We always say that some of the best experiences are the ones you don’t plan! And let’s face it, planning is really important when it comes to a vacation at Walt Disney World. But, alas, Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate in central Florida.
We had a VERY well-defined plan for Magic Kingdom Park on this trip and of course, that meant being at the park before it even opened. A torrential downpour was not on our list of things to experience! We decided our best move was to take shelter in the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary Resort and have a good breakfast and our essential morning cup of joe.
From the minute we walked into the Contempo Cafe, we noticed a leader being extra attentive to guests and working in the trenches with her team. She was so accommodating to us and offered to bring our drinks to our table (this was a quick service restaurant, so that is not really necessary). She noticed our “work” shirts, and this started a conversation about how grateful she was that we were there visiting and would be sharing our positive experience with our clients. We learned that her name is Jill, and she has been in food and beverage services at Disney for 25+ years. She was radiating with pride talking about her job and how things were still very magical and wonderful there. We told her that our goal that day was to try all of the Christmas themed snacks that we could. She then insisted that we try ALL of the featured Christmas snacks offered at the Contemporary. Not only did she bring us four treats to try, she even brought us display plates from another restaurant for our photos! Jill could not have been “sweeter.”
As if this was not enough, suddenly Head Pastry Chef Jeff appeared at our table! He too expressed how glad he was to be preparing treats again for guests. We chatted for awhile about his background and career and asked some burning questions we had about Disney desserts! He asked if we had ever had the cookies & cream monorail cupcakes, and we said that we had not. He told us to stay put and returned a few minutes later with three of the special cupcakes he has created exclusively for restaurants at the Contemporary! At this point, we were completely blown away and spoiled, but of course, they acted like this was just a normal day of doing what they love: connecting with guests.
Full of sweets and thrilled from an experience that, in Disney speak, is referred to receiving “pixie dust,” we just kept coming back to two things that kept shining through. First, the Disney cast members were unbelievably grateful to be back serving guests. They were so happy we were there and were promoting travel to Walt Disney World Resort. And second, they were committed to making magical moments and happy memories for guests, despite how this year has gone.