Mickey's Cast Member Memories at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

Today, we have a very special guest post from Disney InsidEAR Sarah Orr.  She shares with us an exceptional Cast Member story and why it's a great idea to let guest relations know when you've had phenomenal service at Disney.  

Have you ever written a letter of thanks to Mickey about a Cast Member at Walt Disney World who went the extra mile and put a smile on your face?  Maybe you have mentioned an outstanding Cast Member in one of those surveys you received after returning from your vacation.  Or perhaps you took the time to send an email or to fill out a card at Guest Services in the parks about a Cast Member who went above and beyond their job description to help make your day a memory that will last forever.  If you have, your words of gratitude just may end up in the Walt Disney World Cast Member newspaper, Eyes & Ears. 

Over at the Disney Parks InsidEARS website's beta test we get to hear these fun and memorable stories about outstanding Cast Members who make us want to return to Walt Disney World year after year.

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney's Beach Club Resort is one of my favorite places to eat in Walt Disney World, so I couldn't resist sharing this latest story from Community Manager Marissa's column called "Mickey's Mailbag." (I hope I can get through this while my mouth is drooling from the thought of those Oreos, hot fudge and brownies inside that famous Fudge Mudslide sundae in the photo.)

Here is the excerpt from the Cast Member newspaper, Eyes & Ears, where a Guest tells about a Cast Member who has become a part of their family vacation memories over the past several years! 

Jay, an Eyes & Ears writer, tell us the story of Mel and Maria and their memorable meeting.

Family Memories, Fudge Mudslides & Maria

When Mel and her family arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort for their annual vacation, they know what one of their first stops will be: Beaches & Cream Soda Shop.

The Spring Hill, Tenn., residents love the foods and treats found at the old-fashioned ice cream parlor at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, but they love seeing Maria just as much. Maria is a Food & Beverage server who has left an indelible impression on the family, especially their two girls.

Mel wrote to say that during the past 12 years, family members have found themselves spending more and more of their two- to three-week Orlando vacations at the Disney parks because of Cast Members such as Maria.

“Over the past five to six years, we have been fortunate enough to be waited on by Maria nearly every time. She always provides outstanding service and remembers our girls, which is amazing to me considering how many people she must see over the course of a year. Maria makes a point to talk with them about the fun they are having and goes out of her way to make them feel special.”

Indeed, she has almost become a fixture each time the family visits.

“Our girls now look forward to seeing Maria as much as they do getting their favorite dessert, a fudge mudslide. During our last trip … when the girls saw Maria, they ran up

to her and began hugging her. It was obvious she remembered them, and I could even see a tear well up in her eyes. That was one of the most special moments of our trip and one the girls still talk about. They can’t wait to go back next year and see Maria again.”

Mel said that while they have visited some other attractions in the Orlando area, they now spend about 95 percent of their time at the Walt Disney World Resort.

“Other parks simply don’t compare to the experience we get at Disney … .

“We love the memories we build at Disney and wanted you to know that Maria is a part of the memories our girls will always have about their Disney vacations.”

Thank you to Community Manager Marissa at Disney Parks InsidEARS for sharing this story with us from Eyes & Ears! 

Thanks Sarah for sharing your article with us here.  If you would like to read more of Sarah's work, please check out her blog called View from the Parlor:  Live, Give and Travel.

What is your favorite Cast Member Story?  Make sure to share it in the comments OR on our Facebook page.