Cast Member’s Corner: Making It That Much More Magical After All!

Continuing on from my last article about answering questions people have voiced, today I’m going to answer the question about making your stay a little more memorable.  The question was, “what’s the easiest way to get freebies and fastpasses, or that extra treat?  What can we do to make it a little more memorable?”  This question has a few parts and multiple answers.  What makes you and your family happy may not be the same as another family.  The best advice is, do what you are comfortable with and what makes you happy.  Cast Members love to help you make it extra special so never be afraid to ask them anything.           

First thing to clarify is that fastpasses are free with your park ticket.  There is no extra fee for fastpasses.  You just go to the ride that offers the fastpass, put in your ticket, and out pops a fastpass.  Now there are times with Cast Members will hand out extra fastpasses, and even other guests will hand them out if they are leaving for the day.  Cast Members usually only do it if the machines are down, or rare occasions.  Cast Members really do want to make things extra magical for you, but we are not given fastpasses to hand out so that makes it a little difficult. 

Now, in the past I’ve talked about the buttons you can get to announce what you are celebrating.  If there is one thing that captures Cast Members’ attention, it is those buttons.  We can spot those buttons extremely easily as you walk up.  We can also spot matching shirts, hats, and other accessories that state what you are celebrating whether it be a birthday or reunion.  If the Cast Member doesn’t voice anything about it, by saying a simple happy birthday or anything, don’t be afraid to point it out.  I went down for my birthday one year and I wore the pin.  That did not stop my friends from pointing out that it was my birthday to every single person we passed.  Although it is not the same for everyone, everyday, I got a free pin, a ride on the carousel with Mary Poppins, the quartet in Frontierland sang me Happy Birthday, and we got to be a part of the Backlot Tour.  All this was because I wore a birthday pin, my friends announced it was my birthday everywhere we went, and we had matching shirts.  We also were very kind to the Cast Members, we didn’t expect to get anything, and we were just having fun.   Being told happy birthday would have been enough for me.  This was just above and beyond.

When I saw kids with the buttons on or a family with family reunion shirts on I tried to do whatever I could to make their stay a little more special, especially if they didn’t announce anything or expect anything.  Most of the time the children were shy so a simple “Princess for a Day” sticker made their day.  Allowing a family through the fastpass line without some fastpasses also was a special treat.  It depends on the Cast Member and what they are actually capable of doing, but most will try to do a little something to make your stay special.

I can’t give anyone step-by-step tips on how to get freebies, or make their stay more magical.  Disney is full of magic so it just doesn’t work that way.  Standing out, in a good way, can help in a big way though.  Enjoying yourselves and the time you have together.  Remember that your fastpasses are free, so take advantage!  If you’re celebrating something let everyone know it!  Don’t go in expecting anything, it will make it even more magical when you are surprised.  Never forget to have faith and trust, and you just may be sprinkled with pixie dust!

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)

Jess was born and raised on Long Island, New York but once college began so did her adventures. She’s lived in Florida, Wisconsin, and now South Carolina. Her family is part of the Disney Vacation Club and has been visiting since she was a little girl, and continuously goes every year. Besides being a big Disney fan she has also been a Disney Cast Member working in Magic Kingdom, and she counts it as one of the most magical experiences. She worked with everyone’s favorite elephant Dumbo, Cinderella’s Carousel, and Mickey’s Philharmagic. Jess has also visited Disneyland, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, and gone on two Disney Cruises. She has so many great memories from Disney besides running half marathons and 5ks, birthday parties, and family reunions. If asked where she would want to go it is almost always Disney, and when asked why, it is almost always because she can eat awesome gluten free food! And it doesn’t hurt that there is always faith, trust, and pixie dust with magic in the air!