Ever WON a trip to Disney? Or a prize big enough to pay for the trip??

[Giddy Kipper]

YES I did or should I say we did , it was quite a while back (1995) all 28 of us from our shop won through the company we worked at (Etams) from the cleaner to the boss...... we had took the most sales of the whole company ,(which was well over 200 shops) over the christmas period. We spent a week on I drive with 4 days at disney.......Good times. It was a bit bizarre spending your vacation with your work pals.

 

[ECurto]

I (well my partner...but us both) were the winners of the Jeorge Lopez hidden mickey contest. I won 10K, and a VIP trip to Disneyland for 4.

 

[marypops!]

i wish i was

th thing i won was a trip to chessington but they expired before we were able to go


but i'm hoping to win the nickelodion (not disney) to win a trip to WDW for the 50th celebration
disney hasn't even mention it

i don't get it

 

[Ishy]

Add me to the list. We're taking our September trip because we won 2 free round trip tickets to Orlando from JetBlue.

Okay, doesn't include lodging or park tickets, but what else would you do in Orlando?

I finally won a grand prize and it was only air-tickets, hotel and a bottle of juice so I know how you feel - Can I afford to go? hmmm I have two kids. Money is tight... I really went back and forth since October about NOT going.

I won two roundtrip tickets to Orlando for two on AirTrans, 3 nights at the Celebration Hotel, and some NOBLE tangerine juice - YUMM! ---
Now the rental car and park tickets are setting me back some $$$, thats okay, won a Richard Petty Race experience and will use that at the WDW Raceway while we are there. I have to use the trip by the end of this July.
The prize as originally posted was 5days/4 nights - they changed it when they called. So its not always what they say it is. Since I recieved vouchers that have no cash value - I wonder if I will get 1099's for it.

There are a bunch of Disney sweeps out there I hang out on a really good site that organizes the sweeps nicely. Quite a few people from there hang out here too. Online-sweepstakes.com (mod can edit if they dont like a link. Good Luck everyone.

 

[Windy City Heather]

I won an all expense paid trip to Disney in 2003. I won it through Bank one and my local radio station. They did a promotion to get people to sign up for the Disney credit card. I went, dropped my name in a hopper and about 3 weeks later the radio station called me. My name was mentioned on the radio but I never got on the air because that was the week we invaded Iraq.

It was a trip for 4 for 4 nights (I think, it might have only been for 3). Air, park pass, one VIP viewing for a parade (Illuminations is what they gave us), a gift basket, a charater breakfast and $500.00 disney dollars.

They put us at Yacht club.

 

[ACDSNY]

It's way cool when you're a disney fan. I recently won a trip for 4 to WDW through the alamo sweepstakes. I still can't believe it! We're hoping to go in October!

 

[rcraw45425]

My mom won a trip the year the park opened, even before the hotels were built. The company put us up in Tampa and we had to drive. Hotel was kinda neat, of course when you're a kid everything was neat. Can't remember the exact name of it, think it was something like Causeway east and Causeway West, sat on both sides of the street(causeway?). I remember thinking I was so cool because the folks went into the lounge and got a "cocktail" (yep, that's what they called 'em back then) and I got to take a sip of Mom's daquari. YUCK! To this day I can't stand the things. That was over 30 yearsago and I still remember walking up Main Street, what a rush. Way before the Mountains (Space, Splash, Big Thunder) but we still had a blast. I remember Mission to Mars was way cool an I adored 20K Leagues. The skyway sticks out in my head too. This is a great thread for reminiscing! Funny thing, since we've been married we have stayed strictly in the deluxe onsite hotels, I can still remember my dad saying "there's gotta be a catch, it's gonna be a dump" and then his face when he saw the place and how "Swank" (his word, to this day that is how he refers to it) it was. I wish he could experience the WDW hotels they have now

 

[MOM6397]

I didn't win a trip but my best friend and I were going to go to Florida to celebrate turning 21. We were going to stay with her Gramma and go to the beaches. My Dad got the tickets with his frequent flyer miles and then we happened to be telling EVERYONE were we worked about our upcoming trip and an older lady that worked there gave us a four day and a five day pass. Turns out SHE won a trip to Disney and her hubby got sick. She visited the parks the first day by herself but it wasn't fun so she stayed in the hotel with him the remaining days. She would not accept money for the tickets since she had not paid for them. I seemed to remember buying her a box of Fannie Mae. That was such a wonderful thing!!!

Karen

 

[kilee]

These are great stories. Keep them coming!

 

[TN Traveler]

Wow! This is a great thread! I love reading about all these great stories!

I've never won a trip to Disney but in 95 when I had been a travel agent only a year, I went to a seminar sponsored by Puerto Rico Tourism Board. I won the grand prize which was RT air from Nashville to San Juan on TWA and 2 nights stay at the Sand's Resort which was a 5 * property. We decided to extend our vacation to a full week and ended up staying the 2 nights at the Sands--which is now the Intercontinental and an AWESOME proeprty and then winged it for the rest of the week traveling the entire island. I can honestly say it was our best couple vacation. Then in late 98 I was the 3rd place winner in top sales through this tour company that we booked all our packages for our clients through. I won 3 or 4 nights (don't remember) at the 4 Seasons Resort in Waikela, Hl (excuse misspelling). I was so excited and couldn't wait to go...then I found out I was preggers w/DD # 3 and had to forfeit the trip. I begged to give it to one of my coworkers in the office but it was non transferable and expired w/in 6 mths. Oh well, I did get my sweet baby girl that is now 5 so what can I say?! Since then haven't even won a t-shirt!

I can tell you this tho, if I were to ever win big $$ in the Lottery, I would definitely book another trip to Disney..actually I'd probably do the cruise and then add on the land package w/6 days or so. What fun that'd be!!


Karen aka TN Traveler

 

[mkymouse4ever]

Only time I seriously tried to win. But I had a "feeling I was ment to win it too" The McDonald's WDW 25th annivsary give away. They were selling the large glasses set of 4, with wdw park things on them. You could enter as many times as you wanted back then, so I invested $100.00 in stamps, wrote out my 3x5 cards and mailed a handful each day for the month of the contest. Didn't hear anything, thought oh well, I tried, 5 months later I got a registered federal express letter delievered thought, great I'm being sued? Lots of documents, and I'm a winner! 500 winners to wdw for 4 nites / 5 days. Totally paid, we flew delta, took sis, and our parents, they put us in the CR wing, all meals paid, all recreation (bikes, boats,4 day tix to parks, water parks tix, discovery island, etc...). We got tickets for all the meals and recreation, BUT in 4 days you didn't have time to have 3 sit down meals a day, and do everything they gave you, BUT we kept the tickets cause SIS & I where going anyway in 2 months on our own, and used up the tix then. There was no dates on the tix they gave us, I guess they didn't count on us coming back and using the rest of them up. It was like winning twice. The contest would NOT allow you to extent your trip at all, or change anything. It was very locked into dates too. You had to go during certain unblacked-out times, and they did not tell you where you where staying till the last minute, nor your flight info. I felt like we where on a secret mission, each time I talked to them. We went at the end of april, had great weather, and a wonderful time. Nice to have taken our older parents with us for a change, wdw "is not there thing", but agreed to go since we had to take someone. I have not tried to repeat our big win, again since, but I have never had that feeling again, after reading about a contest either. (must be esp)?

Mky

 

[LisaGoeke]

When I was in the 9th grade my parents won a 7 day cruise, I believe through a promo that AAA was doing. So, we all got to go on a FREE cruise, that was the best part. The not so good part was that they ran an article in our local newspaper about it with our picture. Well some pervert then called my Mother one day and said that he had abducted me, blah, blah, blah. Luckily my mom called the school right away to make sure that I was in class and yes I was but of course I was afraid for a long time after that.

Now if only I could win a trip to Disney that would be great!

 

[CrazedDisFan]

For the original poster of the thread:

The Pickett Resort was renamed and is now the Doubletree Suites.
The resort was renamed in 1995.

Thank you for starting such a nice thread.

I have never won a trip, but wish I would! I am in need of a vacation from reality. Disney is just the cure!

 

[Acklander]

This wasn't really winning a trip, but several years ago they were filming a movie in our home town and they needed extras so the whole family got to work for two days. The payment from the movie company paid for a low budget family vacation for a week.

 

[kona-kraft]

In 1996, I won a trip throught Mastercard......10 day, all-expense paid trip to attend the 25th Anniversary Celebration at WDW. I stayed at the WL, B-L-D daily and the premium pass w/ all the recreation.

Got me hooked on going to WDW so much, I moved to FL in 1998 and got a job w/ the MOUSE HOUSE !!!

Now that I live back north......I miss it VERY MUCH !!!

 

[Lady Cluck]

Yes, I won a week long trip in 1997 for 8 by entering a mail in sweepstakes from York Photo Lab http://www.yorkphoto.com/. Two families had to enter on the same form. SIL and I sent in about 40 entries. They paid for everything except food and souvenirs.

We had two rooms at POFQ with SIL, her husband and three DD's. After we won, MIL & FIL decided to drive their motorhome, swing through Ohio, and pick up BIL and his family of 6. They stayed in the motorhome in an off site campground, and we met up at the parks. We all went to the Arabian Nights dinner show one evening. It was the best time we ever had together. We still look at those pictures!

 

[Costumesaremylife]

I won the first prize in a McDonalds contest it had to be signed for and I thought it would be amazing. Turns out it was a box full of little people toys. I also won the five foot tall grover from Macy's Thanksgiving Day Promotion. No disney though.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Working for a travel wholesaler, Disney came up to Massachusetts and threw a party for the reservation agents and was giving away prizes to people that showed up as Tacky Tourists, so I dressed up with a loud Hawaiian print shirt, mismatching striped shorts, black socks with sandles and won the grand prize five nights anywhere on Disney property with 5day park hoppers ,this was back in 1994 so my wife and I stayed at the newly open Wilderness Lodge.

 

[stephbesel]

I DID! I DID! Last April (04) a local radio station here in the Kansas City area was having a contest. If you were a "loyal listener" you knew when it was the Disney Vacation hour or when it was the "$100" hour. Of course I was a loyal listener so I knew when the right time to call was! All you had to do was be the 10th caller. So, here's the funny story.....

I'm a 2nd Grade Teacher. My daughter (11 at the time!) and I had a 30 minute drive to school. I knew it was "the hour" so we listened to the radio all the way to school. When we got there, we ran into my classroom and turned on the radio. When we heard the Disney touch tones, I ran to the land line phone in our grade level pod and she tried on my cell phone. I could not believe it when I got through. I was the 10th caller! (I was suppose to be in an important meeting with our Asst. Principal, but I was too caught up in trying to win the trip to go!!!! Thank God I didn't!!!!) I was so excited. I was screaming and yelling and so was my daughter! (Thank Godness no kids were in school yet!!!!) The radio guy told me he has been doing radio for 25 years and he has NEVER heard anyone as excited as me!!!! They still to this day (one day later!) play parts of my over joyed moments on the radio!!!!

We won a 3 night trip for 4 people. However, we went during the "off season" and extended it to 4 nights, 5 days without paying extra. Airfare, hotel and park hopper passes were included. We stayed at Pop Century to get the most for the money they gave us.....$2800. It was fine. Our daughter is an only child, so she got to take her best friend!!!! It was our first trip to WDW. I had been to Disney Land when I was 17, but that was 20 years ago!!!!!

We had the time of our lives, me, DH, DD and DDBF. We had breakfast with Cinderella, dinner at Garden Grill, visted all 4 parks and can't wait to do it all again. I'm forever indebted to KFKF radio in Kansas City! To this day, I enter any sweepstakes pertaining to WDW! You never know!

P.S. 3 years ago, I won a 4 night trip to Vegas for me and DH. We got to stay at the Aladdin and go to an Alicia Keys concert. It was great! Once again, it was on the radio (differnet station!). Now, I've switched school districts and am only 3 minutes from my house, so we don't have time in the car to listen for contests!!!!! Sure is fun though!

 

[MouseDogMom]

My first wdw trip in 97 was free due to an incentive program at the company I was working with at the time. Well that got me hooked, I'm up to 3 trips a year so that free trip has ended up costing quite a bit.

I won a door prize that covered airfare and hotel for DH & me in a dumpy offsite hotel in '94. While riding the monorail from the TTC to MK I saw the GF and commented that my dream was to one day be able to afford to stay there. Then in '97 one of those incentive trips through work came along - got to stay at the GF for 4 days. Same thing happened - we're hooked, go every other year (at least), must stay onsite, and have spent a small fortune!