Disney magic!

As a former CM one of the things that made working at Disney was creating those magical moments for guests. You never knew what was going on in someones life when speaking with them and most of the time never knew it when you created a bit of that magic, unless a guest filled out one of those cards and turned it in to let you know. I thought it would be cool to see what people's best magic moments were so I thought I would start it off from the other side of the ball and share 2 moments that were magical to me because I was allowed to take a part in making them happen. My favorite one started as a simple phone call a parent was making to get a reservation ( I worked in Central Reservations ) it was Christmas time and there was literally no rooms to be had on property for the dates she wanted, well she started crying on the phone and I slowly got her story out of her, her 7 yr old son had terminal cancer, he literally had only a6 months or so to live and the one thing he wanted was to come to Disney at Christmas before he was too sick to do anything else. I knew that we always have a few rooms stashed that the computers won't let us book that aren't released until closer to a date, and I knew that we have a special department that works with "Make a Wish" kids and the such, one of my friends was on that team. So long story short I asked her if she would be willing to hold for a minute, or give me her number to call her back, that I was going to sprinkle some pixie dust on my computer and that sometimes magical things happen when you did that, she held on while I called my friend and basically handed this woman over to her after explaining what was going on. We not only found her a room, we comped theie entire stay tickets and all and put them up in the apartment in the Castle during their stay. I can't tell you what that did for me.:yahoo:

My second bit of magic actually made it into Eyes and Ears although the woman never even knew we were cast members, a few friends and I were performing in the cast choir at the candlelight processional in EPCOT and decided to buddy up and rent a few rooms for a couple of days and play in the parks in between the performances we were scheduled for, well anyway we were on the monorail leaving the MK and a little girl was just sokeyed up and inconsolably crying, it was their last day and they were going back to the Grand Floridian, it was late and the little one was tired, so I asked what her favorite Disney songs were and the Mom told us she loved Zip-a dee-do-dah and a few others well my friends and I got everyone on the monorail car singing and soon the tears were gone and she was singing with us, we had a great time and all went back to our rooms singing, thinking no more about it until the next issue of Eyes and Ears, the Mom had written in and said that even though we weren't wearing our badges only CM's would do something like that and it had been the highlite of their trip, no one else ever knew but the circle of friends who were there but it was very special for us too.

OH how sweet!! Both stories made me tear up!
I didn't have a Magical moment like yours, but to me it was out of the CM's way to do what she did. It happened today as my family and I were walking in Epcot, My DD and myself are just now getting serious into pin trading and we were looking at a CM's pins and my DD found the one she wanted and traded. The CM looked at it and asked "Are you sure you want to trade this one? It's a Hidden Mickey?" And she traded with us again so we could get the HM pin back. I know she didn't have to give us that info or trade with us again, But it was just so nice that she did. I live about 15 minutes from the back gate of WDW and pretty soon my truck will be able to drive it with out me at the wheel. Cause I DO intend on wearing out that path!! HAHA

These are the kind of moments that set Disney apart from an amusement park. Universal can give away tickets and they still won't have the magic. I know everyone can't experience a moment like either of these when they visit the parks, and Disney can't make everyone happy ALL the time, but you hope that a cast member having a bad day can affect as few people as possible; after all they are human.

I have so many, it is hard to choose, but here is one for today.
My best friend's husband isn't exactly a Disney fan so after her told her he was not going with her and their two sons on their first trip, I got to step in and be the other parent. So, really just being along to see two little boys experience WDW for their first time was so magical in itself. We were at MGM one day and the youngest who was 7 at the time spotted a pin on a CM that he really wanted to trade for. He was collecting characters playing sports that year. Anyway, another child stepped in front of him and the CM didn't really notice that we had been waiting and the child took the pin that Drake wanted. Drake couldn't help it, he started to cry. My friend explained to the CM what happened and that Drake would be fine, it was no big deal. The CM reached under his cash register and told Drake that he had a secret stash of special pins for nice kids and he gave him a Pinocchio. Drake started to hand the CM the pin he was going to trade and the CM told him that no, it wasn't a trade, it was for him to keep. The tears and sniffles disappeared and that little Pinocchio is his favorite pin to date.

You know I have had all kinds of experiences there, from breaking my back into a jigsaw puzzle because a carpenter was too lazy to check out how to build a wheelchair ramp, and some of the most amazing affirming experiences in human nature. Alot of people ask me why I still love Disney even with my shattered back and how their legal department has behaved since then and I tell them unless you have had some of the other experiences you wouldn't understand. When I worked for Disney I got more opportunities to see alot of that stuff because I was what they called a "super- agent" at the reservation center, what that meant was that I was qualified to handle any type of phone call that came through the lines, especially the tough nasty ones. I had alot of fun there even though I have seen some of the sheen rubbed off in places (ussually upper management) but then there was the CM's who really believed and made the magic happen for others and had a phenominal ability to touch lives even though they never realized they were doing it. Walt still lives in those individual CM's who volunteer to sing in the cast choir at candlelight processional, or who arrange for "Mickey" to send a card to a little boy who calls the 407-WDISNEY line hoping to speak to the big cheese, or who out of their own pockets buy ears for particular guest that just need that touch of magic and have them waiting in their room, and he will continue to live through the lives of those people who it never has become just a job for, I feel sorry for them, like I feel sorry for the Disney lawyers on my case who just won't do the right thing and have actually done some real bad things to me and my family which I shall not share. Because those kind of people have truly forgotten that it all was started with a mouse, I pray for and pity them and continue to enjoy the good things that Disney has to offer.

When I went to Disney World and I was 4 i got very sick. We were staying at the beach club, and one day they brought me up soup and asked who my favorite Disney character is. I told them Minnie Mouse, and when I got back to my room that night, there was a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal and a signed picture and card from Minnie Mouse. This was my first time to Disney so obviously being sick had a bad effect on the trip, but that made me so happy.

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Originally Posted by threeleggeddog

You know I have had all kinds of experiences there, from breaking my back into a jigsaw puzzle because a carpenter was too lazy to check out how to build a wheelchair ramp, and some of the most amazing affirming experiences in human nature. Alot of people ask me why I still love Disney even with my shattered back and how their legal department has behaved since then and I tell them unless you have had some of the other experiences you wouldn't understand. When I worked for Disney I got more opportunities to see alot of that stuff because I was what they called a "super- agent" at the reservation center, what that meant was that I was qualified to handle any type of phone call that came through the lines, especially the tough nasty ones. I had alot of fun there even though I have seen some of the sheen rubbed off in places (ussually upper management) but then there was the CM's who really believed and made the magic happen for others and had a phenominal ability to touch lives even though they never realized they were doing it. Walt still lives in those individual CM's who volunteer to sing in the cast choir at candlelight processional, or who arrange for "Mickey" to send a card to a little boy who calls the 407-WDISNEY line hoping to speak to the big cheese, or who out of their own pockets buy ears for particular guest that just need that touch of magic and have them waiting in their room, and he will continue to live through the lives of those people who it never has become just a job for, I feel sorry for them, like I feel sorry for the Disney lawyers on my case who just won't do the right thing and have actually done some real bad things to me and my family which I shall not share. Because those kind of people have truly forgotten that it all was started with a mouse, I pray for and pity them and continue to enjoy the good things that Disney has to offer.

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Dude, from this and other posts of yours, you really seem to be struggling with the fact that you seemed to have loved working for Disney but you had an unfortunate accident that left you in pieces and what looks like a soon to be millionaire. I'm not berating you, but I just have noticed a trend in your posts.

I would love to hear more of your experiences!

im only in high school but ive decided its my dream to become a cast member. are there any hints or tips any current or former cm can give me? thanks.