Guests Shocked as Disney Cast Members Fight In Front of Them

Being a Disney cast member might be a dream job for a lot of people, but it is not a secret that it is not easy work. Cast members work incredibly hard every single day to make sure that guests who visit Disney theme parks have a magical time and create memories that will last a lifetime.

On top of that, guest behavior seems to have dropped to an all-time low, putting cast members in the unenviable position of having to deal with drunk, entitled, or downright rude guests who seem determined to make everyone miserable.

Related: Enraged Guest Makes Sure Entitled Mom Is Kicked Off Popular Attraction

Many times, when a guest takes to social media to vent about an unpleasant or disappointing experience they had while at Disney, they are typically complaining about the behavior of other guests.

However, one guest’s recent shocking experience happened at the hands of two Disney cast members.

Reddit user osufeth24 said that they were visiting Walt Disney World Resort and went to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival and decided to stop at one of the food booths and purchase one of the specialty dishes. While they were waiting to order, two cast members got into a verbal altercation in front of them over a debate about giving away free food.

According to the OP (Original Poster), a cast member entered the food booth looking to get some ice cream for a young guest who was “screaming bloody murder.” The guest did not know why the child was having a meltdown, but the cast member wanted to make some magic and give the child a small treat.

The OP was shocked when the other cast member said “no,” and the two actually started bickering.

Here is what OP had to say:

I’ve been local to Orlando since 2019 and been an AP since. This year I decided I’m going to let my ap lapse when it expires as I just haven’t enjoyed going as I used to. Some Disney’s fault some not (guest behavior for example).

Today I saw a good example of what I assume is management making it hard for cms to deliver any magic. Was at Epcot checking out F&G, was at swirled showcase to get the nitro honey cheesecake. I ordered and was just waiting to get it. Somewhere nearby a kid was just screaming bloody murder. Don’t know if the kid hurt something or what they were upset with. As I was waiting there a cm that was originally at the cash register came over and asked the staff inside if they could just get a tiny cup of ice cream to help the kid out. The cm inside got into argument with the cm asking saying no we don’t do that and they don’t give out samples. The cm asking was kind of dumbstruck. They kept arguing back and forth and the cm inside finally gave a small amount and basically tossed the cup at the other cm and gave a whole lot of attitude.

Was just shocked all that was happening right in the middle of the line and guests everywhere. I’m guessing mgmt told them they can’t give out free stuff, but that type of stuff is what always made Disney so great. I almost offered to just buy the damn thing because I felt it was so ridiculous there was an argument over giving away basically two bites of ice cream. Just felt like an example of management wanting to penny pinch and hamstringing the CMs.

First experience with the "magic" being gone.
byu/osufeth24 inWaltDisneyWorld

Related: “Entitled” Guest Throws Tantrum After Cast Member Refuses to Break Disneyland Single Rider Line Rules

Guests were shocked that cast members would argue in front of guests over something as small as a cup of ice cream, but many also recounted times that they had dealt with rude cast members who worked at the food booths during festivals.

Then, one person noted that cast members who work at the food booths are not always actual Disney employees. Because Disney needs so many extra people to work at the booths, they will hire outside companies to bring workers in.

Italy and Mexico food staff are outsourced and the companies running the food(booths and restaurants) are not Disney CMs.

Many people in the comments agreed that, while the cast members might not have been actual Disney employees, they still needed to be trained more and reprimanded for fighting in front of the guests.

Cast members have long been able to “pixie dust” guests, which means that they go out of their way to create a magical moment. Whether that be a free cup of ice cream, a replacement MagicBand for a broken one, complimentary access to the Lightning Lane, or even just a special sticker or button, many cast members love making guests smile.

Commenters were disappointed that a possible memory-making moment was ruined because one cast member did not want to give out a small cup of ice cream.

Do you think the cast member should have denied the other cast member a free cup of ice cream for a child? Have you ever seen Disney cast members argue in front of guests or behave in otherwise inappropriate ways? Share your experience with us in the comments!