Cell phones in the Parks

[Main Streeter]

SGs who talk through announcements, spiels, CM instructions, and preshows are at the top of my hit list, whether it's on a cell phone or with other people in their party. CMs should be supplied with rolls of duct tape. :twisted:

Like your philosophy. You're going to fit in well on SGT site.

[june1st1997]

Let me start by saying how much I LOVE this site. I'm a huge DLR fan... Cannot get enough of the park

And I know on occasions I have been a SG. But always a very polite one.

Now that that is out of the way...

I am one of those people who walks / talks / does business on her cel at the park. And as long as I find somewhere quiet I DO NOT see a problem with that.

I work in a service industry. I have clients how at times must get in touch with me...

How's this for making your hair stand on end... I was on my Blackberry 30 minutes after getting our of recovery for my C-section. And in those moments I made 5 figures.

Maybe I'm being a bit sensitive, but I feel a little judgement... Not about the rudeness... I'm with you guys there... But all this chatter about not being shackled to your job... Hey ya know what I'm fine with my prison. My prison makes it possible to go to and enjoy the park anytime I want... Stay on site if I feel like it, even though I live 45 minutes away... Go to the park on a wednesday afternoon if I want.

My apologies if I misunderstood anyone.

[BirdMom]

How's this for making your hair stand on end... I was on my Blackberry 30 minutes after getting our of recovery for my C-section. And in those moments I made 5 figures.

Maybe I'm being a bit sensitive, but I feel a little judgement...

Well that's going to make you really popular with people who aren't making too much over minimum wage just because they love the privilige of working for Disney if you keep bragging about how your tether to the phone is making you so much money, even right after giving birth. It's rather like the people who tell members of the Guest Control crew that they shouldn't have to obey someone who is a minimum wage flunky.

The inference is that some people feel they are too important to have to abide by social niceties that everyone should abide by in order to make everyone's experience more pleasant. It's good that you find a quiet spot away from the majority of guests, but I was brought up to believe that it's not polite to gloat about how much money one makes or how expensive one's toys are.

Is that judgemental? Excuse me.

[leftcoaster]

How's this for making your hair stand on end... I was on my Blackberry 30 minutes after getting our of recovery for my C-section. And in those moments I made 5 figures.

Maybe I'm being a bit sensitive, but I feel a little judgement... Not about the rudeness... I'm with you guys there... But all this chatter about not being shackled to your job... Hey ya know what I'm fine with my prison. My prison makes it possible to go to and enjoy the park anytime I want... Stay on site if I feel like it, even though I live 45 minutes away... Go to the park on a wednesday afternoon if I want.

My apologies if I misunderstood anyone.

I think you have your priorities screwed up. Was that baby that much of an inconvience to you that your clients couldn't wait until you were out of the hospital before you regained contact with them?

I doubt that you are the only one who is within an hours driving distance from a Disney park that could break away from work on a Wednesday afternoon. Then again, if you need to maintain contact with your clients, you really aren't "breaking away from work," are you? ;)

Oh and BTW, I, and I'll bet lots of other people here, could care less how much money you make. Have a magical day.

[Main Streeter]

june1st, you've just made me appreciate my poor flunky CM status & tight monthly budget problems more than you'll ever know. Thank You! Holding, admiring, bonding, & loving a new born has no figure price nor live over moment! Children are with you for life. Your blackberry becomes out dated & your clients forget you after their needs are met. Where's polarboi's duct tape? I need it!

[june1st1997]

Ok... It looks like I might be the misunderstood party... Although I can see how my post might have been upsetting.

Birdmom:

I worked after my delivery because I had to, not because I wanted to. And that money made was 50% of my yearly salary. I run my own business and if I don't work, I don't get paid. Sadly that client left 5 months later because I chose to take a working-extended maternity leave. I when he left I lost 50% of my income and I had represented the guy for 10 years. When I signed him he wasn't making a dime. He felt I was not available enough for him. I don't make the rules, but I do chose to live by them.


Leftcoaster:

The baby was not an inconvenience. It took us years to have her. The blessing and curse of my job is I can work from anywhere. So I work from home. I nurse my child 5 if not 6 of her 6 meals. my husband and I do not do business after 6pm so we can bathe her and put her to bed together. We are very lucky that out schedules allow that. The trade off is sometimes I ( not my husband) must take a call when I really don't want to (i.e.. Disneyland)

Mainstreeter:

I never called anyone a flunky and I resent that. I have a tremendous amount of respect for castmembers. Without castmembers Disneyland is a bunch of machines. I probably made what you made this year. I am guessing you love what you do and that is why you do it. But I'm also guessing that there are aspects of your job you hate... Like SG who are on their cel phones. Well sometimes those SG's hate it too. In my case it is not as cut and dry as not taking the call. If it was, I would not.


To address the 5 figure comment... It was to illustrate I had to take that call. I did not want to and still resent the position I was in. But if I want to be home with my child I must stay independent and not work for a larger company. That means if I don't make money, well I don't make money.

The point I wanted my original post to make was: I do not believe anyone is more important that anyone else. And the last thing that would make someone worthwhile is a cellphone. Believe me, if I did not have to be that available, I would not be. I hate when I tell the clients I am out of town or taking time off and I get calls. I have been hunted down (when my cel was off) by an agent at my grandmother's funeral. The woman raised me and I'm getting screamed at by a guy who could care less... for something I had nothing to do with and could not fix. I work in a screwed up business. My choice, but if my choice isn't impacting you... don't judge me.


I hate to think that while I am miserable off in the corner wanting desperately to get back to my family, that a castmember is looking at me thinking I think I am so important. Jeez, I already don't want to be on the phone.

Waiting for more insults and character assinations.

[LittleDollClaudia]

Now wait just a moment here. There have not been any "character assassinations" as you put it. The other members were commenting back on the essay you provided. If you took that personally, that's a whole other issue. You were the poster that decided to express your side and you did.

But this is a public forum..did you expect us all to sit here and let you just say whatever you wanted and not respond? Last time I checked that WAS the reason we are here. So in the future, remember that before you go and blast people for having an opinion that differs from yours.

Yes, I do have my own thoughts on what you have said. Shall I post them? Maybe. Will it make any difference to you? No.

And that's MY two cents for the day.

[june1st1997]

LittleDollClaudia:

Point Taken. I chose to stick my neck out there...

However I did not blast anyone. I explained my thoughts. I said I resented the inference that I considered Castmembers flunkys. I stand by that.

I got caught up in the sight. I love viewing the parks from a different perspective. I find the castmember perspective captivating and educational and wildly entertaining. I am a SG addict, which I'm sure some will find appropriate.

Again, my original post was ineffective. I got caught up energy of the thread. And I took it personally, I responded.

I am confident that when I have interacted with any castmember in the park that I have been courteous and respectful.

[inkstainedpsyche]

How's this for making your hair stand on end... I was on my Blackberry 30 minutes after getting our of recovery for my C-section. And in those moments I made 5 figures.

Yikes! All I wanted to do after my C-section was hold the baby and then SLEEP.

I suppose it could have been worse, you could have been one of those idiots on their crackberry on the freeway while driving.

Oh, yes, just recently we had an accident on I-5 in Washington state caused by someone who just couldn't overcome his addiction long enough to keep his eyes on the roadway.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nort ... 2242c.html

I'm with everyone else who says we managed just fine for a long time without having ourselves chained to our communication devices. I have a cell phone with a family plan that has FIVE phones on it with a shared 500 minutes. Not once have we gone over on it. None of us feel that we have to be constantly in touch with anyone. When we go on vacation, we're on vacation. I may bring my laptop, but that's usually only so I can download my digital pictures from the camera at the end of each day to make room for more the next day.

And voicemail is a great thing. USE IT. You don't have to answer every phone call that comes in the minute the phone rings. When did the disembodied voice on the other end of the line become more important than the people who may be with us in person? How many times do you see people just drop whatever conversation they're having face to face in favor of talking to whoever is interrupting on the phone? It's the height of rudeness.

There's a lot more to life than making money with a lot of zeros at the end. I'll go out on a limb here by saying that things are more appreciated when you have to work hard and save for them (vacations, for instance). I'm one of those people who can't afford to go to Disneyland at the drop of a hat. It takes planning and saving and when I get there, I really get pissed by people who can come any day of the week, whenever they want, and don't treat it like the special place it is for those of us who only get to rarely experience the magic in person. Who think their need to yak constantly on the phone is much more important than anything we lowly tourists need.

I'll step down from my soapbox for now.

[june1st1997]

I WANTED to hold my baby... But I knew that client was going to go balistic and think I had gone all mommy track on him if I did not address his needs. And he is my brother in law and was in my hospital room when he made the request... I did not feel like I had a choice.

The challenge of trying to communicate via the internet is the loss of inflection. My comment about making your hair stand on end was meant to say... You think it sucks to have some jerk make a call during a family vacation... How about being told to make a call minutes after having a baby ( ok I was in recovery for 4 hours, but you get the idea). The reason I mentioned the amount I made was to drive the point home that I could not say no. 5 figures is alot of money.

Look I'm not the elitist ***hole I might have sounded like in my original post, just a poor poster.

I know who you guys are talking about with regards to jerks on cel phones during family time. They roll their eyes about spending time with the family at Disneyland of all places. I know because they roll their eyes at me when I tell them I am going. I get it.

I only wanted to point out that for every 5 of those people, there is one person like me... I hate that at times my work bleeds into my life, but ya know I'm doing the best I can.

I'm pretty sure every working mother out there, castmember or not can understand that feeling. You always feel like you aren't doing enough, the last thing you wanna feel is that you are being judged at Disneyland.