A new test to enhance the guest experience at Walt Disney World has started at the Magic Kingdom. It introduces a new group of cast members, known as the Guest Experience Team, that are available to assist guests with maximizing their opportunities for fun in the park. Look for them near giant blue blocks with the Guest Experience Team logo on them.
A Guest Experience Team cast member is available to answer basic questions about the park providing recommendations on rides, shows, how to get around, and make a dining reservation. They’re also available to help with making and modifying Fastpass+ selections, navigating the My Disney Experience app, and managing your Magic Bands and other ticket media.
This team of cast members wears blue shirts with the Guest Experience Team logo on them. They can be found by a special Guest Experience Team booth. The day we saw the booth it was located in Tomorrowland by the Stitch fastpass machines. Other locations include Main Street USA near the castle, in Frontierland by Pecos Bill Cafe, and in New Fantasyland near Enchanted Tales with Belle.
Disneyland had a central guest assistance center in the hub and it was always a great place to stop by if you had a quick question about wait times, attraction restrictions, or just where to get a quick snack in the park.
I find it a little odd that Disney isn’t staffing these Guest Experience locations with Guest Relations Cast members. They do everything listed above, and more. If a Guest Experience Team cast member can’t help a guest, that guest then has to go wait in line again at Guest Relations, that’s time they could have been doing something fun in the park.
It’s also a bit concerning that Disney finds so many guests aren’t able to figure out Fastpass+, dining reservations, and the My Disney Experience app, that Disney feels they have to offer support in the park. As experienced Disney theme park visitors know, the time for assistance with the above is months before you arrive at the park before your window for booking opens. By the time you get to the park, almost all of the good times and attractions are gone. Something is wrong with any system that breaks down in ways like this.
Finally, no Guest Experience Team cast member is going to be able to get you a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train fastpass if you didn’t already book it weeks ahead. I’m curious what the guest recovery solutions this team has at its fingertips.
This test is expected to run through mid-January. Is it a service you think you’ll need to use?