Most poignant Disney moment

[Fargoman2]

Just got back from WDW with our 3 children (12, 9 and 2). We had so many highlights and memorable moments. Just wondering--what do you consider the most poignant moment of your first Disney trip--the one you'll remember forever?

 

[ceecee]

Watching my 4 year old's face when she saw Mickey for the first time in person, she ran up to him for a hug and said WOW.........could have been a commerical.

 

[ReneeQ]

This wasn't from my first Disney trip. But in Sept. 99 I took my 4 year old goddaughter, Libby, (just the two of us this time). We were there 4 days. Each day of the trip I gave her her very own disposable camera to take her own pictures. BTW, all her pictures were great.

She LOVES Mulan, has the movie completely memorized. We had to get in line to get Mulan's autograph and Libby took some of her own pictures. We spent like 5 minutes with Mulan and the Captain. This was around 10 am.

Libby INSISTED we have front row seats for the Mulan parade, which was at 3 PM, so we staked them out nearly an hour before the parade. I kept saying, don't you want to go do something else. No, she was fine, sat there like an angel for the entire hour.

During the parade Libby is snapping pictures like crazy. When the Mulan float comes along, Mulan looks right at us and yells "HI LIBBY!" I totally had tears in my eyes. It had been 5 hours since we spent time with Mulan, yet she remembered her name. Mulan noticed Libby taking pictures, so she walked to the other side of the float, got the Captain, brought him back over to the side we were on and they posed for pictures together. Just priceless!

 

[luvmy2sams]

Last October, a mere 30 minutes after checking into our hotel, DH and I loaded our then 21-month-old DD back into the car and headed for our PS at Chef Mickey's. After checking in and having our photo taken, our DD decided to dance along with the loud music while we waited for our table. She was twirling and laughing and the expression on her face was priceless. I'll never forget that image as long as I live.

 

[lisapooh]

Unfortunately my most vivid memory of this trip is not a pleasant one. The memory of the idiot ramming into my power chair and tipping it to the side. Fortunately it righted but I ended up with bruises on my side and neck and back pain from being bounced around.

 

[lvs_eeyore]

I have two poignant moments. The first time we took our oldest to Disney(he was five then) we were walking down Main Street. The look on his face was incredible. He looked over at me....tugged on my arm and said "Mom you are the BEST!!!" I started to cry.

The second poignant moment was on this last trip. My youngest is TOTALLY in love with Mary Poppins. We were told by some wonderful DIS members that she could be seen in the UK pavillion. We were in a shop when all of a sudden my three year old starts yelling MARY POPPINS, MARY POPPINS Momma!!!!! I looked over and there she was!!! He was SO excited to meet her. We had to wait in a short line to see her and he was just beside himself with glee. When we finally did get up to her he got all shy and coy. It was just TOO CUTE!!!

 

[KHuntress]

We were at Epcot during the Millennium Celebration, and were in the Milennium Pavilion, when we ended up in the Saudi Arabia section. DH and I were not to excited about it, but the CM's were very polite and asked us ot look around. DS, then 4, got involved in an animated discussion with a female CM, who was teaching him to write his name in arabic. When DS saw the CM writing from right to left, he just wrote his own name the same. She was so surprised that she pulled out a "Magical Moments" certificate (has anyone seen one -- theya re very neat!) and declared Chandler a hero. All the other CM's in the area signed it, and he was elated. As a result, he really tried to learn a word in each new language, wanted to know where on the globe their country was, etc.

Are there other items like the Magical Moments certificates, and are all CM's authorized to do something like that?

 

[Synonymous]

From our first trip, when DD was 2 1/2 yrs- we were walking through MGM, down the back street where the characters have their trailers. This was on about our 2nd day at WDW. DD gasped and put both hands over her mouth, then shouted "Goofy! I FINALLY found you!"

This past year, at 3 1/2, we got to MK early for the rope drop at Fantasy Land and walked (briskly) straight to Dumbo. Mickey and Minnie were there and Mickey asked DD to ride with him. (Actually, his handler asked us if she'd like to ride with Mickey. Duh!) We got to stand up on the deck of the ride to watch them. DW and I were both getting teary-eyed at the look on her face.

 

[dmslush]

Boy these are great stories! I had to wipe a tear or two away while I was reading them!!

We are planning our first trip right now. While it is technically going to be our daughter's 10th birthday present, I know the trip is as much for me as it is for her LOL!

Since it is her birthday present all of the planning has been done in secret. But, when I got the very first parkhopper pass in the mail, I cried LOL! It seemed so real then.

 

[sydally9367]

Well, this is an easy one for me. Last Dec we went to WDW (mom, sisters, step-dad, DH, DD-3), DD was in love with Ariel from the Little Mermaid. I hadn't really checked into it much so I had no idea there was a place to actually meet Ariel. DD was riding Dumbo and I happened to look over and saw the area where Ariel was and pointed it out to DH and Mom..we headed over there with DD without telling her what we were doing and why we were waiting in line--I thought she might have caught on since it was all a sea-life theme etc. but she just kept waiting with us going with the flow. We finally got close enough and DD (at the right height) got a glimpse of Ariel through the people in front of us and she IMMEDIATELY got tears in her eyes--shoulders shaking and everything! Ofcourse, by this time, myself and Mom were crying too...DD got her turn and took her autograph book to Ariel (mom had ordered the guest of honor badge!)--Ariel looked at DD and said "Hello Sydney" and I really thought DD was going to have a little toddler heart attack--she looked at me with that "MOM, Ariel knows my name" face and the look on her face was something I will never forget! Ariel signed her book, putting DD's name in it and then gave DD a huge kiss on the cheek--needless to say, there was a big smooch on DD's cheek for A LONG TIME!!!!!!

 

[eeyore2001]

My most poignent moment was when I first saw the castle. I just got all "goosebumpy" and I was 30 y/o!!!! I don't remember too much of that trip as the kids were pretty little and I think we were amongst the hot, tired wanderers!!!

 

[truescorp]

Although our trip last October was magical all around,(it was me and my husband's first trip in our entire lives(at 30), and my son was at a great age-5,) whenever I think of Disney I always come back to our last nite. We had been to everything we planned, and decided to check out the Boardwalk resort, although we were staying at the CB. We went at nite, and I was just struck with how beautiful the buildings looked, all lit up, reminding me of an old 1920's style amusement park. We walked over to the bridge that sits in back of the resort and backs up to the Swan hotel(I think). We watched the fireworks from there. Of course it was our last nite there and we were sentimental because of that, but also the atmosphere plus the fireworks just made it seem perfect. Being there with my family in such a magical place is the memory I will remember forever.

 

[Barbruka]

A memory I will have forever happened on our last family trip. Our two youngest sons were 2 and 6 at the time. It was Christmas week 95. Dan and Adam were playing in the MGM Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Some CM's came up to us and asked if the boys could film a segment of the show Disneyworld Inside Out (I think that was close to the name). They ended up filming for three hours with George Forman running and playing in the attraction. The real magic was when the show aired the following summer. My boys sat there watching with their mouths open. My six year old said, "I can't believe we were really there." Needless to say, we taped that show, and my kids have watched and relived that experience many times. What a magical experience for them.

 

[BethC]

One of my favorite memories is the first time we took my daughter to WDW.

She was just barely 3 at the time and she had been watching the Disneyland sing-a-long song video for ages!! Well, at the end of that video all the characters are standing out in front of the castle and they wave good-bye and exit through the castle. So we arrive at the Magic Kingdom bright and early one morning and the first thing we do is hold hands and skip while singing "we're walking right down the middle of Main Street USA". We were all in such good spirits and we kept heading toward the castle as if drawn to it.

Melanie starts saying she's going to meet Minnie Mouse and we smile and say, "yes, we'll meet Minnie Mouse today." But then she says, "no, Minnie Mouse is behind the castle, I know she's waiting for us." Well at this point my husband and I panicked and started explaining that just because that's where Minnie goes in the video doesn't mean that she'll be there, we may have to go visit her house and look for her in other areas, etc, just trying to get her to stop thinking about Minnie. She looks at us like we're crazy and picks up the pace to get behind the castle.

The whole way she's talking about Minnie Mouse and how excited she is and my husband and I are trying to downplay it. We walk through the castle and would you believe it? Right on the other side was the one and only Minnie Mouse!! Waiting for us just like Melanie said!!! There weren't too many people around just yet so she ran up and gave her the biggest hug and kiss and told her she loved her, it was just so precious!!

And the whole rest of the day, Melanie had to tease us because we didn't believe that Minnie Mouse would be there. She still talks about how she just KNEW that Minnie would be there to this day. (She's now 8 1/2 )

We've been back to WDW MANY times since that trip and have never seen Minnie Mouse waiting behind the castle again!

 

[Alysa]

I have been lurking around here for a while because I don't have a little DD or DS yet (soon!) but I did have a wonderful Disney moment I will never forget with a little girl. On New Year's Eve 1999, my DH and I were all dressed up in our formal wear. He looked so nice in his tux and I was wearing a fairy princess blue ball gown. We were in Epcot and I noticed a little girl in a Cinderella costume, the exact same colour as mine and I complimented her on her outfit and sense of style. Well, I guess she thought I was a real princess because she hugged me and her smile - Oh the sweetest darling of a girl - I crouched down and we had our picture taken together (I will cherish it forever) and are you ready for this? She kissed me!!!! I really did feel like a princess for the rest of my trip! It was magical.

 

[lynn46356]

On our last trip to WDW two years ago we had our youngest son, 15 months at the time, first haircut at the Main Street Barber in Magic Kingdom. We had held off his first haircut until our Disney trip and it was well worth it. Dad held him on his lap, one brother 11, took pictures, and the brother, 10, videoed the event, and of course Mom cried the whole time. We took him in looking like a baby and he came out a toddeler. It made a wonderful memory which included his first Mickey Mouse ears with my first haircut embroydered on them, a certificate that he had received his haircut and a bag ful of curls. Not many children can say they've got their first haircut at Magic Kingdom.

 

[jmet]

It was my 8 year old son's first day at Disney World. We were at AK, because that was the park he was most anxious to visit. He and I sat down to rest on the benches at Conservation Station while my husband went to grab a cold drink. To his delight our timing was perfect for one of their little animal presention shows. He is a HUGE fan of the Crocadile Hunter so he was very excited to find that the animals being showcased were in the snakes & lizards catagory (me, not SO thrilled!). He insisted that we move up to the front row! When the first lizard came out with it's trainer on a leash, he was enthralled (I was doing well not to make him move to the BACK row!). Then the trainer asked if anyone knew the name of this lizard. Well, his hand shot up (along with a couple ohthers).
A few people called out their guesses, but were incorrect. The trainer called on Jacob and to everyone's amazement his was the correct answer - a Water Moniter. The trainer was genuinely impressed and told him so in front of everyone! He asked Jacob to come see him after the show because he had something for him. After the show he spent a good 10 minutes talking to Jake and told him that he had been doing this show for 3 years- since before AK even opened (previously at Discovery Island) and NO ONE had EVER correctly answered that question ! He really took an interest in how knowledgeable Jake was on lizards & snakes (he also knew the name of a snake they brought out later). He encouraged him to seriously consider being a zookeeper when he grows up. Well, needless to say, that made Jacob's day (and MINE!). Ever since that day Jake insists that when he grows up he is moving to Florida and becoming a zookeeper! I could see it happening!

 

[tiggersmomof4]

We have had so many wonderful moments with our 4 DD's but one does stand out in my mind...we were at the MK on Halloween night 1999 for MSSSHP. My 3 year old daughter, Madison was Snow White. She looked so adorable in her costume that people were coming up to us and asking her to pose for photos! She has dark brown curly hair and blue eyes, so she really looks the part. Anyway, we were standing in line outside Cinderella's castle as there were a few of the princesses signing autographs. Just as we got to the front of the line, Snow White came out. Madison was is awe!! She kept pointing to the picture of SW on her costume and then to Snow White as if to say, "It's really her, Mom!!" It was priceless! Needless to say we have a wonderful picture of Madison and the real Snow White!