A few years ago one of our young Guests at Walt Disney World presented this poem in a scroll to Fred Apfel, one of our awesome Bus Drivers. Enjoy!….Lee
‘Twas a few weeks before Christmas
And all through my house
My parents were busy preparing
For our trip to see the Mouse.
Our stockings and socks were folded
And, along with shorts, lay on the bed
While visions of Tink
Danced around in my head.
When suddenly my Dad asked
“Who do you think
Is the best Character at Disney
Better than Mickey or Tink?”
I thought for a moment
About Donald, Goofy, and Pooh
‘Course there’s all the Princesses
And all the Villains too!
My Dad asked again
As he closed the suitcase with a click
“Well, who always makes sure
Your trip is filled with pure magic?”
“Cast Members!” my sibling and I said with a shout
“They are the ones who are always so busy about.”
They check us in
Make the food
Staff the shops
Cut the grass
Why they even developed the idea of FASTPASS®.
Cast Members handle Characters
Drive a boat, monorail, or bus
And Mousekeeping takes care of our room
Without ever making a fuss.
My Dad said all Cast Members are great
But some go out of their way
To make sure that my trip is magical
So I’ll never forget my stay.
So I give you this scroll
Because you’re the best of the best
You went above and beyond
You exceeded the rest.
Thanks for making my trip something I will always remember!!
From Lee:
Make sure you are creating a culture and enviroment in your organization where this kind of service is given by everyone on your team. Your team will not be committed to you until they are sure you are committed to them.
What are you doing to make them feel special? What are you doing to give the appreciation, recognition and encouragement…..Happy Holidays Everyone…..Lee
As a future Magic Maker (Disney College Program 2010), I must say that this is such a fantastic poem. It really showcases everything a Cast Member works towards. I can imagine being the cast member that received this poem; This is the absolute best way I can think of to gain the approval of a Guest for a job overly well done. This really makes me even more excited about going to work at the happiest place on earth; To know that Guests will go above and beyond themselves, to show you that you made their stay.
Thank You for posting it, Lee, and Happy Holidays!
Dan
Lee,
What a great example! One of my moments like this was when a young girl and her family checked out of Pop Century. Each day they would stop by Guest Services to talk about Lizzie Maquire and their hunt to find Lizzie merchandise around the resort.
That last day they presented me with a personal collection of trading pins and a nice card thanking me for pointing them in the right direction and helping their little girl with her Lizzie-mania quest.
To this day the pins are arranged on a display board in my office and you wrote me a letter with your personal pin thanking me for making the magic.
Excellent service and leadership is bred at Disney… but I use it each day now that I am no longer a Cast Member.