What are some of your "magical moments" at Disney..that did NOT cost extra $$?

[JUJU814]

I would love to hear of others special "magical moments" experienced at Disney..just because you were at Disney...that didn't cost extra such as BBB, Pirate cruise, Pirate Princess Parties, tea parties etc.

You know, just wonderful spontaneous moments and the sheer delight that brought a sparkle to your or your kids eyes? Did something special happen? that special character interraction where your child was given that special attention and it wasn't because of something extra you did?

I do NOT think there's anything at all wrong with the "extras"..I just keep reading sooooo many posts where people did the "extras" and their child enjoyed all the extra attention they got as a result, or the magical experience as a result, etc, and I would like to prove to myself and to others, that you don't HAVE to do all those extras to have a magical time.

I'm sure I cannot be alone in sometimes feeling the "pressure" to pack on the extra's so my child can have the experience.

I do not think any child should miss out on being treated extra special at Disney...each and every child should be treated special..whether they are dressed up or not, whether they are at a special event or not....because they are at DISNEY WORLD!

All the extras are fun and fine, but let's share some of those special, magical moments that didn't cost an extra penny other than your park pass?

I can name at least three..one for each of my kids:

Dd, age 5: The princesses. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she saw them for the first time at Toontown. She was so happy. We got there at rope drop and were among the first in line. They were so amazingly kind to her. They curtsey'd and danced with her, knelt down next to her and oh my gosh, the tears in my eyes seeing the look on her face before, during and after!

Ds, age 7: He has adhd and sensory issues and doesn't care much for many of the rides..and is even afraid of most of the characters (he is much better now than last year). I didn't know what to expect on our trip last year. Well, the way Pluto was with him. To see my son so happy and his smile, watching Pluto play with him, and seeing my son give him a huge hug..I get choked up just thinking about it. After that encounter, he wasn't afraid of the classic characters anymore..he couldn't get enough. Face characters..another story..except sleeping beauty. He loves her for some reason. Oh, and watching him in sheer delight in the fun resort pool!!!!

Dd, age 17: When I took her for the first time at age 3 and she saw the castle for the first time. Oh my goodness! the look of wonder and amazement in her eyes. Then, during wishes, when tinkerbell flew off the castle..we happened to be standing near the entrance to Tomorrowland..perfect spot! She flew right over us..it was absolutely magical for a little girl (ok, for me too!)

Walking into the Grand Floridian last year to check in for our discounted Garden View room and hearing "Mrs. _____, you have received an awesome upgrade!" and being told someone would be by in just a moment to "whisk your family away for their fantastic vacation"..and we were upgraded to Sugar Loaf concierge building and could see the fireworks over MK from our balcony!!! Then, at check in, they were able to magically pull up a reservation for 1900 Park Fare that I had tried for for months.

None of these cost us an extra dime..

I LOVE Disney! Leaving Saturday and just cannot wait!!!

[tjbaggott]

Our family's first visit was 3 years ago and was a trip through "The Children's Wish Foundation", a trip granted to my then 14 year old DD 1 year into her 2 1/2 years of cancer treatment. We were given buttons to wear, from the Wish Foundation.

Our first time in DHS, my two younger boys excited joined the line waiting for a meet and greet with a Disney Character. A CM walked down the line, spotted my boys and took the hand of the youngest and told them both "come with me". She took them both to the front of the line! She told the family that would have been next, very nicely, that this was a WISH family, so they would go next.
That was a magical moment for us! The look on my boys faces to be treated SO special, was priceless. This happened almost every placed we lined up for something. Even though they aren't the ones who were getting CHEMO, they did experience a trying time during their sisters treatment. It's scarry for siblings too, as well as emotionally upheaving.

I don't know if that is Disney policy, to not have WISH families wait in lines, but it was definately magical to us!

[KAMKIM]

My DD5's face during Spectromagic our first night at Magic Kingdom - made me cry

Another magical moment - my mom was telling the kids why people were putting coins in the water at It's a Small World, and she said they put a coin in and make a wish and DD8 said her wish already came true because we took her to Disney World.

[kwitcherkicken99]

When we saw Monster's Inc LF last April they put DD (6 mo at the time) on the big screen. DS (2.5) was sooo excited! I think that made his night more than seeing the fireworks. =)

[SenoiaDawg]

We took our DD and DS (4 and 2 at the time) for their first trip in 2005 and at the rope drop to Toon Town Eeyore held my kids' hands and escorted them all the way to have their pictures made with him, Pooh and Tigger. Afterwards, all they could talk about was getting to walk with Eeyore. It definately was a high point of our trip

[grace&philipsmom]

At 1900 PF my DD4 was one of the few not dressed up in the restaurant. When Anastasia was coming around she took DD by the hands and danced with her. The she held her hand and they led a parade around the restaurant. DD is 6 now and still talks about that.

[Disneylush]

When we took our ds2.5 for his "free before three trip" he was given a card to be the train conductor at MK. He didn't talk then so he couldn't say "all aboard" (later learned he is very slightly autistic) He practiced for 8 months and when we went back with grandma and grandpa he was able to say all aboard and got to be the conductor.

On the same conductor trip we were waiting for the DHS parade and streetmouspher Mr. Hayseed (I think that was his name...he is a hick trying to make it big in Hollywood) came up and talked and put on a show with my son for about 20 minutes it was so much fun!

Oh and of course being in the front of the monorail

We are going again in November and I hope to add more with my DD2.5 and DS5

[cogero]

Just yesterday my 7year old said to me as we were walking to karate. Disney never gets old. Warmed me right up.

I think the most special has to be dd's first trip. that I planned in 5 days because my parents thought we needed to get away the 3 of us I had a miscarriage Thanksgiving weekend. DD just loved the whole thing and seeing her face and joy.

This last trip in April it was DD meeting the fairies in Pixie Hollow we were the only 2 in there.

With DS it is every time he he sees pooh. his face just lights up.

[lilybrooke14]

Really, there were so many moments that were wonderful. We got a reservation for Akershus first thing in the morning one day. It was close to the end of our trip, and we were all pretty tired that day, but DD was really excited to meet the princesses. We were the second people in line, and there weren't may people lining up behind us. When it was DD's turn (she was 2 1/2) she ran to Belle, threw her arms around her, and buried her face into her neck. Belle just sat down on the floor with her, held her, and stroked her hair. She snuggled her and talked to her, and DD was just enthralled. I did feel a bit guilty, because there was a bit of a line forming by the time they were done, but DD and Belle seemed to be bonding. I really appreciated Belle's reaction and tenderness, and even though DD will forget it at some point, I'll always remember.

[Lesley Mahler]

Originally Posted by KAMKIM

My DD5's face during Spectromagic our first night at Magic Kingdom - made me cry

Another magical moment - my mom was telling the kids why people were putting coins in the water at It's a Small World, and she said they put a coin in and make a wish and DD8 said her wish already came true because we took her to Disney World.

This was DD's magical moment also...and when she was able to hula hoop in the street before the parade...she thought that was just "awesome"!!

And on our cruise, there were 2:
1st was the pirate night, we were leaving Animator's Palette and DD decided to lay herself in one of the portholes. She kept looking at us like she was going to be in trouble and when she found out she wasn't in trouble she said, "Wow this is a really special place, you can just lay in the windows (that's what she called the portholes) and it's okay!!! 2nd it was the same night at the pirate deck party, we were standing right next to this podium, but had no clue what it was for. Well all of a sudden out comes Chip and it is his podium to stand on and dance for the party. He danced with all the kids around and played with all of them, DD was in awe!!!

[clanmcculloch]

We've had so many magical moments. Lets see which ones I can come up with off the top of my head.

DD11 has multiple food allergies. We very rarely go out to eat because it's just too difficult. I've come up with alternatives for just about every common kid food, but they're a lot of work so I don't make them too often. Well, on our first trip (at least the first she was old enough to remember), we were sitting in Cape May eating breakfast when I asked her how her food was since the chef had come back out to check on her and to see if he could make her anything else. She got a very serious look on her face and said "this isn't Disney, this is heaven". I still get tears in my eyes thinking about how special the chefs make our lives during out trips. We've gotten talking to several chefs (we try to do early dinners so it's not crazy busy) and it's amazing how they really make you feel like not only is it no trouble for them to make special things for us, but they actually make us feel like they enjoy it (don't know if they do, but they certainly make us feel that way which IMO is even more magic). Most of them have family members with serious food allergies which I guess is why they went into this special line in the first place.

One time, our girls were chosen to be in the Lion King show at AK. They were SOOOO excited. Later that day while we were waiting in line somewhere else, an older couple came up to our girls and said that they recognized them from the show and that they were famous. Boy were my girls beaming!

DD9 loves the Laugh Floor show at MK. She wants to go over and over and over and over (can you tell she asks a LOT). I think part of the reason she wanted to keep going was that she hoped she would be chosen as Boo and get displayed on the big screen. Well, on the last day of our last trip, we decided to let her drag us in one last time even though DH was really fed up with it by that point and was groaning and complaining about doing it AGAIN. On comes Mike's nephew and he starts his jokes. He asks "What have 4 eyes and 8 ears?" Then up on the screen are my girls wearing their mouse ears. They even got to talk with him. It was SUCH a magical way to end the trip.

OMG, this one is the most magical one. On our first trip after DD11 was diagnosed as autistic, we went up to the Guest Relations booth at the first park on our first day to discuss a Guest Assistance Card. The CM got chatting with DD11 when he said he had a surprise for her if she would agree to do something special if he asked her to. He handed her a pair of special tinkerbell pins. He said she could keep one if she agreed to give the other away to somebody who collects pins. She wasn't allowed to trade it; she had to give it away without accepting anything in return. She smiled a huge smile and agreed. When we walked into the park, we saw a little girl sitting on a bench with her mom and I noticed that she had a lanyard with pins so I suggested that she give the pin to that little girl. We walked over to her and DD11 asked if she wanted the pin. Her mom told her to decide which pin to give to DD11 so I explained what the CM had told us. You could see her mom's eyes well up and she then explained to me that her daughter had JUST lost a tinkerbell pin that she had bought with her own money and they were sitting there calming her down. It was just so perfect of a moment.

There is just SOOOOOO much pixie dust at WDW. I have tons of stories. I could go on forever. We Disney!!!

[Darcy03231]

On our last trip my niece was picked for the Lion King show (she's 4).

Also, on that same trip we met a nice young couple at our resort who were there on their honeymoon. My niece had a pin on her lanyard of Mickey & Minnie in a tux and wedding dress that she insisted on giving them. It was a magic moment for me to see someone so young pass along the magic of WDW.

[Lesley Mahler]

Originally Posted by Darcy03231

On our last trip my niece was picked for the Lion King show (she's 4).

Also, on that same trip we met a nice young couple at our resort who were there on their honeymoon. My niece had a pin on her lanyard of Mickey & Minnie in a tux and wedding dress that she insisted on giving them. It was a magic moment for me to see someone so young pass along the magic of WDW.

How sweet!!! My DD does things like that all the time that just brings tears to me eyes!!

[chrisw127]

I think all the really great moments I've had at WDW didn't involve spending any extra money. Sometimes it's just been as simple as a conversation with a tired but happy grandparent, a complete stranger, on a park bench. I know it sounds corny, but it's just that kind of place.

This didn't involve me, but was something I witnessed and I'll never forget it. I was in the babycare center in AK a couple years ago feeding one of my kids and a woman came in with her teenage daughter who was in a wheelchair. She needed somewhere to change her where she could lay her down and the CM, who was a young woman on the college program, helped the mom out. When the mom left, she thanked the woman profusely and told her that she was so grateful that there was a place she could take her daughter because so many other places were closed to them because of her disability.

I don't know whether it's by accident or design that the changing tables are that large, but it just struck me that this was a good example of a company getting something right, right down to the young woman who helped this mom as if it was something she did everyday.

ETA: The babycare center was actually in MK.

[ktlm]

Originally Posted by clanmcculloch

You could see her mom's eyes well up and she then explained to me that her daughter had JUST lost a tinkerbell pin that she had bought with her own money and they were sitting there calming her down. It was just so perfect of a moment.

There is just SOOOOOO much pixie dust at WDW.

I firmly believe Disney magic is real!!!

We've had some wonderful moments with DD on our 2 trips with her. Here are a few that pretty much brought tears to my eyes:

On DDs 1st trip when she was 2 yrs 10 months:

1. DD is a Cinderella fanatic. Before our trip, she said she wanted to sing "A Dream is a Wish" for Cinderella herself. We met Cinderella at Akershus, but it was a bit rushed and DD was so happy to see her all she did was hug her. She wore her Cinderella dress almost every day of our trip. The last night of our trip we were at MK and DD said "I want to say goodbye to Cinderella". We ran to toontown because it was about Princess closing time. We came literally running in the door just as the CM was unclipping the rope and getting ready to close the line. As we went running by I looked at her and said "Please...Cinderella" and she took one look at DD in her Cinderella dress in DH's arms and just smiled and nodded and closed the rope behind us. That put us as the very last in line in the last group for the night which was incredible. After lots of hugs, Cinderella sat patiently on the floor smiling swaying and listening to DD sing the entire "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" . It was so beautiful that a mother whose kids were finishing up with Aurora came over to me with tears in her eyes and said "That just gave me goosebumps". After the song there were a few more Cinderella hugs and pictures, and then we moved on to Belle and Aurora. After she had her individual pictures because we were last and everyone else was gone, All 3 Princess game over to her together to talk to her and to say goodbye. It was the absolute perfect ending to a great trip.


On DD's 2nd trip when she was 3 (thanks 4/3 deal):

Her continued infatuation with Cinderella also has always reached to the stepsisters and the stepmother. She is a huge Anastasia fan thanks to Cinderella 2 and 3. By this trip Peter Pan and Aladdin were also at the absolute top of her list.

1) We got in line to see Peter Pan and when she got there she was completely star struck and infatuated (unusual for her as she is outgoing and not shy). She had really wanted to tell him that she watched his movie every day (which was true in that time period- she alternated between Peter Pan and Return to Neverland), but she forgot until we walked away from him. She begged to get back in line to tell him. The line wasn't that long so I let her. When we got there I told her she had to be fast because she had already seen him once and the other kids had not. She was still completely starstruck, but got the words out and kissed Peter on the cheek. He was absolutely wonderful with her. He told her to wait a second and he found her a card with a cartoon picture of he and Wendy and their autographs on it. It is framed in her room now.

2) She had a great time playing with the Stepmother and Stepsisters by the castle, especially Anastasia of course. She loves their antics. Later that day, we were watching the parade and the Stepmother spotted her. She came over looked down her nose and snootily said " I know you, I never forget a face" then she raised her arms to her daughters and yelled "Girls Girls come over and look who's here. It's Anastasia's fan". They ran over and all three made a huge fuss over DD. I could have kissed them myself!

3). She met Jasmine at Epcot. She and Jasmine had a conversation about where Aladdin was that involved Jasmine spinning a really good story about Abu stealing Aladdin's bubblegum and getting it all stuck in his hair and now Aladdin was chasing Abu all over the marketplace to try to cut it out. DD was so impressed with Jasmine that we had to buy a Jasmine outfit at MK the next day so she could wear it to CRT and at MK. We got in line to see Jasmine again at MK that day. She spotted DD in line in her Jasmine outfit, whispered something to the CM, and soon the CM was stealthily coming over to figure out DD's name. When it was DD's turn, Jasmine turned from saying goodbye to the family ahead of us and called DD by name and said I'm so glad you came to see me again and then proceeded to make a huge fuss over her and tell her another Aladdin story. It was really special!