I know I have only been at Caribbean Beach for a short time but I had the best experience in the world. About a week ago or so, I was in the Aqua Play Area part of my rotation. This area is for children who are 48 inches tall or shorter, so it is for younger kids. It is my favorite stand to be on because we have the freedom of interacting with the guests and playing in the water.
Our APA consists of a pirate ship that has crashed. There are a total of three waterslides coming off of the shipwreck along with a big barrel that dumps water every 75 seconds. It also has a number of water features such as fountains, hoses, and spouts. It is nearly impossible to stay dry when brave enough to venture too close.
There was a day last week when the resort was hopping with families with younger children so the APA was constantly busy. When I rotated into the area, it started out like any other rotation in there. It soon changed into a rotation I will never forget. There was this family in the area playing in the water that consisted of a grandmother, a mother, and a little boy about three or four years old. The little boy was racing down the little slide every chance he got. He would splash down the slide and, as quickly as he could, run back up the structure to do it again. He did this for a good 15 minutes, just while I was there.
You could tell he really wanted to try the bigger slide though because he started to pause at the top of the ship trying to decide whether or not he should climb a little higher. Eventually he built up the courage to make it to the entrance of the big slide. He stood at the top calling down to his grandma and his mom, asking them to come up there and help him. His grandma came over to me asking if his mom could go down the slide with him just once. I, unfortunately, had to say no because those were the rules. The grandma understood and went to break the news to her grandson.
The little boy began to cry at the top of the slide and threw a little temper tantrum. His mom told him that they were going to leave since he was so upset. He came down from the top and headed over to their belongings still very upset. I was observing this entire scene and I felt really bad because I could tell how much he really wanted to try the big slide. So, I had an idea!
I went over to my stand and opened the first aid kit. Here, we keep little figurines of different Disney characters to hand out on various occasions, like an injury. I took out a Mickey Mouse figurine and by this point the little boy and his family were just about packed up and headed toward the gate to leave. I went over to the grandmother and pulled her aside. I showed her the Mickey and asked what the little boy's name was. She told me it was Tate so I called him over and asked him if he really wanted to go down the big slide. He said he did. I then told him I had a little surprise for him and that it would help him go down the slide.
His face immediately lit up and his eyes grew wider. I opened my hand and Mickey was inside. I handed him the Mickey and said to Tate, "I want you to have this Mickey Mouse. He is going to help you go down the slide. You can keep him in your pocket and he can be your ride buddy." Tate was so excited and opened up the little pocket on his swim trunks and put Mickey there. He smiled at me and said, "thank you."
His grandmother turned to me, also with a big smile on her face and said, "Thank you so much." She also said to me that Tate had just celebrated his birthday the day before and that it was his first time in Disney. I just smiled and said, "Well I hope you are enjoying your time here." She replied with a big yes and said goodbye.
The next day I was back in APA when Tate returned to the pool. Him and his grandmother recognized me and came up to me to let me know Mickey Mouse was still in his pocket. A few minutes later Tate was going down the big waterslide with a smile on his face. I did not see him go down the little waterslides once in the whole 30 minute rotation while I was there. It made me so happy knowing that I had made that little boy's day all because of a little Mickey Mouse. It made me so excited, that it was the first thing I told my roommates and friends when I saw them that night.
My managers found out about what I did and recognized me as demonstrating the "Four Keys" of Disney. These "Four Keys" are the foundation for all that Disney does and they consist of "Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency." I got a little award from them stating that I demonstrated "Courtesy." I was not expecting anything like that at all so it just made my day even better.
Moments like these are what makes me love Disney so much and now I get to create that magic for guests like Tate. I still cannot believe that I am here providing magic to our guests. It doesn't matter what age the guest is, they still feel the magic Disney and their Cast Members create. I know Tate and his grandmother were touched by the simple little gesture I did and it makes me so happy. This is a moment I will never forget.
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