Bad show, just plain and simple bad show.

[EeyoresButterfly]

I doubt they will because it would be a logistical nightmare. You see, as long as you check out the costumes at the beginning of each day you get walk time. As soon as you go to cast zooming, you lose your walk time (one reason many people don't want it to go to cast zooming. This would create all kinds of problems. The characters always have and always will have to have walk time. Your day ends when the characters get off set. So, they would have to change your out time by at least twenty minutes. There would bea riot over this. There is no good way to eliminate walk time for one group without eliminating it for the other.

[joanna71985]

I doubt they will because it would be a logistical nightmare. You see, as long as you check out the costumes at the beginning of each day you get walk time. As soon as you go to cast zooming, you lose your walk time (one reason many people don't want it to go to cast zooming. This would create all kinds of problems. The characters always have and always will have to have walk time. Your day ends when the characters get off set. So, they would have to change your out time by at least twenty minutes. There would bea riot over this. There is no good way to eliminate walk time for one group without eliminating it for the other.

That's true.

[LittleDollClaudia]

Yesterday, while we were strolling about I was appalled at the volume of CM's that were so out of place in their "themed" costumes. When I walk into Golden Horseshoe, I should not see Tomorrowland CM's! It's like it doesn't matter anymore.

The CM's in question were standing there watching the show and not paying any attention to their surroundings at all.

If I had pulled that when I worked there...

Speaking of which, when did it become ok for a CM to be rude? I asked someone a valid question and she (kid you not!) rolled her eyes before answering.

BTW, my question was "Can you help me, please?" I wanted to purchase something and she was just leaning against her register. I asked as politely as possible, but it was like I interrupted her quiet time or something.

She was the only person in the store at that time. Is that a normal reaction that I will have to get used to?

[CelebrationNM]

The CM's in question were standing there watching the show and not paying any attention to their surroundings at all.

Speaking of which, when did it become ok for a CM to be rude? I asked someone a valid question and she (kid you not!) rolled her eyes before answering.

Is that a normal reaction that I will have to get used to?

Hopefully neither normal nor something you will have to get used to! Both good examples of bad show. I quote from WDW's The Main Street Diary:

[INDENT]
"There is only ONE PURPOSE for all of us, and it is to 'make sure that every Guest who comes to the WDW Resort has the most fabulous time of his or her life'... if [Cast Members] fail to perform their ROLES IN THE SHOW at a clearly outstanding level, the Guest experience will sufffer within a few minutes..."

and

"Smile and look happy, as this is your ROLE IN THE SHOW. Don't be preoccupied. Focus on the Guest. Have a pleasent look on your face. As far as the Guest is concerned, we are always happy, because this is part of our ROLE IN THE SHOW."[/INDENT]

I believe the expectations are clear, but the show begins to falter as soon as anybody (manager, front-line, etc.) forgets their purpose or their role in the show.
Nick
(Sorry everybody... I get excited about this guest service stuff. It's all there, all planned, all written down... if only people would follow it!)

[Shorty82]

Is that a normal reaction that I will have to get used to?

Don't get used to it, complain! Complain to City Hall, complain to management, complain to whoever can make a difference. Those are all examples of completely unacceptable behavior from a Cast Member. CMs in the MK and in DL aren't supposed to be out of their lands while in costume except in an emergency, period. No CM should ever be rude to a guest, period. No CM is supposed to lean while onstage or act like it is a bother for them to help a guest, period.

If a CM is ever rude to me when I'm visiting as a guest (or as a CM for that matter but especially when I'm a guest) I'll be demanding to see their manager and if they refuse to call them or the manager's response doesn't satisfy me I'll be paying a visit to Guest Relations almost immediately and filing a complaint.

[CMGUY89]

Don't get used to it, complain! Complain to City Hall, complain to management, complain to whoever can make a difference. Those are all examples of completely unacceptable behavior from a Cast Member. CMs in the MK and in DL aren't supposed to be out of their lands while in costume except in an emergency, period. No CM should ever be rude to a guest, period. No CM is supposed to lean while onstage or act like it is a bother for them to help a guest, period.

If a CM is ever rude to me when I'm visiting as a guest (or as a CM for that matter but especially when I'm a guest) I'll be demanding to see their manager and if they refuse to call them or the manager's response doesn't satisfy me I'll be paying a visit to Guest Relations almost immediately and filing a complaint.

Absolutely, I have complained to managers while visiting as a guest. I have no tolerance for rude CMs. I was using my GAC card on POTC and was following a MAW family. When asked by the MAW family about the entrance the greeter rudely responded "Go sit on the bench around the corner, someone will come get you eventually..."
When I asked he was equally rude. The accessible entrance for POTC is through a backstage area and after waiting for almost 20 minutes (the stand by was 10) a manager finally walked out of the gate. I stopped him, told him of the greeter's rude behavior and the fact that there were 4 MAW families waiting for the attraction, in the hot sun, with no acknowledgment from the CMs. The manager apologized, and took everyone who was waiting through the entrance. Once inside I heard the wheelchair CM say to another "Where did all these people come from? No one called and told me we had guests waiting."
I was embarrassed for AD/LIB that day...

[glendalais]

CMs in the MK and in DL aren't supposed to be out of their lands while in costume except in an emergency, period.

Great post, but I just have to correct this one thing. DLR CMs are allowed to be out of their lands in costume. We don't have utilidors here (hence why MK does), so there's no other way to move about the park short of walking around it, which is not actually possible due to restricted areas. In addition, some departments (ODV comes to mind here, though I think they now have a general unthemed lead costume) have to have their leads walking around in other lands as part of normal operations.

It's certainly not encouraged, but it's just something that we have to live with. Though, what LittleDollClaudia described was certainly unacceptable.

[Shorty82]

Great post, but I just have to correct this one thing. DLR CMs are allowed to be out of their lands in costume. We don't have utilidors here (hence why MK does), so there's no other way to move about the park short of walking around it, which is not actually possible due to restricted areas. In addition, some departments (ODV comes to mind here, though I think they now have a general unthemed lead costume) have to have their leads walking around in other lands as part of normal operations.

It's certainly not encouraged, but it's just something that we have to live with. Though, what LittleDollClaudia described was certainly unacceptable.

Yes, you're right, I was mistaken. But I do know hanging out in another land is not allowed.

[CBeilby]

Another thing is that, often, particularly in Foods, and occasionally in Attractions, staffing needs will require a cast member to be pulled to another area. When it happened to me, I would always make an effort to go on a break to change costumes, but I was the exception, not the rule.

[Cranbiz]

Transportation CM's ( Bus, Watercraft, Monorail) are allowed onstage in costume at MK but only to the backstage access to the MO7 area. (Basically from the main gate thru town square) It's because there is no other way to get to the break area, Main St bistro or Mousecateria.

Studios was the same for bus drivers, we could go from the main gate to either the break area behind the kennel or go backstage by Oscars and then cross over Sunset Blvd to get to Take 5.