A Invitation to the "Reverse Dream Squad"

[jetsdc]

On my last visit to the World, I did something I've never done before - and it gave me one of the best feelings I've ever had at Disney.

I approached a random cast member on Main Street during evening EMH one night (he happened to be Custodial staff). He was just going about doing his job, and I quietly went up to him and said: "I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you. You probably don't get to hear it enough, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you do every day to make this such a special place for me and my family. I hope you know how much it means to us."

I didn't say it loudly or to get attention - I just wanted it to be a nice quiet moment with a hard working CM. He just got this great look in his eyes and gave me a big smile, and said you're welcome. At first I was nervous to say it - I didn't want to come off as patronizing. But I could see he was touched by my gesture, and it made me feel amazingly good inside. Sure, I always say "thank you" to a CM after a ride or attraction, in passing. But stopping to say it in a really heartfelt way, and to a random CM just doing his job -- who hadn't done anything unique "for me", made it so much more special.

I have to say, it's probably the first time in my many trips that I felt like I was the one spreading the magic. We get so much from the CMs, and this small, simple gesture helped to give a little back. It seems to me that if more of us made a similar gesture, it would really be a great way to reward the CMs. Pick someone randomly and just look them in the eye and let them know how you feel. It can be our own way, as guests, of being a dream squad in reverse. Sure we can't give out material things to CMs (I've heard tipping is not allowed), but we can give intangible rewards.

And I know we do a lot of this on Intercot, which is great, but there are only so many CMs who read this Board. Wouldn't it be great if we could spread the magic even more broadly. For me, at least, it was such a nice moment that I plant to make it a regular part of every trip from now on.

I hope you'll consider joining me in making the world (and the World) a little more magical for those who work so hard to make it magical for us.

[ImagiAsh]

That is so wonderful of you to do that! I have never randomly done this, but I think I might have to next time I'm in the World. It's great spreading the magic, isn't it?:D:mickey:

[January-2007]

How nice! I bet it made their night a lot better!

[Disney_Barbie]

This is an amazing idea. :thumbsup: You're right, I am always very gratefull for all they do, but I don't think I ever express this randomly. (I obvioiusly do when they do something extra special, but I forget they they do something extraspecial every day that no one ever sees!) Thanks for this great idea. I'm going to make it my mission on my upcoming trip, to at least once a day express my gratitude to a CM!

[Bluesky481]

Thank you for sharing your story Jetsdc. I think that's an incredible lesson to take with us both in the parks AND in everyday life. Imagine what an incredible world this would be if we all verbalized our gratitude and praise for one another, whether big or small. :yes:

[LoriMistress]

DH and I did that to a CM or two. At Crystal Palace for breakfast, the CM/waitress spread Mickey Confeddi (sp?) all over our table. So we spent our time writing out "Thank You" to her. She came over to us and said, "You're welcome." I don't know if she gets that often, but I hope she enjoyed our gester.

[T-Belle]

Before leaving on our last visit to WDW I made up cards(the size of business cards) that said:

"Thank you for making our Disney Vacation so magical!" I made them colorful and even lamenated them.
They also had our names on them.


Everytime we got a chance we would hand them to CM's or leave on the table after a meal. It was fun to give them out and I believe the CM's were happy to get them. After many visits I've witnessed, as I believe we all have, CM's that go above and beyond what is expected of them.

My DD and I leave in a few weeks and I've made up more cards!

[dog-ears]

Awww .... thank you all for some great ideas on doing some random acts of kindness!

I'd have to get up my courage for jet's idea but I can certainly drop off cards here and there! You guys have now got me thinking about what else I can do - awesome! :idea:

[jetsdc]

Everytime we got a chance we would hand them to CM's or leave on the table after a meal. It was fun to give them out and I believe the CM's were happy to get them. After many visits I've witnessed, as I believe we all have, CM's that go above and beyond what is expected of them.

That's the spirit! This is a great idea; thanks for sharing it.

[atruman]

Folks, I'm a backstage CM - The only time I see Guests face to face is when I go to the parks (at least every other week, or I start to get the shakes :D ) or on those occasions called "Cross U" when they ask those of us who work in offices most of the time to help out in the parks. Personally, I spent Easter morning making coffee in the Animal Kingdom.

I can tell you that this kind of thing is the kind of story that gets told behind the scenes at training events and such that bring great big smiles to the faces of all present. I've even seen similar stories of special Guest interactions bring full-grown men to tears as they told them, in a room full of their fellow CMs.

Believe me, gestures like this are very much appreciated, and help to remind us that we work in the most magical place on earth, particularly on those days where work really feels like work.

[DisneyorBust]

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing your experience.
A couple of trips ago, we had dinner at the Cape May Buffet. The server was excellent, attentive and interactive with the family. My kids liked him so much that they took the crayons and drew pictures and wrote thank you's ( on the white paper table cloth) for him to find after we left. Hopefully it helped make his day a litte brighter.

[IloveDisney71]

Before leaving on our last visit to WDW I made up cards(the size of business cards) that said:
"Thank you for making our Disney Vacation so magical!" I made them colorful and even lamenated them.
They also had our names on them. quote]

[quote=jetsdc;1383294]He was just going about doing his job, and I quietly went up to him and said: "I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you. You probably don't get to hear it enough, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you do every day to make this such a special place for me and my family. I hope you know how much it means to us."
I hope you'll consider joining me in making the world (and the World) a little more magical for those who work so hard to make it magical for us.

I LOVE both of these ideas. I will be in Disney right before Christmas, so you have inspired me to think of a unique way to spread some thankfulness and Christmas cheer. I've got some thinking to do! :thumbsup:

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

Great ideas. :thumbsup:
Our family will be doing some of these on our upcoming trip. Thanks for the great suggestions!! :mickey:

[tinksmom02]

Love this thread! I'm going to make it a mission on my next trip to better show my appreciation to the wonderful CMs!

[CaptSmee]

all I have to say is WOW! What an amazing thought!:thumbsup:

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

That was a very considerate gesture you made. I'm sure it meant a lot to be acknowledged. We need more of that in life.

[Catwillow]

Before leaving on our last visit to WDW I made up cards(the size of business cards) that said:

"Thank you for making our Disney Vacation so magical!" I made them colorful and even lamenated them.
They also had our names on them.

What a GREAT idea...can I copy it???

Kathleen

[Iluvpooh]

Thanks- I promise to try and tell at least one CM a day how much I appreciate them on our next trip. (78 days BTW:cool:)

[Dizneyfan]

That was really nice of you. I'm going to do this on my next trip. I'm sure that you made that CM feel really good. :mickey:

[T-Belle]

What a GREAT idea...can I copy it???

Kathleen


Absolutely!

[tarjaybuff]

Last year I got over 100 disney pins from a department store that was going to throw them away after the free promotion.

In Sept 2006 and Feb 2007 I took the pins with me to WDW. Each day I would take a handful with me and hand them out to cast members and kids. They light up at night so they were a huge hit in the evening.

It can be a very magical place. Just remember to be kind to others. Offer to hold a door, or give up a seat on the bus. Everyone is there to have a memorable experience.:mickey:

[jonah'smom]

In my past visits, I have always tried to tell the CM's in the women's restrooms what a great job that they do. I don't know if I'm the only one who notices how clean Disney CMs keep those restrooms, but they do a fantastic job. It's so nice that when you go into the restroom after being so hot, and your clothes are stuck to you to notice that you are actually in a clean and almost always fully stocked restroom. Everytime I see a CM in the restroom, I try to be sure and tell them that I appreciate all their hard work!!!

Next time though, I will try and spread that magic in other places too!

Thanks for a great post!

[Maleficent's Dad]

Just wanted to say:
GREAT Posts - Fantastic Thread!

Makes me feel good about humanity reading these things! :thumbsup:

[WinnipegDisneyFanatic]

I'm so glad that someone else has done something like this :mickey:. When I was there in May I actually went up to the CM that did the spotlight for Fantasmic! and told him what an amazing job he and the entire cast of the show does everynight, and that as a guest I truely appreciated everything he did.

He was happy, took my name, and said he'd pass it on to others in the cast. Whether he did or not, I'll never know.

But just stepping up and making a gesture makes you - and the CM at hand - feel really, really good :D

Chris :hatter:

[kaerbear178]

On our last trip my fiance and I chatted with the hosts/hostesses at a some of the restaurants that we went to(Boma, Nine Dragons, 'Ohana). When we left we took pictures of them and when we got home we emailed the pics to them with a note of thanks. They were all happy to get them and I was happy to get their reply emails!

[crazypoohbear]

What a great idea and a wonderful way to make some else's day!
I think that I'll copy the card idea when I go in 2 weeks.

[Vintage Disney]

T-Belle, your card idea is excellent! I am going to make cards for our upcoming trip. I think I'll make a special card for our Mousekeeper to leave with our tip!:mickey:

[mickey-mouse35]

I also love this thread and these ideas! I think I'll do the card idea, too! :mickey:

[Terra]

I made it a point to do this today when I went to AK to at least 1 castmember...

So while in one of the Baby Center's changing my son, the castmember was so helpful and so friendly and went out his way to make sure my DS and I were ocmfortable...

So on my way out I thank him and told him what a wonderful job he was doing and he really made it an enjoyable experience for me and I was so grateful that the baby centers existed and had wonderful cast members like him running them...

He was very grateful!! And very humble :)

[vamaggie]

Before leaving on our last visit to WDW I made up cards(the size of business cards) that said:

"Thank you for making our Disney Vacation so magical!" I made them colorful and even lamenated them.
They also had our names on them.


Everytime we got a chance we would hand them to CM's or leave on the table after a meal. It was fun to give them out and I believe the CM's were happy to get them. After many visits I've witnessed, as I believe we all have, CM's that go above and beyond what is expected of them.

My DD and I leave in a few weeks and I've made up more cards!

For those of us who are not as creative as T-belle, there is actually a website where you can download gratitude cards for CMs. I printed some out for out Nov trip (I know--way to much into the planning!:blush: ). PM me if you want the site (don't think I can post it here)

[DisneyKim22]

Wow! Fantastic thread! I have also tried to make sure to say an extra special thank you to those who really display the Disney spirit. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the card idea!! In fact I am going to copy your idea as well and have my nephews and I make some before we go this November!

Thank you for sharing the great ideas!!

[Tick-Tock]

If a CM does help you in a special way, a great way of rewarding him or her is to stop in at Guest Services and leave a nice comment about the CM. That can help them for reviews, etc. I remember one time writing the corporate office (different company) about a helpful employee, and the corporate office singled him out for special praise. He was pretty happy!

[dakotamom]

When we left for our vacation we made up the business cards, laminated, with our names and month/year of our visit. I typed up this:
Thanks a lot
we want to say
You've helped us out
and made our Day.

Then I wrote Thank you in various ways, like cool, thanks, dude, sweet, etc...

The CM's we gave them to, from the Safari driver to the guy who drove the bus from the air port and everyone in between - loved them. Now we do that whenever we take a vacation. The kids love to hand them out and we always get a wonderful smile and make a friend.

[Clotho]

For those of us who are not as creative as T-belle, there is actually a website where you can download gratitude cards for CMs. I printed some out for out Nov trip (I know--way to much into the planning!:blush: ). PM me if you want the site (don't think I can post it here)

I can't imagine that anyone at Intercot would have an issue with you posting such a thoughtful and helpful link! Please post, and Admins, please let us access to this resource!

[squijee]

DH and i love the big river grill there is a waiter there and we spent a few minutes talking to him when we were there in dec...we went back in april and he remembered us...while we were there i found out his b-day was the day we were going home so we dropped by and gave him a card and thanked him for his great service...i could not believe he remembered us from 5 months previously...

[Caroleh]

I was planning to make the business cards when we go in Dec. I like this idea, because I feel it really does help with customer service. It makes them feel that they aren't being taken for granted!!!

[Jared]

Great stories by everybody. If enough people on the boards show appreciation toward the wonderful Cast Member, perhaps others will imitate that behavior.

[MOJoe]

Some of you may have read this from my trip report, but last June my family was stopped by the Dream Team in Epcot. They talked with me a moment and gave us Mouse Ears. I shook their hands and thanked them so vigorously that i think one of them was embarressed. But afterward, a young lady, who obviously recognized my appreciation, looked at me with a gaze that i hope i never forget. Only my wife has ever looked at me with such love in her eyes.

People everywhere, in all walks of life, at every job, want to be appreciated. Sure, Disney World is a special place, and being thankful is not only good, but the proper thing to do. But why stop there? Let's all try to make our world more like Disney World, and be thankful everywhere.

This gets my vote for best thread ever!

[Caroleh]

Since I do SO many crafts, I found in my stash of card stock, black business size cards. I'm using metallic markers and stickers and hand writing different messages on the cards to hand out. I figure I have plenty of time since I have 109 days left.!!!

[WEDTOPIA]

You all are great. It does my heart good to know that so many of you really appreciate how great the Disney Cast Members are.

On my next trip I'll be thanking them every chance I get. Even though I've been an avid supporter of CM's since the first day I set foot inside WDW , I've never been good at letting them know how I feel. Truly an inspirational post. Thanks !!!

P.S. To all the naysayers and " doom and gloomers '' out there ( you know who you are ) ,who constantly berate the quality of the current crop of CM'S - maybe you should step back and really take a look at the overall picture here. If this thread is any indication , and I think it is , there are a whole lot of folks out there who recognize what an outstanding job the Disney people do.
Quit being so negative !

:mickey::mickey::mickey:

[MickeysEars]

this is a great idea, thanks!!