Guest Says Attitude of Disney Cast Members Has Changed, Redditors Fight Back

Being one of the Walt Disney World cast members has never been an easy job. Between dealing with thousands of guests, trying to make each one of them feel special, and making each day magical, it takes a lot.

Things for cast members have gotten even harder since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them were furloughed when the parks closed. Then they had to deal with guests who didn’t want to follow the rules when the parks reopened. Add to that, cast members have had to fight every step of the way for a living wage. It’s a lot.

Not too long ago, a guest took to Reddit — u/the-qwerty-type — to ask if others had noticed a “downgrade in the attitudes” of cast members.

I’ve been to WDW dozens of times in my life, at least 70+. In the last 2 years I’ve been 5 times, currently sitting in a Magic Kingdom resort as I write this. Has anyone else noticed a downgrade in the attitudes of cast members?

This trip in particular my gf and I have been overhearing conversations about when their shifts are over, talking about bad visitors, not being in character for rides, among other things. I never remember hearing these things from cast members. Is it something about this time of year where there aren’t college students working? Is the political situation taking a toll on the cast members and their enjoyment working? Are there more visitors that are rude and not making cast members enjoy their time?

I’m shocked at the blatant difference from what I’ve always seen from them. Interested to hear what others have experienced recently.

While that guest may have felt that the cast members weren’t behaving in a way they were used to, fellow Redditors jumped to their defense. Many pointed out that guests have gotten much more entitled.

It seems like almost every week there are stories about guests behaving badly in the parks, some even getting themselves banned. There has also been an uptick in violence in the parks. Stressed and angry guests are getting into physical altercations, sometimes leaving cast members to clean up the blood.

Redditor ibc04 pointed out that being a Disney cast member is usually a thankless job. A lot of guests are quick to blame cast members, but not thank them when something goes right:

As a former front line CM, it’s hard…. Very hard. A ex girlfriend of mine was a lifeguard, saved a drowning child- and never once got a thank you from the parents.

Working front desk I got blamed for ruining a vacation at checkin (because of the room location), the lady was crying, I got cursed and screamed at- the guest had a particular room type and the resort was at 100% I couldn’t control it.

A good friend of mine took a random phone call from a person- whom was contemplating suicide…. Thankfully he was able to keep them on the line until help arrived…

Long story short, CM’s deal with crazy things daily, and somehow keep a smile on their faces, because they genuinely want all guests to have a wonderful time.

If you might see one (a little down) stop and strike up a short conversation with them… ask them what there favorite Disney memory is or something that they can reflect positively on. It’s a hard long job bringing happiness and keeping the peace.

Others pointed out that, while working at a Disney Park is different from many other jobs, it is still a job. Working with the public often requires people to put a smile on, no matter the situation. However, they are still people, and sometimes they have bad days like everyone else.

If you are heading to a Disney Park for your own magical vacation, be sure to treat the cast members with kindness and respect. Thank them for the work that they do. It will make both their day and yours a little brighter.