Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 As a former Cast Member there really wasn't a lot that would upset me with the exception parade times. Obviously when we set up ropes for viewing areas it is so we can have people watching the parade and also have a walkway behind them on Main Street. So many times when the parade was going on people would stop in the walkways, especially with strollers or wheelchairs, blocking the entire walkway hold their children up so they could see the passing "pagentry" and when we would politley volunteer to help them into the viewing area and/or under the ropes would get upset with us and call us all kinds of things. No regard for others they were holding up, it was "all about them". I would always do my best, but this is what would bug me the most. However I have to admit I never lost the "magic".
Originally Posted By 73baloo Mickeyfan1 - Glad you never lost the magic. I am from a "touristy" area on the Washington coast. I always told my children to act on vacation the way they wished our tourists would act. They are all adults now but they did learn that lesson. It is really too bad that more people do not think that way. We always say please and thank you to Cast Members...they are not servants to be ordered around or yelled at. I had a guy here turn his boat around in my yard and when I called him on it he yelled and told me he paid my wages. I just calmly told him I was a computer programmer that worked from home...his wife laughed when he turned red.
Originally Posted By Ursula The only thing that annoyed me were the "know it alls" who would grill me about Disneyland and then make rude comments when I tried to explain that no, I didn't know the time of day that Walt was born. I LOVED the out-of-town people who came to DL for the first time. I so enjoyed being part of their magic. I loved doing Guest Control for the parades, too. You really got a good feel for "John America" and then the reverse, you got a good feel for how foreigners see America.
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 It is so true 73baloo. I also have to say the good times far out numbered the bad. One of my favorited experiences was one evening when I had a little guy about 7 who had lost his parents there on Main Street about an hour before the MSEP. Well I had him stick with me for a little while and even let him help me direct people across the street using my special flashlight that they give us on Guest Control. Finally while heading over to Lost Children we found Mom and Dad and everything was back as it should be. The next day as I was walking out onto Main Street to go to work, I hear my name being shouted. I look around and there is this little guy up on Dad's shoulder in the Park for a 2nd day. I went over and said hello and he was just so excited about having helped me on Main Street and waving that flashlight. I told him I would be out there again that night, and sure enough they showed up, he helped me a little and I was able to find them an excellent viewing spot ont he curb right at Christmas Tree Point as we called it then. They loved every minute of the parade. It's things like this that make the bad times all worth it. And again they were for the most part very few and far between.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs <<Ursula: The only thing that annoyed me were the "know it alls" who would grill me about Disneyland and then make rude comments when I tried to explain that no, I didn't know the time of day that Walt was born.>> What? You...lol...you don't KNOW what time of day Walt was born? You heathen! And you call yourself a CM? Blasphemy! A Disney fan! You sicken me! And I suppose you don't "know" what Walt's blood type was either? Or, or how much his tax return was in 1961? You mean to tell me that you can't even tell me what his favorite breakfast meat was? Away with you! Go back to your little office cubicle and finish your TPS reports...
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs <<Westsider: "OH CAROL! HE'S GOT A LANYARD! CAROL, GET CONNIE! PINS! SO MR. MAN IN THE GREEN TUXEDO, DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPER SECRET DVC DOUBLE WHAMMIES THEY RELEASED FROM THE MOROCCO PAVILION IN '04?! ARE YOU HIDING THEM FROM US? WHAT DID YOU JUST TRADE WITH THAT LITTLE GIRL FOR, DVC DOUBLE WHAMMIES? CONNIE, GET OVER HERE!">> Big pins! Rare pins! Big money now! Big money! No whammies, no whammies! Big pins! No whammies, STOP!
Originally Posted By Walter Elias Westsider--That is TOO funny! LOL I don't know how CMs put up with that stuff day after day. I was at DL for 5 days at Christmas, and by the 5th day of dealing with pushy obnoxious adults, even my kids were tired and ready to go home. My 5 year old actually jumped for joy when I told him we were going home.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Five days is a long time for DL. The most I can manage is two days, and I love the place dearly, but enough is enough. Until the next time.
Originally Posted By Mr X I think three days would be fun. I can understand not wanting to spend five days there though...BUT, after all there is a ton to see and do in Southern California (DarkBeer was nice enough to school me on how awesome Orange County and San Diego really are!). Spending too much time in Anaheim is silly (and the same goes for Tokyo Disneyland too...I'm stunned when I hear that people are traveling to Japan only to spend 5 days at the park and 1 day in the city!).
Originally Posted By Walter Elias You're right, five days was too much. Our thinking was that we could take our time and not feel rushed and that if we only wanted to stay for part of the day we wouldn't have to feel bad about leaving. Problem was, with such big crowds, it took all day to visit just a handful of attractions.
Originally Posted By MomluvsDisney I have done the five day thing, but broke up the days into visits with family and trips to the beach. I spent one whole day at DCA with my Brother. The rest of the time, I would sporadically go to the parks. One evening I went just for the fireworks (this was in June 2005 and I was staying at the Grand). I enjoyed slipping into the parks on my schedule and in the end did not feel the need to rush through anything. I purchased a five day flex pass fo r that trip through AAA. BUT I should say that I was on a solo trip at the time and perhaps that would be more difficult with others along. When the schedule is mine I can go everyday to the park without getting tired. I do not go for the all day every day thing..so maybe that makes a difference?
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne last July my family spent five days there and still didn't really see and do everything we wanted too. We spent seven days in California, 5 at Disney and one at Universal.. it might seem a waste to some but Disneyland was the only reason for our stop there.. Wehad to fly from Australia and my parents felt it was their own chance to ever see Disneyland. We spent another two weeks travelling around America but for us, five days at Disney wasn't enough. I guess if you live closer and can go again it might be a bit excessive.. but when it's half way across the world a think an entire week wold be better!
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "I have a very small collection of 10-20 pins mostly that I have traded on an ad-hoc basis if I see a CM with a pin I like." No, you're fine. You can even have a lanyard with a few pins on it. It's those guys who wear jackets full of pins, open a folder full of even more pins, and camp out at various locations. I don't even understand pin "trading". Why can't you just buy the pins you want?
Originally Posted By u k fan For quite a long time DLP were selling old pins at 3 Euros so it was cheaper to buy one of those and trade then to buy brand new!!!
Originally Posted By mele I'm a little creeped out by the people who come to the parks and camp out with their books of pins. Especially when they sit there, alone, for what seems like hours. They don't ever look like they're having any fun. I guess I just don't get the whole pin thing.
Originally Posted By HappiestPlaceonEarth I think those crazy pin traders are a bit creepy too! We have seen the same guy the past 5 times (over two years) we've been to DL. This is the story of what really bothered me: He was with a little girl (please tell me it's not his daughter) once and was forcing her to do the secret pin trading treasure chest thing outside of the golden horseshoe. She said, "Please, no more. Can't we just go on a ride?" He pushed her, literally pushed her, into the line and told her to do it again. Uggg..that guy is creepy!! I hope to think my family are the types of pin traders that the CM's enjoy. We have taught our boys how to ask the CM's nicely if they can look at their pins and how to say "thank you anyway" if they choose not to trade. We have a family lanyard and the boys have their own lanyards. We think it's one of the best parts of our vacation. If I was a cast member what would bother me the most is the parent that forces his/her child to go on a ride they obviously don't want to go on or are scared of. We were in line for Star Tours when a mom was being vicious with her little girl. She was dragging her to stand under the measuring stick. The girl was crying and the CM tried anything she could to deescalate the situation. It made me (a teacher) and my husband (also a teacher) sick to our stomachs.
Originally Posted By lawdawg After my son traded his pin we bought especially for him because it had sentimental meaning for our family. Neither of my kids are allowed to trade pins!
