To the CM's on the board: what is the one "tip" you can give us?

[ncarolinababyblue]

In Feb 06 we were at WDW for my 5yo son's wish trip. We were in ToonTown and stumbled on a group of characters. As I remember it, we started to stand in line but one of the handlers', having seen his big button identifying him as a wish child, suggested that we wait "Over there, on the other side of that bush." Just a couple of minutes later, Rabbit, Pinochio & Bre'r Bear came over and spent a few minutes of their break time with just my son. They didn't have to do that - we were prepared to wait - but would likely not have not gotten to them as their time was up.

Off property (@ Universal) - we were waiting to see Dora (3 kids in front of us - it wasn't a long line) she signed son's autograph book then turned to an empty page in the back "NO LiNES w/ Button!" (I got my a$$ chewed out by DORA for having my son wait his turn.)

Same trip at the Studios. Lilo was heading toward the big hat with a troupe of kids behind her - her handler saw my son and another wish child, took them where there was a wall at Lilo's back and made an announcement that Lilo "Would be spending a few minutes with some special guests and to please not crowd around."

I know that EVERY child who visits Disney is a special guest, but in the cases of the wish kids - they may never get to go back. So if you see something like this happen - please understand that for some families there is no second chance to make these memories.

Thank you for this post. We are going to wdw in 9 days for our wish trip, knowing this may be my son's only trip has had me stressed out but reading your post has really calmed my nerves a lot.

 

[ChanaC]

I haven't read the other posts but I am a CM (doing a Q & A about Photopass in this board if you have any questions...)

My absolute, biggest tip is to please, PLEASE, be nice. I am a photographer and you would be shocked how badly we are treated on a daily basis by guests. I counted the other day - I stood in one spot for 3 hours and only two families approached me and said, "May we PLEASE have our photos taken?" Some people don't say please and I know that they are nice people but it gets so annoying. The worst is when people:

- Say, "We'll take one" or "I want a photo." Those aren't questions. Usually it's nice to ask a human being to do something for you.

- Just hold up a photo card. I'm not a photo booth. You don't put a dollar in and get a photo. Once again, you should be asking a question.

- Throw a camera at you without saying anything. I don't mind using your camera if you ask, but if you just push it into my hands without saying something, that's just rude. Yes, I have to do it, but your don't want me to take your picture if you were just being really mean to me.

- Just stand there and say nothing, especially if I'm on a tripod. If I see people just standing there I sometimes pretend I didn't see them just so they can approach me and ask.

I'll be honest - it's not fun to be forced to stand in the hot Florida sun for 3 hours every day. It's even worse when people don't respect you or treat you like a person. You know those magic shots? Sometimes I will only give them to people if they are nice and polite. So if you want to make sure you are getting nice pictures, make sure you are nice to your photographer. Yes, your hot and tired. But you are allowed to go stand in the air conditioning or get an ice cream cone. I get a bottle of water and some sunscreen and am told to not leave an area for 2.5-3 hours. Then I may get a 15 minute break and do it all again.

Does this sound really angry and ranty? Yes. Am I hoping that at least one person will read this and rethink their attitudes and be nice to me? Yes.

If you have more questions about Photopass, Memory Maker, character meet and greets, or anything else look for my thread.

 

[Chuckers]

- Say, "We'll take one" or "I want a photo." Those aren't questions. Usually it's nice to ask a human being to do something for you.

This is the one I am usually guilty of.. and I will think twice about it in the future. I sometimes don't say 'please' or ask in the form of a question because my mind is thinking "it's the their job to take my picture/order/etc." At times I do catch myself and add 'please' at the end of the request because I realize I am not being polite. That being said, I ALWAYS say 'Thank you,' because I am appreciative of what someone does for me, whether it's 'their job' or not.

 

[ChanaC]

This is the one I am usually guilty of.. and I will think twice about it in the future. I sometimes don't say 'please' or ask in the form of a question because my mind is thinking "it's the their job to take my picture/order/etc." At times I do catch myself and add 'please' at the end of the request because I realize I am not being polite. That being said, I ALWAYS say 'Thank you,' because I am appreciative of what someone does for me, whether it's 'their job' or not.

Thanks for thinking about it! What's kind of funny is when people who don't speak English only say please and throw the card/camera at you. You can tell they aren't really being nice, but are using the only English word they know, which is nice, I guess.

 

[Radiojones]

I am not a CM just a parent of three young children. Last year was our first trip to Disney World. I had been many times before and never realized just how loud some of the attractions are. As luck would have it my 4 year old was terrified of the noise. We went to customer service and they do give out free ear plugs but his ears were too small. So we loaded everyone up and drove to the nearest Walmart. There we purchase the headsets that shooters use. It saved the entire trip for us!

 

[mandyyyrose]

I'm not a CM, but one thing I usually do is pay attention to where CM's are from. On our last trip our photopass photographer was from a town close to us, and through a short conversation it turns out his dad owns the auto parts store in my town. He didnt have other people waiting, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy we were talking to him as a person, and not just a 'walking tripod' and we got some great pictures from him!

 

[steviethegreat]

I'll be honest - it's not fun to be forced to stand in the hot Florida sun for 3 hours every day. It's even worse when people don't respect you or treat you like a person. You know those magic shots? Sometimes I will only give them to people if they are nice and polite. So if you want to make sure you are getting nice pictures, make sure you are nice to your photographer. Yes, your hot and tired. But you are allowed to go stand in the air conditioning or get an ice cream cone. I get a bottle of water and some sunscreen and am told to not leave an area for 2.5-3 hours. Then I may get a 15 minute break and do it all again.

My mother taught me at a very young age to always say "please" and "thank you" no matter who the person may be. So I always go into any situation armed with a "please" and a "thank you".

But standing in the hot sun for that long (standing that long in general) is rough. And being mistreated is even worse. People on some of the boards were complaining that their pictures weren't that great. And I'm wondering if it's because they weren't polite.

I know we can't give CMs a physical form of a thank you in terms of candy or etc, because they're not allowed to accept gifts. Would that extend to a bottle of water? I would totally buy a CM restricted like this a bottle of water as a thank you. If not, I'll stick to my thank you cards and heading to GS to turn in names for excellent service, etc. I just figured I'd ask in case that was allowed!!

 

[Epcotfan64]

Back in 2008 I was waiting to watch the fish feed at the Living Seas when a cast member approached me and asked if I worked at Disney. (I like to be well dressed when I go to the parks--nice polo, Bermuda shorts, nice athletic shoes--I'm often mistaken for a CM.) After I told her that I was a guest, we started chatting. After a few minutes she said, "Well, you've been so nice. How about a trip upstairs to see them preparing to feed the fish?" Of course I politely accepted her offer and she led me up spiral stairs to other CMs in scuba gear. We chatted some more, I thanked her for allowing me to see an area that few others get to see, and on my way down the stairs she told me the best place to stand to watch the event.

"Please" and "Thank you" go a long way.

 

[ChanaC]

My mother taught me at a very young age to always say "please" and "thank you" no matter who the person may be. So I always go into any situation armed with a "please" and a "thank you".

But standing in the hot sun for that long (standing that long in general) is rough. And being mistreated is even worse. People on some of the boards were complaining that their pictures weren't that great. And I'm wondering if it's because they weren't polite.

I know we can't give CMs a physical form of a thank you in terms of candy or etc, because they're not allowed to accept gifts. Would that extend to a bottle of water? I would totally buy a CM restricted like this a bottle of water as a thank you. If not, I'll stick to my thank you cards and heading to GS to turn in names for excellent service, etc. I just figured I'd ask in case that was allowed!!

No, water bottle can't be accepted :-( But, we are given a water bottle so everyone should have one on them at all times. I think the best thing that can be done is to just be nice. Personally, I hate when people are sarcastic and say something like, "Oh, you look bored! Take our picture!" or "What are you doing there in the shade? You should be busy!" I know they are trying to be funny but it's annoying.

It's hard to get quality photos when people jump in front of the camera. It's also hard when you instruct the guests to do something (move to the right, take a step back) and they don't listen. If you start demanding things rudely we are also not going to be too keen to follow. Just be nice, chat a little, and you should get some quality photos.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Back in 2008 I was waiting to watch the fish feed at the Living Seas when a cast member approached me and asked if I worked at Disney. (I like to be well dressed when I go to the parks--nice polo, Bermuda shorts, nice athletic shoes--I'm often mistaken for a CM.) After I told her that I was a guest, we started chatting. After a few minutes she said, "Well, you've been so nice. How about a trip upstairs to see them preparing to feed the fish?" Of course I politely accepted her offer and she led me up spiral stairs to other CMs in scuba gear. We chatted some more, I thanked her for allowing me to see an area that few others get to see, and on my way down the stairs she told me the best place to stand to watch the event.

"Please" and "Thank you" go a long way.

So true!! We had a similar experience once at Rafiki's Planet Watch. This really sweet CM was nearby and my husband went to ask her a question about one of the animals we were watching on the cameras. We talked to her for a little while and then she asked us if we wanted to go behind the scenes and see the medical facilities and the animal treatment areas. I am like completely phobic of doctors and medical things, but it was a once in a lifetime experience and she was SO sweet. It was really cool!

No, water bottle can't be accepted :-( But, we are given a water bottle so everyone should have one on them at all times. I think the best thing that can be done is to just be nice. Personally, I hate when people are sarcastic and say something like, "Oh, you look bored! Take our picture!" or "What are you doing there in the shade? You should be busy!" I know they are trying to be funny but it's annoying.

It's hard to get quality photos when people jump in front of the camera. It's also hard when you instruct the guests to do something (move to the right, take a step back) and they don't listen. If you start demanding things rudely we are also not going to be too keen to follow. Just be nice, chat a little, and you should get some quality photos.

Ok, I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you really decide to take bad photos if someone isn't polite to you? I mean, I totally agree with everything you're saying, and we are people who go out of our way to be kind and polite (you know, someone runs into us and WE apologize sort of people.) I have been a restaurant server and professionally I'm a teacher, so I've worked in service industries for MANY years. I can't imagine giving someone lesser service because you didn't like the way they acted. Doesn't it sort of reduce you to the level of the people being rude Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.

 

[ChanaC]

Ok, I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you really decide to take bad photos if someone isn't polite to you? I mean, I totally agree with everything you're saying, and we are people who go out of our way to be kind and polite (you know, someone runs into us and WE apologize sort of people.) I have been a restaurant server and professionally I'm a teacher, so I've worked in service industries for MANY years. I can't imagine giving someone lesser service because you didn't like the way they acted. Doesn't it sort of reduce you to the level of the people being rude Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.

No, I think the difference is between average service and above average service. In Photopass, it's the difference between a picture or two in front of the icon or the standard pictures plus some creative pictures and some magic shots. I would never give anyone a purposefully bad picture. That being said, I try to make each experience a good one but if you are going to treat me bad why should I be any nicer to you?

I think a lot about how a picture looks has to do with the people in front of the camera. If you drag a toddler out of a stroller kicking and screaming and expect a perfect picture it's not going to happen. If you don't listen to my photo instructions like stepping in a different direction it's not going to look nice either. I think that the family or group getting their picture taken needs to be ready for the photo. I think it is easy to blame a photographer for a bad picture but there is only so much we can do. I can tell a kid to look at me or to smile but I am a stranger to them and they are less likely to listen to me. If you don't help enforce the rules there is nothing I can do but take the picture and hope it comes out ok.

That being said, there are times when I look at guests photos and see errors that are clearly photographer problems. Photographers forget to do simple things like making the icon behind them look good or to make sure everyone is looking at the same time. In those cases I think it's less about guests being rude and more about a lack of photographer training and enforcement. I remember a day I was taking a picture in front of an icon when a trainer came up to be with a print out of my previous photos from the day. I was too close to the family and the icon behind them looked too small. They instructed be to take a few steps back and to align myself with a tree next to me as a reference point for where to stand. This helped greatly but this doesn't happen enough. Sometimes I think the photographers are trained too fast and should get check-ups throughout the year. To make sure you aren't a victim of this, I suggest going to two photographers in front of the important icons (the castle, Spaceship Earth), possibly once in the morning and once at night. That way, if one photographer messes up you have other options.

I hope that clears it up and helps with any other questions!

 

[Chuckers]

Thanks for thinking about it! What's kind of funny is when people who don't speak English only say please and throw the card/camera at you. You can tell they aren't really being nice, but are using the only English word they know, which is nice, I guess.

I was just at WDW last week and your post ran through my mind every time I spoke to a cast member. There were a few times when I stopped and started my conversation over because I realized I didn't start off as politely as I should have.

I remember one conversation with a CM standing outside the Dwarfs Mine Train on a CM only soft opening day. I walked up and said 'Hi, I know everyone is asking this and I am sorry to be another person asking..' She laughed and actually answered my question before I asked it.

 

[OhStuffandFluff]

I think this thread is great! I appreciate all that the CMs do to help make our trips so special! We have had wonderful encounters with CMs in our past trips! Those are some of my favorite memories! Thank you to all the CMs out there! You really do add to the magic! It wouldn't be the same without you! June 2014-POR; January 2013-POFQ; September 2011- POFQ; and May 2010-ASM

 

[crazymomof4]

subbing

 

[whitney250]

These tips are wonderful and super helpful! I'm even more excited for our trip now after reading all of these!

 

[SarahRN315]

This is a great thread! As many times as I've been to the World there's always something that's been missed or new to see! I appreciate the tips and reminders as a former CM(10+ years ago)!

 

[Princess Hannah]

15. If you are a Princess and the Frog fan, go to night meet and greets. That is when Prince Naveen shows up

This is great advice! My sister and I are both huge PatF fans and we happened to catch him and Tiana one night on our last trip. It was one of our best character interactions ever--Naveen is hilarious!

 

[Chuckers]

16. The Wave at the Contemporary isn't too well known and has really good food

I just ate there on my last trip, 2 weeks ago.. it was WONDERFUL. And my waitress was awesome... I made sure to call the manager over to give her props.

 

[Princess Hannah]

Not a CM (yet), but a serious enthusiast! Here are my tips:

1. This can't be said enough times. If you're polite while making a request or a complaint, CMs will be much more willing to go above or beyond for you. Once our luggage was late and we had to buy my sister a shirt to sleep in from the resort gift shop. My mom was pretty annoyed about our luggage and decided to politely ask the CM working there if we could get a discount given the situation. We weren't really expecting one, but she gave us the shirt for free, plus a pair of pajama pants an a stuffed Pluto for my sister, all for free! Then she threw in a 25 dollar gift card for our trouble.

2. Slow down. Take a few minutes to enjoy being in the Happiest Place on Earth. Buy a snack and sit on a bench to eat it. People watch, listen to the music, enjoy the experience. Don't always be in a frantic rush to get to the next attraction. You've spent a lot of money to be here and you don't want the trip to be a blur!

3. CMs are gold mines of information! If you ever have a question about anything, don't be afraid to ask. Most of them like interacting with guests, and they know a lot about the parks, even things that don't directly relate to tier job or area. And if they don't know something, they know who does.

 

[Princess Hannah]

A general tip for being at WDW is to be patient with rowdy children, your own and the ones around you. This is the most exciting thing to happen in a lot of kids lives, and they aren't going to always be calm when they see their favorite character or ride up ahead. The days are long and hot for little guys, and it isn't their fault if they get crabby. I always try to be as kind as I can to kids that are a little riled up, and it can make my vacation and their parents' a lot better. For example, on my last trip my family was waiting with another one for a bus, and their three or four year old was getting a little impatient. After ten minutes of listening to his parents try to get him to sit down and wait quietly, I started playing Let It Go on my phone. By the time the bus came ten minutes later, he and two other kids nearby were singing along to the Frozen soundtrack and running around trying to catch bubbles I had in my purse. Another time we were on a packed bus coming home from MK at the end of the day and the two little girls standing near my brother and I were exhausted and cranky, as was their father. But it was pretty easy for us to distract them from their aching feet by asking about their favorite princesses and pretending like we were going to fall over whenever the bus turned corners!

This got a little long, but the jist of it is that it doesn't take much to cheer up a kid instead of lecturing or yelling at them, and it can make the World a lot more fun for everyone!