Ways to thank Cast Members- can they accept small gifts?

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

We love Disney Cast Members! All Magic starts with a Cast Member and I have often thought about ways we could show our appreciation. I know a little bit about leaving positive feedback at City Hall. How exactly does that process work? Do you have to wait in line, or can you duck in and snag a couple cards to fill out and then return to City Hall? Where can you leave feedback in the other parks?

I keep pre-printed Thank You cards in my park bag to hand directly to the CM. What else is allowed? I've thought about giving small packages of unique candy, like our Texas size jelly beans, or other treats. Maybe stickers "Someone in Texas Loves me!" What rules and policies exist that apply to this situation? I know many CMs receive coloring pages from kiddos, especially if they are friends with the Princesses, but do guidelines exist for gifts to CMs? Ideally I would like to give something fun, small, with a personal touch. Has anyone else done anything fun to thank Cast Members?

 

[mom2rtk]

Forget the thank you cards and trinkets.

If someone goes above and beyond, note their name and the time and send an email to Disney explaining how great they were. That gets them the sort of recognition they want and appreciate.

 

[hiroMYhero]

We love Disney Cast Members! All Magic starts with a Cast Member and I have often thought about ways we could show our appreciation. I know a little bit about leaving positive feedback at City Hall. How exactly does that process work? Do you have to wait in line, or can you duck in and snag a couple cards to fill out and then return to City Hall? Where can you leave feedback in the other parks?

I keep pre-printed Thank You cards in my park bag to hand directly to the CM. What else is allowed? I've thought about giving small packages of unique candy, like our Texas size jelly beans, or other treats. Maybe stickers "Someone in Texas Loves me!" What rules and policies exist that apply to this situation? I know many CMs receive coloring pages from kiddos, especially if they are friends with the Princesses, but do guidelines exist for gifts to CMs? Ideally I would like to give something fun, small, with a personal touch. Has anyone else done anything fun to thank Cast Members?

CMs can and do accept small gifts: prepackaged food, pins, keychains, tsums, and they especially like hand-crafted items that depict their character-friend.

Guests from Japan gift them with TDL items that are highly appreciated by the CMs.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Forget the thank you cards and trinkets.

If someone goes above and beyond, note their name and the time and send an email to Disney explaining how great they were. That gets them the sort of recognition they want and appreciate.

Agreed 100%. DS was a 2-time CP and he said this type of recognition (either at Guest Services are by email) is the best.

 

[wilkeliza]

CMs are not suppose to take gifts or candy. Some will break the "rule" especially if it is a kid doing it but they are suppose to immediately turn anything over to management. The only time in 2 years I took something form a guest was a sweet old couple who had worked at WDW since opening who would bring CMs candy when they were in the parks. The only reason any CM took stuff from them was they were a legacy to CMs and they knew it was breaking the rules but always tried to brighten our days.

Don't bother with the thank you cards or trinkets or anything because they count for nothing but pride in CMs. If you really want to thank a CM who does an exception job tweet their name and location to @WDWToday and they will get a note and call out that goes on their permanent records. You can also stop by guest relations while in the park to leave a guest compliment note that also goes on their record and they will get a copy of or you can email after you get back. Doing it one of those three ways is the best as it goes on their record and can help in promotions or if they have an off day managers will look at that to see it was indeed an off day and not a pattern which can save their jobs.

 

[wilkeliza]

CMs can and do accept small gifts: prepackaged food, pins, keychains, tsums, and they especially like hand-crafted items that depict their character-friend.

Guests from Japan gift them with TDL items that are highly appreciated by the CMs.

Did that change or is for entertainment only? I distinctly remember being told that if we were given anything it had to go straight to management because they didn't want any "special treatment" or bribes.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Did that change or is for entertainment only? I distinctly remember being told that if we were given anything it had to go straight to management because they didn't want any "special treatment" or bribes.

My point of reference is Entertainment CMs. Within Entertainment, it doesn't matter how many positive guest critiques they've received, they are evaluated on their performance skills and that's what their assignments/roles are based upon.

During SWW, SW fans bestowed a lot of great gifts on the characters and they were greatly appreciated. Any CM can receive a monetary gift if it is offered to them 3 times and within the Entertainment division, the amount is not pooled unless the recipient chooses to do so - and they usually do split it as they all work together as a team.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Forget the thank you cards and trinkets.

If someone goes above and beyond, note their name and the time and send an email to Disney explaining how great they were. That gets them the sort of recognition they want and appreciate.

Absolutely~ do that for those that go above and beyond! We are looking for little ways to show our appreciation for CMs that are awesome anyway, not just those facing a difficult situation, or providing a big dose of pixie dust. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[wilkeliza]

My point of reference is Entertainment CMs. Within Entertainment, it doesn't matter how many positive guest critiques they've received, they are evaluated on their performance skills and that's what their assignments/roles are based upon.

During SWW, SW fans bestowed a lot of great gifts on the characters and they were greatly appreciated. Any CM can receive a monetary gift if it is offered to them 3 times and within the Entertainment division, the amount is not pooled unless the recipient chooses to do so - and they usually do split it as they all work together as a team.

Hm interesting. In attractions we would take it after 3 but had to hand it over to management and it was donated to GKTW or pooled for a cast party we weren't suppose to individually keep it.

 

[Epcot242]

We've never given gifts, but we had a particularly helpful CM at DS so we stopped by guest services on our way out as the park was closing to leave comments for him. They took his name, what he did, why he went above and beyond, and some of our info (name and phone number I think?). The CM in guest services ended up giving my wife a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal is a little thank you, though part of me suspects they keep some on reserve throughout the day and since the park was closing the CM just figured she'd give it away. Nice gesture, though! We hope that the CM that we wanted to compliment received some sort of kudos for a job well done.

 

[Accident]

The absolute best thing you can do for a castmember is let disney know as it will help them in their disney career. Every complaint is in their file and you can help offset that. I've never worked for disney but my understanding is these don't just go into the files so maybe a CM can share what actually happens.

You can stop by guest relations to fill out a compliment card or email them at WDW Guest Services <guest.services@disneyworld.com>.

To help remind you and to be able to tell disney who it was, a nice picture (with them when appropriate) or a sly one where you can make out their name tag. the time stamp on the photo will also help you narrow down when it really was to let them know.

 

[wilkeliza]

I've never worked for disney but my understanding is these don't just go into the files so maybe a CM can share what actually happens.

It depends on what it is exactly. (Note I only know from attractions/crowd control/merch) A quick "OMG THEY WERE SO GREAT" email may just be put on the record or even trashed for suspicion of not being genuine. However, if you go into great detail and tell the story of why that CM was great then it will go on the record. There are 2 things that can happen at that point. 1 would be management writing out a 4 Keys Card and giving it to the CM in a no big deal kind of way. The CM then puts one of the copies of that card in a bucket and every month (maybe every week) a card is drawn from all the 4 Keys turned in and that CM wins something. The thing changes from time to time. Now if it is something just amazingly above and beyond management will usually do something very formal. Every morning there are meetings in each department all across property for opening CMs or shift starts. If the management teams feels like it is something that every CM should know about and see they will read the guest letter out and give the 4 Keys Card (and maybe a little trinket or something) out to the CM in front of everyone at the meeting. If the CM isn't there they will still read the letter and then give the stuff to the CM when they are scheduled.
So it really depends on what exactly is said by a guests and how above and beyond it is.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

The absolute best thing you can do for a castmember is let disney know as it will help them in their disney career. Every complaint is in their file and you can help offset that. I've never worked for disney but my understanding is these don't just go into the files so maybe a CM can share what actually happens.

You can stop by guest relations to fill out a compliment card or email them at WDW Guest Services <guest.services@disneyworld.com>.

To help remind you and to be able to tell disney who it was, a nice picture (with them when appropriate) or a sly one where you can make out their name tag. the time stamp on the photo will also help you narrow down when it really was to let them know.

I love the suggestion of getting a picture! We have so many pleasant encounters with CMs, you know the ones that just have that Disney aura? That makes all the difference to us! However, most of the time the situation isn't one where the CM has to go "above and beyond", they are just being wonderful anyway. I am hoping to come up with a way to give a little magic back to them, in the moment. Something fun, maybe a little silly... One thing I am getting from these responses already is that maybe we need to be leaving comments cards/emails for the small things, too, not just the "above and beyond" things. Your idea of snapping a picture would really help us keep track of the CMs we want to recognize. Thanks so much!

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

... management writing out a 4 Keys Card and giving it to the CM in a no big deal kind of way. The CM then puts one of the copies of that card in a bucket and every month (maybe every week) a card is drawn from all the 4 Keys turned in and that CM wins something. The thing changes from time to time. Now if it is something just amazingly above and beyond management will usually do something very formal. Every morning there are meetings in each department all across property for opening CMs or shift starts. If the management teams feels like it is something that every CM should know about and see they will read the guest letter out and give the 4 Keys Card (and maybe a little trinket or something) out to the CM in front of everyone at the meeting. If the CM isn't there they will still read the letter and then give the stuff to the CM when they are scheduled.
So it really depends on what exactly is said by a guests and how above and beyond it is.

I didn't know Disney did this. What is a 4 Keys Card? What are the 4 Keys?

We have something similar at the hospital. The reward is usually a $5 gift card to the hospital cafeteria.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Hm interesting. In attractions we would take it after 3 but had to hand it over to management and it was donated to GKTW or pooled for a cast party we weren't suppose to individually keep it.

Perhaps because it would be perceived as a bribe being given to an Attractions CM.

Show and parade CMs seldom receive any gifts because they immediately go offstage after a performance.

And, character performers at dining venues and meet and greets may never get to perform in a show or parade due to their skill-level. Gifts from guests are appreciated.

 

[wilkeliza]

I didn't know Disney did this. What is a 4 Keys Card? What are the 4 Keys?

We have something similar at the hospital. The reward is usually a $5 gift card to the hospital cafeteria.

A 4 Keys Card is something given to CMs in many different ways. It can be guest to CM (usually GR fills these out on behalf of the guest or management does after a guest letter is received), CM to CM with a management sign off, or just management to CM.

The 4 Keys are Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. So on top of those being the 4 things CMs should focus on it also puts them in the order of importance. Safety is always #1 and if it is a saftey issue you can break the other 3 keys. So say your kid is about to climb over the railing and get into the lake at the World Showcase. I can break Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency to get that kid back over the railing. Also a guest has a medical emergency and I need to clear space for their safety I can break Courtesy, Show and Efficiency for those. Now on the reverse something is not really best show but would help efficiency. I'm not allowed to break show for efficiency. A big one here is costuming. My costume is dirty due to a spill so it is thus bad show. Efficiency would be better if I stay posted in the dirty uniform but it breaks Show so as long as it is safe and I'm not actively serving a guest I have to go to costuming and get a new costume even if it means for that 30 minutes something is running less efficient. Now if it is a safety critical location you can't leave until it is safe because again Safety trumps all else. Another would be ride lines. Sure it is efficient to be short and direct with guests about single rider, filling in all available space, etc but it would not be good show or courtesy to the guest. That's why you hear cute things like Just keep swimming, here at Disney space on the floor equals room for one more, and everything should be said with that "smile" sound so it is courteous and good show as well as efficient.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Perhaps because it would be perceived as a bribe being given to an Attractions CM.

Show and parade CMs seldom receive any gifts because they immediately go offstage after a performance.

And, character performers at dining venues and meet and greets may never get to perform in a show or parade due to their skill-level. Gifts from guests are appreciated.

How could we thank a parade performer since they do leave the area immediately? Last trip during FoF one of the ravens interacted with my oldest daughter and she was thrilled! She still talks about it. I would love to show them our appreciation!

 

[hiroMYhero]

How could we thank a parade performer since they do leave the area immediately? Last trip during FoF one of the ravens interacted with my oldest daughter and she was thrilled! She still talks about it. I would love to show them our appreciation!

There are spotters/Captains-Coordinators walking along the parade route. You could ask them to pass on the intended item. Also, at the end of the parade you'll find Managers, Leaders and Captains walking near the rope. Give them a description and location of the performer and they'll make sure to give the item to the performer.

 

[lugnut33]

One time at Disneyland I had preprinted notes that I filled out when we ran into good guest service. I think it read: "Our family received outstanding guest service from (castmember name) at attraction (attraction name) on (date and time). We greatly appreciate the above and beyond service and would like to recognize that castmember. (Signed)" At the end of our trip I went to guest services and dropped them off. They did take them, but I also had to fill out a Disney form for each one.

 

[shannonstar]

We had a tremendous experience with a CM and went out of our way to make sure we got the information to as many people as possible. My husband went to guest relations at HS (where the incident happened), I went to guest relations at our resort, we emailed Disney, and when I got a random survey from Disney, I mentioned it again. I sure hope she got the recognition she deserved.

I won't go into too many details, but said incident involved a baby, a super hot day and too much milk. Sink baths for us both in the family bathroom outside Jedi Training, and Brand New clothes courtesy of Disney totaling over 200 (shirts, pants, and shoes for us both). And then on top of that, a gift of another outfit for the baby was waiting at our OKW room when we got back from the parks the next day with the loveliest note.