You won’t be surprised to hear that Cast Members at Walt Disney World have always come up against rude and abusive behavior at certain times from some annoyed and frustrated guests as they try to do their job.
After the recent attack from a guest at Epcot towards a cast member over the validity of his child’s face mask, we thought we would ask your opinion in our latest debate as to whether you think guests that are rude to cast members should be banned for life?
Quite rightly, many of you have indeed questioned the term “rude” as I guess this word can encompass a large scale of behaviors, ranging from calling someone “silly” to being physically abusive.
We have had a large response to this poll which shows that it is a topic that is important to our readers and so it should be. We said in the original article that no one should have to be subjected to rudeness while they are trying their best to carry out their job.
I shall include a number of your comments to this question and summarise your thoughts as soon as the results have been revealed…
The Results – Should Guests That Are Rude To Cast Members Be Banned For Life From Walt Disney World?
As always we try to keep the options for our polls as simple as possible and for this one it really couldn’t be any simpler and this is what you think:
- Yes – 74%
- No – 26%
So, it is certainly a large majority with 74% of the readers who voted saying yes they should be banned for life. Now when reading the comments, it is clear that the word “rude” can be problematic because it can have a very large scope, as mentioned above.
Some people think a life time ban is too harsh and there should be a strike system or a scale of banning guests for varying lengths of time based on the severity of the “rudeness”.
It is great to hear your comments and thoughts on our latest poll topic, so in our Big Debate Results articles I choose a selection of comments from both sides of the argument for you read. I always try to be as unbiased as possible in my selection. If you want to add anything else then please comment below or on our Facebook page.
Your Comments and Thoughts
“If the confrontation becomes physical then absolutely 100% banned for life. But if it’s just an argument then it should be on a case by case basis as vacations can be stressful ironically and it’s hot and people don’t eat when they should and they overextended them selves physically & may not be acting as they normally would.”
“No one should be rude to anyone…but we all have moments. Rude is different from accosting someone. Anything aggressive or physical should be banned for life.”
“Yes!!! No need to be rude. That usually means it’s just your personality. I tend to give a strike first because sometimes you just have a bad day and take it out on the wrong people. The first time it’s a warning. Second time lifetime ban. Sick of jerks getting a slap on the wrist. There needs to be consequences for your actions. Now, abusive actions gets no strikes. That is a lifetime ban immediately.”
“Rude covers an awful lot of ground. Threatening, sure. But rude seems a bit of overkill. What I think needs to happen is for OTHER guests to be more aware when people are rude to CMs because they are so limited in what they can say or do. This poor CM at Jungle Cruise one time was being horribly abused by this family that didn’t understand FP+. She was struggling really hard. I needed her help to get a DAS so I was behind the family. I said something to the Dad, and then when he left, I talked to her for a minute, telling her how wrong he was and how much I appreciated the CMs. Do your part to make the CMs feel appreciated.”
“For life seems a bit drastic…. I mean if the person continues to be rude maybe escort them out of the park for the day… Obviously if it continues to be a problem or they are consistently rude maybe look into it further… But being rude is sort of subjective… What I find rude someone else may not think was meant to be taken that way….”
“If it results in criminal charges then definitely.”
“Retail and service workers have been abused for WAY too long, and as a former cast member myself, I can speak that Disney doesn’t do enough to protect its cast members from this type of harassment when it comes up out of fear of disrupting the magic.
So, my original argument stands – if you show repeat behavior of being rude to cast members, I don’t care why, you’re out.”
“I’m not sure being rude would consider a lifetime ban from any Disney parks. A bit overkill on that one. But, I think a three strikes you’re out rule would apply to that. If the person is mean for no reason and keeps abusing the cast members. That person probably could receive the three strikes. Third strike, ban for a year. Now, physically abusing a guest or cast member, threatening them, making political stances, or try to cause a riot. Those deserve a lifetime ban.”
“If a cast member gets pushback for trying to enforce rules the ban should extend for generations. Don’t ruin the magic with your attitude.”
“Absolutely. It would make things better for everyone. Disney should be able to set their policies and you can choose not to go if you don’t like it. Just like the face mask policy.”
“Yeah, never gonna happen. Why would Disney give up that future potential revenue??? Let’s not forget they are a For Profit company. Cast members be damned, nothing is gonna get in the way of that profit.”
“Physical harm or death threat, life ban. Rude, 6 month to 5 year ban.”
“If you can’t be civil with people in Disney and follow the rules like everybody else is then yeah.”
“Yes!! Some people feel entitled!!! No room for rudeness at Disney!!”
Summary of the Debate
There have been so many valid comments regarding this issue, here is a summary of what you have said on this topic:
- If it is physical abuse then a ban for life should be enforced.
- If it is verbal, the consequences should be case by case. Some readers think verbal abuse should sometimes be excused due to heat and stress of the vacation. Others disasgree completely and say that verbal abuse shouldn’t be tolerated and a ban should be given, not necessarily for life but on a scale due to the severity of the abuse. A three strikes system was also suggested by many readers.
- Some people feel you should show your appreciation to the cast members when they are trying to do the best job they can do. Others have had bad experiences with certain cast members who have been rude and verbally abusive to them or their family members.
- Rudeness can be subjective so wouldn’t be easy to police effectively. One person may see it as rudeness but another person may see nothing wrong with it. Obviously physically abuse or assault is easy to pinpoint and should be dealt with strongly by Disney and the authorities.
- Some people think that bans won’t ever happen because Disney wouldn’t want to lose the profit.
This is clearly a contentious issue with many differing views as to what would be okay under the broad heading of “rude” and what behavior crosses the line and should be followed up with a ban. The subject of how banning would be enforced has also been brought up as logistical factors could be problematic. It does, however, seem to be agreed from majority of our readers that have taken part in this poll that physical abuse should be a lifetime ban.
Look out for our next Big Debate which will be coming soon to Theme Park Tourist and to keep up to date with all the latest news from Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and beyond, check out our News and Facebook Page.
