Simple Thing a Cast Member Did...

[kimgg]

I can think of two. On our first Disney cruise (Magic) coming back on the ship from Cozumel, I realized I did not have my camera once we got back to our cabin. I was sh

Oops sent too soon. Anyway I was shocked my Nikon camera had been turned in to customer service. It was found on the ground on the pier! No idea how I lost it.

At WDW, a CM heard my husband acting surprised at the prices for chips, lol, and gave us 4 refillable mugs for free to turn our experience in to a positive one. He was so attentive we were so appreciative! Magical .

 

[SweetGarrettGirl]

On our trip in March my oldest DD 11 finally got the courage up to "try out" for American Idol. Of course she wasn't old enough to perform on stage but the judge told her how blown away he was by her singing and gave her special seating for a parade. When we got there they said the all the kids that had gotten this special seating (6 girls all under 12) would perform for the small crowd that was sitting on the steps waiting for the parade. My DD ended up being the first one to sing and bless her heart, she was so nervous never having sang in front of a crowd of people before. She did wonderful, but lost her voice twice. The CM running the "show" didn't say anything to her when she finished. Well the other girls got up and did their songs and after each one the CM praised them exceedingly and said they would surely be future American Idols. Well my DD got it in her mind that since he didn't do that with her she had done very badly and as a result started to cry. (Mind you, the CM didn't mean anything by this I'm sure. DD was first and it was kind of rushed.) Anyway, another CM saw how distraught my DD was and came up to ask what was wrong. We explained that she was upset because she didn't think she did well. The CM assured her that nothing was further from the truth and praised her performance then let her pick a pin off her lanyard. It brightened my DDs mood a lot and as a result she was able to enjoy the parade and stop obsessing over her performance. I wish I had gotten that CM's name.

Bless those CMs that help us parents defuse what could be very bad situations.

 

[rmgreenesq]

Disneyland holds limited time magic events for annual pass holders. A few weeks ago they hosted a screening of Dumbo. To get into the movie, AP holders queue up at 11:00 am on a Thursday in front of the Opera House to get a wrist band for a 5:00 pm or 7:00 pm showing that evening.

As my wife and I reached the front of the line, I presented three annual passes: mine, my wife's and my 10 year old daughter's. As the cast member was putting the wrist band on my and my wife's wrist, I asked for a third band for my daughter. My daughter was unable to appear in person as she was in school. The cast member told me that they were instructed to put the wrist band on the AP holder's wrist and that they were unable to simply hand them out to people who did not stand in the line.

The cast member then returned our passes to me. As I was putting them in my pocket, I found a third wrist band folded and placed between the passes.

Rick

 

[SunDevilFanAZ]

I remember another thing a cast member did for our family. Back in 1992, we made our first and only visit to WDW. It was a trip of a lifetime that ended with a cruise on The Big Red Boat. Yeah it was that long ago.

Well, part of the fun of getting there was flying on a red eye from Southern California. Combine te lack of sleep, all that goes into te trip and getting a rental in a new area meant something was going to happen.

After we got to the Contemporary with our rental, my parents went to check in. Only they couldn't find the check in docs. Or the travelers checks, camera and all of our cruise documents. Pretty much an Oh Crap moment. With a bit of panic thrown in my dad thought that one bag with everything must have been left at the rental counter. The Contemporary employee did all she could to start us off on the right foot.

She called the rental car company and got confirmation the bag was there. She booked is in without our docs and gave us a Magic Kingdom view. Further she called the cruise line and got things squared away there too. So by the time my dad drive back to MCO to retrieve the all important bag and return, the one CM had started us off on the right foot we needed

 

[Princess Hannah]

I had been really looking forward to seeing the Be Our Guest restaurant, and when I walked in for the first time, I was in awe. I stood off to the side of the ballroom, just staring with my mouth open, amazed. A nearby CM saw me and came over, asking if I liked their ballroom. I told him, truthfully, that it was the most beautiful place I'd ever been. He leaned over and said he'd tell me a secret about it then, and told me that the snow falling in the windows is from the original animation in the movie! It was one of the best moments of my trip and I was so grateful to him for taking the time to talk to me. He made me trip!

 

[glassslippergirl]

On our trip Memorial Day Weekend, we watched the African band performing in Harambe. My son (2) loves to "dance" and looked so cute dancing to the strong beat in the songs. After the show, we talked to the musicians, and the drummer gave his drum sticks to my son. He said, "We need to support the next generation of musicians." DS plays with those drumsticks every day.

 

[Princess Hannah]

I know it's nothing super special, but when I would have a CM that was checking my bag or working the turnstiles call me Princess, it made me feel like the most important girl in the world. Being 16 and thinking that was more for little girls, it was always a special treat. Plus I've never really seen myself as a princess so to have someone else call me that was so special.

This! Whenever a CM calls me princess I can't stop smiling for such a long time after.

 

[Bluegrrl]

Two (or three) things:

My DS2, (at the time, 1 years) is a redhead, so he's pretty recognizable. Plus, he loves animals. We stayed at AKL last year - just the resort, we didn't go to the parks at all. The CMs at the resort were super-sweet to him! He would always run up to the drummers - they called him the little drummer boy! Ever morning, he'd go out and look at the savannah - the guides knew him. My mom has been to Africa, and the guides and her would talk about the countries she's visited and where the guides were from. We decorated cookies, and those cms knew him - he was just a little guy, but the cms made him (and me) feel at home.

At the Hoop-Dee-Doo last year as well, he fell in love - and I mean IN LOVE with the girl who plays Flora. It was only her, not the other two girls. Don't know why. But the girl who played her came over, kissed him, and we got some wonderful pictures.

We were at Le Cellier several years ago. My husband is a HUGE Red Wings fan (he has the octopus holding the Red Wings symbol tattooed on his leg) , and our server was also a hockey fan as well (a Canadian team, I forgot which one). They had a fun chat, as they ribbed each other about the teams. If you know anything about the Wings, their fans are super-hard core, so some of the chatting got pretty heavy!

We went to the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club for Easter brunch this year. Our waitress was very sweet - she got us seated, played with our boy, and even gave him balloons.

It's nice to run into the sweet cms!

 

[ampersand]

Two things, both DL:

This is from a few years ago but I can still name CM names because they were so outstanding. In one case I watched some cast members over by Tink's meet and greet playing simon says with a pile of kids who were bored to tears waiting for a parade. Just a simple game in the middle of a huge group of people, but just doing something like that was so great. One of the kids fell and smashed her face open as kids will be kids and they're just great at that . They fretted over her until she felt better, had the whole group of kids sing a get well song to her, and gave her a fast pass to meet Tink after the parade. Her little bloody face shined like the sun.

But I had one happen to me personally too. My inlaws were with us and they were escorting a foster kid who'd never been to Disney. She wanted to go so bad and she was out of her mind with glee and excitement. They were only up there 1 day. While I wasn't looking, she shoved her head through the grating in front of Snow White and her Minnie ears fell into the caged area, far out of reach. She started to sniffle. They'd been personalized on the headband and she'd been crazy for that. After all, foster kids don't exactly get a lot of cool personal stuff.

I told the CM manning the ride and she said "Hang on just a sec". She got on the phone, called the area manager and gave us two free rides while we waited (there wasn't a line). The area manager showed up with not just keys to get the ears (which were grabbed) but a costume for her too. Behind our back the CM had told the manager her size and what had happened.

The manager apologized profusely and said they weren't even aware a kid could shove their head through the bars. Kiddo cried when she got a costume and her ears back. I dunno if they changed the bars or put up fiberglass but the manager said they were going to have to make sure nobody could do that anymore.

Needless to say everybody involved got sparkling reviews at guest services.

 

[lam0037]

I have so many but this one is probably my favorite:

This was several years ago, back when Spectromagic was still the night time parade at MK. Having staked out a spot an hour before, we were right next to the rope. It was the Peter Pan scene and Mr. Smee came up to me and gestured to his nose. He timed it so when I kissed his nose, the lights on the parade went from white lights to colored ones. It was something so small, but something that made my trip.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Last year at the Halloween Party my husband and I were on our honeymoon and dressed as Cinderella & Prince Charming. We walked by Tiana's place to see if she was there, but the CM told us she wasn't going to be there for a little while still. A photopass CM who was also waiting for Tiana asked if we would like to use her meeting place for a few pictures! We ended up getting a private mini photoshoot in Tiana's meeting spot! Major pixie dust.

Same day, we were watching the parade from a bridge overlooking the castle where nobody else was. A photopass CM snuck us behind us and took a picture! He said it was so magical looking over and seeing Cinderella and the Prince looking out over the water to the castle that he had to capture the moment. I love that picture.

Still halloween party, we were given free parking and a handful of candy from the parking CM because he couldn't charge a princess. I felt really special!

Also just the CM's coming over and making such a big deal about us. I really got to feel like a princess that day and it was one of the best days of my life. The CM's all really made it so special!

Same trip, we had a pre park opening breakfast at CP and were given a table looking out the window right at the Castle! Then, we got special congratulatory cupcakes from our waiter. It was so nice and unexpected.

 

[jenninaustin]

I just subscribed. I'm at work and only read a few pages but can't wait to read more!!!!! I'm planning on bringing a bunch of stickers with me so that my kids and I can sprinkle our own pixie dust for younger kiddos next week.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Let's see:

Family of the day at OKW, with an upgrade to a two bd rm villa. After we'd been upgraded for free from value in 09. Included balloons, and tiaras for the girls. What a great first visit!

Oldest DD got to open the pool at OKW and given the pirate of the day honor.

Youngest DD felt like disney royalty, loved being called princess everywhere.

2012 trip:
Oldest dd and DH waited in line to meet buzz and woody. Youngest didn't want to wait in line, so we hung out near the exit. We'd pin traded with the cm by the door earlier in the day. Youngest dd spotted her dad and sister through the window and wished she had gone thru the queue. I told her too bad, but the CM said ohhh no! In you go you've been SO good out here. So we joined them!

Dds got their faces painted. They will touch them up for free until park close. Youngest dd had cried in the animation class bc she thought her drawing was bad. I asked the face artist if she could touch it up around her eyes. She said they could only do it if more than 50% was left, but she'd fix around the eyes. Dd jumped up in the chair saying thank you! I loved the face. She asked her what made her cry, and she told her. The cm grinned at her and totally re did her face.

At the WAve, we had an 830 ADR and were exhausted. Our server Shiloh realized it, and he was so awesome. Very relaxed,refreshing meal.

At AK, we were in a taped off area. Towards the end of the parade, a cm called youngest dd up to her and whispered. Dd grinned and came back. I sake her what happened she said it was a secret. After the parade she told me she was supposed to find the cm. The cm gave her a special pin bc dd "was the only child in the whole area who didn't need reminding to stay in the tape" made her day!

 

[jemlover]

Two things for me stand out. DH has an insulin pump and we were in DHS and it started malfunctioning. He was quite upset and a CM that was sweeping nearby came over and asked if he could help. He stayed with us and talked to us until DH got it started working again. It meant a lot. Also DH and I were dining at 1900 Park Fare and the chef came out to talk to DH about what he could eat since he was diabetic. She made him a special dessert with our names written in chocolate (sugar free, of course).

 

[Princess Hannah]

I have two magical moments related to characters. The first was while we were meeting Aurora. I'm a huge princess fan and was eager to meet her, but I expected her to pay attention mostly to my younger sister. I just wanted to jump in for the photo! But she waved me over too when my sister approaches, complemented my tiara, and had a full conversation with both me and my sister! She made me feel so special!

The second was when my sister and I were meeting Mickey. I have social anxiety, and while it's better in WDW than anywhere else, meeting Mickey was making it flare up and I was beginning to feel close to a panic attack just before we met him. I don't know if Mickey could sense that I was uncomfortable or not but he handled me perfectly. He waved right to me when I entered the room and then gave me a little space while he interacted with my family and I stood to the side. After a minute he motioned for me to come over for the picture, and when I did he gave me a huge hug, a kiss on the cheek, and had me stand next to him for the picture. When we left he kissed my hand and I was almost in tears I was so happy. The whole interaction made me feel better about meeting characters because he was so gentle with me.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

We were at AK one morning and my sister saw a CM with a pin that she really wanted (Marie from the Aristocats). She went to trade and realised she had forgotten her traders at the resort. She only had a few keepers on her lanyard. She was trying to work out which one to give up when the CM told her to come closer. She told her that Marie had just told her she really wanted to go home with her and she gave her the pin! My sister was so happy, as she had been about to trade a pin she really wanted. A small thing but my sister still talks about it 4 years later.

 

[Princess Hannah]

When I was watching my sister get all dolled up at the BBB, her fairy godmother noticed me sitting to the side snapping pictures. She called me right over and offered to glitter my hair with her magic wand, and told me to make a wish while she did it. It was really nice to feel like I was as much a princess as the kiddos around and seeing that glitter in my hair the rest of the day really made me smile. My favorite picture is one taken of my and me sister right after, with out matching glittery hair.

 

[Princess Hannah]

One more! While we were eating at the Tusker House, I was feeling very uncomfortable about meeting the characters. (I was tired, our table was in the center of the room which freaks me out, it was loud, there was a lot of movement around me...my social anxiety was not handling the situation well.) My parents were frustrated that I didn't want to be in pictures, and I felt so bad and panicked I was close crying. Meeting characters can be really scary for me and make me feel uncomfortable or even bring on a panic attack, and I was trying very hard not to let one happen that day, but mostly failing. When the characters came over to our table I think they could see how upset I was because they were incredibly gentle with me. They waved from a distance, didn't approach me until I said hello to them, and didn't touch me until I touched them first. They passed by our table a lot after we'd gotten or pictures with them, and even though that hurdle was behind me I was still feeling unsafe and unhappy. Daisy was especially great, waving to me a lot but keeping her distance, and it made me feel a lot better. I'm really grateful that the characters at WDW always seem to be very understanding of my having difficulty meeting them despite my love for them, and I've never met one that didn't make me feel better than I did before our interaction. They seem to have a knack of knowing how much a person can handle and have always treated me with a lot of caution despite no one ever telling them I have difficulty with situations like that. They've raised my comfort zone so much that I was actually asking my family to meet characters on our last trip!

 

[Reb23]

This happened a few years ago but I was able to get day of reservations at CRT for my mom, little sister, baby brother and me. And I didn't tell them until it was time to check-in. My mom and sis were so excited but my little brother (5 at the time) wanted nothing to do with it and was prepared to go into a full on meltdown.

He was still mad and grumpy when it was time to meet Cinderella. She saw that DB was upset and got down to his level and talked with him until he was smiling again. Told him how excited she was that he was going to eat in her restaurant and meet her friends. She even pointed out where Jac and Gus were to him. Potential meltdown avoided and some really great memories.

 

[MsKatie]

During our last Disney trip, my fiance and I went to Main Street Bakery to get some hot chocolate before the fireworks. It was necessary since it was only about 40 degrees outside! The women taking our order noticed my "Just Engaged" pin and congratulated us. (DF had proposed two days earlier.) I didn't realize until we picked up our order that she had decorated our cups with hearts and written "Congratulations Y'all!" It was a small gesture, but it made my day!