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Magical Blogorail Yellow: My Favorite “Magical Moment”
Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Yellow. Enjoy the ride as we share our favorite magical moment created by a Disney Cast Member.”
As everyone knows Disney Cast Members are by far some of the coolest and most amazing people on earth, (Not just saying that since I was one!). I am saying this because they truly know how to make your vacation something special in their own special way.
When A Cast Member goes out of their way to make a special Disney moment happen, we called it a Magical Moment. These moments can range from getting your Ice Cream replaced for FREE on Main Street, USA or by getting to re-ride a ride with your family with absolutely no wait! With that being said there are TONS of different ways a Cast Member can make a special Magical Moments and today we on the Magical Blogorail are going to tell you some of our favorites.
Like I have told my readers on my site I haven’t been to Disney but three times before I became a Cast Member. Since my “Regular Disney Time” is so limited I’m going to tell you about my favorite Magical Moment I got to create at Space Mountain!
It was the last weekend of Star Wars Weekend in 2012 and an elderly lady wanted to ride 
Space Mountain, which of course is 100% fine as long as she knows about the Heart condition risks while riding and all that blah, blah, blah…Well what is so cool is that I didn’t know how special of a treasure, Susan would turn out to be. I found out about Susan right after I got off my break and my coordinator rushed up to me and said, “Zach, don’t get an assignment. I want you to help with a guest outside.” I was overjoyed I didn’t have to get an assignment, it was almost that time that the person at Merge, (the person who tells you to go to Alpha or Omega) would be getting replaced and I just wasn’t feeling up to that today for some reason. Anyway, I proceeded outside to where I met Susan at the front of Space Mountain. She was all alone in her scooter and expressed to me that she really wanted to ride this ride and that it is her last ride photo that she needed to complete her Magic Kingdom Ride Attractions Photo book. I knew the rules on helping someone by themselves with a, now wheelchair and I happily accepted to help her to be sure she got to ride this ride.
I happily began to push her into the building with her wheelchair and her funny looking doll. But before I could ask about her little doll she shouts out in concern, “But Zach, I don’t have a FastPass for this ride, how come we are going on this side of the line?”. I explained to her that the FastPass line is indeed for those with a FastPass, but it is also for those who may need to get a wheelchair into the building as well, as I pointed out the differences in the lines, (Stairs on the Stand-By and a ramp on the FastPass she turned around in her chair and just smiled at me and still reminded me that she didn’t have a FastPass. I said to her smiling, “While you’re with me, you don’t need a FastPass!” Her face lit up like a child’s face on Christmas Day. It was truly heartwarming to know that something so small to me was something huge to her.
As we proceeded down the Star Corridor she finally began to mention her small little doll, Qui-Gon. Once she said his name it snapped in my head that I recognized the little guy more now, for I am a small Star Wars Fan. She explained to me that she has had him in every picture this week and that Space Mountain was her last picture to complete her photo book she started with her husband in 2004. That part was confusing to me since she mentioned finishing it outside but no husband. She then continued to tell me about how they used to ride all the rides in Disney together and get their pictures taken and how that was one of the best things Disney offered. She then told me that her husband passed away in 2006 and this is her first time back without him and she had to have someone come and be in the pictures with her, so she decided to bring her Qui-Gon doll since her and Frank were Star Wars fans as well.
We finally approached the ride and went through the special gate to the side to get her onto the ride so that I would then take care of her wheelchair. I then returned downstairs to Unload where I awaited her arrival from Space. Here she comes soaring in with a smile on her face and her little doll in her hand. She is wearing the same smile most of the kids wear when they unload.
With her still smiling I helped her into her chair and we went over to the back wall where all the pictures are displayed and she instantly found hers and pointed out to me her doll and how it is a great photo and how she must buy it. At this moment I am so happy that she is happy and her time at my attraction was fun, and then I pulled out a special blue card that I had made up with her name on it while she was riding the ride, and awarded her an Honorary Space Pilot at Space Mountain in Walt Disney World Award. When I presented this to her she began to cry. But not just cry, but laugh and smile. She instantly said aloud, “Frank would have loved this.”. With our encounter almost over, we went up the SpeedRamp together and out into the gift shop where she began to retrieve money from her purse to buy her picture of her and Qui-Gon. I told her that I would be right back just need to ask a question real fast and I snuck away. What I was really doing was going over to the photo area and picking up a surprise for her. Right before we went outside I passed it along to a fellow Space Cast Member and asked them to do me a favor.
I returned to Susan for one last time before returning her outside and to her scooter. She calmly asked if she could go and buy her picture and I jokingly told her no. She looked at me confused. She didn’t understand why she can not purchase her own picture and then I explained to her that the photo machine was having problems today and that it should be fixed later on if you would like to come back and purchase it then. She seemed a bit sad, but she knew she could purchase it later. We returned to her scooter and waiting on her seat was her Magical Moment from me. It was her photograph! She smiled at me and began to cry once more and stood up and gave me the largest hug I have ever received. This is the kind of magic Disney is based on, Guest Service. But to a Disney Cast Member its second nature. WE CREATE HAPPINESS.
To this day I think about her and her little Qui-Gon.
Hands down she was my most favorite Magical Moment I have ever created. I hope you all get to experience a Susan styled Magical Moment!
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is DISTherapy.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Magik Mouse
2nd Stop ~ DIStherapy
3rd Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
Final Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse
3 Disney Parks 24 Hours!
courtesy of DisneyParksBlog
Just seconds ago, a 180-foot-tall Mike Wazowski from the upcoming Disney●Pixar film “Monsters University”made the official announcement that we’re keeping three theme parks open for 24 hours on Memorial Day Weekend, the traditional start of the family travel season, to kick off a Monstrous Summer on both coasts. Wazowski, the loveable green-bodied, one-eyed monster, joins best pal James P. Sullivan (“Sulley”) in the prequel to “Monsters, Inc.”, this summer as college students with hopes of becoming Scarers.
Our first-ever, three-park all-night party is happening at the Magic Kingdom Park in Florida and Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park in California. The parks will stay open from 6 a.m., May 24 to 6 a.m., May 25, 2013, local time.
- In Florida, Magic Kingdom Park will feature a “Monsters University” theme where Mike and Sulley will be the Grand Marshals of the “Celebrate a Dream Come True” day parade and make appearances in Tomorrowland. There will be extra entertainment throughout the day and night, including characters in their pajamas in Town Square during the late night and early morning, and late-night dance parties in and around the courtyard of Cinderella Castle.
- In California, you’ll be able to party the night away at both parks with special entertainment including: a “Monsters University” “TLT Monstrous” Dance Club and Star Wars characters in Tomorrowland and late-night Character Pajama Party in Mickey’s ToonTown at Disneyland park. The new Fantasy Faire Royal Theatre at Disneyland park will become a Royal Dance Hall late at night with a live band and dancing; and guests of Disney California Adventure park will find Monstrous photo opportunities with new “Monsters University” “Dorms” in Hollywood Land and a new “Monsters University” float leading the Pixar Play Parade.
Tonight, the huge sphere of Spaceship Earth was transformed from Disney Parks icon to Disney●Pixar “Eye-con” for the announcement.
All content courtesy of Disney Parks Blog.
Disneyland Bound!
Hey everyone, I know its been a while since my last article but I am finally back to blogging! School is settling down and I finally have time to chat Disney! So lets get this show on the road!!
As you know I have worked in Walt Disney World before and have been a guest several times. I love Disney World for so many reasons. I love that I know where everything is and how everything works. I love that feeling when you walk into Magic Kingdom and you feel at home. There are so many things that I have come to love about Disney World that I never thought I would go anywhere else.
As of this fall myself and two of my friends from working at Walt Disney World decided that we wanted to do something on Spring Break. Many ideas were thrown around and then it hit us, lets go to Disneyland! At first I was kinda like, “Yeah, okay, but really?” since Disneyland did seem fun but kind of a long shot for a vacation to three college kids. Well we discussed details such as hotel rates, plane tickets, park tickets (which I never knew sucked to buy, since I was used to getting in for FREE). Well as soon as we started finding out prices, this actually seemed doable. So all three of us saved up our money and we bought all of our tickets and March 11-19 I will be going to Las Vegas, LA/Burbank, Disneyland and driving to Utah with my two friends.
I never thought I would be going to Disneyland, EVER. I just never thought I would make it out there. Its crazy what you can do when you set your mind to it. I am super excited to see Disneyland, the place where it all started. This will be such a fun and exciting time and I cant wait to share it with all of you.
If you are have not already “LIKED” us on Facebook click HERE to do so and that way you can see all the upcoming pictures and posts from Magik Mouse in Disneyland!
If you have any tips or must-dos in Disneyland please comment below, I’d love to hear them!
Epcot’s UK Phone Booths
Have you ever been in the UK section of Epcot and stopped to get a quick picture with the red phone booths? Did you know that these are actually real live working phone booths? I didnt know that they did work until one day my room mate who left his phone in the car had to get ahold of me to let me know when to meet him for Test Track calls me from an odd number. He says to me, “Hey Zach, Im calling you from England and I would like you to know that the phone booths really do work and Ill meet you at Test Track in 15 minutes.” I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and went to Test Track just to be safe that he was coming. When he arrived I asked him about the call. He told me that he got some dollar bills changed and he made the phone call. I though this was really cool to offer, especially in a situation such as this.
I found this to so neat that afterward i did a little digging and found out not only can you call from the phone booth but you can call the phone booth from your phone! How neat is that? I am going to try this one day and ill make a post about what it was like! If you would like to call them yourself here are the numbers!
Epcot UK Phone Booth Numbers:
- Right Booth: 407 827-9861
- Left Booth: 407 827-9862
- Center Booth: 407 827-9863
Recreation at Walt Disney World
As everyone who visits WDW knows, there are so many things to do. In fact most people dont get to do everything they want on their vacation to Disney. Going to four park and riding ride after ride and trying to eat as much Disney food as you can, there is no wonder why its hard to achieve everything.
One of my Best Friends, Stephani on her Sea Raycer!
As I found out while living in Disney, there is a new thing that I love to do. No its not resort hoping or even hitting up the parks. My newest favorite thing to do in WDW is using what Disney offers as recreation. My favorite type of recreation Disney offers are called Sea Raycers. These are small 1-2 passenger motorized (9.9 HP) boats that you can rent all over WDW property that happens to have waterways for travel.
Other things you can do within the “recreation” category is fish, jet-ski, parasail, rent a pontoon boat and on and on. This is truly a neat experience that gets you away from the monotony of lines and outside and having some fun! My favorite thing to do with the Sea Raycers is to rent them from the Contemporary Resort, (Ive always gone there, I dont know why…?) when you rent the boats from the Magic Kingdom resorts, (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness) you are allowed access to the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom. How freaking awesome is that!! Honestly if you have an extra day of two in Disney, do something with recreation, trust me you will not regret it!
