I worked at Walk Disney World the first year it was open, making me an original cast member. One day when I was working in the transportation department, a male Trammie and I were assigned to drive the Magic Kingdom to Contemporary Resort Hotel route. The male Trammie drove, while I spieled on the back of the tram (in those days, we spoke live on every drive).
We had just dropped a family of four off at the Contemporary Resort and picked up a little African American boy. He sat in the middle seat of the middle car; he was alone. As we drove the five-minute drive to the Magic Kingdom (which we called “The Mouse House”), I kept telling myself that the kid looked familiar. I spieled my heart out, telling our one passenger the most up-to-date information about the Magic Kingdom.
Halfway to the Mouse House, I realized who the kid was. When we arrived, I got off the back of the tram and walked to where the boy was seated. At the same time, the Trammie driver got out of the cab and walked back to where our guest was. The driver had recognized him, as well.
I said, “Okay, we’re here.” (It was hard to tell we had arrived due to where the tram was now parked.) The kid got off the tram and said, “Oh, okay. Thanks.” We talked to him for a few minutes, when I asked, “Do your parents know you’re going into the park alone?’
He replied, “Oh, yes, ma’am. We find it works better that way because people don’t expect me to be alone.” [I was 18 years old and he was calling me “ma’am!”] I said, “Yes, well, there’s security all over the park.” He replied, “Yes ma’am, we know all about security.” There was that use of the word “ma’am” again! I wished him well and told him I hoped he had a good day. And I knew, from that day to this, that I would always have the story of how the passenger on my tram was . . . Michael Jackson.
Best,
Dr. Sheri