Once, on a Disney trip when I was younger, a pretty big storm hit Disney that day. In the evening, when it had finally stopped raining earlier than forecasted, so my family and I decided to go walk around Disney’s Boardwalk. As we were leaving our hotel (Yacht Club), we were approached by one of the Captain Cast Members. He informed us that his party cancelled their outing due to the weather, but since it cleared up he wanted to give us a Magical Moment! We were then escorted onto a boat filled with snacks and drinks with our Cast Member Captain. We then rode out towards the Epcot area, not fully sure of what this boat ride entailed. Next thing ya know we are watching the Illuminations Fireworks above us in the water surrounding the park. It was a moment I will ALWAYS remember.
Cast Members create moments that can ultimately last a lifetime for guests throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Memories that are so prominent in ones mind that even the Cast Member themselves tear up a little bit at the thought. This is something I’m sure many on the program wish to accomplish, and I promise you, your time will come. One day, out of the blue, (fate comes in and sees you through) you will make someone’s vacation extra magical! You might even make another Cast Member’s shift extra magical! The possibilities are endless! This post is dedicated to making everyone feel a little more warm and fuzzy inside. I asked a few of my friends to tell me their best Magical Moment experiences and I am going to share them here with you. I hope it encourages you to make your own special moments while on your program for guests and fellow cast members alike. Enjoy…
“I was a greeter one day, and I had a pin board to trade pins. A little boy kept pointing at me to his father and then pointing to his pins. He finally got the courage to come up to me. Instead of wanting to trade pins, he asked me if I had any pins that I keep at my house. I said ‘no buddy, I don’t have any at my house.’ We kept talking until it was his turn in line to order his ice cream, and I told the cashier his order was on Mickey. His eyes lit up and after thanking me, he took off one of his pins. He told me, ‘here, this is my favorite one and I want you to take it to your house so you will have a pin of your own.’ I have it in my room on my cork board to this day” -Kelsey
“One time, a family asked for my autograph and photo while I was greeting. They said it was because they could ‘tell I was making magic’! It was definitely a great moment” -Gracie
“I gave a Dole Whip on Mickey to a lady in line one day. It just happened to be her and her husband’s 20th wedding anniversary! She cried and gave me a thank you card” -Jessie
“During one of my evening shifts, I found out that I was going to have to close the Tortuga Tavern dining room by myself. My friend Ali found out and decided to help me close. We laughed the entire time and sneaked to the back to watch Wishes. We sang the entire show at the top of our lungs! It was one of the last nights of my program and I will never forget how Ali made my night that day” -Luisa
“One day, I was working custodial in Liberty Square. Some of the other custodians and I noticed a mother and her daughter sitting in the rocking chairs by Hall of Presidents. We decided to throw a custodian party and give these guests a Magical Moment! We gave them popcorn, drinks, and Mickey pretzels, then everyone was trying to shoot popcorn into our dust pans! It was a fun time” -Bobby
“I gave a couple who had just experienced Pandora opening weekend a free Dole Whip float. They were all decked out in Navi apparel, it was so cool!” -Katie
“I had a moment where it was late, so I was on register while everyone else was pre-closing. This guest had on a t-shirt that said ‘I asked’ with a Mickey glove thumbs up. I asked him if he proposed in front of the castle today and his face lit up! He told me all about it and went to grab his phone to show me the pictures! Since no one else was around, he talked to me about how much he loved this girl and how excited he was to marry her. We gave him free Dole Whip, super cute” -Cassidy
“One time, we noticed a guest proposing in front of the castle. Literally before he could even get off his knees we were there with a waffle. Out Door Vending brought Mickey Bars and Merchandising brought over wedding ears!” -Jessie
“I had a little boy at my 2nd location playing Pokemon Go and I asked him who his favorite Pokemon was. It turned out we were both on the same level and loved the same Pokemon. After his food was ready, he kept coming up to me to talk and show me all the Pokemon he caught. He looked about 6 or 7. He was so cute” -Malakai
“One time I had overheard a little girl with Alopecia being made fun of by another young girl while waiting in line for a resort slide. The girl’s older brother was trying to defend her, but this other little girl was relentless. The older brother then came up to me and I had to talk to the young girl who was being rude. I then went to my manager and we got the little girl and her older brother tie dye Mickey t-shirts ‘from Mickey’ They were thrilled and the older brother told me that I made their vacation” -Ben.
“One day while I was working, Magic Kingdom was pretty empty because it had just finished pouring out. A family came up to me and asked me to help them with a little prank. They said a girl was going to come up in a ‘Hakuna Matata’ shirt and they wanted me to say we were all out of Pina Colada slushies. Deciding to join the fun, I made her a slushie and hid it under the counter. When she came up and asked for one and I told her we were out, she looked devastated! After she walked away, I ran out with the slush, gave it to her, and said ‘Have A Magical Day!’ She was so happy and her family got the whole thing on video! It was so funny! -Christy
“I had a little guest one day dressed up as Prince Charming come up to me and hand me a bag of goodies. He said he appreciated all the hard work that we did and his mother said that for career day at school he would always dress up as a Cast Member. He said he wanted to be a Cast Member in the future and that the goodies were just a little appreciation for us. It was definitely a Magical Moment for me” -Jessica
“On the last day of work on my program, it was also the last day of Wishes. Everyone knew what Wishes meant to me and how in love with it I was. I was scheduled to work right through Wishes and help close the Churro Cart. But my favorite leader, Chris, took over for me and he let me go watch Wishes for the last time ever. It was the perfect way to end my program” -Luisa
And lastly I decided to share a moment I hold near and dear to my heart. Here is my Magical Moment:
Toria's Tales 