To the CM's on the board: what is the one "tip" you can give us?

[Raevyn_Wolfe]

I'm so glad to know that some CMs don't mind this!! We took the KTTK tour on our Disney wedding/honeymoon trip and asked our tour guide if we could take a picture with him at the end of our tour. We wanted the memory of our honeymoon trip, it was right before they changed their costumes, and he was a WONDERFUL guide! He seemed a little reluctant, so I felt bad the rest of our trip because I hoped he wasn't just complying to please a guest. We've never asked another CM since then because we didn't want them to feel obligated. I hope he was ok with it because we got a GREAT picture out of it that I have in my office even now, 4 years later!!

Well, I can't speak for your CM, but I do want to comment that any reluctance almost always tends to be more of a "what, they want a picure/autograph of little ol' me? Really? I'm not a character or a performer, but they think I am special?" It's much more a humbleness and in awe reaction. Maybe the other CM can relate, but any time I got asked for a pic (never got the autograph quesion, and only a couple times a pic) I was hit with a little bit of "shock", so any stuttered "ok", or "really?" was definitely because I was just in awed surprise that I was thought "worthy" of a picture. But you better believe that all throught the rest of the day I was smiling, and for much longer after, anytime it popped and still pops in my head.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Well, I can't speak for your CM, but I do want to comment that any reluctance almost always tends to be more of a "what, they want a picure/autograph of little ol' me? Really? I'm not a character or a performer, but they think I am special?" It's much more a humbleness and in awe reaction. Maybe the other CM can relate, but any time I got asked for a pic (never got the autograph quesion, and only a couple times a pic) I was hit with a little bit of "shock", so any stuttered "ok", or "really?" was definitely because I was just in awed surprise that I was thought "worthy" of a picture. But you better believe that all throught the rest of the day I was smiling, and for much longer after, anytime it popped and still pops in my head.

Thanks for that! I felt so awful that I made him uncomfortable, but maybe he was just taken off guard.

 

[jeankeri]

Don't know if this has been posted (have read lots- not all of this thread)-
On crowded, rainy, HOT days in the MK (and especially during parades)- cut through the gift shops instead of walking down Main Street. They are all connected. My boys are old enough they know to make their way to the end and regroup there. Much quicker than attempting Main St. Same tip holds true for the Studios.

 

[tehSAC]

Quoting a lyric from my favorite band. "I've never seen a hearse with a luggage rack" I live by this and intend to have a good time when on property. I haven been since 2000 so I'm going to live it up for my little girl

Love all the tips and story's so far.

 

[davebon23]

Bump.

This is a great thread. Thanks for all of the good advice and stories. Keep them coming

 

[P13]

Love all these tips!

 

[1girln3boys]

Our 2 DS's started pin trading 3 trips ago and this past trip (last week), they really were into it, which doesn't bother us at all. They are very polite when asking the CM's and they always get a great response back. We went to BNC to have the kitchen sink, we put our name in (45 minute wait) and then decided to go over to the gift shop at BCV. The boys looked at the pins and then asked the CM, at the register by the clothes, if they could look at her pins (of course she said absolutely). My oldest said to her: "you don't have what I'm looking for". She asked him what he was looking for. He told her and then she said: "wait her a minute". We were all wondering why, but waited. She came out of the back room with a big board of pins. She then pointed out the one he wanted. He smiled from ear to ear. He was taking off one of his pins to trade, when she said: "keep your pin". She then took it off the board and gave it to him. We couldn't believe it. It was one of those magical moments. I wish I could remember her name. Something so small, made his day. By the way, we finished the kitchen sink!

We took our first trip to WDW this June. My daughter bought some pins for herself. No interest in trading just ones she liked and wanted to keep. Well she didn't know that the backs weren't that great and she lost 2. One Japan one and one Great Britian one(I think that was the other one she lost). Anyway she loves all things Japan. She wasn't very upset when she lost the GB one but when she discovered she lost the Japan one she got really upset. She's 15 so she handled it well but just started sulking. My husband took her to the store after lunch to buy her a new one. He explained to the CM what happened and how upset our DD was. She reached into her pocket and pulled out hers and said "Here she can have mine". Really made all of our day.

 

[shdwstrm]

Love all of the tips in the thread!!! I'm going in Sept with a friend. We've both decided that we're going to relax and just have a good time. There's certain rides we would like to do and such, but we're not going to do everything.

I've worked in retail for 12 years now and I always try to be as polite as possible to everyone... even the people that are driving me up the wall.

To all of the CM's that have posted on here.. THANK YOU for all you do!!! ^_^

I'm getting super excited for my trip!!!! It's kind of a b-day celebration for my friend and myself. We're going from Sept 2-9. Her B-Day is Aug 27th and mine is Sept 10th. Kind of wish I was going to be at DW on my actual b-day (I woud have LOVED a button ^_^)

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Love all of the tips in the thread!!! I'm going in Sept with a friend. We've both decided that we're going to relax and just have a good time. There's certain rides we would like to do and such, but we're not going to do everything.

I've worked in retail for 12 years now and I always try to be as polite as possible to everyone... even the people that are driving me up the wall.

To all of the CM's that have posted on here.. THANK YOU for all you do!!! ^_^

I'm getting super excited for my trip!!!! It's kind of a b-day celebration for my friend and myself. We're going from Sept 2-9. Her B-Day is Aug 27th and mine is Sept 10th. Kind of wish I was going to be at DW on my actual b-day (I woud have LOVED a button ^_^)

I'm pretty sure that if you comment that your birthday is in the same week as your visit, they will give you a button...

My daughter (8) shares the same birthday as you (she was born Sept. 10, 2002) and when we were there in 2008 she wore her button for several days, not only on the exact date.

Have a wonderful trip!!

Regards,

 

[beldred]

Love all of the tips in the thread!!! I'm going in Sept with a friend. We've both decided that we're going to relax and just have a good time. There's certain rides we would like to do and such, but we're not going to do everything.

I've worked in retail for 12 years now and I always try to be as polite as possible to everyone... even the people that are driving me up the wall.

To all of the CM's that have posted on here.. THANK YOU for all you do!!! ^_^

I'm getting super excited for my trip!!!! It's kind of a b-day celebration for my friend and myself. We're going from Sept 2-9. Her B-Day is Aug 27th and mine is Sept 10th. Kind of wish I was going to be at DW on my actual b-day (I woud have LOVED a button ^_^)

Go ahead and get birthday buttons for both of you!

We took a trip back in 2009 and it fell right between 2 of my nieces birthdays (one about a week before, one 2 weeks after) and the trip was partly a celebration for them. We did the boutique as a present for them while we were there. We told the check in CM about their birthdays and they both got birthday buttons which they proudly wore all week long.

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

Bump!

 

[Julie521]

double bump! would love to hear more

 

[JerseyGirl]

great thread!

 

[princessesrule]

I love how this thread just keeps going! We try to go to WDW every 2 years. I always come back to dis about 8 months before when I start planning. I love the tips and always learn something new or am reminded of something. I have a few tips.

1- take time to write down all your magical memories! I always think I will remember, and now I can't. I know there have been many! I always come out of my shell at WDW and start talking to everyone! LOL! I have meet some great people. The one magic memory I have was during the Dream promotion. I remember planning my trip and hoping we would get something. Well, I was waiting with DD4 while everyone else rode EE, as they exited, the Dream Team was there and our whole family got Dream FP. We only used the passes for a few rides and then passed on the ones we didn't use to a family who looked depressed by the wait times.

2- We love EMH during the evening at MK especially when they are open until 3am. We do to one park during the day, then go to MK for the night. We schedule another MK day after the EMH. We are able to do all the rides we want as many times as we want and then we go back to MK we can just do our musts again and stroll around the park.

I love WDW CMs! They are always good for a smile!

 

[keltic]

Phew!!!!! Finally finished reading this thread!! Took a few days, but it was so worth it. It is heartwarming to see the love and caring that abides in WDW.

I am not a CM, but I wanted to re-post an experience we had with a CM that made a lasting impression on our family:

My friend, who is a member of the DVC, invited my very pregnant self, my hubby and my daughter (then 8) for a week at WDW. She hooked us!

Anyway, one day in the DHS (then MGM-Studios), I was taking a break and sitting down with my friend while my husband took my daughter to the 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure'. I had just gotten too hot and needed a shaded break and some water. A few minutes later, they came over to us and I could see the red, teary eyes and heard her trying to calm her sobs. I asked what happened, thinking that she might have fallen and hurt herself. She began to cry hysterically trying to explain. After a few minutes, I figured it out. She had made a purchase of Miss Piggy earrings (dressed like Marilyn Monroe). Instead of zipping them up in her fanny pack (like we suggested), she put her change purse (which had less than 10 pennies in it at that point) in the plastic bag with the earrings and hung it on the belt of her fanny pack. Well, sure enough, while playing in the playground, it tore off. She couldn't find it. She was so upset.

I asked her if she remembered where she had it last and if she could go back to look again. She just couldn't think at all, she was so upset. So, I told her to ask the Cast Member that was in the doorway if anyone had found it and given it to them. My hubby went back with her.

Next thing I see, she is now running towards me, smiling from ear to ear. I thought someone had actually found them and turned them in. No. The Cast Member had given her a certificate to go back to the store where she had bought the earrings and get another pair just like them, free of charge! I nearly cried myself.

Whoever you are, or if you have done the same thing for any other child, thank you so much. It is just those things that really make Disney magical. No child should cry there. I love that Disney still agrees and reinforces that.

On the same trip, while waiting in line for POTC, my daughter asked one of the CMs (dressed as a pirate) if they would sign her autograph book. He seemed thrilled and very kindly obliged her. She *KNEW* he was a real pirate!

Thanks for all the tips! We will be using several of them on our upcoming trip in October.

 

[Zeora]

This really is such an awesome thread. I've spent hours reading though the entire thing.

I'm glad to note that (many, at least) CMs enjoy talking with guests, since that was actually one of my favorite parts of the last trip. I started to get worried that I might get some of them in trouble by talking too much with them though - at Mitsukoshi in Epcot, all of them wanted to talk to me about Japan for ages after word spread that I'd been there and knew even a little bit of the language. It was great, and I really loved hearing about where they were from and watching their faces light up when I knew city names and such, but I worried that the boss would come in and be all "um, you really do need to help other people you know." Luckily it was the off-season and so the store really wasn't full or anything, but I still worried!

I really do love all the cultural stuff though so that was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip, better than almost any ride. After all, rides are (mostly) always the same, right? A good conversation with someone is different every time.

(But don't worry Space Mountain, I still love you too!)

And thanks for all the tips, everyone! I wish I'd known about this board the first time I went, but I'm definitely going to put all this information to good use for the next trip.

 

[Princess Steph]

Thank you for giving me one of MY most magical memories. I went to WDW for the first time as a teenager, so meeting the characters was not too high up on the list. I wanted to ride all the big rides. We went back again with my first child. It was 2003 and my 2yo DS was visiting with Beast. He was not afraid at all and loved to look at his big clawed feet. Other children would peek in the room and then walk out too scared, but not my son. Beast had me pick him up to show him the rose and to hug him. Beast then had a CM give DS a Tigger pin that still hangs from a ribbon in his room. I saw WDW through the eyes of a 2 year old that day, pure magic!

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Thank you for giving me one of MY most magical memories. I went to WDW for the first time as a teenager, so meeting the characters was not too high up on the list. I wanted to ride all the big rides. We went back again with my first child. It was 2003 and my 2yo DS was visiting with Beast. He was not afraid at all and loved to look at his big clawed feet. Other children would peek in the room and then walk out too scared, but not my son. Beast had me pick him up to show him the rose and to hug him. Beast then had a CM give DS a Tigger pin that still hangs from a ribbon in his room. I saw WDW through the eyes of a 2 year old that day, pure magic!

Aw, this reminds me of my dd meeting Jack Sparrow when she was about 4. It was at DL, on the raft to Tom Sawyer's Island. Most of the other kids hung back, looking at him but scared to go talk to him, but dd talked to him for most of the ride over, took pictures with him, got his autograph. He was so sweet to her, calling her princess, telling her which princess was his favorite (Jasmine), but still completely in character. It was so much fun to watch.

 

[Julie521]

bump

 

[Pikezh638]

We had a nice family buy our meal for us w/ left over TS credits once, so we decided to do the same when on that trip we then had 3 left over meals. We do this with any left overs we have. We are on the deluxe dining and always have 1 or 2 left overs. It really suprises people- it is spreading a little pixie dust yourself!

My parents tried to do that once and the cashier wouldn't let them. Because technically the person has to be in your room/on your plan to be allowed to use the plan.