RachealM
Disney Diva
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2015
Many of us have read stories about “Extra Disney Magic” or “Pixie Dust Moments” at Disney, but it’s not too common to actually see these things happening. On our recent trip to the Magic Kingdom a few weeks ago, we were able to experience something like this first-hand. This is how a Cast Member named Maritza went above and beyond the call of duty to make our visit both magical and memorable.
It was just after noon and we were in a very crowded Tomorrowland. Seeing that Buzz’s Space Ranger Spin was over an hour wait, I toted my family to a kiosk for a fastpass to return to Buzz later and planned on visiting some other attractions first. Drained from the heat and having just been informed that he wasn’t going on Buzz’s ride right then, my son, Johnny, began to have an emotional meltdown. At that point, no amount of reasoning was stopping his waterworks. We tried to brush off the “not another crying child” stares we were receiving from other guests and started making our way back down Main Street towards something I was sure would make our son happy- the train station. That’s when we walked past Maritza.
Maritza wasn’t working in a gift shop promoting merchandise, she wasn’t selling balloons or drinks on Main Street to people in the crowds, and she wasn’t in a showy costume entertaining people with a street performance. Instead, she was simply dressed in white and working hard doing the job that’s easy to overlook in theme parks – cleaning. Somehow, amidst the constant chaos on Main Street, Maritza saw us walking down the sidewalk and noticed that Johnny was crying. It was then that she took the extra steps to try to help.
She immediately stopped us on the street by talking directly to Johnny, bent down, and asked him for a hug. It only took a minute for Maritza’s smile and friendly demeanor to have a calming effect on him, quickly making his waterworks a thing of the past. She asked Johnny how old he was and what wonderful things he had seen so far at Disney, and also engaged our daughter, Samantha, in the conversation as well. She asked us if it was ok for the kids to have something. Not sure what she had in mind, but thinking it was probably one of the Mickey Mouse stickers that other Cast Members give out to cheer up unhappy kids, I said sure. She then proceeded to pull out a little pouch from her pocket and opened it up for the kids to pick through. As Johnny pulled out some folded money, I quickly realized what was happening. This wasn’t just a Cast Member invoking a Disney code to replace broken/ruined items for upset children or by passing out park issued stickers or buttons and ride return tickets. This was a person reaching into her own pocket to do something kind.
Well, we were shocked and the kids were ecstatic. Maritza had just given them the complete contents of her change purse, which included a $5 bill, three $1s, and a quarter. She told the kids they can save it or, if it was ok with me, that they might be able to share a little something from the store near us, which was the Main Street Confectionery candy shop. We all thanked her and the kids gave her a hug before saying goodbye, but words cannot express how touched I was with what Maritza did. I’m sure she must see a lot of children having tantrums each day and she could have easily continued her job and ignored the small, crying child walking past her – but she didn’t. She stopped Johnny, embraced him, and ultimately calmed him down just by talking to him. In addition to that, she was generous enough to want to give the kids something.
This is Maritza with Johnny and Samantha just before saying goodbye. Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
I’m not sure who to contact at Disney to send my praises to about Maritza, but I want to make sure they do get the message about what an incredible Cast Member they have working there. Her kindness is something we will always remember.
It was just after noon and we were in a very crowded Tomorrowland. Seeing that Buzz’s Space Ranger Spin was over an hour wait, I toted my family to a kiosk for a fastpass to return to Buzz later and planned on visiting some other attractions first. Drained from the heat and having just been informed that he wasn’t going on Buzz’s ride right then, my son, Johnny, began to have an emotional meltdown. At that point, no amount of reasoning was stopping his waterworks. We tried to brush off the “not another crying child” stares we were receiving from other guests and started making our way back down Main Street towards something I was sure would make our son happy- the train station. That’s when we walked past Maritza.
Maritza wasn’t working in a gift shop promoting merchandise, she wasn’t selling balloons or drinks on Main Street to people in the crowds, and she wasn’t in a showy costume entertaining people with a street performance. Instead, she was simply dressed in white and working hard doing the job that’s easy to overlook in theme parks – cleaning. Somehow, amidst the constant chaos on Main Street, Maritza saw us walking down the sidewalk and noticed that Johnny was crying. It was then that she took the extra steps to try to help.
She immediately stopped us on the street by talking directly to Johnny, bent down, and asked him for a hug. It only took a minute for Maritza’s smile and friendly demeanor to have a calming effect on him, quickly making his waterworks a thing of the past. She asked Johnny how old he was and what wonderful things he had seen so far at Disney, and also engaged our daughter, Samantha, in the conversation as well. She asked us if it was ok for the kids to have something. Not sure what she had in mind, but thinking it was probably one of the Mickey Mouse stickers that other Cast Members give out to cheer up unhappy kids, I said sure. She then proceeded to pull out a little pouch from her pocket and opened it up for the kids to pick through. As Johnny pulled out some folded money, I quickly realized what was happening. This wasn’t just a Cast Member invoking a Disney code to replace broken/ruined items for upset children or by passing out park issued stickers or buttons and ride return tickets. This was a person reaching into her own pocket to do something kind.
Well, we were shocked and the kids were ecstatic. Maritza had just given them the complete contents of her change purse, which included a $5 bill, three $1s, and a quarter. She told the kids they can save it or, if it was ok with me, that they might be able to share a little something from the store near us, which was the Main Street Confectionery candy shop. We all thanked her and the kids gave her a hug before saying goodbye, but words cannot express how touched I was with what Maritza did. I’m sure she must see a lot of children having tantrums each day and she could have easily continued her job and ignored the small, crying child walking past her – but she didn’t. She stopped Johnny, embraced him, and ultimately calmed him down just by talking to him. In addition to that, she was generous enough to want to give the kids something.
This is Maritza with Johnny and Samantha just before saying goodbye. Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
I’m not sure who to contact at Disney to send my praises to about Maritza, but I want to make sure they do get the message about what an incredible Cast Member they have working there. Her kindness is something we will always remember.
