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View Full Version : cast members seem colder these days



seanson
10-24-2008, 09:35 PM
while i was down in florida for the world series the past couple of days i spent a day in the magic kingdom. it seemed like every encounter i had with a cast member, the cast member was extremely rude to me or someone in the immediate area. they were yelling quite harshly at people on the trams and on the steam train. also, at half the rides, the cast members weren't very helpful with guests questions about the ride. they gave simple yes, no answers and than began texting on their phones, and at the fastpass booths they were pushing guests away from the machines, not just kindly recommending the regular line if it was short. has anyone else experienced this or noticed it?

DizneyRox
10-25-2008, 06:53 AM
For years I've noticed this...

WDWCP Spring99
10-25-2008, 08:34 AM
They can use cell phones now??? When I was a Cast Member, we couldn't even chew gum!

:confused:

seanson
10-25-2008, 12:47 PM
They can use cell phones now??? When I was a Cast Member, we couldn't even chew gum!

:confused:

i dont know if they can, but two of them were

joanna71985
10-25-2008, 04:44 PM
They can use cell phones now??? When I was a Cast Member, we couldn't even chew gum!

:confused:

Nope, it is still not allowed (for either thing). What a shame that CMs still do anyway.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
10-25-2008, 11:04 PM
There are a lot of things that bother me that I see fellow CM's doing. This company needs to not hire so many CPs and ICPs simply to fill in holes.

That doesn't mean all of them, I've known a lot of hard workers who even stayed after their program to continue working. But a good percentage of them barely do anything past clocking in.

seanson
10-27-2008, 02:01 AM
That doesn't mean all of them, I've known a lot of hard workers who even stayed after their program to continue working. But a good percentage of them barely do anything past clocking in.

i'm not saying all of them, most cast members were doing their job right and being courteous, ect. but the ones doing their jobs poorly stuck out so much in my mind that it made the overall experience poor.

AnnetteFan
10-27-2008, 03:03 AM
There are a lot of things that bother me that I see fellow CM's doing. This company needs to not hire so many CPs and ICPs simply to fill in holes.

That doesn't mean all of them, I've known a lot of hard workers who even stayed after their program to continue working. But a good percentage of them barely do anything past clocking in.
I think the percentage of CP's who are worthless is probably equal to the percentage of regular CM's who are worthless. And I say this having been both a CM and now a fulltime CM. CP's are just easy targets.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
10-27-2008, 09:35 AM
Oh, I agree 100%. It's not just CP's....but that's who Disney is hiring the most right now.

We're on a hiring freeze for the time being but I see new CPs every week. Why? They're cheaper. Less money, no benefits, and if they are ICPs, even cheaper - they are paid by a third party contracted by Disney.

Mackflava99
10-27-2008, 09:49 AM
ITs sad if this is how it will be progressing, because when people are happy about their job, they seem to be nicer- so my assumption is if they are 'cold' then they hate their job-

Maybe the Greeter at the beach club or Stan from wilderness lodge should give them some lessons on magic...

doodleboy
10-27-2008, 10:03 AM
Oh, I agree 100%. It's not just CP's....but that's who Disney is hiring the most right now.

We're on a hiring freeze for the time being but I see new CPs every week. Why? They're cheaper. Less money, no benefits, and if they are ICPs, even cheaper - they are paid by a third party contracted by Disney.

What do CP and ICP stand for? I looked in abbreviations list and did not see them.

joanna71985
10-27-2008, 11:40 AM
What do CP and ICP stand for? I looked in abbreviations list and did not see them.

College Program and International College Program. They are internships at WDW.

goofy for pluto
10-27-2008, 02:41 PM
I am sorry to hear this.
I know when My DS and I were down for the
christmas parade a CM was yelling from a megaphone to ask people not to stop and watch the parade but to keep moving. She was threatening people who even slowed down that she would evict them from the park if they did not do as she said.
I was glad that it was my last day at the parks, because she really ruined the magic for both myself and my son. :shake:

mcjaco
10-27-2008, 03:30 PM
I agree with this somewhat.

My last visit 10/14-19, I discovered that my cell phone was missing out of one of my pockets as we walked down Main Street to leave. I knew I had it before Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, and SM rides, so I decided to run, and back track.

They were shutting down, and I ran up through the exit queues of each. Not one of them admonished me for doing that, and each of them were extremely helpful and concerned about my loss. In fact the CM at BTMRR, told the entire crew as they cycled trains, and each of them check the trains top to bottom.

My phone never showed up, but I found each CM extremely helpful and concerned about my situation. There's still some magic there, perhaps just not as much as there used to be.

LauraleeH
10-27-2008, 06:53 PM
while i was down in florida for the world series the past couple of days i spent a day in the magic kingdom. it seemed like every encounter i had with a cast member, the cast member was extremely rude to me or someone in the immediate area. they were yelling quite harshly at people on the trams and on the steam train. also, at half the rides, the cast members weren't very helpful with guests questions about the ride. they gave simple yes, no answers and than began texting on their phones, and at the fastpass booths they were pushing guests away from the machines, not just kindly recommending the regular line if it was short. has anyone else experienced this or noticed it?
Hmmm, were you wearing a Phillies shirt when you experienced this? ;) Kidding!

I've been yelled at too many times to count, and no, I wasn't breaking any rules or being rude. I would imagine that CM's deal with a lot of horrible guests and I just have bad timing. Makes me mad that it gets taken out on me, but that's life. Yes, Disney World is still in the real world, but doesn't it make reality a little sweeter? :cloud9:

TheRustyScupper
10-28-2008, 12:17 AM
while i was down in florida for the world series the past couple of days i spent a day in the magic kingdom. it seemed like every encounter i had with a cast member, the cast member was extremely rude to me or someone in the immediate area.


1) Yes, it is a shame.
2) But, morale is at a pretty low ebb at the moment.
3) There is an announced upcoming 5,000 employee layoff.
4) My neighbor told me tup to 16,000 (professional, office, tech & hourly).
5) No one truly knows when or how or how many.


PERSONAL OPINION & COMMENT:
It is pretty unsettling for local employees to be replaced by CP's and ICP's and Internships. They get small pay, no benefits, and are simply cheaper than regular full-time or part-time employees. WDW's loyalty to its employees has gone out the window! Can you blame the hourly CM's? Employees are supposed to be your greatest asset, but they are now treated like meat. Let's not hear any of this "you have a job and should be nice to guests" comments. When you don't know if you will be employed next week. It warps your attitude.

People reading my posts know that when I criticize or applaud, it is done pretty equally between guests, employees and WDW. My criticism or applause falls where it needs to be. In this case, I blame WDW for the attitude problems because they are showing such a little lack of respect for their local employees. I have performed huge hirings, massive layoffs and even plant closings, but have always tried to treat the employees with respect and dignity.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
10-28-2008, 03:06 PM
Yeah, I don't like those rumors. I love my job too much, so I've started talking to all my managers and letting my face be seen so hopefully they can find a way to keep me.

And trust me, it is insulting to me to have all my hours going to interns just because they are cheaper. I wouldn't mind the ones that work, but the ones to fill holes really stings a bit like salt on a fresh wound. Plus, a lot of them won't have the loyalty to the company that their FT and PT CM's could give them. There are a lot of things that if they were different, Disney would see that my loyalty is with them....but with all these rumors and cutbacks and disappearing hours....Universal is starting to look really good......and that's a thought that's been crossing my mind more and more these days....sadly.

mcjaco
10-28-2008, 03:54 PM
^ Are you still in Adventureland?

I know the manager for AL and LS. ;)

CaptainJessicaSparrow
10-28-2008, 08:06 PM
Nope, I transferred.

But there are a lot of managers there. We had about 7 or 8 for Ops alone.

trackbarroness
10-29-2008, 05:54 AM
I haven't heard any rumors about layoffs, or it could be just the culling of the umm herd?
I'm going to ask around where I work if they have heard anything about layoffs.
But let's treat this as a rumor until it actually does happen, okay?

Ian
10-29-2008, 08:56 AM
We had about 7 or 8 for Ops alone.That's a problem all by itself. I've never seen any company as top-heavy as Disney. They seem to have 6 managers for every 1 employee!

That's where they should be cutting head count, not at the worker-bee level.

Anyway, to the OP's point ... yes. There's no doubt. Service has declined dramatically and I believe it's due to the limited talent pool they can draw from for what they're willing to pay.

As Jessica said, they rely far too heavily on CP and ICP for talent. That's not to say all of them are bad, but in my experience those are probably the CM's you're seeing that are the worst of the bunch. Many of them are just college kids there to have a good time on their parent's nickel. They couldn't give a you-know-what about magic and guest service and job quality.

But the real blame lies with the managers who, evidently, do nothing more than collect paychecks. If they actually managed these people up to Disney standards, less than half of them would still be employed.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
10-29-2008, 09:08 AM
Actually, that's not a lot at all.

Jungle Cruise alone has about 80 FT and PT CM's. 8 Managers for all of the Ad/Lib Attractions isn't much (Jungle, Pirates, Mansion, Ferryboat, HOP, Aladdin, Tiki, and TreeHouse). Even 10 isn't much. I know Pirates has more than we do, and I also think Mansion is pretty close.

Even if all of Ad/Lib had 15 Ops managers, then there would still be more than 20 or so people per manager, which is a good ratio. Now Entertainment, that's a completely different story - I think MK has about 50 managers alone but that includes atmosphere, dining, MK resorts, shows, parades and DCE.

As for the rumors, I've heard it from two different sources, one of which is fairly reliable but again, not 100%. But the exact location of what is what seems to be conflicting. I've heard mostly Entertainment, I've also heard mostly all of Events (not Special Events, which is separate such as SWW, MVMCP, MNSSHP, etc). I also hope it's just a rumor.

SteveL
10-29-2008, 12:24 PM
Many of them are just college kids there to have a good time on their parent's nickel.


From all of the CP that have known through the years, there are some good ones and there are some bad ones.

Fortunately it doesn't cost the parents anything for a kid to participate. We actually saved a lot of money both times DD did it.

joanna71985
10-29-2008, 06:58 PM
As Jessica said, they rely far too heavily on CP and ICP for talent. That's not to say all of them are bad, but in my experience those are probably the CM's you're seeing that are the worst of the bunch. Many of them are just college kids there to have a good time on their parent's nickel. They couldn't give a you-know-what about magic and guest service and job quality.


I don't think that's really fair to judge the CPs. I know many who cared about their role, and took it seriously. There are just as many bad FT/PT CMs as there are CPs. I hate that just because the CPs are students and there on an internship, they get a bad rap.

murphy1
10-30-2008, 03:35 PM
They don't pay anything, so I say God Bless anyone that works there. They used to hire a lot more people from Florida, too. Florida is more expensive than people realize. And let's face it, some of the "guests" that go are not always pleasant. I'm not saying this is an excuse for how they may act, but overall I have met very nice CMs there. I had to leave Florida b/c the economy gets hit so bad there and I truly feel for people there. I guess I have a different view having grown up there. I had my moments where I wanted tourists to go home when I was the service industry, I think anyone would in their situation, but they need the business and if you go to work there, you do it mostly b/c you love it.

I never really thought about the too many cooks thing, but that makes sense!

pink
10-30-2008, 05:36 PM
I just have to stick up for the CM's right now and say that we were there in September and we only met three bad CM's the whole time we were there. There are still good CM's out there. :thumbsup:

TheRustyScupper
10-30-2008, 11:10 PM
. . . That's a problem all by itself. I've never seen any company as top-heavy as Disney. They seem to have 6 managers for every 1 employee! . . . That's where they should be cutting head count, not at the worker-bee level . . .

1) I can't speak to the parks, food or entertainment.
2) But, I can speak to resorts.
3) I have PERSONALLY seen a 1-to-1 ratio of managers to Front Desk / Concierge CM's.
4) For normal course, the ratio is easily 1-to-1¼ hourly CM's.
5) I know of no business that can support that kind of overhead.

Figaro
10-31-2008, 09:58 PM
That's insane... a 1-1 ratio for Manager to CM. I know in recreation we have one manager on duty per resort and then a "regional" manager who oversees 3-4 resorts over those managers. We have 2 additional Professional Internship managers who fill the holes.

Georgesgirl1
11-01-2008, 09:19 AM
Our experience in the parks from Sept 27th-Oct 4th was very different. We had some great experiences with cast members on this trip! We encountered some very helpful people especially when my SIL lost her sunglasses on Haunted Mansion. There was also a mananger in Epcot that went out of his way to help us.

Also, I have had some great encounters and conversations with ICP's! This trip we had a great waiter at the Beirgarten who spent a long time talking with us about Germany, where he lived, and Disneyland Paris. He was actually the best and most friendly waiter we had on our entire trip!

I think it is like any job, some CM are going to have a bad day and may not be as friendly or helpful as they should be. But even on their worst days I was rather deal with a Disney CM that an employee at most other places.

Ian
11-01-2008, 09:37 AM
I don't think that's really fair to judge the CPs. I know many who cared about their role, and took it seriously. There are just as many bad FT/PT CMs as there are CPs. I hate that just because the CPs are students and there on an internship, they get a bad rap.I'm not "judging" them ... I'm telling you what my experiences have been.

Maybe I just drew the short straw, but from my personal observations I would say in excess of 75% of the bad CM behavior I've seen has come from CP's.

And those were just the ones I could identify because they had a college nametag. I know how many CM's at Disney don't wear their own name badges, so it could be even higher than that.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
11-01-2008, 11:26 AM
....My tag still reads a college.....but I'm PT.

Though, I want to update it to say Rosen College instead. Cause Orlando, Florida isn't very fun to have on there.

Though, I might try to get some other city....like, Tatoonie.

SurferStitch
11-02-2008, 10:42 AM
I have to say that we encountered many, many friendly and happy CM's/CP's on our last trip. They were quite chatty and a lot of fun to talk to. Everyone seemed very happy, and joked around with everyone. Robert, our concierge, was extremely friendly. He's been there 21 years now, and had nothing but glowing things to say about working in WDW.

There are only 2 CM's that stick out in my mind from this past trip that were less than magical. One one a CP on his cell phone in the MK. No, I wasn't shocked or dismayed, but I was surprised to see him on his phone while working. The other was a female CM working the Reins champagne stand in Epcot. She was rude and disinterested in her position. I paid for the most expensive champagne, and repeated my selection to her 3 times. She still gave me a cheaper champagne. I again told her which one I ordered, and she ignored me. It was insanely busy there, so I gave up (guess I shouldn't have). Other than that, everyone we encountered was wonderful.

The Dream Team was extremely sparse, so I can't comment on their friendliness. Only saw a handful the entire 14 days we were there. We were 2 people too late for the ears in DTD. We were passing by them as they gave out the last 2 pair, but I didn't really want them anyway. Now, if they were giving out lanyards, I would have been bummed.