That one moment **TISSUE ALERT**

[jzzikamarie]

omg, got to love those pics! nothing like daddy/daughter while she's dressed as a princess! when my daughter was dressed up as jasmine, she kept calling her daddy aladdin. we rode aladdin's magic carpets...i was in the back they were in the front. they kept singing "a whole new world" duet during the ride. makes me cry thinking about it....sniff.

 

[Floydian]

Ok, I've got a few...

1) Before I was married, taking my then fiance, her dd9 plus a friend, and her dd3 to DL for their very first visit. We kept it a surprise, even flying to SoCal, driving there, never telling them where we were going. Then the older ones saw the sign for the Disneyland Hotel, and I'd swear they were going to jump out of their seats right through the roof of the car.

2) Another trip to DL, maybe a year later, it was right after rope drop, and I had the youngest one in a stroller walking around Fantasyland while the wife and other did something else. The youngest saw Cinderella off to the side meeting people, and I couldn't say no. So we got into the shockingly short line (4-5 people ahead of us), and when our turn came, Cindy crouched down and extended her arms, and almost got knocked over as this little 4yo girl charged at her for the biggest hug ever.

3) This past Sunday at MK. I was at the Hub relaxing when the stage show in front of the castle started, so I stayed. Near the end of the show, a family walked up next to me, including a young girl maybe 7-8 years old. They arrived just before the finale, and as the princesses came out, and Mickey and Minnie did their thing on the raised part of the stage to the right, I looked over and saw this girl.....both hands covering her nose and mouth, gasping for breath, then pointing, then gasping again, with the "1st Visit" pin on her shirt.....then I looked over and saw her mom looking at her, with the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes.....I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried too, and am crying again remembering it now.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

We went to WDW in Dec of 2007, there we stood in line to get an autograph with characters at Mickey's tent(Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy) we was the next to get our picture and there was this little girl with a walker, just so happy to see them. My son, who at the time was 10 , told her " it is more important if you get the picture then I do", so he let the little girl go, the characters gathered up in one photo so the Mom could get a great picture. The Mom thanked my son, he said no problem and gave her a big smile. The CM came over and told my son that since he was more interested in passing along the magic of Disney that My son got to get a picture of all the characters. I was so proud of him..

What a great little guy you have!!

...As they started the Star Spangled Banner, an old man sitting in a wheelchair next to me attempted to stand. He was having a difficult time getting up and his wife was doing her best to keep him seating. He kept beating her protests away and finally I had enough and just grabbed him under his arm and lifted him. We stood there, two complete strangers, listening to our National Anthem at the end of one of the worst weeks in our history and we wept like little babes. At the end of the song, he looked at me and just said, "Thank you." I nodded and he was back in his chair and off into the theater. It was a moment I'll never forget.

 

[LadyGracey]

I am sitting here crying too. Keep these stories coming--they are making my day!

 

[donahue5]

What magical memories! My eyes are full of tears too.

 

[MNDisney2268]

My "moment" was the Sunday after 9/11. I was ticked that the UT/UF football game had been cancelled and was just sick of the endless loops of the two planes smashing into the towers being the only things every single television station was airing, so at like 10 pm Saturday night I just snapped and told my wife we were going to EPCOT the next day (she was ecstatic, she had never been). So, early the next morning, we jumped in the car and made the drive down from Gainesville. There couldn't have been more than a couple thousand people in the park that day. It felt as if we had the whole park to ourselves. My moment came at the American Adventure. We were standing in the rotunda, listening to the Voices of Liberty perform before the show started. As they started the Star Spangled Banner, an old man sitting in a wheelchair next to me attempted to stand. He was having a difficult time getting up and his wife was doing her best to keep him seating. He kept beating her protests away and finally I had enough and just grabbed him under his arm and lifted him. We stood there, two complete strangers, listening to our National Anthem at the end of one of the worst weeks in our history and we wept like little babes. At the end of the song, he looked at me and just said, "Thank you." I nodded and he was back in his chair and off into the theater. It was a moment I'll never forget.

Ok this one completely did me in!!!! Thank you for sharing!

 

[torsie24]

My most memorable disney moment(other than engagement) was on my January trip to disneyland paris.

For the 15th anniversary celebrations they have placed golden characters on the turrets of the castle who are holding candles, at park closing miceky and minnie come out onto the castle balcony and talk and then do a dance kind of thing and the candles light up one by one, finishing with tinkerbell at the highest point releasing lots of magical pixie dust into the sky.

I loved this on our July trip so was keen to see it on our first night this year.

After the tinkerbell bit I was ready to turn around and head to the hotel but then Mickey said "And now its time for a very sepcial guest - Tinkerbell" which I assumed meant tinkerbell had sprayed her glitter early.

But it didn't

All the christmas lights started to come on on the castle, something I have wanted to see for years and had expected to miss! I jsut broke down instantly and Jack had to hold me up, it was so beautiful and magical and even more so as it was SO unexpected! Something that just couldn;t happen anywhere other than disney!

 

[t_catt11]

My "moment" was the Sunday after 9/11. I was ticked that the UT/UF football game had been cancelled and was just sick of the endless loops of the two planes smashing into the towers being the only things every single television station was airing, so at like 10 pm Saturday night I just snapped and told my wife we were going to EPCOT the next day (she was ecstatic, she had never been). So, early the next morning, we jumped in the car and made the drive down from Gainesville. There couldn't have been more than a couple thousand people in the park that day. It felt as if we had the whole park to ourselves. My moment came at the American Adventure. We were standing in the rotunda, listening to the Voices of Liberty perform before the show started. As they started the Star Spangled Banner, an old man sitting in a wheelchair next to me attempted to stand. He was having a difficult time getting up and his wife was doing her best to keep him seating. He kept beating her protests away and finally I had enough and just grabbed him under his arm and lifted him. We stood there, two complete strangers, listening to our National Anthem at the end of one of the worst weeks in our history and we wept like little babes. At the end of the song, he looked at me and just said, "Thank you." I nodded and he was back in his chair and off into the theater. It was a moment I'll never forget.

This one got me, too. Love the "regular" Disney tales that make me teary, but this one... wow.

 

[CaptMarge]

I didn't realize that my Disney moment had happened on a trip until our next trip. You see we took my parents on their forst WDW trip in Oct 2006.
DS 7 DD 18 months We had a wonderful time with lots of fond memories. After returning home DH made a dvd of the trip for DD to watch and watch it she did for a month straight. Then when we returned for our annual trip in Oct 2007 I was running with DD through Cosmic Rays to get to the potty on time and she stops dead in her tracks, points to the "dance room" and says "that's where I ate with my PAPA". Although she was too young to remember at the time having the dvd has created the memory for her. My moment is this...even after my father (PAPA) is gone I will have this memory to hold on to. And then when I'm gone DD will have this memory to hold on to too. I will go into Cosmic Rays every visit now just to remeber my Father holding my little girl (dressed as Tinklerbell) sharing French Fries and Ketchup dancing to the music.

 

[megveg]

One moment from last trip...

DBFs older brother was in Iraq for 18 months. He has 2 children (DD4 and DS7) and the day he came home from IRaq he surprised them and told them we were going to Disney. (the whole family was going)

Fast forward to when we get there and the First Night of our trip... we walk into Magic Kingdom and go to the American Flag.

DBFs brother tried to do this off to the side so no one would hear (everyone ran to the bathrooms by town hall and DBF and I and his brother and his daughter stood at the flagpole)

DBFs brother knelt down to his daughter and said "You see that castle over there?" And she looks and can't see it because of her height and the people around so DBFs brother picks her up and puts her on his shoulders and I saw her face see that castle for the first time and she just looks down and says "oh Daddy thank you so much for coming home"


it was the cutest thing i have ever seen i was welling up <3

 

[TSMAMI]

I had gone to Disney as a child with my best friends family, I knew some day when I had kids I would take them there. Years passed, married with 2 kids and the thought really didnt enter my mind again until my grandfather passed and we were taking care of my grandmother that had alzheimer's. It was a very depressing and stressful time. I looked at my family and the toll that it had taken on us all, so that is when I decided I needed to get everyone down to the Happiest Place on Earth.
Our first night there watched Wishes, and seeing all the smiles on the faces of my kids and my mothers face did it for me. I knew that its the escape that we need and have gone every year since.

 

[hollierae]

My son (4 years old at the time) and I was walking through the fast pass line of BTMR for probably our fourth ride on it of the day and he turned to me and said,"Mom, I am so glad that we are at Disney".

 

[Bethann23]

These stories are so great ... it should start with a TISSUE ALERT....

I too went to Disney on my honeymoon and dreamed of when we would have children and come back and enjoy it with them..... This will be our 3rd trip with our DD12 and DS8 , and I can't imagine a vacation I look forward to more.... we go other places and do other things, but Disney is special... everyone is a little nicer, a little more tolerant of others... it is a place I wish we lived in everyday. But, I will settle for visiting as often as I can , and dreaming of it ... in my dreams....

 

[AustinTink]

I told myself, "I'm only going to read a couple." Now that I'm done reading the whole thread with tears streaming, I just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely stories.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I told myself, "I'm only going to read a couple." Now that I'm done reading the whole thread with tears streaming, I just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely stories.

Me too! I just had someone look at me at work. I think he wanted to ask a question but just shook his head and walked away.

 

[devores]

I added the TISSUE ALERT after it being suggested. These are great and this thread turned out better than I thought. Thanks everyone for sharing.

 

[lecach]

Mine isn't really a tearjerker but involved my DS on our trip last May. He was 3 1/2 and while he had been potty trained for pp he had not been able to get the hang of the other. About 2 weeks before our trip I told him that Mickey Mouse would really like him to poo in the potty. That he didn't like stinky pullups. We had tried EVERYTHING. But that did it. A week before our trip he became fully potty trained and didn't have a single accident the entire week at WDW! That was truly a special moment.

 

[BayouMickey]

Mine came a LONG time ago back in the 70's. I didn't even enter the park yet!
I remember driving on the interstate with groves and groves of orange trees, then out of nowhere this big sign "Welcome to Walt Disney World" appeared. That sign! that devilish sign enchanted me and haunts me everyday I'm not there. I'm not even going to go there about when we reached the Kingdom....

 

[ScrapperBelle]

1st visit, 1972. I'm turning 3. I remember very clearly walking up to the TTC and seeing the castle. I wouldn't wait to get on the monorail or ferry, I just wanted to stand at the edge of the lake and look at the castle.

I'm sure my memories aren't exactly correct, but I can remember standing there with mama and daddy on either side of me holding my hands.

Later on, when I brought my son (he was 4) our moment was at AK. We had recently had a talk about heaven. We were in Dinoland (he was absolutely crazy for dinosaurs) and looked at me and said, "We're not in Disney any more, we're in heaven!

Last year, we had a trip planned for early Feb. Our oldest son (my stepson) passed away in Dec. 07. I called and cancelled our trip because we just didn't feel like we could go at the time. A couple of months later, DH tells me we need to book another trip because he is tired of feeling depressed and "needs some happy". We plan a trip for May. Myself, DH, DD (my step), DSIL, DGD, and DS.

When I called back to make our ressies, I guess the CM who cancelled our earlier trip had put the reason in the notes. I had a very nice conversation with the CM about how hubby wanted to go, I wasn't so sure, etc.

The 1st night we're at WDW, we go to 1900 PF for dinner. When we check in, the hostess notes that it's someone's bday (mine was later in the week). DH tells her that the dinner is actually more for DGD and the trip is a present for her bday (which was a couple of months ago). During the meal, our waiter brings her a "happy birthday" tiara, a cupcake, a princess purse, and a princess wand. He tells her that her uncle had her bday gift sent to her there and that he wished her the best bday ever.

We were all crying (even tough guy 15 y/o DS). A few days later we were in AK and my son just stops, looks at me and said, "You know when I was little I thought this place was heaven. Now I'm pretty sure it is." I didn't even think he remembered that.

Sorry this is so long, but it took one story to lead into the next and get to where I was eventually going.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

My dd and I have been going to WDW since she was a little girl. Her first trip at 18 months came right on the tails of my mom finding out she had cancer. My mom wanted to take dd and I before she started treatment. Well, we went and had a fabulous time. DD, my mom, and I would look over the photos very often.

My mom died a little over a year later. DD and I still look at the photos often.

On our trip last May on our last night we are at MK watching Wishes. DD is sitting in my lap. She turns around and tells me - Mommy - it feels like Grandma is right here holding us both! Naturally I was teary enough at just watching wishes but that made me cry. My mom loved WDW - she would love to know that dd feels her presence there!