Running into people you know, etc.

[kparc]

When we went to WDW for our honeymoon I actually ran into one of the children I had in my daycare group at home. We were walking through Mickey's toon town and there he was. "It's a small world after all!"

 

[Missy1961]

On my first visit to DW in 1993, I went with my brother and his family. We were there for a week. Our last day there was our youngest sister's first day there. She was traveling with her then boyfriend, who's now her husband. We decided to end our trip with Epcot. Well, my brother and I take the kids to do something (don't remember) while my SIL rented the stroller. When she met up with us, who did she have with her? My sister and her BF! We spent part of the day together. They didn't know which park we were going to, so it was weird they picked Epcot. And now next week, I'm going with my sister, her husband and their 2 girls!

 

[jubileegirl]

Must add a similar 'coincidence' although it's not Disney (hope that's OK!)
Holidaying in Majorca, a lovely Spanish island in the Mediterranean, and driving home from a day at the beach when I suddenly spotted one of my class of 5 year olds! She was walking up the road near our hotel.
I shrieked for my husband to stop the car, leapt out, jumped in front of her with a big 'HELLO'!! And she was terrified! Being used to seeing me in teacher mode, dressed respectably etc. she just couldn't cope with this scantily clad, hair everywhere apparition!
I think it scarred her for life!

Also just met my new class for September and they were all wanting to tell me about their mum and dad. One of them said 'well, my mummy and daddy went on the TOWER OF TERROR'. She was amazed when I knew what she meant and then asked her if she'd seen the Beauty and the Beast show and The Little Mermaid. She probably thinks I've got magical powers - hmmmm, maybe I can use this to my advantage next school year!

 

[flyball]

This has happened to us many times over the years.

Last August we were strolling through Fantasyland when we heard somebody yell out both of our daughter's names (both unusual names). I was thinking, "Wow, that's weird that somebody else has the same two names!" (Okay, maybe the heat was getting to me!) It turned out to be a neighbor from our street.

On our previous trip we were on line for Splash Mountain when a woman standing directly behind us on line approached us about having been in the band together in college. We immediately recognized her and ended up riding in the same log!!! We have the picture; it was bizarre running into somebody we hadn't seen for 15 years!

 

[Cinderella37]

We used to stay at the GF every year in July and every year the same family would be there (parents and 2 college aged daughters). It was hilarious that we had the same vacation schedule.

At the Belle View Room at the BWI in December, we started talking to the man next to us and found out he was from Pittsburgh. He and my fiance knew some of the same people.

One year, we had just gotten on BTMRR and were waiting for the ride to start. Next in line was a girl that I'd graduated from high school with and I hadn't seen since. Just as we recognized each other, the ride took off and that was the last I saw of her!

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

2 summers ago , we bumped into our friends coming out of Bugs life and also RIGHT BEHIND them were my dd 5th Grade teacher. so it was three families, it was so FUNNY we could not believe it. So of course we took pictures of all of us, then the kids with Mrs.M. Also we bumped into Mrs. M. later that day to. We stayed with our friends for the rest of the day, and we had a 1/2 day the next day. It was a Great time...... (sorry i forgot to say my dd was in middle school that year, it was her old teacher..)

 

[hmgolden]

About 5 years ago, my FH and I were getting Pizza at Pizza Planet in MGM. When we got to the counter to place our order, the guy behind the counter was a friend of ours from high school. We were so surprised to see him we completely forgot what we wanted to order. He was there doing the college work program. We ended up making plans to meet up with later in the day. It was definitally the most random meeting I have ever experinced at WDW.

 

[HappyMommy2]

My dad has been a teacher for many, many years, and he runs into former students just about everywhere he goes (including Disney, which is a thousand miles away from where he lives)!
Last time he was at Disney he was approached by three former students. He could probably go to Mars and a student would find him there!

 

[sk!mom]

A few years ago we were standing in the Living Seas at EpCot when someone tapped me on the shoulder, it was one of my students and her family. (I teach 5th grade). We hadn't talked about summer vacation plans, so I was surprised.

Two weeks ago at TL, we were in the surf pool and when the first big wave hit my DS19 came up with a pair of sunglasses. He held them up so that whoever lost them might claim them when a kid said "Thanks Steve those are mine!" We turned around an it was a kid from our hometown that my mom babysits after school. He was there on a Science Quest trip. This same trip I ran into my dentist and his family at Pop Century.

 

[AngieBelle]

Try actually working there! Over 50,000 CMs but you'd be amazed how often you run into someone you know or you discover someone you just met also knows your friend. My boyfriend and I have been at Walmarts that were a good half an hour from WDW and bumped right into someone either he or I knew! Like I always say, Walt Disney World really is a small world after all. Once we went to Universal, and wouldn't you know it, our friend David decided to go on the same day. We ran into each other in Toon Lagoon. Then I discovered that my friend from Universal who was hanging out with Woody Woodpecker that day knew my boyfriend back from when he was in character costuming and she was in quick service foods at MGM!

How's this for a small world story? Back before I moved down here, I met my friend Dianna, who works at WDW, on a non-Disney message board. It turns out that Dianna's (now ex) boyfriend who had been on the college program knew a friend of mine from TN, and they had met in Texas! Now that's mind-boggling...

 

[Maridw]

When we went in November last year, my DH had just gotten off MS and we headed over to TT because DD & I had gotten FP for it while he was in MS. As we walked up the the FP line I turned to my DH and said to him "Isn't that Richie & his wife?" DH asked me who I was talking about and so I pointed them out. Sure enough it was a guy from his work and his wife. DH didn't know that they were going to be there and it was funny to run into them at TT.

Later that same trip we ran into another family from DH's work. We were really surprised to run into two different people that he works with in one trip.

We have seen people from our area once before and someone from DH's work before, but never twice in one trip.

 

[Verity Chambers]

About 10 years ago we were in MK and my parents ran into their old neighbours from 15 years back who had emigrated to somewhere in Texas and were on holiday in Florida. V strange. I ran into an old work colleague in SW last year which was very bizarre!!

Love Verity.xxxx

 

[Maridw]

I just remembered another incident, but this was at DL instead of WDW. Years ago when I was engaged to my first husband, a group of us went on a road trip to DL (only 1 hour away). We made T-shirts for the trip and there was about 10 of us.

While in line for POTC, I hear someone hollering one of my nicknames. I start looking around and finally I see this person waving at me. Here was an ex-boyfriends brother, who used to work at DL, in line for POTC. I hadn't seen him for about 3 years. When we got to a point where our sections of line came together, he gave me this big hug and asked how I was doing etc. We both could not believe it because he said that he had not been working there for a year or so. We both agreed that we each had changed quite a bit since we had last seen each other. When I first saw him I didn't recognize him, it took me a minute to realize who it was. But he said even though I had changed he knew who it was because he had really wanted his brother to marry me (we had been engaged).

Later my friends asked me about him and I explained who he was. My best friend knew about him, because I had told her about a Christmas visit to his parents house and going over to DL to go shopping and going in the back way.

 

[Blueberry]

One year we took off to WDW and I used some sick time..just three days. Who did i run into there, but our district manager and hsi wife walking down Main Street...luckily he did NOT know me in shorts, sunglasses and my hair all stuffed under a hat....

 

[disneyfuntime]

Being from Ca usually don't run into anyone we know but back in 99 we were in Epcot we heard our names turned around and a couple from our city were there. At that moment their grandson arrives who used to be in my DS class in 4th grade, he moved after 4th grade to Oregon. He was with his grandparents for a WDW vacation. The boys ended up spending the remainder of the day together which was fun the next day theyreturned home. Now that was exciting.

 

[Robmom]

Well, my story is the opposite. My next door neighbor and also another family from my block were in WDW the same week that we went and we never ever saw them. I thought for sure that we would meet up one day. Unless they were all going out of their way to avoid me!

 

[disneyholic family]

since we live halfway around the world, i don't recall it ever happening to us....
well...if i think back to when we used to live in the states....perhaps it happened then...but no longer..

 

[llij]

Back in November 2002, we ran into so many families from our area at WDW. We knew our neighbors up the street would be at Disney the same time, but it was funny when we were seated right next to them at O'Hana's on our first night.

We also kept running into a family from our church the entire week. Also, saw families from our daughter's school too. It seems as if half the school decided to go to Disney the first week of November 2002!

 

[donnajon]

I was in line for Dumbo with my DD4 and DD1 and they were wearing a minnie outfit I had made for they by some woman off of E-Bay. Well, just behind us comes a lady and her DD wearing the same outfit. We both looked at each other, laughed and said, E-Bay!" Didn't see her the rest of the day. It was too funny.

 

[BethC1952]

I've had this happen a few times.

1. The first was New Year's Ever, 1982 (our 10th Anniversary was the day before). We were trying to get into the Emporium on Main Street, which was jammed. I heard someone calling me...by my maiden name, which I hadn't used in all of those ten years. It was DH's college roommate (who didn't know that we had gotten married!). They talked for a few minutes, and then he brought his wife over to introduce us to her. She was my Ob-Gyn's head nurse! She used her maiden name professionally, and I had no clue that they lived in the same area we did.

2. In November of 2002 I attended my professional convention in Atlantic City (The New Jersey State League of Municipalities). I was chatting with a lovely woman, and we both mentioned that we would be going on vacation right after Thanksgiving. In December of 2002, as I checked into All Star Music, she was the person in line ahead of me! We hadn't discussed where we were going, or exact dates! But wait...the next day I checked into Port Orleans Riverside--she was the person in line behind me!

Edited to add: I mentioned this thread to DH last night, and he says I forgot the funniest one! On this same trip (12/02), he didn't have enough vacation time from his new job, so he called in sick. We were walking through the Polynesian when we ran into....you guessed it...his boss! He also didn't have enough vacation time and had called in sick for the same days so that he could see his daughter in one of the cheerleading competitions.


3. In December of 2003 we took a family trip to WDW/DCL. While we were on DCL's Castaway Cay (a lovely island paradise) I saw my brother-in-law (who was travelling with us, along with his wife and their two kids) talking to a really great-looking woman, and acting like he knew her really well. He owns a limousine company, and she was one of his recent customers...he had taken her to the airport for her trip! All she told him was that she was going on a cruise.

Beth