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Celebration Buttons This is a free bit of magic you can take home with you! Celebration buttons can be found in all of the parks and there are a variety of them, including one for birthdays, anniversaries and 1st visits! They also have blank ones that simply say ‘I’m celebrating,’ which allows you to write what you are celebrating for. ...

Character meet and greets are a great way to add a little extra magic to your trip. Whether it’s a face or fur character, the interactions are always incredibly special and make for some wonderful stories when you return home. While you can meet your regular favorites in Hollywood Studios, such as Mickey and Minnie, there are also some characters ...

As a former cast member and a current annual passholder, I have learned quite a bit about what to bring during my trip to Disney World. While you can get most anything in the parks, there are still some things you should have readily available to you that will make your trip a lot smoother and comfortable as the day ...

9. Visit friends who are working Chances are a cast member who is off and playing in Magic Kingdom knows at least one CM who is working, and they will always go to visit them. Cast members love getting visitors at work, and who better than a friend who also works for Disney? Plus, they get to take pictures of ...

10. Chill in the hub grass When I was a cast member, hanging out on the hub grass with Starbucks was the thing to do and I know many other cast members who do the same thing! If you ever see a group of people on the hub grass with Starbucks and they’re taking a lot of pictures, they are ...

5. Meet characters Meeting characters is the highlight of any trip to the parks, and for a cast member this also rings true. They especially love going to meet Mickey Mouse, especially since he’s the boss man. Cast members love meeting face characters too—especially Gaston. You’ll probably see groups of girls going to meet him and I promise you it’s ...

6. Ride their favorite ride Whether it’s Space Mountain or the Peoplemover, cast members love riding their ride over and over when it’s their day off in the park. Chances are they made a fastpass for it, too, just to make sure they got to ride it at least once. They also don’t mind waiting in line because they get ...

7. Watch Wishes Cast members love closing out the park and getting to watch Wishes. In my opinion, it’s the most inspiring and magical nighttime show Disney has to offer, and many CMs gather in groups to watch it on their nights off. Also, if you ever see a group of people watching Wishes and crying, it’s because their Disney ...

8. Watch Festival of Fantasy When I was a cast member, going to Magic Kingdom just to watch Festival of Fantasy was something I did often. It’s the best parade Disney World has, and there is no better way to spend a day off than blowing kisses to Flynn Rider and waving to Mickey Mouse. This is another thing that ...

1. Pin trade Some cast members get to pin trade depending on their job, but it’s still fun to pin trade as a guest! Merchandise and custodial cast members usually have pins on them, making it very easy to go from one cast member to the other in search of the pin you need to finish your set.