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You are here: Home / Disney World / Ways to brighten the day of any Disney cast member

Ways to brighten the day of any Disney cast member

June 15, 2016 by Becky 16 Comments

Ways to brighten the day of any Disney cast member

Please welcome travel blogger Lisa from Fjords and Beaches!  She is here today to guest blog about some of her experiences being a Disney World cast member and sharing some tips for how to brighten the day of the amazing CMs that go out of their way for you!

I spent a year working as a Walt Disney World Cast Member in between my Bachelor and my Masters degree, and it was an experience I’ll never forget. Getting to take part in the magic on a daily basis and ensuring that the show went on for every single guest in the park was the most magical time of my life.

However, not all days on the job was easy. We worked long hours in the Florida heat, wearing itchy costumes and constantly being expected to keep a smile on our faces. One single rude comment from a guest could really get to you, as there is no way for them to understand how hard you are actually working.

If you’d like to know more about what it’s REALLY like to work as a Disney World Cast Member, check out this post!

On the other hand, it really didn’t take much from a guest to make my whole day easier either, which is why I am happy to share with you the ways YOU can brighten the day of any Cast Member! All I ask is that you keep this in mind on your next visit, as you have no idea what difference it makes.

Smile

Honestly, our feet may be aching and there is a big chance that sweat is dripping down our backs in the Florida heat, but we are still smiling at you as you exit the ride. Please flash us one in return.

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Be appreciative

A thank you will take you so far. We are trained to go out of our way to make your stay magical, and letting us know when we’ve managed to do that will mean a lot – trust me.

Notice us

We are not your regular employees here to make money while wishing we were somewhere else. We are Cast Members of this magical world, and we absolutely love our jobs. Please know this and acknowledge us accordingly. When we tell you to have a great day, we genuinely mean it.

Allow us to keep up the show

This one is incredibly important! Don’t be the douchebag who insists on tripping us up when we tell you there’s only one Mickey. Yes, we get it, you’re a grown man who insists on proving that you don’t believe in the magic. That’s fine. There may even be some Cast Members who don’t, either. But keeping up the show is our job, and making it difficult for us is just mean. You won’t get any cool points for trying.

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Write your name clearly on your celebratory badge

This is a short one, but very important still. If your name isn’t clear on your badge, you may not get a birthday song as we are too worried we will say it wrong. And one of the things that makes Disney special is that it’s so personal, right?

Remember our name

If a Cast member has gone above and beyond for you, please remember their name. Disney has loads of people surveying guests around the park, and these «people with the iPads» as we called them, will ask guests if anyone in particular stood out to them. If you remember our names and tell them who helped you, we will actually receive a certificate for it! So always remember our name if you feel like we’ve done something worth mentioning.

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If someone has gone out of their way for you, tell someone!

This is related to the point above. If someone has gone out of their way for you, don’t be afraid to say it! Tell their manager if you see them (persons walking around the area in professional-looking clothes, wearing name badges. Tell one of our fellow Cast Members, who can then notify our manager. And to top it all off, if someone has been incredibly magical and helpful; tell Guest Relations. All of these will lead to us getting special certificates and notifications in our Disney ‘record card’ (yes, it’s a thing), which in turn will lead to good references when we leave. More about the record card to come here. It also increases our chances of ever working for Disney again.
There you have plenty of ways to brighten the day of any Cast Member. I hope that you will use some of them on your next visit to a Disney Park!

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Lisa is a 26 year old wanderluster from Norway with a severe coffee addiction and chronic sarcasm. She doesn’t believe in growing up and travels the world with the motto «Stay young, keep moving» at heart. She documents all of her adventures over at Fjords and Beaches, and loves inspiring others to take on the globe. You may find her on Instagram, Facebook, and Bloglovin’ as well!

Filed Under: Disney World Tagged With: cast members, Disney World, guest post

Comments

  1. Kiersten says

    June 15, 2016 at 9:04 am

    Thanks for the tips! I will keep this in mind when I go to Disney in January. I used to work in a national park so I know how it is when guests are difficult and try to trip you up. It’s not always easy keeping a smile on your face.
    Kiersten @ Autumn Country Girl

    Reply
    • Lisa // Fjords & Beaches says

      June 17, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      You’re welcome, Kiersten! it’s definitely a difficult job, but a little appreciation can go so far 🙂

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  2. Sami says

    June 15, 2016 at 9:13 am

    This is so good to know! I’ve been a Florida parks regular since I was six (I’m almost twenty-three now) and am so appreciative of the cast members; without them, Disney just wouldn’t be Disney. I’ll always be thankful to Jim at Boardwalk for an amazing tour of the hotel, complete with its history. There was another lovely pair of cast members working retail at Artist’s Palette in Saratoga Springs last June who not only helped me out when my boyfriend got sick and I was in a panic, made me laugh with stories about the stories behind Pixar names, and let me break a pin trading rule. It’s nice to know there are ways to help brighten CMs’ days.

    Reply
    • Lisa // Fjords & Beaches says

      June 17, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      Sounds like you have met some amazing CMs, Sami! I’m glad you’ve had great experiences in Disney, and that you enjoyed the post! 🙂

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  3. Adriana Renee says

    June 15, 2016 at 10:39 am

    Love this! I always give guest compliments to great CMs because I understand how some people are just so difficult and they all have a hard job.

    Reply
    • LisaLDN says

      June 17, 2016 at 8:54 am

      Thank you, Adriana! You sound like the perfect guest! 🙂

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  4. Shann Eva says

    June 15, 2016 at 8:32 pm

    Such great tips! A smile and a thank you go such a long way. I worked at Universal Studios in Hollywood as a tour guide for a while, so when people were friendly and nice, it really made a difference.

    Reply
    • LisaLDN says

      June 17, 2016 at 8:53 am

      That’s exactly it, Shann! Working at Universal must have been fun – I loved going there on my days off!

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  5. Julia @ Drops of Jules says

    June 16, 2016 at 4:21 am

    Lisa, what a fun guest post! I’m so glad Becky had you on the blog because I found this fascinating. 🙂 I especially like the notion of simply noticing cast members- such a simple concept yet overlooked.

    Reply
    • LisaLDN says

      June 17, 2016 at 8:53 am

      Thank you, Julia! That makes me so happy to hear 🙂 I’m very excited to get to share this here!

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  6. Mistle says

    June 16, 2016 at 10:53 am

    I always feel that when you go to places (such as Disney) where people do anything and everything to please the guests, you should show some appreciation. It’s not easy always having to keep a smile on your face, so all these tips are great to remember!

    Reply
    • LisaLDN says

      June 17, 2016 at 8:52 am

      Exactly, Mistle! I’m so glad you liked my tips 🙂

      — Lisa // LisaLDN.com

      Reply
  7. LisaLDN says

    June 17, 2016 at 8:59 am

    Thank you so much for having me, Becky! I loved writing this post 🙂

    — LisaLDN.com

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      June 22, 2016 at 2:30 am

      Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  8. Nickie Austin says

    July 5, 2016 at 8:38 am

    Thank you SO MUCH for this. Most many Disney blogs and articles always focus on “How to get the most out of Disney”. It’s so refreshing to read about how to give back! In a world of “get what you can” we often need to be reminded to think of others before ourselves once in a while. Thanks again! I’ve subscribed to your blog for this one article alone! Keep ’em coming!!

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      July 7, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      Thanks so much Nickie! I feel like so many of the cast members go above and beyond in every way to help guests, so it’s the least we can do to give back a little. I know some people that hand out thank you cards to CMs are well – so I think I’m going to give that a try on my next trip (and probably blog about it too!)

      Reply

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About Me

Hi, I'm Becky!

I'm a huge Disney fan in my early 30's and always trying to find a way to put a little bit of Disney into everyday life. I live in Pennsylvania but travel to the theme parks several times a year - I'm an annual passholder at Disney World! In addition to Disney I love traveling, running, and theater.

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