As a cast member in the Magic Kingdom in the summer of 2013, I witnessed some extremely foolish behaviors by some guests. While some of their actions were just an inconvenience, others were outwardly dangerous. I’ve heard stories of guests climbing out of the moving attractions putting themselves in danger, and even worse, incidents where guests put others in danger. Not only are these actions incredibly stupid, but they also slow down the entire attraction for everyone else waiting in line.
Besides the unintelligent guests who put themselves and others in danger, there were also aggressive guests. Aggressive both mentally and physically. As a cast member, I was yelled at a few times by cranky guests, but I got away lucky. I saw cast members pushed and even threatened by guests. Disney needs a way to discourage this behavior from even happening. So, what is Disney to do with guests that stop the Disney parks from being the happiest place on earth? They can’t put a dunce cap on bad guests, but doing nothing also doesn’t seem to be working either. It is a tricky situation. So, instead of punishing bad guests, what if Disney rewarded good ones? There are plenty of really great guests at Walt Disney World and Disneyland; in fact, most guests are great. They make the lives of the cast members and the other guests so much better. Disney should reward and encourage this behavior. A lot of Disney veterans who treat Disney cast members with respect could really take advantage of this.
Imagine if after your vacation was over, you got a discount on your next visit, or even something as small as a free Mickey Balloon on your family’s last day for being a good guest at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Disney already rewards good guests behavior with Magical Moments and No Strings Attached Cards, but most guests are oblivious to this. Disney needs a system where it is overtly known to all guests that good behavior is rewarded. Guests witnessing other guests receiving benefits for behaving themselves might promote a positive environment in which being a temperate and happy guest is promoted. Maybe by promoting guests to be calmer and well-behaved, there might be a decrease in the berating that happens everyday to cast members in the parks. It might also promote guests to act orderly when riding the attractions.
There are times when guests commit crimes, or actions that requires Disney to kick them out of the park, and I think everyone can agree on that. With that said, there are plenty of guests who skirt the line and get to proceed with their vacation with very little consequences. There are nasty guests who know that as long as they don’t get themselves kicked out of the park, then they are free to do whatever they want with very little consequences. I thought long and hard about how those guests should be punished, but at the end of the day. the Disney Parks are supposed to be the happiest place on earth, and I believe a reward system might work just as well as, or even better than, a punishment system. The implementation of rewarding good guests may be difficult, and I’m not sure logistically how the system would work, but I believe a reward system could make the Disney Parks an even happier place for guests and cast members alike.
