Back in Blogland after the Christmas holidays, but before I get back to the topics I had planned for the New Year, I did want to share with you some impressions and intercultural lessons learnt from our 3-day trip to Disneyland Paris.
I should admit that I have not been to Disneyland in the US, so I could make no comparisons regarding customer service levels (which is the most notable difference that people comment on). But I have been to some theme parks across Europe (Germany, Denmark, France, UK) and, by the looks of it, I will be going to many more before my boys tire of them.
So the comments I am going to make have more to do with the Disneyfication of the world and with the challenges of working in an international environment, rather than complaining about the long queues.
First, we played a great game in the parking lot, competing to see who could spot the most different foreign licence plates in a minute, or the car which had travelled furthest etc. Disneyland Paris is a major European attraction, and we found cars from (roughly in this order): France, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain. Not a scientific survey, of course, as so many other visitors come there by plane or train, but this was roughly borne out by the languages we heard most frequently within the Parks. One language we did hear quite a bit, but which was not represented by cars, was Russian. And we did hear both Greek and Romanian a couple of times, which always keeps this family happy.
Judging by the accents and language skills of many of the employees (or 'cast members', as they are known throughout Disney Corporation), they too represent a mix of nationalities. Like their American counterparts, they are recruited for their bubbly, outgoing personalities and have to undergo extensive training to 'keep the magic alive'. Unlike their American counterparts, they are also recruited for language skills. Almost everyone speaks at least English and French, but it was quite impressive to see how quickly they could find someone to speak Spanish or Croatian when a family of that origin turned up at the exit instead of entrance of an attraction.
Also unlike the American cast members, or indeed the employees of most other theme parks which close in winter, the aim here has been to have permanent or long-term employees rather than seasonal or casual workers. This has its pros and cons. You could argue that people can learn to do their job much more efficiently (although they are still regularly rotated between attractions and roles). But there is the danger of becoming a little jaded, a little too eager to find short cuts. Perhaps there is only so much Disney music or fooling around with Pluto that a person can take without the mask of happiness slipping a little. Some people were only too glad that a mechanical fault would force an attraction to close early and made no effort to get it back in working order again with only 30 minutes left to go. Some animators had a distinctly grumpy tone of voice and sounded bored through endless repetition as they welcomed us to a specific attraction or told us to stand back for the parade. And I did see at least one or two giving Goofy or Jack Sparrow a bit of push when they came up to joke with them.
But I did also see moments of spontaneity and great kindness, where cast members managed to interact perfectly with children, where their patter did not sound over-rehearsed, where they made exceptions for complicated family arrangements. Yes, that might have made them slightly less efficient, but also much more human and magical. And I will never forget the conversation I overheard at one of the rollercoaster rides.
'Who can tell me what the capital of Suriname is?'
'Why do you need to know?'
'Just curiosity, it's been bugging me all morning.'
By the time we had come round again (and, with incredible luck, there was an empty spot and we got to go a second time), they had obviously found out the answer (Paramaribo) and moved on to other obscure capital cities. A silly game, perhaps, but indicative of the international outlook (and knowledge) of the staff.
However, the lasting impression was one that saddened me. Namely, that when things get stressful (long queues, people pushing ahead of you, lots of noise, no place to sit for lunch, someone mishearing what you order, someone telling you that you are not allowed to go through that barrier, children misbehaving), people will revert to blaming national stereotypes.
'Typical French!... It's always the English who... These Dutch are... Trust that German to...'
I wonder if this is how discussions go when they meet to discuss the future of the Eurozone. After all, they do meet under stressful circumstances.
