Celebrities at WDW

[mbw12]

The celebrities that we have seen;

We saw Aaron Carter December 2001 when he was filming his song for that years Christmas parade show.

Also, that same day...we saw the girl that is in alot of Disney movies...I think her name is Lindsey something.

We saw Barry bonds that same trip walking through the Magic Kingdom with a huge entourage, but he was very cordial and smiling and waving to everyone.

Also, one trip saw the guy that played the father on Fresh Prince of Bel air.

 

[mrscarpenter]

In December of 1999, I saw Al Roker and his family at AK. I had never seen anyone famous in person before, so we had to take a few looks to make sure it was him. I'm a big fan of the Today Show, but didnt have the nerve to approach him...plus, I'm sure he wanted to enjoy the park with his family. A year later I was in NYC at the Today Show (yes, one of those crazies screaming with a sign!) and shook his hand, so I guess that made up for it. We're staying at the Contemporary in December....maybe we'll see someone famous!

 

[Claudia1]

We happened to be at MGM on the opening celebration of "Star Tours". That was waaaaaaay before message boards and we didn't have a clue what was happening.

I remember walking by it with my DH and suddenly realizing that George Lucas had just walked right past us.

I saw Pete Werner once, too.

 

[Virgo10]

Fun thread and interesting too.

In 2000 I nearly walked into the man who played Darth Vader. Not the voice, the person. Now I'm quite tall but he made me feel like a midget. This was during Star Wars Weekends.

I also was going to have a cigarette just before the start of the Paul Revere and the Raiders concert last year. There was one man over there smoking but at the last minute I changed my mind so I'd get a good seat. Turns out it was their lead singer!

Roberta
*Imagine... only 8 days, 0 hours and 17 minutes till WDW!*

 

[RonH]

I'll apologize now for the length of this post, but I have to share this story in its entirety. It probably won't sound as neat as the occurence itself, but every word is true.

Before DS was born, my wife and I went to WDW each May and then in October to watch the PGA golf tournament and then golf the next week. The day after the tournament in 1999 we went to the Palm/Magnolia pro shop to see if any of the remaining tournament merchandise was on sale. It was about 5:00 or so in the afternoon as we walked toward the pro shop which is adjacent to the locker room. No one was around by that time.

As we were about 10 yards from the locker room a golf cart pulled up and a tall gentleman got off and walked into the locker room carrying a change of clothes. Shocked, I turned to my wife and said that's Dr. J, Julius Erving from the Philly 76ers, who at the time was an executive with the Orlando Magic pro basketball team! I hurried into the pro shop to grab a golf card for him to sign while my wife walked back to the car for the camera.

I came back outside of the pro shop and waited as another golf cart pulled up with a gentlman in an Orlando Magic shirt and a straw golf hat. We were the only people there and as he just sat for a few seconds I realized it was Curly Neal formerly of the Harlem Globetrotters! I walked over and introduced myself and talked about how I used to watch him and the Globetrotters play in my hometown about 25 years earlier. He seemed genuinely appreciative that someone remembered him.

I asked if he could sign the golf card I had and he told me to get in the cart and go to his car in the parking lot where he has pictures he can sign. As we drove to his car, around the corner comes my wife walking with the camera! We stop at Curly's car and I introduce my wife and we chat as he searches in the trunk for a picture. He finds a picture of his classic dribbling from his knees pose and proceeds to sign it, "To my good friends Ron & Nadine, Curly Neal" As he's writing yet another golf cart pulls up. Curly tells the guy to come over and says, "Hey, I'd like you to meet my good friends from Pennsylvania Ron & Nadine." Curly then says, "Ron & Nadine, this is Dennis Newman, voice of the Orlando Magic."

After we all talked for a few minutes Curly asks if we knew Dr. J was in the locker room. He drives Nadine and I back to the locker room in the golf cart where we talk for a minute and say our nice to meet yous and so longs. A few minutes later, sure enough Dr. J emerges and we also meet him and get his autograph.

It all lasted only about 20 minutes, but it was something neat that we'll always remember.

If you actually read this whole thing, thanks for your pateince!

 

[stargzr]

I can finally say I've seen a celebrity at WDW! When I was going on the Pooh ride with my sister and neice back in Dec., I noticed a very pregnant woman getting out of the honey pot in front of me. I wasn't paying attention to the woman, just the fact that she was so pregnant! When I looked up at her face when she walked by I realized it was Kelly Ripa! She looked exactly like she does on tv.

 

[UKAnnie]

Don't know if this will mean much to you, our American cousins, but on a visit a couple of years ago my daughter and son-in-law were waiting to go on Rock N Roll Roller coaster in MGM and found themselves waiting behind Keith Duffy from Boyzone. He now does acting in soaps but was actually filming a shoot for a holiday programme for the BBC, but was taking the chance to have some down-time with his family.

He was really friendly and chatted a long while, and agreed to have his picture taken with them. They were really chuffed.(English word meaning pleased and happy!).

Ann.

 

[mrslane]

I was a seating hostess at WL Whispering Canyon. Here are some of the folks I saw...

Sidney Poitier was the most interesting person I met. I was a CM at WL - Whispering Canyon, and he came to get a table for his beautiful daughters. Since CMs are told not to go nuts over a celeb., I held back the urge to say at the seating podium, "Look who's come to dinner!" He was SO nice! So humble. He was not about to use his star status to jump ahead for a table. The wait at WCC was intense back then.

Same hotel, Alex Tribec (Jeporday) came up to read the menu. Saw Robert Urich (sp?) and Kyle Ripkin - I think.

One day the CMs who tote around the celebs came in to brief us on NORM from Cheer's. DON'T CALL HIM (George Wendt?) NORM!!!! Whatever. He ate privately before the restaurant opened.

Vana White of Wheel of Fortune came after hours to eat some dessert. I'm from SC and so is she, so I felt that it was OK to talk to her. She was very nice and happy to meet someone from SC.
Her personal assitant was somewhat defensive, but she just wanted some cobbler.

 

[EJ Gracie]

Fiance and I were at the IOA and exiting the Hulk when a man and a woman brushed by us going the opposite way against the flow of the crowd. The woman was gorgeous, and I caught a glimpse of the man.

My fiance saw them and exclaimed "that was Phil Mickelson!" She is a huge PGA fan, so that was neat for her.

The really weird thing is that I saw him again about two weeks later in Cleveland (I live in Detroit!)

Honest, Phil ... I'm not stalking you!!

 

[Goofydiane]

At WDW I've seen:

Kelly Ripa
Edward James Olmos
Phylicia Rashad
Marlie Matlin

At DL I've seen:
Roy Disney
Michael Eisner
Madonna
Demi Moore
Marla Maples
Michele Pfeifer and David E Kelly

At the Denver International Airport: (know it isn't Disney, just had to add)
Scott Hamilton
Bart Conners
Tim Matheson

And finally, sat behind Gary Busey on a flight from Salt Lake City to Denver. He didn't impress me, wanted to know why there wasn't a meal on the flight (it's a 50 minute flight).

Diane

 

[SuprGro78]

Some time in the Late 80's or early 90's my family was in the Magic Kingdom and David Copperfield was doing a photo shoot with sorcerer mickey. The park wasn't very crowded, David and Mickey were in a fenced off area that was filled with fog. As we walked past my mom said "can you make my children disappear?" Then as she kept on walking, I turned around to look at him and he smiled and shook his head.
A couple of years ago I was standing next to Wil Wheaton in the basement of the TOT, he was getting on and I was waiting for my dad. On my family trip in August 02 I swear I saw Ron Jeremy by the pool at All Star Movies. (but I figure he could afford a better hotel so maybe not) On another note I saw Gary Coleman on Santa Monica Boulevard and Sean Lennon at LAX. Quentin Tarantino walking down the street in Boston, he was wearing a white sweatsuit and black shoes (weird) And I once tripped over Bobby Orrs' foot

 

[SnowWhiteForever]

The day we were leaving AKL last june, David Cassiday was checking in... I've never seen so many people follow one man! I think they loved him... lol

 

[wdwoldtimer]

I saw Elvis at the MK.

Ok, really, I've seen Ben Savage, Perry King, Debra Norville, Tom Bosley, Cam Neely ex-Boston Bruin...that's all I can remember now.

 

[JungleMansion]

We saw Laurie Metcalf from Roseanne at MGM for their star days. They had her make a cement hand print, it was right after Toy Story opened and she did the mom's voice in the movie.

 

[WishUponAStar]

Several years ago I was excited because WCW was filming a wrestling show in Orlando at the same time we would be at WDW. I had hoped to see some wrestlers. I recognized Kevin Sullivan as we entered a restroom by Splash Mountain and actually stood next to him at a urinal. Funny though, I did not feel comfortable asking to shake his hand. Maybe a different time and place...........

 

[SarahAndMike]

My wife and I saw the lead singer guy from Bare Naked Ladies in the consierge lounge in the GF. We later rode the elevator with him and his kids. My wife's a HUGE fan, I don't even know his name. He was dressed very normal and seamed just like everyone else. I did see a Disney suite walk up to him and check on him every now and then. Also, I once walked right by Chevy Chase in TOT. He is HUGE. He was walking in the exit with escorts. He was wearing a hat over his eyes and looking down. Apparently not wanting to be bothered. I knew it was him only because we'd seen him earlier as a question and answer session.

Oh and once someone thought I was David Blane (street magic guy). When I told her that I was sorry, I wasn't, she didn't beleive me. A while later we walked by the woman and heard her telling a friend "There is that guy we saw on TV last night." My wife and I laugh about this A LOT.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

I saw Safari Steve once.

 

[Dancind]

I get to tell this story every time there's a "celebrity" thread. Only one sighting, but a good one. We were at DL in January 1994 with my stepson and DD, not quite 2. Walking up to HM, a group of people ran by us in line. When we got in the pre-show room, stepson says "look, there's that Charlie Sheen guy". Um, no, it was Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman with an entourage. Lots of screamers in the pre-show, and DD was freaking out. Mean Mom that I am, I refused to leave, I wanted to watch the celebrities! Tom was scruffy and Nicole was much taller and very beautiful. I remember wondering why they didn't have their kids with them. After exiting the ride, they ran off with their group and we didn't see them again. Luckily, DD was not traumatized by her first HM ride, and now enjoys the story about when she "saw" these two. Diana

 

[Muffy]

Dancid,
January 2004 is not till next year! You must mean some previous year! It must of been a few years ago because they have been divorced for awhile. what a thrill to see them though! I've seen Brian Denehey but not at WDW. He lives in my town with his wife Jennifer, DS Connor and DD Sara! We met and shook hands at our local health food store!

 

[Dancind]

Thanks, Muffy, I fixed it. I must be in the Rambaldi device from Alias. Time warp! Diana