Theme Park Etiquette and Safety: Part II

In this, our second session on theme-park etiquette and safety, let's look at the ways we can help protect performing cast members, interact with characters in the best and safest way, and view parades with proper etiquette.

Protecting cast members

I'm guessing that there are probably two trillion shutter clicks a day in the WDW Resort... OK, maybe three trillion. And I can only imagine that if you lay the amount of videotape used daily in the parks end to end, you could easily reach the moon.

Guests are encouraged to photograph and videotape, but there are some attractions at where guests are asked to refrain from using flash photography and video camera lights.

There are very few attractions in which guests are asked to not use flash photography or video camera lighting. These requests may be for safety reasons as well as for the integrity of the attraction's performance.

For example, let's look at the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The cast members on stage perform under black light. Because of this, any sudden light may temporarily blind them, which may disrupt the performance, or even worse, cause them to injure themselves or another performer.

The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, at the Studios.

Equipment with low lux ratings can be used for those attractions. Don't forget to manually turn off the flash on your camera. The irony is that if you do not honor cast member and attraction requests to refrain from using flash photography and video camera lights, you may discover that the images from your camera look really bad. Often, using lights in these low-light conditions does nothing to improve your images. One option is to purchase postcards with images of those attractions. These photos are taken professionally, look better than any photo you could ever take yourself, and gives you a nice backing on which you can jot down your comments for a future trip report.

Character Interaction

Some of the most rewarding experiences during a Walt Disney World visit is, of course, seeing your favorite character or watching your children see their favorite character, especially if it is the first time for your family.

Within the last decade, Walt Disney World Resort has taken steps to offer its guests as many opportunities as possible see their favorite Disney characters. These have been in the form of character meals, character meetings, and most recently the character caravans (although the Character Caravan was recently dropped in favor of a return of earlier park opening hours).

It's important to note a few things about characters and the CMs who portray them.

Each character has an assigned "leader" or "greeter" to assist the character when necessary; and also to let the character know when visiting time is over. These greeters not only let guests know for how long the character is available, but also if and when the character will return.

Meeting Winnie

If you have young children who are seeing Disney characters up front for the first time, be sure to lay the proper groundwork by addressing the characters by name, being polite, and playing along with the theme. I'm sure the cast members portraying the characters appreciate this, and it certainly adds to the experience your children.

When speaking with characters in costume, it's important to be in front of the characters at all times. Also, make sure that the children do not go behind the characters. Other than a sense of touch, the CMs in the costumes cannot see around or behind them.

Be patient with the characters, and wait your turn. Character interaction is such that everyone get get a photo or an autograph. Characters are limited in the time that they spend with guests, especially when the weather is extremely warm.

Keep in mind that other guests want to visit with the characters as well, so be ready with your camera when it's your family's time to interact.

Character meals offer the best opportunity to visit with the characters. Instead of you going to the characters, let them come to your table for visits and photos. Do not let your children chase after them. All the characters have a route that they follow, and this includes going from table to table. You'll be sure to see these characters several times during your meal.

Belle visits at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Again, play along with the characters - and make this a rewarding time.

Parades Count, Too!

When it comes to parades, I turn to "Main Street Jim" for advice. Jim works the daytime and nighttime parades at the Magic Kingdom. Jim has the Herculean task of working in the Main Street, USA area during parade times.

Jim understands the excitement of a Walt Disney World parade, and he does his best to make this a wonderful experience for his guests. Of course, it helps if the guests listen to both Jim and his fellow cast members as they prepare for the parade.

Jim has some pointers for guests. He advises guests to stake out their viewing spot at least 60 minutes before the afternoon parade. He also suggests thinking about staking out your spot about 90 minutes before the nighttime parade.

Want to catch a parade? show up early!

Jim also points out that guests should be aware that there are designated crossways which should be clear at all times just prior to and during the parades. These crossways are usually roped off for easy recognition. One crossway in particular is the Emporium corner of Main Street USA. This crossway lines up with the crossway near the train station. This is the basic exit to be used by guests while parades are performing at the Town Square end of Main Street.

The parades in all the theme parks are populated with cast members who are special performers. Those cast members dealing with crowd control for the theme parks must make sure that the parade route is clear and safe enough for these performers. They must also be sure that the guests are situated so that everyone can best enjoy the festivities.

If you have children, do not prop them on mailboxes, trashcans, or any object from which they can slip and fall. Do not allow them to climb on the columns and pedestals. Also, there are benches and fences that are not for use as places to stand on. Please keep in mind that there are designated areas roped off for parade viewing, especially during the busy summer and holiday seasons. Don't put yourself or a family member in danger.

The nighttime Magic Kingdom parade (currently SpectroMagic) is even more involved, as the low lighting makes it harder for cast members in character costumes to see, not to mention those who are driving the floats. So listen to Jim and his fellow cast members for their instructions; they are there to help you have a good - and safe - time.

The next time you're in the Magic Kingdom just before a parade and you're at the Main Street end of the parade route, look for a cast member with "Jim" on his name badge. Ask him if he's Main Street Jim. If he says "Yes", tell him I said "Hello!"

And one more thing: please follow Jim's direction.

Kind Words Go a Long Way

Finally, and probably the most important point pointer I'd like to leave everyone with, is the advice to say "please" and "thank you," especially to the hard-working cast members of Walt Disney World. Our Walt Disney World vacations are important to us, and these employees are dedicated to making our stay as enjoyable as possible. They want us back. One habit I've picked up over the 27 years I've visited WDW is to always make an effort to use their names when asking for information or to thank them.

"Thanks a bunch, Bruce!" or "Have a great day, Carol!" or "Hi, Jim! Could you tell me..." goes a long way towards picking up the spirits of a tired cast member, not to mention getting an extra-friendly smile along with the information you wanted.

A kind word is welcome.

So on your next visit to Walt Disney World, think about theme park etiquette and listen to the cast members. They want you to have a safe and happy vacation.

I'm guessing that you do, too.

Next Time

Next time, let's dive into the mailbag and see what we find.

Class dismissed.

CREDIT:

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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