Cast Member Experiences

[Pocamahontas]

Alright so sorry if this is already a thread but I just thought it'd be great to hear about your cast memeber experience(s).

I'm a CM myself and I had some really great help from fellow CMs today and it well, was really something. It's a beautiful thing that CMs will go above and beyond for other CMs.

Long story short, my car broke down, in the middle of a busy Disney intersection no less...and a few very nice CMs helped me out..and they were really really sweet. But also, they were really funny. The tow truck driver was making jokes like "everyone needs to be nice to me because I know where they work, when they work, what they car looks like...and how to tow it" and then he preceeded to say "..and they just don't get that if I want to..I can go there and move it, and they'll never know what hit them." He was joking of course, but it was really funny. And more than that...he was making his jokes to try and cheer me up. See I was pretty worried about the whole situation (never broken down anywhere outside my neighborhood before). And it really worked.

Anyone got any nice/funny/amazing CM stories to share?

 

[Jesùs_Carioca]

Mind if i just say.... that you don't know how lucky you must be to have such a horrible event such as a car breaking down at a somewhat busy place such as Buena Vista end up into such a beautiful moment like that... Walt must've been watching i guess? Heh.

 

[Krozar]

My roomie is probably the best CM I know. He is a resort front desk and tries so hard to make everyone happy. He had a lady that was so upset due to an incident with another CM, she was yelling and really upset, she was about to cut her vacation short and fly out that night. He talked with her and she calmed down. She came by later, complimenting on how friendly he was and worked so hard to help her. She then asked if he wanted to visit the parks with her sometime. She was an elderly woman and by herself. The next day was his day off so he accepted. They had a great time at MK and he bought her lunch.

She was so amazed that she even purchased a DVC the next day. Some cast members go way beyond what's required.

 

[Pocamahontas]

My roomie is probably the best CM I know. He is a resort front desk and tries so hard to make everyone happy. He had a lady that was so upset due to an incident with another CM, she was yelling and really upset, she was about to cut her vacation short and fly out that night. He talked with her and she calmed down. She came by later, complimenting on how friendly he was and worked so hard to help her. She then asked if he wanted to visit the parks with her sometime. She was an elderly woman and by herself. The next day was his day off so he accepted. They had a great time at MK and he bought her lunch.

She was so amazed that she even purchased a DVC the next day. Some cast members go way beyond what's required.

But see those are the best ones! And they just make everything better and more amazing for the rest of us!
Great Story.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

This past trip in February we had my cousin's wife come join us at WDW. My cousin was in the middle of his 2nd deployment in Iraq with the Marine Corps. It had been a really rough one on her. A few weeks after he had gone over she found out she was pregnant (they had been trying for so long and even did a round of IVF the previous year) but then she lost the baby at around 14 weeks. He was gone for her birthday, his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and their anniversary which actually fell during our trip. They honeymooned at WDW. Also, a few weeks before the trip to Disney his deployment got extended which was devastating to all of us. My cousin and his wife are every bit as big of Disney Fanatics as we are. We've all been there together more than once. So, she came down from NC to hang with us for the week.

In planning the trip with her we came up with our own little way of having my cousin there with us even though he couldn't be. She had me take my sons to Build-A-Bear and create a bear for my cousin, Sean. We named him Strider Stitch (for Sean's favorite collectible brand and his favorite character). We dressed him just as Sean would dress himself for a day in the parks: t-shirt, tropical button-up, shorts, sandals, sunglasses, and back-pack (of course). We added our own touch in his creation with a sound when you squeezed SS's paw. It was my two sons reciting "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." SS was perfect.

So when we got to WDW we took SS bear everywhere with us every day. We never left the room without him. We took pictures of SS on all sorts of rides, in all the classic photo spots, and even with dozens of CM's. We bought SS bear his own pirate lanyard and some cool pins. We took him to the hat shop on Main Street to buy him some ears. We asked the nice CM there (Miss Doris, what an angel) if there was any way we could talk her into embroidering the bear's name on his ears. We thought at worst we would have Sean's name put on there. We told her the story of SS bear and what he means. Doris took SS backstage, returned, bent the rules to embroider 'Strider Stitch' (they aren't supposed to do anything other than proper names and NEVER characters), and then gave us the ears at no charge. We all cried. We took pics of Miss Doris with SS bear and later mailed her copies with a thank you gift.

CM's everywhere asked about SS bear and we told them the story. Some listened to his voice recording, too. So many of them gave us things to place in his backpack or shared a good cry with us. Many hugged my cousin's wife and thanked her for her strength and sacrifice. It was truly beautiful. We have so many incredible pics of SS bear at WDW. Let's see what I can remember for SS bear's treasures: 2 mini-jars of honey from our waitress at Chef Mickey's (a bear needs his breakfast, too), several pins from various CM's, a few buttons for the wedding anniversary, stickers, a lei from Ohana's, Mickey Ears, lots of beads from the Pirate & Princess Party, and a pet rock and VIP Key to the Kingdom card from the front desk staff at Pop with SS bears name on it. I know there's a bunch more but I can't remember it all. It was a lot.

After the trip my cousin's wife made a special scrapbook full of pics beginning the day we created SS bear thru all the adventures on our WDW vacation. When my cousin finally returned home in May she surprised him with his bear, the scrapbook, and all the stories and stuff that went along with him. Sean loved SS bear. That's how he knows he went to Disney with us the only way we knew we could bring him along.

The CM's added so much magic to SS bear. I can't say thank you enough to all those wonderful, loving people who listened and understood how important he really is. The magic was so with that special little bear. I bet Sean will have just as much fun as we did when he takes him back for another adventure at WDW.

 

[LoriMistress]

I've had some great experience. I've had several at DLR (back in 80's and 90's.) But our first time at WDW was when DH and I were on our honeymoon. We've had CMs go out of their way to make us feel special. There's too many to list.

 

[MAGICFLOP]

This past trip in February we had my cousin's wife come join us at WDW. My cousin was in the middle of his 2nd deployment in Iraq with the Marine Corps. It had been a really rough one on her. A few weeks after he had gone over she found out she was pregnant (they had been trying for so long and even did a round of IVF the previous year) but then she lost the baby at around 14 weeks. He was gone for her birthday, his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and their anniversary which actually fell during our trip. They honeymooned at WDW. Also, a few weeks before the trip to Disney his deployment got extended which was devastating to all of us. My cousin and his wife are every bit as big of Disney Fanatics as we are. We've all been there together more than once. So, she came down from NC to hang with us for the week.

In planning the trip with her we came up with our own little way of having my cousin there with us even though he couldn't be. She had me take my sons to Build-A-Bear and create a bear for my cousin, Sean. We named him Strider Stitch (for Sean's favorite collectible brand and his favorite character). We dressed him just as Sean would dress himself for a day in the parks: t-shirt, tropical button-up, shorts, sandals, sunglasses, and back-pack (of course). We added our own touch in his creation with a sound when you squeezed SS's paw. It was my two sons reciting "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." SS was perfect.

So when we got to WDW we took SS bear everywhere with us every day. We never left the room without him. We took pictures of SS on all sorts of rides, in all the classic photo spots, and even with dozens of CM's. We bought SS bear his own pirate lanyard and some cool pins. We took him to the hat shop on Main Street to buy him some ears. We asked the nice CM there (Miss Doris, what an angel) if there was any way we could talk her into embroidering the bear's name on his ears. We thought at worst we would have Sean's name put on there. We told her the story of SS bear and what he means. Doris took SS backstage, returned, bent the rules to embroider 'Strider Stitch' (they aren't supposed to do anything other than proper names and NEVER characters), and then gave us the ears at no charge. We all cried. We took pics of Miss Doris with SS bear and later mailed her copies with a thank you gift.

CM's everywhere asked about SS bear and we told them the story. Some listened to his voice recording, too. So many of them gave us things to place in his backpack or shared a good cry with us. Many hugged my cousin's wife and thanked her for her strength and sacrifice. It was truly beautiful. We have so many incredible pics of SS bear at WDW. Let's see what I can remember for SS bear's treasures: 2 mini-jars of honey from our waitress at Chef Mickey's (a bear needs his breakfast, too), several pins from various CM's, a few buttons for the wedding anniversary, stickers, a lei from Ohana's, Mickey Ears, lots of beads from the Pirate & Princess Party, and a pet rock and VIP Key to the Kingdom card from the front desk staff at Pop with SS bears name on it. I know there's a bunch more but I can't remember it all. It was a lot.

After the trip my cousin's wife made a special scrapbook full of pics beginning the day we created SS bear thru all the adventures on our WDW vacation. When my cousin finally returned home in May she surprised him with his bear, the scrapbook, and all the stories and stuff that went along with him. Sean loved SS bear. That's how he knows he went to Disney with us the only way we knew we could bring him along.

The CM's added so much magic to SS bear. I can't say thank you enough to all those wonderful, loving people who listened and understood how important he really is. The magic was so with that special little bear. I bet Sean will have just as much fun as we did when he takes him back for another adventure at WDW.

You know what would be cool. When you all go again together, revisit each place that you took photos (incl finding Doris) and have you cousin stand were the bear was wearing the hat. Sort of reshooting the exact scrap book, but with the cousin. Thirty years from now, that would such a huge momento to remind him of his Iraqi days for himself and wife.

 

[Rabflmom]

My cousin was in the middle of his 2nd deployment in Iraq>>>>>>>

Now that one brought tears. I wish my nephew's wife and the kids would come down when Brad is back in Iraq this year or before he heads out again. He's with the 101st Airborne and seems to go back every other year to either Afghanistan or Iraq. When he is home they don't get to do much because he is busy training or training his next troop to go. We are hoping he is home long enough to be here for the birth of the new baby. Even with a free place to stay at my house and free passes for most of them to get in I have not convinced them to come down for a real vacation between tours.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

THAT is why I became a CastMember - I miss it EVERY day. Nothing like making magic on a daily basis!! Thank you for sharing!!

My roomie is probably the best CM I know. He is a resort front desk and tries so hard to make everyone happy. He had a lady that was so upset due to an incident with another CM, she was yelling and really upset, she was about to cut her vacation short and fly out that night. He talked with her and she calmed down. She came by later, complimenting on how friendly he was and worked so hard to help her. She then asked if he wanted to visit the parks with her sometime. She was an elderly woman and by herself. The next day was his day off so he accepted. They had a great time at MK and he bought her lunch.

She was so amazed that she even purchased a DVC the next day. Some cast members go way beyond what's required.

 

[LivingtheDream]

This past trip in February we had my cousin's wife come join us at WDW. My cousin was in the middle of his 2nd deployment in Iraq with the Marine Corps. It had been a really rough one on her. A few weeks after he had gone over she found out she was pregnant (they had been trying for so long and even did a round of IVF the previous year) but then she lost the baby at around 14 weeks. He was gone for her birthday, his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and their anniversary which actually fell during our trip. They honeymooned at WDW. Also, a few weeks before the trip to Disney his deployment got extended which was devastating to all of us. My cousin and his wife are every bit as big of Disney Fanatics as we are. We've all been there together more than once. So, she came down from NC to hang with us for the week.

In planning the trip with her we came up with our own little way of having my cousin there with us even though he couldn't be. She had me take my sons to Build-A-Bear and create a bear for my cousin, Sean. We named him Strider Stitch (for Sean's favorite collectible brand and his favorite character). We dressed him just as Sean would dress himself for a day in the parks: t-shirt, tropical button-up, shorts, sandals, sunglasses, and back-pack (of course). We added our own touch in his creation with a sound when you squeezed SS's paw. It was my two sons reciting "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." SS was perfect.

So when we got to WDW we took SS bear everywhere with us every day. We never left the room without him. We took pictures of SS on all sorts of rides, in all the classic photo spots, and even with dozens of CM's. We bought SS bear his own pirate lanyard and some cool pins. We took him to the hat shop on Main Street to buy him some ears. We asked the nice CM there (Miss Doris, what an angel) if there was any way we could talk her into embroidering the bear's name on his ears. We thought at worst we would have Sean's name put on there. We told her the story of SS bear and what he means. Doris took SS backstage, returned, bent the rules to embroider 'Strider Stitch' (they aren't supposed to do anything other than proper names and NEVER characters), and then gave us the ears at no charge. We all cried. We took pics of Miss Doris with SS bear and later mailed her copies with a thank you gift.

CM's everywhere asked about SS bear and we told them the story. Some listened to his voice recording, too. So many of them gave us things to place in his backpack or shared a good cry with us. Many hugged my cousin's wife and thanked her for her strength and sacrifice. It was truly beautiful. We have so many incredible pics of SS bear at WDW. Let's see what I can remember for SS bear's treasures: 2 mini-jars of honey from our waitress at Chef Mickey's (a bear needs his breakfast, too), several pins from various CM's, a few buttons for the wedding anniversary, stickers, a lei from Ohana's, Mickey Ears, lots of beads from the Pirate & Princess Party, and a pet rock and VIP Key to the Kingdom card from the front desk staff at Pop with SS bears name on it. I know there's a bunch more but I can't remember it all. It was a lot.

After the trip my cousin's wife made a special scrapbook full of pics beginning the day we created SS bear thru all the adventures on our WDW vacation. When my cousin finally returned home in May she surprised him with his bear, the scrapbook, and all the stories and stuff that went along with him. Sean loved SS bear. That's how he knows he went to Disney with us the only way we knew we could bring him along.

The CM's added so much magic to SS bear. I can't say thank you enough to all those wonderful, loving people who listened and understood how important he really is. The magic was so with that special little bear. I bet Sean will have just as much fun as we did when he takes him back for another adventure at WDW.

any chance of us seeing SS bear? ..... and thank your cousin for us for his service !!!!!!!

 

[cpeterstx]

My roomie is probably the best CM I know. He is a resort front desk and tries so hard to make everyone happy. He had a lady that was so upset due to an incident with another CM, she was yelling and really upset, she was about to cut her vacation short and fly out that night. He talked with her and she calmed down. She came by later, complimenting on how friendly he was and worked so hard to help her. She then asked if he wanted to visit the parks with her sometime. She was an elderly woman and by herself. The next day was his day off so he accepted. They had a great time at MK and he bought her lunch.

She was so amazed that she even purchased a DVC the next day. Some cast members go way beyond what's required.

Walt would have been very proud of that CM. Bravo!

 

[DisneyGigi]

On our first trip to Disney we decided to go to back to the MK our last day, we had planned to see Universal and changed our minds, well to make a long story a little shorter... :ROFLOL:
We forgot our tickets at the hotel :hammer: (we had bought park hopper) so we were just going to buy one day tickets, which was way more than upgrading. We told the CM and he was nice enough to trace our original tickets through the computer by using my DH's sister's ticket(who was smart enough not to forget hers)
I just thought this guy, his name was Oscar, was soo nice to do this for us, it took awhile, as they were purchased seperately, but at the next window, that's how he figured it out. It was great!

 

[Pocamahontas]

Yesterday I had my first day of training at the studios for photopass. And my story today is about him and how fabulous of a person he is.

He has worked for the Walt Disney Company for 20 years or so, in distributing the films and things of that sort. But then, he decided to retire and work for Disney on a more personal level...in the parks, "nose to nose" (as he likes to call it) with the guests. So he joined photopass and has been with it since it opened in 2004. He knows it alll. And the minute we walked into class he said something like "this is all going to sound like an advertisment...and that is because I'm the biggest Disney fan you'll meet" and then he added "today atleast." It was amazing because he kept throwing "Walt's a genius" out there too.

The reason he is so important is because he loves this park, as we do, with his entire heart and soul. He claims that he "is a total idiot" out in the streets, laughing and whistleing, doing a little dance...and all for you, to make you more welcome, to make your trip a little more fun.

Well this man, he tried to inform us just how important our jobs are as photographers are. "As castmemebers, you are the magic that holds it all together," he told us, "you are responsible for creating pixie dust. But as photographers, you have the honor and the privelge of being there when a guest meets Mickey Mouse for the first time. You have the honor of being there when Snow white meets Snow white( little girl dressed up as princess)..." He went on further, explaining to us that we provide that 5x7 image for guests, that'll go home and go on that dresser, or go into that album, and bring a smile to any and all that look at it, for the rest of their lives.

There is no doubt in my mind that this man creates imeasureable magical moments for guests, every single day. But the reason he meant so much to me was because he not only has a passion for his work, but he instilled that in all of us (6 trainees) and continues to do so in every single cast memeber he reaches. But because this is a cast member experience page, here's one story he told us (I"ll be brief I promise);


Okay so he's shooting the princess' in the princess room one day, and he was taking a picture of Cinderella and this little girl, when all of a sudden he hears sniffling. And who is it? He turns around and...it's mom of course. Crying her eyes out and sobbing "I've never gotten to meet Cinderella, and now she's right there! And she's with my daughter!" and she continues to sob. So what this CM does is very discreetly goes over to Cinderella and informs her that this lovely mother is a very big fan and has never had the opportunity to make Cinderella's aquaintance. Well...Cinderella, being the absolute princess that she is (ba-dum-cha!) gets up from her char/sofa in her little tent, and glides on over towards mom, who has now begun to tremble. And Cinderella curtseys to mom and takes her by the hand back to her tent and sits her down. Cinderella spends 4 minutes talking to mom. And if you've ever been in the princess room you know that you meet one princess at a time, Aurora, Cinderella, and then Belle. Well because Cinderella was holding up the line...Belle was all alone, and decided to get in on the Picture with Mom, Cinderella, and the daughter. Welllll if that isn't enough, Aurora exclaims something like "hey what about me?" but more princess-ey of couse, and this loving mother...who was taking her daughter to meet the princesses got a picture with all 3, still sobbing and all. A very very rare event.

It was a little thing this man did, didn't take him much trouble, and it could easily just not have happend. But it was his little action, his small attempt that made that womans entire vacation. She wont forget that. And it's because of CMs like him that Disney World is what it is. The rest of us can only hope to be half the Cast Memeber that he is.

 

[Kerby626]

any chance of us seeing SS bear? ..... and thank your cousin for us for his service !!!!!!!

I didn't know that she posted the story about the bear. Here are a couple pictures of the bear. We are headed in Sept and staying at the Polynesian for a week.

 

[Number_6]

I didn't know that she posted the story about the bear. Here are a couple pictures of the bear. We are headed in Sept and staying at the Polynesian for a week.

Thank you so much for sharing those pictures. It actually brought this thread to my attention and allowed me to hear the wonderful story behind that bear. I want to thank your entire family for the strength and sacrifice they have all shown and for sharing something so meaningful with all of us here.

 

[Laura]

This past trip in February we had my cousin's wife come join us at WDW. My cousin was in the middle of his 2nd deployment in Iraq with the Marine Corps. It had been a really rough one on her. A few weeks after he had gone over she found out she was pregnant (they had been trying for so long and even did a round of IVF the previous year) but then she lost the baby at around 14 weeks. He was gone for her birthday, his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and their anniversary which actually fell during our trip. They honeymooned at WDW. Also, a few weeks before the trip to Disney his deployment got extended which was devastating to all of us. My cousin and his wife are every bit as big of Disney Fanatics as we are. We've all been there together more than once. So, she came down from NC to hang with us for the week.

In planning the trip with her we came up with our own little way of having my cousin there with us even though he couldn't be. She had me take my sons to Build-A-Bear and create a bear for my cousin, Sean. We named him Strider Stitch (for Sean's favorite collectible brand and his favorite character). We dressed him just as Sean would dress himself for a day in the parks: t-shirt, tropical button-up, shorts, sandals, sunglasses, and back-pack (of course). We added our own touch in his creation with a sound when you squeezed SS's paw. It was my two sons reciting "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." SS was perfect.

So when we got to WDW we took SS bear everywhere with us every day. We never left the room without him. We took pictures of SS on all sorts of rides, in all the classic photo spots, and even with dozens of CM's. We bought SS bear his own pirate lanyard and some cool pins. We took him to the hat shop on Main Street to buy him some ears. We asked the nice CM there (Miss Doris, what an angel) if there was any way we could talk her into embroidering the bear's name on his ears. We thought at worst we would have Sean's name put on there. We told her the story of SS bear and what he means. Doris took SS backstage, returned, bent the rules to embroider 'Strider Stitch' (they aren't supposed to do anything other than proper names and NEVER characters), and then gave us the ears at no charge. We all cried. We took pics of Miss Doris with SS bear and later mailed her copies with a thank you gift.

CM's everywhere asked about SS bear and we told them the story. Some listened to his voice recording, too. So many of them gave us things to place in his backpack or shared a good cry with us. Many hugged my cousin's wife and thanked her for her strength and sacrifice. It was truly beautiful. We have so many incredible pics of SS bear at WDW. Let's see what I can remember for SS bear's treasures: 2 mini-jars of honey from our waitress at Chef Mickey's (a bear needs his breakfast, too), several pins from various CM's, a few buttons for the wedding anniversary, stickers, a lei from Ohana's, Mickey Ears, lots of beads from the Pirate & Princess Party, and a pet rock and VIP Key to the Kingdom card from the front desk staff at Pop with SS bears name on it. I know there's a bunch more but I can't remember it all. It was a lot.

After the trip my cousin's wife made a special scrapbook full of pics beginning the day we created SS bear thru all the adventures on our WDW vacation. When my cousin finally returned home in May she surprised him with his bear, the scrapbook, and all the stories and stuff that went along with him. Sean loved SS bear. That's how he knows he went to Disney with us the only way we knew we could bring him along.

The CM's added so much magic to SS bear. I can't say thank you enough to all those wonderful, loving people who listened and understood how important he really is. The magic was so with that special little bear. I bet Sean will have just as much fun as we did when he takes him back for another adventure at WDW.

I knew this story sounded familiar! Christina emailed me back in April and told me about this. Small world! :lol:

Have a great trip in September, Kerby family!

(For anyone that doesn't know, my husband was in Iraq with her husband so we all know each other )

 

[emmersandjack]

My roomie is probably the best CM I know. He is a resort front desk and tries so hard to make everyone happy. He had a lady that was so upset due to an incident with another CM, she was yelling and really upset, she was about to cut her vacation short and fly out that night. He talked with her and she calmed down. She came by later, complimenting on how friendly he was and worked so hard to help her. She then asked if he wanted to visit the parks with her sometime. She was an elderly woman and by herself. The next day was his day off so he accepted. They had a great time at MK and he bought her lunch.

She was so amazed that she even purchased a DVC the next day. Some cast members go way beyond what's required.

That might be the sweetest story I have ever heard. Those are the stories that need to be told every time someone asks "why do you keep going back to Disney World?" This story is just one reason why.:animwink:

 

[LoriMistress]

What a wonderful story, sweetpee_1993! Thank you for sharing.

 

[emmersandjack]

pocamahontas,

your story about your trainer is truly wonderful. sometimes i wonder if the people working behind the scenes are just cynical bureaucrats, but your story renews my faith that the people working at the happiest place on earth are doing just that-trying to keep it the happiest place on earth.


Long Live the Disney Fanatics!!!:sohappy:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yo Sean! I think we're confusing people. LOL!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the story of SS Bear. Kerby626 is my cousin who is SS Bear's Daddy-O.

If I knew how to post pics I'd put the one in where he was sitting in his chair at Chef Mickey's with his honey jars on his plate in front of him. That was my fav!

Love ya, Sean & Christina. Wish I was coming with for September. We'll think of ya in December.

And....I'm thinking early next June for Disneyland...