Making somebody else's Disney Magic ...

[Ellajoan]

Ok, I have a story that is unbelievable, but it is true. Our family received the mother of all Disney magic gifts---a trip!

I have shared this story before and it just makes me happy every time I think about it. About 6 years ago, our family was down in Orlando to "re-group" after a very difficult year. Our daughter was just diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder with a rough prognosis and we had just had a new baby along with a preschool son. Anyways, I was on maternity leave and we found cheap airfare and just rented a house down there for a week. We did not plan on going to Disney at all--not in the budget.

Well, the first night we stayed at a hotel and a woman in the lobby just GAVE us four 4 day park hoppers with like 10 food vouchers. She'd said that her brother was a Disney executive and that these were their 2nd set of vouchers. They were leaving in the morning and they expired in 2 weeks, so we could just have them!

Now, we never could have afforded to even go to Disney then let alone to eat in a bunch of fancy, fun restaurants. It was probably illegal, but I do believe to this day that she was an angel. God used her to help our family through a difficult time and she didn't even know it. But somehow she gave them to us. I LOVE Disney and always have, but I had never taken my family. This was a dream come true and made us forget our troubles like nothing else.

 

[DisGeebs]

This is a great thread! I am not 100% positive, but I would be that we made some serious magic for some one. One day my sister and I were getting on to Thundermountain. As we sat we realized that we sat down on something. Since it is a little dark in the boarding area and the seats are dark, we didn't notice anything. Someone had left their wallet on the ride. Let me tell you, the wallet was thick with cash and travelers check. There had to have been several hundreds or thousands of dollars in it. We gave it to the worker at the station and exited the ride. As we were walking out, we so a man running back with a frantic look... we hope it was him. If it was... we made his vacation!

 

[eastcarolinafan]

5BTW - love your comments and my parents met at ECU (I was born in Greenville) and I grow up in MD, at this point 'Its a small world after all....' is running thru my head

Hmmmmm, parents at ECU, you grew up in Maryland, which is where I live now, and you were born in Greenville, where I actually moved back to several years after graduation .....

You don't work for the IRS, do you???? I swear I didn't know you can't deduct a week at the Poly for a family of three as a "business expense"!

 

[eastcarolinafan]

I Love reading these...


Here is one from my younger days... My mom used to always get us two rolls of quarters for use in the hotel game room, do to my dad's strategy of up early then back to hotel after lunch (never saw a 3pm parade) and then back to parks after dinner, we had lots of hotel time....

One year i lost a roll of my quarters, or so i thought, and later found it on the last day.... i found a random kid, about my age and gave him my roll of quarters, and also told him where to find some free arcade games over in the activity building at our resort.. I am sure i made his vacation a little more magical... the best way a middle schooler can!

You are the man! I know when I was a kid that age, I would have thought long and hard about giving away a roll of quarters. Even then the magic was in you.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

This is a great thread! I am not 100% positive, but I would be that we made some serious magic for some one. One day my sister and I were getting on to Thundermountain. As we sat we realized that we sat down on something. Since it is a little dark in the boarding area and the seats are dark, we didn't notice anything. Someone had left their wallet on the ride. Let me tell you, the wallet was thick with cash and travelers check. There had to have been several hundreds or thousands of dollars in it. We gave it to the worker at the station and exited the ride. As we were walking out, we so a man running back with a frantic look... we hope it was him. If it was... we made his vacation!

Wow! That is beyond magic. That is ... I can't think of any other word than "heroic." That is something extraordinary right there. I don't know if anybody has ever really told you that, but it really is. Think of how tempting it would be to pocket a few thousand dollars you found at DW and have a break-even vacation.

On the other hand, think of how that poor man must have felt when he reached back for his wallet. Man, I am impressed. Blown away.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

Ok, I have a story that is unbelievable, but it is true. Our family received the mother of all Disney magic gifts---a trip!

Well, the first night we stayed at a hotel and a woman in the lobby just GAVE us four 4 day park hoppers with like 10 food vouchers. She'd said that her brother was a Disney executive and that these were their 2nd set of vouchers. They were leaving in the morning and they expired in 2 weeks, so we could just have them!

Now, we never could have afforded to even go to Disney then let alone to eat in a bunch of fancy, fun restaurants. It was probably illegal, but I do believe to this day that she was an angel. This was a dream come true and made us forget our troubles like nothing else.

That's just pure magic right there, nothin' but.

 

[squirrel]

For the past three trips I have brought a bunch of little toys, glow bracelets, bubles and things for my niece to hand out to other children. The first year I even made up a bunch of eye spy bottles (before the charging of baggage) for her to hand out.

It was great seeing her last year, she no longer needed me beside her when she was giving them to the children. I even had to call her back one night when we were waiting for Illuminations to start as she had wandered off so far. When I asked why she went so far, she told me she was looking for girls to give the toys/glow bracelets.

This year I will bring a bunch of stuff again but it will be her little sister handing them out (it's her turn for some Disney).

We also handed out a bunch of fastpasses. It's funny, but the Mickey's PhilharMagic ones were the hardest ones to give away. We also had the most of them as my niece loves Winnie the Pooh, so we had a lot of surprise fastpasses.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

This year I will bring a bunch of stuff again but it will be her little sister handing them out (it's her turn for some Disney).

We also handed out a bunch of fastpasses. It's funny, but the Mickey's PhilharMagic ones were the hardest ones to give away. We also had the most of them as my niece loves Winnie the Pooh, so we had a lot of surprise fastpasses.

Your daughter sounds like mine. She is all about the giving. And I have no answer as to why the Philharmagic FPs were so hard to give away. I can assure you though, had we been there, we would have accepted your kind gesture in a New York second. I am waaaaay into the Philharmagic. So is my family.

And I do thank you for being so generous with your time AND your FPs. It all comes back to you, I hope.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

Is it still possible to bump this topic back up? I would love to keep going!

 

[mccathy]

Great thread.

We always invite young kids in front of us at parades. Yes - the families show up 5 minutes before the start, but we can see over them. Parents still have to stand behind, but that is never an issue.

I am a trash picker. I remember the day when you never saw trash at WDW. I believe people litter more than in the past, but I always hope it will look perfect for the people behind me on their first trip. My wife always laughs, but now she is getting into the spirit.

Were you there earlier this month? Because we were in EPCOT and I was talking to my husband about how there was NO trash on the ground and the place was packed!

Seriously, though - I think the CMs keep up pretty well, but what a nice habit to get into, both at WDW and at home.

 

[squirrel]

My niece doesn't like the 3D movies! She has even watched 3D movies at home, but really doesn't like the extra effects (4D). She did give Mickey's PhilharMagic a second try (on her second trip) but liked it about the same as the previous year.

We had a lot of the Mickey's PhilharMagic fastpasses. She loves her Winnie the Pooh ride, but you should have seen her the first time I tried to get her to ride it. You would have thought I was putting her on ToT!

Can't wait to see what her little sister is going to be like this year. She doesn't get the few days at DL like her older sister did. She will be jumping into 14 nights of WDW! Still can't believe my sister is letting me take them both for their first Disney trip. I was trying to hold off so she could expierience one of her girls first trips, but I can't wait any longer for her and I don't think the little one will ever forgive me if I don't take her this year.

 

[DONTMINDME]

I over stocked on the glow sticks on our last trip and my Dh had the best time lighting up kids faces as he offered glow stick bracelets to little ones all over the park. We are heading back in May and I have already started my stock piling for the trip, it is so much fun to see kids so excited about such a little thing.

 

[justamy27]

Last year we were walking down Main Street on our way back to the hotel and DS5 said wait we can't go yet. Wondering what was going thru his wild mind we stopped and he went over to a crying little girl, close to his age I would say, and I watched him hand her his balloon and pat her on the back. When he came back I said what made you do that, to which he said "you said this is the happiest place on earth and she was sad, so I told her what you told me, gave her my balloon and told her it will be ok". He sure made his dad proud that day

 

[DONTMINDME]

I am from Md too and I think we have met do you shop at the Sam's Club in Annapolis?

 

[eastcarolinafan]

Last year we were walking down Main Street on our way back to the hotel and DS5 said wait we can't go yet. Wondering what was going thru his wild mind we stopped and he went over to a crying little girl, close to his age I would say, and I watched him hand her his balloon and pat her on the back. When he came back I said what made you do that, to which he said "you said this is the happiest place on earth and she was sad, so I told her what you told me, gave her my balloon and told her it will be ok". He sure made his dad proud that day

What can I say about that? How hard did you hug him after he said that?

 

[eastcarolinafan]

I am from Md too and I think we have met do you shop at the Sam's Club in Annapolis?

lol. not often, but I have been there a few times. Mine is a pretty common face. My name is Patrick, if that helps.

 

[ladcraig]

I am so enjoying reading this thread. It inspires me to do more of these things not just at WDW but in everyday life as well. I have a little story about how a fellow traveler made my son's day. Last December, my son & I were staying at the Ft. Wilderness Campground with my parents. At the next campsite was a group of young 20-somethings. Right before we left, one of guys gave my son one of the dinosaurs that are prizes at the Dinoland "fair" games. It was even my sons favorite color - orange. My son has won a few of the little stuffed animals, but this was the big guy. He was ecstatic.

 

[ladcraig]

A few years ago our whole extended family was dining at Hollywood & Vine. My nephew, who was 3 or 4, got choked on a piece of food. I alerted a cast member and she called for help right away. Before medical help arrived my brother had performed the Heimlich (sp??) and the food had dislodged. My brother & I took my nephew outside to get cleaned up. The cast member/EMT arrived just then and made sure the little guy was okay. He then went to a nearby gift shop and brought back a Mickey t-shirt for my brother to change into. When we got back to the table many of the surrounding families, who had already finished their meals, were standing by our table comforting my mom and waiting for us to come back. They wanted to make sure he was okay. They hugged us and gave my nephew high 5's and helped to put a smile back on all of our faces.

 

[Disney71]

Ok, I have a story that is unbelievable, but it is true. Our family received the mother of all Disney magic gifts---a trip! ,..... Well, the first night we stayed at a hotel and a woman in the lobby just GAVE us four 4 day park hoppers with like 10 food vouchers...... but I do believe to this day that she was an angel. God used her to help our family through a difficult time and she didn't even know it.

I agree - sounds like an angel to me... what a great story, thank you for sharing!

Last year we were walking down Main Street on our way back to the hotel and DS5 said wait we can't go yet. Wondering what was going thru his wild mind we stopped and he went over to a crying little girl, close to his age I would say, and I watched him hand her his balloon and pat her on the back. When he came back I said what made you do that, to which he said "you said this is the happiest place on earth and she was sad, so I told her what you told me, gave her my balloon and told her it will be ok". He sure made his dad proud that day

We don't have any children yet, but if my child ever did that I think I would just cry..... so sweet and kind! What a nice son you have

 

[PebblesMK]

On our trip this past fall, we were eating dinner in Norway at the princess meal. While waiting in line, there were three little girls who were probably no older than three, and they had been to BBB. Their hair was in a princess bun and they were dressed up like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle and they were dancing and giggling all around right by my 8 year old daughter and myself. My kiddo said "Mom!!! Look!!! It's the princesses!!!" and then she said to the little girls "Wow! I came here to eat with the princesses, I didn't know I'd meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle out here!!! You're all soooo pretty!!". The little girls got really excited and ran to their parents saying "They really think I'm (interject Princess name)!!!!!"

I don't know if that's really giving anything, but it made me giggle to see their excitement and it was nice to see my daughter being so aware of the girls.