I am here now and have to say the experience has been less than pleasant. The sheer volume of people would make anyone irritated having to constantly deal with it, and I’ve encountered some rude people for sure. However my cast member interactions have all been very good. Honestly if I worked here on a week like we’re having I’d probable very irritated with people as well. But as DVC members we will be back in 6 months so we have been ok with changing our expectations of our trip (the weather this week has helped steer us towards more shows and browsing through shops than waiting in long outdoor lines).
I feel what you’re saying- the magic this week is MEH and this is probably the worst trip I’ve had in years. The addition of LL has really slowed ride lines down and made people so oblivious to their surroundings by constantly being on their phones.
Today we went to AK and didn’t ride one ride because of the lines and crowds but I did cross some things off my bucket list - rafikis planet watch, the parrot show at tree of life, and enjoying some live music performances.
We’re just trying to make the best of a bad situation, hoping our next trip is better.
I’ll never forget being scolded by a bus driver when we went to Disney as a child because we got on the bus at the back entrance, and we were apparently only supposed to get on at the front. I definitely cried.
I can’t remember if it would have been an on or off property bus, though, now that I think about it. There was one year we stayed at the Swan or Dolphin and the trip after that we stayed at Yacht Club. I do remember it was a bus leaving MK.
But clearly it has stuck with me my whole life. Why does ugliness stick for so long?
That said, we have encountered some great CMs along the way. DH was waiting for us to meet him at MK one day, and he sat down and pulled up his phone (2011) and a CM appeared out of nowhere and encouraged him to get off his phone and enjoy being in the park. I remember how much he absolutely loved that.
They kill it for me too, because I can’t let go of either a) being mistreated or b) not knowing the “right” way to do something.
I like this idea in general for dealing with people. I probably actually do it in some manner more than I realize, but it’s definitely worth keeping in mind.
DH is in sales and says that mistakes and mishaps are actually a great sales opportunity if you go out of your way to fix the problem with integrity. It’s not how you handle things when all goes well. It’s how you handle things when they don’t.
But really all in all this post has me a little down about my trip in February. There isn’t actually a lot that I MUST DO. I just want to be in the World and hang out with my hubs and see a few things I haven’t seen yet. Enjoy things my kids wouldn’t. If I don’t sent my expectations very high and they aren’t met, I definitely won’t be back with the rest of my family for a long time.
No, I think it’s the lighting and how the wig is sitting. Also maybe the facial expression. She was talking to the little girls that were standing in the picture. The voice was definitely female.
Do you mean the flying Tinkerbell during the night time shows? Because the one we met at the meet and greet was definitely a girl in 2016.
This whole post about the magic being gone reminds me of an old graphic I saw on another forum many moons ago 
This reminded me of the old Colbert Report on Comedy Central. Well written
Yes, this is what she meant.
Yes.
The flying one. But I think any character could be played by anyone regardless of their sex
Yes, I’ve definitely felt it, and it felt like since the Big Crash. Fewer CMs who identify with Disney, if that makes sense. I’ve always been creeped out by the corporate identity thing in general but it serves its purpose well at Disney - a lot of people get a real buzz from working for the Mouse and it shows in the delight and care they take at work.
As time has gone by they’ve hired more like the typical teen wait staff in your local restaurant - chatting about what they’re going to do when they get off, or workplace gossip, rather than actually interacting with guests. I wonder if it’s a social media thing - Disney nuts are more likely to start a YouTube channel than head to Florida to work an entry level job in order to be “part of it” 
But not everybody, and it’s better than Disneyland and a million times better than DLRP. At DLRP the sparse CMs hate their job and hate you and don’t care who knows it.
The fake blonde wig and heavy make up always bothers me about the parks’ version of Alice. Alice was a quintessential English seven year old.
The wigs in general are a shame. I get that there’s got to be consistency in appearance but the princes always look ridiculous.
At the risk of taking this thread in a whole other direction (apologies to OP) I need to say that it might be good for someone out there to see a princess who doesn’t look quite as feminine as they are usually presented to be. It could be a young girl who thinks of herself as a princess but who likes to do things that aren’t typically considered things princesses would do. Or it could be a young boy who doesn’t quite feel right in his own skin and hasn’t quite put his finger on why. Or it could even be an aspiring actor who sees no jobs out there for himself unless he looks more broadly at ALL of the options and gives himself permission to look outside the box and maybe land the job of his dreams.
I wonder how many people identify with the Peter Pan I saw in the MK Parade in December, who looked decidedly middle aged and paunchy? We all hold an element of the boy who never grows up.
I’m glad your DH took the CM’s suggestion in the spirit in which it was surely offered, but personally I hate this kind of unsolicited advice. Like, what if I’m checking the kidney donation list? MYOB, CM!
It was done in a way that DH appreciated. She came over concerned and not judgingly like people are now about phones. She didn’t tell him to get off his phone exactly. Just to check in and direct him towards something magical. 2011 was so early in smart phones I’m not sure he’d even upgraded from his blackberry yet. I think we only used the Disney app on my phone for maps and wait times.
He just thought it was cool that someone noticed and cared that he didn’t look like he was having a good time.
Both parties had a positive interaction and that’s what counts!
When I read your original description of the incident, it just made me think immediately of the guy on the street who tells a woman to SMILE.
Nowadays you’re probably more likely to find CMs saying “I noticed you looking around, are you having problems using your phone?”
Ha! You’re cracking me up!
Not exactly the same, but related: During the parade at a the Christmas party in November, there was a little girl sitting near me on Main Street who had red curly hair. When Merida came by on the float, she waved frantically at the little girl, trying to get her attention. Then she pointed out that they had the same hair and gave her a big grin. The little girl’s whole face lit up, and I teared up. It was one of the most heart-warming things I’ve seen at Disney. It made me appreciate how many different hair colors, skin colors, etc. were represented on that one princess float, and how important that was to the kids who saw it go by.