Cast Events to a Quinjet Landing: An Adventurous First Month for the Global Disney Ambassador Team
Originally published at Disney Parks News
It has been a month since the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1!
The global Disney Ambassador team officially started their term of spreading Disney magic and sharing #DisneyCastLife stories. Here is a small glimpse of what the team has been up to.
Walt Disney World – Ali Manion & Raevon Redding
While we first put on our Ambassador pins in June 2021, the first “official” month of our Ambassador term was filled with tons of EARidescent excitement. Cast member fun as we continued celebrating “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” at Walt Disney World Resort.
And what better way to kick off the new year than with the return of Goofy’s Mystery Tour – the zaniest, brainiest, and wackiest event at Walt Disney World Resort. Created exclusively for our cast. During this year’s event, teams of cast members took a walk down memory lane. With 100 Disney-inspired trivia questions, 12 puzzles, and one final mystery challenge. Celebrating the magic and wonder of the past 50 years of Walt Disney World Resort. Congratulations to everyone who participated and especially our winning teams!
Disneyland Paris – Carmen Lleó Badal & Quentin Rodrigues
A lot happened in Jan., but looking back two events stick out the most: our 30th Anniversary digital press conference. And the arrival of the Quinjet at the construction site of the Avengers Campus at Walt Disney Studios park!
With our 30th Anniversary just around the corner, Carmen had the chance of presenting the live Q&A session. That followed the big revelations. Among many other surprises, we were able to discover the new anthem for the celebrations. A new sequence with drones during “Disney Illuminations” and the new costumes for Mickey and his friends!
A few days later, both of us joined our fantastic Walt Disney Imagineering team. Fellow cast members to enjoy an epic and historical moment with the landing of the Quinjet at Avengers Campus! We were lucky enough to be part of it and are very excited about the land’s opening this summer!
Tokyo Disney Resort – Mika Ogasawara
I represented the cast in attending the Coming of Age Ceremony held at Tokyo DisneySea for the local community. In Japan, when young men and women turn 20, they are celebrated in a ceremony to welcome them into adulthood. The new adults dress up in their finest traditional attire. Spend a wonderful and memorable time with their friends and family. This year’s Coming of Age Ceremony marked the 21st time that it was held at Tokyo Disney Resort.
To the nearly 2,000 new adults, I gave an address that included a few of Walt’s quotes. Urged them to be brave and take on any and all challenges in life. And my hope is that the memories of this Coming of Age Ceremony will forever shine in their hearts and serve as a motivating force in their daily lives.
Shanghai Disney Resort – Phoebe Jiang & Witty Zhang
As Shanghai Disney Resort’s newest Ambassadors, we officially started on Jan. 1, and it has already been such a fun and busy first month. We started with a bang on the first day of our term (and the New Year!) hosting a festive Club 33 New Year’s Day event, followed by one of our biggest cast events, the Annual Town Hall. It was an unforgettable moment, sharing our enthusiastic gratitude with 1,200 of our fellow cast members.
We were also honored to participate in a special event recognizing the hard work of three of our resort’s service dogs. We had so much fun presenting our furry cast members with their 5-year service pins and of course, plenty of yummy treats. And finally, to highlight the importance of giving back to our communities during the holiday season, we joined 60 Disney VoluntEARS in packaging 1,300 Disney-themed Lunar New Year gifts to share the magic with our community members in need.
Disneyland Resort – Nataly Guzman & Mark Everett King Jr.
When we were selected as Disney Ambassadors, we knew that we would be witnesses to historic, once-in-a-lifetime moments, and within the first month of our term, we had the honor of being a part of a special ceremony honoring the founder of The Walt Disney Archives and Disney Legend, Dave Smith. A passionate historian and archivist, his legacy was commemorated with a window on Main Street, U.S.A.; the first to be dedicated at the Disneyland Resort since 2013.
Hong Kong Disneyland – Lily Chan & Tony Dick
The feeling was surreal when we got to wear the famous Ambassador pin on our first day. It was a day of many firsts, which culminated in tears of joy and feelings of gratitude. On that day we came in early, attended a magic role call with some of our leaders then hopped onto a beautiful taxi ride with Mickey and Minnie. Escorted by the talented Hong Kong Disneyland Band, we rode out to the main gates and joyfully welcomed our guests on the first day of the year. Later that day we rode down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Grand Marshall to the applause of guests, friends, and family. We are so grateful for all our new friends who made our first day even more special with their presence.
In the following weeks when the park was required to temporarily close, we visited different locations to greet our cast members and guests. We also gave care packages to each of our cast members which included symbols of good health, perseverance, and cheer, to let them know they have our support. The response was very positive and we were so grateful to see all those happy faces! We intend to continue to cultivate our “cast first” environment because as we all know, that’s where the Disney magic begins.
For more on the Disney Ambassadors and other #DisneyCastLife stories, follow the Disney Ambassador teams on Instagram.
@DisneylandAmbassador | @WDW.Ambassador | @DLPAmbassador | @HKDLAmbassador
