Being Grateful

[TinkFan74]

At a time when there is a lot of negativity towards WDW and recent changes in the parks, I decided to look at things from a different perspective, and create a list of the many things that I appreciate, here is my list so far:
The chefs who have always made me a delicious meal, even if there were no vegan items on the menu.
The mousekeepers who always help me with a smile when they come to my door when I ask for something.
The first aid staff who have helped me when I have torn ligaments in my foot, have had an anaphylactic reaction to a shrimp, and when I developed a parasitic skin infection after swimming with manatees.
The gate staff who always interact and genuinely seem interested in guests prior to park opening.
The janitorial staff in the parks who keep the park cleaner than any city I have ever been to.
The hotel staff who have helped me out after I lost my credit card and my passports, and have treated us with the same respect, whether staying at POP or The Grand.
The college students who are always willing to talk to us about their home towns.
The imagineers who have created a place where my daughter and I can go to forget everyday stressors, and get to know each other again.
A place where acting child like is not only accepted, but encouraged.
I would really like to hear what others appreciate about WDW, there must be some things as we all continue to go back.

 

[samsteele]

Great idea, OP! I second many of those things on your list. In addition:

1. The Haunted Mansion CMs. They have always gone above & beyond in character & in play. They make MK;
   
2. The water launch/boat crew from MK to Wilderness Lodge. Friendly & professional. On my last sailing, the very young CM told me how much he loves his job, WDW & "his" guests. He took the time to point out various water birds & to give me a hint where to watch the lights best reflected in the water at night. Just stellar guest service; and
   
3. The Columbia Harbour CMs. Always friendly & upbeat. Plus many slightly more mature CMs both behind the counter & clearing tables which tells me this is likely a friendly, supportive environment where full-time CMs wish to be & possibly choose to be. They make my lunch experience magical! ps magical has become an over-used word at WDW. But these folks actually mean it & make it happen.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thanks for starting this tread - I was thinking we could use a more positive/light hearted discussions

I go back due to amazing memories of spending time with my family, of seeing my kids have special moments with their grandparents, of great CM interactions I have had, of a sense of wonder I've had as a kid and an adult, of great date nights at California Grill and Victoria and Alberts, and of the joy on my kids face when they meet the real Ariel, Elsa, Buzz, and Mickey


... Oh who am I kidding, I go back for the Dole Whips

 

[JJZMgailey]

Once again, I'm in need of a love button and there is not one!

 

[Princess Jes]

Once again, I'm in need of a love button and there is not one!

I feel like someone needs to make you a love button Jackie!!

Where's the dude who made the CRYNO and Voodoo sticky pig wings stickers for the team?!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love this idea!

Here are a few that popped into my head right away (I'm sure there are more that I just can't think of):
The chefs who come out from the kitchen to talk to me so that I know that they understand what's going on, and the servers who don't seem at all phased by the fact that they're serving us double-wrapped formerly-frozen food. Oh, and the chefs that send out scissors to open the food, because sometimes it's necessary.
The CMs at the runDisney races who always have a smile on their face and are cheering for everyone (even the back-of-the-pack runners like me) despite the fact that it's early, cold, wet, etc (seriously ... international CMs waving and cheering in Epcot is one of my favorite memories from my first race).
The FP+ kiosk CMs who are always happy that we get there knowing what we're doing, but also always happy to chat with us while we're going through the process.
The characters who don't seem to care that I'm almost 30 and still obsessed with character pictures.
The ride CMs who are so genuinely excited to be doing their jobs that you know they'd probably rather be on the ride ... but if they can't do that, they're certainly going to make sure you have fun with it.
The PhotoPass CMs who have issues with my camera (the button is not where they expect it to be and you can't see the screen in the sunlight), but still try to use it and laugh about the issues they have.
Our fellow guests who are willing to chat with us on buses and in line and don't seem to care that we're total strangers.

But mostly, what I love most about Disney is the fact that I can feel almost normal at Disney ... I don't smile (other than for pictures), but at Disney, I'm as close to happy as I can get. Yes, bad things do happen at Disney, I do sometimes get frustrated that there are some experiences that seem so basic that I can't have (like Dole Whips or Disney popcorn or a Disneyland 10K), and not every day at Disney is perfect ... but somehow, because of some intangible magic, the "bad" things don't bother me quite as much at Disney. And that's why I keep going back.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

What a wonderful idea

Here are some of mine, off of the top of my head...
The CMs at IASW who always seem to read that I LOVE that ride and give me a boat all to myself.
The pastry chefs who handle all of my custom cake requests and not only don't think I'm nuts when I give them sketches and pages of description, but deliver beautiful cakes for our special times.
The characters who recognize that this 40-something mom loves Disney possibly more than her children and loves it when they make me/her part of the fun.
The CMs I've witnessed help make dreams come true during a child's Make-A-Wish trip.
The chefs that help keep DD9 safe with her food allergies.
The server who tried to take over our table just to make me laugh after the stress of my rough morning caused several table disasters (caused by me).
The manager who offered to go to a shop on MSUSA and buy my younger one new clothes after I spilled my drink on her...twice.
The CMs at Sunshine Seasons who just happened to see my older one's bday button (on her bday) and have all of the staff stop what they were doing to serenade her.
The "cute guy" (kids' assessment) working Maelstrom in Norway who saved our place in line so DH and I could finish our beers.
The janitorial CM who refused to let my girls trade away really good pins, but still let them have some of the lesser pins on his lanyard.
The AKL CMs at check in who gave me my own sequinned tiara after reading on the reservation notes that we'd had a bad car accident that morning.
All of the funny bus and boat drivers/captains who either boost your excitement or end your day magically.

I know there's more...a lot more...but I have to play Easter bunny soon and I've got two kiddos who are still up b/c DH let them watch a horror movie.

 

[Princess Jes]

What a wonderful idea

Here are some of mine, off of the top of my head...
The CMs at IASW who always seem to read that I LOVE that ride and give me a boat all to myself.
The pastry chefs who handle all of my custom cake requests and not only don't think I'm nuts when I give them sketches and pages of description, but deliver beautiful cakes for our special times.
The characters who recognize that this 40-something mom loves Disney possibly more than her children and loves it when they make me/her part of the fun.
The CMs I've witnessed help make dreams come true during a child's Make-A-Wish trip.
The chefs that help keep DD9 safe with her food allergies.
The server who tried to take over our table just to make me laugh after the stress of my rough morning caused several table disasters (caused by me).
The manager who offered to go to a shop on MSUSA and buy my younger one new clothes after I spilled my drink on her...twice.
The CMs at Sunshine Seasons who just happened to see my older one's bday button (on her bday) and have all of the staff stop what they were doing to serenade her.
The "cute guy" (kids' assessment) working Maelstrom in Norway who saved our place in line so DH and I could finish our beers.
The janitorial CM who refused to let my girls trade away really good pins, but still let them have some of the lesser pins on his lanyard.
The AKL CMs at check in who gave me my own sequinned tiara after reading on the reservation notes that we'd had a bad car accident that morning.
All of the funny bus and boat drivers/captains who either boost your excitement or end your day magically.

I know there's more...a lot more...but I have to play Easter bunny soon and I've got two kiddos who are still up b/c DH let them watch a horror movie.

Tigger my dear, it seems you have a rough time a lot when you're at WDW! But as they say, a bad day at WDW is better than a good day at work!!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Tigger my dear, it seems you have a rough time a lot when you're at WDW! But as they say, a bad day at WDW is better than a good day at work!!

It's funny that you say that...because for whatever reason, every single one of our "modern day" Disney trips (i.e. with the kids) has had at least one major headache to all out nightmare (things completely out of our control). With every trip countdown, we get major anxiety over "what's it going to be this time." Still, sometimes I think it helps make us appreciate being there even more.

 

[KingLlama]

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Great topic, and most of my "grateful for's" have already been mentioned, or are hard for me to put into words......it's always been more of a "happy to be here" (nod to Corey) and grateful to be alive, relaxed, peaceful, and happy feeling in general. And having made lasting memories, shared gut-hurting laughs, and special times with whomever I've been with. And yes - I do seek out quieter times/locations instead of commando-style thrill-riding (even though there'e nothing wrong with that, and that used to be me when I was younger) more and more as the years go by - both out of physical necessity, and to experience more of these kinds of moments.

I do remember 1 time in particular, a long time ago - I was solo on a bus, don't remember where I was coming from/going to, but I was the only passenger for quite awhile, and got into a great conversation with the bus driver, and ended up doing a "loop" with him over and over, just enjoying not having a pace I had to get to at a particular time, and our chat in general. I think we were going into/coming out of Blizzard Beach, and there was an older gentleman gardener all by himself planting a flower bed. I asked the bus driver if he minded stopping for a moment so I could thank the gardener for his "attention to detail", and making "out in the middle of nowhere" look so nice. I do not remember the specifics of what I said to him, but I do distinctly remember leaving the gentleman, the bus driver, and myself all with HUGE smiles on our faces, but tears in our eyes - he was so touched that somebody noticed/stopped/commented, and i was happy I had done so, as was the bus driver. Our conversation that had kept me on the bus so long in the first place had revolved around "the little things", showing CM's you were grateful for them, etc.

One of my all-time fave memories of WDW, out of many. Makes me smile and get emotional at the same time just to think of it. Part of the evolution of how I feel, and where my "tag line" comes from.

 

[msk]

Love the thread!
- Seeing my grandchildren's faces light up as they enter MK early in the morning.
- Skipping to the bus stop with them each morning and no one thinks we are crazy.
- Having a conversation with a fellow park tourist and finding out she works in entertainment at Disney. We smiled when we found out that her best friend was one of our favorite princesses. We aren't sure where she works but it is fun to imagine who she is.
- Talking with some of the clean up crew in the parks. They do such a good job.
- Running all over the Kingdom playing the Sorcerers of the Kingdom game. It wore me out but my grands loved it so much that we park hopped every day just to play a little more each day. This was the first trip to WDW in which we went to MK everyday!
- Getting a hug from our mousekeeper as we left and having a mousekeeper who did such a good job!
- Being so tired from having so much fun that we needed a vacation to relax and rest up from our trip.
- Looking forward to and planning my next trip in the fall adults only - The grands are a little horrified that we are going without them!

 

[NuttyDisneyDad]

My appreciations
1-Magical Express drivers...the official start of my WDW vacation
2-that there is a Starbucks around every corner(takes a bit for me to get going in morning)
3-The cast members
4-little kids kicking me in the shin while running to an attraction