Tales of a Former Cast Member: Lost treasure at Typhoon Lagoon

So far, my “Tales of a Former Cast Member” columns have been funny or strange and even somewhat familiar for some people. This week’s is a bit different though as it is probably one of my favorite tales during my time working at Walt Disney World, and it is a heart-warming one at that.

My second Walt Disney World College Program (WDWCP) took place during the summer of 2000, and those three months were fantastic as I was given the job of lifeguard at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. It really was one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever had in my life.

Normal days would include the opening or closing shifts and doing…well, lifeguard stuff.

There were those days though, when there were just too many people staffed for the day and sometimes we would be given an Early Release (ER) and allowed to go home. If we chose to stay for our scheduled shift, we would likely be placed in another position in the park doing something else we were trained for.

One particular morning, I arrived for my shift early in the morning and was told that my name was on the list of too many people being there for the day. Really didn’t want to go home so my job for the day was to head over to Shark Reef and help out in the shack handing out snorkels and masks.

That wouldn’t last long though.

After about an hour, my manager came and got me and asked me if I wanted to “Search the Creek” aka “Go into the lazy river with goggles and search for lost items.”

That is something I had done before and enjoyed because they were pretty much paying me to swim around all day, but this time, it was a bit different. While walking back to get some goggles, my manager stops me and tells me:

Manager: “DD…we have a problem.”

DD: “Yeah…? What’d I do?”

Manager: “Nothing, but we need you to really search the creek today.”

DD: “I know. That’s what you told me to do.”

Manager: “No…we’ve got a guest that has lost his wedding ring and well, he’s devastated.”

DD: “………….oh!”

Imagine this. Castaway Creek has a constantly moving current, has drainage grates, and is over 2,000 feet long. Searching for shoes and glasses isn’t that hard, but a man’s wedding ring? Let’s not forget that it is the middle of the summer and there are hundreds of people in that lazy river every second.

This was a task that was next to…no, just an impossible one.

So, at that point, I got into Castaway Creek and began searching. With my goggles on, my slow swimming search had started and my way was made through countless floats and people.

Throughout my day, I had found numerous items such as swimming shoes, glasses, some loose change, a couple of t-shirts, and even a few pairs of headphones.

Each and every time my eyes came upon one of the drainage grates, my heart would sink.

One hour passed…nothing.

Two hours passed…found a shoe.

Three hours passed…wrinkled hands.

Four hours passed…another shoe.

Five hours passed…nothing.

Six hours passed…still nothing.

Seven hours had gone by and 21 total trips around Castaway Creek – searching the entire way – and this was a lost cause. Another manager had come by the creek and told me to just stop. He appreciated my effort and had just gotten word that the guest and his family were leaving Typhoon Lagoon.

Even though this was an impossible mission, it still killed me to give up, but even I knew it was a lost cause.

It was time to swim to the next exit of Castaway Creek and head out for the evening. I wanted to head up to the park exit though, and offer up my apologies to the guest. Word had gotten to me that they were going to stop at guest services to check one more time.

I arrived at guest services and asked the Cast Member where those guests were. She told me that they had already stopped by, and the guest had apparently known about my search and left a note simply saying “Thank you for your effort,” and a $50 bill.

CM: “He said he wanted you to have this.”

DD: “Do you have the guest’s information and where they are staying?”

CM: “Yeah, just in case we would have found his ring.”

DD: “Well, please make sure someone gives him back this $50 because I don’t want it.”

CM: “You sure?”

DD: “Yep. Oh, and give him this too.”

At that moment, I placed his wedding ring down on top of the $50 bill.

After I had spoken to my manager, I ducked my head back underwater for the last hundred yards or so, just for some last looks. Castaway Creek had just about emptied out as the day had gotten later. After a few feet, there sat a gold wedding ring right in the middle of the Creek and sitting still on the ground.

Never got to hear from the guest and have no idea on his reaction, but a manager told me that his wedding ring did get safely back into his hands.

That’s all that mattered is that I was able to help a Disney guest in their hour of desperate need.