I will never forget the first magical moment. My partner and I had just gotten engaged and we walked into a dinner reservation at the liberty tree inn tavern wearing pins saying we just got engaged. The cast member checking us in was really friendly and casually asked us some questions, we didn't even put it together, and for dessert they brought out this gigantic cake embossed with "congratulations on your engagement" with our names on it. Still one of the most touching experiences at Disney and over a decade later we still talk about it.
This just happened to my husband and I last year at Flying Fish! We had a Disney honeymoon and that restaurant was our fancy "just got married" dinner. They surprised us with a gorgeous and delicious dessert on the house ❤️
Disney cast members do everything possible to say yes to everything. If one tells you no, please just accept it and go on to another plan. I missed a show one time so I asked that cast member the fastest way to get to another attraction and they took us down a "cast only" road and got us to "plan B" so quickly. Now I have a great story to tell. I've been to Disney countless times and some of the best memories are when things didn't go as planned. It only ruins your vacation if you let it. If you feel you should be "compensated" for something, head to Guest Services. Whatever other cast member you are talking to can do NOTHING for you. Just remember, you are one of thousands of guests who also paid a lot for their vacations...how much you paid doesn't make you special.
I stayed at a Copper Creek Villa during my visit to WDW in 2017. My service dog loved a red pillow in the room and when we returned home she looked a little sad without it considering we were there for about 10 days. I reached out to see where I could source one, I received a return email thanking us for our stay and they would try to see where we could purchase one. Next thing I know I received a package with the red pillow in it. My dog has been sleeping on it constantly since that day
It's not fair when the cast members get criticised by ungrateful guests for just doing their job. In my experience, they really go out of their way to make you feel welcomed at the parks. That's something I've always liked about them
Well, some people (too many nowadays) are trash no matter where they are -- they don't care about behaving or anyone else around them, and they have zero interest in acting civil. Also, they look at cast-members as they do employees on the outside as if taking disrespect/abuse is part of their job-description -- it isn't! Besides metal-detectors at the entrances, we need trash-detectors, too. ;-) -- BR
After a very long hiatus (10 years), my wife and I went to Disney in January. We arrived at noon at our favorite resort, French Quarters, and a very nice CM gave me a room on the first level and next to the smoking area (my wife smokes cigarettes, and I smoke cigars). It took less than 30 minutes to get our room. I thanked her and tried to tip her but to no avail. I talked to the manager to praise her. Thank you, Susan.
Years ago, I was a lifeguard at my water park back home. Now when I go to the Disney water parks, I just wanna shake the hands of every single lifeguard and tell them how much I appreciate them 😆
I don't doubt it. I'm reasonably extroverted, but I need to decompress. Spending a lot of my time with clients, I feel like I'm "on" a lot, and I can't wait to shut it off. I can't imagine what it's like for cast members.
@dfbbreea I too used to be a lifeguard at Sesame Place in PA. And as a former instructor I always watch to see whatnhas been updated in training. I also was trying to do the DCP way long ago but I had tattoos when they weren't accepted to be seen.
I'm a Disneyland Cast member who works in the character department as a host and performer. we love when people come up to us and ask "May I please have a hug" or "may I please have a picture" instead of just hugging the character or shoving a phone in our hands. We'll of course do hug or take a photo no matter what but if you ask nicely its a nice touch and we will appreciate it so much and the characters will give a quality interaction if you're simply nice to us both hosts and characters.
@@hallowthrifty2961 wow 🤦🏻♀️😱 I believe it 🤦🏻♀️ Thank you for having been a photo pass photographer 👏🏻👏🏻. Do you sir willow’s UA-cam channel? He was a photo pass photographer too.
Most Cast members can’t break the magic. But the police can. They can add more cast members dressed as policemen that appeared in Disney cartoons, to guard other characters from rude customers
Aw! Ask about the Character's side kick!! I asked Jasmine about Raja and she was so cute!! She was like "Oh he'll be so happy you asked!" It was so cute and perfect
As a current CM, the only thing I think I would add would be guests becoming aggressive with us when we are isolated. There are many positions throughout the parks where a CM is physically alone and only has a radio to contact others. Please don’t pick a fight with that particular cast member as it is incredibly scary to be alone and not know where your team is and being yelled at. Also Please don’t put anything in your mouth you didn’t buy. This goes for adults and children.
What do you expect in "Florida?" EVERYONE there, guests included, are psychotic nutjobs. Beautiful state to look at, but add the peeps and you have a stinking cesspool.
This past January into February i had a very special solo trip, honoring what would have been my Dad’s 100th birthday. I was also having a hard time doing the visit because i had a bad stomach/esophagus issue (solved by surgery May 30) and a difficult time walking because of a long-standing ankle and foot injury that was just getting worse. I also had a blood disorder and my hematologist-oncologist was planning to do a bone marrow transplant. The cast was spectacular. I told members this would probably be my last trip, and i cried a lot during character meetings. They (and the allergy chefs) did their very best to make the trip as good as possible for me.
The Keys to the Kingdom tour is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I did this with my daughter and she still talks about how much she loved it 10 years later. You really get to know the heart of Magic Kingdom functioning.
Never mind me imagining people shouting for certain characters to "TAKE IT OFF!!!".... I'm a fan of Facilier, but I wouldn't ask for that. Come now, the dude's too classy for that. :P
I was pixie dusted on my trip in may. Was staying at pop and was unable to book a preferred room. The previous trip I had a room in the 90’s building and it was so far from everything. When checking in I said that I knew I didn’t have a preferred room but if possible could I be as close to the skyliner as I could be in a regular room. The cast member made a couple calls and said if I didn’t mind waiting a bit she could get me closer. I said absolutely and thanked them multiple times. Left my bags with bell service and went to the parks..was absolutely shocked when I got my room notice and it was in the 60’s building on the skyliner end. Made my whole day and trip..
I got to go in the underground tunnels in 2002 when my high school choir was performing at Cosmic Ray's. We got to ride up to the Cafe on a hydronic stage. Awesome memories!!
I like how even if a cast member has to be stern and deal with a bad situation, they are still kind, polite, and deescalate the situation. We had a bad experience with another visitor and their family, and the area manager stepped in and did a great job.
I had a magic moment on my first trip to WDW. My ex girlfriend and I booked a standard little mermaid room over at Art of Animation and when we went to the front desk to check in, we were upgraded to a family suite in the Lion King area. That really boosted our moods as we had an issue with our flight the day before causing us to need to book a single night at an off property hotel instead of getting the red eye and arriving in Orlando in the early morning.
It was my second trip to Animal Kingdom, and a hot day. I was having severe medical problems, so was in a ECV back when they had special queues for disabled folks. At Kali River Rapids,they had no other people needing disabled access, so they let me, my mom, and my grandmother just go multiple times. That was definitely a magical moment. (Later that day, I had a seizure, and I got another "magical moment" of getting wicked by securityback to my hotel, to a doctor waiting at my room. AJ is not joking about staying hydrated and cool.)
The best thing you can do to get a magical moment is just to be nice to the cast members. My mom complimented a Soarin’ cast member on her hair, and she made sure to get us the best seats on the ride
Ha. 6:27 is exactly what I did, except with Peter Pan. I asked him about Once Upon A Time. He got his handler involved and that's when I figured out they can only talk about the animated version of their character. The next time I saw him I stuck to the Animated movie.
Friend of mine got me thanking all the cast members i interact with. Including the janitors. I dont know I just think the fact the service I recieve is way beyond the price tag of it. Always going out of there way to help my family and I have a great vacation. To me thats priceless and cant be priced so i regularly use that compliment a cast member on the disney app. Never had a bad cast member the 5 times i went.
My family was having trouble finding the entrance to Smugglers Run in CA. I asked a janitor, then recognized her from the parade route, where she was always cheerful and friendly, and I had missed her presence. I told her this, and she not only showed us where to enter, but whisked us through another line, where the wait was maybe five minutes. It was magical.
On our trip to Disneyland last year, we got a little bit of a magical moment. It wasn't much, but it was special to me. My wife and I were new to pin trading; we were talking about the procedures when we spotted a custodial CM with a trading lanyard. She must have heard us chatting so when we asked her if we could trade, she gave us a couple of extra stickers as a bonus. Sure, it wasn't much, but I was happy to get them and seeing the stickers today reminds me of our fun time at the park.
Cast members are literally the reason we go to Disney. Yes the theming on the rides is incredible, the food is to die for but the world class customer service and just general friendliness of the CMs is exactly what in my opinion sets Disney apart :)
I completely agree. They are such a huge part of what makes Disney different from any other theme park, at least for my family. While we may day trip one of the 3 theme parks within a 3 hour ride from our home (NC) for a day trip, if we go to FL, CMs are the reason we haven’t visited any other “attraction” type park in over 10 years now. Every time we consider it, we end up choosing WDW instead. It’s just a magical experience, unlike any other, and so much so, bc of CMs!❤️💛🖤
The most recent time we went, one member of our party was celebrating a major health milestone, and wore a button announcing it. EVERY single cast member who got near enough to our party to really see the button commented on it, congratulated us, and that member of the party got a free dessert at dinner every night of our trip. It was really sweet, especially since they seemed genuinely thrilled to be congratulating this member of our group and not just going through the motions. I've often thought through the years that one of the hardest parts of being a cast member must be to always be pleasant and cheerful no matter what's going on to or around them. There are a lot of cranky, arrogant guests that go through the parks and hotels, and I have seen some horrible guest behavior, and the cast members have ALWAYS been gracious.
The wife and I had a magical moment! We were waiting to ride the steamboat, and a cast member came up to us out of nowhere and escorted us to the bridge of the ship! We got to "steer" the boat and toot the horn! It was amazing, and something we will never forget!
Disney's Lost and Found system is amazing. Lost a party member's magic band in a bathroom and Grand Floridian and didn't find out about it until we were almost back at Coranado. The CM at the desk was able to contact GF and they found it. Had to go all the way back, full round trip on busses, monorail and boat to retrieve it. Also lost another magic band on departure day, probably in the Uber pickup area at Pop Century. Filled out the form online, figuring it was a long shot. They still managed to come through and ship it back home!
My mom left her hat behind in the basket on Sorin. By the rime we exited the ride, we realized we forgot it. Cm radioed the crew running the ride but no hat. We contacted lost and found and it arrived home one day after we got back.
I didn't even know magical moments were a thing until it happened to my group. We were walking by Big Top Souvenirs at MK and a cast member asked our group (Me, my Friend, my friends Dad's GF and my friends younger sister) if we wanted a tour of the shop before they opened. We got a tour and were brought to the back where we got to see the photo op area where Goofy, Minnie, Daisy and Donald usually are and we were surprised at the end by getting to meet them with for a photo session. Then they gave us all a bag a cotton candy, and when I tell you my friends sister had a huge smile for the rest of the day I wouldn't even be lying. It was such a fun and wonderful little experience and we just happened to be walking by.
Also cast members are impacted by hurricanes as well. I know travelers get inconvenienced when a hurricane hits and they have to wait in those long hotel food lines and miss flights but it is important to remember that those cast members live in Florida and are there instead of being with their families, comforting their pets, getting their house ready for hurricane, and driving home after the storm. It’s important to have compassion, they’re humans too.
I lost my sandal while getting on Space Mountain in the 90's at MK. I rode with one shoe and when we were getting off, my friend and I got a laugh as the CM's were playing keep away with it.
25:16 YES!! When a cast member gives a random guest a surprise special experience. FINALLY….I have been wondering for YEARS why a cast member gave me a back-to-back ride on Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Just like your son, he took me (single rider) around some doors and back on the ride. I think it was because I created a good ride photo, which I was able to do because I knew where the on-ride camera was located. That was my first and only time at a Disney park, and it was by far my favorite ride for the 1 day I was there.
I had a friend who was a Disney princess cast member, and she said the amount of creepy dudes and fathers that would try to touch her or hit on her WITH their families present was insane. Taking a photo with them and trying to put their arms around them or on their butt.
I know a woman who was "friends with Alice" at one of the Disney parks in Asia. She said there was a group of middle-aged men that often came to the park; whenever she spotted them in the meet and greet line, she had to brace herself for their inappropriate behavior. One of those men always asked Alice for a kiss on the mouth. 🥴She would have Alice laugh off the request or decline with a polite and witty remark, but he would persist. That guy would only back off when the character attendant got involved and said Alice couldn't hug or kiss adults.
I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour back in April. The lunch wasn't just something simple like chicken fingers and fries, we ate at Columbia Harbor House and included a specialty cupcake alongside our full meal. It was a great time and a great lesson, im glad we went before they changed the rivers of america. You also get to go to the front of the line for some of the rides that have lots of history behind them, a lot in adventure land. Not much in Tomorrowland but overall it was a great time
I cannot imagine what these guys go through in the course of a day. There are so many, incredibly rude people in the world, and they act like these cast members owe them something personally. I get it that when you work for Disney, you need to be on point. But there also need to be strong rules enforced for people who are abusive. There are people in this world who are just incredibly entitled, and it really takes me off when I see it in action.
In a word, cast members are HEROES! They are often overworked and underpaid, yet go above and beyond to provide us with beautifully, magical moments. I'm a big hugger, so I often ask if they need a hug - most cannot accept, but those who do, I'll happily oblige. I often tell the story about getting abandoned when I was a wee lad at Typhon Lagoon and how a cast member not only walked with me to the bus... but rode the bus with me to my resort to make sure I was reunited with my parents. Above and beyond! Fast forward to today - A lot of what I do in my line of work is inspired by those cast members who go above and beyond. Much respect to all of them.
I had a magical momnet back on 2016 where I was asked if I wanted to be a part of the first order march infront of Star Wars Launch Bay and I held Kylo Ran's lightsaber as storm troopers approached me. It was very cool and I got a certificate for it.
I just got back from my first trip ever. The cast members were absolutely wonderful, and I gave so many cast compliments! I got a magical moment at Storybook Dining. I was on the fence between two drinks and asked my awesome waiter for his opinion. At the end of the meal, he brought the other drink on the house. The whole experience there was so fun, and I had a great time talking trash with the Evil Queen. That actress is fantastic! I highly recommend that restaurant!! I already want to go back!!
I used to work at Disneyland back in the late 80's/early 90's. And sometimes, even when it was a hard day, I often found myself smiling in my car on the way home. The best were the little kids who were just walking around so amazed at everything. I even had a time when I was restocking a store and I dived to save a falling kid with a Pooh bear.
I am a Disneyland Cast Member and have been for nearly the past 10 years, and I LOVE IT!!!! Originally in Resort Transportation & Parking as a Parking Lot Attendant, Mickey & Friends RT Spieler, Mickey & Friends Tram Driver, and Esplanade Transportation Concierge Host, now in Disneyland Attractions operating Millennium Falcon, Star Wars Rise Of The Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. I will say, it's been a blast. However, it DOES have it's moments. Yes we deal with Entitled Guests who just have to ruin it for EVERYONE, yes it's no fun having to disappoint guests that the ride is broken, and also we don't like dealing with gross situations which I will not name, it's heartbreaking when dealing with a Signal 70, the EXTREME Heat is no fun, the EXTREME Cold and HEAVY Rain is no fun, and your heart jumps when an emergency happens. BUT, in the end it is WORTH IT!!!!! Making the Magic Moments for guests, ESPECIALLY families with children and seeing them light up REALLY makes you feel like you are doing your job right. Hearing your managers say "Keep it up" is VERY encouraging, and it always feels wonderful to help out other cast members when they need it and in turn know that you have their back and they know you have theirs. Cast members are like family. What's also magical, is when you go into the park on your time as a guest and you meet other guests who are either visiting or as a local, and you talk to them about their job, and you see them experience those magical moments during Fireworks Spectaculars, Fantasmic Showings, and the Main Street Electrical Parade performing during its limited time runs, it's those moments when you realize why it is you love your job at Disney, and why you haven't left nor do you want to. Because making magic for guests and watching guests experience the magic while you are in the park on your own time as a guest really makes working at Disney one of the best jobs in existence. :)
Our 1 big magic moment my wife and I had was on our 1 year anniversary trip in 2001. My wife was 4 and half months pregnant with our daughter. It was one of our 1st stays as a dvc members and stayed at OKW. They day of our anniversary we came back from the parks to 2 bottles of chilled champagne and sparkling cider (for my wife) with a note from the CM that checked us in saying congratulations on 1 year and our daughter's upcoming birth. And 23 years later daughter just finished her 2nd bachelor's degree for Nursing.
My ONLY issue in the Parks anymore (besides prices of course) is the way some "adults" act, since the pandemic. I've watched 60 something year old men/woman and every age down the line, have full blown hissyfits and or try to fight random people. The behavior has gotten out of hand. Lol the TTC after the fireworks is the best place to see these aggressive idiots.. Yes we ALL paid a ton of money to be here, have a plan, but stay flexible and roll with the punches with a smile. I find it odd my kids know this, but these Disney adults don't.
My sister and I were on The Land ride, going around the greenhouse area. There was a family in the boat ahead of us with a toddler who wouldn't sit still. A voice from up above intoned "Don't touch the sand!". Voice sounded like she was a pack-a-day from Long Island, like our old Aunt Pat or other cousins. Kid keeps on. "DONT TOUCH THE SAND". We could not contain ourselves giggling. My sister got me a framed picture of us in front of the ball, and wrote across the top "Don't touch the sand!".
As a former CM, I’m just gonna say that guests could either absolutely make your day or absolutely ruin it. Easily the best and worst thing about working at WDW for me (the other best thing being free park admission).
I was homeless when I worked at Disney world and that is very Different and difficult in it self and not having a car having to rely on the bus system and walking takes everything out of a person I really did love working there I enjoyed everything that I was doing but without any help and the pay you just can’t make it sadly if I could do it again without being homeless yes my wish didn’t come true 😢but maybe one day if given the opportunity things will be right for a new beginning
I did the College Program and I can relate to the money issues. Even if you spend as little as possible and be frugal you'll be lucky to come back with money unless you're working insane hours. At 30hrs a week for me, with rent every week, I didn't come home with any money. Which is a real shame cause as a long time Disney goer, I'd absolutely love to work there if I got paid enough to survive and not have to worry
Sometimes missing out on your Lightning Lane is the *best* thing to happen. My last trip, I tried (for the third time/third trip) to get to ride Flight of Passage, but when my time came, the ride wasn't working. I got a pass good for any other ride. Well, this just happened to be the very last day of Splash Mountain. I hadn't had any hope of getting to ride it, given how long the lines were and how early they had run out of LL, but as I read and re-read the list of rides my pass could be applied to, I was thrilled to see that Splash Mountain was still included! I got in the Lightning Lane line near the end, and while I wasn't on *the* last ride, I was close to it, and without having to spend four hours waiting in line for it!
A relative wanted me to take a picture with a CM in a way that was making me extremely uncomfortable. The CM couldn't speak, but picked up my non-verbal cues and was a sweetheart. For as horrible as I've heard Disney treats their employees, Disney staff are the best I have ever seen/met.
We have been to Disney 6 times since 1997 and have experienced 2 Magical Moments. 1. My oldest daughter loved Tinker Bell. At that time Tink did not have a meet and greet. A cast member took (both of my daughters' autograph books) and had Tinker Bell sign them before the fireworks. 2. My youngest daughter was chosen to lead the crowd into Fantasmic. (I forget what the title was but she received a little certificate with her name on it) Precious memories to always remember.
The last time I was pixie dusted was two weeks ago where something went wrong with verifying out Florida residency so we had to do it in person! The cast member at guest services gave us a generic LL AND a Rise of Resistance LL since our first LL of the day was about to close in and we were stuck over there!!! Thanks to the cast member me and my family managed to knock out the entirety of Hollywood Studios rides by 2pm!!! It was such a magical moment!!!!
My 6 year old son was absolutely on Could 9 when he found out that Sleeping beauty has never heard of a racecar! She was so sweet about it, telling him that her horse, Sampson, was the fastest thing in her kingdom. He was so happy to teach her all that he knew about racecars! He had so much fun that he cried when it was time to leave.😢
My best friend is flying in from Australia in December and spending a month with me here in Florida. We have been planning our Disney trip over a year now! Your vides are SOOOOOOOOOO helpful and I cant say thank you enough. This will be his very first Disney experience and I can not wait to show him all the things you talk about!
Former Magic Kingdom CM here, Disney College Program 2016 - I will say that the one nice thing about the Utilidors is that we got paid for like 10 minutes at the end of our shift that was just dedicated to leaving our areas, heading to clock out, and making our way out of the tunnels.
The transition edit of one employee pushing water to the fade into the other one doing the same motion was SO good I made an account just to comment. And also just shows the eternal fight against Florida rain ;)
I got to walk the utilidors when I visited MK with my high school band on a big trip. Those of us in the jazz ensemble loaded up on the rising stage in Tomorrowland and had to go underneath the park like everyone else. It was pretty cool! What really blew my mind as a teenager was that the stage isn't situated in some larger room. There's literally a door from the utilidor hallway that opens right onto the moving platform.
The worst thing for me when I worked at Disney World was when people would just grab my neck lanyard without asking to look at the pins. It was super awkward. I quickly changed to a hip lanyard which ended that issue.
I felt so sorry for the CM that was working at the register in Glaskunst in EPCOT, when I was there in December. The customer in front of me was so rude to him. He was having a little trouble understanding her, and she yelled at him. After she left, I said to him ( in German) that I was sorry that she did that and that he had to go through that. He asked if I spoke German, I said; "Ja, Ich spreche Deutsche." and we had a nice conversation. It was very nice to make him smile.😀
A magical moment for me was whenme and my family first went to Disney World. So I was nine years old and we queued to see Cinderella she is my favourite Disney princess and I was wearing my blue Cinderella hat. So we get to Cinderella and she notices my hat and she offered to sign my hat. So I let her sign my hat and for the rest of the day I didn't take that hat off and people were offering me money for my hat which just blew my little mind and I was like "no I am not giving you my hat!" I still have that hat and I haven't worn it since it holds such a special memory for me
As a former cast member, I can answer that. I left because of the low pay. I make so much more money as a teacher…and teachers are notoriously underpaid.
Disney's Lost & Found services are extraordinary! I have lost two items in parks on opposite coasts and each time I got them back because L&F was so efficient and diligent, not to mention friendly. I had little hope of getting back a pair of Rx sunglasses lost on The Tower of Terror (I had not secured them), but between my ability to give identifying details and a dose of Disney magic, I received them in the mail about a week later in surprisingly good shape.
Be nice to cast members!! They work hard to make your day fun and safe. Take this one step further and be nice to other guests. We were standing in line on Mainstreet to get our pictures taking. We were next. My sister heard a passing family who wanted their pucture taken, but were sad due to line being too long. We asked the photographer if we could give our place in line to this family. We had enough photos already. We made this family happy. Its all a choice. Just be kind.
Our first cruise with DCL was about 22 years ago and we were made the Magical Family! We were given a cabin upgrade to a balcony cabin, every night when we returned to the room there were stuffies for the kids and mid-day they would leave special snacks for us. It was wonderful but sadly that's something that they no longer do.
In 1988 Goofy and Pluto used to pick me up as a 3 yr kid at Grand Floridian Cafe. Completely understand the regulations now but I wish other kids had that experience
As a former cast member I agree on how much we go through with these entitled guest, but I knew what I was getting myself into. I now drive for Mears Connect (Former Magical Express) and get to safely watch from the sidelines. I enjoy taking the guests BACK to the airport. Where’s your magic NOW!!!
There have been more than a few times I have been so impressed by a CM I wanted to express my appreciation with a gift card to Starbucks or one of the restaurants in Disney Springs. I was surprised to learn that (most) CM are not permitted to accept gift cards/cash gifts. A sincere, “Thank you kindly!” was the best I could offer. I did stop by Guest Relations and fill out a comment card, so, Pam from Sarasota, I hope you heard from park management how much you are valued!
Another thing you can do if upset by a situation is ask the CM if you can speak to their leader. CM’s can’t do much but relay your message, so speaking to a leader face to face will speed along the concern
"Keys to the Kingdom" is worth EVERY PENNY! My wife & I were techies (behind the scene carpenters). We were taken on a tour, before the park opened. There is sooo much going on before the park opens! [Just watch out for the lorries that move stuff from here to there. No speed limit.] Anyway we always wondered, how they protected the lighting / electrical from the rain. The gobos and other stuff were just out there.
I used to work at Disney from 2022 to 2023 for the Disney College program(and I plan to go back after I finish college) I love working at the parks, but it was a lot of hard work. I was working in outdoor vending and even though I love working there, we would have to put up with a lot of rude people because at I worked for Disney, no matter how mad the guest you cannot have a bad attitude towards them or you would get in trouble and also a lot of people try to take advantage of Disney’s kindness.
The best magical moment was for me was during the Flower and Garden Festival! My mom and I were looking at all of the topiaries and there was one of Lotso, who is my favorite villain. I was telling my mom how much I loved him and a cast member offered to take my picture in front of it. I obviously said, "yes," and afterward she handed me a Lotso pin that I still have to this day.
I'm an associate at a big box hardware store (as well as a former Disney Store cm). We take a huge amount of abuse from guests on the regular, so I can only imagine what a Parks cm must deal with.
25:35 A very similar thing happened to me when I younger and I was scared of Test Track because of how fast I heard it was. I ended up loving it (of course, it’s my fave ride now) and a CM saw me before and after the ride. She led me through a little hallway that I didn’t know existed that led me to the front of the line! I love that moment and I’m so glad your son had a similar experience!
My wife and her sister and husband and their 3 kids went to Disneyland California in the late 90's. The oldest kid turned 18 while there and the character "Snow White" gave him a birthday kiss on the the cheek! Great times!
I worked there as a guard at night when I retired from my real job, and it was really nice at night. Lots of walking and golf cart driving I think I had the best job there. Seeing the workers coming to work when I was leaving in the morning, they looked like they did not want to be there lol. And the comments also told me a lot about daytime hell.
We went in December 2021, all of us had stuff we were celebrating. 1 cancer into remission (4th occurrence), 2 50th wedding anniversaries (same year as WDW 50th anniversary), 1 paying off mortgage (early too), and 1 graduation. We went to Be Our Guest. They brought all 5 of us a set of souvenir cups to celebrate. It was relatively small, but still incredibly meaningful for us. We also all ordered desert and they put an extra little celebrating standies on em. I don't remember if they were a paper/plastic or if they were edible though
at 10:10 yousaid the fireworks show is sometimes cancelled. While that is true, I have heard that when this happens, they set off the fireworks AFTER HOURS because they can't let the mortars sit loaded all day long.
My husband and step-son got taken backstage at Disneyland Paris after my stepson became too frightened to go on one of the rides whilst we were all queuing up. They said it really broke the Disney illusion!! However, the CM was really discreet and waited for other guests to move before allowing them backstage so as few people as possible got to see. Love Disney ❤
I used to be a former Disney Cm and I worked in attractions in west fantasyland in the magic kingdom. All the cast members that I worked with hated this one position and that is merge at Winnie the Pooh. I don’t blame them because merge is very difficult and that’s where all the rude guests are. I tell the guests to wait behind the white line. Sometimes guests don’t like it when you tell them that because they been waiting forever considering lightning lane keeps coming. One guest got so mad at me for moving lighting lane and I told her the truth saying “you should’ve brought Genie Plus”. She got so mad and the dad was like “can you two stop” and I don’t blame him for saying that considering I didn’t want to cause an argument with her in the first place. Luckily there are more nice guests than rude guests.
Last summer I went to an outdoor showing of Encanto and brought along my puppets. There was a cast member playing Mirabel and I took one of my puppets out to say hello. Mirabel was really cool about it. Coolest thing that happened that summer!
We've had 4 magical moments in my 27 years. First as a kid we were in epcot and a crew came out with some new experimental ice cream for us to try. 2nd was wife and I had our oldest child for his first visit and he got a Carmel apple at the animal kingdom. 3rd wife and I were celebrating our anniversary dinner at the ohana restaurant and we got to try some off menu desserts. And lastly our last visit this year we got moved to some special front row seating at the Nemo stage show in animal kingdom. All were sporadic and total surprises. And all will forever be remembered.
My twin boys and I went to WDW for the first time when they were 17. We didn't receive a magical moment from a cast member, but it was pure magic when we first entered the magic kingdom. That moment when you set foot on Main Street and everything you can see is perfect, like stepping into a movie or being transported to 1900s America. My boys looked up when they heard my gasp and I watched their faces come alive. The moody, not impressed by anything, teenagers suddenly had permission to be kids again. (me too) If there is anything more magical, I don't know what it is.
I can’t lie… The past few times I went to Disney some of the cast members were absolutely rude as it gets.. I never had an issue in 25 years at Disney until about 2022… Some of the workers there have definitely lost the magic 🪄 and do not treat customers who have just spent many thousands the way they should be treated.. So sometimes the cast members deserve to get criticized but sometimes they don’t deserve it.. Do not think everyone is a good cast member because it is just not true!! My daughter had a disability pass and most of the cast members were absolutely awesome but on the Spaceship Earth ride in Epcot and the Thunder Mountain ride in Magic Kingdom we had absolutely horrible experiences.. One of them even almost making my daughter cry over her disability with ridiculous comments.. Why? I have no idea why.. He was having a bad day I guess but I did report him for being very rude.. Sometimes the customers are the issue but do not think thats always the case because it is not!!
I will never forget the first magical moment. My partner and I had just gotten engaged and we walked into a dinner reservation at the liberty tree inn tavern wearing pins saying we just got engaged. The cast member checking us in was really friendly and casually asked us some questions, we didn't even put it together, and for dessert they brought out this gigantic cake embossed with "congratulations on your engagement" with our names on it. Still one of the most touching experiences at Disney and over a decade later we still talk about it.
Awwwwww I got chills!
@@dfbbreea AWW BREEA! Your puns are always amazing. Don't let AJ talk you out of them :D
This just happened to my husband and I last year at Flying Fish! We had a Disney honeymoon and that restaurant was our fancy "just got married" dinner. They surprised us with a gorgeous and delicious dessert on the house ❤️
@rachelprather3810 well, you're white and straight, so nobody cares. Got a blk boyfriend??
Disney cast members do everything possible to say yes to everything. If one tells you no, please just accept it and go on to another plan. I missed a show one time so I asked that cast member the fastest way to get to another attraction and they took us down a "cast only" road and got us to "plan B" so quickly. Now I have a great story to tell. I've been to Disney countless times and some of the best memories are when things didn't go as planned. It only ruins your vacation if you let it. If you feel you should be "compensated" for something, head to Guest Services. Whatever other cast member you are talking to can do NOTHING for you. Just remember, you are one of thousands of guests who also paid a lot for their vacations...how much you paid doesn't make you special.
I stayed at a Copper Creek Villa during my visit to WDW in 2017. My service dog loved a red pillow in the room and when we returned home she looked a little sad without it considering we were there for about 10 days. I reached out to see where I could source one, I received a return email thanking us for our stay and they would try to see where we could purchase one. Next thing I know I received a package with the red pillow in it. My dog has been sleeping on it constantly since that day
Cast Members go through SO MUCH. Give them more love, folks!
💗💗💗💗💗
Please and thank you
It's not fair when the cast members get criticised by ungrateful guests for just doing their job. In my experience, they really go out of their way to make you feel welcomed at the parks. That's something I've always liked about them
I totally agree with you
Disney Cast Members are one of the reasons why Disney Parks are so fun
Totally agree
Well, some people (too many nowadays) are trash no matter where they are -- they don't care about behaving or anyone else around them, and they have zero interest in acting civil. Also, they look at cast-members as they do employees on the outside as if taking disrespect/abuse is part of their job-description -- it isn't!
Besides metal-detectors at the entrances, we need trash-detectors, too. ;-)
-- BR
@@billredding2000 Unfortunately, you are right about that
After a very long hiatus (10 years), my wife and I went to Disney in January. We arrived at noon at our favorite resort, French Quarters, and a very nice CM gave me a room on the first level and next to the smoking area (my wife smokes cigarettes, and I smoke cigars). It took less than 30 minutes to get our room. I thanked her and tried to tip her but to no avail. I talked to the manager to praise her. Thank you, Susan.
I used to work at a major theme park. It's SO hard to be 'on' all the time, even harder when you're having a bad day and can't show it at all.
Years ago, I was a lifeguard at my water park back home. Now when I go to the Disney water parks, I just wanna shake the hands of every single lifeguard and tell them how much I appreciate them 😆
I don't doubt it. I'm reasonably extroverted, but I need to decompress. Spending a lot of my time with clients, I feel like I'm "on" a lot, and I can't wait to shut it off. I can't imagine what it's like for cast members.
@dfbbreea I too used to be a lifeguard at Sesame Place in PA. And as a former instructor I always watch to see whatnhas been updated in training. I also was trying to do the DCP way long ago but I had tattoos when they weren't accepted to be seen.
As a former cast member I’m so glad this video exist because so little is said about what bothers cm, thank you DFB!
We appreciate all CMs - past, present, and future! ❤
Amen! From a cast member ❤
I'm a Disneyland Cast member who works in the character department as a host and performer. we love when people come up to us and ask "May I please have a hug" or "may I please have a picture" instead of just hugging the character or shoving a phone in our hands. We'll of course do hug or take a photo no matter what but if you ask nicely its a nice touch and we will appreciate it so much and the characters will give a quality interaction if you're simply nice to us both hosts and characters.
Thank you for being a cast member 👏🏻👍🏻
I was Photopass! Totally agree. Rudeness is rampant. I’ve had cards or magic bands shoved in my face. They see you as a camera not a person. Lol
@@hallowthrifty2961 wow 🤦🏻♀️😱 I believe it 🤦🏻♀️ Thank you for having been a photo pass photographer 👏🏻👏🏻. Do you sir willow’s UA-cam channel? He was a photo pass photographer too.
@@Short_one41Yes I’ve spent time with Sir Willow
@@hallowthrifty2961 cool 👍🏻 Didn’t know you one of his cast member (coworkers) I’m subscribed to his channel, and his stories guests are hilarious 🤣.
I wish cast members could call for rude guests to be escorted to the door. Do that a couple of times and the guests would roll back their attitudes.
Most Cast members can’t break the magic. But the police can.
They can add more cast members dressed as policemen that appeared in Disney cartoons, to guard other characters from rude customers
Don't bet on it...
Aw! Ask about the Character's side kick!! I asked Jasmine about Raja and she was so cute!! She was like "Oh he'll be so happy you asked!" It was so cute and perfect
It's absolutely ridiculous that grown adults need to be reminded basic rules of etiquette. There are too many adults who act like toddlers. 😅
True 🙌
😂😂says the person with micky ears and no kids. Pls stop going you’re only going to hurt yourself and be unable to sue them.
😂😂
A lot it is their parents fault
@@dangobanjo2800bold of you to assume things about a person you know nothing about
@@sadiesmith1509boy u sure got them there Sadie…
As a current CM, the only thing I think I would add would be guests becoming aggressive with us when we are isolated. There are many positions throughout the parks where a CM is physically alone and only has a radio to contact others. Please don’t pick a fight with that particular cast member as it is incredibly scary to be alone and not know where your team is and being yelled at.
Also
Please don’t put anything in your mouth you didn’t buy. This goes for adults and children.
@@abelow8697 exactly 👍🏻 Thank you for being a valued Disney cast member 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💜🤗
What do you expect in "Florida?" EVERYONE there, guests included, are psychotic nutjobs. Beautiful state to look at, but add the peeps and you have a stinking cesspool.
This past January into February i had a very special solo trip, honoring what would have been my Dad’s 100th birthday. I was also having a hard time doing the visit because i had a bad stomach/esophagus issue (solved by surgery May 30) and a difficult time walking because of a long-standing ankle and foot injury that was just getting worse. I also had a blood disorder and my hematologist-oncologist was planning to do a bone marrow transplant. The cast was spectacular. I told members this would probably be my last trip, and i cried a lot during character meetings. They (and the allergy chefs) did their very best to make the trip as good as possible for me.
Cast members are truly kind-hearted
I hope you have MANY more trips to come in the future.
The Keys to the Kingdom tour is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I did this with my daughter and she still talks about how much she loved it 10 years later. You really get to know the heart of Magic Kingdom functioning.
I just shuddered at the thought of people asking characters to do TikTok dances.
Never mind me imagining people shouting for certain characters to "TAKE IT OFF!!!"....
I'm a fan of Facilier, but I wouldn't ask for that. Come now, the dude's too classy for that. :P
@@OverlordZeroULTIMAhe’s a royal on his mothers side.
Tik Tok "dances" are the stupidest thing I've ever seen, but then again, so are the peeps that use the dumb thing.
CMs are what makes The Magic Kingdom so magical for sure! 🎩🥂🌸
Absolutely!
For sure
Magical kingdom
I just got back from Disney World and all the staff were very friendly and professional. I always told them thankyou.
💖💖💖
I was pixie dusted on my trip in may. Was staying at pop and was unable to book a preferred room. The previous trip I had a room in the 90’s building and it was so far from everything. When checking in I said that I knew I didn’t have a preferred room but if possible could I be as close to the skyliner as I could be in a regular room. The cast member made a couple calls and said if I didn’t mind waiting a bit she could get me closer. I said absolutely and thanked them multiple times. Left my bags with bell service and went to the parks..was absolutely shocked when I got my room notice and it was in the 60’s building on the skyliner end. Made my whole day and trip..
I got to go in the underground tunnels in 2002 when my high school choir was performing at Cosmic Ray's. We got to ride up to the Cafe on a hydronic stage. Awesome memories!!
I like how even if a cast member has to be stern and deal with a bad situation, they are still kind, polite, and deescalate the situation. We had a bad experience with another visitor and their family, and the area manager stepped in and did a great job.
I had a magic moment on my first trip to WDW. My ex girlfriend and I booked a standard little mermaid room over at Art of Animation and when we went to the front desk to check in, we were upgraded to a family suite in the Lion King area. That really boosted our moods as we had an issue with our flight the day before causing us to need to book a single night at an off property hotel instead of getting the red eye and arriving in Orlando in the early morning.
Magical moments are the BEST!!
As a former Disneyland cast member, that was one of the most enjoyable part of my job. That, and learning how to say “hello” in multiple languages.
It was my second trip to Animal Kingdom, and a hot day. I was having severe medical problems, so was in a ECV back when they had special queues for disabled folks. At Kali River Rapids,they had no other people needing disabled access, so they let me, my mom, and my grandmother just go multiple times. That was definitely a magical moment. (Later that day, I had a seizure, and I got another "magical moment" of getting wicked by securityback to my hotel, to a doctor waiting at my room. AJ is not joking about staying hydrated and cool.)
The best thing you can do to get a magical moment is just to be nice to the cast members. My mom complimented a Soarin’ cast member on her hair, and she made sure to get us the best seats on the ride
Ha. 6:27 is exactly what I did, except with Peter Pan. I asked him about Once Upon A Time. He got his handler involved and that's when I figured out they can only talk about the animated version of their character. The next time I saw him I stuck to the Animated movie.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Cast Members, for making the magic for us!
Friend of mine got me thanking all the cast members i interact with. Including the janitors. I dont know I just think the fact the service I recieve is way beyond the price tag of it. Always going out of there way to help my family and I have a great vacation. To me thats priceless and cant be priced so i regularly use that compliment a cast member on the disney app. Never had a bad cast member the 5 times i went.
My family was having trouble finding the entrance to Smugglers Run in CA. I asked a janitor, then recognized her from the parade route, where she was always cheerful and friendly, and I had missed her presence. I told her this, and she not only showed us where to enter, but whisked us through another line, where the wait was maybe five minutes. It was magical.
On our trip to Disneyland last year, we got a little bit of a magical moment. It wasn't much, but it was special to me. My wife and I were new to pin trading; we were talking about the procedures when we spotted a custodial CM with a trading lanyard. She must have heard us chatting so when we asked her if we could trade, she gave us a couple of extra stickers as a bonus. Sure, it wasn't much, but I was happy to get them and seeing the stickers today reminds me of our fun time at the park.
I like Disneyland much better. Magic Kingdom just didn't do it for me.
Cast members are literally the reason we go to Disney. Yes the theming on the rides is incredible, the food is to die for but the world class customer service and just general friendliness of the CMs is exactly what in my opinion sets Disney apart :)
I completely agree. They are such a huge part of what makes Disney different from any other theme park, at least for my family. While we may day trip one of the 3 theme parks within a 3 hour ride from our home (NC) for a day trip, if we go to FL, CMs are the reason we haven’t visited any other “attraction” type park in over 10 years now. Every time we consider it, we end up choosing WDW instead. It’s just a magical experience, unlike any other, and so much so, bc of CMs!❤️💛🖤
You wanna die eating their food, oookkkaaay....
The most recent time we went, one member of our party was celebrating a major health milestone, and wore a button announcing it. EVERY single cast member who got near enough to our party to really see the button commented on it, congratulated us, and that member of the party got a free dessert at dinner every night of our trip. It was really sweet, especially since they seemed genuinely thrilled to be congratulating this member of our group and not just going through the motions.
I've often thought through the years that one of the hardest parts of being a cast member must be to always be pleasant and cheerful no matter what's going on to or around them. There are a lot of cranky, arrogant guests that go through the parks and hotels, and I have seen some horrible guest behavior, and the cast members have ALWAYS been gracious.
The wife and I had a magical moment! We were waiting to ride the steamboat, and a cast member came up to us out of nowhere and escorted us to the bridge of the ship! We got to "steer" the boat and toot the horn! It was amazing, and something we will never forget!
that is so incredible!
Disney's Lost and Found system is amazing. Lost a party member's magic band in a bathroom and Grand Floridian and didn't find out about it until we were almost back at Coranado. The CM at the desk was able to contact GF and they found it. Had to go all the way back, full round trip on busses, monorail and boat to retrieve it.
Also lost another magic band on departure day, probably in the Uber pickup area at Pop Century. Filled out the form online, figuring it was a long shot. They still managed to come through and ship it back home!
My mom left her hat behind in the basket on Sorin. By the rime we exited the ride, we realized we forgot it. Cm radioed the crew running the ride but no hat. We contacted lost and found and it arrived home one day after we got back.
We’re not playing red rover at Disney, your whole family doesn’t need to be side by side taking up the whole walkway
Haha, yes, this!!
It must be a huge challenge working for Disney in the heat of the summer.
Based on personal experience, outside & kitchen SUCKS, inside isn’t terrible lol
I didn't even know magical moments were a thing until it happened to my group. We were walking by Big Top Souvenirs at MK and a cast member asked our group (Me, my Friend, my friends Dad's GF and my friends younger sister) if we wanted a tour of the shop before they opened. We got a tour and were brought to the back where we got to see the photo op area where Goofy, Minnie, Daisy and Donald usually are and we were surprised at the end by getting to meet them with for a photo session. Then they gave us all a bag a cotton candy, and when I tell you my friends sister had a huge smile for the rest of the day I wouldn't even be lying. It was such a fun and wonderful little experience and we just happened to be walking by.
And only cost Disney the price of the cotton candy. Allowing CMs to do this is priceless
@chrishubbard5073 Sorry I have autism so I can't tell sarcasm that we'll Were you being sarcastic?
Also cast members are impacted by hurricanes as well. I know travelers get inconvenienced when a hurricane hits and they have to wait in those long hotel food lines and miss flights but it is important to remember that those cast members live in Florida and are there instead of being with their families, comforting their pets, getting their house ready for hurricane, and driving home after the storm. It’s important to have compassion, they’re humans too.
I lost my sandal while getting on Space Mountain in the 90's at MK. I rode with one shoe and when we were getting off, my friend and I got a laugh as the CM's were playing keep away with it.
🤣🤣🤣
25:16 YES!! When a cast member gives a random guest a surprise special experience. FINALLY….I have been wondering for YEARS why a cast member gave me a back-to-back ride on Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Just like your son, he took me (single rider) around some doors and back on the ride. I think it was because I created a good ride photo, which I was able to do because I knew where the on-ride camera was located. That was my first and only time at a Disney park, and it was by far my favorite ride for the 1 day I was there.
I had a friend who was a Disney princess cast member, and she said the amount of creepy dudes and fathers that would try to touch her or hit on her WITH their families present was insane. Taking a photo with them and trying to put their arms around them or on their butt.
@@ThePmcderm91 I believe it 🤦🏻♀️😝
I would totally do that
I know a woman who was "friends with Alice" at one of the Disney parks in Asia. She said there was a group of middle-aged men that often came to the park; whenever she spotted them in the meet and greet line, she had to brace herself for their inappropriate behavior. One of those men always asked Alice for a kiss on the mouth. 🥴She would have Alice laugh off the request or decline with a polite and witty remark, but he would persist. That guy would only back off when the character attendant got involved and said Alice couldn't hug or kiss adults.
@@chriswhiteauditions wow such sad behavior from those men 🤦🏻♀️😡
I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour back in April. The lunch wasn't just something simple like chicken fingers and fries, we ate at Columbia Harbor House and included a specialty cupcake alongside our full meal. It was a great time and a great lesson, im glad we went before they changed the rivers of america. You also get to go to the front of the line for some of the rides that have lots of history behind them, a lot in adventure land. Not much in Tomorrowland but overall it was a great time
I cannot imagine what these guys go through in the course of a day. There are so many, incredibly rude people in the world, and they act like these cast members owe them something personally. I get it that when you work for Disney, you need to be on point. But there also need to be strong rules enforced for people who are abusive. There are people in this world who are just incredibly entitled, and it really takes me off when I see it in action.
A lot of it could be the parents fault I mean, their parents fault
Thank you, CMs you make the magic true
💖💖💖
In a word, cast members are HEROES! They are often overworked and underpaid, yet go above and beyond to provide us with beautifully, magical moments. I'm a big hugger, so I often ask if they need a hug - most cannot accept, but those who do, I'll happily oblige. I often tell the story about getting abandoned when I was a wee lad at Typhon Lagoon and how a cast member not only walked with me to the bus... but rode the bus with me to my resort to make sure I was reunited with my parents. Above and beyond! Fast forward to today - A lot of what I do in my line of work is inspired by those cast members who go above and beyond. Much respect to all of them.
Simple solution -> stop complaining & resign. Find another work that don't make u whine. If u can't find one, that's on u. Period!
@@demonslayer4951 - Who is whining? Haha... sounds like you have anger issues. Period!
I had a magical momnet back on 2016 where I was asked if I wanted to be a part of the first order march infront of Star Wars Launch Bay and I held Kylo Ran's lightsaber as storm troopers approached me. It was very cool and I got a certificate for it.
I just got back from my first trip ever. The cast members were absolutely wonderful, and I gave so many cast compliments! I got a magical moment at Storybook Dining. I was on the fence between two drinks and asked my awesome waiter for his opinion. At the end of the meal, he brought the other drink on the house. The whole experience there was so fun, and I had a great time talking trash with the Evil Queen. That actress is fantastic! I highly recommend that restaurant!! I already want to go back!!
I used to work at Disneyland back in the late 80's/early 90's. And sometimes, even when it was a hard day, I often found myself smiling in my car on the way home. The best were the little kids who were just walking around so amazed at everything. I even had a time when I was restocking a store and I dived to save a falling kid with a Pooh bear.
I am a Disneyland Cast Member and have been for nearly the past 10 years, and I LOVE IT!!!! Originally in Resort Transportation & Parking as a Parking Lot Attendant, Mickey & Friends RT Spieler, Mickey & Friends Tram Driver, and Esplanade Transportation Concierge Host, now in Disneyland Attractions operating Millennium Falcon, Star Wars Rise Of The Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. I will say, it's been a blast. However, it DOES have it's moments. Yes we deal with Entitled Guests who just have to ruin it for EVERYONE, yes it's no fun having to disappoint guests that the ride is broken, and also we don't like dealing with gross situations which I will not name, it's heartbreaking when dealing with a Signal 70, the EXTREME Heat is no fun, the EXTREME Cold and HEAVY Rain is no fun, and your heart jumps when an emergency happens.
BUT, in the end it is WORTH IT!!!!! Making the Magic Moments for guests, ESPECIALLY families with children and seeing them light up REALLY makes you feel like you are doing your job right. Hearing your managers say "Keep it up" is VERY encouraging, and it always feels wonderful to help out other cast members when they need it and in turn know that you have their back and they know you have theirs. Cast members are like family.
What's also magical, is when you go into the park on your time as a guest and you meet other guests who are either visiting or as a local, and you talk to them about their job, and you see them experience those magical moments during Fireworks Spectaculars, Fantasmic Showings, and the Main Street Electrical Parade performing during its limited time runs, it's those moments when you realize why it is you love your job at Disney, and why you haven't left nor do you want to. Because making magic for guests and watching guests experience the magic while you are in the park on your own time as a guest really makes working at Disney one of the best jobs in existence. :)
Our 1 big magic moment my wife and I had was on our 1 year anniversary trip in 2001. My wife was 4 and half months pregnant with our daughter. It was one of our 1st stays as a dvc members and stayed at OKW. They day of our anniversary we came back from the parks to 2 bottles of chilled champagne and sparkling cider (for my wife) with a note from the CM that checked us in saying congratulations on 1 year and our daughter's upcoming birth. And 23 years later daughter just finished her 2nd bachelor's degree for Nursing.
Let’s all try to be nice to the cast members, they really do work hard.
My ONLY issue in the Parks anymore (besides prices of course) is the way some "adults" act, since the pandemic. I've watched 60 something year old men/woman and every age down the line, have full blown hissyfits and or try to fight random people. The behavior has gotten out of hand. Lol the TTC after the fireworks is the best place to see these aggressive idiots.. Yes we ALL paid a ton of money to be here, have a plan, but stay flexible and roll with the punches with a smile. I find it odd my kids know this, but these Disney adults don't.
Could the availability of alcohol play a factor? Disney might be bringing some of this on themselves. FYI, daughter is a CM
Fight random people for what?
My sister and I were on The Land ride, going around the greenhouse area. There was a family in the boat ahead of us with a toddler who wouldn't sit still. A voice from up above intoned "Don't touch the sand!". Voice sounded like she was a pack-a-day from Long Island, like our old Aunt Pat or other cousins. Kid keeps on. "DONT TOUCH THE SAND". We could not contain ourselves giggling. My sister got me a framed picture of us in front of the ball, and wrote across the top "Don't touch the sand!".
As a former CM, I’m just gonna say that guests could either absolutely make your day or absolutely ruin it. Easily the best and worst thing about working at WDW for me (the other best thing being free park admission).
I was homeless when I worked at Disney world and that is very Different and difficult in it self and not having a car having to rely on the bus system and walking takes everything out of a person I really did love working there I enjoyed everything that I was doing but without any help and the pay you just can’t make it sadly if I could do it again without being homeless yes my wish didn’t come true 😢but maybe one day if given the opportunity things will be right for a new beginning
I did the College Program and I can relate to the money issues. Even if you spend as little as possible and be frugal you'll be lucky to come back with money unless you're working insane hours. At 30hrs a week for me, with rent every week, I didn't come home with any money.
Which is a real shame cause as a long time Disney goer, I'd absolutely love to work there if I got paid enough to survive and not have to worry
Sometimes missing out on your Lightning Lane is the *best* thing to happen. My last trip, I tried (for the third time/third trip) to get to ride Flight of Passage, but when my time came, the ride wasn't working. I got a pass good for any other ride.
Well, this just happened to be the very last day of Splash Mountain. I hadn't had any hope of getting to ride it, given how long the lines were and how early they had run out of LL, but as I read and re-read the list of rides my pass could be applied to, I was thrilled to see that Splash Mountain was still included! I got in the Lightning Lane line near the end, and while I wasn't on *the* last ride, I was close to it, and without having to spend four hours waiting in line for it!
A relative wanted me to take a picture with a CM in a way that was making me extremely uncomfortable. The CM couldn't speak, but picked up my non-verbal cues and was a sweetheart. For as horrible as I've heard Disney treats their employees, Disney staff are the best I have ever seen/met.
We have been to Disney 6 times since 1997 and have experienced 2 Magical Moments. 1. My oldest daughter loved Tinker Bell. At that time Tink did not have a meet and greet. A cast member took (both of my daughters' autograph books) and had Tinker Bell sign them before the fireworks. 2. My youngest daughter was chosen to lead the crowd into Fantasmic. (I forget what the title was but she received a little certificate with her name on it) Precious memories to always remember.
The last time I was pixie dusted was two weeks ago where something went wrong with verifying out Florida residency so we had to do it in person! The cast member at guest services gave us a generic LL AND a Rise of Resistance LL since our first LL of the day was about to close in and we were stuck over there!!! Thanks to the cast member me and my family managed to knock out the entirety of Hollywood Studios rides by 2pm!!! It was such a magical moment!!!!
My 6 year old son was absolutely on Could 9 when he found out that Sleeping beauty has never heard of a racecar! She was so sweet about it, telling him that her horse, Sampson, was the fastest thing in her kingdom. He was so happy to teach her all that he knew about racecars! He had so much fun that he cried when it was time to leave.😢
My best friend is flying in from Australia in December and spending a month with me here in Florida. We have been planning our Disney trip over a year now! Your vides are SOOOOOOOOOO helpful and I cant say thank you enough. This will be his very first Disney experience and I can not wait to show him all the things you talk about!
Former Magic Kingdom CM here, Disney College Program 2016 - I will say that the one nice thing about the Utilidors is that we got paid for like 10 minutes at the end of our shift that was just dedicated to leaving our areas, heading to clock out, and making our way out of the tunnels.
CM 97. I think it was 20 minutes when I was there and it was called "Walk time".
The transition edit of one employee pushing water to the fade into the other one doing the same motion was SO good I made an account just to comment. And also just shows the eternal fight against Florida rain ;)
I got to walk the utilidors when I visited MK with my high school band on a big trip. Those of us in the jazz ensemble loaded up on the rising stage in Tomorrowland and had to go underneath the park like everyone else. It was pretty cool! What really blew my mind as a teenager was that the stage isn't situated in some larger room. There's literally a door from the utilidor hallway that opens right onto the moving platform.
The worst thing for me when I worked at Disney World was when people would just grab my neck lanyard without asking to look at the pins. It was super awkward. I quickly changed to a hip lanyard which ended that issue.
23:45 is delightful. Everything from the cast members' reaction to how he runs away giddily like he's suddenly become a third his age.
I felt so sorry for the CM that was working at the register in Glaskunst in EPCOT, when I was there in December. The customer in front of me was so rude to him. He was having a little trouble understanding her, and she yelled at him. After she left, I said to him ( in German) that I was sorry that she did that and that he had to go through that. He asked if I spoke German, I said; "Ja, Ich spreche Deutsche." and we had a nice conversation. It was very nice to make him smile.😀
A magical moment for me was whenme and my family first went to Disney World. So I was nine years old and we queued to see Cinderella she is my favourite Disney princess and I was wearing my blue Cinderella hat. So we get to Cinderella and she notices my hat and she offered to sign my hat. So I let her sign my hat and for the rest of the day I didn't take that hat off and people were offering me money for my hat which just blew my little mind and I was like "no I am not giving you my hat!" I still have that hat and I haven't worn it since it holds such a special memory for me
As a former cast member, I can answer that. I left because of the low pay. I make so much more money as a teacher…and teachers are notoriously underpaid.
I'm actually surprised how little cast members make considering how much Disney charges and keeps raising prices on everything
Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
Disney's Lost & Found services are extraordinary! I have lost two items in parks on opposite coasts and each time I got them back because L&F was so efficient and diligent, not to mention friendly. I had little hope of getting back a pair of Rx sunglasses lost on The Tower of Terror (I had not secured them), but between my ability to give identifying details and a dose of Disney magic, I received them in the mail about a week later in surprisingly good shape.
Be nice to cast members!! They work hard to make your day fun and safe. Take this one step further and be nice to other guests. We were standing in line on Mainstreet to get our pictures taking. We were next. My sister heard a passing family who wanted their pucture taken, but were sad due to line being too long. We asked the photographer if we could give our place in line to this family. We had enough photos already. We made this family happy. Its all a choice. Just be kind.
I love Disney employees because they are nice. As a 20 time Disney theme park visitor i had some experience at Disney World during the past 20 visits
Our first cruise with DCL was about 22 years ago and we were made the Magical Family! We were given a cabin upgrade to a balcony cabin, every night when we returned to the room there were stuffies for the kids and mid-day they would leave special snacks for us. It was wonderful but sadly that's something that they no longer do.
"I'm the customer, are you saying it's my fault?"
"Of course not, we're just explaining it's not ours"
Thank you, CMs!! ❤️
Thank you SO MUCH!!!
In 1988 Goofy and Pluto used to pick me up as a 3 yr kid at Grand Floridian Cafe. Completely understand the regulations now but I wish other kids had that experience
As a former cast member I agree on how much we go through with these entitled guest, but I knew what I was getting myself into. I now drive for Mears Connect (Former Magical Express) and get to safely watch from the sidelines. I enjoy taking the guests BACK to the airport. Where’s your magic NOW!!!
Cast members in galaxies edge made my trip epic. ❤
They’re SO awesome!
There have been more than a few times I have been so impressed by a CM I wanted to express my appreciation with a gift card to Starbucks or one of the restaurants in Disney Springs. I was surprised to learn that (most) CM are not permitted to accept gift cards/cash gifts. A sincere, “Thank you kindly!” was the best I could offer. I did stop by Guest Relations and fill out a comment card, so, Pam from Sarasota, I hope you heard from park management how much you are valued!
So basically just have manners, be respectful and use common sense… sounds easy…. but, these type of qualities are hard to come around nowadays 😢
Another thing you can do if upset by a situation is ask the CM if you can speak to their leader. CM’s can’t do much but relay your message, so speaking to a leader face to face will speed along the concern
"Keys to the Kingdom" is worth EVERY PENNY! My wife & I were techies (behind the scene carpenters). We were taken on a tour, before the park opened. There is sooo much going on before the park opens! [Just watch out for the lorries that move stuff from here to there. No speed limit.] Anyway we always wondered, how they protected the lighting / electrical from the rain. The gobos and other stuff were just out there.
I got separated from my parents when I was little at Disneyland and I will never forget it! So scary!
Yes, that would be, but there's always someone there to help.
I used to work at Disney from 2022 to 2023 for the Disney College program(and I plan to go back after I finish college) I love working at the parks, but it was a lot of hard work. I was working in outdoor vending and even though I love working there, we would have to put up with a lot of rude people because at I worked for Disney, no matter how mad the guest you cannot have a bad attitude towards them or you would get in trouble and also a lot of people try to take advantage of Disney’s kindness.
I was in entertainment as a dancer and character and parade performer and driver. Oh man could I tell you fun stories lol
Fun fact: Magic Kingdom's 88 acres is the same size as the US embassy compound in Baghdad.
The best magical moment was for me was during the Flower and Garden Festival! My mom and I were looking at all of the topiaries and there was one of Lotso, who is my favorite villain. I was telling my mom how much I loved him and a cast member offered to take my picture in front of it. I obviously said, "yes," and afterward she handed me a Lotso pin that I still have to this day.
I'm an associate at a big box hardware store (as well as a former Disney Store cm). We take a huge amount of abuse from guests on the regular, so I can only imagine what a Parks cm must deal with.
25:35 A very similar thing happened to me when I younger and I was scared of Test Track because of how fast I heard it was. I ended up loving it (of course, it’s my fave ride now) and a CM saw me before and after the ride. She led me through a little hallway that I didn’t know existed that led me to the front of the line! I love that moment and I’m so glad your son had a similar experience!
My wife and her sister and husband and their 3 kids went to Disneyland California in the late 90's. The oldest kid turned 18 while there and the character "Snow White" gave him a birthday kiss on the the cheek! Great times!
I worked there as a guard at night when I retired from my real job, and it was really nice at night. Lots of walking and golf cart driving I think I had the best job there. Seeing the workers coming to work when I was leaving in the morning, they looked like they did not want to be there lol. And the comments also told me a lot about daytime hell.
i feel like the cast members have to deal with so much and i am sure they get paid barely about minimum wage. definitely guests need to remember this.
They get paid above minimum but it is expensive to live in FL and many are paycheck to paycheck.
@@chrishubbard5073 thats what I mean.
We went in December 2021, all of us had stuff we were celebrating. 1 cancer into remission (4th occurrence), 2 50th wedding anniversaries (same year as WDW 50th anniversary), 1 paying off mortgage (early too), and 1 graduation. We went to Be Our Guest. They brought all 5 of us a set of souvenir cups to celebrate. It was relatively small, but still incredibly meaningful for us. We also all ordered desert and they put an extra little celebrating standies on em. I don't remember if they were a paper/plastic or if they were edible though
at 10:10 yousaid the fireworks show is sometimes cancelled. While that is true, I have heard that when this happens, they set off the fireworks AFTER HOURS because they can't let the mortars sit loaded all day long.
My husband and step-son got taken backstage at Disneyland Paris after my stepson became too frightened to go on one of the rides whilst we were all queuing up. They said it really broke the Disney illusion!! However, the CM was really discreet and waited for other guests to move before allowing them backstage so as few people as possible got to see. Love Disney ❤
Here’s the thing about weather effecting the fireworks: cast members probably won’t know anything until the same time guests do
I used to be a former Disney Cm and I worked in attractions in west fantasyland in the magic kingdom. All the cast members that I worked with hated this one position and that is merge at Winnie the Pooh. I don’t blame them because merge is very difficult and that’s where all the rude guests are. I tell the guests to wait behind the white line. Sometimes guests don’t like it when you tell them that because they been waiting forever considering lightning lane keeps coming. One guest got so mad at me for moving lighting lane and I told her the truth saying “you should’ve brought Genie Plus”. She got so mad and the dad was like “can you two stop” and I don’t blame him for saying that considering I didn’t want to cause an argument with her in the first place. Luckily there are more nice guests than rude guests.
Last summer I went to an outdoor showing of Encanto and brought along my puppets. There was a cast member playing Mirabel and I took one of my puppets out to say hello. Mirabel was really cool about it. Coolest thing that happened that summer!
Just want you to know you have the BEST outro in all of UA-cam
We've had 4 magical moments in my 27 years. First as a kid we were in epcot and a crew came out with some new experimental ice cream for us to try. 2nd was wife and I had our oldest child for his first visit and he got a Carmel apple at the animal kingdom. 3rd wife and I were celebrating our anniversary dinner at the ohana restaurant and we got to try some off menu desserts. And lastly our last visit this year we got moved to some special front row seating at the Nemo stage show in animal kingdom. All were sporadic and total surprises. And all will forever be remembered.
My twin boys and I went to WDW for the first time when they were 17. We didn't receive a magical moment from a cast member, but it was pure magic when we first entered the magic kingdom. That moment when you set foot on Main Street and everything you can see is perfect, like stepping into a movie or being transported to 1900s America. My boys looked up when they heard my gasp and I watched their faces come alive. The moody, not impressed by anything, teenagers suddenly had permission to be kids again. (me too) If there is anything more magical, I don't know what it is.
Ayyyyye… I’m a Pam from Abq, NM! Yay!
Cast Members have made all of my trips to a Disney Park amazing. They are definitely the heart of the parks.
I can’t lie… The past few times I went to Disney some of the cast members were absolutely rude as it gets.. I never had an issue in 25 years at Disney until about 2022… Some of the workers there have definitely lost the magic 🪄 and do not treat customers who have just spent many thousands the way they should be treated.. So sometimes the cast members deserve to get criticized but sometimes they don’t deserve it.. Do not think everyone is a good cast member because it is just not true!! My daughter had a disability pass and most of the cast members were absolutely awesome but on the Spaceship Earth ride in Epcot and the Thunder Mountain ride in Magic Kingdom we had absolutely horrible experiences.. One of them even almost making my daughter cry over her disability with ridiculous comments.. Why? I have no idea why.. He was having a bad day I guess but I did report him for being very rude.. Sometimes the customers are the issue but do not think thats always the case because it is not!!
Great video! Loved it!