Most of you have probably heard the term "Disney Magic." Several weeks ago, I did a blog post on my own personal magical moments. What's amazing to me, though, is that nearly everyone who has traveled to a Disney park has a moment of their own.
I read about them all of the time on different Disney blogs and I hear about them on podcasts, but in the back of my mind, I always think, "Man, did they get lucky!"
But after attending my recent training at Walt Disney World, I know that luck doesn't have much to do with it. There were close to 40 agents in attendance for the training and at our opening session, we were asked to share something about ourselves including our favorite Magical memory from Disney.
Every single person had a story to tell - most said they had a hard time picking their favorite one out of many. And yes, these were all Disney nerds like myself, but they had really great stories! I don't think we were all just the type to find Magic in everyday occurrences, they were truly special moments.
On this recent trip, I had several moments... I went to buy popcorn to watch Fantasmic and the man working the booth told me to take a few boxes instead of just the one I had purchased. Not having others with me, I didn't take them (although I definitely could have eaten more than one!).
On one of the character greetings, the Cast Member asked if I was alone. Not acting pitiful at all, I said yes and so she said I should probably just go on to the front of the line.
There's nothing you can do to guarantee a Magical Moment, but here are a few tips:
- Be nice. The worst thing you can do is be loud and rude and give them the whole "do you know who I am?" act!
- Wear a birthday/anniversary/special celebration button. At the very least, most Cast Members you encounter will call you by name and tell you congrats. It's fun having tons of people a day tell you Happy Birthday! And if you remind me to mention your special celebration item when I make your dining reservations, you'll sometimes get that free cupcake or confetti on your table!
- Be observant. Our special moment with Belle that I talked about on my earlier blog post only happened since we were paying attention to the fact that Belle was due to visit and her line was empty.
- Engage with Cast Members. I read stories often about how Cast Members love interacting with guests. You don't have to tell them your life story, but just chatting with them in line helps their work day pass a little more pleasantly.
Most Magical Moments are small and you might not even notice them at the time, but keep your eyes open - Disney Magic has a way of sneaking up on you!!