Ever Given/Received a Random Act of Kindness at WDW?

[tc]

We've given away fastpasses and given up tables in busy restaurants. But the one I remember giving was on the way home on the airplane in January this year. We were flying Delta, and I had reserved my seats online when I purchase my tickets. We got on the plane, and a few minutes later, a family of four was on. Everyone knew because the older daughter (probably 7 or 8) was crying uncontrolably. It turns out that the mom and toddler had seats together, but she and her dad would have to sit a part from each other by about 5 rows. She was terrified to sit alone and kept begging her daddy to not make her sit alone. Stephen and I looked at each other and just got up and offered our seats to them. We don't mind sitting alone, I read and he sleeps. The dad was so thankful and kept saying so over and over again. The little girl immediately stopped crying when she heard she could sit with her daddy, and we didn't hear another peep from her the whole flight. It felt really good to help out.

One time we were taking the bus to DTD. The bus driver had the coolest voice and kept talking, non-stop, the whole way. He was giving WDW trivia and park times. However, the bus was very unruly, and I'm not sure anyone was really listening. Stephen and I were sitting right behind the driver. We were stopped at a bus stop, but not getting off, and Stephen leaned forward and told him what a great voice he had, and he should audition for animated shows. He thanked us, and we thought that was it. However, at our stop, we got up, and he asked us if we had an autograph book. We said no, it's just us, no kids, and we never enjoyed collecting autographs. He told us to hang on a minute, and fumbled under his seat. He than asked our names, and then gave us an autographed picture he had drawn with To Stephen and Kelli, have a great day at WDW. The picture was of Jasmine and very good, like an animator would do. It was drawn on the back of a label or something, about 6 inches square. I still have that picture. I plan to have it framed. It's a great memory. I have never seen that bus driver again. Maybe he did get that voice over job (or animator)!!

 

[RickinNYC]

There's no real right or wrong way to give a great kid a pin! Just hand it over and watch the smile!

 

[WEDway2002]

This story involves my DW. Several years ago, she, my DD and I had just finished lunch at The Prime Time Cafe in MGM (a real favorite). While there we noticed a mother and her very cute young son sharing lunch and dessert at a nearby table. Later that day, we were heading toward the park exit and my DW notices a woman near the photo shop who is obviously looking for a lost child (along with everyone, this is my DW's worst fear). She realizes that this is the woman from Prime Time and also begins to look for that little boy. By now, the frantic mother has disappeared up Hollywood Blvd. My DW then spots the boy coming around the corner and goes to him while I alert a security guard as to what is happening. Within minutes, he tracks down Mom and she is reunited with her son. She and my DW also hugged and both were quite emotional. All I can say is we were meant to be there at Prime Time when we were ...


Dave

 

[Maridw]

On our visit in March, we had gone to the resort in the afternoon and then went to Epcot in the evening. We got there too late to get a FP for Test Track. It was a long wait, so we opted to skip it and maybe come back the next day. As we started to walk away, a gentleman approached us and asked us if we were going to ride TT. We said we had thought about it but didn't want to wait. He said he had two extra FP and would we like them. I turned to my DH & DD and told them to go ahead and I would wait for them. I knew my DD wanted to ride.

DD (16) is one that really doesn't like rides that throw her around and is cautious when it comes to riding something that might do that. She had a few bad experiences at our local fair when she was younger and so doesn't do many big roller coasters. She finally started riding Thunder Mountain 3 years ago. She likes Space Mountain, but won't do RnR Coaster.

We thanked the gentleman and the two of them went on TT. DD loved it.

On our last visit, DD & I decided to take Catch-a-bubbles with us. DH thought we were weird. But while waiting for a bus at the resort, it was sprinkling and there was a woman and her little girl in a stroller. The little girl was getting figgety (sp) and so DD and I pulled out our bubbles and started blowing them. The little girl thought that was fun trying to catch them. We also had some stickers so DD asked if the little girl could have one. Her mother said that was fine. So DD gave the little girl a Pooh sticker and her mom said that was her favorite. The little girl settled down a bit and the bus came shortly after that.

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

I've posted this before, but what the heck...

The year 2000, we ,DD, DS and DH and I went on a truely budget trip. Camped at Fort Wilderness, brought most of our own food, etc. DD, then about 12 saved some $$ and bought a Mr. Potato Head pin. No lanyard, too much $$. She wore it each day. On the bus back to For Wilderness, the lady in the seat across the asile spokerather loudly..."Someone has Mr. Potato Head...Wonder if they'll trade"? Well, being the totally outgoing girl she is, DD turned sideways and said "Whadd'a got?" They compared pins, talked about this one and that one that the lady and her male companion had, made outragous offers back and forth, and finally at the end she traded her Mr. Potato head for Bambi. But when the bus began unloading at various stops, one stop before ours, the lady bid farewell and when her friend passed DD, he dropped a Milllinium Lanyard with 10 pins, including her beloved Mr. Potato head, into her lap and they disappeared into the night. DH made a note of which loop they got off at, and he made many walks around looking for her for the rest of the week, but hey were never found.
So, if you, nice lady and gentelman, are Diser's and are out there, you have no idea bout the magic you spread that day. And you know what? I am taking my Girl Scout Troop down June 2004 and I am already teaching Pixie Dust 101. Because there is never enough to go around.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Ok - I have another one to share.

My FI proposed to me at the MK December 2001. And we are honeymooning there this september...I can't wait!!

This past December (2002) I get a Winnie the Pooh postcard in the mail. On the back it says "My friends and I are getting everything ready for your honeymoon next year! Looking forward to your visit. Eeyore"

My fiance, on another board, asked someone to send this to me. I was shocked that someone would take the time out of their family vacation to do this for him. It really brightened my day! I have the postcard on my desk here at work and glance at it every so often...I just can't wait to go to WDW again with my hubby and return this act of kindness!

 

[Towncrier]

I have been dubbed a "fast pass angel" by the tag fairy. I guess that's because I take great joy in giving away our family's fast passes when we decide to leave the park early. I've posted this before, but there was one occasion a couple of years ago when we had decided to leave the MK early and tour the monorail resorts. We were at the Grand Floridian monorail station when I realized that we hadn't given away our fastpasses for Splash Mountain. I saw a family of five waiting to board the monorail, and I approached and asked them if they would like our FPs. The woman who I asked was overjoyed and immediately told her son "Look!!! Fastpasses for your favorite ride!!!". The young boy was ecstatic. It was then that I realized that he was a special needs child (which somehow made our gift seem even more special).

What goes around comes around. On our last day at MK last year (a very short for us 5-day trip to WDW), a woman walked up to me and asked me if I'd like her fastpasses for Splash Mountain. You could have knocked me over with a feather. It was the perfect ending to a perfect vacation.

Then there was the time when we had decided to eat lunch early to avoid the crowds. We were at the Columbia Harbor House and had ordered way too much food. By the time we were done, the food lines were long and tables were in short supply. Sue spied a large family waiting for to order their food. It looked like a 3-generation bunch (kids, parents, and grandparents). While mom and dad purchased the food, the grandparents tried to keep the kids occupied as they looked for a table. We offered the grandparents our table and our extra food (which we had ordered but not even touched). They offered to pay, but we told them that they would be doing us a favor to take the food because we had no way to carry it back to our room. You should have seen those kids devour that food.

The year that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It debuted at Disney Studios, my wife was hooked. Back then there wasn't a limit on how many times you could be in the hot seat. I managed to win that honor several times. At one particular show, I saw a couple of girls (who turned out to be twins) who were sitting in wheelchairs in one section of the attraction. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves. I also noticed that they were wearing lanyards full of pins. When the show was over, I ran over to the exit because I had something special that I wanted to give to them. With their parents permission, I gave each girl one of the pins that I had won in the hot seat from an earlier show. Their mom told me that WWTBAM was their favorite attraction. It turns out that the reason that these two young ladies were in wheelchairs was that they were both afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

To me, the best part of any WDW vacation is sharing the magic. It is my way of grounding myself and focusing on what is important in life. To leave the world a better place. And for a couple weeks each year, I can do just that.

 

[BrerMom]

Originally posted by Girls Scout Leader
Pixie Dust 101.

...and I very much enjoyed your story, too. I had not heard it before. That's why we need to keep telling the good ones!

 

[disneygals]

Ours is from Busch gardens Williamsburg this past April. At closing time, we were in a bathroom deep in the park and my dd age 8 found a Sponge Bob house stuffed toy (from a claw game). She kept bugging me about keeping it and I told her to bring it up front and we'd look for a lost and found. Well, she just kept asking me and I was getting annoyed, finally my dh said to just let her keep it. The second I said yes, she handed it to her sister age 6, who is SpongeBob obsessed. Well, I thought that was nice as she was SO insistent.

A couple of minutes later, we pass this girl around 10, who is in that horrifed child pose with her hands over her face and I hear her mom say, Forget it! we're not going back. So I say what did she lose (which is unlike me to even butt in) Her mom says some Sponge Bob thing, so I stop my dd6 and she shows it to her and it was hers! Well, the mom and girl are SO happy and my dd 8 is dancing around singing "we made somone happy!" The only "loser" is my poor dd 6, who will still occassionally say, too bad we found that girl who owned the Sponge Bob...lol.

Vivienne

 

[CdnDisneyFan]

This isn't towards another park guest per say, but on our first day at AK, my mom and I were walking past one of the character greeting areas, where Pluto was standing, all by his lonesome, so I decided to walk over to him and gave him a big hug, since he looked so lonely. I didn't have a camera with me or autograph book, just wanted to say hello. He did kiss my hand for that!!

Jules

 

[RickinNYC]

I'm really glad someone found and reactivated this thread. Keep it coming folks!

 

[CdnDisneyFan]

Bumpin back to page 1

Jules

 

[AspiringCindy]

Last year at Coral Reef, a family was celebrating a birthday and enjoying a wonderful cake. The offered half the cake to me and my family. That was really nice! Also, on the same trip, we visited US. A young couple gave my toddler a stuffed animal that they had won. How very sweet!

 

[prader]

The Make a Wish foundation just sent our family to Disney, and we had never been there before. I felt a little strange when I was told that by showing the Guest Assistance pass, we could go to the front of the lines, and this was for rides, shows or meeting the characters. It turned out to be a blessing though, as I knew it would be very difficult for my son to wait long, especially in the heat. The people that saw his Wish shirt and the Give Kids the World Village pin on went way out of their way to show us kindness. If any of you were standing in lines when they ushered us to the front, THANK YOU. We didn't get one dirty look, every one was so kind.

 

[Beechparty]

We went to O'hana and forgot our camera back in the hotel room. My ds and neice were in the front on the coconut race (my ds winning and the cm pushing it back so others could catch up) I must have showed my dismay with forgetting my camera b/c a dear man and wife at the next table took several pictures, they got our address and mailed us the pictures. That was very special. It let me enjoy the moment knowing their pictures were being taken. I was really surprised when they actually showed up in the mail. I would have probably lost the address.

 

[Nikole]

I just have to say........thanks for this thread!!! It is a great reminder about what is so special about the DIS!

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

Originally posted by Beechparty
We went to O'hana and forgot our camera back in the hotel room. My ds and neice were in the front on the coconut race (my ds winning and the cm pushing it back so others could catch up) I must have showed my dismay with forgetting my camera b/c a dear man and wife at the next table took several pictures, they got our address and mailed us the pictures. That was very special. It let me enjoy the moment knowing their pictures were being taken. I was really surprised when they actually showed up in the mail. I would have probably lost the address.

Similar story here...but we were the ones taking the pics.

We were at Animal Kingdom and the parade was about to start. We noticed a wee little peanut of a girl standing at the edge of the road, waving and wiggling in anticipation. As we watched the parade get closer, she was so animated and CUTE I started taking her picture.
She made faces, pretended to hug and blew KISSES to the characters. I was charmed and I think all the characters were too (those that noticed her anyway LOL)

After the parade, I crossed the street and asked her mommy if they had email...I think she thought I was nuts, but she reluctantly gave it to me. (reluctant even though I told her WHY I wanted it.)

When we got home, I immediately found the pics and e'd them to the family. The photos were absolutely adorable....

 

[SharonS]

Last May, my Mom and I were staying at AKL. For her birthday, a CM friend had taken us to the Coral Reef for dinner. Since they had arranged for the AKL van to take us, I didn't have our car.

My Mom is in a wheelchair We took the bus back to AKL. However, when the bus came, it did not have the wheelchair lift on it. We didn't want to wait for another bus, since my Mom was getting tired, so I helped her get up the steps and on the bus. When we got off, this nice gentleman offered to help. He just about carried her off the bus. He then just started to push the chair up to the lodge. We had a wonderful conversation with him and his wife. During the week, we ran into them a few more times.

This May, we were at Boardwalk Villas for my Mom's birthday, and low and behold, this couple was staying there! They stopped us, and it was wonderful to see them again. BTW, it happens that it is someone from the boards (Poorman)! We are hoping to see them again next May at BWV!!!!

 

[SharonS]

Sorry for the second post, but I forgot another great story. On my Mom's birthday, we went to Crystal Palace. There was a family with a little girl, about 3 years old. After the characters sang their happy birthday and distributed the cupcake, this little girl comes over to our table, and sings Happy Birthday to my Mom. She sang the whole song and ended with 'and many more'! She was so cute, it almost made me cry. After that, I went over and told her parents what a beautiful little girl they had and left her pick any pin she wanted from my traders. I also gave her brother one. She gave me a hug and kiss, and then gave my Mom one before they left.

The next day, I was on Dinosaur, and my Mom was outside waiting. The little girl recognized her and came right up to her and asked how she was doing!

Later that day, we were waiting for Festival of the Lion King. There was a teenager in a wheelchair next to us. He was trying very hard to communicate, and was fascinated with my Mom's pins. I gave him a pin and he was thrilled. Later that day we saw him, and his family said that he had traded for another pin he liked.

 

[nonnymouse]

I love this story cause it makes me smile - we were at the Poly, standing out at the bus stop, hoping to catch the first AM bus to MGM/Disney Studios. Two buses came by for AK but nothing for the Studios. When the third AK bus arrived, we were standing there alone and very disappointed. As the driver pulled up, she opened the door and asked if we were going to AK. We sadly said no, telling her that she was the 3rd AK bus in just a short while. My SIL chirped out, "If you want to make a detour, we need a ride to the Studios." The bus driver didn't even hesitate (her bus was empty) - she cranked her marquise to "SPECIAL" and asked us aboard. Then she drove us straight to the Studios without stopping for anyone else. On the way she told us her name was Linda but if anyone asked, her name was Doris! We were really overcome with this wonderful act of kindness!