In addition to the press-related responsibilities with Toy Story Mania, I spent a lot of time with the Dream Squad. Each of the four parks at Walt Disney World (the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) has a team of dynamic, enthusiastic, charismatic cast members who have been hand-selected for these unique positions.
Dream Squad members are the infectiously optimistic and eternally happy (though that describes every Disney Cast M ember I’ve met!) bunch who travel the parks awarding the incredible prizes that are a part of The Year of a Million Dreams. When they aren’t handing out Dream FastPasses (a special lanyard providing instant front-of-queue access), placing a brand-new pair of limited edition Mickey Ears on a lucky guests head, or sharing with a family the once-in-a-lifetime news that they will be spending the night in Cinderella’s Castle, the Dream Squad members head out into the parks searching for ways they can make every guest smile.
I was charmed by each Dream Squad member. They are chosen in part for having incredible personalities. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios Tuesday, Dream Squad member Homer helped me select the two lucky families who would get a sneak peek at Toy Story Mania. More than that, though, he showed me how simple gestures, offering someone directions, sharing a laugh, and going above and beyond the call of duty to be courteous can all make a Disney vacation memorable.
Back to top | Topiaries, Flower Power, and Fireworks
After the Toy Story Mania! Press event Wednesday morning, I met with Epcot’s Dream Squad. I wish I had more pictures with these guys, but we were extremely busy having too much fun and we never stood still long enough to snap a photo! Pete, Dave, Bill, and Todd all embody the energy and creativity that make Disney’s Cast Members special.
At Epcot, I received a special surprise upon being recognized by a guest. I was standing outside of the Rose and Crown having a conversation with a woman about her dinner reservations. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my right pant leg and looked down to see two adorable young girls smiling up at me. "Are you Justin?" the older sister asked. I’m sure I blushed a bit as I told them that I was. I knelt down next to them, asked them their names, and then asked how they new my name. "Oh," this delightful child responded with her eyes opened wide, "we’ve been watching you on the internet!" They asked me to meet their family and I had a wonderful conversation with them all. They were in town from Memphis, Tennessee, had heard about the Chief Magic Official contest and had followed along on the website as they worked on their plans for their vacation. This one simple moment reminded me to never underestimate the impact we can have on other people. You never know how actions, words, or gestures are going to resonate with people, so take every interaction you have as a chance to make a positive impact on someone else.
Ok, now back to the Dream Squad! We made it over to the American Gardens Theatre for the Flower Power concert series (part of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival). The Monkees’ Davy Jones was the feature performer, and we spent time in the crowd interacting with some very excited Davy Jones fans. We struck up some great conversations and even moved a few guests into the VIP seats right next to the stage. One upgraded guest was coincidentally celebrating his 50th birthday! What an absolutely memorable evening!
Later, we provided Illuminations priority viewing to a few lucky guests. I heard so many heart-warming stories of what it feels like to know you made someone’s day even a little bit brighter. Later that evening, still reeling from what had just been the single most thrilling 17-hour working day of my life, I said goodnight to Pete, Dave and their crew and walked out with a deep admiration and appreciation for what they do.
Thursday, I spent a lot of time "backstage" at the Magic Kingdom. One stop was in the Dream Squad HQ. They were in the process of celebrating one of their team members who was moving to a different area. They invited me over for some ice cream and mingling. Their hospitality and infectious energy are still with me today!
Me with the Magic Kingdom Dream Squad. Those smiles are permanent!
I then headed out in the park with Dream Squad member Debby to make some magic happen! First, I met a family who was at Walt Disney World Resort as a part of the Make-a-Wish foundation and discovered that they were from only about 15 miles away from my home town in Pennsylvania.
Next, we selected a young guest from the crowd outside It’s a Small World to be an honorary greeter from the control booth (everyone look up and wave the next time you ride!). Later, we nominated some honorary Lost Boys outside of Peter Pan’s attraction, give them a certificate, and walk them onto the ride.
We then met a delightful family exiting Snow White’s Scary Adventures. They young girl was overjoyed that she was so brave that she wasn’t scared of anything on the ride. To help her celebrate we delivered a special signed certificate sent to her by the Seven Dwarfs as well as special jewel that had been discovered in their mine. Next we came across the same nice family from Memphis that had recognized me at Epcot the day before. It was an all-too-brief visit with the Magic Kingdom Dream Squad, but it included a lot of very happy guests and once again left with a deep admiration for what these wonderful Cast Members do!
On Friday I had the chance to complete the Dream Squad ‘Grand Slam’ hitting my fourth park of four, and follow Kathy at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This is a photo that morning of me, Kathy, and Heath (from the CMO Marketing team!). No matter how many long hours we had worked this week, everyone was still all smiles because it really is such a joy to be around the guests and to know that your goal for the day is to make as many people smile as possible. It’s kind of contagious, actually!
Here again we strolled through the crowd having fun with as many guests as possible. We met one family outside of Dinosaur debating whether they all wanted to ride. The older brother and the grandmother were hesitant, while the mom, dad, and the younger brother wanted to experience attraction. We innocently waved off the three more adventurous members of the family and then whisked the others off for a very special tour. We headed into the "control tower" where Megan – another fantastic Cast Member – showed them how things work behind the scenes of Dinosaur and even encouraged them to follow their family’s prehistoric journey via the 18 different security cameras in the backstage area. It was as much fun for me as it was for them! When all was said and done, we had a very happy family who shared an incredible experience from different points of view!
We next shared a similar experience with a family outside of Expedition Everest. The family in question was a little intimidated about an encounter with a Yeti. After a wonderful conversation and a peek inside the control room where everything is carefully monitored, this family felt more confident about going onto the ride. They had a wonderful experience on Expedition Everest and I am sure the rest of their day was smooth sailing because of their chance to be a part of something very magical.
Later that day, we ran into the same family from Minnesota who had been a part of the Toy Story Mania experience on Wednesday. It was great seeing them again and they were very excited to cross paths with us. They updated us on everything they had experienced since last we met. I was reminded once again how incredible it is to get to know guests, listen to them, take an interest in their vacations, and build these magical memories out of a relationship with them and real desire to see them happy. That, in a nutshell, is the experience you get from Disney Cast Members that you just don’t find anywhere else!
One of the most exciting parts of my first CMO trip was the chance to spend time working with some talented students from Alba-Golden High School. These amazing musicians and young adults had traveled over 21 hours by bus for the chance to march down Main Street as a part of the Magic Music Days program. You might know that many high school bands come down over the course of a year, sometimes three a day. (I am checking on this). For a few hours Thursday I was fortunate enough to see the joy the Magic Kingdom can create through the eyes of some of the most polite, respectful, and endearing students.
If you’ve watched the competition videos from April (which you can still watch here on this site!) you may recall I have a musical connection to Walt Disney World. I had the opportunity to march down Main Street with my high school band December 1995 and later sing at Epcot with my high school chorus in the spring of 1997.
Upon graduating from college with my degree in music education, I served as their band director for a great group of students, and in March of 2002 I cheered my kids as they made their own Disney memories performing during Magic Music Days at the Magic Kingdom.
Much of my passion for the Disney Parks is tied to my memories of performing there and of sharing that experience with my students during that first year of teaching.
The folks at Disney picked up on this very natural connection and went to great lengths to set up a truly memorable opportunity for me. On this trip I once again played a part in the Magic Music Days program and continue a Disney memory that has been 13 years in the making. This time, as CMO, I would finally have the chance to be on the "inside" sharing the magic in a whole new way with students every bit as eager and excited to be there as I was in the mid-90’s.
After meeting the students and their director and learning first-hand from Christie (a Magic Music Days expert!) about what a host and guest talent coordinator does, it was finally time for everyone to get in uniform and step off for the parade. I was given a headset and radio so that I could communicate with the team at "parade central" and more completely understand the level of coordination, teamwork, and detail that goes into pulling off this event multiple times per day. I never cease to be amazed by the people and the passion that I see in everything Disney does.
Even though I’d only known these students for a few hours, I can’t explain the pride I felt marching next to them, seeing the looks on their faces, and guessing at the emotions they were feeling. Some of the kids had never traveled outside their county, let alone visited Walt Disney World. Nothing can describe what it is like to know you are marching down Main Street U.S.A. and to know that the thousands of people lined up on the streets are clapping for you or your students. As we circled around Town Square near the end of the parade route, a huge roar erupted from the Train Station. The parents, chaperones, friends, and even complete strangers who had staked out their spots for the parade (it is a great location to get pictures with the castle in the background!) couldn’t contain their joy and enthusiasm. I don’t think I will ever get tired of the sound of people cheering each other on.
Sadly, like all good things, the parade did have to come to an end. No matter how hot it is or how heavy your uniforms are, you never really want a Magic Kingdom parade to end! After the parade I had the chance to tell part of my story to the students, to talk to them about following their dreams and hopefully inspiring their friends to do the same, and to thank them for being a part of my CMO memories. I passed out limited edition pins, gave some hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back, and then walked them back into the park for the rest of their magical trip. I honestly hope this is not the last time I interact with students from an organization as exceptional as the Alba-Golden High School Marching Band.
Well, that summarizes my very first experience as Chief Magic Official. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for updates from my June trip to the Disneyland Resort!
