Welcome (back) aboard the Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals tram.

Guests who missed those familiar words may have rejoiced when tram service resumed on Feb. 23, once again transporting them from Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals parking structures to the park gates. However, the comeback was particularly sweet for longtime resort transportation and parking cast members.

“A lot of us have been here a long time and sharing experiences between the new people and the older people is valuable,” said Albert Vergelde-Dios, who joined the tram team in 1998.

“We are all like family; we’ve known each other for many years,” said Sharon Collier, who has worked 24 years in transportation and parking.

Over the years, seasoned cast members have witnessed the evolution of the tram vehicles, undergone cast costume redesigns and have even celebrated each other’s life milestones, such as marriages, births and everything in between.

“Some of us hired in as teens,” said Diane Judd, a 30-year trams cast member approaching her 50-year service anniversary with Disney. “Sharon and I have had children at the same time, and you learn from each other. We are like brothers and sisters.”

While these cast members work beyond the gates of the theme parks, they are often the first magic makers that guests interact with when they begin their Disney days. “When guests consider us part of the magic, that’s always a good feeling,” said Albert.