28. Make a magical moment

When you work at Disney, you make magic. You're not forced to, you're not required to, it's just what you do. Being a part of the most magical place on Earth, no matter what you do there, makes you a part of the magic as well. There are some magical moments that are planned, such as choosing a family to open Magic Kingdom, or having a guest to pull the sword out of the stone, or bringing a child up to do something special for other guests. And then there are the spontaneous ones, that cast members make up on the spot to make guests' vacations that much better.

Those small and spontaneous magical moments are my favorite ones, because those are more frequent and often more personal. Some of my favorite moments of my College Program were simply doing special things for guests. My most memorable moments from working at Star Tours and All-Star Sports quick service were;

-Lots of marathon runners buying small snacks or drinks before their run, and if their costume was really well done, I would give them their food for free

-Being stationed in the gelato shop and working with guests to create off-the-menu sundaes and smoothies

-Hiding extra food so guests didn't have to pay extra money (sorry, Disney)

-Giving people with birthday pins special treats or treatment

-Speaking what little Spanish I know to the Spanish-speaking guests who didn't know any English--it doesn't seem like something magical, but every single one of them got so excited, even when all I said was "Hola"

-A little kid asking me how Star Tours worked, and watching his eyes light up and give his dad an amazed look when I explained it all

-Giving people private flights, and taking pictures of them all alone in the cabin

-Asking a child to help me use the force to open the doors to the ride

-Choosing someone who clearly loves Star Wars as the rebel spy

-Asking kids who had been a part of the Jedi Training Academy to show me their lightsaber moves

-Calling every little girl "princess", and seeing them smile and look up at their parents, either bashful or excited

Guests can make magic for us, too. Some hand out appreciation cards to cast members; a man once gave me a lollipop from the bag he brings around to cast members to thank them for what they do. A woman in a wheelchair asked me if someone could help push her up the wheelchair ramp to get to the ride, and a man from the standby line volunteered, so I let him and his family go up with her. Seeing things like that made me appreciate how being somewhere that puts so much value on making guests happy can make the guests spread that happiness and kindness around as well.

Despite being staged in reality, magic is all around at Disney World, from people tearing up because they're seeing Cinderella's castle for the first time (or the tenth time), to children in costumes meeting their heroes, to counting how many times they're told "Happy Birthday" or "Happy Anniversary" (guilty). Even just standing in the middle of the chaos and looking around at the smiles, and the pixie dust in little (and big) girls' hair, can be the most rewarding thing about working in Disney World. Knowing that you're part of making that magic, and the possibility that years from now, they'll remember something I did with "that one trip to Disney when--", was, in my opinion, the best part of being a cast member.