About those nametags...
Those nametags are guarded fiercely by me until we return to WDW. Once everyone has theirs, they know they will break their poor mother's heart should anything happen to them, so they pin them very carefully and check the integrity of the pin each and every time. I bought them through some service that would get them engraved and have them waiting in our room on that first trip in 2000. It was a surprise to everyone to check in and find it on the bed.
We've never done a trip without them and have never done a trip without people asking us about them, even in 2000 when they were still available. When we came back in 2002 only the red Mickey ones were for sale. I think by 2006 they were gone entirely.
My favorite was the rather irate guest in line who looked at them, and us, and said, a bit rudely, "Why are YOU guests of HONOR?"
We've never had any guest mistake us for CMs, at least to our faces, but them we never walk around alone and I would bet they figured it out this time by the giant fluffy unicorn I had strapped to my back.
We did have CMs mistake us for CMs! This trip, when Sammi was going to buy her Mike hat in AK, the CM at the kiosk said, "You'll have to take that off before I can sell this to you." and when Sam explained it, she looked closer and said, "Oh! I see!"
Our friend Jay said mine especially could be mistaken at a distance, since they are now awarding something to CMs (I forget what he said) that means a blue nametag, the same color as mine. Mine doesn't have the bump at the top, and theirs don't have Pooh Bear, so at a closer inspection, I'll not be passing for any perks as an employee.