Simple Thing a Cast Member Did...

[Abby Wednesday]

I thought I would share this one. My son is still too little to appreciate it, but I thought it was cute and it's definitely one of those moments I remember about our trip.

My son was just shy of 3 when we went and at the time he had a big mop of blond curly hair that stuck up a little bit because it is so curly. We were walking through France at EPCOT one evening when one of the CMs walking by says, "Bon soir, mon Petit Prince." Mom (former french teacher) and I both smiled at each other because we knew it was a reference to the book "The Little Prince", and we both exclaimed, "He looks just like him."

Not a tearjerker or a once in a lifetime moment like some of your stories, but we thought it was cute

 

[DSNY4ever]

This is just the best thread. It is giving me that warm fuzzy feeling that only Disney can give Wish I had a story to add, I am sure someday I will.

Please add more if you have any!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

My dd was trying to pin trade with a cm and was only looking for specific types. My kid asked the cm if she had any of whatever it was my dd was looking for that day (I forgot). The cm didn't but told my dd to hold on, the cm went and gathered up everyone working in the area and asked all of them if they had what my dd was looking for and she found what she wanted. It only took a minute but it made my dd's day!

 

[mom2rtk]

My dd was trying to pin trade with a cm and was only looking for specific types. My kid asked the cm if she had any of whatever it was my dd was looking for that day (I forgot). The cm didn't but told my dd to hold on, the cm went and gathered up everyone working in the area and asked all of them if they had what my dd was looking for and she found what she wanted. It only took a minute but it made my dd's day!

I love stories like that . Totally awesome!

 

[MissChris]

When our daughter was about 2 1/2 we went to DisneyWorld shortly after Halloween. She had been Snow White and we brought her costume with us to the world. On our first day in the MK she was wearing her full costume, with the cape and everything and a CM at the restaurant we were at stopped to have a long conversation with the "princess", she left for a second and when she came back she had a trading pin of Baby Snow White that she gave to our "baby snow white" It was such a sweet and unexpected gesture and that pin formed the base of our daughter's collection, it's got an honored place on her lanyard, never to be traded.

On that same trip we went around the side of the castle to get to fantasyland while a castle show was going on out front and right in the back we ran into The Fairy Godmother, all alone with no handlers and no other guests. She knelt right down and had a long conversation with our "princess". It was the best character meeting we've ever had because it was so personal and genuine. Our daughter talked all day about "what a nice lady she was, so nice and sweet" and it was totally true, she was a really nice lady and she made our day.

 

[MickeysBFF]

We were staying at Coranado Springs and were waiting for my mom to finish getting ready. So me my dad and my sis went down to Pachito's gifts and sundries to wait. Well we were looking around and a CM started to chat with us he did a magic trick (can't remember what he did at the moment) and out came one of those buttons. He gave me and my sis one and told us that you couldn't get this one anywhere else. which you couldn't and he said that if we could guess how many charms were in one of those little displa things we could each have one(we couldnt do it)he was really fun and you could tell he really loved his job.]

 

[Zarabear]

We have only taken one trip to WDW, and many to DL. The CM's are always SO amazing, but I'll pick my favorite story to tell.

We had just gotten into pin trading. (My son and I) And he had hunted EVERYWHERE to finish the pirates of the caribbean Mickey and friend set. He was SO darned proud of them on his lanyard. We were sitting down to Lunch at LIberty Tree Tavern, and he went to pin trade with a CM, who didn't seem like he worked there. (Suit and lanyard, not Liberty Tree attire) When my son noticed that he was missing his Mickey Jack Sparrow! He was a little devastated, but being 7 (turning 8 in 2 days!), he didn't want to cry in the middle of the Magic Kingdom.
He finished his trade, and we resumed lunch as I tried telling him that we'd find another one, we still had days and days at DisneyWorld! Before our lunch was over, the CM came back with an unopened package of the complete set of those pins AND an autograph from Capt'n Jack Sparrow himself! My son was in AWE and it was such a sweet thing for the CM to go out of his way. Definitely an amazing piece of Disney Magic and Pixie Dust!


~Zara

 

[Brer Brett]

My wife, and 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter were taking our first Disney trip last fall (with the little ones anyway). My wife's parents came along, and they had not been to the Dis in several years. On our second day (a quiet fall Sunday) we were at EPCOT early in the morning. My wife and I were with our little ones outside of (I'm blanking on the name right now) ...the Imagination building I think (where Figment is). We were hanging out by those squirting water fountains and enjoying a morning snack of . . . popcorn. Yes, popcorn at 9:45am because its Disney World and my son loves popcorn. We were killing time while my wife's parents were on Soarin.

Did I mention how much my son LOVES popcorn? Well, he had almost wolfed the whole box down when he got caught up in the excitement of the squirting fountains as only a 3 year old boy can do, and he accidentally kicked over his popcorn box. Well he wasn't pleased about this at all, and I tried to to explain to him that it was no big deal because he pretty much ate the whole box anyway. He was pretty much (surprisingly) at the point of accepting this when out of nowhere a CM who was sweeping up the already spotlessly area came up to us, cleaned up the popcorn in 2 seconds, and then said "Wait right here and I'll be back in a flash with a new popcorn for you." I said something to the effect of thanks so much, but that's really okay, because as you can see, there was hardly any left. He was not persuaded by my answer, and with a smile, just said "Well, that's what I'm here for...so unless you're going somewhere, I'll be right back with it!" At this point, all I could do was say thank you again, and within a minuted, he was back with the largest popcorn you could buy. Just above and beyond the call of duty! It was a simple gesture, and it only cost Disney probably 50 cents, but to me its an example of how and why Disney is so great, and why we will continue to make it our first and preferred vacation destination.

Oh, and my son didn't eat lunch that day in case you were wondering. He wolfed the second popcorn as well.

 

[mama2ethan04]

Best.thread.ever.

 

[ozminniemouse]

I have two from my wife and I's honeymoon trip to WDW on a cold and rainy week in January several years ago.

We were at AK on a particularly cool and rainy day. As we were both from hardy Scandanavian stock born and raised in MN and WI respectively, my wife and I treated this low 60's day like any other spring day back home...with shorts and t-shirts, much to the amusement of the CMs. One CM running a kiosk called out to us from underneath her winter parka, "You two must be from MN!" We said we were and were there on our honeymoon (at the time we new nothing about the special occasion pins, so we weren't wearing anything special and it never came up before then). She told us to wait right there, and she went into her kiosk and presented us with a certificate to celebrate our special occasion, and sprinkled us with "pixie dust" saying that the rest of our trip will be even more magical. About 15 minutes later, the sun came out and warmed up the park. Pixie dust indeed!

The second incident actually happened earlier in the week, at the Princess Breakfast at the Akershus. I should mention that DW is a HUGE Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent fan. And that we were the only couple in the joint with no kids. Well, the princesses stayed and chatted with us just as long as they did with any of the other tables (with the exception of Mulan, she was a little cold towards us). We joked with Jasmine and how cold she must be in her outfit, and how much Mary Poppins looked like my wife's cousin, but the topper was when Sleeping Beauty came to the table. My wife lost it, just started bawling and gave SB a huge hug! SB gave me a quick, worried look, to which I replied with a smile, "You're her favorite." And she smiled and was back into character in an instant, thanking my wife for visiting and what a pleasure it was to meet her. My wife beemed like a 2nd grader the rest of the day!

Those two moments made the whole trip worth it.


TL

this would be me i would be the one bawling, especially if i saw minnie or belle...i cant wait to get there the plan is next yr but its along expensive trip from australia i so hope i can get there and give my husband best birthday/anniversary ever.

 

[LovesTheMagic]

A few stories:
First, we arrived on a Friday and I had a terrible migraine. We went to the Beauty and the Beast stage show and it worsened as the music got louder and louder. I told the family I wanted to go freshen up in the bathroom and told them to go and have fun and I would text them to catch up when I felt better. It worsened and I could barely open my eyes as I went out to the bright FL sunshine. I walked over to the nearest cast member and asked for help. She let me hold her arm as she guided me to the first aid station. They helped me and gave me some gatorade hoping that it was just dehydration. As I worsened they helped me get in touch with my family and provided transportation to and then home from the hospital (which I had to go back to a second time 3 hours after being discharged.)

2) the next morning my parents took my 3 kids to Crystal Palace for breakfast. My nearly DS almost 2 (birthday was the next day) started throwing up then becoming nonresponsive to painful stimulus. They again arranged for transportation for him and my DD4 who was now throwing up to the emergency room. They gave my parents a voucher to buy my son new clothes, which he had really messed up. Then they rescheduled the breakfast for the whole family later in the week and let my dad and my DS7 year old eat breakfast there, no charge.

3) I got out of the hospital Sunday night. We went to the park the next day, and it was amazing the pixie dust that seemed to fall. We were able to get into a line with only one person in front to have a beautiful picture of the family in front of the castle with the Halloween decorations. (we made it into a puzzle for Christmas for my DH). Pinocchio came out to great guests right where we were standing in the shade. We were given FP by a couple of strangers. We waited in line for Jessie's autograph. DS now 2 was sleeping - she pulled the other 2 kids close and had them do the "sh" with finger by the mouth for a darling picture. We were the last family for pictures for her. Then we went to the side by where she stepped out. After about 3 minutes she came out with Woody who was walking to the line for pictures. Jessie saw us and waved, then held up her finger to say wait and ran and grabbed Woody. She waved us over and we had many more beautiful and treasured pictures with the 2 of them. I started to tear up. Minimal lines for rides. Very generous CM filled up my ice pack for my head at restaurants.

I love this thread and seeing the generous spirit of Disney. Do know that they have wonderful first aid stations with nurses on staff. For such a terrible way to start the trip, Disney really were amazing to help salvage the rest of the trip.

 

[JeanetteK]

I absolutely loved reading these magical experiences! My DH and I are going to Disney World for our first trip in 38 days and I cannot wait to get there. Even if the pixie dust doesn't fall on us, I will just be so happy if I can see it falling on others. This thread really pumped me back up for our trip -- so excited

 

[Tarffri]

We were at WDW March 2nd - March 8th then transferred to the RPR at Universal til the 11th. DD had her birthday at WDW on March 6th so she had a birthday pin she wore (I didn't let her wear the pin until her birthday and after her birthday, we pinned it to her backpack). Let me tell you, birthday girls get a LOT of attention at WDW!

Off the top of my head:
-DD got a birthday pin and birthday balloon when we checked into the POP.
-Birthday greetings from seemingly every Disney employee we walked by and saw her pin.
-The night before her birthday, she got acknowledged during the birthday/anniversary announcement part of the show at Hoop Dee Doo.
-DD got a cupcake with a lit candle and a song at the 50's Primetime diner on the day before her birthday.
-Our waitress at the Primetime was so sweet, she gave DD a birthday card and had EVERYONE sitting in our section of the restaurant sign it.
-At our Boma ADR breakfast on the morning of DD's birthday, the waitress came out with a plate of samples of desserts (just bite size, but delicious) that were not on the breakfast menu (I assume they offer them later in the day). DD was not hungry after eating so much the night before at HDDR, but it was a nice gesture. I got to eat some of them - Yum!
-We got an autograph book at Epcot the day after DD's birthday and had it signed by cast members at all the countries in World Showcase. They all wished her Happy Birthday in various languages. In Japan, the lady gave DD a tiny origami cat that will will put in our scrapbook. Others put cute little symbols and phrases. What a kick for DD to see her name in Chinese!
-We even asked for autographs from WDW employees who had name tags indicating they were from other countries. A girl from New Zealand signed her book and drew a picture of a Kiwi. And we couldn't find a single Haitian in Haiti, but the nice wood carver from Kenya signed the book in his native language. That book is a treasured memento of our trip. Her favorite thing!
-On our Epcot day, we had a Fastpass to Soarin' at 8:30-9 pm so we had to leave WS in time to make the ride. We tried to make the show at the American Pavillion I think around 7:45ish, but the CSM said we just missed it and the next show would be at 8:30, conflicting with our Fastpass. The CSM felt bad for us and let us in to the show that had already started! We only missed a few minutes of it. DD really loved that movie and the animatronic Mark Twain and Ben Franklin figures. We made our Soarin' ride and didn't have to race. Such a nice gesture.
-A few times we were able to substitute an ice cream or fruit cup for the cookie on the children's dining plan, the workers offered which broke up the monotony of cookies with every meal.
-When we got our free mugs for beverages at the POP, the lady at the register saw DD hesitate at the color choices and she offered her a pink mug. She had to go and get someone to get pink mugs out of the back because there were only blue and black choices.
-We were in line to get into Philharmagic and somehow bypassed the 3D glasses. So we were packed in like sardines at the door to the theater without our glasses. Another mother saw that I didn't want to lose my place and certainly didn't want to leave DD alone in that massive crowd. She left her kids with me and went and got us the 3D glasses.
-We asked an unusual favor of our concierge at the POP and he followed through for us. We had seen Amer. Idol at HS and had a favorite who won our time slot. DD was upset that she wouldn't see the finale, but we had tickets to Fantasmic. We didn't know if our girl won or not, so we asked our concierge the next day if he could call HS and find out for us. He jumped through hoops and we found out our girl won!
-At the Lion King show in AK, one of the cast members approached DD with some sort of percussion instrument and asked her if she wanted to be in the show! All DD did was walk around the stage and shake the thing, but she felt like a VIP!
-And on and on. Just nice people everywhere offering advice on bus rides, helpful hints, showing us where to go (me being directionally challenged), and strangers offering to take our picture for us (and I'm not talking about Photopass photogs).

It is really hard trying to adjust to everyday life after all that magic. But I will never forget all the kindness bestowed on us. It was wonderful.

 

[newlittleminnie]

I don't have a magical moment to add....YET!

But i just wanted to say that stories like this make me even more excited for my first ever trip to Disney World in august.

At 22 I know for a fact I will feel like a little kid again when i'm there, and I'm sure I will have my own stories to add when I come back.

Thanks for such great tales

 

[poppypetal]

Just saw this, but ours was very close to the original posters.

We went into a store on our last night, last year. DD1 was dressed as Rapunzel, DD2 was dressed as Jasmine. The person working, was like wow, stop right there. Then he made this big announcement, how lucky he was, and everyone should know they are, because they have never had Jasmine & Rapunzel in their store at the same time.
The went and grabbed a brand new autograph book, and begged them to sign his book for him The girls were giggling and were like sure. It was really the sweetest thing. He then gave each of them a special signed paper saying their magic moment happened on ___________ @ _______________ by _____ Very sweet to keep.

 

[T16GEM]

My son lost his hat at MK in Tomorrow Land, and we were looking all around for it, he was 4 at the time, and it was his new Cars 2 hat that we had bought especially for the trip. We went into the store and a CM in there saw how upset he was when we asked if it had been handed in and she said to him "go ahead and choose a new hat from the display" he chose a Mickey Mouse baseball cap, she removed the security tags and said here you go, have a good day. SO SO nice of her to do that. My son was much happier too! We never did see his Cars one again!

 

[NonScents]

We were at WDW March 2nd - March 8th then transferred to the RPR at Universal til the 11th. DD had her birthday at WDW on March 6th so she had a birthday pin she wore (I didn't let her wear the pin until her birthday and after her birthday, we pinned it to her backpack). Let me tell you, birthday girls get a LOT of attention at WDW!

Off the top of my head:
-DD got a birthday pin and birthday balloon when we checked into the POP.
-Birthday greetings from seemingly every Disney employee we walked by and saw her pin.
-The night before her birthday, she got acknowledged during the birthday/anniversary announcement part of the show at Hoop Dee Doo.
-DD got a cupcake with a lit candle and a song at the 50's Primetime diner on the day before her birthday.
-Our waitress at the Primetime was so sweet, she gave DD a birthday card and had EVERYONE sitting in our section of the restaurant sign it.
-At our Boma ADR breakfast on the morning of DD's birthday, the waitress came out with a plate of samples of desserts (just bite size, but delicious) that were not on the breakfast menu (I assume they offer them later in the day). DD was not hungry after eating so much the night before at HDDR, but it was a nice gesture. I got to eat some of them - Yum!
-We got an autograph book at Epcot the day after DD's birthday and had it signed by cast members at all the countries in World Showcase. They all wished her Happy Birthday in various languages. In Japan, the lady gave DD a tiny origami cat that will will put in our scrapbook. Others put cute little symbols and phrases. What a kick for DD to see her name in Chinese!
-We even asked for autographs from WDW employees who had name tags indicating they were from other countries. A girl from New Zealand signed her book and drew a picture of a Kiwi. And we couldn't find a single Haitian in Haiti, but the nice wood carver from Kenya signed the book in his native language. That book is a treasured memento of our trip. Her favorite thing!
-On our Epcot day, we had a Fastpass to Soarin' at 8:30-9 pm so we had to leave WS in time to make the ride. We tried to make the show at the American Pavillion I think around 7:45ish, but the CSM said we just missed it and the next show would be at 8:30, conflicting with our Fastpass. The CSM felt bad for us and let us in to the show that had already started! We only missed a few minutes of it. DD really loved that movie and the animatronic Mark Twain and Ben Franklin figures. We made our Soarin' ride and didn't have to race. Such a nice gesture.
-A few times we were able to substitute an ice cream or fruit cup for the cookie on the children's dining plan, the workers offered which broke up the monotony of cookies with every meal.
-When we got our free mugs for beverages at the POP, the lady at the register saw DD hesitate at the color choices and she offered her a pink mug. She had to go and get someone to get pink mugs out of the back because there were only blue and black choices.
-We were in line to get into Philharmagic and somehow bypassed the 3D glasses. So we were packed in like sardines at the door to the theater without our glasses. Another mother saw that I didn't want to lose my place and certainly didn't want to leave DD alone in that massive crowd. She left her kids with me and went and got us the 3D glasses.
-We asked an unusual favor of our concierge at the POP and he followed through for us. We had seen Amer. Idol at HS and had a favorite who won our time slot. DD was upset that she wouldn't see the finale, but we had tickets to Fantasmic. We didn't know if our girl won or not, so we asked our concierge the next day if he could call HS and find out for us. He jumped through hoops and we found out our girl won!
-At the Lion King show in AK, one of the cast members approached DD with some sort of percussion instrument and asked her if she wanted to be in the show! All DD did was walk around the stage and shake the thing, but she felt like a VIP!
-And on and on. Just nice people everywhere offering advice on bus rides, helpful hints, showing us where to go (me being directionally challenged), and strangers offering to take our picture for us (and I'm not talking about Photopass photogs).

It is really hard trying to adjust to everyday life after all that magic. But I will never forget all the kindness bestowed on us. It was wonderful.

This was all so great to read. Some people may think, Big deal, WDW is supposed to do all those special things. They don't have to, they just do, 99.9% of the time. Tarffri, I think often the difference in having the most amazing time or not, is a great attitude and appreciation for how much WDW does (not expecting it.)

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We've had many kind cm's who made magical memories for us.

There is one that will always stand out for me. It was way back in l988. My then four year old son had just finished chemo. He had bone cancer and had lost part of his leg and wear a prosthesis. So there we are at Disney, his hair had just started growing back but you could definitely tell he had been through chemo. We were not on a MAW trip - just a Grand Gathering.

That was the year that Mickey's Birthday Land started. We had just seen the "birthday show" and came out to do a meet and greet with the characters. Tigger was my son's favorite character. He tells Tigger that he was brave just like Tigger. It must have melted Tigger's heart because he told us to wait and when the meet and greet was done he had just about all the characters come out and he carried my son around dancing with him and he had personal interaction with all the characters. You couldn't have planned that! My whole family had tears in their eyes (and some of the face characters even did too!).

We told that story so many times that when we took our youngest kids for the first time in 2003 my 4 year old dd told Tigger (at the Crystal Palace) - Tigger, I'm Kevin's sisters. I guess she thought Tigger never forgot him!

 

[Tarffri]

This was all so great to read. Some people may think, Big deal, WDW is supposed to do all those special things. They don't have to, they just do, 99.9% of the time. Tarffri, I think often the difference in having the most amazing time or not, is a great attitude and appreciation for how much WDW does (not expecting it.)

I've spent most of my life in various customer service jobs (now I'm a nurse), and I have had a LOT of experience in dealing with people and trying to accommodate others. I recognize and appreciate excellent service (I tip well and treat my waitresses and CMs with respect) as I was held to such high standards by my employers. We never asked for anything. All this kindness was out of the blue. Quite remarkable.

We are already planning our next trip. It will have to be on the other coast next time, as we have relatives in California. So we will give Disneyland a try. Making guests feel special brings them back…again and again!

 

[Tarffri]

We've had many kind cm's who made magical memories for us.

There is one that will always stand out for me. It was way back in l988. My then four year old son had just finished chemo. He had bone cancer and had lost part of his leg and wear a prosthesis. So there we are at Disney, his hair had just started growing back but you could definitely tell he had been through chemo. We were not on a MAW trip - just a Grand Gathering.

That was the year that Mickey's Birthday Land started. We had just seen the "birthday show" and came out to do a meet and greet with the characters. Tigger was my son's favorite character. He tells Tigger that he was brave just like Tigger. It must have melted Tigger's heart because he told us to wait and when the meet and greet was done he had just about all the characters come out and he carried my son around dancing with him and he had personal interaction with all the characters. You couldn't have planned that! My whole family had tears in their eyes (and some of the face characters even did too!).

We told that story so many times that when we took our youngest kids for the first time in 2003 my 4 year old dd told Tigger (at the Crystal Palace) - Tigger, I'm Kevin's sisters. I guess she thought Tigger never forgot him!

The most heartwarming story of all. Thank you so much for sharing this.