Disney is known for superior customer service, often rising far above most other companies’ average customer service experience. In my personal experiences, Disney cast members are some of the best in the industry when it comes to assisting guests, helping families experience magical vacations, and providing the services guests of the parks need. At times a cast member will provide “pixie dust”- a little magical “extra” to help make a guest have an extraordinary experience. This pixie dust can be significant- think a room upgrade or small- think a little special attention at a parade, but one thing holds true: Not everyone can get pixie dusted!

If you spend time on Disney forums or Facebook pages, you will see people often sharing the Disney pixie dust they received on vacations. I’ve seen posts of people booking a studio and being upgraded to a two-bedroom villa or booking a stay at a value resort and being upgraded to a deluxe. Inevitably, when someone shares these experiences, there are countless responses below it saying how their family has gone to Disney many times and never received any pixie dust. The comments will flood with examples of amazing ways people have received these extras and people bemoaning that they have never been so lucky.

It is human nature to want to receive these special upgrades, but over time I’ve come to believe that the problem with pixie dust is that people have come to expect it just because some others have been lucky enough to experience it. Let’s face it- no matter what, a Disney vacation is expensive. People often seem to feel that a little “magical extra” should come their way because they spent a lot on the trip. On our last trip, we were staying at Art of Animation in a Little Mermaid room, and I was hoping for a sprinkling of that magic dust to move us up to a family suite. When I didn’t get it, I wasn’t even remotely surprised because I didn’t book one of those rooms. Would it have been nice? Sure. Was I disappointed? Ehhhh, maybe for a minute. Do I begrudge Disney for not sending me pixie dust? No.

One way to soften the blow of seeing others posting these amazing “dustings” they receive when you’ve never been on the receiving end of such luck is to look for the magic within your own vacation. For us, I think of interactions with characters that were truly unique and special or a cast member who made a moment really special for my kids. A cast member on a trip a few years ago helped create a memory our family would never forget. Our daughter, who was three at the time, was able to pull the sword from the stone every time she touched it in Fantasyland, but my son and husband could never make it budge. We still talk about how “strong” our youngest was being able to pull the sword, and it was thanks to this sprinkling of pixie dust that we have this memory.

The fact that Disney goes above and beyond to make magic for guests is both their blessing and their curse. It brings so much joy to many and causes some to feel like they are missing out. While I’ve never had a room upgrade or any truly special treatment that would be considered “pixie dust” to many, we’ve had so many magical moments during our trips that create a lifetime of memories. Pixie dust isn’t about getting something for free- it’s about finding the magic in the small moments. Every trip we’ve gone on has had something special happen- something small that keeps our family hooked and wanting more. These small, special moments are the pixie dust that keeps us coming back year after year.