Everyday Walt Disney World guests feel the magic being in the parks and on property. Whether it’s guests selected to lead a parade, a princess giving your child a great big hug, or a resort front desk person providing friendly and courteous information, there is no other place on earth that will make you feel more welcome and special than Disney.
One of the things I love about Disney is that no matter who you are, and no matter how young or old you are, everyone is treated like a V.I.P. It’s something that separates a Disney vacation from any other. At Disney, you’re not made to feel like you’re just part of a crowd, you’re made to feel like a very special individual amongst other very special people.
All of us have our own reasons as to why we believe Disney is the most incredible vacation destination in the world and why we keep going back, yet how many of us say the reason we go back is because of the cast members? As great a place as Disney is, it’s the cast members that make our stay there extraordinary. It’s their dedication to pleasing the needs of the guests that make our Disney vacations truly remarkable.
As a guest on Disney property we often take for granted the lengths a cast member will go to put a smile on our face. A couple of years ago I remember hearing a story about a couple celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary at Disney. The husband accidentally threw out their wedding and his wife’s engagement ring. The couple thought the rings were gone forever, yet cast members dared to do the impossible. They searched through the rotten, smelly garbage dumpsters in hot, humid weather until they located the couple’s lost rings. That is a monumental magical moment! Now ask yourselves, are there any other companies anywhere in the world whose employees would do what these selfless cast members did? I think we all know the answer to that!
That is just one example of a heroic act performed by cast members. A magical moment on a much smaller scale occurred on my last Disney vacation. At the time my daughter was 12 years old. She wanted to have her picture taken with Snow White but felt awkward because all the kids on the line were preschoolers. Despite her reluctance my daughter remained on the line. I think Snow White sensed my daughter was a little embarrassed. When my daughter’s turn came Snow White greeted her with a big hug and told her what a beautiful princess she was. That’s all it took to make my daughter’s day.
The cast members are always creating magical moments for guests, some so subtle we don’t even realize it at the time. As guests, a wonderful way we can show our appreciation of a particular cast member is to take a few minutes of our time and write Disney. Let them know what a terrific job the cast member has done. The correspondence stays in their file and Disney will recognize and promote cast members who guests acknowledge for their superb efforts.
If there is a cast member you would like to recognize you can go to guest relations and tell them you would like to fill out a guest compliment card. Once the form is handed in it will be sent on to the appropriate department for review and placed in the cast member’s file. Also, you can send an e-mail to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com or you can write a letter to or you can write a letter to Walt Disney World Guest Communications, PO Box 10040, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040.
Contributed by: Stuart S. (NDD #47). Stuart is our resident Disney geek and creator of Disney Geek Dad.
Stuart is the DDL resident Geek Dad and claims New York as his birthplace. Currently, though, he resides in New Jersey and is a husband and father of two as well as a huge Disney World, Springsteen, Yankee, and NY Ranger fan. He wakes up and goes to sleep thinking about Disney World. He listens to Disney podcasts to and from work and at night before sleep. He drives his family nuts talking about Disney and is always planning their next Disney World trip. In addition, he is known to always volunteer to help extended family and friends plan their next trip. Stuart’s personal blog is disneygeekdad.blogspot.com. He can also be found on twitter by following @disneygeekdad.
