Gary at the Poly

[MonorailMan]

Here's a video of some of the Poly Resort cast members/guests made by Gary.....

Aloha, Gary!

Gary used to be a cast member at the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort. He was there during the breakfast shift my second trip down to WDW, and has been there (during breakfast) every single time I have returned to the Poly since then. I was 9 when I first met Gary, and my family returned to WDW several times and had him as a server before I moved away to go to college. Even though there would be times when we'd go 2-3 years before returning to WDW, Gary would somehow always remember where we were from, and that my father was a die-hard Michigan Wolverines fan. I had gone to WDW once since having moved out of my parents' home, but I didn't get to go to the Poly. Last year (exactly one year to the day) I got to stay at the Poly once again.....13 years after my last time staying there.......and Gary was still there. He didn't serve our table, but I got to talk to him and I told him the story about how I first met him when I was 9 years old. He was, and always has been a real sweetheart.

I recently found out that he had retired after working more than 22 years at the Poly. As hoaky as it sounds, I felt honored to have gotten to say "hello" to him one last time before he left.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Wow!

22 Years at the same resort!

People like him really give the meaning to "Welcome Home"!

 

[mikelan6]

Cool. That was like a mini backstage tour of the Poly!

 

[Gypsybear]

What a cool story, MM.....thanks for sharing.

 

[MonorailMan]

Wow!

22 Years at the same resort!

People like him really give the meaning to "Welcome Home"!

He was definitely one of the many high points of my WDW vacations. On our drive down my mom would always say, "I wonder if Gary is still there." He really did make it feel like "coming home". It was very apparent that he loved his job, and it showed.

Cool. That was like a mini backstage tour of the Poly!

He made a couple other videos too that show more backstage areas, but for the most part they're all pretty similar. Unfortunately ConcK isn't in any of the pictures.

What a cool story, MM.....thanks for sharing.

No problem. I literally almost squealed with joy when I found one of his videos on YouTube.

 

[zeitzeuge]

That's such a sweet story. I wonder what his life will be like now that he's retired? 22 years at the same place, doing the same thing. Such a long time.

I actually got to meet the woman at DL who cut my silhouette back in 1978. Couldn't believe she still works there. I got to talk to her around 11pm one night after we had our silhouettes done.

It's so cool to know that there are people who have been with Disney for so long. Sad to see them go.

 

[MonorailMan]

That's such a sweet story. I wonder what his life will be like now that he's retired? 22 years at the same place, doing the same thing. Such a long time.

I actually got to meet the woman at DL who cut my silhouette back in 1978. Couldn't believe she still works there. I got to talk to her around 11pm one night after we had our silhouettes done.

It's so cool to know that there are people who have been with Disney for so long. Sad to see them go.

Hopefully Gary becomes extremely bored and comes out of retirement for the sake of his own entertainment.

The fact that that woman was still at DL is amazing. I bet it made her feel amazing to hear someone tell her she made a difference in someone's life.

Here's an interview with a man who worked at the Beach Club for several years. It's sad to see them go.

Art the Greeter at the Beach Club Resort