WDW Daily News

Any frequent visitor to Walt Disney World has surely had at least 1 quintessential Disney “magical moment”. It’s that moment when an unexpected experience, sight, or kindness sprinkles the vacation with an extra dose of pixie dust that becomes an incredibly special lasting memory. It may be an amazing character greeting, a free waffle given away at the very end of a long night, or a rainbow over Cinderella Castle. For me, I am always blessed with at least one special Disney moment per visit. More times than not, it is the dedication and spirit of a Walt Disney World cast member who is responsible for this moment of spontaneous happiness.

I have heard a few people recently say that the Disney magic seems to be dying; they felt as if the cast members seem disinterested and not willing to go to the extra effort to make a visit magical for the guest. I am so happy to say that I don’t believe it- not even for a second. I have come across so many amazing cast members on my recent trips to the World, who have gone out of their way to make my day special. Have I run into the occasional grumpy cast member? Sure…but anytime that there is such an enormous group of people working toward a common goal, there is bound to be a bad egg or two. In my experiences, the majority of the dedicated individuals that choose to work for Disney hold the spirit of Walt in their hearts. They believe that it is their primary goal to make each guest’s experience magical. They have a smile on their face and are always looking to make that magic, even through the blistering heat and torrential rain.

Never was this more apparent to me than on my recent trip in July. It was the day before I was to depart from Walt Disney World, and I was determined to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade. The parade was elusive to me; over my past 2 trips, the weather had caused the parade’s cancellation the 5 times I had been in the park to see it. Since I was flying solo and didn’t have my kids to complain and really wanted a good viewing location to take some pictures, I found a shady spot in Frontierland (on a raised planter near the bathrooms) about 90 minutes before the start time. I settled in, figuring I could catch up on email and twitter while I relaxed under the tree. Soon I was joined by 2 lovely young ladies, and we struck up a conversation. They introduced themselves as off-duty Magic Kingdom cast members. Over the next hour, these women showed that they exemplified what a Disney cast member should be. Not only did they spend time talking with this middle-aged mom about everything under the sun, but they showed kindness to all those around them, both adults and children. They asked me all about my trip and what magical experiences I had encountered. They shared their experiences working at Disney and their hopes for a continued career with the company. The love for both their work and for the magic of the parks was clearly evident. Most importantly, they both interacted marvelously with the children around us, bringing smiles and giggles to all. As new cast member friends joined them, they introduced me and included me in their conversations. When the parade finally began (I had a few very nervous moments with some ominous clouds heading our way), the young women made certain that I had the best view for picture taking, telling their friends that I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to see this parade for so long! When the parade ended, we said goodbye and headed our separate ways.

It was certainly not necessary for these young ladies to befriend me, yet they went out of their way to make my parade experience special. Their kindness and obvious love for this magical place that means so much to me was touching and made my time waiting for the 3 o’clock parade a highlight of my whole trip. The most impressing quality of these beautiful young ladies is that it was not outwardly obvious that they were cast members, but they still went out of their way to enhance the vacation of all those around them. They continued to deliver that special Disney magic even though they did not have to. Unfortunately, I did not get their names, so I am unable to give them the formal compliment that they so deserve. To the 2 lovely fairy godmothers sitting with this middle-aged mom on that hot July day in Frontierland- I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You, and those like you, are the heart and soul of my beloved Walt Disney World.

I know I’m guilty of constantly using my cell phone, especially for social media. I can’t tell you how many times a day I check email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Today I want to talk about how this habit is changing my personal Disney vacations (for better and worse) and what I’ve observed others doing in the parks.

Let’s start with the best reason to be on your phone in the parks, the My Disney Experience app. If you don’t have this on your phone, download it now. My husband loves to use this app. Our vacation is still 25 days away and he’s already made us dining reservations and FastPasses. You can easily check park hours, show and wait times. My only note is the app seems to perform better on his Iphone 4 compared to my Galaxy S4.

On to social media usage, my husband proposed to me in front of the Haunted Mansion in 2011. My entire family was there for it and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better moment, but after the initial excitement wore down I was posting a picture of my engagement ring on Facebook. I was so happy I wanted to share the news with everybody immediately. This is an instance I’m ok with social media use during a visit. On the other hand, I know I’m guilty of pulling my phone out and mindlessly scrolling while waiting in line. This is a habit of mine I hate and I wish others would do less of it too. Waiting in all of Disney’s lines is part of the experience. The queues are full of wonderful details and strangers from all over the world you could be talking to. Time flies by a lot more quickly when enjoying others’ company, as opposed to staring at a screen.

“Let’s take a selfie!” A sentence most people have heard, and something I have seen happening more frequently in the parks over the years. It makes sense. You want to have pictures from your magical trip, but are you losing memories by taking a lot of selfies? I have taken selfies in front of Cinderella’s castle and several other landmarks, but I’ve seen a lot of people working for that perfect shot during parades and rides. This is what really triggered my pondering of cell phone usage in the parks. These people may have a good picture to post online, but what about experiencing the parade or attraction? My last trip to Disney is when I came to the realization that I want to spend less time on my phone during my visits. I can post my pictures and status updates later that night. To be honest, I spend way too much money on a park ticket to not be fully immersed in my visit. I’d rather leave with millions of memories than a few likes and comments.

How about you, do you constantly use your phone in the park? Does it annoy you when you see others’ immersed in their cell phone? Let me know on Twitter @hoodie_life!