"There Really is Still Magic"

I have been really busy with work this past week and haven't had much time for anything else. I had a 12 hour shift, which I thought would be torture, but a lot of my friends were also working that day so it went by pretty fast. I have had some memorable interactions with guests this past week and they also help the long days go by.

A British family of 4 came up to me an hour or two before the park closed because they couldn't find their stroller. The entrance of Spaceship Earth is surrounded by large flower planters where people can leave their drillers while they get on the ride. The only stroller disturbance that I've seen since I've been here was when a squirrel get into the bottom storage part and took off with a small bag of snacks. But this family could not find their stroller even after I suggested they double check both sections just in case someone moved it. I called my coordinator after there was still no sign of the stroller and we chit chatted about their day while we waited for my coordinator to come help. They were the cutest little family, two young girls with curly hair and their parents who told me that they had bought the stroller that morning. They had just flown in from England and this was their first day at Disney. When the dad was describing the stroller to me so we could keep an eye out even after they left, the oldest girl started crying when he mentioned that their souvenir cups were in there and she said that this was the worst holiday ever! He laughed a little when he realized everything he was describing that was in the stroller was pink. They were all so tired and we're getting ready to just leave without it just as my coordinator got there. When he walked up to us and asked what the problem was, the younger girl said "Someone stole my buggie!" in the cutest little British accent and big puppy dog eyes. I felt so bad for them that their stroller was stollen or misplaced because they were soo nice and patient. My coordinator made sure they got some popcorn and soda for the next day at another park and that was all that we could really do. They were so nice even though the first day of their vacation didn't end well. They thanked us over but we never found their pink stroller. I love saying "Someone stole my buggie!" in a British accent and am thankful for guests like them who make my job more fun even when they're not having a good time.

The next guest that made my day/life, I met at a FastPass kiosk while I was helping him make FastPasses for that day. He saw my name tag and said that his daughter was named Paige and that he always knew that if he had a daughter, he would name her Paige. So of course I liked him. We started chatting about his day and how it was his birthday and he was there with some friends to show them Epcot for the first time. I told him that he needed a birthday button to wear for the day. He said that he was a Disney engineer so he has got many buttons from over the years. He wanted his friends to ride Soarin' but the wait is always so long and we were completely out of FastPasses. I had a special paper ticket in my pocket for a group of 5 people to get into a ride of their choice at Epcot and new that this was the perfect group to share it with. I told him that it was for his birthday and for his friends to have a good time. He was so shocked and asked to give me a hug and thanked me over and over! He then told me that it was on his birthday, however many years ago, that it was announced that Disney World would be named after Walt Disney. He said that he was disappointed that he couldn't get into Magic Kingdom that day (because it was so busy with Halloween party guests that they won't let cast members get in when it is super busy) to celebrate his birthday but I made his birthday special. He gave me a hug and then said "There really is still magic." I got chills when I told my friends about it in the break room and this is my very favorite guest interaction I have had so far. Little things like that make working long hours so much more fun!