By Jill Chabot
Disney Files Magazine is pleased to introduce “Membership Magic Makers,” a new series of profiles shining a spotlight on one of the most meaningful pillars of Membership Magic – the Disney Vacation Club Cast Members who help Members stay magical year after year. This installment’s spotlight shines on Susan Tagalicod, a Disney Vacation Club Member Experience Specialist whose own Disney dreams began by watching the original Disney dreamer.
Growing up near Cocoa Beach, Fla., away from the West Coast grandeur of Disney Parks and production studios, a timely Sunday tune-in to watch “The Wonderful World of Disney,” hosted by Walt Disney himself, was enough to kindle Susan’s love of Mickey Mouse.
Then, in 1971, a flurry of pixie dust (and miles of drainage canals) transformed the swamplands of Central Florida into The Most Magical Place on Earth. As if no time had passed, Susan remembered the moment she first heard “Uncle Walt” (who she once believed was her actual uncle) describe the newest Disney destination to the world.
“There he was, standing in front of a big map, pointing to Florida,” Susan reminisced. “I couldn’t believe they were building a theme park in my backyard. And I remember thinking, ‘Uncle Walt is doing this for me.’”
While that “Florida Project” came to be Walt’s final dream, it was just the beginning of Susan’s. And while Susan and her family would move away from Florida shortly after visiting Magic Kingdom Park during its grand opening year, their move was to California, where her Disney career ultimately began.
Across nearly 12 years, Susan has made Disney magic on both the East and West Coasts through roles with The Walt Disney Travel Company, Disney Stores and, now, here at Disney Vacation Club.
Susan is part of a pilot program through which four specially chosen Cast Members find creative ways to elevate Members’ vacations in proactive, personalized fashion. Whether helping a Member family plan a reunion or mark a major milestone, celebrate a new addition or honor a lost love, these problem-solvers and magic-makers are driven to surprise and delight.
“I am just a small link in a very large chain of magic, but I love being that link,” Susan said. “We put on our mouse ears and take that extra step to give Members that magical feeling.”
Susan says that building genuine, meaningful connections, coupled with her own firsthand experiences as a Disney Vacation Club Member, allows her to bridge the gap between Cast and Member year after year.
“To me, ‘welcome home’ is more than just a greeting,” Susan beamed. “On one hand, it is the years of memories and laughter that Disney Vacation Club has given my family, and on the other hand, it’s helping other Members obtain a lifetime of those same memories and laughter.”
Among the memorable Member experiences Susan planned recently was a celebration of life for a Member’s late husband at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows – the resort the family has called “home” for years. Delivering the late Member’s favorite champagne to each villa, securing dining reservations at their favorite restaurants (including Steakhouse 71, ‘Ohana and Whispering Canyon), booking VIP Park tours and more, Susan’s small-but-mighty team spread extra magic to all 26 guests in the party.
Beyond marking the anniversary of their loved one’s passing, this vacation also was the first for the family’s newest addition – a one-year-old grandson, who, thanks to Susan, got his first haircut in the Harmony Barber Shop at Magic Kingdom Park. As is said, one journey’s end is another’s beginning. True not only for this Member family, but also for Susan and the “Uncle” who inspired her to pursue her dreams.
“This job with Disney Vacation Club, and my career with Disney as a whole… it is all a dream come true,” Susan said. “And I have Uncle Walt to thank for that.”
Look for more profiles of “Membership Magic Makers” each month in our “Membership Magic Insider” email newsletter and on the Disney Parks Blog (visit DisneyParksBlog.com and explore the “Disney Cast Life” section), as well as in each edition of Disney Files Magazine.