Simple Thing a Cast Member Did...

[imstock]

This is only my second post on this forum, but this is such a wonderful thread that I had to contribute to what another CM already referred to as 'reverse Pixie-dust...

I was working VIP viewing on the Liberty Square bridge for ELP when a group of women asked if they could come in. I advised them it was reserved and one inquired joking and half heartedly if she could use her 'pregnant woman' card. She had no visible bump otherwise I would have already lifted the rope because I knew I would have plenty of space available I agreed. We chatted for awhile about their jobs and my work at Disney then I stepped to the side when the music began.

Afterwards, they began thanking me. I politely stopped them and told them the truth. That for all the magic we spread as CMs, that the true joy we get in our jobs is to see grown women become little girls, and men become young boys. The innocent smiles of their childhood are allowed to one again grace their lips as Mickey meanders by. Thats the true magic at Disney and appreciate everyday I get to witness it.

I just wanted to share that, from a CMs perspective. :

Edit: Upon reading my own post I have to apologize for the ultra-short sentences and bad grammar. I am in the breakroom on my mini-laptop... lol...

 

[spacemountainmom]

This is only my second post on this forum, but this is such a wonderful thread that I had to contribute to what another CM already referred to as 'reverse Pixie-dust...

I was working VIP viewing on the Liberty Square bridge for ELP when a group of women asked if they could come in. I advised them it was reserved and one inquired joking and half heartedly if she could use her 'pregnant woman' card. She had no visible bump otherwise I would have already lifted the rope because I knew I would have plenty of space available I agreed. We chatted for awhile about their jobs and my work at Disney then I stepped to the side when the music began.

Afterwards, they began thanking me. I politely stopped them and told them the truth. That for all the magic we spread as CMs, that the true joy we get in our jobs is to see grown women become little girls, and men become young boys. The innocent smiles of their childhood are allowed to one again grace their lips as Mickey meanders by. Thats the true magic at Disney and appreciate everyday I get to witness it.

I just wanted to share that, from a CMs perspective. :

Thank you for sharing - it's so nice to see it from "the other side".

 

[gules]

I've got two to share, although they are from the same trip.

The first one didn't happen to us, but while DH and I were waiting to be called up for our ressie at Cinderella's Table, two little girls from different families walked into the waiting room. While the families went to sit around the walls, the little girls beelined for Cinderella, who not only posed for TONS of pictures for the photographers and family, but then entertained them by practicing curtsies, twirling, dancing, and letting them both fill her ears of how much they love Disney. It's great how Disney and the CMs can bring all kinds of people together.

The other one was at Epcot. DH had never really been the Disney, and I can't remember entering all the pavilions, so we ducked into the Mexico one. The line for the ride was too long, so we wandered into a shop and chatted up a CM about pin trading, which I'd just learned about. After patiently letting me look at his pins, he told us "someone higher up was telling me to call if I saw you." He dialed a number, said "Yeah, they just showed up. Okay," and then, "He wants to talk to you." Mystified, I took the phone, and then burst into a huge smile and grabbed my DH to listen with me as Mickey and Minnie wished us a happy anniversary. It made things so much more magical thanks to that one CM.

 

[brunette8706]

We had a GREAT CM at the Yacht Club. She magically gave us a great waterview with a KING size BED! It was awesome and she was so nice. Her name was Jennifer and I believe she works with Teena who also works at the Yacht Club and Beach Club.

Brunette

 

[snykymom]

Now according to some on those "line cutting threads" this is grounds for removal from the park, and that cm was just asking for immediate termination. What about all those people waiting in line who had planned out their potty breaks, huh, huh?

I was thinking the same thing! I couldn't help looking for the thread that starts with "We were in line for 40 minutes, and then this CM brought a WHOLE FAMILY to the front of the line and THEY GOT IN FIRST and we had to wait another 10 minutes! How dare that CM ruin our trip! "

(Please recognize that this is NOT my attitude! )

 

[TandLMommy28]

This right here is Disney to me. My grandmother was nearing 90 in this pic and spent most of this trip in her wheelchair. The rides were a bit much for her so we would often park her in a shady spot to people watch while we went on ride. We came out of one ride to find her chatting Pluto's ear off. Pluto must have enjoyed their conversation since he stuck with us for quite a while pushing her wheel chair and keeping her company while we went on some more rides. This was mid September 1998 so the parks were deserted and it was before characters had lines and handlers and they just roamed the parks at will. That was her last trip to Disney and Pluto made it a special one for all of us.

Aw! That made me cry and I have to add that I was also there mid-September 1998. I'm glad that your grandmother's last trip was so magical!!!!

 

[Tinkerbell Teen]

The one that pops into my mind at first was at the Winnie the Pooh character meet in the United Kingdom pavilion. We didn't usually get really interactive character meets since it's just my mom and I (I'm 16), but the one in the UK was one of the best we'd ever had. Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were all there and as we walked over to them, Tigger found big plush toys of him and Pooh that were in the room. They proceeded to just play with my mom and I for the next 5-10 minutes, we passed the toys around, and Tigger even took my hand and we walked outside to watch the band together. Best part- the Photopass photographer got every minute on camera.

Another time at the fairy meet-and-greet, this LOVELY CM named Jessica happened to be on duty every time we came through (4 times on the trip, we had to see Fawn!) and she came to know me by my Joe Jonas pin on my lanyard. When we went into the room the 3rd time, she exclaimed to me "Look! Fawn's finally here!" knowing she was my favourite.

And of course, when a character remembers you is always magical. We had breakfast at Akershus and met Belle in her ballgown, and later we decided to stop in France and meet her in her blue dress. When we did, she looked us up and down and said "We just had breakfast together, didn't we? It was lovely having you two over." Fawn also remembered us at Pixie Hollow 2 days after we met her the first time.

 

[Tinkerbell58]

Last year in MK, I purchased a bucket of popcorn. As I was walking away, I dropped it and half of the popcorn scattered on the ground. (I guess I can't walk and eat at the same time. ) I immediately searched for a custodian to let him/her know about the mess I made. When I found one, we walked back to the place where I dropped the popcorn, and it was already cleaned up! The CM then marched me to the closest popcorn stand for a refill.

 

[babyrich]

This may be simple but my DH usually plan our trip for our anniversary or my birthday. The first time we went was on our honeymoon and we got pins that said we just got married. The other years we either had pins that said Happy Anniversary or Happy Birthday. All day long the CMs congratulate us or say happy birthday. They must repeat those words all day long but they always do with a smile.

 

[gruZ]

Our first trip was when our DD was about 4. We had reservations at CRT for the next day when we remembered we had forgotten her Cinderella dress at home. Big bummer!

We decided to secretly buy a new one for her at the shop at the base of the castle, and when we returned to our resort, we asked the front desk to call up to our room a few minutes later and tell us that Cinderella had dropped a package off for our little girl and we could come and pick it up.

The clock ticked by and about 30 minutes later (yes...I was wondering what had happened...), there was a knock on the door. When we answered, a great CM asked to see our daughter by name, and when she came to the door gave her a large present and told her that Cinderella had dropped this off for her.

To make it even better there was a card with a 5x7 color picture of Cinderella that in flowing white paint pen was personalized to my daughter telling her that she couldn't wait to dine with her the following day. The look on my daughters face will never be forgotten.

(And as we were falling all over each other thanking the CM, he apologized for it taking so long - explaining that certain CMs are trained to write a certain way, and they had a tough time finding one with this special skill!)

By the way, eight years later the card is still framed and hanging in her room!

 

[BunBun]

((wipes snot off of face and keyboard))

These threads always make me cry! I heart Disney, 118 more days to go!!!

 

[Chaoticsweetness]

Aw This thread is so sweet, thank you everyone for sharing. It is truly wonderful to read these posts

I have one myself: me & my exboyfriend were in MGM arguing as usual (yep thats why we broke up) anywho, we were passing by TSM & one of the CMs saw that I was very upset. He stopped both me & the Ex asking what the problem was. I explained we just had an arguement & it was putting a damper on our vaycay (it was our last day to)

He asked one of the toy soldiers to keep an eye on us & he would be right back. Me & the toy soldier started fist bumping it was really fun. So after like five minutes the CM came back with a present, he asked if it would make my day better, it was fastpasses for TSM (the current wait was 90 min) I almost hugged him.

Instead of waiting the full time, we waited maybe 10 mins max for the ride.

CM have an awesome job, they get to put smile on the faces of the people they meet. I am so glad that there is magic left in the world.

 

[imstock]

CM have an awesome job, they get to put smile on the faces of the people they meet. I am so glad that there is magic left in the world.

We try. Having awesome guest makes it easier.

 

[Suellen]

I love them all ~ too many to comment on.

I forgot about this one from our July trip. The shop outside of HM as a CM who works there who is deaf (both her and her boyfriend/husband) ~ she couldn't really communicate with my girls but gave them each a teeny tiny little hand made envelope sealed closed with a tiny character sticker. Inside each envelope was a small stash of the metallic Mickey head confetti. The girls had been picking them up off the ground making little stashes of them so it meant a lot to them!

 

[LetsGoToDisney!]

I treated myself to a Disney vacation this week. I drove 4 hours, and as I pulled up to the security/guard station at CSR, I could barely get my window down before the guard greeted me with a huge smile and said, "Welcome home!" It really got my vacation off to a great start, and it was a wonderful greeting after travelling alone for a few hours. It's interactions like this that keep me returning to WDW; it's been my experience that the CM's are genuinely friendly and lovely people to encounter.

 

[Limmer]

I have always been a Disney fanatic but after bringing our kids for the first time last year it was re-confirmed.

On our way to our Cinderella breakfast our bus driver announced a princess was entering the bus and played some "princess" music. My 6 year old DD was thrilled and keot saying "he thinks I am a real princess".

My girls were getting their picture taken at AK with Baloo and King Louie and King Louie would not let go of my 2 year old DD. My 6 year old and Baloo had to "rescue" her and King Louie pretended to cry when she left. She STILL talks about that "bad monkey" who tried to keep her and Baloo had to give him a time out.

We had a CM at POR that was at the bus stop almost every morning of our trip. He would ask where we were headed and then give us a little tip. One morning he told us to see a CM in AK and when we found her she showed us all these hidden pictures in some murals.

We took a ride on the bike for four at POR and a mousekeeping CM flagged us down to give the girls beads. Things like this make our day.

That is why I cannot wait to take them back next august.

 

[Cinderella909]

I like the idea of the thank you cards. Is there a thread with more info on this?

Here is the link for the all the DISsigns... they have some great things. I was not able to quickly find a link for the thank you cards that we used. My GDD love these cards, as anyone who smiled, said Happy Birthday just had to have a thank you card. Nearly everyone who received one was thrilled, some CMs said they would keep in their scrapbooks. Our thank you cards were the size of a standard business card, and while I thought I had way too many, it turned out to be just enough! It was a nice life lesson for her too!


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2430332

They are creative dissigns! Enjoy! Karen

 

[Pjimmeyer]

Yeah...this is the stuff.

It really is like coming home every time we visit. Thank you so much to the CMs who have made every trip so special for us. Thank you to all of the CMs who work there and understand how special a place it is. I know everyone can have off days, but what really makes the difference for us are all of the CM interactions we have had over the years. We love you!

 

[staxia]

Our first trip was when our DD was about 4. We had reservations at CRT for the next day when we remembered we had forgotten her Cinderella dress at home. Big bummer!

We decided to secretly buy a new one for her at the shop at the base of the castle, and when we returned to our resort, we asked the front desk to call up to our room a few minutes later and tell us that Cinderella had dropped a package off for our little girl and we could come and pick it up.

The clock ticked by and about 30 minutes later (yes...I was wondering what had happened...), there was a knock on the door. When we answered, a great CM asked to see our daughter by name, and when she came to the door gave her a large present and told her that Cinderella had dropped this off for her.

To make it even better there was a card with a 5x7 color picture of Cinderella that in flowing white paint pen was personalized to my daughter telling her that she couldn't wait to dine with her the following day. The look on my daughters face will never be forgotten.

(And as we were falling all over each other thanking the CM, he apologized for it taking so long - explaining that certain CMs are trained to write a certain way, and they had a tough time finding one with this special skill!)

By the way, eight years later the card is still framed and hanging in her room!

I *LOVE* that they will do this for you... One of the best tips I ever got to give while working at the Disney Store was to tell parents about stuff like this.. that they can leave things at the front desk that will be delivered while they're gone, and be from whichever magical friend they need it to be!

oh, and while we're talking autographs... heh.. I had a sorority sister who was extra special friends with a few characters, and *somehow* she magically got them all to sign a birthday card for me! Hee hee..

((wipes snot off of face and keyboard))

These threads always make me cry! I heart Disney, 118 more days to go!!!

mmm hmm.. yep.. *nods head* This is why I planned a trip with less than 10 days notice, too.

I treated myself to a Disney vacation this week. I drove 4 hours, and as I pulled up to the security/guard station at CSR, I could barely get my window down before the guard greeted me with a huge smile and said, "Welcome home!" It really got my vacation off to a great start, and it was a wonderful greeting after travelling alone for a few hours. It's interactions like this that keep me returning to WDW; it's been my experience that the CM's are genuinely friendly and lovely people to encounter.

uh huh.. same with me... I know there's less than enthusiastic CMs, but they fade into the background.. there's always some that shine and can make your day, no matter what...

Thank the Lord this time next week, I'm there. I NEED it!

 

[stackyallred]

First, let me say... I have been to Disney just DH and I 7 times since we were married in 2003. We are about to take DS 10 months (our first baby) for the first time in a few weeks and reading all of these stories about special things that happened to children made me so emotional!

A few things that happened for us:

We were celebrating our 5th anniversary and wore the "I'm Celebrating" pins. As we walked to the Safari at AK, two CM's stopped us and asked if we wanted our own personal safari. It was so cool, it was just us and the driver. After hearing we had heard the whole safari spiel many times before, she just chatted with us and told us lots of neat facts about the safari and AK.


Last year I was 4 months pregnant and TOTALLY SICK (can't call it morning sickness when it lasts all day for 9 months ) the entire trip. I tried so hard to enjoy everything and keep a happy face for DH, but I was failing and it must've been obvious. However, there were many CMs who were so sweet and offered me crackers, water, a place to sit, etc. At every restaurant we went to, they would bring me one of those mickey cupcakes to celebrate our baby-on-the-way. I took one bite the first day and it made me sick-just thinking of that icing turned my stomach. But, I am not kidding, someone gave me one of those cupcakes every day for the rest of the trip! Dh and I would just act all excited and thank them and take it "to go." It was sweet even if I couldn't enjoy it!


Last one... DH and I always buy one pin each for each trip that sort of "sums up" the trip for us (on our honeymoon it was Mickey and Minnie in their wedding attire, on our only December trip we got a MVMCP pin, etc). Well, our 2007 trip was completely unexpected because a couple at our church offered us their Bonnet Creek time share for a week for free- at just three weeks before we had to be there (I know- that was pixie dust in itself! ). So, we had no budget and ate PB & J pretty much every day to afford to go- no money for a pin. On our 2008 trip, DH searched all over for some kind of pin that would "commemorate" that trip for us and couldn't find anything. So, he occasionally would stop CMs and check to see if anyone had a pin that said anything about '07 on it. One CM at POP (who ended up being the Manager there) told DH she didn't have one or know anyone with a pin like that but asked for our room # and his name... A few days later, we had a knock at our door and a small gift box was delivered. It was a pin that simply said, "07' " with Mickey's face. The manager also included a note addressed to DH, saying, "Hope this is what you were looking for!" I was just so surprised that she would take the time to locate a pin like that and just GIVE it to us.

I know not every CM, guest, etc lives up to the highest expectations of everyone, (I've had a few less than magical experiences myself) but I still say that hands down, WDW does a great job of putting special touches on things! And that's why we keep going and going and going...