The Guest Experience

Margaret’s story

Your Web site is great! I grew up in Phoenix and hence never had the
opportunity to work at Disneyland, but I have read a lot about it and
the CM experiences. Disney seems to really motivate their employees. They
seem to make each person feel like they really are a crucial part of the
guest experience, and not just some slob doing a job. After reading letters
from happy guests, I have to tell you that I actually cried. And good
crying, not bad crying (and not really crying, more just like a happy
tearing-up). My gosh, if only McDonald’s or the like had Disneyland’s
employees’ commitment to their jobs, and really knowing the meaning of
customer… or whatever you want to call it. Thanks for restoring my
faith in the thought that if you treat your employees right, then they
will treat your customers even better!

Jason’s story

I am not a cast member (although I have heard that Disneyland is a great
place to work. I wish I worked there), but I am a shareholder and a Save
Disney supporter. I appreciate this column greatly. I would like to share
these thoughts with you and all Disneyland Resort cast members: I work
in retail sales and you would not believe the types of people who try
to get “better deals,” like claiming that an item was “on
the clearance table” when on the item scans on nonclearance sale
at 40 percent, or they ask for a price adjustment on clearance (we cannot
do this).

There are a lot of con artists out there and we all have to be careful,
shareholders, cast members, retail salesmen, etc. To all Disneyland Resort
cast members, I understand, identify and sympathize with you concerning
the situations that pop up. God bless you all and good luck.

NTSC Mickey’s story

I really enjoy both the cast member and guest columns. I especially like
the poignant stories. One thing has always bugged me, though… cast
members always find it sooooo funny when guests ask what time the 8 o’clock
parade begins. Actually, it’s a very valid question! What they’re really
asking is what time does the parade that starts at 8 o’clock reach this
point. The answer could be anywhere from 8-8:20 p.m. So cast members…
the next time someone asks, just answer their question! Also, thanks for
your efforts. Yours is important work.

Carl’s story

I have two stories related to entering the park as an annual passholder.
I should start by mentioning that my family has had premium passes since
my daughter was about 3 years old. We drive up from San Diego about once
a month.

On one occasion, I went with my daughter and my dad. My father was joking
with Michelle (my daughter) that she comes here so often that the cast
member (CM) at the gate probably knew her name. Sure enough, the CM greeting
my daughter by saying “Hi Michelle!” which totally caught my
dad off guard.

On my daughter’s fifth birthday, the CM made my daughter’s day when he
wished her “Happy Birthday.” It was very funny both times.

[Editor’s note: We rarely get stories about injuries at the park…
this time we have two—both of these people are an example not only
to CMs on what to do in these situations, but to other guests, as well.]

Linda’s story

Way back in 1994, I took my daughter (then age 5) on her third trip to
Disneyland. We arrived right after Thanksgiving weekend and were looking
forward to all the holiday decorations, parades, etc.

On our first morning, we headed straight to Toontown. Alana was climbing
the rope ladder inside Donald’s Boat when she fell. Her nose, forehead
and chin were scraped and she complained about her wrist hurting. I cleaned
her up and sat her down for a while (to calm her down) and observe her
use of her arm. I walked up to a CM (in a counterservice place) and asked
if there was a First Aid station in Toontown or if we had to go back to
Main Street. She sat us down, gave my daughter a small soda and proceeded
to call First Aid.

Seemed like seconds later that a nurse arrived on a golf-cart type thing.
She looked at Alana’s wrist and said she thought it might be broken. By
this time, several “suits” showed up to find out what happened.
All this attention caused Alana to tear up again. One of them got a small
stuffed Mickey, gave it to her, and told her to squeeze his ear every
time her wrist hurt. They advised us to go to the hospital. I asked for
directions (I had a rental car) and asked if we would be able to get back
into the park later without using another day’s admission. The “suits”
had a security guard drive us to the hospital. I was dismayed when we
arrived because the waiting room was packed. He smiled and said not to
worry—Disneyland would “take care” of us.

The hospital staff took us to X-ray immediately. The security guard told
them to call him when we were ready to go back. Less than two hours later,
broken wrist in a half-cast and sling, he came back to get us. Asked what
we wanted to do. I asked if it would be possible for him to briefly swing
by the hotel so that we could change clothes. (Dirt and plaster material
all over us!) Not a problem. Then I asked again about readmission. He
said not to worry, we were coming back in the same way we went out (behind
the scenes). The “suits” greeted us again. This time with numerous
passes to get to the front of the line instead of waiting!

I assured them that it was just an accident and we were “cool.”
Alana was not having any pain at all. So I decided to make the most of
a bad situation. I bought a couple of pins to decorate her sling and soon
that became a major project! Instead of Alana having to wait in line to
meet characters, it seemed like they came out of hiding for the next three
days to greet her! Everyone (CMs and characters) wanted to know what happened
and when they were told the story, she got hugs and pins for her sling,
and tons and tons of attention. Even the characters in the Christmas parade
made motions of cradling an arm and would blow kisses to her.

By the time we ended our vacation, that sling weighed a ton! Alana refused
to take any of the more than 40(!) pins off. My daughter is now almost
16 and remembers every detail of “her best vacation ever” (which
almost turned into a disaster). I will always remember each person, kneeling
down to her level to speak to her and the extreme kindness and magic that
was directed to us. My thanks to all CMs, past and present, who believe
in the magic of Disney.

Anne’s story

I always enjoy reading your collections of guest experiences, and I have
one to add.

When my husband, Drew, and I lived in San Francisco, we often took quick
trips down for weekends at Disneyland. On one such weekend a few years
ago, it was Sunday afternoon, and we had a couple of hours left in the
park before we had to catch our flight home. We rode It’s a Small World,
and as we were leaving the ride, my husband twisted his ankle badly on
a sloped patch of ground. Fortunately, we were near a bench, so he staggered
over to that and sat down.

I ran to find the nearest cast member at an ice-cream stand, and he radioed
over to First Aid. Within a few minutes, a nurse was with us on the bench,
along with a Security cast member pushing a wheelchair. They whisked us
off to First Aid and gave Drew an ice pack for his ankle.

We were the only ones sitting on the cots in First Aid, and we were feeling
a little down because our last bit of time at Disneyland was going to
be not much fun. Then we heard some strange, shuffling footsteps coming
down the hallway. We didn’t think much of it, until around the corner
came Mickey Mouse! He sat down next to Drew on the cot, pointed at his
sore ankle, covered his face and shook his head. He spent a few minutes
with us, pantomiming that he was sorry Drew had been hurt. Then he shook
his finger at Drew as if to say “Be careful!” gave us hugs and
shuffled off backstage.

After Drew’s ankle was feeling a little better, the nurse gave us two
front-of-the-line passes each. (This was in the days before FastPass.)
We were able to get in a quick ride on the Matterhorn and Indiana Jones
and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye before we had to catch our plane.

A more cynical person might say that this was Disney’s way of appeasing
us so that we wouldn’t sue the park for a million bucks. But I just appreciate
it that the nurse and Mickey took a little time to make sure our day wasn’t
spoiled, and to this day, it’s one of my favorite memories of a Disney
park.

Jennifer’s story

I just found your column and have loved reading every bit of it! We just
returned from Walt Disney World (WDW) (we were there for my dream trip
of 10 days this time!). I have been there countless times since I was
a child. I have three kids: 7, 7, and 4. We had two great CM experience,
one just downright awesome!

On this trip, I just started collecting Disney pins (fun!). I fell in
love with the Wishes fireworks and asked if there was a pin for it. I
was told they just came out with a Wishes Lanyard pin and to look for
one on a CM to trade with. I was kind of bummed because we had been in
the parks for five days, and we only had one day left. The next day at
Magic Kingdom, I looked at probably 30 CM’s lanyards, to no avail.

At about 5 p.m., I asked a male CM at a pin cart if he had one (he actually
complained about pins, how he didn’t like to wear them, but he had to…).
The female College Program CM next to him said she had just found her
first Wishes pin the day before at MGM and traded for it. We started talking
about the fireworks, how I was so in love with them and everything. We
talked about pin trading, etc. She then asked me how long we would be
at WDW; I told her we were leaving the next morning. She asked me where
we were staying, I said Fort Wilderness at a campsite. She offered to
bring me her own pin! She got our last name and campsite number. I told
her we were going to Epcot after early-closing at the Magic Kingdom and
we wouldn’t be home until 10 p.m.. I told her she could leave the pin
at the front desk, but she insisted that she would bring it straight to
our campsite!

I bought her a “Thank you” Mickey pin and told her I would
give it to her when I saw her. We went to Epcot and we really didn’t know
if she would come or not. I put my last kiddo to bed and sure enough,
at 10:10 p.m., there was a knock at our travel trailer door. She had brought
the pin, wrapped in tissue, in a WDW gift box. I was thrilled, so happy,
so amazed, so magical! Thank you so much for reading this – I really appreciate
it (and I love to tell this story!!)