BE OUR GUEST: The Secret Code Disney Theme Park Staff Use to Describe the Rudest Visitors – So Have YOU Been Called It?

Disney has implemented a strict set of standards for employees that restricts their use of negative language in front of guests. This may seem strange, but little Sally’s summer vacation might be remembered for the wrong reasons if she happened to overhear Cinderella cursing like a sailor. A very natural response to this limitation has been the introduction and use of colorful colloquialisms by Disney staff.

Difficult guests that are causing a disruption or being extra rude are labeled as “treasured guests”. Rather than say “vomit” or “puke” when a guest tosses their cookies in the park, employees refer to the incident as a “protein spill”. While these descriptors are amusing, perhaps the oddest of the bunch is the “white powder alert”. This call goes out on staff radios when a guest spreads the ashes of a deceased loved one from a ride or a special place at the park. The sentimental nature of the park apparently lends itself to these activities, as there are multiple instances each year where guests successfully spread the ashes of a decedent. In these instances, the “white powder alert” goes out, the ride is stopped, and a smiling Disney staff member is sent to clean up the remains.

See Caroline McGuire, BE OUR GUEST: The Secret Code Disney Theme Park Staff Use to Describe the Rudest Visitors – So Have YOU Been Called It?, The Sun, September 7, 2017.