The Walt Disney World Guest Experience
More tales that warm the heart
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
by Shoshana
Lewin, editor
Winter, spring, summer or fall, cast members at Walt Disney World
(WDW) are helping make memories for thousands of guests everyday. We hope
you enjoy these guest-perspective stories from sunny Florida.
Anne's Story
I had a wonderful Cast Member experience of my very own. I took my kids
on their first trip to WDW in November of 2002. We had to get the traditional
Mickey ears with their names embroidered on the back so we went to Le
Chapeau in the Magic Kingdom.
I was fascinated by the embroidery machine and how the CM used it. I
mentioned that I was a seamstress myself and she insisted I come behind
the counter and try out the machine! I hesitated at first, but my husband
and kids talked me into it. She gave me something to experiment on and
showed me how it was done.
Let me tell you, that machine takes a lot of practice and control! I
tried to write my name and just ended up with a bunch of squiggles. She
gave me my trial run when I was done. That was a wonderful thing for her
to do for me.
She was very patient and we both laughed at my lack of expertise! My
kids thought it was cool to see Mom behind the counter and finally doing
something she wasn't good at!
Brad's Story
Shoshana, I love your site and wanted to share my experience. I suppose
this is really just a guest story, but you could almost call it a cast
member story—because on several occasions during my last Disney trip,
I was mistaken for a cast member by other guests!
My story takes place during my family's March 2003 trip to WDW and cruise
aboard the Disney Wonder. I had been to both Disneyland and WDW
before then, but my previous trips were before the popularity of the Internet
and all of the information that is available there, so for this trip I
was really prepared with all sorts of tricks, tips and planning info from
Disney fan sites like MousePlanet. This was also our first trip to the
Mouse with our two boys, so I wanted to make it special however I could.
WDW regulars had written that your party can get extra attention from
CMs if you dress alike or if you have your names visible, and several
recommended wearing “Guest of Honor” badges. So, thanks to a
very kind acquaintance who took time from his own vacation in 2002 to
purchase the badges for us, the six in our group wore “Guest of Honor”
badges all through our trip - me, my wife, two sons under age 10 and my
wife's parents.
For any of your readers who may not be familiar with them, these are
personalized oval name badges the same size and shape as Cast Member badges,
with a picture of Mickey on them alongside the name. I believe they are
sold at the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, and maybe one or
two other locations [Editor's note: They are also sold near the Bank of
Main Street in Disneyland]. The main difference between them and real
CM badges is that they are red ovals with white letters, so they are readily
distinguishable from the white ovals real CMs wear.
Or so you would think...
Now, I'm a big guy, 6-foot-5 and more than 300 pounds, with “non-Disney”
facial hair, and all six of us had the red badges on, but for some
reason I was approached by guests on several occasions as if I were a
cast member. Maybe it was because I was taking notes wherever I went for
our trip report and looked official, maybe I looked friendly and approachable,
or maybe I just stood out. (It also happened once on board the cruise,
when a cast member asked if I worked for Disney!) Of our group, only my
wife had a similar experience, and then only once.
When I realized what was happening, I tried my best to play the part
and give accurate information. Of course, I didn't want to correct and
embarrass the guest, but I have to admit my main motivation was that I
enjoyed the mistake and got a kick out of helping make magic for other
guests. I even got to use the “Disney point” [using two fingers
to point instead of one]. Only once did I have to admit I wasn't a CM
and didn't know the info the guest was seeking.
My favorite “CM moment,” as I came to think of them, was on
our last evening in the parks. We were at the Transportation and Ticket
Center, walking toward the monorail platform, and we passed a bearded
man and his young family walking the opposite direction, apparently leaving
for the day. The man saw my badge, waved to me and called out, “Thank
you. We had a great day.”
I gave a cheerful “You're welcome,” and waved back. It made
me wish I really worked there!
Those few encounters gave me just a taste of what real CMs get out of
helping guests, as reflected in the stories here. After my experience,
it's easy to see why so many CMs put up with the low pay, long hours,
cranky guests and less-than-stellar management. “Making magic”
sure is fun.
I'll be going back next March, and I've already resolved to pay more
attention to the cast members and let them know how much we appreciate
them. And if a few guests should mistake my red badge for a white one
again, no doubt the trip will be even better.
Lynn's Story
I'd like to tell you about the wonderful time my family and I had on
our first visit to WDW in April 2003.
We stayed at the Grand Floridian. What a beautiful hotel! All our interactions
with CMs were very pleasant but there was a server at Citricos, a restaurant
at the hotel, who really made an impression on us.
It had been a long day at the parks and we were all tired, hungry and
a bit cranky. My 13-year-old daughter has never been a fan of “fancy”
food and when she saw the Citricos menu she took an instant dislike and
attitude. She whined and complained, saying she'd rather starve than eat
there; she basically acted like a 2-year-old. When our server came to
take our order, my daughter was still complaining. The server offered
her a kids' menu, thinking she might find something more to her liking.
She just glared and pouted.
We apologized for her behavior explaining that she had her heart set
on a cheeseburger from the Gasperilla Grille (also in the hotel) but she'd
just have to wait until my husband and I finished our meals.
When our server came back with our meals, there on the tray was freshly
made cheeseburger from the Gasperilla Grille. We couldn't believe that
he was kind and thoughtful enough to go out of his way to please one whiney,
fussy and very hungry 13 year-old girl.
He explained that he didn't want my daughter to have to wait and thought
we deserved to have a pleasant meal together as a family. We thanked him
profusely, left a hefty tip and wrote a note for his supervisor. I can't
remember his name now, but I'll never forget how he went above and beyond
to create a wonderful dining experience for all of us.
Magic can be made outside the parks, as well, at restaurants like Citricos
at the Grand Floridian. MousePlanet file photo by Brian Bennett.
Vincent's Story
As a frequent visitor, sometimes my eye can be too critical. Realizing
most of my complaints are due to the suits at Burbank, I wanted to remind
myself of the outstanding cast members. They are the reason I go back.
I purchased the Keys to The Kingdom tour and arrived at City Hall 30
minutes prior to the start. I was informed that my tour was canceled,
but if I would agree, they would escort me to the previous tour that just
started. That was fine by me. We walked and walked and walked and could
not find the tour anywhere. The cast member asked me if I could come back
the next day, and so I did.
When I arrived at City Hall, I checked in and was ready to take the tour.
I was asked to step aside, and before the tour started, I was given a
full refund.
One year I spent a week at WDW, with the Drum Corp International (DCI)
Finals to be the vacation finale.
When I purchased my DCI tickets, I was told by DCI there would be transport
from WDW hotels to and from the stadium. So, the day came, I went to guest
services at my hotel, inquired about the bus schedule. The cast member
looked confused, but offered to investigate. She found out that I was
supposed to have reserved the bus when I bought the tickets. I asked her
how much round trip cab fare would cost, and she estimated around 160.00.
So, I decided not to go, and would know what to do the next time around.
Seeing my disappointment, she told me she was soon to clock out, and
offered me a ride. Being that I had an extra ticket, I asked her if she
wanted to join me. She did. We had a great time. She even drove me back
to the resort.
There are many more I could share, but those two are the most impressive.
Mark's Story
Our WDW “magic” story took place a few years ago when my wife
and I brought our twin daughters to Disney to celebrate their fifth birthday.
The first day, we bought autograph books and pens then went to the Magic
Kingdom. Sarah, the oldest by two minutes, went to all the characters,
no fear. Madison was not so brave. She hid behind her mother as Sarah
went up and got autographs in both books. This was the same scene on the
second day.
On day three, we went to MGM Studios and were standing watching a parade
of characters.
Sarah was standing out front waving excitedly to all and Madison was
standing between her mother and me, peering around our legs. The Fairy
Godmother from “Cinderella” came walking by and noticed Madison
hiding away from the parade.
She walked over and kneeled down in front of her and started talking
to her. She ask Madison why she was hiding and when our daughter didn't
reply, we told Fairy Godmother that she was just a little afraid of the
characters. The Fairy Godmother leaned into Madison and said to her “Don't
be afraid, we all love you.” She then opened her arms wide and Madison
ran in and gave her a great big hug.
From that moment on, Madison was not afraid of any characters. They're
11 now and each year when we visit WDW we remember how the Fairy Godmother
made a birthday trip extra special.
Thoughts, questions, or comments? Contact Shoshana here.
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Are you a CM or a former CM? I would love to hear and share your stories! E-mail me! Stories and comments you submit become property of and may be published on this site; we normally don't publish last names of current CMs, but if you wish to remain anonymous altogether or do not want me to share your stories, please let me know when you e-mail me. — Shoshana NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in reader-contributed stories do not reflect those of Cast Place or MousePlanet. CM – Cast member; company lingo for “employee.” Empowerment Evolution – The 1995 attempt by newer park management to introduce modern accountability and market forces into the stodgy Disneyland methodology and power hierarchies. The name was meant to “empower” rank and file employees by removing layers of their management, though now there are more managers than ever. TPO – Theme Park Operations; the division of the Disneyland hierarchy that actually works in the theme park itself. TDA – Team Disney Anaheim; the name of the on-site administration building. Area manager – used to be responsible for an entire land, with all business divisions in the area reporting to him. Area supervisor – the immediate boss for location supervisors who divide up a department of intelligently grouped locations. The area supervisors in turn reported to the area manager. Nowadays all supervisors and area supervisors have been replaced by managers and assistant managers — the same idea, but smaller “business units" than a department; usually just one location in fact. RFT – “A” status; a full-time hourly employee. RPT – “B” status; an hourly employee five days a week but just not quite 40 hours usually. CR – “C” status; an hourly employee who works weekends year-round and five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). CT – a part-time hourly employee who works five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). No seniority, so shifts worked are usually quite short. Locate the employment center to fill out an application, and they will call you for an interview (dress nicely, just shy of an actual suit). Once there, follow these rules, in this order of importance: 1. Smile and be very friendly. They want outgoing people.
2. Do not let the group interview throw you off balance. They want outgoing people who can “perform” a little bit.
3. Do not worry about job (in)experience. They don't care. They want friendly people, not experienced and/or hardened people.
4. Do your best to convince them you already have a Disney attitude: you want to work with people, you're a team player, and you would consider this a dream job (however, don't overdo it on the crazy-Disney-fan side either). Strike a nice balance.
5. Did I mention the importance of a smile? 
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