Magical Moments

I realized I haven't written much about the magical moments I had on my program so I wanted to write a blog on those before wrapping up my DCP blogs with my totals. A magical moment is any time that magic is made at Disney. Magical moments can be a cast member giving you a fastpass, a free Mickey bar, or doing anything else to make a guest feel extra special. Magical moments were my absolute favorite part of working for Disney and luckily with my role in Quick-Service Food and Beverage I had the opportunity to make them everyday! I wanted to share three of my favorite magical moments that were just as magical for me as the magic I was making for the guests.

**Please know none of these stories are meant to sound like I'm being boastful and bragging on myself, these are just small moments that made me love being a cast member and getting to make a family's day a little more magical. Names are also changed for the personal safety of the guests.  

1. I was working at Trek Snacks in Animal Kingdom as Filler 1 (aka the pretzel station). When making pretzels you're off to the side not helping guests and just filling up the pretzel warmer. There is a little opening where you can see the line and the condiment bar and guests would typically come up there and ask where the bathroom was or if that was the line for food or the line for the bar. One day I was putting pretzels into the warmer when a little boy, Jake, came up to the window. I started talking to him and he asked what I was doing. I told him I was making pretzels and he asked what else we had. I told him about all the ice cream we had and popcorn. Jake then told me how he was getting ready to ride Expedition Everest but he was really scared because he had never ridden a roller coaster before. Jake's mom then came over and apologized for him being over there. I told her it was no problem and he was keeping me company talking about ice cream. She asked him if he wanted ice cream and Jake told his mom he wanted a frozen banana. She explained to him they would have to wait in the long line we had. I told her to wait there and I would be right back. I took off my gloves and went over and got the banana. I brought it back over to Jake and told him that Mickey wanted him to have it and to be super brave while riding Expedition Everest. Jake's mom started crying while she explained to me that they had been coming to Disney for years and she always heard of "magical moments" but had never experienced one until then. She gave me my first cast compliment then they went off to ride Everest. I thought that would be the only time I saw Jake and his family but then after they got off, Jake came back over and told me how much he loved the ride and how he was "so super duper brave like Mickey said." It was pure magic. 

2. One night I was working the After Hours event at Animal Kingdom. During these events guests buy an extra ticket and the park stay open with limited capacity for them to enjoy a few more hours of magic. Since they buy a separate ticket, they receive a wristband when entering the event which allows them to come up to certain stands and get complimentary snacks such as popcorn, Mickey bars/sandwiches, and drinks. Because of that our registers still close at regular park close so we cannot serve them anything that isn't complimentary even if they're willing to pay.  That night a little girl and her mom came up. We had the Simba popcorn buckets at that stand and they asked how much they were. I told her they were $18.10 but since it was an After Hours event I wasn't able to sell it to her. The mom told the little girl she couldn't get it and one of my leaders explained how our registers were shut down and that's why. They started to walk away when my leader told me to grab a bucket and unwrap it. I did then he told me to go make some magic. I went out to where the family had moved to and told the little girl that my friend Nala told me she wanted Simba to go home with her to play. The little girl's face lit up and her mom started crying and kept hugging me telling me I had made her daughter's whole vacation. She thanked me again then I went back to the stand. At the end of the night, the little girl came back up to the stand with her mom and said "thank you" and wanted to give me a hug. It was so sweet and I definitely teared up during it. 

3. This magical moment was made when I was a guest in Magic Kingdom one evening and saw a little princess who had just been to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Her mom was taking a picture of her and her dad off to the side of the castle. As I was walking by them I asked if she wanted a picture of all of them. She said yes and thanked me, then I handed the phone back to her. She explained to me that she didn't want to buy memory maker and it was the last night of their trip and that was the only picture they would have of the three of them from the whole vacation. It was such a little gesture but I was so glad I was able to make a little bit of magic for them even off the clock. 

Magical moments aren't just made by cast members though! I had guests tell me jokes all the time at work to make me laugh, ask me how my day was going, or they would just thank me for working. The last couple days in the parks the guests were incredible and making so much magic for cast members and CPs. Even though sometimes guests were super "guesty" they were also the absolute best part of my job. I loved getting "super greet" where I got to talk to guests, answer their questions, point them in the right direction, and getting to hear about their vacations. I loved when I would have to card a guest and learn they lived near me, were from the same state, or they knew where my college was. They made my "job" just as magical as I tried to make the 2 minute interactions I had with them. I got to give away Simba pretzels, explain to guests how Mr. Kamals fries aren't super spicy, I gave away so many ice cream cones after accidentally making a vanilla instead of chocolate, I got to point Wilderness Explorers in the right direction so they could go earn their next badge,wished so many guests a happy birthday or a happy anniversary, I got to celebrate them beating cancer or got to make their first visit a little more magical. I absolutely loved the guest interaction I had and all the magical moments I was able to make during my program! 

Keep an eye out for my next and final blog (for a while) coming soon! Thanks for reading! 

Have a Magical Day!! 

XOXO, Hannah