CMs Who Make You Smile

[ICan'tWait]

DS9 has anxiety issues and couldn't bring himself to ride Test Track during our last visit but DS6 and DH went ahead and went. DS9 was crying quiety to himself and a cast member came up to him and started talking to him, never asked why he was crying or anything that would make DS feel embarrassed. The CM gave DS9 one of his trading pins to put on his hat (which started his brand new pin fettish). By the time DH got off the ride my son was in such a great mood to have this new pin. It made him feel so special. The time spent with the CM that day was better than any ride DS9 could have gone on.

 

[geenerbell]

A CM at POP baggage claim made me smile. I was checking my carry-on and needed to fill out the claim tag. He asked if I needed a pen and I replied no thank you I have one. He then said "Do you want to trade?" I laughed out loud and of course "traded pens". So neat and unexpected.

 

[lblume91]

On our May '09 trip, we went to MK the first morning. As we were waiting between the turnstiles & the train station, Dan the Photopass photographer approached and asked to take our picture. He took a family shot with the train station in the background. I then handed him my camera and asked him to take a picture with it. I said "it's just a simple point & shoot". He said "oh, like this?" and snapped a shot of himself. My 3 daughters cracked up. He then hammed it up with us, taking some of my fave shots from the entire trip. It was a wonderful way to start our vacation. We saw him a few days later at Epcot and the girls were all excited. Dan remembered us too! His self-portrait is in our vacation photo album. The girls love to tell people all about him.

 

[CarKey]

Dan Murphy, I absolutely loved looking at your pictures! What fun!

 

[Reto]

Check out my video of that funny bus driver that took me from the Pop Century to Animal Kingdom. Too bad I didn't get his name: Funny Bus Driver at WDW.

 

[heatherandnick]

Check out my video of that funny bus driver that took me from the Pop Century to Animal Kingdom. Too bad I didn't get his name: Funny Bus Driver at WDW.

made me smile, too!

 

[swald91]

Those are great pictures of CMs-especially the ones that most people wouldn't even think of taking-I have never had a "bad" experience with any CM but I do remember a sweet moment last trip when Wes from Poly CL was on the floor playing a board game with 3 little kids-I know he let them win & they were so excited-just a nice moment....

 

[Mary T in PA]

What a wonderful thread!! And I loved the post that had all the pics in it - fabulous!!!

We had a server at Chef Mickey's who helped us pull off a total birthday surprise last month for DH's birthday.

On another trip, we were given FPs when we were standing outside a ride, which was really a surprise.

And another time, we had a CM stop and take some time to play a silly game with our daughters - had everyone around us laughing.

 

[testtubes]

I'm loving the CM stories also. It brings back a smile I had from May '08 when I ventured to ride HM mansion alone. Just as I was boarding the ride by MYSELF, the CM said with a very serious face, "What's the problem, do you stink or something?" It didn't hit me until I sat down in the car and was on my way. It made me wonder about all those people who travel to WDW solo.

 

[heatherandnick]

Thanks for all these great stories...it's a shame more companies aren't like Disney...

 

[cjlvsccm]

Dan Murphy, I absolutely loved looking at your pictures! What fun!

DITTO THAT!!

I have a CM story...

Last summer I signed up to be a "fairy godmailer" for a little girl in UK who loved Stitch and would be visiting WDW later in the year. Well, wouldn't you know that there was not a single Stitch postcard in all the World?? Not World of Disney, not the Poly, not any park shop or kiosk we visited. So we were looking again in the shop outside Stitch's Great Escape (an obvious place to check), and DH asked the CM if there were any stickers featuring Stitch. Hmmm. Let me look in the back, he said. Nope, all out.

We explained what we were trying to do, and had settled on using a Stitch sticker on a "generic" MK or WDW postcard, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen either. Well, he said, your best bet would be to meet the character in the park tomorrow at this time, they usually have stickers. But we won't be in this park tomorrow. Hmmmm. Give me a few minutes, I'll make a call, he said.

After 10 min or so (who minds shopping a little more?? ), he came back with a STACK of Stitch stickers!! He had called the character handler with the story, and here they were, courtesy of Disney Magic!!

SOooo, the little girl's mom PM'd me after the card arrived, that she ADORED the Stitch stickers! She thought he must have put those on so she would be sure that the card was from him. And she would loved to have seen him in line at the Main Street post office.

All the effort to make a kid happy. And we had an adventure searching, too. It's all good.

 

[rosiep]

This fellow made my daughter and I smile. He's a CM at COP and posed with our stuffed animals as we waited on line. When the door opened he let me in but then closed the line...unbeknownst to me: So there I was marching into the room, picking out my seat, while everyone else giggled because I hadn't a clue. My DD was 20 so she laughed right along with everyone else!

 

[themilesfamily]

We love all these people. The CM's are a big reason why we keep going back to Disney.:

Bob, (the handsome guy in the vest), at the Main Street Cinema. We adore him.:

Lewis in Fantasyland. A trip to the MK wouldn't be the same without seeing him.:

I'm convinced this guy will be in the movies someday. What a talent!:

Stephane from Chefs de France

Excellent HM CM's!:

Gotta love the Mayor:

And the Town Crier!:

Joakim from Epcot - Norway:

Lise from Akershus:

The piano player is always a favorite:

And the fireman was so much fun!:

Betty from Hoop-de-Doo. She was so sweet.:

Grova from Fantasyland was another favorite. I can't find a pic!

And so many more.

 

[Joanna71985]

Dan, I love your pictures! They are awsome.

It's my roomate! She is also a DISer. I will have to show her the picture!

I know her. She is awsome.

 

[PonyGrrl]

Last winter we were at the Studios as a family. I had been visiting on business travel earlier in the month, and had tried out Toy Story Mania. Loved the ride, feared the loading area.

I knew that it would be a stretch for my autism-spectrum kid, but we had talked about the wait and the ride itself. We got into a line that was 45 minutes long by the numbers. Kid was anxious but within spec. As the line curved into the building, though, she froze up. The people around us were all helpfully encouraging the child who didn't want to wait in line, as they perceived her, which of course didn't help.

We walked out to the bench across the way, tears of frustration streaming down her face because This Was IT, the Ride She Had Waited For--and she just couldn't tolerate the waiting area!

Then our day got magical. Chuck the CM followed us. He talked quietly to the kid, told her that it was indeed loud in there, but offered to show her the waiting area from behind the scenes. He walked us in through the side entrance, and put her on the ride before we knew what had happened. He never asked the kid or her parents what was wrong, never told her that she shouldn't be afraid or to stop crying, just used the same calm voice and affect that the best of her teachers have used.

I never had to say 'My kid has a communication disorder' and she never had to say that she wanted desperately to be able to be like everyone else. Chuck made the ride work for her without stigmatizing the child or our family, just because he recognized that she was unable to continue through the doorway.

Considering how often we have to 'prove it' to get services that she's entitled to by law, we were blown away by a CM who took initiative to give our kid a great experience that she's still talking about.

When we return, we will have that experience to build on and will try the line again--she thinks that, now that she's in double digits, she might be able to manage the noise because she can focus on the fun at the end. We'll see!

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

What a great thread. Love reading these.

I smile at them all - I am just so glad to be there!

CMs are magical!!

 

[heatherandnick]

Last winter we were at the Studios as a family. I had been visiting on business travel earlier in the month, and had tried out Toy Story Mania. Loved the ride, feared the loading area.

I knew that it would be a stretch for my autism-spectrum kid, but we had talked about the wait and the ride itself. We got into a line that was 45 minutes long by the numbers. Kid was anxious but within spec. As the line curved into the building, though, she froze up. The people around us were all helpfully encouraging the child who didn't want to wait in line, as they perceived her, which of course didn't help.

We walked out to the bench across the way, tears of frustration streaming down her face because This Was IT, the Ride She Had Waited For--and she just couldn't tolerate the waiting area!

Then our day got magical. Chuck the CM followed us. He talked quietly to the kid, told her that it was indeed loud in there, but offered to show her the waiting area from behind the scenes. He walked us in through the side entrance, and put her on the ride before we knew what had happened. He never asked the kid or her parents what was wrong, never told her that she shouldn't be afraid or to stop crying, just used the same calm voice and affect that the best of her teachers have used.

I never had to say 'My kid has a communication disorder' and she never had to say that she wanted desperately to be able to be like everyone else. Chuck made the ride work for her without stigmatizing the child or our family, just because he recognized that she was unable to continue through the doorway.

Considering how often we have to 'prove it' to get services that she's entitled to by law, we were blown away by a CM who took initiative to give our kid a great experience that she's still talking about.

When we return, we will have that experience to build on and will try the line again--she thinks that, now that she's in double digits, she might be able to manage the noise because she can focus on the fun at the end. We'll see!

Wow...an amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[John Paul]

This CM was fantastic. My DD spilled her sprite all over. Mom and Dad were a bit frazzelled, but Truth came to the rescue! She helped us hit the reset button and brought the kids cookies to decorate! She will be what I remember most! Thank You Truth!

 

[Virtucomp]

So many really great stories!

Haunted Mansion CMs always hold that face. Never smile. I've heard it but experienced it a few years ago. We got off the Doombuggy onto the moving walkway. DW and DS in one car and DD and myself got out of the other. Like a good dad I was on the moving walkway riding backwards talking with the kids and laughing about the ride.

When we got to the end of the moving part I turned around and was face to face with a female CM who just stared deadpan into my eyes. I was kind of shocked and I'm sure my face showed it. My family started cracking up laughing at me but the CM never even cracked a smile.

Its the little things they do that make you smile.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Dan, I love your pictures! They are awsome.



It's my roomate! She is also a DISer. I will have to show her the picture!.....

Her mom is also. She sent me an email to get a picture of her DD, so when I was in Epcot I stopped by the Art of Disney to get it. I always like your pictures, Joanna.


Here are links to a few threads I made in the past on CM's you might enjoy also...........

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=770432

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=775161



They are linked in my signature with many others.