Please welcome travel blogger Lisa fromĀ Fjords and Beaches! Ā 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 Iāll 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 youād like to know more about what itās REALLY like to work as a Disney World Cast Member, check out this post!
On the other hand, it really didnāt 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.
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 weāve 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! Donāt be the douchebag who insists on tripping us up when we tell you thereās only one Mickey. Yes, we get it, youāre a grown man who insists on proving that you donāt believe in the magic. Thatās fine. There may even be some Cast Members who donāt, either. But keeping up the show is our job, and making it difficult for us is just mean. You wonāt get any cool points for trying.
Write your name clearly on your celebratory badge
This is a short one, but very important still. If your name isnāt 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 itās 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 Ā«people with the iPadsĀ» 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 weāve done something worth mentioning.
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, donāt 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 ārecord cardā (yes, itās 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 doesnāt believe in growing up and travels the world with the motto Ā«Stay young, keep movingĀ» 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 Bloglovinā as well!
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
You’re welcome, Kiersten! it’s definitely a difficult job, but a little appreciation can go so far š
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
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.
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! š
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
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.
Thank you, Adriana! You sound like the perfect guest! š
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
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.
That’s exactly it, Shann! Working at Universal must have been fun – I loved going there on my days off!
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
Lisa, what a fun guest post! Iām so glad Becky had you on the blog because I found this fascinating. š I especially like the notion of simply noticing cast members- such a simple concept yet overlooked.
Thank you, Julia! That makes me so happy to hear š I’m very excited to get to share this here!
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
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!
Exactly, Mistle! I’m so glad you liked my tips š
— Lisa // LisaLDN.com
Thank you so much for having me, Becky! I loved writing this post š
— LisaLDN.com
Thank you for sharing!
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!!
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!)
Thanks so much for the tips. Cast Members are such a HUGE part of what makes Disney so special. On our very first Disney cruise, our steward was amazing. Our son stopped the steward in the hallway to tell him thank you for the towel animals and the chocolates. For the rest of the cruise, the steward always left extra chocolates for our son when he did the turn down service.
I have worked in customer service for more than 30 years and I know how hard it is, especially face to face. I just came back from a Disney trip and I made sure to thank every single cast member who interacted with me, to say hello to the ones I passed. But there were two cast members who went out of their ways to be extraordinary, every time I rode with them. So I sent them a shoutout on the app but it was not enough. I emailed guest services with their names and city on their badges, and made SURE Disney knew how AMAZING their service was. How much I ENJOYED interacting with them and how , for a split second, they made this 50 year old woman think she was 10 years old again.
That’s fantastic! It is so wonderful to hear about these great stories. Cast members are truly special.