Friendly guest-interaction stories!

[DebIreland]

I thought it would be nice to share some stories or even little anecdotes about some positive experiences you've had meeting fellow guests at WDW! The board can get negative sometimes. I'm not complaining, but reading about some nice guest encounters might put us all in a pleasant, positive mood.

I'll start (and finish if nobody reads this thread ).

It's been over a year since we were at WDW but I still remember meeting a lot of really nice people, especially on the buses! I found there was a lot of camaraderie there, especially at night on our way back to the resort.

Let's see what stands out for me - we met a fabulous family from Hawaii on the bus to DTD one day - we got chatting about where we're from and how we were enjoying our holiday. They told us how sad they were because it was their last day. The father was holding his little girl on his lap and his wife had their baby in her arms and he (the Dad) said to me "we're so happy here, my little girls have smiled all week long and it's been the best week of my life feeling so close to my wife and children. This place makes us so happy, we're gonna come back again and again". I thought that was so nice! I don't know why it stands out, we just kinda clicked with them I guess.

We met an elderly lady on the bus from AK to WL. We got chatting because she was scratching her arm where she'd obviously got a few insect bites and I offered her some bug repellant so anyway, it led to a nice long chat on the bus ride back. She told us all about her family of 4 grown sons and their wives and children - how she worried about her youngest son in the army but was so proud of him. She was very interesting and was originally from Africa but had come to the U.S. at the age of 16. She was hilarious talking about her grandchildren who were all very anxious that she have a good time but she kinda confided that she's had a meltdown the night before because, in their quest to ensure she enjoy herself she was being dragged from pillar to post to ride rides, eat meals, meet people, watch fireworks etc. So eventually the previous night when they were *telling* her what she was going to do/see/hear next she kinda roared at them to stop and let her sit in her room and watch TV. lol!! Anyway it seems she got through to them because all the grandchildren (who were late teens to early 20s I think) had gone off to Pleasure Island and she was thrilled to have some peace!! lol

What else? Oh, we met a nice guy on the bus to MK who was chatting to our boys and telling them jokes. Then he asked us where we were from. We said "Ireland" and he heard Alabama. I kept saying "no, no, IRE-LAND" and he'd say "so you like Alabama?". Um, "no, we're from Ireland" and his reply was "yeah. You like living in Alabama?". Eventually DH butted in and said "yeah, we love Alabama, it's fabulous".

Met a terrific couple in Mama Melrose! While I checked in at the podium inside the door, I was apologising to the CM for being 10 minutes late for our PS (at the time) and while I was talking to the CM a woman next to me was doing the exact same thing (apologising for being 10 minutes late). We looked at each other and laughed because the two of us were just about half-dead from the heat and they too had obviously run through the park to get to the restaurant. So that led to a very nice conversation while we all waited for our table.

We just found people in general to be very nice and I guess that's what brings us all back to WDW - the wonderful happy atmosphere and the smiling faces of CMs and fellow guests!

Oh, one of the best chats I had was while I was waiting for DH and the boys to come out of Mission Space. There was a CM cleaning up around a bench where I was sitting and he started chatting to DD who was 1 at the time. He went away and told us to hold on a minute and he came back about 3 minutes later with a bunch of Mickey stickers for DD. Again, just an ordinary but nice experience.

On the Magical Express bus back to the airport we met a great couple from Long Island and their two daughters. We were all totally depressed having to leave! They were very funny - the wife kept offering my kids bananas and rice crispie treats and bottles of water and I was kinda perplexed and asked her what she was doing with all the stuff and she said "I'm trying to offload it because I just used up all my snack credits". I think her bag was full to the brim with stuff. lol!!! Anyway, we got chatting about their love of WDW and how they're the only ones amongst their friends who love Disney. The wife was telling us how that year's holiday should really not have happened because they had vowed to themselves that that was the year they'd put any spare cash into a college savings a/c for their girls but the draw of WDW got the better of them! So she made the comment that in 10 or 15 years when their daughters' friends were showing off their diplomas and degrees, her girls could say "but look, look, I got Mickey's autograph"!!!

 

[JulielovesDisney]

Very nice board topic!!

We've met a lot of very nice people is WDW throughout our years. Too many to write about. But I'll share a few that really stand out....

We were sitting in the handicap stop with my grandparents(with their motorized scooters)while waiting for Spectromagic, and we talked to a nice French-Canadian family. We laughed at a few funny things going on around us, like a miserable CM that kept yelling at people to stay off of a bridge because the parade was coming and people were jumping the ropes that blocked it off.

I've chatted with a bunch of people while waiting in line for Tower of Terror. Most people talk there because they are nervous and need a distraction from what they are about to put themselved through.

This past trip with my two friends, we met a nice group of people on the same boat as us on Splash Mt. They were nervous about the big drop, and that was our second time riding it, so we talked them through it.

And also, on the same trip, I talked with a nice mother and daughter. And the little girl told me about all the slides she went on when they went to Typhoon Lagoon that day. It was very cute!

I love chatting with people in WDW, everyone is so happy!

 

[mandy200587]

this one is a small story but we were in line for RnR coaster this year and the group behind us was like hi it said to get to know our neighbors and shook our hands.

I've met really nice people at Disney, usually in line is where I meet them.

 

[tinker-belle]

We were waiting for the rope drop in MK on our last day in disney before going back at home and my two DSes were admiring another woman's 'pin lanyard' and she said, "it is so much fun to go to CMs and trade", and she went ahead to give a pin to each of my sons and said, "now you each have a pin to trade- have fun!". That was soooooooo sweet of her and my boys have not forgotten that! (and they did have a blast trading that pin (and the next & next & next) numerous times throughout the day!)

 

[LisaBi]

The one that stands out the most was in the arcade at ASMo, in Nov. 2004. DS, then 11 (who has Down Syndrome) was ready to spend all the tickets he'd earned all week. He had about 60, but was wanting a toy that was about 300. Of course, he didn't understand (why he didn't have enough tickets - same problems we have with real money.)

A couple and their older-teenage son were nearby and overheard. They gave DS a zip-lock sandwich bag packed FULL of tickets. They said they came all the time, and had a LARGE zip-lock bag they were counting - and they wouldn't miss them! After we counted those tickets, DS had enough to get the toy he wanted plus a sucker and a few other small items. He was absolutely elated. That couple will never know what a difference they made.

Also, the family at POP, at the pool, in April this year. They had a 16yo son who had had some challenges growing up (seizures and such - but is doing much better now after major surgery). They encouraged him to introduce himself to DS. DS was ecstatic - an older kid willing play with him! The two boys, plus the other child's siblings played in the pool several evenings.

LisaB

 

[DebIreland]

Thanks for sharing folks!! Lisa, I just loved those two stories about your son! There are still good people in the world!

 

[BlindTyldak]

Three great stories:

On our first trip about 10 years ago, we got talking to a woman and her daughter from New Jersey. She was a travel agent and went to Disney several times a year, and we got talking about Illuminations. She shared with us the ultimate spot to see it with only a half hour wait regardless of the season (still a secret we keep!) and we ended up holding her a spot there when her daughter had to use the rest room 5 minutes before Illuminations started.

Same trip I was waiting for Chewbacca to come out for pictures (this was back when he came out year round), and was speaking to an older couple from England, who it turned out were David Prowse's next door neighbors. That's Darth Vader, for you non-geeks. I took their picture with Chewie and they took mine.

(Back when I was much thinner. )

Our last trip we mentioned to our waiter that while we were from South dakota, we were originally from Massachusetts. He introduced us to a couple from another one of his tables, who ended up living in the same town I grew up in and we knew many of the same people. It was pretty cool.

 

[firemanx]

over easter 2006 trip we were staying @ the dolphin, and were waiting for the boat back from MGM. my father, brother and me were all wearing shirts with sayings about firefighters. The guy infront of us turned around to look @ the line forming and noticed ours shirts and struck up a converstaion with us. He was a FF and his son was in training(like me and my brother). They were from a small town and Illinois and after some discussion it was cool to see the difference betwenn a small town in Illinois and one of the larger FD in south florida how there dept differ, and yet so much are the same. It was a nice conversation, and really makes you wonder if FF is in the blood of some people.

 

[Lizzybee]

Thinking back, we have had quite a few.

Last August, we stood in line with a woman from Taiwan (I think, I know they were Asian, but I think I remember they spoke a Chinese dialect but weren't from China ). The woman spoke English very well, but her son was pretty shy. Eventually (we were in the stand by line), my son got her son to come out of his shell and practice his English on us. Meanwhile, my daughter was entertaining the restless little girl of a couple from California. One thing I thought was really cool about this interaction was it was a race rainbow. There was the bi-racial couple (african american and latina), the parents of the little girl my daughter entertained, us we're all blond (I paid for mine but that counts right ) my kids are blond/blue eyed, and then the Asian mother and her son. It's a Small World After All...

Also last August, we met a very friendly British family and shared a spot with them for Illuminations. They had kids around the age of mine and they realized they were more alike than different.

This one is a tear jerker and I've posted it on the boards before. We were taking a bus later in the evening and my daughter wanted to sit with someone other than me. I sat very close, but she sat with a woman. I turned away for a few minutes and looked back and my DD was fast asleep in her lap! I looked at her trying to apologize with my eyes and she waved not to worry. As we exited the bus, I apologized and she stopped me and said she had lost a little girl just about the age of my daughter and holding her in her lap for that ride made her feel like her daughter was there with her, cuddled up in her lap. My mom and I both started crying with her.

 

[bntlyclg89]

While on our honeymoon we were at MK near Splash Mountain eating Mickey Bars my DH and I met a lovely family from the UK. Grandpa, son/dil and 2 kids. I remember he said to me that to an Englishman 100 miles is far to go and to an American 100 years is a long time. For some reason that has stuck with me.

 

[SLM]

What a great topic! I love these stories-back in 2002 my husband and I were riding the bus back from DTD late one night-there were only a few of us on the bus-hot, tired-you know how it is! Well, the nicest couple from Texas got us all talking and handed out chocolates from the Ghiardhelli candy store to everyone-even the bus driver! We were all smiling and laughing by the time we got back to the hotel.
Deb-thanks for starting this thread!

 

[hjd0411]

Thinking back, we have had quite a few.



This one is a tear jerker and I've posted it on the boards before. We were taking a bus later in the evening and my daughter wanted to sit with someone other than me. I sat very close, but she sat with a woman. I turned away for a few minutes and looked back and my DD was fast asleep in her lap! I looked at her trying to apologize with my eyes and she waved not to worry. As we exited the bus, I apologized and she stopped me and said she had lost a little girl just about the age of my daughter and holding her in her lap for that ride made her feel like her daughter was there with her, cuddled up in her lap. My mom and I both started crying with her.

Yes, Lizzybee - that is a tear jerker! What are those drops on my keyboard...!!

What lovely stories these are. I don't have any specifically that I remember, except to say that what struck me the first time I went to WDW (over 20 years ago now) was the friendliness in the queues. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of different people next year.

 

[Leota]

Lizzybee, that is a beautiful story.

I've had so many great guest interactions over the years. I can't even recall the specifics. Maybe I'm in the minority, but all of our interactions with other guests have been so positive, that I kind of expect it to be that way now. We chat with people on the busses/boats/monorails alot. We've met other families from all over the World. Everyone seems to so open & happy.

But, of course, if someones visibly grumpy, we don't talk to them.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I have a couple that I can remember:

On-the-way stories
I fly solo from Newark to Orlando and I have met some adorable kids and really nice people on the flight to Disney! One trip I sat next to a charming 8 year old girl that was going to WDW and we spent the entire trip talking about our favorite rides, characters and snacks. On my last trip down, I sat next to a young couple. They hadn't been since they were kids and we talked about planning and how to avoid the worst lines. On that same flight, there was a little boy behind us who started telling us "I see Mickey Mouse's house" when we were about over North Carolina! What a sweet kid.

Park Stories:
I find wearing shirts from other places sparks a lot of good conversation. I had a T shirt on from Kent State where my niece goes to college and met a really nice family from Ohio. We chatted the whole way from Pop to AK!
My parents and I met a really nice couple on the boat going from TTC to MK. They were retired, had just moved to Florida and they were GOING to get jobs at WDW because they loved it so much. He was a former Navy man and was hoping to get a job driving a boat and she wanted to work in one of the shops in MK. I hope they got them!

Maybe instead of putting the LGMH's on the doors-we should pin them on US! That way we'll always know the cool people to talk to!!

 

[bunny213]

just need to say thank you for starting this thread...I think it's the very best one ever! I hope it keeps going and going...just like the energizer bunny. After many many years of going to DL and DW...it brings back the real reason I love to go - the wonderful people that I meet everytime. Barb in Texas

 

[DebIreland]

These stories are great! Thanks everyone!! Barbara, I hope it's keeps going too - it's so nice to hear about all these pleasant moments. Lizzy, what a story. I have tears in my eyes too for that woman. What a wonderful outlook she had.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

The one that stands out the most was in the arcade at ASMo, in Nov. 2004. DS, then 11 (who has Down Syndrome) was ready to spend all the tickets he'd earned all week. He had about 60, but was wanting a toy that was about 300. Of course, he didn't understand (why he didn't have enough tickets - same problems we have with real money.)

A couple and their older-teenage son were nearby and overheard. They gave DS a zip-lock sandwich bag packed FULL of tickets. They said they came all the time, and had a LARGE zip-lock bag they were counting - and they wouldn't miss them! After we counted those tickets, DS had enough to get the toy he wanted plus a sucker and a few other small items. He was absolutely elated. That couple will never know what a difference they made.

Me and DBF do that same thing. We like to play the video games, actually it's more like he likes to play them. We have no use for the tickets. So when we are ready to leave we look around the arcade for a kid to give them to. Usually the parents are just plain shocked that two young adults are giving up their tickets to a little kid. If it makes that little kids night, I'm happy.

While waiting around for wishes to start, me and DBF started talking to the couple in front of us. They were from NJ, we are from NY. They were very nice and we talked about visiting Disney and other places around the country. After usually hearing that NY/NJ'ers are so rude, it was great to find someone else who didn't fit that persona.

This next story wasn't of people who I spoke to, but just watched. Me and DBF were sitting at our table at LTT. The table behind us had a mom, dad, and two young boys about 3 and 1.5. They were very well behaved. Whenever a character would come around the older boy would get excited. Not because he was going to meet the character, but because his brother was going to. It was so cute watching the older boy happily allow his brother to get all the attention. That was a great people watching moment.

 

[Joanna71985]

Oh man. These stories are great. I have one myself (even though it was at work. Does that count?). I was working with Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie at the MK. Aladdin and Jasmine were getting ready to go to the parade. Well, this family comes up. It is grandparents, mom and dad, and 2 little girls (one dressed like Ariel and one dressed like Jasmine). The line had already been closed, so I let them know that Aladdin and Jasmine were going to the parade in X-minutes. The grandma decided to stand with me to see if they could make it up in time. I felt bad for them, so I decided to let them get in line. The look on her face (and then on the 2 little girls') were just so happy. I then had the best conversation with her, talking about the college program and my job. And the little girls were so thrilled, with them giving me a hug before they left. I like to think that I helped to make someone's day.

 

[DebIreland]

Good for you Joanna! Sounds like you gave that family a very special Disney moment.

 

[Tigger79]

I really didnt have a conversation w/anyone. I had on an Ohio State jacket and someone saw the jacket and shouted out O-H and I replied I-O! We did the O-H-I-O cheer(if you're f/Ohio especially Columbus) you know what I'm talking about. I've had on other OSU shirts and have had people shout out Go Bucks! Just wondering if other people have had this happen to them if they wear Michigan,USC,or any other sports t-shirts at WDW?