I See...Celebrity People (at WDW)

[MrTerrorChair]

By no means am I a Celebrity nut. I find celebrities interesting in the way I find large impressive animal interesting...great to see, but not something I need to get real close to. I've never been an autograph hound (the only one I've ever gotten was of my favorite golfer, Greg Norman, when I met him at a golf clinic). I've always figured, they're just people, too, trying to go about their lives.

With that said, I have seen MANY celebrities on my trips to WDW. Obviously I'd like to know who you've seen when you were there and if you have any interesting stories associated with them.

If you remember the TV show "Family Matters" they filmed an episode in WDW at the Wilderness Lodge. We were there when they were filming it. In fact, we were staying in the same first floor hallway because one of our party needed first floor and so did the "grandma" on the show. I was walking out to the lobby one morning when Jaleel White, aka Erkle, ran by me, said, "Hey, what's up man?" and kept going. HE WAS TALL! A lot taller than he made himself appear on the show. And he ran like an athlete, not a dorky nerd. We saw the whole cast up close and personal.

Same trip, Whispering Canyon...George Wendt was eating breakfast with a group of people. My FiL kept mock-yelling "Norm!" We had to restrain him (my FiL not Mr. Wendt).

I've got more, but how 'bout you?

 

[MomsGoneGoofy]

We saw Erik Estrada (from the show "CHIPS") at the Cape May Cafe having breakfast. He was two tables from us. He was with his family. I was impressed at how very patient and gracious he was to everyone that went up to him for either an autograph or picture.

 

[Deesknee]

I saw ......Mickey MOuse, Minnie, Donald ,etc.

Seriously, I'm always to busy with the kids to notice. I could be standing right next to someone famous. I'm oblivious. Although DH has been known to walk into celebrities (Steve Tyler) he walked right into him. he he he.
He also once walked into a celebrity (althought who it was escapes me) and said something like "your so and so" lol Ya, like they didn't know who they are!! We were also at a Bruins game once. We couldn't find our seats so DH asked a gentleman ( dh thought he was an usher)to direct us to our seats, he did of course...."he" was Johnny Busyck (sp)

side note: As I'm telling these I'm laughing, DH is beside me asking what I'm laughing about. He now says DH also stands for divorced husband.lol

 

[sheryl0521]

We saw Erik Estrada (from the show "CHIPS") at the Cape May Cafe having breakfast. He was two tables from us. He was with his family. I was impressed at how very patient and gracious he was to everyone that went up to him for either an autograph or picture.

We saw him at SAB too! We must have been there at the same time.

 

[LIFERBABE]

We saw him at SAB too! We must have been there at the same time.

I still think he's cute!! LOL

Oh! I havent seen anyone yet!

 

[chimera]

We took my mom to BC Christmas 2004. We couldn't eat at the little quicky restaurant there 'cause it's all pastries (mom's diabetic), so we walked over to Yacht Club. The buffet was empty! While we were there, Edward James Olmos and his family came in and sat down to eat. He had done the CandleLight Processional reading the night before!

 

[Tink03477]

We saw Colin Mochrie from "Whose Line is it Anyway?" the Drew Carey other show. My son was so stunned he couldn't even move! He loves that show and watches it all the time. I was talking to his publist and Colin was there for something to do with the Magical Gatherings. This was last year, May or August. I couldn't believe that we were both so amazed that we forgot to ask for his autograph. I could have too since I was chatting up his manager, or whatever they are called. He told me, but it was last year and I can't remember now.
Kim

 

[donald...really]

Back in the early 80's, a friend of mine had Sally Struthers on a tour of the Magic Kingdom (he was a tour guide). I bumped into them in the park. Sally Struthers handed me her camera and asked me to take pictures of her with the characters. My friend handed me his camera so I could take a picture of him with her.

Flash forward a few years later... (This is not a "Meeting a celebrity at Disney World" story, but still interesting...) I was visiting my friend (the tour guide) at his home. He had a personalized autographed picture of Princess Diana on his mantle. I asked him how he got it. He said that he had her and the boys on tour for an entire week. The first night of the tour, they had dinner at the Coral Reef at the Living Seas. He waited to sit at the table until everyone else was seated. Diana patted the seat next to her and said "Tracey, come sit between me and the boys. I need a break from them". He said she was very charming and sweet.

 

[tinker925]

Well I love this topic! About 5 years ago I met Kelly Ripa and Mark Conseulos and their son Michael at AK, we walked straight into them and started talking and talking and talking, mostly to Kelly, Mark was talking to someone else. They were the most down to earth people you could ever meet. Fast forward a few trips . . . I'm about to get on the elevator at BWV and a family is waiting too, the father wants me to get on with my stroller and he will take the stairs, I said no way we can all fit. As this is going on and we're going up one level I'm thinking to myself why do I know this man?, did I work with him?, who is he? And he's smiling to himself like he can hear what I'm thinking, we get off and my husband is outside the door and says hello to the man, turns out he was the father from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air", two trips ago I literally bump right into Paige Davis from "Trading Spaces" at the CR on the monorail platform heading to the elevator. I said "oh my God, I love you and your show" she said "I love you too" and we talked for a minute or so before moving on, it was just me and my 3 yr old and her on the entire platform! Those were my personal encounters, we've seen a few other famous people but those were my interactions!! Thanks for listening, I'm obviously still excited!
p.s. to my fellow Bostonian - that's so cool you met Johnny Buscyk (sp?)! I have only been to two Bruins games but I caught a puck at each one!!

 

[NewJerseyDVCMembers]

We have seen the Candlelight Processional narrators at the Boardwalk (John Tesh, Jim Caveziel). We've seen numerous athletes around the ESPN club and the hosts of College Gameday. But the best we've ever seen...... take a look!!!

 

[WOW]

We have seen Don Mattingly---he was staying at OKW. he was on the same bus as us, believe it or not.....rumor has it that he owns there.....Also President Jimmy Carter at the Coral Reef. It is neat to see famous people at WDW

 

[barbarabee]

John Stamos had the table next to ours at the Rose & Crown during the Illuminations viewing. We had no idea who he was, but our waiter clued us in. My boyfriend even called after him when he left his hat behind.

And during Star Wars Weekends last year, Anthony Daniels was staying at BWV. Ran into him in the elevator but didn't say anything, then my boyfriend ran into him again in the elevator, and Anthony Daniels made nice small talk, then my boyfriend said "I have to tell you, I know who you are!" (He's kind of hard to recognize immediately, since he wears the C3-PO suit throughout the movie. He actually had the room next to my boyfriend's brother...on the first floor, Boardwalk View, right over the store.

 

[athenna]

I have heard a rumor that Jimmy Carter owns there.
If you can count this as a celebrity-remember the guy that hosted that kids game show-double dare? I saw him at the Magic Kingdom. And I was there one Saturday that they were filiming parts of the Christmas Parade and I saw Tom Bergeron. That was only brush with fame, such as it is.

 

[JCW]

About two years ago DH & I were at DTD. We see this HUGE swarm of people, all moving together in the same direction (have you ever been to a 4 year olds soccer game where all the kids just swarm the ball as it is rolling down the field? That's kind of what it looked like). Anyway, I turn to DH and I say in a very excited way "look at the crowd, it must be someone important" (it was Star Wars weekend so I was secretly wishing it to be Harrison Ford). DH says "no, probably just one of the characters" (I think he new my secret wish). My gut said no way, not a character. So I start doing a really brisk walk to catch up to the crowd(ok, I was running), which finally stops moving. I jump on one of the planters to see over everyone, and there, about 3 feet in front of me is Michael Jackson, stopping to sign autographs (I am not a fan, but he is/was such a pop icon and I am a gen-x'er, Thriller was awesome). He had his two children with him (of course they were in costumes, faces covered, looking petrified from the swarming crowd). I don't want an autograph, but I figured what the heck let's get a picture. It would be something different in my photo album. I pull out my camera, focus, click....and I hear an all too familiar sound, the film was rewinding.AAAAHHHGGGG. No picture. Oh well, at least we can say we saw MJ at Disney.

Needless to say when we got home from that trip, we bought a digital camera.

 

[Gail & Joe]

In Dec. of 2000 we saw Joe Mantegna in the lobby of the Brown Derby. He was waiting to be seated. We had seen him do the Candlelight Processional the night before. My DH saw Mickey Rooney waiting to get on the Safari ride at the AK.

 

[disney junky]

Back in the late 80's Orel Hersheiser was there shortly after the World Series that he had starred in. He was there with his family and you really couldn't get close to him as he was surrounded by a large number of CM's but we did get close enough to get some recognizable pictures.

 

[vonderbar]

Gail & Joe,

I haven't seen any celebs yet at WDW, but did see 1980's Philadelphia Eagle Carmicheal in Jacksonville this past weekend.

GO BIRDS!! - FAN FOR LIFE.

 

[DVCconvert]

Most "celeb's" will be booked into a concerige room or suite. Most of 'them' (as if they don't put their pants on one leg at a time in the morning) desire just to be normal visitors to WDW.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Long before we owned DVC we saw Princess Dianna (from a dsitance, but close enough to get a picture) entering a show at MGM.

HBC

 

[disworldnum1]

a few years back my wife saw Micheal J fox over at MGM.He had been there for a parade or something and she just happened upon him.