Magic Kingdom Advice
Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 3:05 am
UPDATE!!!
Hey guys, I was talking about this with a fellow castmember, and we came up with some more advice. I'm not gonna bother separating it into Park/Attractions/F&B, just list them as I go...
If it ever rains during your visit to the park, DON'T PANIC. Usually it'll last 20 minutes or less, then stop, and start up again an hour or two later for a shorter amount of time. Rain drives guests away, so be one of the smart ones and pack a poncho, umbrella, extra clothes, and most importantly: STAY IN THE PARK. We stay open in rain, unless of course, the rain turns into a hurricane and it starts blowing guests away a la nannies in Mary Poppins. Guests leave, expecting the rain to last, which means there are less guests in line and less guests on the streets which means more elbow room and shorter waits.
If you can't find a map, simply ask a custodian or simply go to any merchandising kiosk or shop. They are not "souvenir" or "gift" shops, though the merchandise can be given as gifts. Every merchandising shop offers the helpful "Package Pickup", where essentially, if you buy too much at one shop and don't want to carry it through the park, you can arrange to either
-Have it ready for you at Main Street's Package Pick-Up (next to City Hall), and you can collect it at the end of the night
-Have it sent to your hotel room (for a fee, and you must be a guest of certain Disney resorts)
-Have it mailed home to you (pay for shipping and I'm guessing a small fee).
Our popcorn and ice cream wagons are strategically placed, so you don't need to look far for certain things. However, I might as well tell you now, these are the only places for the following:
Funnel Cakes (aka fried dough): Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Liberty Square. If you're in the hub and cross the bridge to LS, it's to your direct right and next to Hall of Presidents.
Pretzels: A stand in Fantasyland next to the Popcorn Stand (across from Winnie the Pooh, near Scuttle's Landing and Dumbo).
Pretzels: A stand in Frontierland next to the Turkey Legs, across from Frontier Mercantle.
Churros: At the Frontierland pretzel wagon.
Turkey Legs: The Frontierland wagon and in Tomorrowland at "The Lunching Pad", right below Astro Orbiter and TTA.
Frozen Bananas: The Adventureland and Fantasyland Nut Wagons, the beverage stand on Main Street (to your left when coming from Main Street).
If you have only a $50 and you want a small $1.25 water, don't fret. We can break large bills, but please don't give us large bills immediately upon seeing that we're open. The last thing we need is a lot of large bills at the beginning of the day.
We only accept US Travelers Cheques. If you have any foreign travelers cheques, you can get them exchanged at City Hall (to your left upon entering the park.
Good Places to watch "Wishes: (clockwise)
-Adventureland: don't bother
-Frontierland: don't bother
-Liberty Square: though an askewed view, try the area around the Liberty Bell
-Fantasyland: my favorite, in the triangled area between Snow White, the Carousel, and Dumbo. Also, while you don't get to see the "frontside" fireworks (the ones that shoot from behind the castle), another good area is the rest spot in front of Winnie The Pooh. All those benches and plants? That used to be 20,000 Leagues under the sea. But it gives a GREAT view of the "backside" fireworks (the ones that shoot from beyond Fantasyland).
-Toontown: don't bother
Tomorrowland: Either on the bridge from Tomorrowland to the hub, or around the TTA, close to the popcorn stand
-Main Street/Hub: I'd like to say "don't bother", but the view is nice, if you don't mind having no room at all and taking 40 minutes to walk to the monorail afterward. The hub gives the "largest" view, and the Train Station gives the "farthest" view.
If you see a sign that says "Cast Members Only Beyond This Point" or anything similar, please pay heed and do not go backstage, it'll ruin the magic.
Parents...when you have children, and they want popcorn...for the love of all that is Disney, please stop telling them "TELL THE MAN/WOMAN WHAT YOU WANT! TELL HIM/HER WHAT YOU WANT!". They want their food. Please, order for them. Do you know how quiet your children are when they are told by their parents to speak to a STRANGER? It's nice when you have them give us the money (make them feel all responsible), but please...it holds up the line if/when you practically yell at them "TELL HIM/HER YOU WANT POPCORN!".
Back to holding up the line, I really want to re-iterate "KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE FRONT". Today I had the fortunate time to have NO LINE for five minutes, until a mother and her children come up. Normally, I see that they're busy, so I let them contemplate what to buy, even striking up conversation with another couple to the side (waiting for their kids to get off Big Thunder Mountain). I see that the family is still deciding, and I let them talk a bit more. The couple leave when their kids get off the ride, so I focus back on the family. Lo and behold, the family is still at the front wondering what to get, and there is now a line of impatient people behind them, money in hand, knowing what they want to order. The family finally tells me "Okay, we want this, and this and this..." and I'm ALMOST done, when suddenly the mother yells out to her husband "HEY! Do you want anything???" And it takes five minutes of them yelling and not understand before we find out...he doesn't want anything. So...what could have been done in less than 3 minutes...took over twenty.
When ordering water, just a little cheap thing to point out, but the $1.25 water is 12 oz, and the $2.00 is 24 oz. Or you could save all your money and use the drinking fountains, but I don't recommend that because Florida water tastes funny to me. Bring in water from the outside.
We don't honor the "FREE 1-LITER OF COKE" bottle caps because quite simply, the soda we sell isn't 1-liter, it's 20 oz.
Adding to the do/don't go when:
Do go:
-First half of May
Don't go:
-Last half of June
And once again, just because we look a certain race, doesn't mean we speak the language fluently. There are special tags that castmembers wear that show if they speak a language (they're below the nametag and show the flag and language).
About the Park:
First off, the park with Main Street, Tomorrowland, Mickey's Toontown Fair, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland is known as MAGIC KINGDOM. This is the park with all the rides and with It's A Small World. Magic Kingdom. Let's all say it now: MAGIC KINGDOM. "Walt Disney World" and "Disney World" refers to the whole property. You know, the other parks, the hotels, the shops, and all the unused area for future parks and hotels and shops. The castle is Cinderella's Castle. The nighttime parade is no longer "The Main Street Electrical Parade", but "Spectromagic". It's not "Peoplemover" anymore, but "Tomorrowland Transit Authority".
Get a map, memorize it, and keep it close to your heart. That way you can just look at it so you don't have the unfortunate experience of standing outside Haunted Mansion and asking the somber looking fellow "Where's Haunted Mansion?" only to have him stare at you and point.
Do not come here during the following times:
-Week before, week of, and week after Easter
-Week before, week of, and week after Fourth of July
-August
-Week before, week of, and week after Christmas
DO come here during the following times:
-Last week of January
-First two weeks of February
-Mid-September to Mid-November
Please do not get mad at us when it rains. We can't control the weather though we sometimes try. And remember, unless it's a hurricane that's blowing things away, the rides all stay open.
Please do not get mad when the nighttime parade (or nighttime fireworks) is over and there's a huge-ass crowd on Main Street. That's the popular place for everyone to gather during the parade and fireworks, so it'll be the most crowded after them as well. You chose to stand among 50,000 people anyway.
Please do not get mad when anything is canceled. Crap happens. Even we have off days.
Extra Magic Hours is when the park is still open to anyone staying on a hotel on Disney Property. You need a special wristband, and if you don't have it, save yourself the embarrassment and just leave when the park closes at the regular time.
Fences are there for a reason. Don't cross or climb over them. Same with ropes and any kind of thing resembling a border that keeps you away from something.
There's only one way in and one way out of the park and that's through Main Street. Don't ask us for another way out.
About Rides:
Please do not get mad at us when a ride breaks down. Things happen that's out of our hands, and believe us, we get mad when it breaks down too cause we're the ones who have to put up with you yelling and booing at us. And sometimes the ride stops/breaks down because of one of you. They don't tell you to remain seated with all appendages in your vehicle just cause they like to hear the sound of their voice.
Every ride has a rehab once a year. If a particular ride you want to go on is under rehab when you're here...we're sorry. We can't open it up just for you, we can't promise it'll be ready before you leave. Schedule around it next time.
If you see a wait time of "90 minutes" and you wait in that line and complain once you reach the ride that the wait is too long...it was your decision to wait in the line. Fastpass is there for a reason.
Regarding fastpass, here's how it works:
-Each person puts their own ticket into the Fastpass machine (usually near the ride entrance). Don't have Dad put in his five times for you all, he'd have to put all five tickets in one at a time.
-The machine will read the ticket, and give you a fastpass saying when you can come back (ex. 11:30-12:30 and anytime afterwards)
-You CANNOT get another fastpass until the other one's time is up, or until it says on the fastpass itself.
-Do not stick your ticket in again and try and pass off the "Not a Valid Pass" as a legitimate fastpass.
-Remember, one fastpass per ticket per ride. If people were having multiples...well, that would screw things up even more.
If a castmember tells you where to go, GO THERE. If a castmember tells you where not to go, DO NOT GO THERE. Do not move until they tell you to. Do not switch with someone else. Do not bother asking "Can't we sit there?".
Move all the way down the row unless you want us to yell at you to move all the way down the row. The view is essentially the same. If you want the middle of the row, then for god's sake, don't be the first to get into the row! WAIT!
Don't sneak into the Fastpass line then lie when they ask for your fastpass. If you don't have one, get one or get out of the line and go somewhere else!
About any food/beverage wagons (my department):
Please do not get mad if it's a 110 degree day and you go up to a wagon and ask for bottled water and we don't have any. It's a hot day, there are probably 50,000 people in the park, and we only have so many wagons. Plus, there are plenty of drinking fountains and other places that sell water. If you all weren't rushing to buy so much, we probably wouldn't run out.
Yes, we accept cash, credit, debit, room charge, and the newfangled Dining Plan. Do not ask if we accept the Dining Plan. We wouldn't offer the Dining Plan if we didn't accept it.
When you have the Dining Plan, we can put it all on one card. So if one family of five each want a popcorn and a soda, we can put all ten on one card. We don't need each family member coming up with their own card to get one popcorn and one soda.
When paying for whatever you're buying, PLEASE do not throw crumpled bills or anything folded more than 3 times. It's a pain to unfold and uncrumple. Please also have the bills facing the same direction and in numerical order.
Look, but don't touch until you pay for it. Grabby people irritate us. You're doing the labor we're paid to do. If you see a drink cart next to a popcorn wagon, DO NOT just open it up and self-serve, then throw money at us. You're taking away our job, let us get the drink and give it to you.
Don't go up to our ice cream wagons and start opening them to look inside. We've got the visual menu for you, so just point or say what you want.
Not all of us speak Spanish just because we look Spanish. And "Muy poco" essentially means "I took 4 years in high school".
Please stop asking for "the coldest (soda/water/powerade/lemonade)". They're all in the same cooler, they're all stacked with mounds of ice, and it hurts to get a cold one from the bottom. If you want the coldest, get a fountain drink where they can give you 3/4 ice and 1/4 drink.
Sometimes you'll catch us when they're reloading our drinks, so they'll be a little warm. Don't complain. They'll end up being warm when they go down your esophagus and into your stomach.
If you see us just get to our wagon with a large cart and we're opening things and putting things out and essentially keeping to ourselves, WE ARE NOT OPEN YET. Do not come up and ask if we are open. Do not stand there irritated and staring at your watch every five seconds like we're delaying you. We're open when everything's set up and you can hear the popcorn popping and the nuts roasting.
If you see us at our wagon with a large cart and we're closing things and putting things away and essentially keeping to ourselves, WE ARE CLOSED. Don't ask us for "just one thing", cause then you'll attract a line. All the carts on Main Street stay open until closing, so if you need that fix of popcorn, go to Main Street.
If you see us at our wagon and there's nothing but us, the wagon, and a bag of towels, and you see us holding a towel and rubbing it against any surface, that means we're cleaning it. That means we're closed. That means there's nothing we're gonna sell to you. We're not gonna stop cleaning just so we can make you a batch of popcorn then start cleaning again. There are no hidden sodas or batches of popcorn or boxes of ice cream. Again, I stress that you go to Main Street.
When we yell "Excuse us, folks! Pardon us, Please! HEAVY DRINK WAGON COMING THROUGH! WATCH YOUR TOES!", please do not just stand and stare. Move out of the way, and do not try and cross between the guy/girl pushing a cart with ice cream and the two people behind him/her pushing a large cart with drinks. Do not complain when we have to cut in front of you to get to where we are going. It's a 20 second delay, what's to complain about?
We can't give you ice. It's a health hazard, so don't ask. You can get ice from the ones that serve fountain drinks, but not from anyone who has to stick their dirty sweaty hand into the wagon to pull out the bottled sodas and waters. The ice is contaminated, so don't touch it, don't stick it in your mouth, don't try and steal it when we're not looking.
We don't refill the souvenir buckets. Don't ask for a refill unless your kid decides to throw it all on the ground and feed the birds. And don't make your kid do that so you can get a free refill. We can't have you pay for another bucket but have us fill the same one. Either buy a new bucket, or buy a box to pour in the bucket and throw the box away (or frame it as one guest said she would).
We can't give out extra buckets or popcorn boxes. We'll give you nice little cups, but that's it.
Don't come up empty handed and say "I dropped my popcorn and my Dad threw it away, so can you give me a new one?". We need evidence that you dropped it. Evidence being: we saw it, another castmember saw it, or a guest saw it and can vouch for you.
Ice cream melts. Eat it quickly.
If you get an ice cream from us and it's melted, don't get mad. We can replace it. The reason it's melting is because so many of you want ice cream so we keep opening the damn freezer and not giving it enough cold-time, essentially.
Don't take 100 napkins when you only need 2 or 3. We gotta keep that think full all the time we don't like seeing you take 100, using 3, then throw the rest away, right in front of our eyes.
The display bottles are for display purposes only. We can't give them to you if you want a warm water or a warm soda. Why would anyone want a warm soda anyway?
The little waters do not come with the Mickey straw. That's separate, you gotta pay for it.
When you get to the front of the line for ordering food, know what you want. Don't stand there for five minutes then ask your kids, "Hey, what do you guys want?". What could've been done in the two minutes waiting in line takes ten minutes because people are so indecisive.
We're trained to know what's kosher and what's not, please don't doubt our word when you ask and we answer.
If we tell you we don't have something (either because we don't carry it or because we ran out because people like you keep buying it), then WE DON'T HAVE IT. Don't think we're stashing some away for guests we like more than you. Sometimes we won't have things for up to an hour before they come and bring it to us. Go to other wagons and see if they have it. Don't get mad at us, get mad at the guests who bought them before you, thus not having any for us to give to you. And get mad at yourself for not getting it soon enough.
The only freebies are napkins. There's no half-off-or-free-food-because-the-park-is-closed sale. There's no buy one get one free.
We don't accept tips. We'd like to, but we don't.
General Stuff:
A Disney vacation is essentially one big indulgence. Stop complaining about the heavy prices. You wanted to come down here and spend your money, don't be cheap now. Don't complain when you're at the Grand Floridian and they charge you $6 for a cup of coffee. If you can afford to stay at the Grand Floridian, you damn well better be able to afford to pay that much for a small cup of coffee.
Escapay
Hey guys, I was talking about this with a fellow castmember, and we came up with some more advice. I'm not gonna bother separating it into Park/Attractions/F&B, just list them as I go...
If it ever rains during your visit to the park, DON'T PANIC. Usually it'll last 20 minutes or less, then stop, and start up again an hour or two later for a shorter amount of time. Rain drives guests away, so be one of the smart ones and pack a poncho, umbrella, extra clothes, and most importantly: STAY IN THE PARK. We stay open in rain, unless of course, the rain turns into a hurricane and it starts blowing guests away a la nannies in Mary Poppins. Guests leave, expecting the rain to last, which means there are less guests in line and less guests on the streets which means more elbow room and shorter waits.
If you can't find a map, simply ask a custodian or simply go to any merchandising kiosk or shop. They are not "souvenir" or "gift" shops, though the merchandise can be given as gifts. Every merchandising shop offers the helpful "Package Pickup", where essentially, if you buy too much at one shop and don't want to carry it through the park, you can arrange to either
-Have it ready for you at Main Street's Package Pick-Up (next to City Hall), and you can collect it at the end of the night
-Have it sent to your hotel room (for a fee, and you must be a guest of certain Disney resorts)
-Have it mailed home to you (pay for shipping and I'm guessing a small fee).
Our popcorn and ice cream wagons are strategically placed, so you don't need to look far for certain things. However, I might as well tell you now, these are the only places for the following:
Funnel Cakes (aka fried dough): Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Liberty Square. If you're in the hub and cross the bridge to LS, it's to your direct right and next to Hall of Presidents.
Pretzels: A stand in Fantasyland next to the Popcorn Stand (across from Winnie the Pooh, near Scuttle's Landing and Dumbo).
Pretzels: A stand in Frontierland next to the Turkey Legs, across from Frontier Mercantle.
Churros: At the Frontierland pretzel wagon.
Turkey Legs: The Frontierland wagon and in Tomorrowland at "The Lunching Pad", right below Astro Orbiter and TTA.
Frozen Bananas: The Adventureland and Fantasyland Nut Wagons, the beverage stand on Main Street (to your left when coming from Main Street).
If you have only a $50 and you want a small $1.25 water, don't fret. We can break large bills, but please don't give us large bills immediately upon seeing that we're open. The last thing we need is a lot of large bills at the beginning of the day.
We only accept US Travelers Cheques. If you have any foreign travelers cheques, you can get them exchanged at City Hall (to your left upon entering the park.
Good Places to watch "Wishes: (clockwise)
-Adventureland: don't bother
-Frontierland: don't bother
-Liberty Square: though an askewed view, try the area around the Liberty Bell
-Fantasyland: my favorite, in the triangled area between Snow White, the Carousel, and Dumbo. Also, while you don't get to see the "frontside" fireworks (the ones that shoot from behind the castle), another good area is the rest spot in front of Winnie The Pooh. All those benches and plants? That used to be 20,000 Leagues under the sea. But it gives a GREAT view of the "backside" fireworks (the ones that shoot from beyond Fantasyland).
-Toontown: don't bother
Tomorrowland: Either on the bridge from Tomorrowland to the hub, or around the TTA, close to the popcorn stand
-Main Street/Hub: I'd like to say "don't bother", but the view is nice, if you don't mind having no room at all and taking 40 minutes to walk to the monorail afterward. The hub gives the "largest" view, and the Train Station gives the "farthest" view.
If you see a sign that says "Cast Members Only Beyond This Point" or anything similar, please pay heed and do not go backstage, it'll ruin the magic.
Parents...when you have children, and they want popcorn...for the love of all that is Disney, please stop telling them "TELL THE MAN/WOMAN WHAT YOU WANT! TELL HIM/HER WHAT YOU WANT!". They want their food. Please, order for them. Do you know how quiet your children are when they are told by their parents to speak to a STRANGER? It's nice when you have them give us the money (make them feel all responsible), but please...it holds up the line if/when you practically yell at them "TELL HIM/HER YOU WANT POPCORN!".
Back to holding up the line, I really want to re-iterate "KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE FRONT". Today I had the fortunate time to have NO LINE for five minutes, until a mother and her children come up. Normally, I see that they're busy, so I let them contemplate what to buy, even striking up conversation with another couple to the side (waiting for their kids to get off Big Thunder Mountain). I see that the family is still deciding, and I let them talk a bit more. The couple leave when their kids get off the ride, so I focus back on the family. Lo and behold, the family is still at the front wondering what to get, and there is now a line of impatient people behind them, money in hand, knowing what they want to order. The family finally tells me "Okay, we want this, and this and this..." and I'm ALMOST done, when suddenly the mother yells out to her husband "HEY! Do you want anything???" And it takes five minutes of them yelling and not understand before we find out...he doesn't want anything. So...what could have been done in less than 3 minutes...took over twenty.
When ordering water, just a little cheap thing to point out, but the $1.25 water is 12 oz, and the $2.00 is 24 oz. Or you could save all your money and use the drinking fountains, but I don't recommend that because Florida water tastes funny to me. Bring in water from the outside.
We don't honor the "FREE 1-LITER OF COKE" bottle caps because quite simply, the soda we sell isn't 1-liter, it's 20 oz.
Adding to the do/don't go when:
Do go:
-First half of May
Don't go:
-Last half of June
And once again, just because we look a certain race, doesn't mean we speak the language fluently. There are special tags that castmembers wear that show if they speak a language (they're below the nametag and show the flag and language).
About the Park:
First off, the park with Main Street, Tomorrowland, Mickey's Toontown Fair, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland is known as MAGIC KINGDOM. This is the park with all the rides and with It's A Small World. Magic Kingdom. Let's all say it now: MAGIC KINGDOM. "Walt Disney World" and "Disney World" refers to the whole property. You know, the other parks, the hotels, the shops, and all the unused area for future parks and hotels and shops. The castle is Cinderella's Castle. The nighttime parade is no longer "The Main Street Electrical Parade", but "Spectromagic". It's not "Peoplemover" anymore, but "Tomorrowland Transit Authority".
Get a map, memorize it, and keep it close to your heart. That way you can just look at it so you don't have the unfortunate experience of standing outside Haunted Mansion and asking the somber looking fellow "Where's Haunted Mansion?" only to have him stare at you and point.
Do not come here during the following times:
-Week before, week of, and week after Easter
-Week before, week of, and week after Fourth of July
-August
-Week before, week of, and week after Christmas
DO come here during the following times:
-Last week of January
-First two weeks of February
-Mid-September to Mid-November
Please do not get mad at us when it rains. We can't control the weather though we sometimes try. And remember, unless it's a hurricane that's blowing things away, the rides all stay open.
Please do not get mad when the nighttime parade (or nighttime fireworks) is over and there's a huge-ass crowd on Main Street. That's the popular place for everyone to gather during the parade and fireworks, so it'll be the most crowded after them as well. You chose to stand among 50,000 people anyway.
Please do not get mad when anything is canceled. Crap happens. Even we have off days.
Extra Magic Hours is when the park is still open to anyone staying on a hotel on Disney Property. You need a special wristband, and if you don't have it, save yourself the embarrassment and just leave when the park closes at the regular time.
Fences are there for a reason. Don't cross or climb over them. Same with ropes and any kind of thing resembling a border that keeps you away from something.
There's only one way in and one way out of the park and that's through Main Street. Don't ask us for another way out.
About Rides:
Please do not get mad at us when a ride breaks down. Things happen that's out of our hands, and believe us, we get mad when it breaks down too cause we're the ones who have to put up with you yelling and booing at us. And sometimes the ride stops/breaks down because of one of you. They don't tell you to remain seated with all appendages in your vehicle just cause they like to hear the sound of their voice.
Every ride has a rehab once a year. If a particular ride you want to go on is under rehab when you're here...we're sorry. We can't open it up just for you, we can't promise it'll be ready before you leave. Schedule around it next time.
If you see a wait time of "90 minutes" and you wait in that line and complain once you reach the ride that the wait is too long...it was your decision to wait in the line. Fastpass is there for a reason.
Regarding fastpass, here's how it works:
-Each person puts their own ticket into the Fastpass machine (usually near the ride entrance). Don't have Dad put in his five times for you all, he'd have to put all five tickets in one at a time.
-The machine will read the ticket, and give you a fastpass saying when you can come back (ex. 11:30-12:30 and anytime afterwards)
-You CANNOT get another fastpass until the other one's time is up, or until it says on the fastpass itself.
-Do not stick your ticket in again and try and pass off the "Not a Valid Pass" as a legitimate fastpass.
-Remember, one fastpass per ticket per ride. If people were having multiples...well, that would screw things up even more.
If a castmember tells you where to go, GO THERE. If a castmember tells you where not to go, DO NOT GO THERE. Do not move until they tell you to. Do not switch with someone else. Do not bother asking "Can't we sit there?".
Move all the way down the row unless you want us to yell at you to move all the way down the row. The view is essentially the same. If you want the middle of the row, then for god's sake, don't be the first to get into the row! WAIT!
Don't sneak into the Fastpass line then lie when they ask for your fastpass. If you don't have one, get one or get out of the line and go somewhere else!
About any food/beverage wagons (my department):
Please do not get mad if it's a 110 degree day and you go up to a wagon and ask for bottled water and we don't have any. It's a hot day, there are probably 50,000 people in the park, and we only have so many wagons. Plus, there are plenty of drinking fountains and other places that sell water. If you all weren't rushing to buy so much, we probably wouldn't run out.
Yes, we accept cash, credit, debit, room charge, and the newfangled Dining Plan. Do not ask if we accept the Dining Plan. We wouldn't offer the Dining Plan if we didn't accept it.
When you have the Dining Plan, we can put it all on one card. So if one family of five each want a popcorn and a soda, we can put all ten on one card. We don't need each family member coming up with their own card to get one popcorn and one soda.
When paying for whatever you're buying, PLEASE do not throw crumpled bills or anything folded more than 3 times. It's a pain to unfold and uncrumple. Please also have the bills facing the same direction and in numerical order.
Look, but don't touch until you pay for it. Grabby people irritate us. You're doing the labor we're paid to do. If you see a drink cart next to a popcorn wagon, DO NOT just open it up and self-serve, then throw money at us. You're taking away our job, let us get the drink and give it to you.
Don't go up to our ice cream wagons and start opening them to look inside. We've got the visual menu for you, so just point or say what you want.
Not all of us speak Spanish just because we look Spanish. And "Muy poco" essentially means "I took 4 years in high school".
Please stop asking for "the coldest (soda/water/powerade/lemonade)". They're all in the same cooler, they're all stacked with mounds of ice, and it hurts to get a cold one from the bottom. If you want the coldest, get a fountain drink where they can give you 3/4 ice and 1/4 drink.
Sometimes you'll catch us when they're reloading our drinks, so they'll be a little warm. Don't complain. They'll end up being warm when they go down your esophagus and into your stomach.
If you see us just get to our wagon with a large cart and we're opening things and putting things out and essentially keeping to ourselves, WE ARE NOT OPEN YET. Do not come up and ask if we are open. Do not stand there irritated and staring at your watch every five seconds like we're delaying you. We're open when everything's set up and you can hear the popcorn popping and the nuts roasting.
If you see us at our wagon with a large cart and we're closing things and putting things away and essentially keeping to ourselves, WE ARE CLOSED. Don't ask us for "just one thing", cause then you'll attract a line. All the carts on Main Street stay open until closing, so if you need that fix of popcorn, go to Main Street.
If you see us at our wagon and there's nothing but us, the wagon, and a bag of towels, and you see us holding a towel and rubbing it against any surface, that means we're cleaning it. That means we're closed. That means there's nothing we're gonna sell to you. We're not gonna stop cleaning just so we can make you a batch of popcorn then start cleaning again. There are no hidden sodas or batches of popcorn or boxes of ice cream. Again, I stress that you go to Main Street.
When we yell "Excuse us, folks! Pardon us, Please! HEAVY DRINK WAGON COMING THROUGH! WATCH YOUR TOES!", please do not just stand and stare. Move out of the way, and do not try and cross between the guy/girl pushing a cart with ice cream and the two people behind him/her pushing a large cart with drinks. Do not complain when we have to cut in front of you to get to where we are going. It's a 20 second delay, what's to complain about?
We can't give you ice. It's a health hazard, so don't ask. You can get ice from the ones that serve fountain drinks, but not from anyone who has to stick their dirty sweaty hand into the wagon to pull out the bottled sodas and waters. The ice is contaminated, so don't touch it, don't stick it in your mouth, don't try and steal it when we're not looking.
We don't refill the souvenir buckets. Don't ask for a refill unless your kid decides to throw it all on the ground and feed the birds. And don't make your kid do that so you can get a free refill. We can't have you pay for another bucket but have us fill the same one. Either buy a new bucket, or buy a box to pour in the bucket and throw the box away (or frame it as one guest said she would).
We can't give out extra buckets or popcorn boxes. We'll give you nice little cups, but that's it.
Don't come up empty handed and say "I dropped my popcorn and my Dad threw it away, so can you give me a new one?". We need evidence that you dropped it. Evidence being: we saw it, another castmember saw it, or a guest saw it and can vouch for you.
Ice cream melts. Eat it quickly.
If you get an ice cream from us and it's melted, don't get mad. We can replace it. The reason it's melting is because so many of you want ice cream so we keep opening the damn freezer and not giving it enough cold-time, essentially.
Don't take 100 napkins when you only need 2 or 3. We gotta keep that think full all the time we don't like seeing you take 100, using 3, then throw the rest away, right in front of our eyes.
The display bottles are for display purposes only. We can't give them to you if you want a warm water or a warm soda. Why would anyone want a warm soda anyway?
The little waters do not come with the Mickey straw. That's separate, you gotta pay for it.
When you get to the front of the line for ordering food, know what you want. Don't stand there for five minutes then ask your kids, "Hey, what do you guys want?". What could've been done in the two minutes waiting in line takes ten minutes because people are so indecisive.
We're trained to know what's kosher and what's not, please don't doubt our word when you ask and we answer.
If we tell you we don't have something (either because we don't carry it or because we ran out because people like you keep buying it), then WE DON'T HAVE IT. Don't think we're stashing some away for guests we like more than you. Sometimes we won't have things for up to an hour before they come and bring it to us. Go to other wagons and see if they have it. Don't get mad at us, get mad at the guests who bought them before you, thus not having any for us to give to you. And get mad at yourself for not getting it soon enough.
The only freebies are napkins. There's no half-off-or-free-food-because-the-park-is-closed sale. There's no buy one get one free.
We don't accept tips. We'd like to, but we don't.
General Stuff:
A Disney vacation is essentially one big indulgence. Stop complaining about the heavy prices. You wanted to come down here and spend your money, don't be cheap now. Don't complain when you're at the Grand Floridian and they charge you $6 for a cup of coffee. If you can afford to stay at the Grand Floridian, you damn well better be able to afford to pay that much for a small cup of coffee.
Escapay
Besides how are they stupid!