The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
by Shoshana Lewin, and contributors Kenny and Andrew
The old joke about guests who check their IQs at the door has been
around since the first amusement park—but that doesn't mean it's
not true. I've seen guests yell at cast members (CM), guests yell at guests
and even an almost-fist fight prior to a Fantasmic! showing.
On the other hand, there are many more guests who not only know what
time the 10 p.m. parade starts, but say “please” and “thank
you,” as well. For example, when I worked Alice in Wonderland at
Disneyland, one of the sweetest little girls I'd ever met—who happend
to be a Make-A-Wish child—thanked me for getting her a pink caterpillar
because Alice was her favorite ride in the park.
For your reading pleasure (and displeasure) former CM Kenny and CM Andrew
graciously share their stories as lessons for what a guest should do and
should not do when they come to Disneyland or Walt Disney World.
Because we like to end on a postive note, we'll start with two stories
from Kenny that will make your AP stand on end.
Kenny's stories
I'm a former cast member in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World (WDW)
Magic Kingdom in Florida. While most WDW cast members will tell you
that the Brazilians are the worst guests they dealt with (ask any of
my College Program [CP] roommates), there's one group that could give
them a run for their money: Dreamflight. Dreamflight is an organization
that coordinates an annual visit from physically disabled guests from
around the world. At the time of their visit in summer of 2002, I was
working at Alien Encounter. The group consisted of around 30 individuals,
all wheelchair-bound, all demanding to be allowed in at the same time.
Unfortunately, the Alien Encounter presentation chamber only has four
rigs for wheelchairs. I was working turnstiles, and getting yelled at
by a bunch of (most likely) deep-pocketed chaperones, who Disney corporate
most likely would not like to see angered. So, I improvised. I informed
the group's leader that they would be allowed 15 at a time, and that
anyone who was physically able to leave their chair outside and sit
in one of the seats in the chamber would have to do so. Similar groups
came through the attraction throughout the day, causing further headaches.
Had our Tomorrowland managers not been CPs themselves at one time, and
well aware of what we were dealing with, we likely would've been yelled
at for screwing up the Operation Hourly Ride Capacity.
The pre-show queue at the entrance to Alien Encounter. Photo by Brian
Bennett.
There was another incident in which I was working Parade Audience Control
for Spectromagic. At approximately 7:30 p.m., we would begin
setting up the barrier ropes for the disabled guest section and clearing
it out. One lady decided she did not wish to move.
“Ma'am,” I replied as sweetly as I could muster, “I'm
afraid this section is specifically reserved for guests and their parties
who are either traveling in wheelchairs or have a Guest Assistance Card.”
She still refused to move, so I brought in our parade coordinator,
who told her to move. She finally did. About a half hour later, she
stomps back my way and demands I force a lady in an Electric Controlled
Vehicle off the curbside viewing area (where anyone can view the parade)
and make her sit in the wheelchair area.
I simply smiled and said, “No.”
Our next story from Andrew will make you believe in the power of Disney
magic. It also offers a hint or two to any current or future CMs as to
how to make a bad situation good.
Andrew's story
Well, rather than talk about bad guest situations that I have had (mainly
because there aren't that many), I will talk about two issues: good
guest situations and how to make the magic. I believe that good guest
situations can come around through a chemistry of several elements:
having an open mind, being observant and possessing the hope that Disney
magic does exist. For example, let me talk about a good guest experience
last night while I was at Mission: Space.
I am a Rescue Ranger (rolehopper) at Epcot. And lately, my special
assignment has been to take surveys of guests who throw up. Sounds like
fun, eh? Well, last night, I only had one survey in six hours and that
one was a “John Doe,” so my night was rather boring, to say
the least. But, then I saw a guest opportunity arise. A little boy with
his mom was celebrating his fifth birthday. So, I decided to take him
down to the merchandise shop so Goofy could sing him a “Happy Birthday.”
The boy (although I forget his name now) was thrilled—and so was
I.
Notice how the three elements that I mentioned above enabled me to
make some Disney magic:
- Having an open mind (deciding to make some magic by walking the
boy down to the merchandise shop for a special surprise call from
Goofy),
- Being observant (noticing his “Happy Birthday” pin), and
- Possessing the hope that Disney magic does exist (having this hope
enabled me to want to spread the joy of Disney magic with another
guest).
I find that it is the primary essential that, as CMs, we must believe
that we have the power to create Disney magic with our guests. It makes
me sad to hear all the time how stupid guests are or negative phrases
or such. This is clearly not our purpose as CMs. I want to be one of
those CMs that “shines,” that will be one of the leaders of
the new revolution for Disney magic.
Although the corporation may put out more and more rides and attractions
(like Mission: Space, Philharmagic and Wishes), these
are nothing if we are unable to help make a guest visit to WDW a quality
visit. Notice that I said “help.” I believe that it does take
some guest effort to make their vacation also enjoyable. But, as CMs,
we have the power to turn failed guest efforts around so that, even
though part of their vacation was not as magical as it could have been,
the rest of their vacation may be the best ever. I hope that I have
been a source of inspiration to some of you and I would love to hear
CM feedback when possible.
Drop us a line
These stories are just a small sample of the thousands that come out
of the parks everyday. If you are a CM who wants to share a story about
a guest—or a guest who'd like to share a story about a CM—drop
us a line.
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Are you a CM or a former CM? I would love to hear and share your stories! E-mail me! Stories and comments you submit become property of and may be published on this site; we normally don't publish last names of current CMs, but if you wish to remain anonymous altogether or do not want me to share your stories, please let me know when you e-mail me. — Shoshana NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in reader-contributed stories do not reflect those of Cast Place or MousePlanet. CM – Cast member; company lingo for “employee.” Empowerment Evolution – The 1995 attempt by newer park management to introduce modern accountability and market forces into the stodgy Disneyland methodology and power hierarchies. The name was meant to “empower” rank and file employees by removing layers of their management, though now there are more managers than ever. TPO – Theme Park Operations; the division of the Disneyland hierarchy that actually works in the theme park itself. TDA – Team Disney Anaheim; the name of the on-site administration building. Area manager – used to be responsible for an entire land, with all business divisions in the area reporting to him. Area supervisor – the immediate boss for location supervisors who divide up a department of intelligently grouped locations. The area supervisors in turn reported to the area manager. Nowadays all supervisors and area supervisors have been replaced by managers and assistant managers — the same idea, but smaller “business units" than a department; usually just one location in fact. RFT – “A” status; a full-time hourly employee. RPT – “B” status; an hourly employee five days a week but just not quite 40 hours usually. CR – “C” status; an hourly employee who works weekends year-round and five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). CT – a part-time hourly employee who works five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). No seniority, so shifts worked are usually quite short. Locate the employment center to fill out an application, and they will call you for an interview (dress nicely, just shy of an actual suit). Once there, follow these rules, in this order of importance: 1. Smile and be very friendly. They want outgoing people.
2. Do not let the group interview throw you off balance. They want outgoing people who can “perform” a little bit.
3. Do not worry about job (in)experience. They don't care. They want friendly people, not experienced and/or hardened people.
4. Do your best to convince them you already have a Disney attitude: you want to work with people, you're a team player, and you would consider this a dream job (however, don't overdo it on the crazy-Disney-fan side either). Strike a nice balance.
5. Did I mention the importance of a smile? 
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