What is YOUR "horrible moment turned wonderful"?

[jillk]

My brother and his family live in Orlando, and my husband and I own DVC and come often with our kids. Unfortunately my brother's family can't really afford to come to the parks with us. One year however, the men decided to take the older kids to Blizzard Beach and my SIL and I were going to go to Epcot WS with our two toddlers. My SIL had some kind of free one day Disney pass. When we arrived at the ticket window to redeem her pass, we realized that her ticket would not be good for that day because it was a black-out day! She was so embarrassed and felt so bad that our plans for a nice day were ruined. The CM at the ticket window realized our situation and GAVE her a pass for the day so our plans were saved!

 

[LindaR]

This actually happened at Disneyland back when dd21 was 6. On our first morning we had early entry. Went to Toontown. She was in Donald's boat, climbing the rope ladder. She fell. I was sitting right outside. She came running to me with that black fine gravel (for traction) stuff all over her face, crying, holding her wrist. I could not tell if it was broken. Took her in the bathroom nearby to wash the black grit off her face. And all that time I observed her and noticed that she did not "forget" and use her right arm.

I went up to a CM that was making preparations for his place to open. I asked for some ice and told him what happened. He immediately made a phone call and within 2 minutes we had ALL KINDS of CM's coming from backstage, including a nurse. Even the nurse did not actually know if it was broken. She gave my daughter a little stuffed Mickey and told her that when her wrist hurt, Mickey wanted her to squeeze his ear. Security drove us to a local hospital and we were taken back right away (I felt a little bad for the people who were waiting in the waiting room!). Broken wrist! They put a half cast (to accomodate swelling) and a sling. Disney security drove us back, making a quick stop at our hotel so I could change her clothes (she had a mess from the plaster half cast on her top and pants) and took us back to the park. They gave us a BUNCH of front-of-the-line passes to use to make up for lost time.

It seemed like there was a neon sign over dd's head. CM's AND characters constantly approached her and asked what happened. I decided to buy her pins....all kinds of pins....to decorate her sling. Everyone was adding to her pins.

During the parade, the characters all made gestures to her about her arm and blew kisses to her.

Not only did Disney pay the hospital bill (I never received any sort of bill), they turned a negative into a positive!

Even now, DD21 remembers that as her BEST trip ever!! All the extra attention she got, all the pins for her sling, the walk-on passes!!! She, btw, never complained of any pain and this barely slowed her down. I, on the other hand, had six weeks of writing her homework, and everything else that she could not do since she is right-handed!

Of course, she has NEVER EVER gone back into Donald's Boat! She does hold a grudge!

 

[Ilovedis30]

Loved reading all these great stories while having my morning coffee. Alot of people really have to save and sacrifice to make some of these trips happen and when you have one of these experiences it just proves once again how much it's worth it

 

[lblume91]

These stories make me feel all warm & fuzzy!!

 

[Cindylieu]

Ahhhhh, yup. This is my morning happy place!

 

[0hLovely]

This actually happened at Disneyland back when dd21 was 6. On our first morning we had early entry. Went to Toontown. She was in Donald's boat, climbing the rope ladder. She fell. I was sitting right outside. She came running to me with that black fine gravel (for traction) stuff all over her face, crying, holding her wrist. I could not tell if it was broken. Took her in the bathroom nearby to wash the black grit off her face. And all that time I observed her and noticed that she did not "forget" and use her right arm.

I went up to a CM that was making preparations for his place to open. I asked for some ice and told him what happened. He immediately made a phone call and within 2 minutes we had ALL KINDS of CM's coming from backstage, including a nurse. Even the nurse did not actually know if it was broken. She gave my daughter a little stuffed Mickey and told her that when her wrist hurt, Mickey wanted her to squeeze his ear. Security drove us to a local hospital and we were taken back right away (I felt a little bad for the people who were waiting in the waiting room!). Broken wrist! They put a half cast (to accomodate swelling) and a sling. Disney security drove us back, making a quick stop at our hotel so I could change her clothes (she had a mess from the plaster half cast on her top and pants) and took us back to the park. They gave us a BUNCH of front-of-the-line passes to use to make up for lost time.

It seemed like there was a neon sign over dd's head. CM's AND characters constantly approached her and asked what happened. I decided to buy her pins....all kinds of pins....to decorate her sling. Everyone was adding to her pins.

During the parade, the characters all made gestures to her about her arm and blew kisses to her.

Not only did Disney pay the hospital bill (I never received any sort of bill), they turned a negative into a positive!

Even now, DD21 remembers that as her BEST trip ever!! All the extra attention she got, all the pins for her sling, the walk-on passes!!! She, btw, never complained of any pain and this barely slowed her down. I, on the other hand, had six weeks of writing her homework, and everything else that she could not do since she is right-handed!

Of course, she has NEVER EVER gone back into Donald's Boat! She does hold a grudge!

Wow. Everyone always questions why i love Disney so much, but where else do you get unbelievably amazing customer service. Disney cares.. and that makes all the money we spend there worth it and why i will continue to go back!! . What a nice story!

 

[mamasha]

We had breakfast at Ohana one morning. My husband was in the restroom when the bill came, so I paid. I took my purse out of my bigger bag and I guess never put it back in. Later that morning, I was looking for it at MK. I went to Guest services and they called over to the Poly but it was not there....I was so sad all day because it had $600 in cash in it. When we returned to CBR, the light on the phone was blinking...they had it. We picked it up at the front desk later that day and everything was in it!

 

[starnightstarsky2000]

having read everyone else stories I almost decided against telling ours since it wasn't Disney that helped us so much as another disney family but decided the message was too great to miss.

See last year on our first JUST our family trip to WDW we went all out and made it 13 days in FL (10 days,10 n at the world) and during that time MNSSHP was going to be going on so we planned our costumes spent the $165 for our tickets and once there our DS8 asked for an autograph book for the party (he had another normal one but it was almost full) so we got him another one and went and had a great time at the party and then headed home a few days later. Once home we put aside our disney stuff as we had to jump straight back into "real-life" and then a few weeks later our son gets a package from Canada. Now needless to say we don't know anyone in Canada so were like umm okay. So our DS tears open the package and it is his MNSSHP Autograph book. Appearly we lost it somewhere and a nice family from Canada found it and as it was the ONLY book I had actually filled in the name address ect on the inside cover they mailed it back to him. We were so thankful even though we hadn't realized it was missing yet. Our DS insisted on sending the two girls a Disney gift card using only his $10 so off we went to the Disney store where we picked out two cards and two gift cards for the girls. I told him that I was going to "help" and doubled his $10 so we ended up sending each girl a $10 gift card as a thanks you.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Our "horror" story turned wonderful was when I mixed up old park tickets with tickets for MNSSHP, and left them at home! (Didn't even realize it until we were all dressed up, and ready to walk out the door!) Disney worked it out for us, and had new tickets waiting for us at Guest Services to pick up at the front of MK!!

 

[fairestoneofall]

on our thanksgiving 2006 trip, DD (then almost five) had received the special Tink pin from a CM at (then) MGM studios. she had given away her extra to someone else and had put her pin on her lanyard. the next day at epcot, we were at the Seas when she noticed that she had lost a Mulan pin and her special Tink pin. she was hysterical--in tears. we managed to find the Mulan pin, but could not find the Tink pin.

DH took her to ride Soarin' while i went up front to guest services. the CM didn't seem to know what i was talking about, but finally brought out a different CM. i had to explain to both of them what the pin was, that it couldn't just be purchased and how hysterical DD was. they both went in back and finally came out with a replacement pin. DD was so excited. and that pin did NOT get put on her lanyard! i wasn't going to chance losing it again.

 

[CEC's Mom]

This goes all the way back to our honeymoon in 1996. My husband and I didn't know much about Disney and we certainly didn't plan like we do now. Thankfully we had a great TA who made all of our reservations for us. We were booked at WL for 4 nights. The trip didn't start off too well. For some reason our seats on the plane were no where near each other, but thankfully my husband was able to convince someone to switch so we could sit together. The, when we arrive in Orlando we were scheduled to take a Mears shuttle to WL. We were the last 2 on this shuttle and the only 2 seats left were up front with the driver and all the way in the back. I know, not really a huge deal, but when your on your honeymoon, you just want to be together. So we get to the WL and are given our rooms keys. They gave us a 1st floor pool side handicap accessible room that had a sliding door out to the pool. Would have been great if we were there with kids, but we weren't. It was so much the opposite of romantic listening to all these kids running around right outside our door. We were also given a basket of bath stuff (salts, loofah, fizzies, etc), but since we ony had a walk in shower there was no way to use the stuff. I just sat down on the bed and started crying. My DH went downstairs to see if he could get us moved. He came back with a CM who carted all our luggage herself to the elevator and up to the 5th floor. She showed us a room that at least had a bath tub, but this room had 2 double beds. She said she could see I still wasn't thrilled so she asked us to wait there for a few minutes and she would see what she could do. She came back and said she found a room that she thought we would be very happy with, that we would have to pay a little extra for, but would be totally worth it. She took us in the elevator and had to insert a card to get access to the floor she was taking us to. When we got there she opened the door and it was the Vice Presidential Suite. I was speechless! The place was beautiful and the view was spectacular!! We felt like royalty. Disney certainly made a good return on that investment because it is the only place our family vacations to now.

 

[CindyIsMyFave]

This happened last May. My first trip to Disney alone with DH - for our 6th anniversary. We got picked to be in the Naval Attack preshow for the Backlot Studios Tour. (He wanted to kill me, but I think he had fun.) Anyway, we take off all our rain gear and boots afterwards, and I notice my anklet is missing. It wasn't horribly expensive, but it was my wedding gift from DH. I'm sure it's around somewhere in the little locker area, but I can't find it. The next show begins and DH and I are looking around everywhere along with 2 CMs. I re-emptied all the boots, checked all the pants, nothing. They held up the 3rd show for us so we could go back out on "stage" and look there since some of the boots had holes in them, and we were afraid it slipped out. Nothing. So by now I'm crying b/c I'm super sentimental and my wedding gift appears to be gone. By this time we had about 4 or 5 CMs looking - all younger girls, so they understood.

We had to give up so DH gave them his cell number in case anyone found it. They promised to keep telling the next shift as well as the CMs they'd be switching places with on that shift. I sat outside moping for a few more minutes and then went to the bathroom to clean up. When I came out, DH said Close your eyes - and he put the anklet in my hand! Apparently, just after I went in the bathroom, a CM called. As they were switching posts, the CMs kept their word and explained about the lost anklet. The new one looked down on the floor and said - oh, you mean this anklet? We'd all just missed it as it was half under a locker.

Well, I was so grateful that they'd kept their word, passed it on, and continued to look for it. I wrote an e-mail to Disney and only remembered one name, but I told them the time and the date and asked them to please really thank all the young ladies who worked that shift that morning!

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

OMG I LOVE these stories!!!! Reaffirms my LOVE for Disney and you truly can't find magic like that anywhere!!!

My story involves my DD14 who was I think 7 at the time. She had this matted, ratty old piece of her baby blanket she LOVED to sleep with. It was white (ok dingy white) and one morning we were in a rush to get out and she left it on the bed. Well....it happened to be a day where they changed the sheets and since it was white the mousekeeper didn't notice it and out it went with the sheets.

Fast forward to 11:30 PM and we are back at the hotel after a very long day. I go to put my DD to bed and lo and behold....can't find blankie. I searched EVERYWHERE!!! I called the front desk and explained my situation. Now I have a very tired, very hysterical child I'm trying to get to sleep. The manager told me I'd have to check with laundry services in the am.

It is now 2am and there is a knock on the door. It is a CM with a FULL SIZE stuffed Minnie Mouse!!! I told my DD she was there to comfort her in her worst times and it did. To this day, we never did get that blankie back but my DD's Minnie is in her heart forever.

Made a believer in the magic outta me.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

We were at MK in Feb during a crazy rain storm (actually a tornado warning!) so we rushed back to WL where we were staying. Before going up to our room, DS7 needed to take a pit stop at the restroom right by roaring forks. DH waited for him and we all met back up in the room. No one realized for about 2 hours (till we were getting ready for dinner!) that DS's pin necklace was missing. There were 23 pins on it and a lot of pin trading history from years past! He was devastated. So we frantically called the front desk--no one had turned it in. Went down to fill out a form at the front desk meanwhile DH went to Raoring Forks on the off chance that someone turned it in there--I actually told him that was stupid--no one would have turned it in there! Long story short--some honest soul had found it in the bathroom and turned it into RF. The look on my son's face when my husband handed it to him was priceless! We surely had a dose of pixie dust that day

Same thing happened to us at the Poly. DNiece's lanyard made its way from the bathroom to the desk to our front desk over at the Treehouses. Sadly, our camera hasn't made it's way back to us. Still, we love Disney's customer service at all levels!!!

 

[dellasgirl]

I just LOVE these stories
Our horrible to wonderful happened a LONG time ago-1987 in fact.
This was our daughters first trip to to world and being the obsessed disney fanatic that i was(still am) i had bought every thing pink for her to wear including the cutiest pair of pink/white minnie mouse shoes that you have ever seen. OK so they were a 'little' big she would 'grow into them'
OUr party at the time included myself, DH, my 8 year old niece(she came as a mommy's helper) and my DD(age 11 months)
So there we were arriving all excited, park board the tram, yatta yatta,
but while we were putting dd in her stroller i noticed one of her shoes was gone So instead of her first ride on dumbo she got a first visit to town hall, talked to a very nice cm, who told us to go to lost and found. so off to to lost and found we went, we told the cast member that dd had lost shoe and was there any chance that a baby shoe had been turned in. the cm must have had a good sense of humor because she said yes and ppulled out dd shoe then with a perfectly straight face she asked if we had proof the it was dd shoe-DH simply held up dd other foot with the shoe still on

 

[hedgehogcs]

These stories are wonderful!! I am bookmarking this thread to come back to on days when I need some pixie dust!

My DD is a CM now, so I get to hear lots of these stories from the other side, when she calls me to say, "Mom, guess what I got to do for someone?" It thrills me every time to hear how much joy she gets out of making the magic happen for others.

My story - When my DH & I were on our honeymoon, 26 years ago, he suddenly realized his wallet had somehow fallen out of his pocket somewhere in the MK. We had no clue where to look or what to do, but we were super panicked because everything was there, our tickets, our money, our credit cards. We hurried into the nearest shop and asked a CM if they had a lost and found.

We were wearing our Just Married t-shirts and the CM could tell we were really upset, so he told us to sit tight and he'd see what he could find out. DH & I sat down and not five minutes later, he comes walking over with a grin on his face and my husband's wallet in his hand. Someone had found it and turned it in. First time I've ever hugged a CM (but definitely not the last)!

All these stories just help provide the answer to that question we all get: "Why do you keep going back to WDW?"

 

[JKMJ441724]

When my DH & I were on our honeymoon, 26 years ago...

The rest of the story is good - but, MAN, 26 years - now that's amazing!!

Congrats!

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I just LOVE these stories
Our horrible to wonderful happened a LONG time ago-1987 in fact.
This was our daughters first trip to to world and being the obsessed disney fanatic that i was(still am) i had bought every thing pink for her to wear including the cutiest pair of pink/white minnie mouse shoes that you have ever seen. OK so they were a 'little' big she would 'grow into them'
OUr party at the time included myself, DH, my 8 year old niece(she came as a mommy's helper) and my DD(age 11 months)
So there we were arriving all excited, park board the tram, yatta yatta,
but while we were putting dd in her stroller i noticed one of her shoes was gone So instead of her first ride on dumbo she got a first visit to town hall, talked to a very nice cm, who told us to go to lost and found. so off to to lost and found we went, we told the cast member that dd had lost shoe and was there any chance that a baby shoe had been turned in. the cm must have had a good sense of humor because she said yes and ppulled out dd shoe then with a perfectly straight face she asked if we had proof the it was dd shoe-DH simply held up dd other foot with the shoe still on

What a Cinderella story!!! Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

[pixiefairy]

On our honeymoon in 1999, we were in Downtown Disney at Ghiradelli enjoying some ice cream. The next day, dh noticed that his drivers license is missing from his wallet. I began to freak....you can't get on a plane without it, and I was terrifed (at that time) to fly...especially by myself. I wasn't sure if we'd be stuck there, what would happen, etc. He called the main lost and found the next morning and lo and behold...they had it. The CM on the phone asked him to tell him the name, address, etc and told my husband "Wow...you must've been p.o'd when they took this picture!". We both got a good laugh about it...because his old license picture did in fact look like he was in a grumpy mood, lol. We were so happy that someone took the time to turn it in, whether it was guest or CM...so thanks!

 

[dellasgirl]

What a Cinderella story!!! Sorry...couldn't resist.

LOL
Do you know the comparison never even struck me untill now but you are right