2. The person who gives up their seat for another guest

Most seasoned Disney guests have probably had an unpleasant experience (or two… or ten…) on Disney transportation. The bustle of crowds can turn the best of us into human cactuses and the worst into Mad Max reenactors.  By and large, most Disney guests do their best to be polite while sharing transportation, but there is one type of guest who put us all on notice that there’s still good in the world.

These are guests who give up their seat on a bus, ferry, or monorail for the elderly, pregnant or nursing moms, or for other visitors with special needs. Now, some of you may be reading this and saying, “That’s not magical. That’s just common courtesy. It’s even written on signs!”

And for that, we salute you.

Seriously, there is a temptation towards self-centeredness that overtakes some guests when they hit a place like Disney World. Many just put their noses down, try not to make eye contact, and never engage with another parkgoer, even one who may really, really need a seat on a standing-room only bus. When young men and women—and especially when older men and women, who have no requirement to be so courteous—step up to offer their seat to a mom juggling three kids and a baby, it can melt your heart. It makes you want to be the next one to stand up and do the same. It’s hard to wipe the smile off your face when you see people being truly nice to each other, and these are the type of people we’re all proud to share space with at Disney World.

3. The extra-magical cast member

We’ve focused on park guests so far, but I do want to draw attention to one group of cast members. While all cast members contribute to the Disney experience, there are some who go above and beyond to make guests’ vacations magical.

It may be the cast member from your hometown who knows that one really obscure taco shop only the locals know. It could be the kiosk lady at Wilderness Lodge who knows literally everything about pin trading and can keep you engaged in wonder with stories about rare specimens she’s come across over the years. It could be the super-creepy bellhop who loads you onto the Tower of Terror, staying in ghostly character with such macabre commitment that he has the whole car in stitches with his glowering eyes and deadpan humor. Maybe it’s your hilarious hostess or server at Jungle Navigation Company Skipper Canteen wowing you with tales of the back end of water and the ”Great Wall of China”.

Tee-hee-hee...

I recall one time, we were watching a demonstration with the dolphins at The Seas at Epcot. At the end of the presentation, my mother and I asked a few questions and ended up in a great discussion with one of the dolphin trainers. Maybe it was because she saw the birthday celebration buttons in our party, but she invited us and our whole family to come upstairs to meet the dolphins and learn more about their training. We even got to hear about how their studies are helping to reveal how dolphins sleep with only one half of their brain active at a time. It was unforgettable.

These are the cast members who don’t just do their daily job making Disney an immersive experience—they become part of that magic for guests every day.