A Reformed SG

[DogFish]

Having visited Disneyworld as a guest several times I would like to point out a few things and plead for understanding...

Firstly travelling from Europe when we arrive we are often extremely tired and stressed after a long journey and struggling with time differences. We fail to understand things that should be obvious and there are also some cultural differences that we may not appreciate at first. As an example of the latter the first time a bus driver raised his palm to me without any words (to indicate that I should not board the bus yet) I was pretty shocked. Where I come from this is really rude and is one step short of giving someone the finger. But Florida ins't where I come from and it took a day or two to adjust. Your country, your rules. Just a cultural difference.

Also on the first day arriving at the parks the entrance can be a bit overwheling. Bag checks, huge crowds, tickets, finger print scan. All straightforward and make good sense but having just arrived and had about 5 hours sleep in the last 48 hours sure I've got the wrong card, forget which finger I've scanned, join the wrong queue, etc.

What does all this excuse? It excuses us occasionally getting things wrong and behaving a bit retarded in the first couple of days. What it most certainly does not excuse is yelling at the cast members. I can't think of anything to excuse that. I've met the occasional grumpy cast member but most have been a real joy to spend time with. In fact if I think back to the things that I would regard as Disney highlights I would say pretty much all of them involve interactions with cast members at one level or another.

There are absolutely no excuses for people yelling, swearing at or insulting cast members. Nothing - not ever. I once caught myself starting to lose it with a till operator (I won't bore you with the details) and I had to breathe deeply and walk away. I didn't insult, yell or abuse her by the way but felt myself sliding in that direction. The point is that sometimes you aren't really aware of how badly you are behaving until you see someone else doing the same thing or read about it on forums like this. I saw someone yelling at a boat operator because they wouldn't allow them on the already full boat. Everyone just thought "what an idiot" but I realised that could have been me with the till operator had I not stepped back from the brink in time. There are absolutely no excuses for this. If I had behaved like that I would have been flat wrong. But most of us have done it at some point - especially when tired, crowded, stressed and in 100 degrees of heat that we aren't used to. Sometimes it takes seeing someone else behaving badly to realise how completly unnaceptable it is.

Reading these forums and seeing other guests yell at cast members was a real wake up call to me. I now realise the great work you do and for every grumpy cast member I have met I could list 20 who have really made my day. I truly hope you guys get treated with the respect you deserve. I promise I will never ever snap back at a cast member anywhere on Disney ever again.

[hobie16]

DogFish

[YANXWIN]

I love to hear this perspective. I wouln't say you are a reformed SG because I think you aren't a SG at all. You have the self control that a SG doesn't have. We have created a world in which you can do and say whtever you want and then try and say sorry later and think that it all goes away. You have the self control to stop before it starts. While I am not a cast meber, I support them 100%. They have a difficult job and I admire them for the manner in which they perfrom their tasks.

Welcome to the forum. This is a fun place to hang out.

[BRWombat]

Awesome post, DogFish -- and a great perspective that we don't always fully grasp. Glad to have you here!

:mwc:

:D: :D: :D:

[WEDFan]

Hi, DogFish. Welcome aboard!
:waves:
We all get tired and do stupid things without a doubt. Doesn't even require a long trip or cultural differences to lead some of us to that point. :whistlng: But I think you really nailed it when you talked about how you treat the CMs and other quests when things take a turn for the worse. I think to really be a stupid guest requires a mindset where you either think that you deserve special treatment, or that everything is someone else's fault. It doesn't sound like you were ever in that group, so like YANXWIN, I'm not sure you had anything to reform from.

I hope you survive the rest of the welcoming committee and stick around!

[drcorey]

Me too. I dont think you are a stupid guest because you understand what and why you did those things.
stupids guests do it and dont understand or care. it's all me me me. I paid a arm and a leg to come here and the mouse and his lackys should bow to me.

[Lasolimu]

Greetings DogFish, I am the resident dragon and would like to offer you a very warm* welcome to that slice of the internet we call SGT. This website contains threads with quick twists and turns and I would like to advise you to not try too hard to keep up with them. Please keep your hands, arms, and legs safely inside the website at all times and enjoy your stay.

*this instance of warm is actually hot**... very hot

**this instance of hot means that you are now literally on fire, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience

[felinefan]

Welcome Dogfish! What part of Europe are you from? We love hearing all about everyone's hometowns and countries! I agree, it can be pretty overwhelming going from one part of the world to the next, especially when customs, manners, and especially climate is far different than your own. The bus driver didn't mean to insult you, of course; if he had a non-English-speaking guest, holding his hand up to stop you would've been the only way he knew how to tell someone to wait. I have in my personal library a book titled "Gestures"; it's about what different gestures mean in different parts of the world, those unique to various countries as well as how common American gestures can get you into trouble in other countries. Interresting reading.

[Swordfish Flotilla]

As an example of the latter the first time a bus driver raised his palm to me without any words (to indicate that I should not board the bus yet) I was pretty shocked. Where I come from this is really rude and is one step short of giving someone the finger. But Florida ins't where I come from and it took a day or two to adjust. Your country, your rules. Just a cultural difference..

Is there an alternative you could recommend? Tired guests often step forward when the bus doors open, but there are guests needing to get off first, often laden with children and strollers. Would a two-handed gesture be any better?

And welcome, indeed! We're happy to have you visiting us here in Florida!

[drcorey]

Welcome Dogfish! What part of Europe are you from? We love hearing all about everyone's hometowns and countries! I agree, it can be pretty overwhelming going from one part of the world to the next, especially when customs, manners, and especially climate is far different than your own. The bus driver didn't mean to insult you, of course; if he had a non-English-speaking guest, holding his hand up to stop you would've been the only way he knew how to tell someone to wait. I have in my personal library a book titled "Gestures"; it's about what different gestures mean in different parts of the world, those unique to various countries as well as how common American gestures can get you into trouble in other countries. Interresting reading.

just watch out for our 1 finger american gesture of hello.