Simple Thing a Cast Member Did...

[surfergirl602]

One of our most favorite memories was during our stay at POFQ this past January. We arrived to a spotless room kept wonderfully clean by our Mousekeeper, Maria. Each day after returning from our time in the parks, Maria would have a "character scene" set up for us to see. One time it was the stuffies hanging out in a hammock. Another were the stuffies tubing down the rapids made on a bed. We decided to surprise her and set up the stuffies around the table playing a game of cards. We had run into her one morning and she mentioned that she loved getting her own surprise!

My 19 yr old DS had a wonderful time playing Buzz Lightyear. He loves all kinds of video games and is quite competitive. Imagine our surprise (insert sarcasm) when he managed to get the rank of Galactic Hero. When we went to purchase the picture, he was given a special Galactic Hero button. My "big boy" turned into a very excitable little boy in a blink of an eye. When we exited the store we popped over to the character line and he got to show Buzz his proud achievement. Quite a fun time. (most unfortunately the button was lost on the way home )

My husband got that pin and wore it proudly the entire day. lol

 

[1stvisit0909]

Several, but lets see if I can remember off the top of my head some from 2009.

We were "family of the day" at OKW, and the girls were "princesses" of the day - so the whole day we walked through the resort CMs were bowing and saying "good afternoon princess" (the girls ATE IT UP)

We were upgraded from All Start Movies to OKW for free before we left, to a 1 bd room. When we got there, the CM checking us in, who told us we were Family of the day, upgraded us to a TWO bedroom - that Villa was bigger than our house I believe. I didnt actually hear her - so when we opened the door I was shocked. I went back to say "THANKS!" she said "just a little Disney magic"

Our last day we didnt have time for a park, so we went to the big pool instead- and our oldest was picked to open the waterslide, and got some happys for that too - she loved it.

 

[mickeysmith]

We were heading towards Soarin' when a cast member asked if we would like to go behind the scenes. (We had fast passes, so we gave them to a family who was just at that moment telling their son they could not wait in line and would have to try to ride another time.) Of course, we jumped at the chance and were taken outside, around back, and in through another entrance that put us right up front! It was magical all the way around!

 

[Mamato3Princes]

Mine aren't that big a deal... but they meant a lot to us. During our trip last week, we were getting off of Backlot Tours and my oldest DS was being grumpy and cranky. Well, this CM noticed him and approached him. My DS decided to be shy so he tried hiding behind DH, well the CM followed him, the whole time cracking jokes trying to make DS laugh. Well, it worked. He gave DS a high five. DS kept talking about his new Cast Member friend all day.

We also had an awesome bus driver who was hilarious. And then during our Feb trip we had the usual experience w/the ketchup and delivering the ketchup at Wilderness Lodge. But the waitress noticed my boys' Pirate Mickey ears and gave them a treasure chest full of candy and a mini compass and telescope. Like I said before, these things may not seem like a big deal. But they meant so much to our sons.

 

[plumedeb]

One example of Disney Magic for us....On a trip to Disney in 2000, my DD, then aged 7, really wanted to see Daisy Duck. On our last day, we asked a cast member if he knew if Daisy would be at any of the parks that day. He left for a minute, then returned and told us that he was really sorry, but she wasn't scheduled anymore that day, but told us where to catch her the following day. I told him it was our last day and of course thanked him for checking for us. As we were walking away, he pulled me over to the side and asked me for our address and my daughter's name. When we arrived home, there was a package in the mail addressed to my daughter. Inside was an 8 x 10 autographed picture of Daisy in front of the castle. It included a personalized message to my daughter.

 

[mking624]

Mine aren't that big a deal... but they meant a lot to us. During our trip last week, we were getting off of Backlot Tours and my oldest DS was being grumpy and cranky. Well, this CM noticed him and approached him. My DS decided to be shy so he tried hiding behind DH, well the CM followed him, the whole time cracking jokes trying to make DS laugh. Well, it worked. He gave DS a high five. DS kept talking about his new Cast Member friend all day.

We also had an awesome bus driver who was hilarious. And then during our Feb trip we had the usual experience w/the ketchup and delivering the ketchup at Wilderness Lodge. But the waitress noticed my boys' Pirate Mickey ears and gave them a treasure chest full of candy and a mini compass and telescope. Like I said before, these things may not seem like a big deal. But they meant so much to our sons.

That first one would not just mean a lot to my son, but to me as well. He is 3 and can be overstimulated very quickly to the point where he has a very difficult time calming down. If he is cranky...watch out!! If we're out anywhere when it happens, I know it can be easy for other adults to want to steer clear. So I greatly appreciate when an employee somewhere goes out of there way to cheer him up. This happened at a restaurant recently and the waitress was so great with him and once he calmed down, he would wave and say hi every single time she walked by. On top of that, she wound up giving his and my daughter's drinks for free, extra food with my meal (so I had a nice portion for leftovers), and discounted my husband's by 50% with a note on the check that said, "I have a toddler, I understand." We tipped her really well. Anyway, that story wasn't Disney related, but I just wanted to share how I can totally understand why it is so special to you. Sometimes we just need reminders that others care and still try to brighten a day when our children aren't happy.

 

[BrdwayBoy]

Also, about Snow White. At the Studios, every Sunday and Wednesday (I believe), there would be a sign language interpreter for the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade that would stand outside of ABC Theater. If someone was deaf, they could sit here and he/she would sign what Stone Granite and Gabrielle Huntington were saying. Snow White wanted to be able to communicate with these people, as well, so she went and took a sign language class. Every Sunday and Wednesday, she would ride past these guests and compliment a girl on her dress, tell a guest she loved their hat, says she wished she could get some Minnie Mouse ears like a child had, etc. The children's faces would light up when they saw that Snow White was able to communicate with them. I would tear up every time I saw this.

This is, without a doubt, the most heart-warming, absolutely *AMAZING* thing and the first time I have *ever* teared up reading a post on the board.

 

[Minnie Momma]

My 19 yr old DS had a wonderful time playing Buzz Lightyear. He loves all kinds of video games and is quite competitive. Imagine our surprise (insert sarcasm) when he managed to get the rank of Galactic Hero. When we went to purchase the picture, he was given a special Galactic Hero button. My "big boy" turned into a very excitable little boy in a blink of an eye. When we exited the store we popped over to the character line and he got to show Buzz his proud achievement. Quite a fun time. (most unfortunately the button was lost on the way home )

I posted this earlier this evening. A CM read about the lost button. I think the Pixie Dust followed us home! Just might see something in the mail.

Thanks for your thoughtfulness CM!

 

[jenjie]

I posted this earlier this evening. A CM read about the lost button. I think the Pixie Dust followed us home! Just might see something in the mail.

Thanks for your thoughtfulness CM!

How wonderful!

 

[ban26ana]

I've seriously cried reading this thread.

I was in AK when EE was on soft opening. I desperately wanted to ride it, and I tried the whole trip. But every time I got there, it was closed. But EVERYONE in the park and on the buses was talking about how great it was. It seemed I was the only one who missed it!

Fast forward to when EE was open regularly. I was in AK with dh and my ODD, who was a baby. Dh doesn't do big rides, but he told me there was no way I was missing EE. I felt bad leaving them, but he made me ride it. Meanwhile, he sat outside, entertaining our daughter. 2 CM's took a liking to her. I mean, who wouldn't, since she's so perfectly adorable. When I came off EE, the CM's complimented me on making such a beautiful kid. They asked if we'd like to go on Kilaminjaro Safari, and we said yes. They took us right to the front of the line! We still joke about how dd's cuteness got us to the front of the line.

 

[letthewookiewin]

My family went to WDW this past June. One morning, maybe around 9:30-ish, we headed from the Pop Century to the MK. The bus was very crowded, and we had to stand. I thought about not getting on for this very reason, but I am so glad we didn't wait for the next bus. Our driver was Sal. If you get him as a driver, count yourself as one of the lucky ones. He had everyone on the bus singing, answering Disney trivia, and laughing. I almost hated getting off the bus when we arrived at the MK. It may have been a very simple thing, but it set the mood for my family for the rest of the day.

 

[tweedlemom]

Our server, Becky, at the California Grill, was awesome! We were there 8/23 and she was fantastic with our boys. She added several "pixie dust" moments that made our anniversary dinner celebration special!!!

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

I have a couple...I love reading these!

When we lived in FL, myself, my mother, and grandmother, DS (2 at the time) and DD (just a few months old), went to eat at CP. After getting Jackson to smile for a pic, and snapping a couple ourselves, Pooh sat down and made a little nook in his tummy and pointed at Faith and himself. He carefully and gently cradled her and took one of her toys and played with her a little. To this day, this is one of my most favorite Disney pictures.

On another trip, my mother took DS (6 then) and DD to 1900PF. Jackson is autistic and sometimes had difficulty with some of the characters. Drisella came right up to him, knelt down, and just chatted away with "her Prince Charming" and he just talked right back to her. And then when they started dancing, she came back to the table to get "her Prince Charming" for a dance. To this day he says that she is his gf

 

[redstickredhead]

This thread took me TWO days to read through but it was SO much fun! I did the CP 10 years ago and got to spread the pixie dust, but I am very grateful to one CM, whose name I can't remember because my eyes were blurred from crying and I couldn't read her name tag.

My family is SUCH a huge "Disney Family"--my brother's name actually IS "Disney!" Diz has autism btw and he LOVES going to the 'World.

My dad was the biggest kid at WDW--dancing down main street, posing with characters, and once he even got the whole boat to sing along on POTC.

Daddy passed away in 2008. Unexpected. He was only 56.

We returned in 2009-a very bittersweet trip. I wanted to surprise my mum with a memorial gift, and so I went to Sir Mickeys to get some mouse ears with my Da's name on them.

I told the CM to please use the gold thread and the classic stitch for the name "Roy." she thought it was a cool name and asked who they were for.

I explained that I was going to take the mouse ears and place them on the sword in the stone in front of the carousel, then take a picture for my mum, to remember our silly wonderful dad and husband who was no longer here with us.

Well, she started to cry, I started to cry, and the next thing I know, she's handing my money back to me!

I took that picture and mum loves it! She even posted it on the "let the memories begin" site!

We are leaving in 19 days for a week in the world. This time with my DBF in tow! he hasn't been since 1994!

Daddy's mouse ears are coming with us, too. They'll be our marker in our ASMu window to guide us home, and will always be a reminder of my amazing Disney Dad, and the CM who let me cry a little when I needed to, even in the happiest place on earth.

 

[ptsst7]

My story is not nearly as touching as many of the others on the board, but it was a very kind touch from a CM that was very much appreciated.

Last March, on our AK day, we got to the park right after opening. DS4 (who is a super picky eater) hadn't really touched his breakfast that morning, and so we decided after getting some fast passes to get him something to eat. Well, we went into Pizzafari, which was only serving breakfast at the time, and when we asked DS4 what he wanted, he saw the pictures of pizza and wanted pizza (at 9:30 in the morning). We tried explaining they didn't have pizza yet, etc, but he sort of had a melt down (the kind of melt down that results from not eating breakfast) and was insisting on pizza. The CM could tell we were stressed, and she said they would make a pizza, special for him. She told me to wait there. She went to the back, said something to somebody, then came and told me it would be about 8 minutes.

8 minutes later, she handed me a tray with 2 pizzas on it and told me to put my money away. I was totally blown away by her kindness. After eating, DS4 enjoyed the rest of the day and we all were grateful for his "breakfast pizza."

 

[meanviking]

My story is not nearly as touching as many of the others on the board,

yes it is!

this thread took me 3 days but it was awesome, can't wait til December!

 

[Magpie]

That first one would not just mean a lot to my son, but to me as well. He is 3 and can be overstimulated very quickly to the point where he has a very difficult time calming down. If he is cranky...watch out!! If we're out anywhere when it happens, I know it can be easy for other adults to want to steer clear. So I greatly appreciate when an employee somewhere goes out of there way to cheer him up. This happened at a restaurant recently and the waitress was so great with him and once he calmed down, he would wave and say hi every single time she walked by. On top of that, she wound up giving his and my daughter's drinks for free, extra food with my meal (so I had a nice portion for leftovers), and discounted my husband's by 50% with a note on the check that said, "I have a toddler, I understand." We tipped her really well. Anyway, that story wasn't Disney related, but I just wanted to share how I can totally understand why it is so special to you. Sometimes we just need reminders that others care and still try to brighten a day when our children aren't happy.

You've just reminded me of our first visit!

My son was seven, and really struggling with with regards to controlling meltdowns and tantrums (he was an undiagnosed hypoglycemic at the time).

One of the things I'd learned was that when he was in a mood, it was best to just ignore him and let him get a handle on things himself.

So, my kids and I are outside the bathroom waiting for my husband. My son is standing off by himself with the corners of his mouth pulled way down. A young, female CM spots him and heads straight over, saying cheerfully, "Oh, are you not having a magical day?"

My son startled, looked up, his face crumpled and he just howled. Swear to God, it was like one of those cartoons with the tears shooting in every direction. The poor CM jumped back, and started apologizing frantically to us, that she hadn't meant to upset him.

I told her she hadn't done anything wrong, and that she didn't need to apologize. So she apologized for apologizing, at which point I had to apologize to her...

My husband stepped out of the bathroom to see the CM and me apologizing frantically to each other, while the boy sobbed like he was in the UNhappiest place on earth.

Poor girl... I still do appreciate that she tried!

 

[Missytara]

I stay at POR every year the week after Thanksgiving.

Two years ago, on a solo trip, I spent a lot of time in the lounge and got to know a great bartender named Todd. I eat out every night at home, so it is always good to get to know your local bartender.

Anyway, the last night, he gave me a glowing Tinkerbell clip, so that I could fly home safely and he said he looked forward to seeing me next year. I cried like a child. Sometimes the emotions just take over when you know your week at Disney is over.

Wouldn't you know it, last year, the first night, I asked for a glass of chardonnay and iced tea. He looked at me, and said, hey, you are the woman that I made cry last year when I gave you Tinkerbell. He remembered me.

My last day, he gave my Buzz Lightyear, and told me it would always help me "find my way home" (To POR, of course). Again, tears ensued. He laughed and commented that he had never made a woman cry so much!

 

[maganda]

I stay at POR every year the week after Thanksgiving.

Two years ago, on a solo trip, I spent a lot of time in the lounge and got to know a great bartender named Todd. I eat out every night at home, so it is always good to get to know your local bartender.

Anyway, the last night, he gave me a glowing Tinkerbell clip, so that I could fly home safely and he said he looked forward to seeing me next year. I cried like a child. Sometimes the emotions just take over when you know your week at Disney is over.

Wouldn't you know it, last year, the first night, I asked for a glass of chardonnay and iced tea. He looked at me, and said, hey, you are the woman that I made cry last year when I gave you Tinkerbell. He remembered me.

My last day, he gave my Buzz Lightyear, and told me it would always help me "find my way home" (To POR, of course). Again, tears ensued. He laughed and commented that he had never made a woman cry so much!

What a great story!

 

[sandynd]

Our magical moments happened our last trip. First of all, our trip almost didn't happen, as my DH had gone into the hospital three weeks before with kidney failure. He was being kept in hospital until his dialysis stabilized his blood levels, and as our trip got closer and closer, I had pretty much decided to cancel and lose our money (no trip insurance - I will never make that mistake again!)

At the last minute, he convinced DD and I to go anyway. I was worried about him being discharged while we were away with no one to take care of him, and the hospital agreed to keep him in until we got back.

Our trip down was fairly uneventful. We checked in to POP and started our vacay, stressed out as I was. I checked in constantly with DH (probably drove him crazy!) and our neighbours (who were checking our house for me to make sure our pipes didn't freeze - which they did )

I should mention I am pathologically shy about not drawing attention to myself, so I don't often get attention from characters and cast members. However, in HS, we were stopped by a streetmosphere character (Vladimir Pooey) who was awesome and worked really hard to get a reaction from my daughter (who also gets tongue-tied ) He was awesomely funny and gave her a bunch of swag to remember him by. She still talks about him!

Our mousekeeper, Joseph, left us towel animals every day (we'd never gotten one before) and in general made me feel really cared for on a vacation that I wasn't sure I should be on. The front desk staff was so friendly when I had to ask questions about internet connections, and first aid stations, etc.

The photopass photographers went out of their way to get good shots of us, including some "magic" photos. Peter Pan messed up my daughter's hair and a photog got a pic! We were up on the castle one night.

Overall, while I really questioned us being there, it was so magic, especially in retrospect. I can't wait to go again when we're all well and happy and not stressed!