What magical moment has a Disney cast member created for you?
This question has been on my mind since I took my son to visit Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside over the weekend for a snack and a stroll along the resort’s Sassagoula River. This resort holds a special place in my memory, as this was the first place a Disney cast member went above and beyond to create a magical moment for my family.
This special moment took place in the early 1990s, when I was vacationing at the resort with my mom. Each night, after spending a full day at the parks, we’d walk our sore feet into the resort’s Riverside Food Court to pick up what we decided were the best peanut butter cookies either one of us ever had. Throughout our vacation, we returned night after night to satisfy our sugar fix.
On the last night of our stay, I remember remarking to my mom (in front of the group of cast members who had come to know us and our nightly purchase), how much I’d miss these sweets when we returned home to Pennsylvania.
Twenty minutes after returning to our resort room, we heard a knock on the door and opened it to find a member of the Room Service team, standing there with a complimentary plate of a dozen peanut butter cookies and a pitcher of cold milk. We couldn’t believe our eyes!
The thoughtfulness of this surprise became the highlight of our vacation, and that is exactly the purpose of a “magical moment” – it’s an experience that cast members create for us guests that just blow our minds. They are the unbelievable acts of kindness that surprise us, delight us, and keep us coming back to create new memories.
So now it’s your turn. What are some of the most magical moments a Disney cast member has created for you?
Comments
I’m amazed how the magic of Disney affects everyone – from people who give up seats on the bus at night to parents holding sleeping kids, to people who give away fast passes they can’t use, to people offering to take photos of other families so everyone can be in the picture.
My favorite CM experience was the night my husband and I were out way too late and in the wrong place to catch a bus back to our resort. We were worried we might just have to start walking, when a bus stopped and the driver asked where we were going. He had a different destination, but decided to take us to our resort first. I could have kissed him, and I think my husband could have, too!
My Story is alot like others. I am a thirty year old father of three and have been to WDW many times my first being when I was 2 my last being this past January. We were a party of 8 (my wife me and the three kids, my parents and my brother). It was the first trip for my two youngest and every moment was magical. But the one that stands out the most is when we were told by CM Tom to wait at the rear of Cindy’s Castle after one of the Castle shows for a magical first timers experiance. We sat there and wait and eventually a CM came out asking for our group to come into the castle alone. There we had a private meet and greet with all of the characters in the castle show (minus the villians). It was so much fun and so emotional. We got pictures and signatures it make a great trip into the most amazing Disney experience. Thanks to Tom and all the cast members for spreading the magic!
I was at the Disney store in NY and I didn’t have enough money to get a Donald toy (my favorite character). One of the CMs saw me and asked why I looked sad so I explained to him. He gave me a Donald doll signed by Mickey 🙂
Making magic is fun. Whenever I go to Disney, I get fastpasses for popular rides then stake out the line. When I see someone who’s about to turn away because of the wait, I walk over and make some magic 🙂
I usually feel really good after that 😀 – and Magical Moments like that are why I’m applying to College Program 🙂
While her parents were enjoying a movie in Downtown Disney, I took my 21 month old granddaughter into Disneyland so we could play for a couple of hours. The Family Fun Weekends were in full swing, so we headed over to check out the arena all decked out in its Country Western theme. While we were watching the line dancers a cast member came over to my granddaughter’s stroller, extended a hand and led her onto the dance floor. Within a few minutes who should walk up behind her and ‘cut in’ but Goofy. My granddaughter took his hand, turned around and gave my the bigest smile. When the dance was over Goofy bent down and my granddaughter gave him the biggest hug. What a magical memory not only for my granddaughter, but for myself as well.
Two years ago, my wife and I along with our 1year old Daughter (Sydney), my parents and sister visited WDW. My parents have always been huge Disney people and they took my sister and I to WDW many times as we were growing up. Needless to say they were ecstatic to be going to WDW with their family again and more importantly their first grandchild. One morning we went to Cinderella’s castle for breakfast so Sydney could meet the princesses. All of the princesses came over to Sydney to give her a kiss and leave their lipstick lips on her cheeks and forehead. Everyone got a big kick out of that and we left the lips on her face all day long, but the best was yet to come.
As we exited breakfast we walked over to tomorrowland to wait for its opening and get on Buzz Lightyear as it was my dad and sisters favorite. While waiting at the gate, a CM asked what attraction we were going to go to first. After telling him, he said he had a good idea. His idea was that we should be the “first family” of the day and immediately ushered over to Buzz Lightyear. We got to ride the attraction twice before it opened to the public plus we all got free photos of our rides along with a certificate proclaiming us the first family of the day. What a great start to the day, my parents were speechless.
My most special Disney moment happened in 2000, I was 7 or 8 years old (I am 18 now). We did Magic Kingdom on the first day, and on our way up Main Street USA for the first time, we were stopped by two Cast Members. They started talking to me, asking if I was skipping school (it was off-season). They found out it was my first time at Disney and asked if we wanted to be Grand Marshals for the parade that day. So, yes, on my very first day in the Magic Kingdom I got to be in the parade. I’ll never forget those two guys- I still have their picture somewhere.
We were there for Disney Hallowe’en in October…my 3 girls all dressed as their favourites. 13 year old was Elizabth Swan, 7 yr old was Ariel and 5 yr old was Cinderella. We were waiting in line to see the villians (the highlight of my trip) and just as we were going through Cinderella’s step and step sisters came out, but because we had gone through the line of villans and the parade was about to begin my youngest wasn’t able to see them. The cast memeber and photo pass memeber that was at the last one whispered in my ear to go and stand behind the building there and just wait. I was hoping what was about to happen but just in case it didn’t I didn’t want to say anything to my girls (so in turn I couldn’t tell my husband so he was a little confused too) So we waited there, and sure enough as all the villians were leaving the step mom and daughters stopped where we were and spent a good 5 minutes talking to my youngest one as Cinderella…the look on her face was priceless…I will never forget that moment. This is just one of the many things the cast memebers do for the guests. You all do such amzaing work and the patience you all have is outstanding. Can’t wait to come back and see what next magical memory you will make for our family.
There are three different moments & I want to give a shout out to them. 1. My son then 3 decided to wander off during a Christmas Party. It was very dark in some areas of MK & hard to see. The ushers from Haunted Mansion right away began enlisting other castmembers to help my son “find” me(as you know it’s always the parents that get lost:) )They reunited us in less than 20minutes & helpped me calm down. THANK YOU!
2. My daughter Yvette was looking for anything with her name on it. There was nothing because it’s spelled different. For a 6 yr old it’s very frustrating & she was getting sad. A castmember in the store came over & showed her how to make a “special” charm bracelet with her name spelled out among the Disney characters Yvette picked out herself. That started her hobby of making a charm bracelet whenever we visit. THANK YOU!
3.On our last trip we got a chance to do the BIBBIDDY BOUTIQUE & the Main St Barber. Terrific job, my so loved his mohawk,the 3yr loved the sparkles in her hair& I loved my “Farrah” shag that you can’t get anymore(except @ Disney!). My oldest daughter had the Princess Bun. She was so happy, she kept saying she didn’t know she was so pretty. Then we met Daisy & Minnie the girls were so happy,Donald made the guys happy. We got lucky enough to meet Ariel. She was great, the kids came down with a case of shyness & she took time to put them at ease & make them feel special. Not only did she do that with my kids but with other people also. She became the top reigning princess among my kids. THANK YOU!
4. I know I said there was three, but everyone I’ve talked to and met from high up to the groundskeepers etc.. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!!!! Because you always have a smile & are concerned about us, making it feel like I’m visiting family without any arguements.
While at the Magic Kingdom my son-in-law “to be” Nick asked one of the photo people if she would help with a surprize marriage proposal. My daughter had just become a nurse so we told her that in honor of her graduation the photo lady was willing to take some pictures of her in front of the castle. The photo person was in on the proposal surprize. So during the shut Nick can into the picture and proposed. We were all crying included the fine young lady who took the picture. Also people walking by were clapping. We now have lasting pictures and memories of that moment. I know the day and time of the event and always wished that I got her name for being special person. By the way the wedding occurred and thier first anv. is this week.
When I was 3 and on my very first trip to Disney all I wanted was to meet Mary Poppins. It was my favorite movie and still is to this day. My parents saw her walking toward Cinderella’s Castle and we ran to catch up. It was time for her to take a break, but when she saw how excited I was to meet her she postponed her break. Mary Poppins sat with me for 20 minutes just talking. She even wrote a special message in my autograph book. That was 20 years ago and it will always be my favorite Disney memory.
On our magical vacation in January of 2011, to celebrate my 32nd birthday, my children were getting an autograph from Daisy while I was waiting to the side in front of City Hall. The kids (10 &11)and my husband ran over to me, very excited and told me about the signing… as we were talking a wonderful CM named Dean, came up to us and said… “You guys look like a fun family”. We sort of laughed and said “Duh, who keeps their kids out of school to go to Disney in mid January?!” He spoke with us for a little bit, asked us how many were in our trip, why we were there and then asked us if we would like to be in Mickeys Limo for the mid day parade! We were Grand Marshall’s! He took down all our information, asked us to meet him back at the fire station at 2:45… when we met him, he gave us all Mickey Ears and led us “back stage”… we got to meet many of the characters in a very private setting… We were announced in the parade and everyone waived and cheered for us. There were many people from the crowed that yelled at us and told us that they lived near us. I was wished Happy Birthday by thousands of people. It was absolutely amazing. The best part for me tho, was while riding in Mickeys Limo, saying “hello princess” to the many little girls dressed in their favorite costumes. Id like to think that I was able to spread a little Disney Magic as well!
On that same trip, a FANTASTIC bellman from Tower of Terror took special interest in my family as we attempted to ride 20 times in one day. He would chat with us every time we got near him, played a little trick on the elevator for my kids, and then on one of our “loops” held us aside and took us back up the elevator which is normally reserved for “celebrities”. We rode twice in 5 mins! He really helped us make the trip so magical.
We also ran into an off duty CM that day that gave my children Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania and helped my kids find the “extra” hidden Mickey in the wait line.
Disney Magic is so abundant if you are talking to the people around you! It is just so amazing!
My husband and I were in WDW in October of 2009 for our honeymoon. While many magical things happened on that trip, there was one particularly special thing that happened to us. We spent one of the days at AK and then park hopped to DHS for a dinner reservation. We had a little time to kill before dinner, so we decided to ride Star Tours one more time. When we got to the entrance, there was a CM named Ricardo standing there. He looked at my shirt (it was a picture of Boba Fett) and asked us if we were thinking about riding Star Tours again. We said “yes” and then Ricardo asked us if we would like a backstage tour. We were thrilled. He announced to the rest of the CMs, “We have our couple” and they all cheered! Ricardo took us on a great behind-the-scenes tour of Star Tours, including the “control room”. We sat and talked to the other CMs in the control room (who are huge SW fans, also), and were presented with trading cards (that they usually save for those not tall enough to ride) and then we were given our own private ride (which included fantastic Chewbacca imitations from our new friends in the control room). When the ride was finished, Ricardo brought out the Star Tours manager to meet us. After chatting with him for a few minutes, we were then presented with 2 lightsabers signed by “The Star Tours Crew”. We could not thank them enough and although I wish I could remember everyone’s name, this is still our most treasured memory from that trip. We are going back this fall and I hope Ricardo is still there. I would love to see him again. Thank you, hard-working CMs for the magic.
My daughter,and her family and I visited WDW last March. It was my first visit without my husband, who had passed away the year before. I was having a feeling sorry for myself moment, outside of the Contemporary, when a CM who was sweeping the walkway, came up and handed me a tissue. She gave me a hug, and told me that he was still there with me. We are all returning the end of June, and I know he will be smiling down on us and the two little ones having a Magical time.
I still remember back in 2003 when I went with my sisters and my parents to WDW and it happened to by my sister’s birthday. Being in Magic Kingdom on your birthday is magical in and of it’s self with the birthday button proclaiming the occasion but cast members make it magical as well. While strolling through the park that day a cast member walked up to my sister and asked what her favourite attraction was. At that time it was Peter Pan’s Flight and the cast member promptly gave her a special fastpass that would allow us to go to the front of the line of that ride. It was a magical experience for us all, especially my sister!
I am a big Eeyore fan. When I was in college (yes, college), I got in line with my dad at Mickey’s Toontown Fair because it said that Eeyore was there. We waited for a while and by the time it was our turn, Eeyore was no longer there. A cast member overheard us mentioning that we were disappointed he wasn’t there any longer. She asked us to step aside and wait for a few moments after we completed our pictures with Pooh and Tigger. Minutes later, Pooh and Tigger went off for break and Eeyore came out for a private session! We were absolutely tickled that they would do this for us! Especially since we didn’t even have any kids in tow… Even my dad, who is a bit of an “old guy curmudgeon” was excited! It really was magical.
This is just the most recent one. Cast members @ Le Cellier. Last September, just as we began eating, my daughter’s red wine glass flew across the table covering my food and my snow white shirt with it! My husband, daughter & I sat stunned for a few minutes. The cast members brought me soda water to clean it off, and pampered us as we all had a huge laugh over it. We finished our meal (my steak had a “wine sauce”). They had offered to replace the steak, but since it was our fault, I declined. I went back to the hotel to change, and set my top to soak. They gave me a coupon for a free T-Shirt, and when I chose it, I sent it to the hotel. In the bag was a card telling me to expect something special. When I returned home, this lovely group of people sent a 4 pack of the Ginger Ale used at WDW! (Side Note: I used “Carbona” wine remover stain, and my top was saved even after being set for 15 days!). Thank you, Le Cellier, for making the incident so memorable with your kindness, and for also making it one of the funniest things that ever happened to me!
About 3 years ago my daughter (she was 5 at the time) and I went to MK. She really wanted to meet the princesses. We waited in line for quite awhile. When it was her turn to meet Cinderella she went up to see her and Cinderella gave her a big hug. Apparently there was a pin someplace on the costume that poked my daugther on her hand. Almost in tears and rather shocked that a hug resulted in an injury, my daughter ran over to me. One of the cast members came right over to us. Got my daughter a bandaid and told my daughter that the the mice must have left a pin in Cinderella’s dress and that she would have a serious talk with the mice about that. She also then took my daughter back to talk with Cinderella about the incident.
In 2003, my family & I were walking around America in World Showcase, looking for our stroller which had apparently been stolen. Then a cast member, wearing a Revolutionary war era uniform, asked my kids, Justin & Leah, to take part in a show with he and his fellow soldiers. They said yes, of course, and none of us knew what to expect. The soldier took Justin & Leah to an area where he gave them instructions that my husband and I couldn’t hear. We saw him give a hat and rifle to Justin, and a hat and basket to Leah. Then they lined up. He had an American flag, and his fellow soldiers had picollos and drums. They marched around America, playing a march song, finally stopping to do a presentation. Then the soldier declared that Justin & Leah, for their “…abilities & good conduct… I now declare Leah & Justin, Daughter & Son of Liberty!” He presented each of them with a copy of the Declaration of Independence. They were just tickled, and still feel that they were the luckiest kids at Disney World that year.
A few years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to 1-Get on a plane by myself, 2-Visit Disney with my sister and 3-Ride every ride in the park (I’m really afraid of heights, and therefore, never really got on every ride at WDW). While trying to kill the nerve in front of Expedition Everest, the attraction host got to talking to us, and my sister explained how I was fulfilling a resolution. I told him I was really nervous about ridding this particular one, since it was so high and I’d never been on it, and making such a long wait in every one of the attractions just made it worse, but we had used our Fast Pass chance with Kali River Rapids. The Cast Member told me (I’ll never forget!): “Well, Dreams are what we’re all about, and yours seems like a pretty exciting one. For your bravery, I want to do something to share in your dream.” And then he took out two little tickets and told us that they were Fast Passes. He said to use them to go on the ride, and to go find him when it was done and tell him about the experience. My sister and I were so hyped with this, we literally ran down the Fast Pass line laughing. When the ride was over and we got out of the car, a bunch of the attraction’s Cast Members were waiting for us, some of them wearing Yeti paws, and they all cheered and clapped for me. The host Cast Member was there, and he told me I had earned the Expedition Everest Medal of honor, and gave me one of the pins on his lanyard. I wore it every day after during my trip!
Our family’s first trip to WDW was in March of 2011. We had delays in our flights so we were checking in a little later than expected. My husband and I decided to cancel our reservations for supper at Planet Hollywood. We asked the cast member about cancellations while checking in explaining we would be too rushed to make it on time. The wonderful cast member gave us a complimentary taxi to downtown Disney. We made our reservation and had a great time. We arrived one evening to find all the stuffed animals looking at MK map and planning our next day for us. On our last day we noticed a little boy drop his popcorn and a cast member gave him a new one. At MK we were waiting to have our picture taken with Buzz. There was a kid having a total melt down. Everyone was getting irritated, including the photographer, but not the cast member, she apologized to everyone and did everything to make sure that the kid left feeling happy and satisfied. What a magical place.
We have several special magical moments (leading the MK parade last August; being led to the front of the Kali River Rapids line by a CM named Char, then having her ride with us; visiting Jo, a nurse at the MK First Aid station a year after being there for a sick visit, and having her remember my daughter’s name. Wow!)
But my favorite was in Epcot in 2001. We had been too busy with rides/shows to let my 3 yr old play, when she saw Nathan stocking shelves in the Tea Shop in England. To her, he was playing with blocks, so she sat down to play, too. Nathan, a college student from England, thought that was “brilliant!” It made his day to have a little helper. He made my daughters’ day (both daughters!) in return when he asked their favorite Pooh characters, dashed away, and returned with stuffed animals for both of them, “missing their tags” shall we say?
Nathan is likely back in England, but he’s well remembered her in the States! I may have to become a CM someday, just to pass along the feeling!
(P.S. Thanks for posing the original question, Jennifer! It’s clear you love reading these stories as much as we do!)
We have had 7 Magical Vacations at WDW and just booked number 8 for this September. Like so many others, we have had big and little magical moments every trip but I will share two that involve both of my daughters. When my now 10-year-old daughter was 4 she was chosen to be a Junior Chef while we were dining at Boma. Hannah was given a Chef’s hat and coat and taken into the cooking area where she helped prepare chocolate dipped strawberries for her father and I. All of the guests who were getting their food cheered and clapped for her and she was so excited to make something for us to enjoy. I still have that picture of her dressed up like a chef and holding her delicious dessert.
The other moment occured in Sept. 2010 when our 3-year-old daughter met Pocahontas while at AK’s Rafiki’s Planet Watch. There were few people in the area and Pocahontas spent 10-15 minutes talking to Hallie, hugging her and even giving her a kiss on the cheek and leaving a lipstick mark which thrilled my little princess to no end. She didn’t want to wash her cheek at the end of the day.
We’ve considered other places to take our family vacations but the magic of Disney always draws us back. It can’t be matched.
We’ve only been to Disney World twice and we’ve had a number of magical moments, but there’s one that stands out the most. On our second visit, my daughter fell in love with Tower of Terror. As we were waiting to board one day a cast member ushered us over and started talking to my daughter. When the elevator arrived we were able to have a private ride. And then the cast member made sure that we got a free copy of our ride photo. As we were exiting the building another cast member heard us talking about wanting to get a picture with my daughter’s friend and told us where we could find her for a very special picture.
We were having dinner at 1900 Park Fare, the Happily Ever After Dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drucella. We got wonderful photos of our daughter with all the characters except Lady Tremaine,(and Prince Charming-she just doesn’t like the Princes, yet) but when she came around to us, our daughter was not smiling. So they were set in place to have their photo taken and I was hoping my daughter would smile. Apparently, my husband was on the same thought train as I, because he said, “smile” Well he was trying to get our daughter to smile with his prompt, but Lady Tremaine gave us a great moment that we still laugh over. With our breaking her expression, and through tight lips we heard her say, “I AM smiling” I only wish I could put that photo up here for you all to see her expression that she called a smile.
My daughter was 3 when we took our first trip to WDW with her. We went out of our way to ride the big boat from Ticketing & Transportation to Magic Kingdom because she was always fascinated by boats and I thought it would be a great way for her to get to MK for the first time. She loved it! Hours later, exhausted, we were more than ready to head back to our resort. As we were leaving, my daughter spotted the boat launch and asked if we could take the boat again. I was really tired, so I explained that the boat didn’t go to our resort, we couldn’t get to our resort that way, and we needed to take the bus. She was so disappointed, I decided what the heck we’d take the boat out to Ticketing and Transportation, then take it back. It’s a nice relaxing ride and there weren’t a lot of people so we could sit. So we enjoyed the ride there and back before heading to the buses.
That same trip my daughter was totally about the pressed pennies. She loved them!! She loved hunting for the machines and putting the pressed pennies in her little book. It was one of her favorite things. She carried it, clutching it tightly, everywhere just in case we saw a machine. She was so excited about the boat ride back and riding it again, that she set the little book down on the seat and kneeled to watch the water. She left the book on the boat.
Of course she didn’t realize until we were almost to our spot at the bus depot and as soon as she said it I ran for the boats, hoping to catch it before they left. I didn’t make it. I had no idea what to do, but I knew the book was on the boat that had just left. Not knowing what else to do, and only having my resort’s phone number in my phone, I called my resort. I explained the situation and the lady I spoke to was a little bewildered, but said she was going to see what she could do and she would call me back. A few minutes later she called me back and told me they were able to talk to someone at MK who was going to look for the book, and see if maybe someone found it and turned it in. I’ll be honest, I really had little hope. Her name wasn’t on the book and there was no way to identify it. She said someone would call me back again later.
A couple of hours later my daughter was sound asleep (she passed out as soon as we got back to the room, even though it was very early for her), when there was a knock on the door. There was a cast member with my daughter’s book!! She also had a roll of quarters and a bunch of shiny new pennies! The fact they found the book was enough, but to bring new pennies and quarters to get more was so thoughtful. It really made my daughter’s day when she woke up the next morning.
There have been so many great magical moments, great and small, over the years, but that’s my favorite. That and the time Mousekeeping recreated the famous scene from the Lion King with my daughter’s Simba and the small menagerie she had acquired during our trip.
Last year when our extended family went to Disney World, it was the first trip for many in our party; most importantly for the three 4 year olds. When we went to Epcot on our first day and spent so much time in Innoventions that my niece, Ava, missed seeing Mulan in World Showcase. She was in tears and at that moment we all knew we’d be returning to Epcot on another day for her chance to see Mulan. We saved the return visit for the last day of our trip. When we made it back to see Mulan and tried to get in line, we were told we’d have to wait and that she would be back in 30 minutes. Again my niece was crushed and in tears. The cast member that was assisting Mulan told us to wait, that we would be first in line when Mulan returned and he gave the kids stickers for their books to ease their 30 minute torture. At some point he disappeared and came back with Mulan. Mulan came right up to my niece, bent down, hugged her and said “Ava, I’ve been waiting to see you.” We were all in tears. What a wonderful group of cast members to create such magic for the little ones and the big ones too!
About 5 years ago, my Aunt and her family had been planning a trip to WDW for nearly year and invited me and my sister along. I decided to go but right before we were set to leave, my mom passed pretty suddenly. We decided I would go for the four days before the funeral.
I was 19 at the time and having a really hard time, feeling guilty for not being home with my sister. One of the workers at my resort (the Contemporary) noticed me crying late one night looking out over the pool and brought me tissues. She asked what was wrong and was incredibly kind and supportive of me at a time when I needed it most.
She gave me a hug and told me that she had 3 daughters of her own and she couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d want them to be when they were hurting. “Everyone here wants to make you happy, and be the reason you smile.”
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was my mother telling me the story of the day I was born. At the end of the story she’d always say, “I knew the first time I held you that you wouldn’t just be okay, you’d be extraordinary.” The woman who stopped to talk to me that night had no way of knowing that, but the next day there was a note waiting for me at the front desk. It had a pin attached with Rafiki from The Lion King. The note said, “She lives in you. You won’t just be alright, you will be extraordinary.”
I will never forget that truly amazing woman. She was in my life, briefly, at a time when all of the magic had been sucked out of my life. Thank you to all Disney employees for reminding us to believe even when it seems hard!
Hi there!
Our magical moment was on our honeymoon, and it was kind of a long drawn out story with a little pain, some chills, and a happy ending. Much like a classic Disney Fable.
We had spent our day at Animal Kingdom, on the first of the “cold days” in Orlando at the end of November. You remember the ones… 39 degrees, fear of snow.. like.. WHAT? FLORIDA? REALLY?
Anyways, we had reservations at Boma after the magic hours at the park ended. We were freezing because it was warm at the start of the day, so we went on the Kali River Rapids… Not realizing as we went on it that the temperature was dropping several degrees.
So still damp, frozen, and trying to warm up to the fire in the lobby… we went and were seated early for our dinner.
Our server, Maureen, was amazing. She sat down with us… talked with us and asked us how our honeymoon was going. Made several suggestions, etc. Making for a very magical experience at the dinner table. She even gave us a little thank you note at the end, which was super sweet.
The magic, however, we did not realize, did not stop there. We were freezing our little tushies off at the bus stop at the Animal Kingdom lodge, waiting for a bus to our resort. It was late, and it was looking grim. We were frozen like two Mickey chocolate ice cream bars, waiting and seeing no light at the end of the tribal designed tunnel.
Then, as if on cue, when we were just about to head back to the hotel and warm up, maybe call a cabbie, a Disney Transportation bus, with the name “Belle” in the then heavenly looking LED sign in the front window, stopped infront of where the two of us were huddled, shivering… and the door opened. The driver asked where we were going, and we told him the Port Orleans resort.
Well as if angels were singing behind him, he said “Hop on then!”
We got on the bus which was nice and toasty, and were coached back on a warm and verily empty bus all the way to the resort, thus making our honeymoon, and my wife’s first trip outside of our region of the continent, the most magical it could have ever been.
Needless to say, we can’t wait to see how Disney magical moments like these and what others have listed will do to top it on our second honeymoon next year.
Thanks again to Maureen and that unnamed mystery bus driver in his shiny (well.. not really… but lets stick to the magic) bus driver’s uniform for really doing the name of Disney Magic justice. Walt would have been proud.
Chris and Matisha
From the left side of the great white north.
Several years ago I took my daughter to Walt Disney World for the Super Soap Weekend. Although we could not get a pass to see her favorite soap star, Jacob Young of General Hospital, we waited by his queue just to see him. A lovely young man, Lowell, saw her standing nearby and approached us to see if we had a ticket. When she told him that she did not have a ticket, Lowell said to “wait at the end of the line and I’ll make sure you get to see him.” We waited and Lowell was a man of his word and introduced my daugher to Jacob, the highlight of her trip. Two years later we spotted Lowell at MMG Studios and I reminded him of his kindness to us a few years earlier and how much it meant to us. Lowell got tears in his eyes, and said we paid him the nicest compliment he had in a long time!
In January of 2011, myself and my group of 19 were dining at the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom, when much to our surprise a Cast Member named Krystal came over and asked us if we were available at around 3:00pm for a special surprise. Krystal had been talking w/ our children before she approached us. We answered sure, we are up for anything in Disney. Well she asked us to be in the Animal Kingdom Parade!!!!! I could not believe it, we would be on floats w/ Mickey and Rafiki—-Krystal said she picked us because she had never seen a group of children ranging in ages like ours 8-17 that all got along so well and were so polite, so she wanted to reward them with a great Disney memory! Well, little did she know, she gave us all the GREATEST DISNEY MEMORY, if she had not taken the time to talk w/ us, that never would have happened. Thanks Krystal for letting us live the Disney DREAM, it was awesome! xoxoxo
For my 60th birthday my husband took me toWalt Disney World and we stayed at the Yacht Club. I have had a walking problem my whole life but never stopped walking. I walked so much that I had to ask for a wheelchair at the resort. The front desk personnel were so nice at 11PM they found me a wheelchair and decorated it with balloons. I will never forget that birthday. I felt so special in that wheelchair.
Thank you all.
You sure must have looked like a big deal!
We had a Grand Gathering in 2008 and my Grand mom went with us. We had a great time the night she flew home she died in the van that was taken her home. Family members were with her we were still in Disney. We left the next day but in the mean time a cast member came up to me and ask if I was just checking in and I explained what happened. The family had a picture taken with Goofy so he went and got me two goofy pins he said one was for her and one for me I put it in her hand before she was buried. I was amazed how nice he was they also gave us a bag full of goddies to remember the vacation. I am so great full to have spent her last days with her. Thanks Disney
When my now 14 year old daughter was 2years old we were at animal kingdom at the lion king show. A cast member asked if she would like to join the kids that were asked to join, she went out and she was chosen to stay and finish the part of the show with Timon. She was so excited after she didn’t stop talking about it for the whole day.
This yr in March, I spent my birthday week at WDW.
I went by myself, and I met so many nice people.
I spent my birthday in MK. I had NO idea what a wonderful day was ahead of me FULL of Disney Magic and surprises!
I had a Princess makeover very early at BB Boutique in MK. I was transformed into a Princess complete with bday button, sash and tiara. I went back to the main entrance to rent a locker. The CM’s called me Princess, wished me HB & asked me a question about Princess Tiana. After answering they promptly presented me with a Magical Moment Certificate and a free Locker rental for the day!
Back in the park, I stopped at Main Street Bakery for a coffee and breakfast pastry. I was overwhelmed when the ladies of the Bakery wished me HB and asked me to wait a moment. One of them re-appeared with a Giant Chocolate chip cookie wrapped & tied with a bow!
After lunch, I met Scoop Sanderson. He let me choose a pin from his fantastic sprawling lanyard. When I offered him a pin in return he shook his head, wished me Happy Birthday and said it was his gift to me.
I met Rapunzel & Flynn Rider @ the Fairytale garden. They wished me HB & as pictures were taken we had a nice conversation. After the pictures, to my surprise, Flynn offered his hand and asked me to dance. I accepted and he whisked me around the garden in a lovely dance. I felt like a little girl again. It was fantastic! The photopass photographer captured these special moments for me.
In the evening, I went to Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner @ 1900 Park Fare. At one point, Drizella noticed I was dining alone. She hollered across the restaurant for her sister Anastasia. Lady Tremaine noticed and watched with a raised eyebrow. Anastasia came over & after much hilarity they BOTH sat down at the table with me for a little while and it was so much fun!
Many CM’s went over the top to treat me to an extra special birthday. I will always remember what a Magical birthday I had at WDW.
In May of last year we took our 3 year old grandaughter who has cerebral palsy and is a wheel chair. All the cast members were wonderful to her and us but one stands out the most. We were in line to meet Baloo from the Jungle Book and she was going to be the last one before his break. So we went up to him and he was great with her nad spent more time with her then the other kids. Then he grabbed her wheelchair and started pushing her around the park for a good 5 min.She smiled all day and now Jungle Book is her favorite movie.
Every cast member I met in 2009 went out of their way to make sure we had a fantastic time! In early 2009, I made a call through to guest relations from Australia, I had a plan. I wanted to propose to my then fiance to be. I wanted to do this during our favourite show, Fantasmic! And I wanted to have the best seats in the house. We worked a cover story that I had won a New Year’s Eve holiday to Disneyland. On our arrival, everyone went to such great lengths, that even I found myself falling for the cover story. Everyone made sure it was the most magical holiday we’ve ever had!
I’m happy you were able to arrange this surprise from so far away!
It was my 1st vacation to WDW and the 1st vacation my wonderful boyfriend and I had taken together. We were in a store in the Magic Kingdom on our last day picking up some final gifts and a Cast Member asked why I looked a little sad “It’s the last day of our 1st Magcial vacation together” was my reply. We all chatted for a while about the best parts of our vacation and then as we said our farewells to her, she gave us a wonderful gift – it was 2007 and the Year of a Million Dreams – she gave us the “one to keep and one to share” Tinkerbell Pins. It was a wonderful gift, unexpected and brought tears to my eyes. In the 5 years we have been together we have been to WDW 5 times as a couple and have had many many magical moments with lots of cast members – many of which we are still in contact, but the 1st Magic Moment in 2007 will always be my favourite.
In 2006 we arrived at the Port orleans Riverside resort on our daughter’s 10th birthday. Upon learning this the cast member allowed my daughter to go behind the desk and check us in. She asked my daughter a lot of questions about her likes, who her favorite character was, how we were celebrating her birthday, etc. She then went into the back and when she returned presented our daughter with a special TinkerBell pin that was not normally given for birthdays but they made a special exception. That evening after returning from a very special birthday dinner, where she was also spoiled by cast members, there on our room table was a signed card and picture from Cinderella wishing our daughter a very happy birthday. The next morning we set out to have breakfast at Cinderella’s castle. We met an awesome cast member at the front gate who picked us to be the family of the day. We actually opened the Magic Kingdom that day. We have so many memories from all our trips to Disney but my daughter’s 10th birthday will always stand out as the best!
My wife, 8-yr-old daughter, and I had visited WDW in 2008, for the first time. On our last day, we picked up FastPasses for Space Mountain. We we came back during our scheduled time, we got in the FastPass line. There was no one else in the FP line. We skipped all the way to the head of the line. There were three CM’s waiting. They asked us if we’ve ever been on SM before. We said no and they asked if we would like a tour of the control booth. They had a short technical problem, but after that we got the tour. They gave my daughter a certificate of the experience. Then they led us to the front of the line of the first train that was boarding. It was fantastic!
Last year we went to Walt Disney World with my handicapped aunt and while we were at EPCOT, in fact right as we were heading into The Garden Grill, her rented ECV (from an outside vender not WDW) broke, the host/manager of the Garden Grill, with the help of the “rental” personnel at the entrance of EPCOT with a little info from my husband were able to have a wheelchair waiting for her when we finished dinner and had arranged for the delivery to the front gate of EPCOT from the outside vendor of a replacement ECV so that we virtually missed a beat!! It wasn’t just one individual but it was a great and virtually seamless joint effort to fix something that could have been a disaster and ruined or put a damper on our vacation.
My Family went to WDW in December and while we were at Hollywood Studios we had the pleasure of meeting a custodian who sings! she would go into the Bathrooms and sing any disney song, it was fun watching some of the younger kids come out telling their parents about how belle was in the bathroom too! It truly made the visit special to see the joy on their faces that this custodial worker brought to them, and us! I hope that she is still there when we go back this year!
First of all, I have to say I’ve LOVED reading everyone’s stories in the comments – they’ve made me so happy! Nothing like Disney Magic 🙂
I’ve never had any “big” magic things happen to me, but some of the little things (that seems like some other folks have experienced) all add up.
I’ve had several instances of returning from a day in the park to have washcloth animals or stuffed animals watching TV. I’m actually really disappointed when I come back and they *aren’t* doing something! Then again, maybe they had busy days and didn’t want to be caught, Toy Story-style 😉
This most recent trip, I had a bunch of great experiences during the Halloween Party. First, I dressed up as Snow White and was addressed as Snow White or Princess all night! At one point, a janitor around Splash Mountain asked how I, Snow White, could be ready to ride, because he just saw “me” in the parade a minute ago. I told him it was magic! (my friend, dressed as Wendy, later said our response *should* have been that Peter taught me how to fly.)
I was celebrating my birthday on that trip, too, and a cast member in Cosmic Ray’s saw my button and then prompted the entire restaurant to sing me Happy Birthday. Typically I’m not one for the big birthday song ruckus in restaurants, but it was great!
Also, just after getting on a Doom Buggy in the Haunted Mansion, unbeknownst to me, the cast member at the loading area went and stood behind the upper lip of our buggy. I was completely oblivious, until all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I catch her hovering and STARING at me from a few inches away from my head – scared me half to death! I know I shrieked, and then laughed… and she just kept this creepy, straight face, staring at me and freaking me out, until she actually had to get back to loading other passengers. Best Haunted Mansion ride EVER!
— I just spoke to my “Wendy” friend about this post (she’s loving reading these stories, too,) and she had things to add and didn’t want to make her own post, so I apologize for the length, this is now two posts. lol.
She adds that most cast members didn’t recognize her in her home-made Wendy costume – I think she was a little bummed I was stealing “princess” spotlight as Snow White. But then at the end of the evening, going through the Emporium on the way out, a cast member finally said “Hello, Wendy!” It quite brightened her night.
She also wanted to say that *all* the Cast Members are all *genuinely* so nice. She was buying an item in the Emporium at the end of the night, and the folks in front of us bought a TON of stuff. She figured the cashier would be stressed, since it was late and busy, but when she got up there, the cashier was still in just as good a mood as ever. We went to Universal on the trip, as well, and while their employees were all perfectly polite, the Disney cast members were special and honestly seemed to want us to have a great time.
So thanks, Cast Members! 🙂
The Halloween parties are my favorites! There’s a lot of opportunity for some great interaction with cast members at these events since the crowd is limited.
The last trip we took to Disney we spent the last day at Animal Kingdom. My daughter really wanted to do the Safari ride and we knew that getting there first thing in the morning was the best way to see the animals. We have friend in who work in West Africa and they had recently been to visit and brought each of my kids a custom made African outfit which they wore that day. As we entered “Africa” at Animal Kingdom we were stopped by two cast members who noticed the kids outfits. They were so surprised to see someone wearing something so familiar to them and they told us how they get asked by guests all the time where their clothes come from and have to tell them you can’t get it anywhere but Africa. The two cast members connected with us immediately and called us their “African family.” One of them took us directly to the Fast Pass line of the Safari and we walked on the ride, which made my daughter’s day as all the animals were out and about and we got great views of them! It was wonderful, and I think we made the day of those cast members as much as they made ours!
On my family’s recent trip in March, we ventured into Animal Kingdom on a rainy day. We had Camp Minnie/Mickey all to ourselves! The rain cleared and the characters danced and danced with my 4 children. A cast member, a gentleman with a guitar and a mike, noticed my children having the most splendid Disney time and asked them their names. He then made up a song about our family on the spot! While our kids danced away! We got the whole thing on video, and while we have visited all 4 parks MANY times, my children still site this magical moment as their all-time favorite memory at Disney 🙂 We watch it over and over!
We just came back from WDW a few weeks ago. My 4 year old daughter was afraid of all the characters and refused to have her picture taken with any of them. We had booked dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare thinking that she would love it. Instead she was tired from a long day and refused to even get into the picture outside of the restaurant. We were all tired and cranky and needless to say we were not having a good time. While we were seated the step sister Anastasia came over to our table for pictures and to say hello. She planted a big kiss on my 5 year old son’s head that made him giggle for an hour and went over to our 4 year old. We warned the cast member that she wasn’t being very friendly, but she didn’t walk away like the others had done. Instead she sat down at our table ( a good distance from our daughter) and started to ask her why she was scared. She stayed in character and talked with her about our dog at home and other things that seem scary, but really aren’t. She stayed at our table for 10 minutes talking with our little girl. This totally turned our night around and everyone had a wonderful time.
we made our first trip to Disney World as a family this past March. first off, I was thrilled with how nice all the cast members were (especially with dealing with a food allergy that I have).
But the magical moment was with the princesses. My 4 yr old little girl, dutifully wore her Cinderella dress all through the Magic Kingdom and eagerly waited in line for the princesses. I loved how they each talked to her, commented on her dress and asked if she was having a good time. My daughter is rarely shy and happily chatted with her princesses until I encouraged her to move on. The best moment was her time with Ariel and Prince Eric. She loved telling them about her kitty cat and asking about Prince Eric’s dog. Then they posed for a picture and I swear it looks like a family portrait.
I love how they took the time to really keep it magical for my little girl (and her mommy) 🙂
Last October, my wife and I went on our belated honeymoon(we was married right after hurricane Katrina and could not go because we had too much damage to our house) trip. We had an amazing 5 days and all of the cast members made it special. One moment that really stands out is getting on to Splash Mountain. A CM taking our fast passes stopped us and made us switch sides. He asked me if I still loved my wife and asked if my wife still loved me. He then asked me if I would marry her again and her the same. When we answered yes, he said, ” i know pronounce you husband and wife, again.” It was priceless. We will never forget it.
CM’s are so awesome. They put that extra plus on ever vacation we take there!
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