The Ride Delegate: Memoir of a Walt Disney World VIP Tour Guide by Annie Salisbury

Author:Annie Salisbury [Salisbury, Annie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: disney world, vip tour, cinderella, magic kingdom, epcot
Publisher: Theme Park Press
Published: 2014-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

23

There was something magical about being paid to push a stroller around World Showcase on a warm spring day with a slight breeze. I was elated every time guests made the independent decision to stop and get something to eat from one of the little outdoor food carts, because that meant I had maybe four minutes to buy all the German pretzels I could manage and shove them into my little black tour bag for later. Sometimes there was a cheese booth set up. I was getting the cheese fondue platter in Germany for free and that was magical enough for me.

Often I’d find myself strolling, with a stroller, through World Showcase early in the afternoon, after just having finished up a lunch somewhere with my guests, and it was so peaceful and just nice. Mom and Dad would usually trail behind me, holding hands and talking to one of their children, while I entertained the one in the stroller, pointing out hidden Disney touches in the countries. I always find people describe EPCOT as the true park in the family of theme parks, because there’s so much space to spread out and just sit and enjoy the weather and maybe some gelato.

But these nice moments never lasted long. By the time we made it to Japan, little Sally would be screaming like she was being skinned alive because she had been denied a patriotic themed Minnie plush, and the peaceful idea of sauntering around World Showcase was nothing more than a passing dream. I constantly had International Cast Members judging me because it was most definitely my fault that I brought a shrieking child into their pavilion.

Not all of my tours involved screaming children in faux countries. A majority of my tours were actually awesome tours, and I was always sad to leave a family at the end of the day. I found it hard to bond with families I was only with for six hours, because they were focused on getting in, riding all the rides, and getting out. There was no downtime for chitchat. However, with tours that would span all day, from breakfast to fireworks, or tours that went across multiple days, it was like I had been adopted into a surrogate family. Some families insisted I eat every meal with them, because I was part of their family now.

I did, though, have one family who told me I reminded them of their Aspen ski instructor, but the difference between the two of us lay with the fact that I ate lunch with them that afternoon. I guess the ski instructor never did.

It was always sad leaving a family that I really liked at the valet because I never knew if I was going to see them again. Sure, we had exchanged emails and the kids had found me on Facebook, but I wondered if they would take a trip down to hang out with me again. One dad told me they only took Disney vacations

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