About

College student experiences the other side of the magic

I am a former Walt Disney World cast member. I worked at the All Star Resort as a Front Desk Cashier from May of 2015 to January of 2016 for my college program.

Throughout my college program, I made my fair share of magical moments for guest, but I want to dedicate this blog to magical moments that guests made for me and fellow cast members.

A typical magical moment is when a cast member does something special for a guest.

Here are a few examples of magical moments I made on my college program:

I had my boss, Mickey Mouse, personalize birthday cards to send up to guests alongside bouquets of balloons. Sometimes, I’d have Goofy call up to the room and wish them a more personal birthday message.

I customized buttons for guests for celebrations that sometimes they didn’t even know about.

I made balloon animals like bears, dogs and once I even made the Little Mermaid for a guest! Whenever a little one started to cry, one of these balloons was sure to get them to stop and stare in awe. A magical moment for the child, as well as the ears of surrounding guests.

I also made balloon things like flower bracelets, long-stem daisies and swords. What makes the moment magical is the way you customize the gift, not the gift itself.

I’d give my flowers to husbands and boyfriends to give their wives and girlfriends. I would whisper to them “tell her you picked it for her outside on your way into the hotel,” and exaggerate a wink.

I gave a sword to a little boy who was dressed up as a detective. I told him that while he was investigating our kingdom, he would probably run into some villains and he would need the sword to defend himself from evil. I later called up to him and his mom’s room and asked him to report any funny business directly to me so we could figure out a way to take down the villains.

I’d give maps to the rooms to the kids instead of to the parents. I’d tell the kids “that they were obviously the responsible one of the group, so they were in charge of making sure everyone made it to the room safely.” The parents would laugh and thank me, but the kids always looked determined.

Magical moments from cast members typically get more publicity than those made by guests. Some guests return home and post their stories on social media, and their family members read and share them.

While not every guest has a magical moment to share, cast members I encountered at Walt Disney World typically had an interesting story to share about a guest who made magic for them. In this about the blog section, I’ve explained what types of magical moments cast members make for guests, but throughout the remainder of my posts, I’d like to share the hidden stories of the magical moments that those guests make for us cast members.