Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad Well we just got back from WDW. We had a wonderful week. Just wanted to relate an incident we had our last night which corresponds to some comments Spirit of 74 made on another thread
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad Our last night we went to MK to see spectro magic parade which is something we do every year. this year we were late getting a spot so my 13 year old and I were trying to meet my wife and other daughter on main street. We were about halfway down the street when the floats started coming by so naturally we stopped to look. Immediately a CM about 20 feet away yells "You can't stand there you have to keep moving!" So we moved down the street and again stopped when something caught our eye. Once again CM approached and from about 10 feet yelled "You can't stand there. You have to be between the ropes". There were 2 ropes strung down the street about 6 feet apart. This area was not only packed with people but strollers too. My daughter wanted to watch the parade so we moved into an alcove beside the entrance to one of the stores. Evidently this was allowed as the CM didn't yell at us. I watched as the CM kept yelling (yes yelling is the correct word, also shouting and generally harrassing) at other guests who stopped on the sidewalk to watch the parade. Some unfortunate guests stopped in the doorway of the store and were told they couldn't stand there, they had to be in or out. so they moved out and were promptly told they couldn't stand there either and had to move along. The looks on the faces of the numerous guests I was observing spoke volumes. They knoew they were supposed to move, but to where? Were they not allowed to watch the parade? but the story doesn't end here. After making sure we were in an allowed location I told my daughter to stay put while I was going to get my wife and other daughter. We wear radios, hers was mounted on her left shoulder so she could contact me quickly if needed. I found my wife a few doors down and was heading back when my radio started sounding. My daughter was saying "Dad come quick, come quick!" By the time I got there my daughter was in tears. Apparently another guest with his child on his shoulders had come and stood in front of my daughter. She moved to get in front of him so she could see the parade and guess what happened next. Yep, here came the CM again and told her to move along. My daughter is very shy and was embarrassed. She walked a little way on the sidewalk and turned and came back trying to keep moving but staying in the area where I had left her. Once again the CM told her she had to move along. My daughter's first words to me were "Daddy get me out of here!" She said " I thought this was disney but that lady won't leave me alone". I understand that the CM was given a job to do, but it seems to me that harrassing the guest because you decided to put on a parade is against what disney means. Why would they put the CM in that position. No way was any of the guests that were herded down that street going to walk out with a good final impression of disney. If thats the only way to have spectro magic then they should cancel the parade. I know it might not be as effective but wouldn,t it be more in keeping with disney's image to handle thing quietly and allow both parties a little dignity.
Originally Posted By leobloom Some CMs relish the opportunity to push guests around. The power goes to their heads. Other CMs get frustrated by not having inadequate staffing and managers who refuse to help out on-stage. Perhaps you witnessed a combination of the two. Just be happy you're not working there for whatever piddling wages they're paying these days.
Originally Posted By DAR I thought this had to do with park guests yelling at each other like I witnessed a few years ago. It's at the Disney Studios, July, afternoon, hot. A family, dad, mom, three kids ages 3-8ish. Mom's pushing stroller the 3 year old is in it. The other kids are sort of walking in front, looking sweaty and tired Dad is walking really fast and he's heading towards Rock N Roller coaster. The Mom screams at him "WHERE ARE YOU GOING". The Dad replies "I'M CHECKING TO SEE HOW LONG THE WAIT IS." You could just feel the Disney Magic at that moment.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 CMs should NEVER yell at a guest unless the guest is in danger or about to put others in danger. Period. What happened to your daughter simply should never happen. A child should not leave Disney in tears because they can't adequtely and orderly staff and organize crowd control for parades. I understand, and appreciate, that you can't let guests stop anywhere to watch a parade or fireworks because that in itself can cause a potentially dangerous situation. That said, Disney uses about half as many (possibly even fewer) crowd control CMs during parades. Many of them are under constant pressure and taking abuse from guests. Again, though, that doesn't justify them yelling at a child (or adult) at all. Ever. Sorry to hear of that. You should send Phil Holmes and/or Dan Cockerell a note ... maybe they can print it in the Kool-Aid, I mean Main Street Diary.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 The above should read half as many crowd control CMs as they did at one time, which you likely can figure out ... that's what happens when you post and have lunch at the same time!!!
Originally Posted By leobloom The stress of trying to control/assist too many guests can certainly get to CMs. More CMs on parade duty would help alleviate the stress, but more CM hours would cost more money, so we know that won't be happening anytime soon.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper As a JK Skipper I had to work Spectro from time to time. Crowd control in Frontierland is difficult. I never had to work it on Main Street but I could only imagine. As for the "yelling", I am against it and was trained not to do it. If we saw something/someone that had to be corrected we were trained to approach and explain the situation. If it was in the midst of the parade we were trained to try and duck...or at least be conscious of what we obstructed as we tried to handle the incident. The only time I might yell was if there was an impending disaster...like a child or guest literally running out in front of an oncoming float. At that point, "show" takes a backseat to "safety".
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad I wasn't so much upset with the CM because she was trying to do her job. It was more that I couldn't fathom trying to force everyone between the ropes and telling everyone else they just have to go. why would management even try this approach. It would have also been nice to have been told where we could stand.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> CMs should NEVER yell at a guest unless the guest is in danger or about to put others in danger. Period. What happened to your daughter simply should never happen. A child should not leave Disney in tears because they can't adequtely and orderly staff and organize crowd control for parades. << >> As for the "yelling", I am against it and was trained not to do it. If we saw something/someone that had to be corrected we were trained to approach and explain the situation. If it was in the midst of the parade we were trained to try and duck...or at least be conscious of what we obstructed as we tried to handle the incident. The only time I might yell was if there was an impending disaster...like a child or guest literally running out in front of an oncoming float. At that point, "show" takes a backseat to "safety". << Absolutely no excuse for what you, and your daughter experience. I also suggest you write the letters like Spirit suggested. I can sympathize with the CM for having a difficult, and trying job. I certainly can't condone the way they handled it though. I hope your daughter will evidentually forget about this incident. Sometimes long term impressions are made at an early age.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I observed several of these 'yelling' cast members that you're describing at Disneyland over the past few days. I really noticed them in Frontierland during 'Fantasmic!' That area becomes such a nightmare, and I'm sure it gets crazy to do crowd control, but still. When the Cast Members keep waving their flashlights and keep repeating 'Please Keep Moving' in the same way and using the same inflection, it starts to sound like background music -- 'Pleezgeepmoveeg - Pleezgeepmoveeg - Pleezgeepmoveg' -- guests just tune out, as they don't really hear them anymore. It reminds me of the Cast Members who would move those big rolling carts filled with ice cream bars and frozen desserts from on-stage to backstage through throngs of guests. The carts are large and heavy and so are hard to stop. So they would have one Cast Member pushing, and then position a Cast Member walking at the front of the cart to warn guests with 'Excuse us, please!' But again, they would say it in the same tone and at the same shrill volume and in the same pattern so it would just sound like 'Scyoosespleez -- Scyoosespleez -- scyoosespeez' like some sort of alien song. On this same subject, there's a guy -- he's a young man, maybe 30 -- who works behind the counter at the Post Office here in Merced. When he's ready to help his next customer, he'll look up and say 'Myelpyu?' (May I help you) Every...Flippin...Time. Never 'Hi, how are you?' or 'I can help you here' or 'Next' -- just 'Myelpyu?' And we wonder why these people go postal.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Hey, Jeetyit? (did you eat yet?) No, Chyew? (did you?) Well, Lesqueet! (let's go eat!)
Originally Posted By sjhym33 There is no excuse to yelling at a guest unless someone is in danger. Having said that I can say from experience that working parade crowd control is a terrible experience. In all the years I worked at Disney I got yelled at more in one week at the nighttime parade than in the entire 10 years I worked there. I commented recently to a manager friend that the quality of Cast Members seems to continue to slip. He said "When you pay people $7.50 an hour you get people worth $7.50 an hour."
Originally Posted By vbdad55 here' dbe the question we have to answer - can we do with 1/3 less CM's if we paid them $11/HR ? It's gonna come down to $ and cents and still making a proift for shareholders. The other question of course is will the $11/ hr employee really be that much different ?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip This has been going on for years... even before the budget cuts. I remember my wife and I complaining about the light-wand Nazis in Epcot during the Tapestry of Nations parade. We weren't even trying to watch the parade, just get to one of the countries where we could hang out while the parade took place. One thing people do need to realize is that if you want to see a Disney parade without a million people in front of you, you better claim your spot 60-90 minutes ahead of time. It just isn't going to work if you show up 15 minutes before the parade starts. You will either end up standing behind a bunch of people, or you will be taking the spot of people who DID show up 90 minutes before the parade which is a totally rude thing to do. If you don’t think it is worth 60-90 minutes of your time to see a parade then don’t try to watch them. That is what we do. The only parade I’ve ever seen at WDW that was worth that kind of wait was Tapestry of Nations.
