And yet it still seems like one or two folk around here are just dying to ask if it is still OK to touch the ugly ones…
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If I were in her situation, I’d be tempted to accept the keys then hurl them into the water at Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Or just send the keys off to the where the creeps are staying, and with a very special note instructing that the keys be handed over to the room’s female occupants.
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But then you’re messing up both the desk clerk’s and the ride maintenance engineer’s day. 
Better off just sending the keys along.
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Unfortunately I didn’t detail my visceral feeling about that Gaston’s reaction so it would be easy to interpret it as me as advocating against respecting character actors. My apologies for being unclear.
To clarify, he broke character because his chest was touched and then used a “think of the children” argument. Even his argument was not about his own personal boundaries.
There is one video of Gaston accidentally getting slapped during an arm wresting challenge and he calmly and instantly disengages and greets the next guests. He does a great job of resetting boundaries without calling attention to the event.
But this thread is not about in-character handling of rude guests. We’ll never see an end of rude humans, so it’s good thread fodder. Over and out.
These cast members’ entire job description is about creating an atmosphere of magic and wonder for the children who love the characters and movies. Each day thousands of children at those meet-and-greets believe they are literally meeting the actual Tinkerbell and Gaston and Minnie Mouse and Snow White and Winnie the Pooh.
So it’s hardly a surprise that such a performer would take extra offense when a guest doesn’t even have the self awareness or restraint to consider that sexually assaulting a fantasy character in front of the children they are meant to entertain would be such a big no-no.
The chest-grabber in that video didn’t even seem to realize why what she did was wrong. Gaston obviously didn’t have time or inclination to get into detail, but “there are children here!” should have been a big enough reason on its own.
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Sounds like an invitation to get robbed to me.
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Just a reminder that by UK law royalties for Peter Pan are supposed to go to The Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, though Disney mainly sleazes out of this through technicalities.
For anyone trying to get the Disney image of any of the PP characters out of their heads, I recommend this:
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I would like to see Disney take a stronger public position on this. I do believe they fully support their cast members - they absolutely empower character handlers to intervene all the way up to park removal when boundaries and instructions are being violated.
I get why they would want these micro (and not so micro) aggressions to be handled discreetly and “bsckstage”, but clearly the effect is performers are feeling unsupported and whatever they’re doing isn’t a strong deterrent because it’s not publicized or emphasized.
As for punishments …
Being banned from Disney isn’t losing your livelihood or being banished from the colony.
Going there is a privilege, not a right.
If you can’t respect people’s boundaries, FOH.
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You should ask her about times she got hit on.
I bet her few tales are wild.
What does being married have to do with having kids?
I wonder what the proportions are between couples with kids vs couples without kids who visit The Happiest Place(s) on Earth? I would assume a couple had brought children, whether they’re married or not.
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I wouldn’t assume that these days. A lot of child-free adult couples (and singles) go to the Disney parks now, some on a regular basis. I’d put their proportion at at least a third and growing on any given day, especially off-peak ones.
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I don’t remember seeing a lot of child-free adults in line for the meet-and-greet with Tinkerbell though. The creeps described by the woman in this story do seem to have been accompanied by their children if not their spouses.
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Yes, the meet-and-greets and character breakfasts are more kid-heavy than the park in general or the kiddie rides (adults without kids love “Mr. Toad”).
Last time I was in Disneyland, though, my equally middle-aged single buddy insisted that we visit Mickey in ToonTown. At first, I couldn’t see the point of doing this as an adult but it turned out to be yet another fun experience. The Imagineers did a great job on Mickey’s house/silent-movie studio and everyone had a sense of humour about two olds posing for the photo op with the Maus). I can see more childless adults discovering this gem.
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Did you miss the word “presumably”?
While I have no doubt there are many married couples with no kids enjoying a Disney park, and engaging with characters, I think it is safe to say the majority of them also have their kids with them.
But we don’t know in the specific example if that was the case - hence “presumably”.
Oooh, now I’m picturing a complex web of Disney characters handing off the key and radioing locations of the family throughout the park to allow the “infiltration” team to enter the room and steal the man’s belongings (just his) and maybe pee on his toothbrush. Yes.
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Now there’s a heist caper movie – pitch it quick.
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It would be great, too, because what would the guy be able to do? Imagine him saying, “it must be Tinkerbell! I gave her my room key and told her where it was.” Heist + family drama.
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