Indeed, It's truly a Small World! (Unexpectedly meeting friends at WDW)

[k5thbeatle]

Thought this might be a fun question to ask here. Have you ever taken a trip to WDW and totally unexpectedly come across friends or family that were there at the same time and you had absolutely no idea they were going too? I'm not talking about planned surprises but just a totally random meeting.

We were walking around Epcot last trip near French pavilion and as I was standing someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and it was someone I had worked with long ago and had lost touch with. Total surprise! Another time, again in Epcot and as we're walking by Italian pavilion I see someone walking who is looking intently at me just as I was looking at them and it was someone I went to school with years ago.

 

[Goofyyukyukyuk17]

Ran into our preacher in restrooms at African Outpost.

 

[crayon3448]

When my mom and sister went years ago, they saw the neighbors who live in the house diagonally behind their house.

 

[mjmgsssp]

It's actually happened to me twice!

 

[im4pacers1]

On our trip last week (well I guess it's been almost 2 weeks now), we ran into DD's softball coach and his family and also DD's friend that lives right around the corner from us. Small, small "world".

 

[jaceraden]

The closest I got was being seated on a plane right next to my childhood neighbour and finding out he was on the way to WDW too - it was not a direct flight. I think this was the same trip where we were on a flight to Chicago with the Stanley Cup, which hubby saw as he checked his golf clubs in oversize.

 

[Minniekins]

We were standing in the line waiting for the ride and I said to DD26, that looks like Ben(kid from school), over there, and she said no way. Well a minute later, yes way - we saw his mom and brother. She was so shocked, lol. And, best part? We were waiting in line for It's a Small World! We still talk about it when we see them, lol. That was in her early high school days. Back in third grade, on spring break, we saw another kid from her class. I also saw someone years ago that I had just gone to high school with, though it was so cool. Now, if we go when we know someone else is going, I almost just expect to see them, lol.

 

[texasroni75]

A little over 10 years ago at DHS, we walked up to Sci-Fi Dine-in for our lunch ressie. There in front of us at the check-in podium was our neighbors and their kids (school friends of our DD). Neither of us knew the other was headed to WDW at all. We ended up requesting to sit in the same "car" and took lots of pictures. Certainly a small world and a memorable meal!

 

[Rose DiVerona]

Ran into my eighth-grade English teacher once outside Pirates of the Caribbean. On a separate trip, we ran into our neighbors at Expedition Everest.

 

[disneyseniors]

This is kind of a variation on your theme. While at WDW several years ago, we were either in front of or behind this same couple several times, at all 4 parks. Even in line for food! It got to be a joke and we said, "where are you going next so we can be there". We naturally got to talking with them,, told them we had a resort in N. Mn.. They lived in Florida. Anyway, they showed up at our resort just to say Hi that summer. What a surprise!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Five trips and I ALWAYS run into someone I know, or the kids know.

A friend's DS on his senior trip
My middle school friend
DS ran into a friend from school.
And a few more I can't remember off of the top of my head.

 

[Micca]

I'll try to keep this short, I think it's one of the all time cosmic coincidence stories. Did a WDW trip 2 years ago with DW and (adult) DDs. They were all riding RnRC, I was waiting for them at the ride exit, as were others. Made small talk with a woman waiting for her family and after a few "Where are you from" type questions it was determined that her son who was on RnRC was a student in my DDs 8th grade class, and we lived about 2 blocks from them. The kid came out first, the look on his face when his mother explained who I was (father of the teacher) was priceless. They waited around for a few minutes until she came out and they all took a photo together. Neither knew of any WDW trip, much less being in the same park/same ride/same time.

We've also run into folks we met on a Disney cruise, and these were entirely separate incidents (not like seeing them at a park a day or two before or after the cruise, months apart.)

 

[Niki384]

I have with a couple different people! Once it was a guy that I went to school with who was doing the college program and was a CM at The Who Wants to be a Millionaire game in HS (or ya know, MGM at the time, ha!) I didn't know he was working there so that was fun!

 

[cassie58]

Great topic! During one trip we were waiting in line for the castle brft when someone called my name, and it was a best friend of one of our college friends who we hadn't seen in about 10 yrs. He used to come visit at college, and then we saw them at a few parties when we first were first married and having kids, and couldn't believe he recognized me and remembered my name -my DH maybe, but amazed he spotted me! We got to meet each other's kids and catch up while we waited.

On another trip while at LeCellier, another family was seated next to us(if you haven't been, tables are almost touching) wearing an Eagles jersey, and since we are from South Jersey outside of Philly, we struck up a conversation. When the dad mentioned the town they were from close by us, DH said that's where our SIL was from. Here they were close friends in high school! Our DDs were talking, and found we were both staying at CSR. Unfortunately we were ending our trip, and they beginning, otherwise the girls would have met by the pool. We called SIL right after and it was a blast from the past for her!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Great topic! During one trip we were waiting in line for the castle brft when someone called my name, and it was a best friend of one of our college friends who we hadn't seen in about 10 yrs. He used to come visit at college, and then we saw them at a few parties when we first were first married and having kids, and couldn't believe he recognized me and remembered my name -my DH maybe, but amazed he spotted me! We got to meet each other's kids and catch up while we waited.

On another trip while at LeCellier, another family was seated next to us(if you haven't been, tables are almost touching) wearing an Eagles jersey, and since we are from South Jersey outside of Philly, we struck up a conversation. When the dad mentioned the town they were from close by us, DH said that's where our SIL was from. Here they were close friends in high school! Our DDs were talking, and found we were both staying at CSR. Unfortunately we were ending our trip, and they beginning, otherwise the girls would have met by the pool. We called SIL right after and it was a blast from the past for her!

We are in the same area and I think everyone from NJ goes to WDW around the same time since we have run into someone we know on each trip. lol

 

[kamik86]

Never just ran into someone but I have planned trips completely seperately from people and found out 2-3 weeks before when dealing with time off work that we would both be in the same place.

We actually did that same thing with London when we were there a few weeks ago. One of DH's friends were there as well.

 

[klmall]

Not at Disney but for our first trip at Universal we were parking in that huge garage just outside the park. The parking attendants tell you what row, what space etc. to pull into. We had just gotten out of the car with DS when a car pulled in right behind us. The woman getting out of that car ended up being the woman I had sat next to the day before in a meeting at work. We weren't friends but certainly would have been talking upcoming trips had we known!

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Yes, one time while looking around inside the Christmas shop in MK a former co worker of my wife's tapped her on the shoulder. He had left the bank they worked together at several years prior due to health reasons(cancer) and they(his entire family) were their celebrating being cancer free.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

In Summer 2015 I was working at the Jungle Cruise. One time I saw someone vaguely familiar on my boat. At the end, they asked me if I worked at a day camp that I had worked at about 3 years prior. Turns out that not only did we work together, but we actually frequently discussed doing the DCP and how I someday planned on it!