How To: Thank a Cast Member

We are halfway through the week my friends, we will be sailing into the weekend here in just a few short days and I don't know about you but I am so ready for the weekend to be here! 

Today, I started thinking about all of those amazing and truly excellent Cast Members (CM's) that go above and beyond during all of my trips to Disney. Everyone knows that Disney prides themselves on having the best customer service and if you've been to a resort, park, or restaurant you have surely felt nothing but welcome and overjoyed at the service you receive. 

Did you know that many of the CM's work a 10 to 12 hour shift daily and in the summer it can easily reach upwards of 95 to 100 degrees?!? These CM's are always in character and ready to please though and so today I wanted to talk about how you can thank a CM that goes above and beyond for you or your family when you are on vacation. 

1. Offer them your sincere thanks to any cast member you never know when Pixie Dust may fall upon you! - Remember these CM's many times work 10 to 12 hour shifts and I don't know about you but I would be mighty tired after working a 10 to 12 hour shift in the parks. I always make it a point to give a sincere thank you to any CM I see, you never know when they need it. Just a simple sincere thank you can go so far to them! It's how many of them get through their day! 
2. Make conversation with them - CM's love to tell their story and many of them have a specific story line to keep in the park as well. Do not try and make them break character they won't! However, what you can do is ask them about themselves. Each CM wears a name badge that states their name and where they are from. Find a CM that's from your state? Chat with them about it. These CM's are happy to have conversations with you and in fact welcome it. It creates lasting memories as well not only for you but for them. 
3. Create thank you cards before you go to the parks and when you find a cast member that has gone above and beyond give them a personalized thank you card! They will love these mementos and will happily accept them. 
4. Visit guest services at the entrances of the park and tell them about your experience - Guest services loves to hear about CM's that go above and beyond and will ask you to fill out a card so they can give it to the manager of the CM. These cards called 4Keys Cards are not only given to the manager but also entered in drawings for prizes and money for the CM's that receive them. The cards also go into their permanent record with Disney. 
5. At Epcot ask any CM from that country to sign your guest book - They will sign it and also sign it in their language giving you a personalized autograph book that not many others can say they have. It also delights the CM to sign an autograph book as many of these CM's are not "costumed characters" and would otherwise never sign an autograph book. 

What ideas do you have to thank the CM's on your next vacation? Comment below and let me know! 

As always, if you are looking into a Disney vacation or are ready to book contact me today so we can start planning your vacation. My services are always 100% free to utilize and I give you the customer service from Disney that you know and love. Let's chat!!