The Guest Experience
Tales of how cast members can make or break vacations
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
by Shoshana
Lewin, editor
If you're a cast member who ever wondered why it is important to
go that extra mile, check out the following stories from your Disneyland
and Walt Disney World guests. And for those of you who hope to become
a cast member someday, take a lesson from these stories about the Dos
and Don'ts of Disney. As Walt Disney encouraged: everyone should take
time to “Feed the Birds.”
Julia's Story
We have had a wonderful story that occurred at Disneyland, although it's
been a few years (mid-'90s).
We were in Disneyland in December 1997 with our three kids. As we were
heading toward Main Street, our 9-month-old son, who was sitting in a
stroller, began waving his hands wildly and kicking his feet. He was watching
a girl holding the mylar Disney balloons.
Well, it was our last day and we were flying home, so I didn't want to
purchase a mylar balloon, but I went over to ask if they still had the
cheaper, Mickey head balloons. She said she didn't know, but would call
her manager. I tried to tell her it was no big deal, not to bother, but
she insisted.
The next thing I knew, she was telling me that they weren't sold anymore,
but her manager was coming right out. In a few moments, he came out, carrying
the exact balloon we had been looking for. He gave it to Thomas, and we
tied it on the stroller, he was so thrilled. I was just stunned. It really
made our trip, seeing what they did and how happy it made our son.
Even years later, I still remember this story, and our family still talks
about it.
Kylie's Story
I recently visited Disneyland from November 5 through 9 and had good
and bad experiences with cast members.
There was a guy named Chris at the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of
the Forbidden Eye that was very nice and helpful—and also cute. Every
time I went on the ride he would talk to me and ask how my day was.
The bad experience was on the Matterhorn. A cast member was very upset
that my parents didn't want to sit in the same seat, so he reluctantly
put the next couple in and talked bad about us to the other people right
in front of us! That doesn't seem like a good and “happy” cast
member to me, however Chris made the trip more inviting.
Greg's Story
It was with great interest (and irony) that I read the articles relating
to positive guest experiences at the Disney parks. I say irony because
I just returned from a week at the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney
World (WDW) and my experience was less than grand. Just about everything
that could go wrong did, I complained three times about numerous things
and not once did anyone from management contact me, and now, after
contacting the management staff directly, I have been pretty much ignored.
I guess the lesson learned is that when Disney cares, they really care.
When they don't care, they really don't care.
The Grand Floridian Cafe is one of many places at the Grand Floridian
Resort, where good service can help greatly affect the guest experience.
MousePlanet file photo by Brian Bennett.
In all fairness I do want to say that my problems were only with the
Grand Floridian and none of the parks, restaurants, stores, etc. And in
fact, there was one shining example at the Grand Floridian of how a cast
member should be to guests. His name is Nelson and he is a waiter at the
Grand Floridian Cafe. Even though he was in the process of “earning
his ears,” his service was outstanding, and indicative of how all
the cast members should have been at the Grand Floridian.
Steve's Story
In the early summer of 1996, I traveled to WDW with two friends after
graduating law school.
One of the friends had spent some time in Germany and wanted to see the
show and eat in the Germany pavilion of World Showcase at Epcot. Our other
friend was a vegetarian and decided he would run out and grab something
else to eat while we ate and watched the show.
Our waiter saw him leave and asked us if everything was all right. We
explained the situation, and the waiter bolted after our friend. Somehow,
after only seeing any of us for a few seconds, the waiter managed to track
down our friend outside the restaurant and let him know whatever food
he bought he was welcome to bring into Germany so he could watch the entertainment
with us. Think about that. The waiter ran after and found a guy he probably
saw for a couple of seconds at most.
That's service!
Kathy's Story
My family and I visited WDW this past December and I have to say a big
thank you to all of the cast members we came in contact with. They
were all very friendly and helpful.
This whole trip was put together earlier in the year when my niece, Katriena,
was accepted into the WDW College Program. We had been to WDW once before,
and this was the perfect reason to return (we had to visit her, right?).
While there, we met a lot of her co-workers and friends and they were
all very friendly and gracious in meeting Kat's family from California.
Well, Kat has since returned to Wyoming with some great memories and
friendships. Thanks again for making my niece feel like a member of one
big happy “Disney” family And the best part is that if she decides
to return to work at WDW, another trip will be in our future—yeah!
Lisa's Story
I'm not a cast member, but I was part of a special moment “in absentia.”
A co-worker's son was taking his girlfriend to Disneyland a few years
ago with the intent of leaving with her as his fiancee. He was just going
to present a ring, and I said, “No! Here's what to do.” I told
him to somehow sneak away from her to make reservations for dinner at
the Blue Bayou at table near the water, and tell the cast member taking
reservations that he wanted to propose after dinner. His mom asked if
the cast members would really help with this, and I told her that this
sort of thing is what cast members do best.
Well, to make a long story a little shorter, he did everything I'd suggested,
and managed to slip the ring to the waiter to be presented with dessert.
She almost ruined the moment by saying she didn't want dessert,
but he finally talked her into sharing one.
The “dessert” arrived, and was uncovered to reveal the ring.
He got down on one knee, and proposed. Everyone nearby and in the boats
saw, and when she nodded yes (because she was crying too hard to speak)
everyone burst into applause. I wish I could have been there. I also hope
someone will do this for me one day!
Sorry for the long story, but I get puddly everytime I think about how
marvelously it all turned out.
Dan's Story
I'd like to tell one of many stories about great cast members over the
years. I was visiting WDW on my 40th birthday. Circumstances forced me
to go by myself, but I had a terrific day. Among other fun moments, I
took my first dive ever in the Coral Reef (I had just learned to dive
over the past couple weeks, specifically to do this dive on my birthday).
After a fine dinner and the always incredible IllumiNations, I was on
my way out of the park when I stopped at the Centorium for a bit of late-night
shopping. I paused to enjoy Pluto playing with a group of kids, stealing
their caps and running away, etc.
I was chatting with his handler cast member, and mentioned that it'd
been my birthday and had been very enjoyable. The next thing I knew, Pluto
was hauling me over to stand on a bench, and directing the crowd of people
to sing Happy Birthday to me! It really finished out the day in such a
special way. I didn't get the name of Pluto's handler, but she and Pluto
helped make a lonely birthday much more memorable.
Kevin's Story
When my wife and I married in April 1997, we went to Disneyland with
some friends for a couple of hours (still in gown and tux).
While we ended up with many great pictures and stories from that night,
this is one that still makes me chuckle: We were staying at the then-Pan
Pacific (now the Paradise Pier) Hotel. We drove straight to the hotel
from the reception, checked our car with the valet and headed inside to
check in before heading to the park.
As we were checking in, a second girl behind the desk told us to wait
and dashed into the back. She came back in a couple of minutes with a
personally autographed picture of Mickey wishing us success in our marriage.
The funny part was she still had the pen in her hand!
Daniel P.'s Story
Although I am not a cast member, I have had many great experiences in
my numerous trips to WDW.
In October of 2003, I took my cousins to WDW for their very first time.
The day we were visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom I went over to Dinosaur!,
as it was fairly empty. I was able to ride it about three times in 15
minutes.
Several times, many of the seats in the vehicle would be empty and since
the cast member wasn't able to dispatch the car until all the belts were
fastened, I took it upon myself to fasten all the empty seatbelts. Initially
the cast member looked shocked that a guest would do this. He thanked
me and asked me if I worked there. With a laugh (as I am only 14), I replied
no, but said I hoped to someday.
Anyway I had gotten to know a few other cast members that stood in the
hallway between the preshow areas and the boarding area. I received a
phone call from my aunt saying she and my cousins were in the preshow
area. I asked the cast member standing by an exit door in the gift shop
that led to that hallway if I could kinda sneak in there to ride with
my cousins. She replied, “Of course, we always like making extra
magic if possible.” So I stood there waiting for my cousins when
the preshow room doors open, boy were they surprised! Boarding the vehicle,
the cast members all were like, “Back again?”
Needless to say, my cousins loved the ride and a great time was had by
all.
Paula's Story
A cast member with a bad attitude on the entry gate is a slap in the
face for guests.
My teenage daughters and I encountered Kandi on the gate at Epcot. When
we attempted to enter a gate that was showing a green light, Kandi informed
us rudely that the gate was closed. Actually, she was well past rude into
truly hateful.
I found a security guard who told me that I could go to Guest Services
to make a complaint. The girls and I hiked over there and described our
complaint to the young man at the counter who smiled blankly and said,
“What do you want me to do about it?” I was shocked. I told
him that I did not work there so I didn't know their procedures and expected
him to know how to handle complaints. He repeated, “What do you want
me to do about it?” My daughter told him that she thought he should
call Kandi on the phone and chew her out. He then said, “We don't
talk mean at Disney.” What? Only to guests, right?
By this time, I was really upset. Obviously I would not be wasting vacation
time complaining unless I felt strongly that my complaint was valid. Finally,
another young man entered the area and explained that the young man we
were dealing with had just arrived from Germany and did not know what
he was saying. He then explained that Disney does not accept complaints
made in person at Guest Relations!
How can a bad attitude at the gate followed by “What do you want
me to do about it?” from a boy who was not proficient enough in English
to even know that he was being incredibly insulting and Disney's refusal
to accept a sincere complaint in person be good business?
Liz's Story
I have been visiting Disneyland all my life and must try and go at least
once a year. I have been fortunate to always have awesome experiences
with cast members at the park (knock on wood).
My first memorable occasion was when I went to Disneyland in April of
2002 and it was the very first day of my trip. I was just looking at all
the neato pins at the first pin-trading cart on Main Street, right before
the shops.
To my surprise, Mary Poppins was walking around and came up to me and
said “Wonderful smile!” and from that point on it absolutely
made my trip. I always get excited whenever I see characters, but that
comment made me beam.
The next time was when I went in April of 2003 (my last trip to Disneyland),
and I went for breakfast to the River Belle Terrace in Frontierland. I
had just been there for Mickey Mouse pancakes the previous day of my trip
and the female cook behind the counter asked, “Back again for my
Mickey pancakes I see” with a big smile and cheerful attitude. I
was shocked as she had remembered me among all the people she had served
the other day.
I was shocked to say the least, and once again, such a small comment
made me enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth. Even though I never got the
names of these wonderful people, I thank them for making my experiences
truly magical ones.
Jackie's Story
I just read your article on positive guest experiences with cast members
and I just had to share a story from our trip this past September.
My husband and I had invited my mother and my brother to stay with us
at the Boardwalk in WDW. My brother has been in the Navy for the past
five years and was only just recently assigned to a post in the States.
My husband and I wanted to make this trip special for the both of them.
When we checked in, Steve was at the desk at the Boardwalk. We mentioned
that this was a special trip, since it would be my brother's first vacation
since joining the Navy and the first chance for us to see him. Steve was
great—he placed us in a room where we could see the fireworks from
Downtown Disney and Epcot. He then gave my brother a coupon for a free
day of Pal Mickey—we got such a laugh from that!
The best part was when my brother sent his uniform to be cleaned. When
we returned from the parks, his uniform was laid out on the bed, complete
with red, white, and blue balloons and a signed card from Mickey and Minnie.
We were so touched by the pixie dust that Steve created!
Jessica's Story
It was about nine years ago that this event took place.
My boyfriend and I decided to make the three-hour drive up to WDW for
the weekend. We planned on buying annual passes. On the first day, we
went to Disney-MGM Studios, but when we got to the ticket window we learned
that it was currently a blackout period for the pass we wanted. The girl
said she could sell it to us, but we couldn't use it for admission. We
were really shocked and didn't know what else to do, so we just bought
single day tickets.
Once we were inside the park, we talked about it and realized that if
we bought single day tickets for all three days, we'd go way over budget.
We looked at a pamphlet and figured that it would be more worthwhile to
buy a 3 Day Hopper. It wasn't what we wanted, and we were really disappointed,
but we had no other option.
We were trying to find our way back to Guest Relations when I stopped
one of the cast members and asked him where it was. He asked me what we
needed to go there for. I explained the whole situation to him. He then
asked how many days we were going to be there. I said that in addition
to that day we'd be there two more days. He reached into his pocket, pulled
out a slim wallet and handed us four single-day tickets—enough for
both of us for the rest of the trip!
We were in such shock that we couldn't speak. I was just holding the
tickets and staring at them. He smiled, wished us a good trip and walked
off really swiftly. I was able to come back to my senses in time to shout
a “Thank you!” to him. The whole thing happened so fast that
I never got his name.
To this day, I tell people the story of this wonderful experience. Since
then, I've been to Disney more times then I can count and I finally managed
to get that annual pass.
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