Discussion Question for Cast Members

Guest Relations King · Post by **Guest Relations King** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 12:51 am

Through all the posts, I'm seeing a common theme that I think sometimes, we as a Cast, forget. Especially when posting on forums such as this one.

Not all Annual Passholders are evil.

Having said that, part of my philosophy when I worked at the park, was to treat every guest the same, day guest, annual passholder, or cast member. Honestly, I don't think annual passholders are the most difficult to deal with. Working in Guest Relations, I saw more cast members that were ten times as worse to deal with than the worst Annual Passholders (i.e. Laurie). Here’s an example:

One morning, I was working in the phone room. It’s the Guest Relations call center (781-7290 for those who don’t know) and I picked up an internal call from a cast member working Small World Toy Shoppe. A twenty-three minute phone call that ended up with my lead calling Merch 1.

This Cast Member wanted me to make their Main Gate pass valid on this particular day, which was the first blockout day for Main Gate passes of the year. His argument was that his 2002 pass was still valid, and was being accepted for those who had not received their 2003 passes. Since this particular day was not a blockout day in 2002, the 2002 passes were being accepted, but not the 2003, because the blockout dates had changed.

Although I could see his point, exceptions like this can’t be made for the Cast.

- GRK

tabacco · Post by **tabacco** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 1:50 am

Guest Relations King wrote:Through all the posts, I'm seeing a common theme that I think sometimes, we as a Cast, forget. Especially when posting on forums such as this one.

Not all Annual Passholders are evil.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that was the gist of almost every post here.

tourbunny · Post by **tourbunny** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 4:25 pm

birdmom wrote

I have to say that I hate that bloody sense of entitlement - that because they forked over $100 or $300 for one pass in one day that somehow they the passhole should be treated better than someone who is paying full price for one and only one day of a visit to Disneyland , especially when that visit might be the only one they ever make in their lifetime.

that reminds me of one time (..at bandcamp...hehe) when this ap came in and had some kind of renewel issues. well he did the old "i'm a premium annual passholder. i spent $219 to get this pass. lalalalala, bitch , bitch, bitch..."
well i took him up on that statement. i asked him if he was up for a little game. i asked him how much on average he spends at the park. he sayed maybe $20 a month.
so i looked up his pass usage added it up, charging the going rate per one day admission, plus the money for food and souvenirs. he had over 30 uses with his pass that year so after the math we ended up losing over $700 in admission on him that he had already gotten for free.
i have to say, he was shocked and appologized for his attitude.
so see, the park loses money on admission, because ap prizes are based on a averidge 5 times a year use. everythng over that is free for them basically.
but ya, it's the damn sense of entitlement that gets on all our nerves.

Space Man K7 · Post by **Space Man K7** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 10:52 pm

Ok, from a current attractions poit of view... well there are a small hadfull of AP's that are cool. They are the ones that I'm happy to share info and knowledge with. Then there are the ones that demand all the special things... i.e. riding in the wheelhouse of the Twain.

If I'm gonna have to have guests up there with me for the 15 min trip... I want someone cool. Not the retarted AP that's been there 6589532 times, and is going to demand a pilots' certificate and then the first question out of their mouth is " So what happened at Big Thunder?" and is followed up by "What did you learn from the Columbia Incident... and how has that changed the park?"

Rule number 1: Don't ask me about the deaths or accidents that happen at the park... it's none of your business

tabacco · Post by **tabacco** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 11:05 pm

Space Man K7 wrote:If I'm gonna have to have guests up there with me for the 15 min trip... I want someone cool. Not the retarted AP that's been there 6589532 times, and is going to demand a pilots' certificate and then the first question out of their mouth is " So what happened at Big Thunder?" and is followed up by "What did you learn from the Columbia Incident... and how has that changed the park?"

Rule number 1: Don't ask me about the deaths or accidents that happen at the park... it's none of your business

Hmm... I think on the two times I've ridden 'round in the wheelhouse my first questions were: "So, what's the top speed on this thing?" and "Can I blow the whistle?"

mahaihai · Post by **mahaihai** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:02 am

First, Weeble your descriptions are on the money. I have the same feelings as many of you i hate some ap's (the disney know-it all types, the "i paid $XXX, for this pass) those people bother me but i love guests who are nice.

The other day i was in Guest Services and a lady came to the window with her kids and told me flat out, " I forgot today was a blockout day, my kids really want to go to Disneyland but i didn't plan on spending that much." I looked at her pass in the system and saw that she had used it quite a bit and had it for a few years. I told her she had to buy a blockout day ticket and she did not object. I know this sounds normal but i gets better, she paid willingly!! After all this she apologized for forgeting she never once got rude and she never once wanted to speak to someone my manager she was content with herself. SHe left my window happy because she got to go to Disneyland. That made me feel good.

But the best was one time when i worked in costuming. I was delivering to Splash Mt., and as i left the ride queue i saw a little blonde haired girl bouncing up and down with tigger. It was so neat. She was so enthralled nad so was Tigger. The mom walked over to me and wanted to know where she could give Tigger a compliment, i told her City Hall, but i also told her that Tigger was probably happy just to see a little kid enjoying him that much. Two days later i saw the same lady in the park as i ws again out on delivery, she stopped me and thanked me and said that because of Tigger and nice people like me her family bought AP's. That made me feel good. Because those are the people who truly appreiacte Disney.

Sorry for the long post but it needed to be said. For those AP's out there please always remember we are human too and maybe we don't pay $225 dollars a year to be in the park, but we have feelings and we will be happy as long as you are happy and not causing a scene that makes no sense.

Dante101 · Post by **Dante101** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:48 am

coffeegirl9 wrote:I know that all AP's aren't bad. Hell, I used to be an AP before I worked here.

Yup - me, too...

Weeble · Post by **Weeble** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 11:56 am

Haha, Alan Douglas, there's a face I remember. Great pic of you in Mission, and you're right, Randy probably did use it for beer money.

I was an AP too, my brother and I were the "bored teens who dressed gothy, although back then it was "alternative". I also like quotation marks apparently"""

Even worse though: I was an ROP student. This meant I was 15 years old, working the Jungle Cruise for HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS.

Tim Gaines · Post by **Tim Gaines** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:46 am

Ooooh! I remember two APs who frequented the eastside all of the time. Tiger-Lady, (I forgot her name) a SUPER name older lady, black hair peppered with gray who'd wear Tigger ears and hang out with the CMs at Space and Honey. Also, we called him the MAD BOMBER, but other people had other names for him. Skinny white guy, crazy eyes, quiet, who'd ride space moutain ALL the time! As a greeter at HISTA I was able to see him every time and stare at him. :D Arrgh, I wish he would've confronted me... Now, when I was working Fantasmic, the older guy with the gray beard who'd set down the damn plastic tarp HOURS before F! would start and stay there and BS, EVERY NIGHT. He was pretty cool, as on one occasion I was having a problem with a guest and he said some things I WISHED I could have said :twisted: That d00de got totally 0wned. Were I in my current mindset, I'd have jumped into the sea of people, remove my gerber multi-tool, then proceed to stab him in his chest with my shallow blade, then tossing his twitching body over the rail into the ALREADY polluted river ...giving the ducks some meat. :twisted:

CujoSR · Post by **CujoSR** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:13 pm

Tim Gaines wrote:Ooooh! I Were I in my current mindset, I'd have jumped into the sea of people, remove my gerber multi-tool, then proceed to stab him in his chest with my shallow blade, then tossing his twitching body over the rail into the ALREADY polluted river ...giving the ducks some meat. :twisted:

Dude. You got issues. Please don't kill me.