forget that. I know I definitely am not in a great mood 24/7. At Disneyland there are a ton of guests that are just in a really foul mood and act out that way too. I don’t think it’s fair that they expect so much from cast members if they themselves can’t be happy at the Disney parks. And the guests are the ones on vacation, while cast members are the ones working at their jobs.
I just took my family to Disneyland California for a week, worst thing that happened was I lost my flip flop on Pirates, had to get a voucher for new flip flops, so I got Mickey Mouse sandals now.
I have so many feelings about this. I love Disney, but I have such a hard time being there right now. I've been a cm twice, as a character performer and a front desk GEM. I thought I knew from the first time what I was getting myself into. I came from a 4 diamond resort out in oregon, I thought I knew the insanity that hotel guests can provide. I had no. idea. what was coming for me. I had guests get physical with me, demand their entire vacations back along with me to pay for their flight back home(for their luggage being delayed from MCO, a common theme), call me every name under the sun. Come back every single day of their vacation to complain about spending so much vacation time complaining to me. I had guests who refused to stay in any room but 3 (in a 1000 room hotel) and tell me I had to kick out the family who was already checked in so they could have one of them. I got so good at saying no to people's room requests because they physically weren't possible. BUT it also took me away from my family for a year. I had 1 weekend day off with my husband that entire time. I left when I started having panic attacks at work because I was so stressed about what the next horrible guest was going to say to me. After I left, one of my cast members said he was proud of me for "standing up for myself and realizing that work doesn't have to be like this". The one reason I stuck around was my cms. They are still some of the best people i have ever met and i miss them daily, but six months after leaving, I'm in a way better spot mentally, my job doesnt make me want to die, and I get to see mountains every day.
As a WDW annual passholder, I live 12 miles from the parks, I am in the parks at least once a week this is my 2 cents, been to the parks 200 days over the past 2 years. Cast members are humans. I have had 2 rude interactions that I can recall in my mind. Now I know there have been more but I believe that things happen and it's okay. I try to not take it personally. So when I do have great interactions I tweet @wdwtoday with the hashtag #CastCompliment. Then I truly believe what you put out you recieve back I have more many amazing cast member interactions than rude ones. I have to hands down give props to cast members because the standards being a CM are so high that if anything less than 110% can be hard to keep up with that standard. I believe that it really is about mindset and perspective on both sides. You made a wonderful commentary and conversation on this topic. Thanks for doing this hun.
Each trip to DL has been an absolute delight. In my opinion, cast members are rock stars. They do create a lot of magical memories and put up with SO much.. And still smile and help as much as absolutely possible! As a guest there, I've seen/experienced other rude guests.. I can only imagine what its like for cast members. I feel like there are probably a number of circumstances that we don't know about and maybe shouldn't judge too quickly. I appreciate the approach that you took in this video! It is thought provoking and realistic! Nice job!
Thanks Chandra! Luckily it didn't happen too often, but I was still surprised by the amount of unhappy, "rude" guests I experienced as a cast member. I can understand the circumstances that may lead them to feel that way, but hoping that they can show just as much understanding to cast members in return :)
@@kenziemacbrown for sure! I feel like with that many people, personalities, and cultures in one area.. A little bit of patience and understand goes a long way! The vast majority though are absolutely fantastic and super fun to be around and interact with!
As an entertainment CM a lot of guest don’t understand operational requirements (like characters leaving to “check on something” every 25-30 minutes) and there will be instances where we might have to send them back to fix their outfits and I’ve never been yelled at more. Guest just don’t understand that accidents happen and that characters and workers are actual people sometimes :(
So true! I also think a lot of people forget that safety comes before courtesy which comes before show. Sometimes I wish they would just trust the process because there's a lot they may not understand because we're trying to keep the magic alive!
Thankyou thankyou thankyou so much for making this! It definately had to be mentioned. Who would assault and attack a cast member for no reason? Seriously, who would do that? Even in a family friendly place. It's so sick to do that. It's also the same with celebrities. When someone sees a celebrity down the street but the celebrity acts slightly annoyed and distant and then the fan would be upset and accuse them for being unfriendly. Well, celebrities are people, not happy Gods/Goddess's, they're just trying to live their life and do things so it's not that surprising if they don't act as friendly and happy.
Love the celebrity analogy! I don't think people realize how they're not the only one excited to see the celebrity or think about the amount of times the celebrity gets recognized. On a smaller level, I do feel like I have to be "on" when I'm visiting the parks now because I will get recognized when I'm there. I absolutely LOVE meeting subscribers, but I would hate to appear grumpy because I'm tired from walking all day. Just being able to try to put myself in someone else's shoes has truly helped me empathize and show more patience towards others. Especially in a customer service role!
This is not a simple topic. Yes, I do expect Disney parks cast members to exhibit a very high level of customer service while they are on stage. There is a reason they are called cast members. They are playing roles in order to help maintain some very specific guest experiences. Most of my interactions with cast members have lived up to this high standard, or at least come close enough that it didn't stand out in my mind in any negative way. That said, when CMs have not lived up to this standard it has tended to stick with me. Back in 2012 I encountered a woman at a ticket window at DHS who was just plain salty in her overall demeanor and with her tone of voice. It stopped me in my tracks in the moment and obviously I still remember it. In 2014 I witnessed an interaction between CMs at the front of the Dumbo queue in full view of several guests in which it was clear one of the CMs was being given a job he didn't want. He did not hide his displeasure and the one delivering the news appeared to be happy about it. At most places this sort of interaction wouldn't faze me at all, but in the Disney parks the expectation is that they would not let guests see that sort of thing. It breaks "show." That said, I have some significant experience with customer service and know full well how rude and unreasonable some customers/guests can be. I have witnessed it plenty of times among other guests at Disney parks. I can't claim to have always been a perfect guest myself, but I have certainly tried, and when I recognize that a CM really is putting in good effort I am typically extremely patient and forgiving. My experience has been that even a (sincere) show of effort when I know it won't make a real difference in the outcome for the guest will usually still succeed in making that guest satisfied that they were seen and heard and that their needs were taken seriously. Sometimes this also means offering lots of apologies. An apology costs me nothing, but it lets the customer know that I recognize something isn't quite right and that often really helps to diffuse potentially unpleasant situations. I may have said the same canned customer service line hundreds of times on a specific day, but I have to remember that for most customers it is the FIRST time they have heard it. As a guest who loves the parks, I would fully support the expulsion of guests displaying behaviors such as the worst ones you mentioned. Awful guests don't just make CMs' days worse. They make things worse for other guests too. The parks are typically too crowded and profitable to tolerate truly terrible behavior from the people who are supposed to be having a good time. My guess about the high tension around fireworks/parade times is due to a few things: 1) These popular events happen only one or two times a day, so pressure to experience them is already high. 2) Because of this, a park that was operating one way all day suddenly starts operating a little differently, which can cause confusion and defensiveness from everyone involved. 3) The guests and CMs have already experienced a long day, often in hot temperatures, at this point. They are tired and just want to do this one last thing before getting out of their shoes and into a bed. 4) Crowds bunch at these times, sometimes rather unpleasantly, and it can cause major frustrations due to poor visibility and an inability to make your way around the park. Probably my least pleasant Disney parks experiences was in Disneyland back in 2015 when we were basically trapped in a park with most of its attractions down because of the parade/fireworks. The back half of the park was shut down, Main street was completely impassable, and we were told we could not use the pass around path to exit the park - only to enter the park. We just wanted to leave after a long hot day, but we were kind of being held prisoner. Even if we had wanted to see the parade, there was little chance of that at this point because we hadn't staked out a spot to do so effectively - because what we really wanted to do was to leave. Thanks so much for this video. I really appreciate the work that CMs do.
Coming from a Customer Service background there is never a good reason to be rude to your Clients. I've had plenty opportunities to be rude but I've always restrained myself. Now if your talking about assault then you protect / defend yourself....that is not being rude. If your not having a good day, don't clock in. Working with the public will always be challenging whether you work at Disneyland, WDW, Target or Denny's.
I don't have any bad experiences to report as such but I can definitely see a difference in staff from today to 10 years ago. The staff used to be the best in the world imo but now they just do the bare minimum. It's free to smile.......
I know!! :( I recently got a ton of questions for a Disney Q&A video and there were so many I think I'm going to have to make multiple videos!! I also have a few trips in the works :)
I've been to Disney a few times and the cast is AMAZING. They go above and beyond what a min. wage job calls for. The only bad experience I ever had was while waiting for a character once I was told by one attendant that I would be the last to go and then a different cast member cut the line right before me. I told them what I was told by the other cast member and was given the cold shoulder basically. I'll admit I almost cried at that since I had made time sensitive plans based on what I was told and now had to wait for the next session. And I'm not a FL resident but travel far and cannot go often (as many people do). But yes, typically the best customer service ever and I understand that the cast puts up with a lot. Thanks!
I'm sorry to hear about your experience - I would find that very frustrating too! I've definitely had my fair share of bad experiences with character attendants and performers. For the most part the cast members are wonderful and the good experiences far outweigh the bad!
Last year was my first trip as an adult. I went to world,as I used to as a kid. Maybe because I'm not a kid but they were rude as fuck. Not all,but like 6 cast members. An old dude was asked by me if they had something in medium,he said kid i dont fucking know.....and a woman yelled at me angrily for sitting on a bump thing on the ground for a moment to get a drink. And then a guy for the same thing. As hazard blah blah,but say it nicely. I was legit yelled at,with a stomp. Like a quick tamper tantrum. But as a kid they were SOOOOOOOOO nice. They always went beyond the call of duty sort of speak to make it feel like magic. I believed it was magic as a kid. Overall as a kid,they were perfect angels,as a adult,only 6 were rude but I had 6 rude encounters in a span of 3 days. I think they don't like working there,i hear lots of drama over the park recently. :/
i’m not working at a theme park but i do work in customer service. i love my job in the winter and in summer i regret it every year. it’s ridiculously hot and they get snappy with me for no reason and it takes a lot for me to not get snappy back. and i will fully admit that at the end of a hot day if someone is crazy rude to me i do get snappy back and i always feel bad about it. but now when i go anywhere i always make sure i’m at least nice to the people working because i know it can completely ruin someone’s day if you are crappy with them.
I truly believe everyone should work in a customer service type roll. I've had three customer service related jobs and it's really opened my eyes! I feel like I'm a lot more patient towards people and understanding when things don't go perfect.
I need to realize that yes it’s still a job I get so annoyed when cast members are rude I guess because I try my best being happy at work and so do the other cast members in my department. All of them are happy because they believe in hard work and worry when things don’t go right. I totally am this way and I think that’s why we get along because a lot of us are on the same page. We try real hard. Next time I go in im going to give the bell attendants tips if I get any last Sunday we were short staffed and the bell attendants were working there but off! Im proud of them
My best friend was also a DCP and so I know how hard it is to work at the parks. There are a lot of positives, but it’s also a very difficult job. While I’m sure I’ve probably had some interactions with CPs where I left feeling unhappy, I try to be as kind as I can to them and honestly the amount of positive interactions have far outweighed the negatives.
My daughter dropped her lollipop and and the cm saw my daughter really upset. She went above and beyond for her.... we saw her the next day and gave the cm the biggest hug
I think it's super important how you addressed what people may be going through to help us better understand guests and cast members. I'm actually doing the DCP this fall and going to be a character attendant. I do think that sometimes I also hold cast members to higher standards. But these are very helpful reminders for me as I interact with guests and also fellow cast members to remember that they are still human and I may not always know the full picture and to stay open minded. But also as a reminder to myself to do the best that I can do in my role and maintain a positive attitude and do what I can to ensure that guests have positive experiences during their visit. I love the story you told in your crazy guest story video because it is just a perfect example of how we never know what people are going through and how we can help make those magically moments for guests. I hope that I can embody your outlook and attitude as I become a character attendant. I really admire and look up to you and your perspective and I will definitely be thinking of what you shared in this video and your other stories throughout my time at as an attendant. Thanks for sharing this!
Honestly, you're going to have such an amazing time!! I loved being a character attendant and the vast majority of the guests are SO kind and wonderful! You will have to deal with some unhappy guests - especially if you're in a location where you have to close the line. But it's just part of the job. I felt like guests during the parties were exceptionally grumpy. BUT after experiencing the parties as a guest myself, I could see why. The first one I went to was rained out the majority of the night so I barely got anything done. When I would meet unhappy guests at the parties afterwards, I felt like I could really relate and understand where they're coming from. Often times they just want to feel heard. But I think you're going to do great and I hope you have a wonderful time!
So I go to Disney World at least once or twice a year, and one of my favorite rides is the Jungle Cruise. I sat up at the front once and the CM was a bit more awkward with delivery of the jokes and mised quite a few. He sat down to take his water break in the cave part and told me that was his worst run he had ever done! 😭 I encouraged him a bit, but at the end he had asked another family in the boat to not post the ride on UA-cam or anything. I'm sure that could have been taken as rude by them, but truly if they had known what I did they would have known he was embarrassed. I have so much respect for any of the CMs that have scripts to follow. It's so much to remember!
I love that you are keeping it positive, but let's also keep it realistic. With the amount of numbers that Disney pulls from around the world, the staff is overwhelmed trying to herd people into and out of lines or on the monorail. It makes sense, but it is still rude.
Another thing I just thought of, everybody today wants instant gratification and when they don’t get it they get so impatient and very angry which is really stupid you can’t always have an instant. Also, the cast members might be sleep deprived and that’s why they are sometimes rude, and that’s really sad because to get anything done you have to have sleep, then maybe the cast members would be better off and more peppy and cheerful.
love this video!!! i actually just returned from disney world last night (spent 8 days there. DVC & AP) .. i personally found that none of the cast members i spoke with were over friendly or over the top. most were just doing the bare minimum. i always look for cast members to compliment at guest services but this trip i never found one that went above and beyond (no, i don't want free stuff or anything given to me). going almost every month I'm aware how great things can be but this trip they definitely weren't as good as they could be. yes its hot, yes its crowded, however its disney. id rather be hot and crowded at disney than at home. of the cast members i spoke with the general consensus was most had short outside shifts 4-5 hours. i will say i noticed the biggest change in rude and cast member behavior at a specific character meal. (might be the worst I've ever felt i was treated in disney). also, i love how positive you kept this while still getting your point across. you seem like the sweetest person!!!
That's too bad! I honestly haven't been to Disney World in the summer, but I'm sure the heat makes everyone (cast members and guess) less pleasant. That makes me really sad to hear that you didn't see anyone going above and beyond in the 8 days you were there though!
@@kenziemacbrown honestly i was shocked. it certainly won't deter me from going back (will be back in a few weeks) but its just surprising. usually i have a long list, i love recognizing people for a job well done. i was kinda sad not to have that this time. however i won't be dragging the people that were less than magical on social media. it was definitely crazy hot, heat index of 105+.
We were in Disney a month ago and when we were on Kilimanjaro safaris, we were told when we approached the giraffes that we couldn’t stop because they have a new baby or two and they aren’t really used to the trucks yet. So they try to keep the noise level low and the truck moving at that one part. I don’t think the cast member was being rude at all I believe they were just following the rules and the guest recorded at the wrong time. Thank you for making this video. I love all your content on your channel.
countryblonde314 at least they are respecting animals!!!
I'm SO glad you mentioned this! This video clip I showed was actually from around that time. That's probably what was going on and the cast member may have not explained that well (or at all). But that makes perfect sense! Cast members have to follow the four keys (safety, courtesy, show and efficiency) and they're like the main core values. People forget that they're in order of importance - safety comes before courtesy. So while this cast member may have seemed "rude" or "uncourteous" they were probably prioritizing safety which is what they're supposed to do!
@@kenziemacbrown It's possible that the CM explained the situation, but the guests weren't listening.
I love hearing your perspective on these kind of things!
I got engaged at Disneyland back in 2017 & my fiance and I were waiting in line to meet Jasmine and Aladdin when Gaston walked by showing off his muscles so my fiance got an awesome picture. A cast member saw this and my fiance showed him a few pictures and accidently went back 1 picture too far & it was of my ring.
He asked if we'd recently gotten engaged, we said yes, and after we met Jasmine and Aladdin he took us inside the Princess Fantasy Faire building to meet like 4 princesses without waiting in line and clearly told them about our engagement because they were all giving us marriage advice. It was my best magical moment and I'll never forget the experience that man gave us ❤️
I've seen more rude guests than rude cast members. In order to get friendly service you should be friendly! Last trip I checked into my hotel, and the girl working seemed off and not overly friendly. A moment later, she said with tears in her eyes, excuse me I'm so sorry I'm just trying to pull myself together. I was kind to her and told her it was okay, I worked in customer service too. She took a moment to herself, then told me she was new and the man in line before me had yelled at her and called her names and she wasn't sure what to do. Just be nice everyone; cast members are human and they have feelings.
They are human. Guests don't know what really happens "backstage ". Lots of managers put pressures on cast members. Some don't even know how to lead their team without being tactful. Too many rules to follow. I've encountered cast members who have worked 14 days straight without a day off. Standing 8 hours a day in FL humid heat and not being able to fan yourself because guests can't see this. Being constantly monitored by cameras everywhere. Just think of working under the hot 109 degree sun. Its not easy work. Guests should be treated with respect and I've met lots of wonderful people. But I've met few who are rude for no reason provoked. Would I got back to worked with a contractor company there again. Not in a million years. Its not because of the guests. Treat people with respect and you get respect back. Most managers have egos...they are the problem. They act like gods because they work for the Big Company. Seeing is believing.
In customer service positions guests are rude at times unfortunately which is why it’s good to be kind
Really? I’ve only seen one some young teen by herself but usually all the guests are nice I’ve never really had a problem with them but a lot of the cast members can be rude
@@madelynnazario8361 I haven’t had a problem at all as a cast member I’ve been okay but I love my manager he’s awesome.
For my 16th birthday my family took me to Disneyland and on the day of my birthday I was wearing a pin to sho it was my birthday. We stopped in front of the Peter Pan ride and I really wanted to go on it but the wait was about 90 mins so my family didn’t want to wait.... but then the employee working at the exit saw us and that it was my birthday and let us go through the exit and get right on the ride:) it was a small thing but it helped make my birthday amazing!
Awww that is so wonderful!! I think it's so awesome when cast members can create magical moments through small acts of kindness!
Aww that’s so nice!!
That’s super sweet
One of my most treasured memories is being called a princess by a cast member at Blizzard Beach when I visited Disney World for the first (and only) time at 12 years old. I was queuing up for one of the slides next to the Summit Plummet and when it was my turn the lifeguard said "There you go, princess!". It may seem like such a small thing but at the time I had started to become so insecure and disgusted with myself, and her gesture made me feel super special.
Awww that's so sweet! And a great reminder that words have power, it obviously left a lasting impression on you! :)
That was legit the nicest way to put any of that. You kept it beyond positive but also telling your truth. Awesome job Mackenzie!! 🖤
Thanks Kimberly!! It's something that was on my heart for a while but I wanted to still share it in a respectful way!
Is it possible the safari CM’s microphone wasn’t working and that’s why he/she didn’t speak?
Amy McKenna could be!
I’ve had a rude CM encounter before that I shared in a comment in one of your older videos. But I wanted to comment here after you mentioned being nice to CMs. When I was a CM at Disneyland, there was a guest who told me “thank you for being here today” and it really made my day!! I worked really hard making every guest experience a good one which got sooo tough when I had to interact with hundreds of them over the course of my shift and to be appreciated like that was just so nice.
It's so rare that people thank CMs and it definitely stands out when they do! I really wish it happened more often!
I remember going to disney for 4 days when i was 8 the year after princess and the frog came out and tiana was my fave princess and i really wanted to meet her before i left the first 3 days was unsuccesful so on the 3rd day i went to the mickey cafe like every other night and there was this one attendant/worker who always chatted to me to make my day special on the 3rd she asked if id seen tiana yet and i said no half an hour later she came back and said go to the princess pavilion at 8:30 someone wants to meet me so on the next/last day of the trip we went to the pavilion dressed as tiana an attendant asked if i was (my name) i said yes and got told to follow her and took me to this room and there was tiana. If it wasnt for the attendant in the cafe i would never have met her and for that i am truly grateful 💚
That is so wonderful! I love hearing about magical moments created by cast members! I'm sure it was something small on their part, but made a lasting impression on you!
I am an annual pass holder and one of the best memories that we have had took place the very first time we went to Epcot! My little sister managed to wear flip flops to the park without my mom noticing. Eventually the shoes broke so she was just walking around barefoot. (we checked a few gift shops for shoes including Mouse Gear) Me and my sister were having an interaction with Snow White when the character attendant noticed that my sister wasn't wearing shoes. He told us that she can't walk around barefoot. We had explained to the cast member that we checked the gift shops and there were not any shoes that fit my sister. He took us to the gift shop in Germany and showed us some really nice Adidas shoes. These shoes were about $150 and my mom was irritated because we didn't want to waste money on the shoes but she didn't say anything and the cast member found my sister's size for her and was super nice about it. We got the shoes and walked out. I asked my mom how much the shoes were and she told me. I was in shock that she just had to pay that. Then she explained that the cast member gave us the shoes completely for free! I was in shock because it was not his fault or Disney's fault that my sister broke her shoe. This cast member was truly amazing but I didn't get his name unfortunately. I didn't know about cast compliments then and I wish we had another way to thank him for his amazing service. It truly made our day!
Wow!! That was so nice of him! It's true, unfortunately you cannot meet the characters barefoot. But honestly there's a lot of shops (even in Epcot) where they have flip flops for maybe $15. I'm surprised he didn't show you those instead! Haha
My first trip to WDW was on my daughter’s Make A Wish trip January 2010. CM’s were wonderful to us. One gentleman at Columbia Harbor House recognized how much she was struggling. He came over and said - it’s my job here to find one family and make their day special. Honestly, we barely had any money and he got us a banquet, found us a quiet area, sat down with me and all 4 kids and just absolutely made our day. We were able to eat, laugh, talk and share stories with him. 3 months later we found out cancer was back and she died in 2011. I will never forget that gentleman or the small sweet things every cast member did for her on that trip. From free dole whips to nice greetings, she was treated like royalty. Human kindness matters and I will always go back to WDW and remember to continue to return the favor. ♥️
I love how empathic you are when it comes to your experiences. It’s so important to put yourself in others shoes, and acknowledge where they are coming from. Thank you for being such a great role model😊
I try! I'm not always perfect at it, but I do believe most people have good intentions and I try to look for that :)
Most cast members are really rude after fireworks when they direct traffic but I understand that they get stressed and they have a job to do and they could be tired too so I try not to be too upset
I've definitely experienced that too! There was one shift I had as a character performer where I was near a PAC (parade audience control) cast member - those are the same cast members you're referring to. I was amazed at how rude and horrible the guests were to that cast member because they were just doing their job (trying to keep an area clear and keep guests/performers safe). The amount of harassment those cast members have to endure is truly unimaginable. I've heard horror stories of guests becoming verbally and physically violent towards CMs in those roles. So I think by the end of the night they're probably just really tired of it. Before working for Disney I would've been annoyed by their attitudes, but now after seeing and hearing stories I'm really not surprised.
Prices increase but the employee wage doesn't increase. So why should customer service increase?
Great question!
Great point
Very true but that’s not the guests fault.
borno3 definitely not but they could be empathetic to the fact and treat them nicely. Which I’m sure most people do anyway.
Guest Magical moment story!:
I was at WDW last spring. I had literally dreamed and saved and cried many tears over this trip.
It was the end of day and I have had the most amazing day. Nothing went wrong. It was crazy. But then came time for the fireworks. I was tired and was looking for a spot to stand and as you know, it can be near impossible once it starts getting full.
I was starting to give up and a cast member over heard me tell my friend who I was there with, “let’s just head out... I don’t see anywhere to stand and keep getting told to move by CMs.”
This CM comes running over to me, leaving his station(he was waving a yellow light stick waving the crowd in a traffic flow)
He says “ma’am, please don’t leave! Follow me!” And he leads me and my friend past the hordes of people and shows me his favorite place to stand that no one really realizes they can stand at. I was floored. I was SO happy. I didn’t have a kid with me, there was no real reason for this guy to be so nice to me. But he made my day and allowed me to get to see the fireworks with a perfect view and I could literally put my arms out and twirl around with the space around me. It was amazing. ❤️
Awww that's so sweet! I'm sure it was something so small that he did but obviously it made a lasting impact!
One of my favorite memories is when I went with my boyfriend (soon to be fiance, he proposed in front of the castle the next day!) In 2016 and our triple A advisor had messed up our tickets and reservations entirely and concierge at our resort (all star music) had completely helped us out and gave us free tickets for the day including park hopper. Other things that happened that made that trip so magical but once in a while someone was kinda unhappy but I would always ask to try to help their mood and make them feel like their work is appreciated by guests ♡
That's amazing that they did that for you! Honestly small acts of kindness go a long way at Disney! And I think that's so wonderful that you would try to lift their spirits! Honestly if they're seeming unhappy they're probably feeling underappreciated. So I'm sure you going out of your way to appreciate them probably helped a lot!
I hardly ever meet rude cast members, but my favorite experience what probably the group of cast members that were working together then I went to go meet Woody and Jessie. In the back of my autograph book I have a page for cast members who have a very happy heart and are just doing their job well, and I noticed that this group of cast members were doing just that, and making all the other guests in front of me have a really great experience so I asked them to sign my book while Woody and Jessie we’re checking on bullseye. And later when I was walking off to go meet mike and sully, I just hear “I GOT TO SIGN THE BOOK!” It was so much fun and a very memorable experience, and just made my day. Thank you to all of those wonderful cast members!
Honestly asking cast members for their signature makes them feel SO special! It never happened to me as an attendant but I really wished it could've! It just makes you feel appreciated and valued, and I think it's so wonderful that you do that!
When I was younger my mom and I heard that if you found a paintbrush on Tom Sawyer's Island you would receive an extra fastpass from a cast member. Disney never announced that they did not do that anymore. So, we searched for a LONG time trying to find a paintbrush. Finally, we found one. We went to tell a cast member and get our extra fastpass but she rudely informed us that the one we found was the last paintbrush that they could not find when they tried to dispose of them all. We told her that we heard we would get an extra fastpass. She basically told us "we don't do that anymore, oh well." we wasted over an hour of our time for nothing. However, on the bright side, we were allowed to keep the paintbrush and it was a fun memory :D
That's sad! I feel like in that situation it really wouldn't have been that difficult for her to just give you an extra fastpass. But I'm glad you're trying to see the bright side!
One time when I was 5 or 6 my family and I were in the queue for Big Thunder (which was and is my favorite ride) and the ride broke down when we were right by where they give you a number at the front. The cast member noticed that I was obviously very upset and confused and was she so kind and came over and had a great conversation with me for a solid 10 minutes until the ride was fixed. She even traded pins with me and was so awesome and I still remember her name to this day!
Why do people think they can be rude and nasty to a person for any reason? I don’t work for Disney, but I work in retail and 95% of customers are lovely. But, that other 5%...
With any situation, get in the other person’s perspective. If they can’t help you, get someone else, but be nice.
Rudeness is never acceptable.
I agree, I think this goes for customer service roles in general! Thankfully it's only a select few, but I agree, putting yourself in someone else's shoes definitely helps in situations like these!
Thank you for this video!! I am a current cast member, thank you for defending us, but ALSO calling out the people on their bullsh*t! Similar story, last Sunday I actually rear ended someone at a light, we both pulled over, I was in my costume (had my name tag off, but still obvious 😂). The people I hit were two women with their magicbands and park clothes on 😩 I completely lost it, started sobbing, and apologizing, they were so sweet, but the reason I was crying was because i, a cast member, literally hit guests. Everyone was okay, she was so sweet and went and got me a cold water bottler from her cooler for the parks. But still, regardless of it being on property and off the clock, I STILL REPRESENT THE COMPANY. Everything worked out, but it was still hard. Defending cast members is so important, within reason, but it is so important to realize that we are still people with emotions and feelings. I have also been in tough situations at work, someone threw a paper cup at me, sworn at me, and complained to me about things out of my control. thank you so so much for this video! ❤️❤️
Wow that's crazy we had the same experience but from different perspectives! I'm glad your story had a happier ending though! Haha
I LOVE seeing this video from a former CM's perspective! I also totally think you bring up a good point; as cost goes up, guests expect the quality of service to also go up. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes total sense. However, I think that there are so many CMs that go above and beyond no matter what that it outweighs the grumpy interactions. I remember when my little sister and I met Max Goof in Hollywood Studios a couple of years ago (RIP Great Movie Ride) and he was the goofiest, adorably nervous, and suitably flirtatious. It made for just a precious interaction. As teenagers, we both really loved that even without having to talk, Max was great at making us both feel special.
I truly believe that is the root of the problem. But I don't think it'll be fixed anytime soon - I'm sure a big reason for the prices increasing is to help with crowd control. And that's such a sweet memory! I had a memorable experience meeting Ariel when I was a teenager and it really stuck with me! I think people sometimes forget that teenagers/adults want to enjoy it and have fun too!
I definitely am more conscious of cast members and what they might be going through after being a CP. I was in merchandise at the Grand Floridian and I was young and nervous even after my training period was over. I would get a ton of requests and questions I couldn’t always answer but not allowed to directly say no to. Many guests would yell at me and say I “ruined their vacations” or make me cry on my shift because I didn’t have something in stock or because I had to tell guests that the monorail was down and they needed to take the ferry or bus to get to magic kingdom. I felt like maybe nerves make you more quiet and reserved even on stage because that was my experience at first so maybe that was seen as rude to guests. Of course I have seen the occasional rude CM but I try to focus more on the positive because I know there is always so much more positive in Disney than negative! I love you Mackenzie! Thanks for another amazing video on perspectives at the happiest place on Earth 😁
I think there definitely is a lack of cast members speaking up about the reality of their job. You and I can both agree we LOVED working for Disney! But it was pretty surprising to see how some of the guests behaved. I think guests forget CMs are people too (kinda like how people forget the creator behind the UA-cam videos has feelings and reads comments). It took a while, but I finally realized that I wasn't ruining their vacations by not allowing them to see one character and they were probably just deflecting some pent up energy out on me. Doesn't make it right, but it allowed me to have more patience with some of the ruder guests.
kenziemacbrown I love Disney and loved working for them but it is so true that many cast members can be treated a bit unfairly by guests. Whenever someone seemed lacking in motivation at the Grand older cast members would tell us to look at the room rates and ticket rates and told us that is why we have such high standards for our guest services. This motivated me on the daily so I always tried to go above and beyond for every guest to make their experience in my shop just as magical as a park experience even though I wasn’t even in a park. 😂 Luckily I had a great support group in my roommates and great experiences with so many other guests I was able to grow and understand that rude guests were not trying to attack me but just overwhelmed and I could try to make their day a bit better. My favorite story is your from when your manager helped the guest have a magical experience with his family. It is so sweet and gives a strong positive message always give the benefit of the doubt to people because we never know what they might be going through
Everyone is stressed even in WDW I know how hard the cm work but everyone is stressed just by day to day living let alone paying so much for a “vacation “.
True! I talked about that at the end of the video, but I truly believe people are going to be more and more unhappy at the parks as the prices increase. The guests are going to expect better and better services and experience (as they should since they're paying more). But I think that's why we see guests that are so unhappy and when they take it out on the CMs they get unhappy and it's just a vicious cycle.
At Disney or not, when I come across not so nice workers, I try to be extra kind with them because they obviously are having a worse day than me. And they are just people, including at Disney. I always get names of cast members who go the extra mile to make a difference for me and refer them for it. Love these videos, Kenzie!! Oh, and I got to meet Ariel while on my trip.. :)
That's great that you do that! I wish I had known about 4 keys cards years ago. It truly does make a difference so now I try to write CMs 4 keys cards at guest services when I can! And yay!! I'm so glad you got the chance to meet her :)
2 years ago, my family and friends went to disney world for a quick trip. I was in line for soarin and the cast member had directed me to go to line 3 or something. I said under my breath, nooo, because that was the lowest one, hence i would be seeing dangling feet. the cast member was like “is there a problem?” in a very, very sranky and rude attitude. mind you, i was a preteen. i thought this cast member shouldnt have said anything personally, and if they did not handle it like a cast member should. that whole trip it seemed like every cast member we encounter was not in a good mood.
Yeah, it does sound like they were a little testy! They probably had a long day, but doesn't excuse the attitude at all :(
I went last year to Disneyland for my birthday, I was wearing the birthday pin, I went to buy a snow white backpack that said "fairest one of all" and when I was about to pay the cm wished me a happy birthday, when she saw my mom with me she said a joke like copying what the backpack said including my mom, tbh I can't remember how she said it but it was hilarious, she was soo nice, she made my day, all the cast members I met that day were really nice.
I feel bad that some people are rude to them, I think that almost all of them are really doing their best, but bad days can happen.
It's amazing how small acts of kindness can leave such a lasting impression!
Girl I feel ya! Especially when dining, I always noticed that as soon as the cast member who was our server found out we were cast members as well, the service worsened. Also I saw that as an entertainment cm, other workers would almost poke fun at our job, saying it wasn’t real work. Love these kind of vids!
Isn't that interesting? I would get that too every once in a while! Or when I was in entertainment I felt like the guests that were the neediest (basically wanting a photoshoot with the character) were cast members. I didn't really touch on cast members as guests in the park, but I definitely felt like those were the guests that tried to get the most perks. I try to be very careful not to do that when I visit the parks and to be respectful of how long I'm spending with characters. Like if I want a photo, and a signature and a video and a photo with my friend I'll typically only do one or two of those things and get back in line rather than spending like 5 minutes holding up the line.
kenziemacbrown yes!! Or cast members visiting the parks would get mad if you didn’t want to do magical moments like walking with them or something!
On our last trip to WDW we were on the safari and the driver had asked a child MULTIPLE times to sit down because they were in a moving vehicle and it was very dangerous etc etc, the parents did nothing to make the child sit so the driver drove through many area without stopping or slowing as they usually would and when we came to the rickety bridge they simply drove over and didn't make the bridge go to the side like it normally does...people could take that as the CM being rude but truly I find it is more and more times the guests that are just not being respectful about the fact that this is a JOB for the CM. Either way, Great video Mackenzie, thank you for this! :)
I think sometimes people think they're in a safe bubble when they're at Disney. Which most of the time, is great! But there are still dangers at the parks (people have died on rides, wild animals, etc.) and safety is Disney's top priority - above courtesy!
I'm from a foreign country and I visited Disney World last summer for a week.
I remembered sitting at a restaurant at Hollywood Studios with Mickey and Minnie characters and listening to people sitting next to us complaining to the cast member about how expensive the check was and how ridiculous that they only saw a few characters. I forgot what they actually said but I could tell from their expressions that they were giving the cast member a hard time. So I told my grandmother who is local and she just stood up and told the mean people that the cast member was doing such a great job to make sure we are having a good time bla bla bla just to get her out of that situation. After that my grandma told me that people work at Disney for fun but not to make money because they don't get paid very well. I was pretty shocked when I heard that because I thought that the expectations for cast members are really high and they deserve to be paid more. I've also noticed that if you are kinder to the cast members they would be willing to go the extra mile for you, but not in a "oh it's your job so you should do it" way.
I think the guests who were upset that they didn't see the giraffe should communicate nicely with the cast members and I'm pretty sure they would let you go on the ride again or explain to you why that is, not posting videos afterwards because that doesn't really solve the problem.
Anyways I really do hope that they give the people working at Disney a raise cause the pay is ridiculously low!
That was really nice of your grandmother! I agree, they do get paid very little and have to deal with a lot of negative people too. And most often they have no way to fix whatever the guest is unhappy about! It's a great reminder to think about the circumstances and whether or not the person we're complaining to actually has the power to change the situation.
Hey Kenzie! I just got back from a Disney cruise and Disney world last week :) it was so amazing and magical I will never forget it! I don’t really find it rude that the cast member didn’t talk for 2 minutes. I went on Kilimanjaro safaris twice on my recent trip, and near the end of the tour the first time I went the driver didn’t say much for about 1 minute near the end of the tour cause there wasn’t any animals. I also saw many baby giraffes and both times the drivers said “they can’t stop for every animal and them not wanting to disturb the animals” which I understand. Some people just want to ruin the Disney magic. Great video you made some really good points! And good luck with your wedding! (Idk if it already happened or not), but good luck!
I can relate. Been seeing articles about rude cast members. Read in an article that someone was being rude in tiktok live streams. After reading that article I decided I ain't saving money up for a Disney theme park
I’ve only had one experience with a “rude” cast member. My partner and I were getting on Indiana Jones in Disneyland, as we got to the front of the line we requested to be in the front of the car, the cast member rolled his eyes and said, “well you’re gonna have to wait” and pointed to the side. To my knowledge cast members aren’t supposed to point? So we stood to the side and waited, as the next car rolled in he purposely put other guests in the front row, turned, looked at us and started laughing! I kindly asked to see his name on his tag and he wouldn’t let me see. I immediately went to a different cast member let them know the situation and asked for their assistance. That cast member was VERY apologetic, put us right in the front, and gave us the other cast members name. I went to Disneyland City Hall to let them know about the situation and they were very sweet about it and apologetic as well and totally turned our trip around. It was just a bummer because at Disneyland I feel is the only place where guests don’t have to worry about dealing with situations like that.
Part of the problem nowadays is that people think rules don’t apply to them. They think they are above everyone else. So when someone actually doing their job approaches them and enforced a rule they get offended and bent out of shape it’s pathetic
I agree, I think that has a lot to do with it! Or they don't fully understand why the rules are there in the first place.
The absolute only rude cast members I’ve ever encountered were at the Haunted Mansion. My pet theory is that when a cast member has personality problems they assign them to the Mansion in the hope that their issues will come across as just being “spooky” or “eccentric.”
The only other problem I ever had was a very young CM at WDW’s Pirates insisting he “wasn’t allowed” to send mobility-impaired guests back to ground level in the elevator when the speed ramp was broken. Luckily his lead happened along a few minutes later and sent us up.
I’m a former cast member who’s been almost physically assaulted by a guest over one of our credit card machines not working (we still had three that were working, but the one in the line he was in stopped working and was only taking cash). He invaded my space while screaming, cornered me against a wall, and I’m pretty sure the only reason he didn’t hit me is because my coworker got my leader. I’ve also seen my friends get yelled at simply because we were closing our restaurant for the night, I’ve had people swear at me... it’s crazy. Thank you for defending the cast members and calling rude guests out, because - regardless of how much you’re spending on your vacation - it’s never okay to treat people like that. We’re still human beings, we have feelings (that one guy had me sobbing in the background and the only reason I didn’t get an ER is because my shift was over in ten minutes), and we’re trying to do our best to keep everyone safe and happy while keep everything in order.
I agree, and I hope that more people speak out about it in the future! I think people have no idea how rude some guests can be and it's absolutely not ok. I feel like guests really don't realize that cast members are human beings and they need to be treated with dignity. I get that not every cast member is perfect, but it's astounding how horribly some guests will treat cast members.
kenziemacbrown exactly. I’ve definitely worked with some cast members that are not what perfect cast members and I’ve actually seen them be rude to guests, but even then they don’t deserve to be treated horribly
Being at WDW several times I don’t recall ever having an experience with a rude cast member.. however I’ve experienced SEVERAL rude guests especially during parades and fireworks. I couldn’t imagine being a CM and getting yelled at and cussed out by guests but still having the expectation to smile and be overly nice. I have the most respect for CM and how they handle their self in difficult situations. Sure sometimes they might come off “rude” but you don’t know the day they have had dealing with the thousands of demanding guests.
I agree, I think it's more common to see rude guests than rude cast members. Not sure what happens to make people so upset during shows. Maybe for the fireworks they're just done after being there all day. But still, seeing the way some people treat cast members makes me so sad!
I go to Disney often. I only remember one rude cast member. So I have 3 kiddos that I take. Our Disney traditions include thanking every cast member we interact with and going out of our way to thank those with dirty jobs (bathroom attendants, street cleaners etc) we want them to know that they make Disney magic. One trip the youngest had to wee badly. The women's line was huge. She got taken into a men's room to avoid an accident. As always she spotted an attendant and thanked them. The person went off about females not belonging in the make bathrooms. It was frustrating because we try so hard to be nice.
can i just say that I love making magical moments for cast members!! A lot of cm's can get pretty bored with their job pretty easily, so I understand when they go a little monotone or aren't living up to the incredibly high Disney standards. Most cast members who are "rude" to guests are just tired. But give them something to talk about, even as much as saying hi. I've seen so many cast members light up after saying hi to them cause no one ever does!! Cast members are humans too and are probably experiencing the same fatigue and heat that the guests are.
I agree, a little kindness goes a long ways!
I have a story. I took my daughter to Disney World for her 7th birthday 2 years ago. I had gone to Disney World the year before with my other daughter and knew that I could not be around Chewbacca. Something about being right beside him or touching him made me anxious. So when my daughter went to meet Chewbacca I went in with her, but stayed off to the side while she visited him. About 10 seconds in he motions for me to come over to him, I said " no thank you!" And he kept motioning me over and then started walking over to me. I immediately turned around and put my face into the wall and said "no no no no...." He put his hand on my shoulder and I immediately had a panic attack, like a full blown panic attack. All I remember next is one of the attendants holding me trying to help me calm down and the other one over with my daughter and C trying to distract her. It took probably a good 10 minutes before I could actual move. In the end the manager gave my daughter and I tickets to the dessert fireworks show and some birthday treats for her which was nice. I'm just hoping they talk to all cast members about not touching the guest if they say no. I have a trauma history (including being raped) and that probably played a part in it. My daughter had to witness me having a panic attack (I'm sure that was traumatizing). The whole thing gives me anxiety just thinking about it! And we are going back next year and I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again. I'll be sure to stress the importance of not wanting Chewbacca to be near me.
I was just on my first Disney World trip last week. My friend and I wanted to ride Expedition Everest, but he was really nervous about roller coasters. We talked to a guest member who explained the ride to us, and she told us that sitting up front wasn't as intense as sitting in the back. And when she noticed it was our first trip and just the two of us, she took us over to the single rider line and we were able to bypass the 55 minute standby wait time because they wanted my friend to be able to enjoy it without worrying about the ride for 50 minutes.
That was so nice of them!
My family went to WDW for the first time when I was in middle school in the fall (2005).The only bad experience I remember was a really curt Jasmine. I can’t remember if she was at a character meal or if we had gone to her meet and greet spot. She didn’t try to engage with us but I did end up with her autograph anyways. It was a weird experience.
thank you so much for this!! as a cast member myself, my goal is never to be purposefully rude or ruin a guest’s day. I always get frustrated when people get mad at me for doing my job (like having them move through the pathway, not letting them sit in reserved spots, etc.). I never want to make a guest upset but I am there for a reason! keeping guests safe may mean sometimes sacrificing some of their convenience or happiness. I appreciate you so respectfully pointing out different reasons for each side seeming rude
When I’m door greeting at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I’m not allowed to let any person inside who isn’t there for a reservation. LOTS of guests want to go inside and look, but per my management I’m not allowed to let anybody without a reservation in. That rule does come straight from management and I could get in serious trouble if I start letting people in. We have these rules in place to protect the privacy of the little kids inside. Parents don’t want strangers to have photos of their kids for obvious reasons. People constantly think I’m rude because I won’t let them do what they want. I typically try to explain to them why these rules are in place, but they usually don’t listen. One of my best friends was yelled at by a guest for this same reason and the guest told my friend that they were going to report her. Guests need to remember that we do indeed make magic, but we also have rules in place that we are required to follow. And more often than not the rules are in place for the safety of guests and cast members!
I actually never knew that about the boutique, but it makes sense! Plus I'm sure there's not a lot of space in there anyways for extra people to be wandering around. I was never worried when people would threaten to report me for doing my job, but it still doesn't make you feel great to have people angry at you for maintaining safety.
Ive NEVER met a rude cast member at Disneyland. There gave been a couple of guest.
I've met TERRIBLY RUDE cast members at Disney World. But I will go again. My son wants to go back and try again.
I just got back from Disney & I need a vacation after the vacation LOL we had a lot of fun but it was sooo stressful!!
It is really stressful! It's a lot to be going and doing everything for multiple days in a row! I always come home exhausted from Disney vacations!
This is a great video, Kenzie. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts, and for being so respectful and thoughtful in the process! It’s always so important to look at things from other people’s perspectives, and that’s one thing I really appreciate about these types of videos you do on your channel. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Rachel!!
Love the painting in the background. My daughter would love it. She’s heading to cosmetology school with the hopes of working Disney spas/Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Do you remember where you got it?
That's awesome! Yes, I got it at Home Goods, I think it was reasonably priced too!
Omg a 21 minute video yes! Lemme get a snack and get comfty😂
YASSSS! Grab the popcorn! Haha
@@kenziemacbrown haha that's actually what I got
I have never been a cast member but as someone who has worked almost 11 years in retail, I understand how it is hard for both the cast member and the guest so I try to respectful as possible for both.
My most magical experience was last year I went down to Disney World for my birthday taking my sister and friend with me. The day we arrived it was my actual birthday so the lady at the check in desk gave me a pin and even upgraded our room for free which really made our trip and was so nice of the cast member too. I made sure to thank them and report the magical moment too so they could be recognized for it
Wow!! That was so nice of her! I think it's wonderful when cast members create magical moments like that! It leaves a lasting impression too :)
Also they could be new and nervous because it could be there first day driving out of training
True!
I have a story about a somewhat rude cast member and a guest who saved the day! I was at the Food and Wine fest in Epcot, on my birthday which happened to be the last day of our trip. My feet... oh boy. I never knew feet could hurt so bad. Anyways, I had a massive blister that popped so I ran into the first merch store I saw and asked the cast member if they had bandaids or if there were some I could buy. She looked at me, and said "Sorry no they're only for cast members"... which I was like..."oh...uh...ok well could you point me in the direction of where I can get some??" and before she could say anything more this sweet mom with a stoller says "Don't worry I have some!!" she helped me to the bench and helped me clean the blister and put on the bandaid. She was my saviour! I don't blame the cast member, certainly didn't ruin the trip or anything but I was sooooo thankful for that sweet guest who was more than willing to help out a complete stranger who was bleeding through her sock hahahah
Liz Letourneau Big corporations (like Disney), will often have restrictions on who can give medical treatment. Even if it is just a band-aid, it technically could be seen as a liability. Cast members cannot under any circumstances provide medical treatment. So it’s not even somewhat rude. They are following policies in order to keep you as safe as possible. Just clearing this up ☺️
I wasn't asking for them to put it on me, just looking to be pointed in the right direction to get my hands on one. I totally get that and that could have been communicated if that was the case but honestly the guest was so quick to offer that I didn't even give the cast member the option to explain further. The tone of her voice seemed rude but I totally get it!! No harm no foul
Liz Letourneau I get it, but they can’t even give you one. It’s super super strict. However I definitely agree that she probably should’ve communicated differently. Saying she had band-aids but that they were only for cast members isn’t the best way to handle it. You should have immediately been pointed to a first aid station!
I’ve honestly never had any amazing or terrible experiences with CMs. I kind of expect to not get the same amount of extra magical service as an adult as someone with kids might get, so just getting what’s expected is fine with me! Sure, I’ve had some encounters with grumpy PAC but anyone who’s ever done any kind of crowd control knows that there’s not really a “nice” way to do it. There are totally a few CMs though that I remember simply because they were just genuinely nice, caring people.
I'd say most of my experiences with cast members are pretty neutral as well! And yeah, I would be surprised to see happy, joyful PAC CMs! Haha I honestly just don't think they have time to be over the top nice just because they have to control SO many guests.
I love that you always look at things from both perspectives and you give a good voice of reason!! Great video :)
Thanks Kaitlyn!!
I am about to move because I will be a cast member next month! It’s so cool to hear your stories and know that there are ways to create magic even in the tough situations. You’re amazing, girl! ♥️
I'm so excited for you! And I hope videos like this don't scare you at all, the vast majority of the guests are SO incredibly kind! You're going to love it :)
People are always saying how you should be kind to CMs (and I agree), but there are so many other professions that people are just horribly rude to and shouldn’t be. Teachers, doctors, nurses, retail employees, generally any public-facing job... they all get screamed at for no reason. How do people find the entitlement within themselves to be so horrible to other people?
I agree, this doesn't just apply to cast members but everyone in general. After having three customer service-related jobs myself it really opened my eyes to how people in those types of roles are treated (and I feel like teachers, doctors, nurses, retail employees fit into that category of serving others). It definitely isn't right and I feel like they deserve a lot of kindness!
I love how you opened everyone to the reality of how Florida heat can change things. It's so true. This is why rotation in the parks is so so important.
I know I'm SUPER crabby when I'm hot, especially when it's humid and I feel sticky. Yuck! So I'm sure that makes people more unhappy (guests and cast members alike).
I know this video is a little older but one time I went to Disney in December last year and we hadn't been there in 5 years. Well when we were trying to get around the park while a parade was going on and we were told to go one way but it led to a dead end. So my dad and my sister and my grandma ran across the street under the ropes before the parade started so we could go to where we need. Well me and my mom and my grandpa got stuck behind. A cast member came up to us and was being very rude to us and treated us as if we were idiots. My mom was trying to explain that we were told to go this way to get across and to where we need to go. Well the cast member goes along the lines of well no one told you to go this way when many people told us to go the way we went to get across. She made my mom feel very stupid and wrong and the cast member never even said sorry to us once. I found that very rude that she couldnt take the time to apologize that we were told incorrect things and that she was basically scolding at us for no reason. It definitely ruined the rest of the day. I don't know if the worker was in a bad mood or anything but she at least could have said sorry that your day isnt working out right. Or something like that.
Usually I have wonderful experiences with CM's but I have had 3 bad experiences. I understand you trying to justify those CM's and understand that you're looking at a more positive side, but No, I do not excuse them. The reason why is because we all have a job to do that we signed up for and when we're on duty we represent our company and being rude, unprofessional, or just nasty is unacceptable. Don't bring ur personal life to work and vice versa and it's really that simple. I've done customer service for over 20 years and when I go to work in a bad mood I try my best to remember that I have to get my act together while on shift and if I feel terrible then I will take a break and cry my eyes out. Disney CM's are held to higher standards with good reason. I understand that it's difficult at times but when working at a Disney park CM's must remember that it's not cheap to visit and people pay a lot of money to go and make wonderful memories and cast members play a major role in that. So a CM's job at customer service is by far much more important than my job at customer service. When a CM applies for a job they know it's going to be incredibly hot because it's Florida. So that's not excusable. Look at the character performers for example. They do a PHENOMENAL job rain or shine, hot or cold. That's what we as visitors expect out of Disney. I just wish that CM's were paid more because they truly deserve it. Every single one of them.
I went to DL and a cast member handed the guy in front me a flashlight so that he could find the Eeyore sign at Indiana Jones. A cast member inside the ride was really rude about him using it
That's cool, but sad the other cast member wasn't nice about it! Maybe there's some rules against them doing that, but I've seen the Eeyore sign before because a cast member pointed it out - it's really neat!
There’s probably more to the story than what that clip gives us.
True! Someone else mentioned in the comments that they were there a month ago (the same time when the person shared the video) and there were new baby giraffes and the cast members were instructed to not stop and to not make a ton of noise since the baby giraffes weren't accustomed to that yet. I'm sure the cast member probably didn't do the best job explaining that to the guests, but if you have to do that for EVERY tour I'm sure it can be easy to forget - especially if it was something new.
I'm not sure if I shared this story before but as a guest I completely understand closing line
I was in line waiting to meet Mary Poppins and Burt at DL. Burt asked me to be the end of line. People tried to get me to allow them into the line and I was like Burt is going to remember me
If someone punches a pregnant woman in the stomach is that considered attempted murder?
As someone who is getting ready to start their CP, this was such a learning experience! This is a great way of letting people know that situations can be easily misinterpreted. Thanks so much posting, you always handle your guest/experience (whether the incident was bad or good) videos with such class! Another great video, as always !
Lots of love 💕
So I worked at Kilimanjaro Safaris not too long ago and I know that driver. She’s not the most bubbly person in the world by any means, but she does her job, and more importantly people don’t realize how EXHAUSTING that job actually is. I had more than one safari where I didn’t say much, either because there wasn’t much to see or I was just beat. The point of the experience is to experience the magic of seeing these living animals in real life, not to spotlight a cast member, so I think what she did was fine. The animals are and always will be the star of the show
That's really good to hear, especially since you know her too! I feel like people judge things too quickly without understanding the full context. And honestly, I don't think you have to be 100% bubbly all the time to do your job well.
I really hope that she's not taking this situation personally. I think a lot of cast members can relate and understand that the expectations guests had in this scenario were unrealistic.
kenziemacbrown agreed😊
I remember the first time coming to Disney World without my older brother we always go to Disney when they have the Christmas lights up. So of course I’m super upset and getting tearful. One of the cast members said cheer up have a magical day. I wanted to lash out but good thing I didn’t just because I’m upset doesn’t mean I have to ruin other people’s experiences. Btw my brother passed away on Christmas to so it is ten times more emotional for me.
We went to Disney World in December. We were waiting in line to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. We had our 18month old daughter with us. She was getting cranky because it was cold. She was fussy and the character attendant took the time to give her some stickers to play with and make her smile. It was such a little gesture but it made such a huge difference. When we finally got to meet the characters it was so worth it.
The other experience that I recall is a photographer (she captured some amazing moments between my daughter and Buzz Lightyear), and the character Buzz Lightyear himself. My daughter is named Jessie and when Buzz heard her name he started drawing hearts around her, blowing kisses. She was thrilled and was touching Buzzes face, holding hands, etc. the photographer captured every sweet moment. And I loved the whole interaction
Those are both such sweet memories! I love the Buzz and Jessie one!
A lot of people think that the cast members who work at Space Mountain in Disneyland Anaheim are rude. They’re just doing their job. If the ride backs up then it breaks down. Move all the way up the gates, get on quickly, and when the lap bars are released get off quickly.
I can totally see that! I'm sure a lot of ride ops cast members seem "rude" for that same reason.
In terms of wanting to meet a Disney character, but you guys having to close the line (which I don't fault you for), I was once in line to meet Buzz Lightyear. One of the cast members said that Buzz would be leaving soon and that only a few more people could see him. I'm a grown adult. I know it's a guy in a costume. There are kids behind me who want to meet him. I leave the line and let the kids get their picture taken with him instead. And you know what? I felt great doing that. If there is an announcement that they are closing the meet and greet line soon, please let the kids go before you if you are an adult.
I’ve never had a problem with Cast Members but I have had to deal with rude guests on my last trip to Disney. Like in Hollywood Studios we were walking and this lady was not paying attention and ran straight into my mom and didn’t say sorry and it really made a bunch of us upset. I’ve had a group of people stop right in the middle of the walkway while I was trying to keep up with my dad, I had said excuse me a few times and they never moved so I had to push my way through even though I didn’t really want to.
I completely forgot to mention this as well. But my older brother has a disability from being in the navy so he can’t stand in long lines or with a big group of people around him or he will start to freak out. We really wanted to go ride Big Thunder Mountain but there was a really long wait and we didn’t want to put him through that. So my brother went up to one of the guys working the front and talked with him, my brother told him his situation. So the CM working asked how many people where there all together, so my brother told him and he told him to come back with all of us and he will gives us fast passes to go through. But when we all got there he just let us go straight through without fast passes which I thought was really nice of him.
That was really nice of the cast member! They may have gotten rid of it, but I believe Disney had special passes or a program for guests who couldn't wait in lines or be in crowds. They may have gotten rid of it from people taking advantage of it, but you should ask about that the next time you visit!
The best Disney memories that i have is watching FANTASMIC at Disneyland and i was trying to look for a seat and i ask the cast member politely and i told her that i have a disability pass and so one time she told me that there is a restaurant and she told me i have to ask if i can seat outside i mean the restaurant balcony but then it was close but this two other cast member was so very,very nice to me and also i was celebrating my birthday and i have a birthday button and then they just let me in and i seat in the balcony with a cool view so i can see everything up high and i almost cried because that’s like the best thing ever and after FANTASMIC i was walking through the exit and then i was like i don’t wanna leave so i cried inside the car on the way home because this is how much i love Disney and the cast members. (Pls tell me if i have wrong grammar or wrong spelling 😅).
I have been to Disney 17 times in my 21 years of life and I can probably count on one hand the number of truly "rude" castmembers I've encountered, and even at that it's never been catastrophic or "report them" worthy. Travelling the parks with my two wheelchair-bound special needs siblings, my family has certainly presented our fair share of difficult situations, and the Castmembers have never been anything but absolutely beyond wonderful. When I hear people complaining about castmembers so rude they aught to be fired, or saying that the castmembers were rude their whole trip, I really wonder how much they're twisting the story, what THEIR behavior to those castmembers was like, and how "rude" the Castmembers were truly being (knowing the real case is that they probably weren't spreading maximum pixie dust or allowing rule breaking)
It's of course not to say that awful instances don't happen, but at the end of the day, 99.99% of Castmembers are absolutely wonderful, and that fact far outweighs any rude encounters for me. It breaks my heart when I see people putting down Castmembers, because it is the Castmembers who have given me my best vacation memories every year, and they make me proud to be a Disney fan. What I wish people would realize, along with the fact that Castmembers are humans who can make mistakes and also are following safety rules, is that if you sew kindness you will get it back. I've always found that the best way to have a magical experience with a Castmember is to be magical to them yourself!
Hey Mackenzie, really great video. I enjoyed it and I really appreciate your objectivity but also your empathy for both CMs and guests. There was one time I was (what I would refer to as) a 'Disney jerk', but I've never been nasty to anyone and I almost always try to keep in mind the other guests around me and also to be patient and understanding of CMs too, they have a lot to deal with. To put on a happy face and really make things magical for guests in the midst of dealing with rude guests or even difficult co-workers is quite an achievement and I really respect that.
This video is a giant thank you from me as a cruise line crew member. Girl, thank you.
you are so well spoken. i’ve had such an awful experience with a cast member. it left a really bad taste in my mouth, but i didn’t want her to ruin my trip. so i’ve forgiven her and the situation she put me through. it doesn’t excuse the way she lashed out on me, but i’m sure her reactions run deeper in her personal life. i still love disney and going to the parks. it really is an escape from the real world. 😊
Also not everyone is going to be happy and peppy all the time and I think people forget that. I know I definitely am not in a great mood 24/7. At Disneyland there are a ton of guests that are just in a really foul mood and act out that way too. I don’t think it’s fair that they expect so much from cast members if they themselves can’t be happy at the Disney parks. And the guests are the ones on vacation, while cast members are the ones working at their jobs.
I just took my family to Disneyland California for a week, worst thing that happened was I lost my flip flop on Pirates, had to get a voucher for new flip flops, so I got Mickey Mouse sandals now.
I have so many feelings about this. I love Disney, but I have such a hard time being there right now. I've been a cm twice, as a character performer and a front desk GEM. I thought I knew from the first time what I was getting myself into. I came from a 4 diamond resort out in oregon, I thought I knew the insanity that hotel guests can provide. I had no. idea. what was coming for me.
I had guests get physical with me, demand their entire vacations back along with me to pay for their flight back home(for their luggage being delayed from MCO, a common theme), call me every name under the sun. Come back every single day of their vacation to complain about spending so much vacation time complaining to me. I had guests who refused to stay in any room but 3 (in a 1000 room hotel) and tell me I had to kick out the family who was already checked in so they could have one of them. I got so good at saying no to people's room requests because they physically weren't possible.
BUT it also took me away from my family for a year. I had 1 weekend day off with my husband that entire time. I left when I started having panic attacks at work because I was so stressed about what the next horrible guest was going to say to me.
After I left, one of my cast members said he was proud of me for "standing up for myself and realizing that work doesn't have to be like this". The one reason I stuck around was my cms. They are still some of the best people i have ever met and i miss them daily, but six months after leaving, I'm in a way better spot mentally, my job doesnt make me want to die, and I get to see mountains every day.
As a WDW annual passholder, I live 12 miles from the parks, I am in the parks at least once a week this is my 2 cents, been to the parks 200 days over the past 2 years.
Cast members are humans. I have had 2 rude interactions that I can recall in my mind. Now I know there have been more but I believe that things happen and it's okay. I try to not take it personally. So when I do have great interactions I tweet @wdwtoday with the hashtag #CastCompliment. Then I truly believe what you put out you recieve back I have more many amazing cast member interactions than rude ones.
I have to hands down give props to cast members because the standards being a CM are so high that if anything less than 110% can be hard to keep up with that standard.
I believe that it really is about mindset and perspective on both sides. You made a wonderful commentary and conversation on this topic. Thanks for doing this hun.
That's such a great recommendation, I feel like cast members are never recognized enough and that's an easy way to do it!
Each trip to DL has been an absolute delight. In my opinion, cast members are rock stars. They do create a lot of magical memories and put up with SO much.. And still smile and help as much as absolutely possible! As a guest there, I've seen/experienced other rude guests.. I can only imagine what its like for cast members. I feel like there are probably a number of circumstances that we don't know about and maybe shouldn't judge too quickly. I appreciate the approach that you took in this video! It is thought provoking and realistic! Nice job!
Thanks Chandra! Luckily it didn't happen too often, but I was still surprised by the amount of unhappy, "rude" guests I experienced as a cast member. I can understand the circumstances that may lead them to feel that way, but hoping that they can show just as much understanding to cast members in return :)
@@kenziemacbrown for sure! I feel like with that many people, personalities, and cultures in one area.. A little bit of patience and understand goes a long way! The vast majority though are absolutely fantastic and super fun to be around and interact with!
As an entertainment CM a lot of guest don’t understand operational requirements (like characters leaving to “check on something” every 25-30 minutes) and there will be instances where we might have to send them back to fix their outfits and I’ve never been yelled at more. Guest just don’t understand that accidents happen and that characters and workers are actual people sometimes :(
So true! I also think a lot of people forget that safety comes before courtesy which comes before show. Sometimes I wish they would just trust the process because there's a lot they may not understand because we're trying to keep the magic alive!
Thankyou thankyou thankyou so much for making this! It definately had to be mentioned.
Who would assault and attack a cast member for no reason? Seriously, who would do that? Even in a family friendly place. It's so sick to do that.
It's also the same with celebrities. When someone sees a celebrity down the street but the celebrity acts slightly annoyed and distant and then the fan would be upset and accuse them for being unfriendly. Well, celebrities are people, not happy Gods/Goddess's, they're just trying to live their life and do things so it's not that surprising if they don't act as friendly and happy.
Love the celebrity analogy! I don't think people realize how they're not the only one excited to see the celebrity or think about the amount of times the celebrity gets recognized. On a smaller level, I do feel like I have to be "on" when I'm visiting the parks now because I will get recognized when I'm there. I absolutely LOVE meeting subscribers, but I would hate to appear grumpy because I'm tired from walking all day. Just being able to try to put myself in someone else's shoes has truly helped me empathize and show more patience towards others. Especially in a customer service role!
This is not a simple topic.
Yes, I do expect Disney parks cast members to exhibit a very high level of customer service while they are on stage. There is a reason they are called cast members. They are playing roles in order to help maintain some very specific guest experiences.
Most of my interactions with cast members have lived up to this high standard, or at least come close enough that it didn't stand out in my mind in any negative way. That said, when CMs have not lived up to this standard it has tended to stick with me. Back in 2012 I encountered a woman at a ticket window at DHS who was just plain salty in her overall demeanor and with her tone of voice. It stopped me in my tracks in the moment and obviously I still remember it. In 2014 I witnessed an interaction between CMs at the front of the Dumbo queue in full view of several guests in which it was clear one of the CMs was being given a job he didn't want. He did not hide his displeasure and the one delivering the news appeared to be happy about it. At most places this sort of interaction wouldn't faze me at all, but in the Disney parks the expectation is that they would not let guests see that sort of thing. It breaks "show."
That said, I have some significant experience with customer service and know full well how rude and unreasonable some customers/guests can be. I have witnessed it plenty of times among other guests at Disney parks. I can't claim to have always been a perfect guest myself, but I have certainly tried, and when I recognize that a CM really is putting in good effort I am typically extremely patient and forgiving. My experience has been that even a (sincere) show of effort when I know it won't make a real difference in the outcome for the guest will usually still succeed in making that guest satisfied that they were seen and heard and that their needs were taken seriously. Sometimes this also means offering lots of apologies. An apology costs me nothing, but it lets the customer know that I recognize something isn't quite right and that often really helps to diffuse potentially unpleasant situations. I may have said the same canned customer service line hundreds of times on a specific day, but I have to remember that for most customers it is the FIRST time they have heard it.
As a guest who loves the parks, I would fully support the expulsion of guests displaying behaviors such as the worst ones you mentioned. Awful guests don't just make CMs' days worse. They make things worse for other guests too. The parks are typically too crowded and profitable to tolerate truly terrible behavior from the people who are supposed to be having a good time.
My guess about the high tension around fireworks/parade times is due to a few things:
1) These popular events happen only one or two times a day, so pressure to experience them is already high.
2) Because of this, a park that was operating one way all day suddenly starts operating a little differently, which can cause confusion and defensiveness from everyone involved.
3) The guests and CMs have already experienced a long day, often in hot temperatures, at this point. They are tired and just want to do this one last thing before getting out of their shoes and into a bed.
4) Crowds bunch at these times, sometimes rather unpleasantly, and it can cause major frustrations due to poor visibility and an inability to make your way around the park.
Probably my least pleasant Disney parks experiences was in Disneyland back in 2015 when we were basically trapped in a park with most of its attractions down because of the parade/fireworks. The back half of the park was shut down, Main street was completely impassable, and we were told we could not use the pass around path to exit the park - only to enter the park. We just wanted to leave after a long hot day, but we were kind of being held prisoner. Even if we had wanted to see the parade, there was little chance of that at this point because we hadn't staked out a spot to do so effectively - because what we really wanted to do was to leave.
Thanks so much for this video. I really appreciate the work that CMs do.
Coming from a Customer Service background there is never a good reason to be rude to your Clients. I've had plenty opportunities to be rude but I've always restrained myself. Now if your talking about assault then you protect / defend yourself....that is not being rude. If your not having a good day, don't clock in. Working with the public will always be challenging whether you work at Disneyland, WDW, Target or Denny's.
I don't have any bad experiences to report as such but I can definitely see a difference in staff from today to 10 years ago. The staff used to be the best in the world imo but now they just do the bare minimum. It's free to smile.......
Omg it’s been so long since you did a Disney video. Yay!!! ❤️
I know!! :( I recently got a ton of questions for a Disney Q&A video and there were so many I think I'm going to have to make multiple videos!! I also have a few trips in the works :)
I've been to Disney a few times and the cast is AMAZING. They go above and beyond what a min. wage job calls for. The only bad experience I ever had was while waiting for a character once I was told by one attendant that I would be the last to go and then a different cast member cut the line right before me. I told them what I was told by the other cast member and was given the cold shoulder basically. I'll admit I almost cried at that since I had made time sensitive plans based on what I was told and now had to wait for the next session. And I'm not a FL resident but travel far and cannot go often (as many people do). But yes, typically the best customer service ever and I understand that the cast puts up with a lot. Thanks!
I'm sorry to hear about your experience - I would find that very frustrating too! I've definitely had my fair share of bad experiences with character attendants and performers. For the most part the cast members are wonderful and the good experiences far outweigh the bad!
Last year was my first trip as an adult. I went to world,as I used to as a kid. Maybe because I'm not a kid but they were rude as fuck. Not all,but like 6 cast members. An old dude was asked by me if they had something in medium,he said kid i dont fucking know.....and a woman yelled at me angrily for sitting on a bump thing on the ground for a moment to get a drink. And then a guy for the same thing. As hazard blah blah,but say it nicely. I was legit yelled at,with a stomp. Like a quick tamper tantrum. But as a kid they were SOOOOOOOOO nice. They always went beyond the call of duty sort of speak to make it feel like magic. I believed it was magic as a kid.
Overall as a kid,they were perfect angels,as a adult,only 6 were rude but I had 6 rude encounters in a span of 3 days. I think they don't like working there,i hear lots of drama over the park recently. :/
i’m not working at a theme park but i do work in customer service. i love my job in the winter and in summer i regret it every year. it’s ridiculously hot and they get snappy with me for no reason and it takes a lot for me to not get snappy back. and i will fully admit that at the end of a hot day if someone is crazy rude to me i do get snappy back and i always feel bad about it. but now when i go anywhere i always make sure i’m at least nice to the people working because i know it can completely ruin someone’s day if you are crappy with them.
I truly believe everyone should work in a customer service type roll. I've had three customer service related jobs and it's really opened my eyes! I feel like I'm a lot more patient towards people and understanding when things don't go perfect.
I need to realize that yes it’s still a job I get so annoyed when cast members are rude I guess because I try my best being happy at work and so do the other cast members in my department. All of them are happy because they believe in hard work and worry when things don’t go right. I totally am this way and I think that’s why we get along because a lot of us are on the same page. We try real hard. Next time I go in im going to give the bell attendants tips if I get any last Sunday we were short staffed and the bell attendants were working there but off! Im proud of them
My best friend was also a DCP and so I know how hard it is to work at the parks. There are a lot of positives, but it’s also a very difficult job. While I’m sure I’ve probably had some interactions with CPs where I left feeling unhappy, I try to be as kind as I can to them and honestly the amount of positive interactions have far outweighed the negatives.
My daughter dropped her lollipop and and the cm saw my daughter really upset. She went above and beyond for her.... we saw her the next day and gave the cm the biggest hug
I think it's super important how you addressed what people may be going through to help us better understand guests and cast members. I'm actually doing the DCP this fall and going to be a character attendant. I do think that sometimes I also hold cast members to higher standards. But these are very helpful reminders for me as I interact with guests and also fellow cast members to remember that they are still human and I may not always know the full picture and to stay open minded. But also as a reminder to myself to do the best that I can do in my role and maintain a positive attitude and do what I can to ensure that guests have positive experiences during their visit. I love the story you told in your crazy guest story video because it is just a perfect example of how we never know what people are going through and how we can help make those magically moments for guests. I hope that I can embody your outlook and attitude as I become a character attendant. I really admire and look up to you and your perspective and I will definitely be thinking of what you shared in this video and your other stories throughout my time at as an attendant. Thanks for sharing this!
Honestly, you're going to have such an amazing time!! I loved being a character attendant and the vast majority of the guests are SO kind and wonderful! You will have to deal with some unhappy guests - especially if you're in a location where you have to close the line. But it's just part of the job. I felt like guests during the parties were exceptionally grumpy. BUT after experiencing the parties as a guest myself, I could see why. The first one I went to was rained out the majority of the night so I barely got anything done. When I would meet unhappy guests at the parties afterwards, I felt like I could really relate and understand where they're coming from. Often times they just want to feel heard. But I think you're going to do great and I hope you have a wonderful time!
So I go to Disney World at least once or twice a year, and one of my favorite rides is the Jungle Cruise. I sat up at the front once and the CM was a bit more awkward with delivery of the jokes and mised quite a few. He sat down to take his water break in the cave part and told me that was his worst run he had ever done! 😭 I encouraged him a bit, but at the end he had asked another family in the boat to not post the ride on UA-cam or anything. I'm sure that could have been taken as rude by them, but truly if they had known what I did they would have known he was embarrassed. I have so much respect for any of the CMs that have scripts to follow. It's so much to remember!
That's another great example of how you never know what someone's going through!
This video was very entertaining!!! Love you so much💕
Thanks Katie!! I hope you're having an awesome day :)
I love that you are keeping it positive, but let's also keep it realistic. With the amount of numbers that Disney pulls from around the world, the staff is overwhelmed trying to herd people into and out of lines or on the monorail. It makes sense, but it is still rude.
Another thing I just thought of, everybody today wants instant gratification and when they don’t get it they get so impatient and very angry which is really stupid you can’t always have an instant. Also, the cast members might be sleep deprived and that’s why they are sometimes rude, and that’s really sad because to get anything done you have to have sleep, then maybe the cast members would be better off and more peppy and cheerful.
Sis your videos are so awesome! Very insightful and entertaining. Love ya, Kenzie!🐭🏰😍
Aww thank you so much!
@@kenziemacbrown of course!
I've been going to Disney for decades now and I have never once met a rude cast member. They are some of the nicest people you are likely to meet.
love this video!!! i actually just returned from disney world last night (spent 8 days there. DVC & AP) .. i personally found that none of the cast members i spoke with were over friendly or over the top. most were just doing the bare minimum. i always look for cast members to compliment at guest services but this trip i never found one that went above and beyond (no, i don't want free stuff or anything given to me). going almost every month I'm aware how great things can be but this trip they definitely weren't as good as they could be. yes its hot, yes its crowded, however its disney. id rather be hot and crowded at disney than at home. of the cast members i spoke with the general consensus was most had short outside shifts 4-5 hours. i will say i noticed the biggest change in rude and cast member behavior at a specific character meal. (might be the worst I've ever felt i was treated in disney).
also, i love how positive you kept this while still getting your point across. you seem like the sweetest person!!!
That's too bad! I honestly haven't been to Disney World in the summer, but I'm sure the heat makes everyone (cast members and guess) less pleasant. That makes me really sad to hear that you didn't see anyone going above and beyond in the 8 days you were there though!
@@kenziemacbrown honestly i was shocked. it certainly won't deter me from going back (will be back in a few weeks) but its just surprising. usually i have a long list, i love recognizing people for a job well done. i was kinda sad not to have that this time. however i won't be dragging the people that were less than magical on social media. it was definitely crazy hot, heat index of 105+.