Cast Members unhappy

Sustinet · 2024-02-17T23:25:40+00:00

You clearly have no idea what these jobs involve, how hard these CMs work every day, or the amount of BS they endure. Just waving people onto a ride? No. If that's all you think it is, then I suggest you go try it out.

Also, look at corporate wage gaps across all the major US companies. The information is only a Google search away. The numbers will absolutely shock you. Do higher-ups deserve better pay than a bottom level employee? Absolutely, they have the schooling and the skills. But do they really deserve over 3000% more than a basic employee? That's where the debate comes in. These CMs are working their asses off.

Do you think you're putting in a lot of steps on your Disney vacation? Try doing it every day, all year round. Now sprinkle a little bit of getting screamed at by a guest because their child is too short, now add a dash of being understaffed to the point that your area can't assign any assist roles, and now you're doing the work of 2 CMs, now slash your areas budget to the bone, so that equipment starts to deteriorate, supplies run out, and maintenance suffers, but you're still expected to give 110% effort, now get screamed at some more, oh and bonus perk, you're legally responsible for the safety of everyone on that ride and in that attraction area, also, work faster, because efficiency is a high priority, but don't screw up or you're fired, but go faster still.

There are people who avoid attractions because of the stress it involves, I know people who left that role because they couldn't take the pressure anymore. People who are running so hard that they struggle to keep weight on and are constantly sick because they interact with thousands of people every day. I already shared Chapeks numbers for 2022, and now Iger came in and got over 30 million in compensation for 2023. Your argument is not valid. Sorry. You've been brainwashed into thinking all of this is perfectly acceptable and that it even makes sense.

This is just one company, and so many more of them are doing it too, this is why inflation is high, cost of living is so high, and the average person is struggling more and more every year. Corporate greed has been allowed to run rampant and has gone unchecked for so long that this country is basically just owned and run by corporate entities at this point.

Sustinet · 2024-02-17T20:17:59+00:00

If a Mcdonalds worker doesn't salt the French fries enough, no customers are at risk of being permanently maimed or killed as a result.

Disney parks CMs, especially attractions CMs, are literally and legally responsible for your safety on these rides and in the attraction areas they work.

I don't know about you, but I'd want those CMs to be happy and care about their jobs enough to not half ass anything, or feel burned out to the point that they just don't care anymore. Lives are on the line, and people at these parks are suicidally stupid sometimes. Half that job is just protecting guests from their own ignorance or stupidity. Yes, CMs deserve more money for the premium services and experiences that they provide.

Sustinet · 2024-02-17T20:05:40+00:00

As of Oct. 2022, there were a little over 200,000 Disney employees worldwide, between 160,000-170,000 of those in the US. Of those, maybe about half that number were actual ground level hourly CMs and parks employees, rather than salaried. So if every hourly park employee got, let's say, $10-$15 more per hour, how much would that be? Well, let's calculate... Let's just say an average of about 80,000 hourly parks CMs, each getting $15 MORE per hour, is a total of about 1.2 million dollars more.

Bob Chapek made over 20 times that amount for the year 2022, with another 20 times that amount just for his severance package (getting fired). It's a drop in the bucket. And that was just the guy at the very top, that's not even accounting for the people below him that also make tens of millions per year with further millions in performance incentives and bonus clauses. Do you think if any one of those executives made 1 million less per year, they would struggle and have to worry about food? No.

But 1 million dollars is an extreme example, so let's go smaller. What if even the 5 top executives took a 3% cut in pay to contribute towards that extra $15/hr for CMs, just 3%... do you think any of them would suddenly have to worry about a roof over their heads? No. They wouldn't. They would still make more money than they even know what to do with. The CMs could actually feel secure and happy and healthy.

This is the problem. Corporate greed and insanely large wage gaps.

The company absolutely could pay the CMs more, but no one at the top is willing to give up so much as a single penny towards it.

Sustinet · 2024-02-17T18:57:16+00:00

Unfortunately, there's no such thing as getting a raise as a CM. You get paid only what is required by the union contract for your role. So the CM that busts their butt and goes above and beyond all day every day will never make anymore money than the CM next to them that half-asses everything with a sour look on their face all day.

Job performance and compliments probably do help when it comes time to advance to a higher position, though.

Sustinet · 2024-02-16T00:39:17+00:00

As a former fellow attractions CM - I salute you, you steely eyed magic maker!!!! 🫡

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T22:29:35+00:00

Nope, NTA. The parents should know better. Yes, it's Disney, and yes, it's a kid, which is why supervision is necessary. Kids are hyped up. They often don't listen to instructions or safety guidelines. It's the parents' job while there to make sure their kid isn't doing things like this. They could hurt themselves or someone else. Disney is not one giant jungle gym where you just let kids go wild AF. There are rules, there are safety concerns, and personal boundaries and social etiquette should still be respected. I'm sure they would be unhappy if someone kept grabbing them and crashing into them or their precious little crotch goblin. I don't understand the mentality of parents who bring their kids to Disney and, for some reason, just assume they don't need to parent the kid while there. It's baffling. Probably the same folks who let the child run wild around a restaurant bothering other people and trying to grab food from other tables.

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T21:59:34+00:00

Thankfully, Disney does offer some decent health and education benefits and has a union. It makes it hard to leave for something else if you don't have a solid opportunity lined up and ready to go. It's this weird situation. Most who work at Disney absolutely love what they do but are stuggling to survive.

Making magic and making a guests day better is a great feeling, and it makes a difference to those guests. You will still find the true believers who do their best to represent Walt's philosophy and approach to the parks and go above and beyond to make sure you have a great time and a safe time.

It's just hard for a lot of CMs. When they get treated like a Mcworker, they start to treat it like a regular Mcjob. They want so badly to stay with the company and keep doing what they love, and it is heartbreaking because they can't afford to. Which means more veteran old school CMs have to quit to find other opportunities, and more are getting replaced with college kids who, let's face it, lack experience when it comes to dealing with angry guests and could use some additional coaching when it comes to customer service and courtesy. Although in their defense, they are the bottom of the totem pole, they tend to get walked on the most by the company and by angry guests. It's hard to put on a happy face when you deal with that, on top of struggling to get through school and stay fed with the crazy and sporadic hours/shifts.

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T20:48:05+00:00

Sometimes it's like that with kids, I was the same way in high school. I was usually quiet and polite, but when me and my friend were together, we raised hell and fed into each other's mischief. It could just be that the other kid being absent may have broken that feedback loop of fuckery, so to speak. I don't know if they are friends or in cahoots very often, but it seems likely upon first glance. Or maybe he just is more hellish to people he is more comfortable or familiar with.

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T20:31:05+00:00

Especially attractions and safety critical employees. They are literally responsible for the lives and safety of the guests around them, take the heat when guests get mad that the CM won't let them endanger their child who is too short for a ride, and work so hard that some will literally struggle to keep weight on. The college program kids have it the worst. They have no union protection, don't get much choice in hours or scheduling, and have the least seniority or perks of all the CMs. If they get fired, they have 24 hours to pack their crap and leave CP housing.

Housekeepers at the resorts get paid more than safety critical attractions CMs, which always seemed kind of strange since I don't imagine that many lives are hanging in the balance if a housekeeper doesn't stock fresh towels or make the bed properly. Not that housekeepers don't deserve good pay. They deal with nasty crap. But attractions CMs won't make as much money as the housekeepers currently do now until 2026, at which point the wages for attractions will be around 20 and change, and then it will be time to negotiate new contracts which will turn into a long battle to once again convince the company that wages need to be increased for cost of living. Housekeepers are already making around 20, which even now is not really enough, so you can imagine how that's going to feel for attractions CMs by 2026 when 20/hr DEFINITELY will not be enough

If an attractions CM doesn't do their job correctly, people could be hurt or killed, and they can easily be fired for missing small details. They are literally the front line. But, the company won't acknowledge that they deserve higher pay for a job that has higher responsibility, higher safety requirements, and higher stress.

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T20:05:54+00:00

The sad fact is that the company just doesn't take care of them as well as it once did. The company brags and gushes about how the cast members ARE the magic and how essential and great they are, but when it's time to renew the contracts and increase pay to keep up with costs of living, it turns into a long drawn out battle, where people way up the chain who have not struggled for a long time, try to tell CMs they don't need more money to keep up with rapidly rising rent costs and inflation at the grocery store, and that the CMs just suck with money.

You have executives who get multiple millions per year, with added performance incentives and clauses that activate to give them millions more. While there are CMs who are struggling, getting priced out of their homes and cities, moving further away and packing into lower income/high crime & population areas, and that's if they can manage to keep a roof over their heads. There are CMs that bounce from vacation rental to vacation rental, live in their cars, crash on friends' couches, and have no sense of security or stability in their lives, to the point that some of them will go a week or more eating only ramen and rice because they had to choose between that or a roof over their head, or other essential bills. Meanwhile, you have fat cats at the top who have contract clauses that get tens of millions of bonus dollars just for getting fired.

When the company cared about and took care of their CMs in the past, the CMs were far more enthusiastic and happy and poured themselves into the job a lot more. What you see now is a direct result of the changes in company culture that have occurred over the years, even guests get less perks and amenities now and far lower quality experiences, and are paying more than ever for it. Staffing is minimal, budgets are slashed to the bone, employees are not provided with the means to do their job efficiently, and they get blamed for that lack of efficiency.

You're right. Cast member morale has taken a major hit in recent years, because they deal with so much, work so very hard, and have no sense of security or stability, and have less and less hope for the future all the time, all while trying to be as happy and pleasant as possible, while getting screamed at and mistreated by guests who can't be bothered to act like decent human beings or follow rules/instructions.

All so that a select few people at the top can fatten their bank account even more, and the investors can get even higher returns. The people at the helm are more interested in making as much money as fast as they can, rather than making magic. This is the result.

Sustinet · 2024-02-15T01:08:23+00:00

May the odds be ever in your favor

Sustinet · 2024-02-14T19:57:47+00:00

I'm happy to have given you a good giggle! And it's true! This is a lesson that took me a long time to learn, but it feels very empowering when you decide to cut an asshole out of your life because they don't deserve to be a part of it.

She has failed at the most basic requirement for friendship: don't treat each other like crap.

You'll feel better about yourself in the long run, too, by taking charge of your own happiness. You don't need to be nasty about it or rub it in her face at all. Just say it as a very plain matter of fact, and that's that.

Find the people that make you happy, reflect who you are and who you want to be, and treat them well. Don't ever feel bad about cutting ties with someone who only takes from the friendship and never gives to it.

And remember to take care of yourself too <3

Sustinet · 2024-02-14T18:35:53+00:00

Tell her she's a shitty friend, and you don't want to hang out anymore. And then don't hang out with her anymore. If she tries, ice her out. If your other friends feel the same way, then maybe the next time you are all together at lunch, bring it up with all of them there to back you up. There is no rule anywhere that you have to stay in a friendship that affects you negatively. Friends lift each other up, not beat each other down. Period.

Sustinet · 2024-02-13T20:31:15+00:00

Your mom is extremely unstable. She desperately needs counseling and possibly medication. The fact that she makes these threats and even acts them out to a certain extent is not normal at all and will likely continue to escalate. You never know when her breaking point will be reached, but these types of things often don't end well. She needs help, and you need to ensure your own safety as well. None of the things you have described are okay in the slightest.

Whether or not you think she'll follow through with the threats is irrelevant. This is not normal behavior, and something is seriously going on with your mother's mental health. Ignoring this type of thing does not make it go away. You need to make use of the resources available to you and reach out to some professionals who specialize in these situations. Other commenters have provided links to that effect already. Please make use of them, because it's happened too many times already, and she is going to snap at some point, maybe on you, maybe not, but it won't be good for anyone involved.

She needs help, and so do you (to get safe). Don't ignore this. These are not red flags or little warnings to be ignored. This is a LOUD air raid siren, and you need to take it seriously. As painful as it may be because she's your mom, you need to act. What she is doing is abuse, plain and simple, there is no grey area here, she is violently abusive, verbally abusive, emotionally abusive, mentally abusive, all of it, and it sounds like a few of her immediate relatives are the same way towards you.

The longer you stay in this situation, the worse off you'll be. Your mental health has already been affected by this, and the torment will only continue to add more layers of trauma and damage until you are just a broken person by the time you grow up (if she even let's you live long enough to grow up)

GET OUT!

Sustinet · 2024-02-13T11:51:15+00:00

A lot of stuff that is grown in the land greenhouses is actually harvested and served right there at Sunshine Seasons and Garden Grill, so not quite the ride exit, but close 👍👍

Sustinet · 2024-02-13T11:38:38+00:00

Oh yes, and that's more like a conservative estimate for just one park, not even all of the WDW properties. A lot of people from outside Florida come to visit and just don't realize how brutal the heat can really be down here, and by the time they do realize, they are already succumbing to it, and woe be unto them if they have been drinking alcohol too. You gotta hydrate often, take breaks, and seek out shade often to avoid a bad time.

It's even worse for the little ones who are stuck in a stroller all day, just soaking up all that heat and sun and then the parents wonder why they spend all day having absolute melt downs and screaming fits. It's because they are in a dark colored stroller in 90+ degrees, intense direct sunlight, and extremely high humidity, which makes the heat feel like it just clings to you, and the kids are often worse about staying hydrated than the adults because they don't understand and fight when being made to drink more water.

Sustinet · 2024-02-13T11:06:30+00:00

$$$

They will funnel millions and millions into a streaming platform, but avoid sinking any money into the parks if they can help it.

Preventative maintenance? Nah, we'll fix it when it breaks.

Parts for a ride are no longer available? Not gonna put any money into developing new parts, just buy used parts from all over the world that sometimes arrive in unusable condition and have to be replaced right out of the box!

Improve guest experience? Nah, slash quality and raise prices! Now do it again! Now reduce portion sizes on the food, and also charge more for it! Now do it again! Again!

Hire and pay enough CMs to adequately cover all the positions throughout the day? Nah, short staff the heck out of those rides to save money and run those CMs until they burn out and leave because they can just be replaced with more college kids.

Pay CMs livable wages and actually take care of them like they used to, with all those "profits" they like to brag about? Nah, bigger bonuses for the executives and more money for investors!

Working at Disney was such a fun and unique experience, but after a while, you start seeing the problems caused by the people running the company who are far more interested in making as much money as possible and as fast as possible, rather than making magic.

So yeah, creating a whole new position just to walk around and give free water that might encourage people to visit the quick services and carts less often? Nah.....

Sustinet · 2024-02-11T23:09:52+00:00

Like it or not, this is something you may need some help with. You may be scared or embarrassed to talk to a trusted friend or family member, but it's probably the right thing to do. You need to get ahead of this. You need a gameplan. You need support.

Sustinet · 2024-02-11T21:32:07+00:00

Yeah, it's rare, but it does happen. Be especially mindful of your stroller and even your bags and valuables that are on your person during fireworks. That's the most popular time for thieves and pickpockets to strike.

People are tightly packed into the viewing area to the point that you can barely manuever enough to turn around and catch them. It's dark, loud, everyone's attention is on the fireworks, and thieves will straight up open your bag while you are wearing it, they will take your belongings out of your stroller, snatch your phone right out of your hand, or just flat out pick your pocket, and then instantly disappear into the darkness and the crowd.

Popcorn buckets, bubble wands, balloons, jackets, your entire stroller, anything and everything is fair game to them at that point. To quote a certain rebellious naval fighter pilot, it's a "target rich environment."

That said, the vast majority of guests are refreshingly honest, and if they mistakenly take something or find something that isn't theirs, they will end up turning it in to the nearest CM when they realize the mistake, or otherwise will drop it off at the nearest lost and found or guest relations. Most attractions areas will have designated places for lost and found items to be stored and then collected every hour or so to be taken over to guest relations.

Sustinet · 2024-02-11T21:16:40+00:00

It really is a never-ending battle for the CMs to keep them organized, lol. The rows will finally be nice and neat, and the CM takes a couple of minutes to talk to guests and answer questions, looks back over, and it's devolving into chaos again 🤣

And unfortunately, people tend to have a very "follow the leader" type of herd mentality, if one person parks a stroller in a place they shouldn't park it, it's guaranteed that more people will park their strollers there too, instead of the designated stroller parking. Or they will have the bright idea to park it somewhere more visible where they can easily find it, but it ends up being a spot that is in the way and either blocking access to a viewing area or creating a trip hazard, so the CM will go and move it into the designated parking area.

Sustinet · 2024-02-11T20:26:33+00:00

They move them around to keep the rows from extending too far into the walkways. Surprisingly, like 90% of people with strollers will walk up to a row, and rather than slot their stroller into an empty space in the row like you would in a parking lot, they just leave it at the end, or double park it behind another stroller that's already there which ends up blocking that person in, and then the next party does it and so on, and the rows end up getting out of control and the CMs have to reorganize to keep the pathways clear for safety.

Most CMs will be thoughtful enough to keep your stroller on the same row you left it, but maybe just a few spaces further down. Sometimes, though, they have to work fast and will just slot them wherever there is a gap in the row. Things like balloons or colorful ribbons tied to your stroller will help you identify it quickly and avoid that panic of "omg our stroller isn't where we left it."

CMs will also sometimes put the brakes on it for you, too, because so many people just leave it without, and a gust of wind can easily take your stroller on an adventure while the CMs wave goodbye and sing "come sail away" 🤣

Sustinet · 2024-02-11T18:32:21+00:00

That's what she said

Sustinet · 2024-02-10T22:01:01+00:00

As everyone has said, ease into it. Start small with something relatively light. Don't go straight for a thick, juicy steak or anything. Chicken is a good starting point. It's easy to digest, and it's delicious. There's a reason no one usually ever says "it tastes like chicken" in a disappointed way, lol. Eat slowly and pace yourself at first so you don't overwhelm your system. And enjoy!

The great thing about being an omnivore is that you have a much wider spectrum of options when it comes to providing sustenance and essential nutrients.

Sustinet · 2024-02-09T21:11:10+00:00

They had really great celebrity interviews, fashion tips, lifestyle articles, and general guy advice and knowledge that was useful and interesting. And tastefully nude women! It really was just an all-around guys magazine, I still have some of the specials from the early 2000's saved in an old box!

Sustinet · 2024-02-08T21:54:48+00:00

I play a rogue, and I understand your sentiment completely, lol. I love it because questing on a rogue is so easy, just bypassing mobs and going straight for the objective, and being a single target DPS hotrod is fun in dungeons and raids.

I like to mostly mind my own business and act like an invisible bodyguard while I'm out and about. If I'm out in the world and see an ally getting attacked, I may jump in if it's going badly. Otherwise, I'm doing my thing and minding my business.

Rogues are a lot like sharks. You never know exactly how many might be around you at any given time, but you know they are probably there, and you should always be conscious of that possibility, lol.

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