After spending the last few Cast Place columns on what it is like to interview and go through orientation (Traditions) at the parks, we are back to what happens when the cast members become part of the magic and are able to interact with the guests. Amazingly enough, this time we have three stories that talk about the wonderful experiences guests have had with Disneyland Coke Corner piano player Rod Miller and two stories about character interactions at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
My daughter and I have several cast members that we look for when we go to Disneyland. Maynard is certainly one of them. We have noticed that when he's at the Haunted Mansion, the other cast members make more of an effort to join in the fun.
We were there, July 20 to 24 and were a little disappointed that the attraction was run by mostly bored looking young women and men who barely communicated with the guests, let alone interacted with them.
There was a cast member at the Enchanted Tiki Room named Michael who was a lot of fun. He stood outside the attraction shouting “Aloha” and welcoming everyone he met.
We also enjoyed the young piano player on Main Street, U.S.A. who worked so hard and played so well in such hot weather.
One cast member we dislike and avoid is the creepy mime in New Orleans. I know he's been there forever and is beloved by many, but he won't stop following you even after he's been asked to stop. Several years ago he chased my daughter (a 10-year-old at the time), even after I'd told him she was frightened of clowns. He mimed that he was not a clown and grabbed his parasol like a weapon and went after her. I had to actually grab him to make him stop.
We had another unpleasant encounter with him this last visit. He needs to learn to interact with the people who like and encourage him and leave the rest of us alone. Surely he can tell who's interested and who's not.
[Ed note: Due to recent changes in the atmospheric entertainment division, Lagniappe the mime is no longer working at the park.]
Our favorite story took place at Disneyland's Main Street on a very hot and busy day. Our son who was 2 1/2 at the time was very tired and ready for a break so we decided to stop and get a hot dog at what we call the “Piano Man area.” It's a cafe on Main Street that just outside has a gentleman playing the piano. [Ed note: Coke Corner.]
My son was quickly calmed down by the lively music and soon became mesmerized. As my family and I were walking back to sit at our table with our food, our son approached the Piano Man. We soon heard laughter and turned to look at what the crowd was giggling at—our son had climbed up on the bench next to the Piano Man.
I quickly went over to get him down the Piano Man shook his head at me and proceeded to welcome our son next to him. Our son was in awe. When the Piano Man let him start playing the piano with him, the look on his face was pure magic! Of course this was a day we chose not to bring the video camera, but we have some great snapshots!
This experience still shines out for our family. My son still remembers the Piano Man and every time we go to Disneyland now we make sure to go and listen to him play.
The Piano Man, as we so fondly call him, didn't have to take the time he did with our son and we appreciate all the extra time and attention he gave. We just want all the CMs to know we appreciate all the special things they do to make our trips to Disney so magical—especially the Piano Man!
I have such a vivid memory of a gal who played the role of Ariel. My daughter was always in love with The Little Mermaid as a child. Over the years we'd go to Disneyland and we never saw Ariel until they built the clamshell. The suddenly, one year, there she was! My daughter was about 16 at the time, but she reverted back to a small child, seeing the Little Mermaid in person. Ariel was so beautiful and so sweet. She posed with my teenage daughter who had gone back many years to a time when she first saw the movie. It was the cutest thing to see my daughter finally getting her picture with Ariel! That was one of my favorite memories of a cast member at Disneyland.
Also, who could mention a Disneyland cast member and not mention the gentleman who played piano (may still) for years. I can't even remember his name, but, he'd always look at my kids and say, “Wow, you've grown” and they'd say to me, “He remembers us!” I know the gentleman could not have possibly remembered every child for decades, but he made my children feel as if he was an old friend when we would watch him playing the piano. What a lovely man. I would love to know his name, and if he's still there.
[Ed note: Yes, Rod Miller can still be seen playing at Coke Corner.]
I am married without kids. My husband is not what you'd call a Disney fan so I am used to going to Disney with a friend or two and no children. When my brother-in-law and his wife were planning a big family trip for January 2004, I jumped at the chance to go with them so I could be their tour guide and see Disney though the eyes of their three children (ages 11, 4 and 3).
The first bit of magic actually occurred thanks to my 11-year-old nephew—with no cast member involvement. I wanted to buy autograph books and pens for the kids and asked about getting one for the 11 year old. His parents said that he probably wouldn't be interested so I gave him some Disney dollars instead. Imagine my surprise when the first thing he wanted to spend his money on was an autograph book. I happily bought that for him and we were off to the park.
Our first character experience was at the Crystal Palace. Tigger came first, then Piglet. We were unsure how my 4-year-old niece would react, but she loved them. My 3-year-old nephew did as well. But then came Eeyore. While he certainly did not do anything wrong, he seemed much larger than the other characters and my 3-year-old nephew became very scared. He no longer wanted anything to do with any characters. At other character meals or in the parks, we would have his book signed, but he didn't want to go near them.
Meanwhile, his sister (the one we had been worried about) was quite the social butterfly with the characters. She would make sure to hug each and every one after they signed her book. She just had that Disney look of awe on her face the whole week.
Midway though our trip, we went to the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill. There were not many families and the characters had plenty of time to spend with us. Pluto noticed that my nephew was a little afraid so he took some time to play. He went down on the ground like a good dog and played a little peek-a-boo. Next thing you know my nephew is laughing like crazy. Then Pluto reached out his hand across the table. At first my nephew was still not sure, but Pluto left his hand there and my nephew grabbed it. I actually had tears in my eyes! My nephew got up from the table and gave Pluto a big hug. From that moment on, he loved the characters—no matter how big they were. Thank you Pluto, for some wonderful Disney Magic.
Well, my story begins on the third day of our trip to WDW, which was originally planned as a sleep-in day but ended up better than I had hoped. I had hoped that my new bride and I would be able to get some much needed rest and then go to the Magic Kingdom that night for the “E-Ticket Night,” but we were both much to full of “Disney magic” and decided we'd instead try and make one of the character breakfasts, if something was available.
I quickly got on the phone to Disney Dining and found out there was still an opening at the Crystal Palace at 10:25 a.m., so it being 9:30 a.m. we dashed for our rental car to head into the heart of Disney.
We made excellent time, and—to my own amazement—made it to the Crystal Palace at an amazing 10:20 a.m.… only to find a line of 10-15 other people currently in a line, as both the people waiting to check in for priority seating as well as those “wanting” to get in were on the same line. I sighed and moved over into the line, slowly seeing our chances of getting in to see Pooh & Friends (as well as my breakfast) slowly slipping away. I put on a brave face for my new bride and waited.
About 10 minutes later a cast member named John came out the main doors and went down the line, picking out people who had “preferred seating” reservations. I gave him my information, although since I had made them less than one hour ago I wasn't on his list. He smiled, pulled us out of line and escorted us into the Palace. He then proceeded to walk us around the inside of the Palace, as if he was trying to find a seat for us, even though there were a fair amount of seats available that we passed. We finally came to a nice table for two and he seated us and with a wink and a smile, went off to help some more people.
What we didn't know, and was explained to us by our waitress, was that the characters follow a very specific path though the Palace and they can not go back to tables. John not only got us in with enough time to eat a very nice breakfast, but he also positioned us in such a way that we got to meet/greet Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore in rapid succession and they were able to spend some quality time with the two of us.
I stopped off at Guest Services on my way out of the park to make sure he got credit for his assistance that morning, of course, but it totally put the wind back into my sails for the rest of the day.
Thank you for continuing to run the stories of cast members who have touched the lives of their guests—it's one of my favorite columns at MousePlanet. I'll admit to sometimes getting a little misty reading about how the simple (and not so simple) kindnesses of the cast members can impact their guests.
Cheers for the cast members who bring a love of their job with them when they report for duty, which, I think, describes 99 percent of the people who work at the parks/hotels at Disney. You guys are fantastic! Whenever my non-Disney fanatic friends/coworkers ask me why we travel to Disneyland so often, the first thing that comes to mind to tell them about is the enthusiastic and hardworking cast members that make every visit special.
Great to hear that the positive comments that people leave make their way to the cast members, and to their managers.
I work in hospitality myself, and understand what a tough job it can be servicing the public. After every trip to a Disney property I'm excited to bring the examples of outstanding customer service (both “small” and large) back to my staff as examples of how a guest should be treated.
Sure, there are always bad apples, but overall these guys set the “gold standard,” and deserve all the kudos they receive. A great big thank you to all the cast members who send their guests home with a bit of Disney magic to keep them warm in a sometimes cold world.
(Send an email to Shoshana Lewin)
When she's not at Disneyland, Shoshana Lewin is a copy editor and contributing writer for a weekly publication in Los Angeles.
Like Walt Disney, she grew up in Chicago and went to school in
Missouri. While obtaining her bachelor's degree in journalism at the
University of Missouri-Columbia, she worked as "Plush Princess" at the
Disney Store and was given the title of "Biggest Disney Fanatic" by her
colleagues in the Disneyland College Program. During her time at
Disneyland she operated nine Fantasyland attractions and worked guest
control for both Fantasmic! and Tomorrowland.
She tries to bring a little Disney into every aspect of her life - from
the greeting on her cell phone to the charms on her bracelet - and
reminds everyone that all you need is faith, trust. and pixie dust.
