When you get to do the special things

[Big Wallaby]

One of the things I love about working for Disney is the ability to brighten a guest's day. I love it when you have a guest that has a need that can be easily fulfilled, you figure out by talking to them just how to fix their problem or do whatever is needed, and you have a coordinator or manager who is willing to pick up some slack to make that happen.

Today, I had a family who got off the Monorail with one of the teenage kids in a wheelchair and a bandage around her ankle. I teased her about how she's not supposed to get hurt at Disney World to which the family playfully replied that I "don't want to go there." I, still smiling, turned serious and asked if I could know a bit about what happened.

They had been on a Nova, first to the back door, and the door wouldn't open. The driver told her to give the door a push, and she did.

The problem with doing that is that the doors are air powered. If that door doesn't open, the bus, applying air pressure that would now keep the doors open, adds more and more force until the doors stay open, unless they are really stuck. Now, on a RTS or Gillig, no problem, you are pushing in the direction those doors are going to move.

But on the Nova, you push at the middle and the doors are going to literally move around you. And that little push is all it took to get those doors moving, and depending on the time after which the doors had been activated, it might have been with anywhere from 30 to 120 pounds per square inch of pressure. Just for reference, on an airliner at altitude, there's about 8 psi difference between the inside and outside of the plane.

You can imagine what happened to this girl's foot. It might be broken. Much of the above is nothing they told me, but knowledgable speculation from the information I was able to get from them.

I also found out that this family was in a hurry to meet Aurora, because that was the injured girl's favorite character. As they were leaving, I sent them to Guest Relations to ask about doing something (I didn't tell them what) with their Photopass.

Then, a wonderful thing happened. You see, from being in buses and at Safari, I've learned that the only person who can really help a guest in a situation like this is a GR person or a manager. It was as they were walking away that a fellow Monorail host asked why I wasn't going with them, and I realized there was absolutely no reason for me not to. I asked the coordinator (the very awesome Mike M for those who know him) to let me escort them to GR and he let me do it.

When the GR rep gave them a No-Strings for a free 5x7, the look on the mom's face was wonderfully priceless. By listening to them and hearing what would be special instead of what might be a higher-value comp, I was able to direct someone into truly making something awful that happened special. At Guest Relations, I became part of a big group hug, and went on about my day.

Where else in the world do you get that chance? I mean, where someone else had given them comps to Disney Quest, I made their day with a 5x7 print, because at the end of the year, Disney Quest was fun but a meeting with Aurora and a free photo of the event is worth so much more to them. I love that. $.20 is all it took to really make them happy, and not just happy but Disney happy.

I love Walt's words that apply to all Disney Parks, "To all who come to this happy place, welcome! Disneyland [or Disney World, or whatever park] is your land."

Today, again, I had the unique pleasure of being the living, breathing embodiment of those wonderful words. With a few of the people we have to deal with on a daily basis, it's easy to lose sight of those words, written over a half of a century ago. But then, you have a moment like mine today, and it rekindled again and again.

So today, whatever your position, whatever your authority in the Disney company, go and live those words. Enjoy your guests. Enjoy turning frowns into smiles, and let Uncle Walt make that magic once more for someone, through you. Go out there, make Magic, and have a Magical day doing it.

[TourMan]

"appualds" i use to love making that kind of magic when i was in custodial and at Innoventions. Its not that often that cast members nowadays actually use the CDS "go make magic" task to actually go do it, and as you said wallaby it doesn't take much to listen and make something happen. Bravo.

[vixen101485]

Aaaawwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Whazzup]

Okay, another and :thumbup: for Big Wallaby, who is the true embodiment of Disney spirit.

[Bochocho]

That was awesome. Big thumbs up! :D:

[BRWombat]

Okay, another and :thumbup: for Big Wallaby, who is the true embodiment of Disney spirit.

Amen and ditto!!!! BW, you're awesome! Walt would be proud.

:wallaby:

[Big Wallaby]

I never saw that task on CDS... Oh, you mean they gave it to you? Like "Magical Moments"?

At Safari my favorite was to go up into the village, pick a family that was walking toward Safari, and apologize, because they were not allowed to get into line for Safari. Then, I would escort them to Cheers and put them on with no wait (and when I could swing it, their own truck).

Mind you, I never got permission from any managers to do that, but I was following the example of one of the best coordinators in Africa, who now works in Asia.

Yup, I play favorites when it comes to Coordinators. The ones who have the Magic of guests and Cast at mind are my favorites.

[Near Philly]

Ok. PM me where and when you are next week.
We have to meet the man behind the marsupial.

[TourMan]

I never saw that task on CDS... Oh, you mean they gave it to you? Like "Magical Moments"?

At Safari my favorite was to go up into the village, pick a family that was walking toward Safari, and apologize, because they were not allowed to get into line for Safari. Then, I would escort them to Cheers and put them on with no wait (and when I could swing it, their own truck).

Mind you, I never got permission from any managers to do that, but I was following the example of one of the best coordinators in Africa, who now works in Asia.

Yup, I play favorites when it comes to Coordinators. The ones who have the Magic of guests and Cast at mind are my favorites.

Yeah it was usually a task that lasted for about 15 minutes and would tell you to go out and make some magic. unfortunately most people would add an extra 15 min break instead of doing what it told you. I was actually lucky enough to be written up in eyes and ears for one such Magical Moment

[Terrytunes]

Yeah, it's a great feeling, and I miss those opportunities since I left DLR.

Sometimes I would have to ask a Lead to do a good deed, other times I empowered myself, knowing that my Lead would likely say yes.

Once I remember giving the CM discount for an annual pass to a guest who's daughter worked in GR. The guest was so friendly and nice, but the daughter was not standing at the window with her. I asked what her daughter's name was, looked her daughter up in the HUB directory, saw she worked there, and applied the discount. She was so appreciative.

Another time a guest came to the window, asked if we had discounted after 5pm tickets. He explained that he was visiting from out of town, had that evening and the next morning to visit the parks. That day was the first day of the 2Fer ticket. Normally that ticket it reserved for SoCal residents, but since he wanted to see one park that night, and the other park the next morning, I gave him the 2Fer. He was so happy, and it made me happy too.

Good times.

TT