‘Tis better to give than to receive. Studies have proven that the happiest people in the world are givers—those people who, even on vacation, are always looking for opportunities to bless others just as they have been blessed. When we’re at a place like Walt Disney World, it’s easy to become a little self-focused. It’s a time when families might be looking for relief from stress at work and the bustle of day-to-day life at a place where we can just sit back, eat some delicious food, ride some fun rides, and enjoy ourselves in the Most Magical Place on Earth.
We’ve talked before on Theme Park Tourist about the best people you meet at Walt Disney World, from kindly grandmothers giving away stickers to Cast Members who are always looking for opportunities to make guests’ days a little brighter. Want to take the magic a step further? We found six ways you can pay the love forward at Walt Disney World and make someone else’s day magical.
1. Give up your seat
Our readers usually have a very vocal response on social media when we mention this one, for good reason. Shouldn’t giving up a seat on a Disney bus or the monorail for the elderly or pregnant women be common courtesy? There’s even signs asking people to do it.
Many an expectant mom and disabled visitors has learned that sadly, this isn’t always the case on Disney transportation. The problem is people are often so focused on their own business (or phones) that we fail to look up and even notice that another guest might desperately need a seat. Maybe we mean well, looking around to see if anyone else is going to step up and do the deed.
Want to become one of the best people you meet at Walt Disney World? Practice being that person who offers to give up their seat.
There’s something rather fun about looking for opportunities to be courteous, and it doesn’t have to stop with just looking to see if anyone elderly or pregnant boards the bus. Maybe it’s the single dad whose little girl fell asleep on his shoulder or the mom juggling three boys. Maybe it’s the young couple who were just married. Even just offering can make someone’s world a little brighter.
Giving up your seat sometimes doesn’t just have to stop on Disney busses, monorails, and friendship boats. Score a really good seat on an attraction that you’ve ridden tons of times? You can offer to switch places with a family who has a small child bursting with excitement to ride the first time. At quick service restaurants, you can flag down patrons searching for a seat and give them your table. No attraction can simulate the joy of showing genuine kindness to another person and giving up your seat is one of the easiest ways to do it.
2. Become pin trading Santa Claus
Pin trading is seriously one of the most addicting activities ever at Walt Disney World. The thrill of the hunt for exclusive pins on Cast Member lanyards, bulletin boards, janitor carts, even for a whopping huge album of pins at Guest Services can’t be underestimated. For parents and kids alike, pin trading is a blast.
Not everyone is aware of Walt Disney World pin trading however, even many veteran guests. Once many small kids figure out what pin trading is, they want to get in on the fun. However, Walt Disney World pin trading starter packs are expensive. Indeed, we usually recommend guests buy pins online rather than purchase starter packs directly at Disney to save money. Many parents just don’t have the funds to splurge on their kids getting their first lanyard or pack.
Want to make some kid’s day crazy magical? With some boundaries, you can plan ahead to always have a spare pin lanyard and some basic trader pins on hand. My mother used to keep a pocket of them just in case we ran across a kid on the bus or monorail who saw her pin lanyard and wished they could join the pin trading game. Always check with the little one’s parents first (many kids are taught not to accept gifts from strangers, for good reason), but if they’re okay with it, you can gift them with a lanyard and/or pin or two so that little prince or princess can start trading. Even just giving a kid their first starter pin can be one of the most magical moments they experience at Disney.
3. Write thank you cards
Image: Disney
This is a seriously cool practice that many veteran guests make a regular part of their Walt Disney World vacation. The next time you visit Walt Disney World, bring a few thank you cards! Some families even have special cards made up with a family vacation picture and a basic note written ahead of time.
There are any number of cool opportunities where you could surprise someone with a thank you card at Disney. The most obvious place is thanking Cast Members who make your day extra magical. You can leave one for the Mousekeeping staff at your resort or with the bill at a table service restaurant after you leave that server a great tip. You could even give them to another guest who shows you a random act of kindness. So many people don’t write thank you cards anymore, you seriously can’t go wrong having a few on hand.
4. Pay for someone’s meal or snack
Image: Disney
One of the favorite practices of people who have caught the “Pay It Forward” fever is to sometimes pay for someone else’s meal, coffee, or snack. It takes a polite, warm personality and a good sense of timing to pull this off. For the men, you don’t want to come off as creepy by insisting to buy a drink for a single girl who might doubt your intentions. Use discretion and don’t force it. Look and listen for natural opportunities to make someone else’s day brighter by paying for something small, and don’t be high-handed and weird about it. Just offer kindly, and don’t require anything of them—no lingering around for obligatory conversation if they just want to get on with their day. This is such a cool blessing when it happens and you realize the person seriously did it purely as a random act of kindness.
If you’re on the Disney dining plan, you have a natural way to pull this off without the awkwardness of trying to stealth-pick-up a bill or fumble with a credit card—offer to buy something for the next person in line using your snack or quick service credits! Unless you eat like a Super Saiyan, you probably will have a few to spare at the end of your trip. It’s a crazy easy way to make someone’s day magical.
5. Pass on a souvenir
Image: amslerPIX, Flickr (license)
Similar to our tip about gifting a trading pin to a young guest, Walt Disney World is full of mini-souvenirs you can give away. Long attraction lines are a great opportunity to do this. You know those stickers Cast Members sometimes hand out that you know you’re never going to use? As with the pin trading tip, check with the kid’s parents, but you can gift it to a little visitor in line. Want a Mickey balloon for photos? Gift it to a family with a little prince or princess! Autograph pens, stickers, and mini Vinylmation toys are all great pass-along souvenirs. Keep an eye out for celebration buttons as these are great excuses to pay something forward!
6. Help a Cast Member get future promotions
In our recent article about Walt Disney World tips directly from Cast Members, we explored a little-known way that guests can give back to the Cast Members who go above and beyond to make Disney magical. On your next vacation, take note of the name and hometown of any Cast Members who spread some extra pixie dust during your vacation. Maybe it’s the server who brought your daughter a free birthday dessert or the show presenter at The Seas with Nemo and Friends who answered all of your burning questions about their rescued manatees.
Before you leave for the day, stop by Guest Relations and fill out a Cast Member appreciation card. We’re all familiar with complaint cards, but these are the opposite. These compliment cards go onto that Cast Member’s record and can actually help them getting better positions working within the parks. If that Cast Member is part of the Disney College Program, these cards can help them get a permanent position with Disney. If you run out of time to stop by Guest Services, you can also email Disney Guest Services using the same channels we described for handling complaints with the parks—only for spreading some magic!
What’s your favorite way to make someone else’s day magical at Walt Disney World?
