Walt Disney World is known around the world as a gold standard company for guest service. From the way cast members speak and dress to the way guests are referred to—always “guests” and never “customers”—throughout their history, Disney has always made it a priority to ensure that every visitor has a pleasant experience with their cast members.
Despite this, Walt Disney World is still a business where sometimes people make mistakes. Sometimes cast members don’t quite meet Disney’s high standard for guest service, whether they are temporary hires for the busy season or longtime workers who miss the mark. Whatever the reason, it is never a pleasant experience when you have a problem with a crabby (or insensitive) Walt Disney World cast member.
While there may be a temptation to lose it when things turn sour with a cast member, guests in this situation actually have a number of options to see the situation resolved…
1. Keep your cool
Image: Disney
Nothing is going to derail a genuine complaint faster than when a guest loses it. While you may have encountered a genuinely upsetting situation at Walt Disney World, cooler heads will almost always prevail in a complaint situation. If you can articulate your concern in a firm but temperate way, it can only help your case in seeing the issue resolved. It’s much easier to work through a situation when the cast members and managers have some route to an amicable solution with you. It will also help you express your complaint with poise and without unnecessary extra stress. Take whatever time you need to calm your emotions before raising a complaint if possible. Disney cast members and managers are still human beings. Show them you are a quality customer who Disney wants to keep for the long term.
2. If possible, start with the cast member involved
Image: Disney
In the case of a particularly crabby Disney cast member, this option may not be possible. However, if your complaint is minor or something that can easily be addressed, see if you can work out the issue with the cast member involved. As we’ve already mentioned, keeping your head and using a firm but polite tone can give the cast member an opportunity to resolve the problem without a supervisor being notified.
While our focus so far has largely been on issues with Disney cast members, if your complaint is not the cast member’s fault (let’s say a bad dish from the kitchen), make sure you do not blame cast members for things that are outside their power. The cast member standing outside a closed attraction, for example, has no power to reverse that decision. They can relay polite complaints, but it may be more worthwhile to email Disney guest services directly rather than expecting them to remember and relay your complaint on top of the myriad others they are probably getting that day.
If the cast member you are dealing with makes a major mistake or seems particularly difficult, there are other steps you can take…
3. Speak to a supervisor
Image: Disney
It’s always a little awkward asking to speak to a supervisor, but that is the first step to addressing a major cast member complaint. In restaurants and some shops, this can usually be accomplished fairly easily. Just ask to speak to the manager. Disney usually has managers present in all their major restaurants, but if for some reason they are not available, you can ask for a name and their direct number. Once again, if the complaint is not the fault of the cast member, you can assure them that you understand there was nothing they could do to take care of the issue, and it would help you if you could speak to the manager. Even if they are difficult, stay firm in asking for a supervisor.
If you have a major issue with a cast member and do get to speak with a manager in a shop or restaurant, the same guidelines mentioned previously apply. Explain in a courteous tone what the situation was that led to the complaint. The old “affirmation sandwich” can help if things are uncomfortable. Disney wants to keep you as a guest, so let the manager know what you’ve loved on your Disney vacation and why the situation with this cast member was dissatisfying. Unless the situation is particularly egregious, try not to make demands and especially try not to jump straight to, “You need to fire that person!”. Let Disney address disciplinary issues on their end—like in any business review, focus instead on the facts and what Disney can do to resolve your situation.
When we had our mediocre experience at Epcot’s The Garden Grill, we followed this advice and ended up speaking first to our (very polite) server, then to the chef. Finally, a manager came out to address the issue when other cast members couldn’t. While you should not expect refunds or ticket comps at Walt Disney World, in our unique situation, the manager did actually take care of our bill and gave us some Fastpasses to Soarin’. Don’t expect this every time (I’ve never seen it any other time!), but Disney will usually find a way to address complaints that they can resolve.
4. Speak to Guest Relations
Were you unable to resolve your issue with the cast member in question or a manager? Every park at Walt Disney World (as well as Disney Springs) has a Guest Relations office where guests can get specialized care for just about any situation. For issues with cast members on attractions, in ticket taking areas, or other areas throughout the parks, Guest Relations is your best bet to voice the issue.
As before, keep calm and share your complaint courteously. Remember that whatever issue you dealt with is not the fault of the Guest Relations cast member, and they will best be able to address the problem or direct you to a supervisor if you stick to the facts. If the situation isn’t something that can be resolved immediately, they will be the right people to relay the complaint to the correct department so it is addressed. If you want any follow up on the issue, ask if you can leave contact information with them.
5. Email Disney Guest Services (or tweet them!)
Image: Disney
If you follow all or some of the previous steps and your issue still isn’t fully resolved—or if you feel Disney’s corporate office needs to know about the matter—Disney Guest Services are easier to get ahold of than ever before. Just send an email to Disney using this form .
Format your email the same way you would write a letter of complaint (though you don’t need all those extra headings you usually add to a business letter). Clearly address your complaint but do so as concisely as possible. Let them know briefly what you loved about your Disney vacation and why your experience with this cast member failed to meet that standard. Let them know the specifics of what happened, the names of any cast members or supervisors involved, and what would help for the situation to be resolved. Do not start off by threatening legal action or demanding refunds—give Disney a chance to resolve the issue. Stay respectful and courteous. Also, don’t forget to include your contact info so they can get back to you.
Can you share your complaint very, very concisely? You can also tweet a message to Disney Guest Services at @WDWToday. Perhaps, I’m old school, but I would lean towards the email and a well formatted letter over using Twitter, but it is definitely the easiest way to access Disney Guest Services.
Unpleasant scenarios with Disney cast members are never fun, but fortunately, they tend to be few and far between. If you run into an issue with an unusually difficult cast member, don’t be afraid to politely address it. Not only will you hopefully prevent a similar scenario for another guest, but that cast member will hopefully receive any correction that is given and be a much better representative of Disney in the future if they continue with the company.
Have you ever had a bad experience with a Walt Disney World cast member? How did you resolve it?
