how To Show Cast Member Appreciation

The next time you are at Disney and someone sprinkles you with Pixie Dust or even just makes sure that you have a pleasant experience, be sure to thank them and to thank them with recognition at Guest Services. It can be difficult standing all day, especially in the hot sun, maybe with cranky people all around you because they think everyone else around them is getting all the luck, or maybe because they are having a hard day themselves, but those smiles, and the helpful service never stop to matter how they might feel. 

While not all cast members are allowed to accept tips or small gifts, there is something else you can do for them. 

It's very easy to show your gratitude, and it only takes a minute or two of your time. On our last visit, we made sure to recognize several very helpful people and were told that any reports left, go immediately onto their records. I like to think that the awesome cast member who helped us find a space for the fireworks, warning us to push closer to the line or other would step in front of us, kept the crowd moving in the walkway and got threatened several times for trying to direct pedestrians during the show knows how much we appreciated his help. So, thanks Ryan, from Lutz, Flordia. We stopped on the way out to let them know how amazing you were. 

Then there was the woman at the Pop Century food court, who apologized that they didn't have milkshakes any longer. My oldest had been waiting all day for one, passing by several other yummy treats because they weren't safe for his brother, with the plan of soft serve together. Without my asking, she called around, tried to see of Art of Animation could do one, tried to find a blender and finally, even though there was a line, mixed together some ice cream and milk by hand for my son. she totally made his day, he said it was the best ever and I thank her for her sweetness. She didn't have to do that, but she did. 

(We had a few other times that people were wonderful for us, once, I did forget to get the name of the person, so when we go back, if I see him again, I'll leave a compliment. )

So how do you leave a compliment? There are a few different ways. You can email guest services, you can ask at guest services for an applause-o-gram, or you can stop by and leave the name and incident. Don't remember the name? Just saying, "The woman who worked at the ice cream area at Pop with the long hair 4:55pm today" is good enough! 

Have you ever thanked someone at Disney? Share your story of how awesome they were, and next time something happens to make your trip magical, be sure to share it with Guest Services too, if you didn't already!