Dusted at Disney (Pixie, that is!)

[mmeb144]

Hi all!

I've read so many negative things about Disney, I would just like to share something that happened on my last trip to the world.

On the last day that we were there, November 1st, my son lost a pin. It was Zero, the dog from Nightmare before Christmas. He had shopped all over the parks before picking this particular one. He thought that he had lost it over at the Contemporary Resort, so my husband took him back to that resort. They filled out a report at Guest Relations around 4:30 pm. My son was pretty sad. My husband purchased another pin for him, not the same one, but still Zero. When we returned to our room at Port Orleans French Quarter that night, we found a lanyard with 12 pins for my DS. No one signed the card that was near the lanyard. My son stared at the lanyard for a couple minutes, just stunned. I was so grateful for the cast member who took the time to make DS's day.

At the time, I told my DS that he was "dusted". That special magic that happens at WDW.

Anyone else been "dusted"? Want to share?

Marie

 

[steveanddonna]

We have experienced those pixie dust moments many times during our trips, from the Jungle Cruise skipper in 2001 who had the entire boat trying to talk our niece into going on the ride and even let her wear his hat to the pro shop CM who offered DH her own discount for his round of golf when there was a mix-up on his charges, from the monorail pilot (Patrick) this year who went out of his way to get us a ride up front to the cast members who just do their job well, with enthusiasm and heart, and can make the difference between a nice vacation and a magical adventure.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

ahhh...the lanyard story got me all teary...what a nice dusting.

 

[D&R love Disney]

What a great story about the lanyard

 

[llij]

Wow! What a wonderful story!

 

[Bugsmom73]

That is what I love about Disney. I am hoping we get some magic too. DD keeps talking about staying at the Castle(it is what she calls Wilderness lodge) and then taking a boat to see another castle. TOO Cute!!

 

[grlzmom]

We had a great experience at Disney in October 2001.

My oldest dd (12 at the time) was holding baby sister dd (six months old at the time). Well baby dd had horrible reflux and of course hurled all over dd12, head, shirt, the whole nine yards. Needless to say, I hadnt packed a change of clothing for the 12 year old. But, she did manage to fit into her 5 year old sisters extra t shirt. Embarrassed of course, because it had Barney on it. But, I was unable to do anything else, because dh had disappeared with the wallet and cash.

Out of nowhere comes a CM, takes dd into the Emporium, and allows her to pick out any shirt she wants, then takes her (us in tow) to the first aide station to get her cleaned up. When dh caught up with us, we offered to pay for the shirt and were not allowed to.

This same trip, two days later, CM noticed our not so scary halloween wrist band hanging from our stroller (we had been the night before and it had been miserable rainy, chilly). Inquired if our dds had gotten lots of candy and we said not really, too much rain, too chilly. Very nice CM. We get on the Alladin ride and when we get off, go and retrieve our stroller, it is full of candy, both the seat and the basket underneath. Pounds of candy.

We have been to Disney many times and whenever we have a grumpy CM or a not too magical moment (got stuck in the elevators at POP century last Christmas for over two hours). I think back on these magical moments and it still makes me smile.

The lanyard story is really magical.

 

[plutofreak]

I had a bit of magic happen to myself

When I was 13 (I'm 21 now) my family and I were at MK, my mom let me ride space mountain alone, and told me to meet them at the benches right when you walk into Toontown, but being 13 and not thinking of anyone else, I went to Frontierland and rode Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain.

Fast Foward, it's 3 hours later and I decide I should go back and meet my parents in Toontown. Well they were no where to be found. I sat on the bench I was to meet them at and cried. Finally I got the courage to tell a CM I lost my parents. They made a phone call, and it just happens my family had been looking for me for 3 hours.

So the CM tells me we found your parents and it just so happens Mickey will be heading to the same place.

I walked hand in hand with Mickey Mouse from ToonTown all the way the the first aid station by the Crystal Palace. People were taking pictures and would ask for Mickey's autograph, but the CM would tell them that Mickey had to help this girl find her parents.

I must say at the time, I was embarassed, but now I look back and say how many people have had the big cheese himself walk them thoughout MK.

It's memories like this that make me love disney more and more everyday

P.S. my parents were a little upset with me

 

[Mortlives]

plutofreak, sounds like they assigned Mickey to bodyguard you so your parents wouldn't murder you in the middle of MK! LOL.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[TheMMMLtd]

Wow...Now I'm teary-eyed. I'm not sure that in all my years of going to Disney that I have ever heard such a touching story. Truly a magical memory for you and your future children and grandchildren. Thanks ever so much for sharing.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Originally posted by Bugsmom73
. DD keeps talking about staying at the Castle(it is what she calls Wilderness lodge) and then taking a boat to see another castle. TOO Cute!!

How precious!!!

 

[foxfire]

Thanks everyone for sharing your wonderful stories...they give me warm fuzzies. Magic does live in Disney!

 

[zagafi]

Here's my happy pixie dust story from June:

While eating at the 'Ohana character breakfast, one of the character "wranglers" starting talking to Zane about his favorite characters. He started this litany of villains and I mentioned that Maleficent is our "Holy Grail" and that we've never seen her outside the parade. The CM asked us to hold on while she went to check something, and when she returned, she asked for my cell phone number and gave me hers. She said she was trying to see when/if her Royal Badness might be about and would let me know. I thought, "ok, cool!"

Well, later that afternoon as Z and I enjoyed an afternoon snack at Epcot, I checked my messages, and there were THREE from this CM begging me to call her back and let her know if Z and I could be at MK by 3:30 or so. (Keep in mind it was now 2:40). So we flew to catch the boat to BWI, jumped on the MK bus and got there about 3:20. She told us to check in at Guest Services at City Hall and that it was "all arranged". I figured Maleficent would be making a park appearance and they were going to give us a "heads up". Boy, was I ever (happily) wrong! We got a private audience with Maleficent! The CM at Guest Services gave Zane an autograph book (his was already packed in his luggage as this was our departure day), a coupon for a free Maleficent t-shirt, and 2 "priority entrance" coupons for the attractions of his choice! I don't know who was happier, me or Zane. I'm still amazed that CM went to all that trouble for my little boy, and it still makes me a little misty eyed. I'll be writing a very nice letter to WDW thanking them for this extra sprinkling of pixie dust, that's for sure!

 

[ChristyJ]

I love the stories!!

We haven't been to WDW yet, but we've already been blessed with a dusting of pixie dust...I had a big mix-up with money when I switched our ressies from 2 hotels on property to just 1(the WL)-(they refunded a Mastercard gift card that I no longer had in my possession-$200. worth)...anyway, the CM I talked to on a few ocassions found a great rate for us (123. for woods view) and then asked what characters my daughters like best. She said "there will be a surprise waiting for you when you get there." This whole trip is a surprise to my daughters-I know the magic is already starting....

 

[jenjersnap]

Thank you for sharing these stories, they have made my day! I love reading stories about humans being wonderful to each other. I am sure Disney brings that goodness out like almost nowhere else too.

 

[ellyn2000]

What wonderful stories! I, too, am happy just to be around CM's that are doing their job well. But when you are treated as if you are especially special it really makes it that much better. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dizz42]

Oh...my...gawsh....I can hardly read this thread for the tears! I love this!!!!

 

[mmausse]

Ok, here's my pixie dust moment, bear with me, it might be long:

3 years ago I took a LOOOONG be-all, get-all trip, alone to WDW - I had a CL suite, Platinum/Grand Plan for 30 days. That was a BIG mistake on my part - I refer to that trip as eating my way thru Disney. Anyhow, it was very freaky weather for 2 days - it was 80, then it was 40, then it rained, then it got hot. When it rained it would be warm then chill down. Anyhow I got sick - bronchitis, sore throat, etc. Holed up in my suite for 4 days, not eating, just sleeping. I was so sick of being sick I asked the front desk to find me a pink grapefruit and the hottest horseradish around (homeopathic guaranteed remedy). They sent someone to Outback for horseradish and brought to my room, a bushel of Indian River grapefruit, no charge. I smeared the horseradish on the grapefruit, ate it, and the next day was fine and dandy. Unfortunately with something like 20 extra meals to use. SO I decided to spread the Disney pixie dust around and extend the kindness that Disney gave me to others - I picked up total strangers dinner and lunch tabs, anonymously.

Now you might believe the following is just a coincidence, and you may be right, BUT I believe everything happens for a reason and there are NO coincidences:

The last night I'm at the park and I still have 6 meals to use. I ate at Crystal Palace (it was the last seating for dinner) and they were booked solid, nobody else could get in. I see a young woman with a small boy about 3 outside looking in. She comes in and says she was meeting a friend. She sees me, eating alone, and says the smae thing that she's meeting friends but her son was tired so would I mind if they sat with me. Of course not I say and why didn't she and her son join me for dinner as my guests, that way when her friends arrive, they can enjoy the park together. She thanks me and they go up to the buffet. The plates they filled looked as though they hadn't eaten in days.

Meanwhile a man and woman and a young boy sit next to me at another table. Without meaning to, I overhear that they did not have enough money to pay for the dinner as the prices went up on Jan 2. I tell them I couldn't help but overhear and say they would be doing me a service if they allowed me to add their meals to my plan, which I'd already paid for and would lose otherwise. They tell me their son was in Make A Wish and their church raised the money to send them to Disney.

The young woman and her son come back to my table and I will say that the CM looked like he wanted to kill me when he saw me add all these meals to my card. I tippped him way beyond the standard 15%. The young woman asked what I did and I told her I was a fraud investigator. Let me just say that her face paled beyond that of the 999 ghosts at Haunted Mansion. I wondered, to myself, how she could afford the admission tickets to WDW. Then I saw the tickets were paper. I believe she fished them out of the trash can outside of the park, but I said nothing to her. I took a picture of her and her son with Pooh and with Piglet. I gave both parties my business card which had my email address on it. I never expected to hear from anyone.

I got an email last week from the young woman. She explained she had been running away from her abusive husband in Arizona who had threatened to kill her and her son. SO she drove to the Happiest Place on Earth - WDW. She said she had picked up one day tickets outside of the park that had been tossed. She was planning on conning her way for a meal for her son - they hadn't eaten in days. She now believes in magic and pixie dust and random acts of kindness and being honest and asking for and accepting help. She said if I hadn't been there and talked with her, she was sure she would have been arrested or that her husband would find them and she'd be dead. She went from WDW to a woman's shelter and hired a lawyer. SHe has sole custody of her son. SHe has a job and an apartment and she does random acts of pixie dust whenever she can. She said she is amzed at how a simple thing like buying a meal for someone can truly change their life.

As for the other family. They write me every Christmas - their son's cancer is in remission and they are quite happy.

So am I.

 

[Mommo]

This is something so small but my 4 year old tells everyone. She had made up all the things that her favorite characters would say when they finally met, so I had prepared her that they aren't allowed to talk because they might scare the babies. She bought it and was next to me as I was signing for the meal at Crystal Palace. Tigger came over and I was chatting as he was hamming it up. He leaned over before he left and made a kiss noise. Sophie's eyes grew huge and she ran out to the rest of our family to tell them Tigger gave Mommie a kiss. Thanks Tigger Beth

 

[#1hockeymom]

Mmause>> I knew of your past trip, but I didn't realize how deep the story actually went! I am sitting here at 6:30 am crying my eyes out. I am just so floored by the whole thing! It is truly a small world, and it is great to know there are people like you in it helping the world be a better place. You are an angel!

Debbie