Something bad turning in to something good!

[Daddytomjm]

Sometimes a negitive event can turn into a wonderful CM experience, I guess it was about 6 weeks back we went to the 2nd showing of Fantasmic at MGM. The left side of the path is for strollers and wheel chairs but there was no one working traffic control. People began crushing in around us in an effort to get in faster. They were running into Bonny and Marjories wheel chairs and several people hit Marjorie in the head with the backpacks they had slung on their sholders. We were very frustrated and angry by the time we got into the stadium. Once we got settled, we asked to speak to the manager once the show was over.( now the positive part ) We met Jason, the manager on duty that night after the show and he spent over 30 minutes talking about what had happened and wanted to hear our ideas on how to improve access for wheel chairs to the stadium. We don't know if any of our ideas will be used but it was wonderful to have our concerns taken seriously and our ideas listened to.

[disneydreamer98]

It's terrible that people don't take a minute to be courteous to others around them. We try so hard to instill in our Son to always be conscientious of his surroundings. Hopefully the CM you spoke to will pass on your concerns to somebody who can make a difference! I promise if we see you anywhere at WDW that we will not run you over!

[vixen101485]

I'll make sure to beat up those ppl for you if they do something stupid like that when we see ya at WDW. ***grins***
Same thing happens a lot in crowds to my 2 yr also(she is not in a chair) Believe you me I tell them off for being to busy to look where they are going and to look down occasionnaly too...where there are crowds there are kids and they are short...Had a cousin who got a severe cigarettte burn from a woman not paying attention-just missed his eye...

SOOOOO...she finally got you to post on here huh?.....LMMEO Don't worry I got my bf hooked too..lol We can't wait to meet y'all in Sept.

[BigDaddyKyle]

This does sound like it turned out for the best in the end. I just hate that that had to happen to the beautiful little girl ya'll call MJ. Tell her I said hi.

[MommytoMJM]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyKyle

This does sound like it turned out for the best in the end. I just hate that that had to happen to the beautiful little girl ya'll call MJ. Tell her I said hi.

We will! thanks Kyle...it really did ****...and what is most annoying is that it isn't like getting past us means anything either, we *can't* take someone else's seats! We're limited as to where we can sit!

[MommytoMJM]

Originally Posted by vixen101485

I'll make sure to beat up those ppl for you if they do something stupid like that when we see ya at WDW. ***grins***
Same thing happens a lot in crowds to my 2 yr also(she is not in a chair) Believe you me I tell them off for being to busy to look where they are going and to look down occasionnaly too...where there are crowds there are kids and they are short...Had a cousin who got a severe cigarettte burn from a woman not paying attention-just missed his eye...

SOOOOO...she finally got you to post on here huh?.....LMMEO Don't worry I got my bf hooked too..lol We can't wait to meet y'all in Sept.

Tee Hee Hee!!! I can't wait to meet you, we are gonna have so much fun Vix!

Now to keep him posting! LOL

[BigDaddyKyle]

I feel for you Bonny. I am huge (as you saw) and it is hard for me to get through big crowds and be polite. All WDW goers be glad that I am polite. I think that WDW could do a little better with crowd control sometimes.

Maybe they holud make one of the Fantamice crowd floodgate a handicapped entrance?

[vixen101485]

It's a secret to who he is Daddytomjm....hehehe....y'all will just have to figure it out and no asking the wifey cause she don't know either...lol I promised not to tell....we will give hints ocassionally-that is when I let him use the puter***grins***

[Jiminy Cricket]

I can't even imagine trying to negotiate WDW in a chair. Yes, some people are rude, but most do not bump into you or MJM on purpose. I too wish Disney could do something to better handle the crowds after Fantasmic (especially since it is so dark on the paths and downhill most of the way) and a few other attractions.

[MommytoMJM]

Originally Posted by Jiminy Cricket

I can't even imagine trying to negotiate WDW in a chair. Yes, some people are rude, but most do not bump into you or MJM on purpose. I too wish Disney could do something to better handle the crowds after Fantasmic (especially since it is so dark on the paths and downhill most of the way) and a few other attractions.

I don't mind the non rude ppl, but these ppl literally didn't even stop to see if we were ok....

As for negotiating in a chair....we do it in a tandem chair (side by side) of our own invention with only DH to push..... and he does it every weekend, amazingly.....

We are lucky to be there so often that the CM's know us and are very good to us...

[MainStreet, USA]

Originally Posted by Daddytomjm

Once we got settled, we asked to speak to the manager once the show was over.( now the positive part ) We met Jason, the manager on duty that night after the show and he spent over 30 minutes talking about what had happened and wanted to hear our ideas on how to improve access for wheel chairs to the stadium.

There was a time not long ago when I thought that asking for a manager was reserved only for when there was a problem a line-level employee couldn't resolve or because someone was screwing up. Now that I have become a manager myself, I know that it's nothing like that at all. I love to hear from our guests, whether they know they are speaking to a manager or not. And when someone does request my presence, I know it's because someone wants to make a difference.

A week or so ago I was picking up trash around our patio tables and met a family who was concerned because they had spoken with one of my bosses in previous years and had confirmed that we used Peanut Oil in the non-stick spray we used to make our pizza at the time. Their son, as much as he loved pizza, had a peanut allergy and therefore hadn't had our pizza in over a year. I went back inside and picked up a bottle of the PAM spray we are using this season and brought it outside to show it to these people. Finding no Peanut Oil in the ingredients, they were very pleased to see that something they had said in previous years had brought about a change. I spent some more time chatting with the family about their experiences at the park and such before going back inside. A few days after I met these folks, the entire foods department in the park began compiling a complete list of all the ingredients in all of our food items so that a guest with food allergies will have a guide they can reference for any information they might need on what they can and cannot eat at our park.

Fast forward now to just two days ago, and I overhear a female guest at the counter ask one of my cashiers if we are still using the PAM spray to make our pizzas. I turn around and walk up to the counter, and sure enough, it's that same family I met a week or so earlier. I answered their question before the cashier could, by saying "Yup, and there's no peanut oil in any of our ingredients!" The mom looked up and I know she recognized me as soon as I said that, but I wasn't sure if any of the children would remember me. But to my suprise, the little boy with the peanut allergy looked up at me and broke into this huge smile and shouted "Hey look! It's our friend! It's Don!" I was never more pleased to give a guest a slice of pizza as I was that evening when i handed over a slice to this young man. And a little later when I went outside to see how they were doing, I am proud to report he was on his second slice, wearing a big smile, and doing just fine.

I love to hear from my guests, especially if there is something that can be done to make their visit a little more special, or if its to inform me of one of my workers who is doing a particularly good job. So the next time you have a concern or suggestion, feel free to mention it to a manager. It's our job to pass it on uphill, no matter how silly or trivial it might seem. I've certainly dropped a couple silly suggestions into the suggestion box recently, but it's what the guest wanted me to do, and so it's what I did. And I was more than happy to do so. I just hope that maybe someday, one of those suggestions becomes a reality and that the guest who made it is around to see that their suggestion really did make a difference.

As for your suggestions about wheelchair access to the stadium, I really hope to see some of your ideas come to life. Not only because it will make visiting easier and more enjoyable for yourselves, but because it will be a sign that what we as guests say, is actually heard by someone who takes us seriously. Good luck with your suggestions. I'm glad you took them to a manager. I'm sure something will come from it. A place with a reputation such as Disney's couldn't afford to let their guests be pummeled with backpacks and expect to keep it. Something will change, I'm sure. Let's just hope it's sooner rather than later, right?