Wearing IDs on stage and off the clock

[Sarah Magdalene]

Whoa!! Wait!! Bring their families backstage???!! I never even considered doing that. I would have thought I would have gotten fired on the spot for doing that. Why would someone even do that? Especially if you have small children with you!

TT

I was thinking the same thing too! How on Earth could a CM get away with all that?!

[Shorty82]

Whoa!! Wait!! Bring their families backstage???!! I never even considered doing that. I would have thought I would have gotten fired on the spot for doing that. Why would someone even do that? Especially if you have small children with you!

TT

Teddy is talking about Universal I believe. I don't know about over there but at WDW if a CM is caught taking non-CMs backstage they are terminated. According to one of the tour guides on my Once Upon A Time Is Now tour (tour for new MK CMs) everybody he has heard of being caught taking non-CMs backstage were terminated on the spot. It is strictly against numerous company policies to bring non-CMs backstage.

Nobody has ever given me problems other than grumbling about me asking for their CM ID and if anybody ever does I'll call security. Any CM can question anybody backstage in street clothes and no ID visible.

I was thinking the same thing too! How on Earth could a CM get away with all that?!

They couldn't, not at WDW. Security and management would put a stop to it FAST.

[Big Wallaby]

Why would anyone WANT to wear their ID on stage anyway?! I always felt that if guests saw it, they'd start bugging you with questions...I hate having to take out my ID cause of such situations!

The exception to that is "Your kid dropped their ice cream and no CM was around to see it... well, I'll get it fixed for you" and things of the like. Then, once they are taken care of, I high-tail it to another part of the park before that commotion can be caused.

Now, I also revealed being a CM once when in line for an attraction, got talking to a guest behind me, he pulled out his RETIRED Burbank ID and told me he had worked directly with Walt. I was rather envious.

It is strictly against numerous company policies to bring non-CMs backstage.

There is too much they can see, there are too many ways they can be hurt, and when I am in the Utilidors on break, I want to be on break. Only a tour guide, doing it with a group who knows they are going to see things that could ruin the magic for them, but in a controlled environment where it shouldn't is the only way I am at all supportive of backstage tours.

Nobody has ever given me problems other than grumbling about me asking for their CM ID and if anybody ever does I'll call security. Any CM can question anybody backstage in street clothes and no ID visible.

Today, I was passing the Bicycle Gate to the back side of Main Street East on break, saw a guy from the smoking area casually start heading backstage. I was on him like a cheap suit on a used car salesman...

Me: Excuse me, sir, but can I help you with something?
Him: No, just looking around.
Me, smiling kindly but forcefully, while Disney pointing the way back onstage: Not back here, you're not. That sign you may have seen, 'Cast Members Only' is for your protection. This is a very restricted area because of the work that goes on here*. Please stay in the guest areas, where we can assure your safety and show quality. If you would like to see what's backstage, you're more than welcome to go to Guest Relations, and I do know of a couple tours that actually take you into the Utilidors.

Never said I was succinct. But I had him back onstage, and even thanking me for the info. To me, that's what counts.

[glendalais]

Honestly, what really gets me are the CMs from certain departments (coughStorescough) who walk around on stage, on the clock with their IDs showing.

I realize that it's to make it easier to log into MATRA when they need to ring up a guest, but really, is it that hard to take a few more seconds to grab it out of your pocket? You can even keep it on the belt clip/carabiner, just stick the whole thing inside your pocket.

Heh, I don't need to have my ID out to be bugged. I get asked questions all the time when I am off and playing in the parks (I don't really considered it being bugged though).

Same here. I'll have people ask me for directions and recommendations even though I'm not in costume and my ID card is buried in my knapsack under tonnes of books and papers.

Heck, I even got asked one time when I was intentionally playing tourist/SG. I was holding a DCA Park map while visiting Disneyland Park and walking around with a 'deer-in-headlights' look. I guess I still looked like I knew what I was doing .

[Shorty82]

The exception to that is "Your kid dropped their ice cream and no CM was around to see it... well, I'll get it fixed for you" and things of the like. Then, once they are taken care of, I high-tail it to another part of the park before that commotion can be caused.

Good reason but in that case your ID is out only long enough to fix the problem.

Now, I also revealed being a CM once when in line for an attraction, got talking to a guest behind me, he pulled out his RETIRED Burbank ID and told me he had worked directly with Walt. I was rather envious.

I'd be envious too. I've gotten to talking to guests before while playing and mentioned I'm a CM before.

There is too much they can see, there are too many ways they can be hurt, and when I am in the Utilidors on break, I want to be on break. Only a tour guide, doing it with a group who knows they are going to see things that could ruin the magic for them, but in a controlled environment where it shouldn't is the only way I am at all supportive of backstage tours.

I see tour groups all the time under Main Street. That is about the only part of the tunnel where the tours go. They don't go anywhere near Entertainment or service areas or anything like that.

Today, I was passing the Bicycle Gate to the back side of Main Street East on break, saw a guy from the smoking area casually start heading backstage. I was on him like a cheap suit on a used car salesman...

Me: Excuse me, sir, but can I help you with something?
Him: No, just looking around.
Me, smiling kindly but forcefully, while Disney pointing the way back onstage: Not back here, you're not. That sign you may have seen, 'Cast Members Only' is for your protection. This is a very restricted area because of the work that goes on here*. Please stay in the guest areas, where we can assure your safety and show quality. If you would like to see what's backstage, you're more than welcome to go to Guest Relations, and I do know of a couple tours that actually take you into the Utilidors.

Never said I was succinct. But I had him back onstage, and even thanking me for the info. To me, that's what counts.

The smoking area by Tony's Gate. God I hate that one for various reasons, including the one that happened to you. There's not much you can see from the pass-through area other than a very ugly parking lot and CMs going from place to place, which I'm glad for. Because of how there are areas where guests on the train can see down into this lot (another bad show issue IMO) and how security will occasionally bring guests back there to take them upstairs to their offices Entertainment cast are required to either be in full costume or fully out of costume. Exploring Expo Hall one time I saw the sign on the exit the Entertainment CMs use saying to be fully in or fully out of costume due the possibly being seen by guests.

[joanna71985]

The smoking area by Tony's Gate. God I hate that one for various reasons, including the one that happened to you. There's not much you can see from the pass-through area other than a very ugly parking lot and CMs going from place to place, which I'm glad for. Because of how there are areas where guests on the train can see down into this lot (another bad show issue IMO) and how security will occasionally bring guests back there to take them upstairs to their offices Entertainment cast are required to either be in full costume or fully out of costume. Exploring Expo Hall one time I saw the sign on the exit the Entertainment CMs use saying to be fully in or fully out of costume due the possibly being seen by guests.

They have to do it over at Animation too, because people will just barge through the doors to backstage (even though there is a sign on the door that says Cast Members Only).

[Shorty82]

They have to do it over at Animation too, because people will just barge through the doors to backstage (even though there is a sign on the door that says Cast Members Only).

We all know that guests ignore signs. Today coming off Tower I see a man peek through the backstage doors by where you first view the ride photo even though it says on the door "Keep Out, Hotel Staff Only".

[felinefan]

Once when I was working at Knott's I was going backstage from Ghost Town, and there were a couple of little old ladies asking where such-and-such was. Well, I nicely told them they'd gone through the wrong gate, this was the employee area, but I understood that since they saw people going back there..... I held the gate open for them so they could get out, and told them which way to go. And yes, there is an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign there. But as we all know, they're invisible to guests....

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

Apparently the words, "Emergency Exit" is invisible, too!!

One time, I was on break backstage when I saw a family coming out of the Emergency Exit of Star Tours. It took a security guard to point them in the right direction into the park.

Another time, on break, a guest went through the Emergency Exit of Space Mountain. One of my CM friends went over to the guest, a male, and asked him, I guess, if he was a CM, and the guy replied that he just got off the ride. The CM pointed the way back into TL.

[accioetoile]

I was friends with Pooh, recently, when he was heading off set. Tigger and Darby were ahead of him, and had just gone in the "Cast Members Only" door by Mrs. Potts Cupboard. When Pooh got to the door, there was a woman and her daughter holding the door open, just staring in. Who knows what they would have done if Pooh had already gone in, or if the character attendant hadn't said anything to them.