Over the years we have had many excellent encounters with Disney Cast Members (their code for “employees”) throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. At times they have been incredible. Sure, you will occasionally see someone who is at the end of their shift, near the end of their rope, and just ready to get out of the heat and be done. However, that person is the exception and we all run out of gas at some point. Most cast members are really excellent. (Disclaimer. I have never been a cast member)
Back in the mid 90’s my wife, I, and my two-ish year old daughter visited Walt Disney World. My wife was five or six months pregnant at that time. We had a great time, though it was different with a small child and a pregnant wife. (more on that some other day)
The last day of our trip was spent at Epcot. We spent the afternoon making our way around the lake visiting the Kidcot stops to make a mask and gathering autographs with our daughter. By the time we made our way back to our excellent parking space under the monorail tracks just outside the gate (it was a good enough space that I remember it 20 years later), my wife realized that the autograph book was missing.
Now, we were hot. We had been at Disney World for a week. We were tired. I would have voted to move on and not worry about it. Let’s face it, you don’t really get those books out after the trip is over. But that is not how a very pregnant wife reacts. We had spent the week with my daughter creating this book and it had taken on some kind of bigger meaning to a hormone riddled pregnant woman. They don’t think like the rest of us..
As I watched my daughter my wife went back into the park to find guest services. After a chat, they called the Kidcot stop in Mexico and sure enough, we had left it at our last stop of the day. But that was not the end. They took a look at my pregnant wife and her end-of-day, end-of-trip, about to cry over very little expression, and told her to have a seat and hang out. They sent someone to Mexico to fetch the book for her.
That gesture was not in the employee handbook exactly. Nobody would have known if they had sent her out to retrieve her own belongings. But going out of their way to help sort of put the world back together for my wife.
So, always say “thank you” and have a smile for cast members. They do a tough job and deal with the problems of thousands of people each day. Sure they are human and sometimes wear out, but for the most part they do an incredible job.
DWorld Family 