One of my favorite parts of going to Walt Disney World is interacting with Cast Members. Cast Members are, without a doubt, the heart and soul of Walt Disney World. They’re always willing to lend a helping hand and they always go the extra mile to ensure kids and adults are having the time of their lives.
This is going to sound silly but one of my favorite memories of being in Walt Disney World starts with a spilled orange juice. After driving for 2 days (we always drive but that’s a story for another day), we had arrived at Art of Animation Resort at about 10PM the night before. We spent a good amount of the night with my then 3 year old, who’s obsession with the Little Mermaid was the whole reason we booked the room, crying because she’s terrified of the picture of Prince Eric next to her bed. Thankfully, we were only at Art of Animation for a 2 night resort stay, swim in the pool, relax, etc. before moving resorts for the main part of our trip. We slept in and went to get our first Mickey Waffles of the vacation. I ordered the food, including 2 orange juices for the girls. When the food comes, my then 16 month old immediately starts to throw her one and only Mickey waffle on the floor. I dive for it; now I’m a natural klutz, and I’m running on very little sleep so what do I do but knock the orange juice I had just opened all over the floor. Now both kids are upset, I’ve made a mess, and it was just not the best start to a vacation.
A Cast Member sees me trying to frantically clean up the spill with napkins and comes over and helps clean up the mess. Now as a janitorial staff, that is where her obligation ended. A few moments later, she’s coming back to our table with another bottle of orange juice and two silly straws. My kids used those straws the entire trip, and still use them to this day. It’s simple, but it’s something we still talk about. Her kind gesture turned the whole trip around.
On the same trip, another Cast Member gave my daughters little light up toys that clipped to their shirts or their cups, just for saying thank you. On a different trip, a Cast Member gave my oldest a free Mickey Bar because I had forgotten to include it in our order. The Cast Member’s always acknowledge the girls when they’re in princess dresses or wearing Disney paraphernalia. We’ve had Merida and Rapunzel recognize them during parades because of their outfits, and in my youngest case her flaming red hair.
It’s a million little moments throughout our trips, it’s a few bigger gestures, but it’s always the Cast Members that make the magic of Disney come alive.
Ready to Plan a Vacation?
Friend Like Me Travel Co. helps busy families just like yours plan the vacations of their dreams and provides services completely tailored to you and your needs. Click below to get started and one of our Genies will be in touch!