Please welcome travel blogger Lisa from Fjords and Beaches! She is here today to guest blog about some of her experiences being a Disney World cast member and sharing some tips for how to brighten the day of the amazing CMs that go out of their way for you!

I spent a year working as a Walt Disney World Cast Member in between my Bachelor and my Masters degree, and it was an experience I’ll never forget. Getting to take part in the magic on a daily basis and ensuring that the show went on for every single guest in the park was the most magical time of my life.

However, not all days on the job was easy. We worked long hours in the Florida heat, wearing itchy costumes and constantly being expected to keep a smile on our faces. One single rude comment from a guest could really get to you, as there is no way for them to understand how hard you are actually working.

If you’d like to know more about what it’s REALLY like to work as a Disney World Cast Member, check out this post!

On the other hand, it really didn’t take much from a guest to make my whole day easier either, which is why I am happy to share with you the ways YOU can brighten the day of any Cast Member! All I ask is that you keep this in mind on your next visit, as you have no idea what difference it makes.

Smile

Honestly, our feet may be aching and there is a big chance that sweat is dripping down our backs in the Florida heat, but we are still smiling at you as you exit the ride. Please flash us one in return.

Be appreciative

A thank you will take you so far. We are trained to go out of our way to make your stay magical, and letting us know when we’ve managed to do that will mean a lot – trust me.

Notice us

We are not your regular employees here to make money while wishing we were somewhere else. We are Cast Members of this magical world, and we absolutely love our jobs. Please know this and acknowledge us accordingly. When we tell you to have a great day, we genuinely mean it.

Allow us to keep up the show

This one is incredibly important! Don’t be the douchebag who insists on tripping us up when we tell you there’s only one Mickey. Yes, we get it, you’re a grown man who insists on proving that you don’t believe in the magic. That’s fine. There may even be some Cast Members who don’t, either. But keeping up the show is our job, and making it difficult for us is just mean. You won’t get any cool points for trying.

Write your name clearly on your celebratory badge

This is a short one, but very important still. If your name isn’t clear on your badge, you may not get a birthday song as we are too worried we will say it wrong. And one of the things that makes Disney special is that it’s so personal, right?

Remember our name

If a Cast member has gone above and beyond for you, please remember their name. Disney has loads of people surveying guests around the park, and these «people with the iPads» as we called them, will ask guests if anyone in particular stood out to them. If you remember our names and tell them who helped you, we will actually receive a certificate for it! So always remember our name if you feel like we’ve done something worth mentioning.

If someone has gone out of their way for you, tell someone!

This is related to the point above. If someone has gone out of their way for you, don’t be afraid to say it! Tell their manager if you see them (persons walking around the area in professional-looking clothes, wearing name badges. Tell one of our fellow Cast Members, who can then notify our manager. And to top it all off, if someone has been incredibly magical and helpful; tell Guest Relations. All of these will lead to us getting special certificates and notifications in our Disney ‘record card’ (yes, it’s a thing), which in turn will lead to good references when we leave. More about the record card to come here. It also increases our chances of ever working for Disney again.

There you have plenty of ways to brighten the day of any Cast Member. I hope that you will use some of them on your next visit to a Disney Park!

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Lisa is a 26 year old wanderluster from Norway with a severe coffee addiction and chronic sarcasm. She doesn’t believe in growing up and travels the world with the motto «Stay young, keep moving» at heart. She documents all of her adventures over at Fjords and Beaches, and loves inspiring others to take on the globe. You may find her on Instagram, Facebook, and Bloglovin’ as well!