I was talking with the employees about how it’s the little
things that really make the biggest impact on our guests. Just taking the time
to go out of your way to do something to make a guest smile can really make
someone’s experience. Many of them chirped up at this idea and said that most
people just want to be compensated monetarily with free breakfasts, free
internet and money off their room rates. While I agreed that some people may
want that kind of compensation, depending on the issue, making a big impact
doesn’t need to be expensive. It fact, it doesn’t need to cost anything at all.
I told the employees a story about my time at Disney. I was
hosting the early morning Keys to the Kingdom tour and was prepping my audio
devices backstage. (On the Keys to the Kingdom tour, tour guides, like myself,
would use microphones and the guests would have headsets so they could hear the
guide easily as they walked through the park. This also helped the tour guide
tremendously because it allowed the guide to not lose their voice on a daily
basis from needing to scream over the sometimes very noisy crowds.) Just as I
was walking onstage to pass out my devices and introduce myself to the guests,
the Tour Coordinator Matt stopped me, “Kristen, we need to talk with you
quickly.” Matt pulled me into an empty City Hall where one of the Guest Service
Managers was waiting for us. “Is everything okay?” I asked timidly. “We have a
bit of a concern with your tour today,” started the manager nervously twirling
one of her brown curls. Matt jumped in with urgency in his voice, “There’s a
guest who is hearing impaired and she said she had informed central
reservations that she needed an American Sign Language translator for the tour.”
Having worked at Disney for over a year, I had picked up a little ASL from some
fellow Cast Members, but being able to sign “welcome,” “thank you,” and “hello”
wasn’t going to get me very far. The GSM stepped to my side and placed her hand
on my right shoulder. Staring into my face, she sighed and spoke to me in a
soft serious tone, “Kristen, the audio devices won’t work for this guest, but
she can read lips. Do you think you’d be able to make the tour work?” I exhaled
with relief. That was all it was? I let out a goofy giggle and informed the
team that everything would be just fine.
The guest, Beverley, was visiting with
her husband. The couple was in their late 60s and explained they had always
loved Walt Disney World but were nervous to do any of the special tours due to
her disability. I asked Beverely a few questions about how I could ensure she
had a great experience on the tour and figured out some easy adjustments I
could make. I still used the audio devices, but made sure Beverely was next to
me when I was talking so I could look straight at her face so she could read my
lips. Before we went into any attractions, I made sure we talked about the
history and fun facts before we went inside. And Beverley also let me know that
I could tap her on her shoulder whenever I started talking so she knew to look
at me. To me, it was no inconvenience whatsoever to make these tiny
adjustments. The rest of the group didn’t seem to even notice. At the end of
the tour, Beverley thanked me profusely for the magical experience. I signed
Beverly “thank you” and wished the couple a very enjoyable vacation. A few
weeks later, my Area Director pulled me into his office and presented me with
one of the most amazing mementos from my time at Walt Disney World.
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