The Magic Is Real!

[Minnesota!]

I've told our story before so my apologies to those of you who have read it...
My story is at the other end of life's spectrum and about my now deceased mother.
As a child I was a TV Mouse Club fanatic, even known to sleep in my ears, but we lived in the Midwest and, as much as I begged to visit Disneyland when it opened, traveling to CA was not something our family could afford in those days.
When WDW opened in 1971, my folks had retired to FL and I determined that I would take them on my dream to see the new park. I saved for nearly two years. When the the time came and I traveled to FL to pick them up my mother began to invent excuses to stay home...a familiar pattern and one that contributed to our strained relationship. This time, though, dad stepped in and announced that we ALL were going to Disney World! Begrudgingly, mom got in the car. The ride to Orlando was less than pleasant and by the time we were walking down Main Street I was beginning to regret coming.
Then we walked through the Castle. As we reached the other side, Mom saw the carousel. She grabbed my arm and literally shouted, "Can I ride it"? Dad and I glanced at each other, grabbed her little 4'10" body and nearly air walked her to the ride. As we boarded both dad and I thought she would be content to sit on a bench but evidently the woman dropped about twenty years since she spotted the carousel and insisted we "boost her onto this horse"! We did. Dad and climbed onto horses next to her and for the next two minutes I'm certain he and I sat with our mouths agape, watching mom have the time of her life! Who knew she loved carousels???
Dad and I both had tears running down our faces as we helped mom off the horse. She loved the rest of the trip...we all had a magical time and, as silly as it sounds, mom and I became closer following this.
Mom and dad have been gone for a while now and I have trouble hoisting myself onto that horse now, too. But every time I walk down Main Street and through the Castle I can feel them with me again. It's the same magic that touches us all...with no regard for age!

Now THAT made me choke up.

from one Minnesotan to another, I usually cry at the End of the Vikings games

Ouch...so true!! But.....SKOL anyway

 

[Applemomma]

I've told our story before so my apologies to those of you who have read it...
My story is at the other end of life's spectrum and about my now deceased mother.
As a child I was a TV Mouse Club fanatic, even known to sleep in my ears, but we lived in the Midwest and, as much as I begged to visit Disneyland when it opened, traveling to CA was not something our family could afford in those days.
When WDW opened in 1971, my folks had retired to FL and I determined that I would take them on my dream to see the new park. I saved for nearly two years. When the the time came and I traveled to FL to pick them up my mother began to invent excuses to stay home...a familiar pattern and one that contributed to our strained relationship. This time, though, dad stepped in and announced that we ALL were going to Disney World! Begrudgingly, mom got in the car. The ride to Orlando was less than pleasant and by the time we were walking down Main Street I was beginning to regret coming.
Then we walked through the Castle. As we reached the other side, Mom saw the carousel. She grabbed my arm and literally shouted, "Can I ride it"? Dad and I glanced at each other, grabbed her little 4'10" body and nearly air walked her to the ride. As we boarded both dad and I thought she would be content to sit on a bench but evidently the woman dropped about twenty years since she spotted the carousel and insisted we "boost her onto this horse"! We did. Dad and climbed onto horses next to her and for the next two minutes I'm certain he and I sat with our mouths agape, watching mom have the time of her life! Who knew she loved carousels???
Dad and I both had tears running down our faces as we helped mom off the horse. She loved the rest of the trip...we all had a magical time and, as silly as it sounds, mom and I became closer following this.
Mom and dad have been gone for a while now and I have trouble hoisting myself onto that horse now, too. But every time I walk down Main Street and through the Castle I can feel them with me again. It's the same magic that touches us all...with no regard for age!

This made me cry!! Reminds me of when I took my mom, who had only been once before but it had been such a stressful time in our lives she didn't remember much of the trip. We were walking around the side of the castle and a castmember told us that the Fairy Godmother would be out soon so we should wait. Of course we did, since my two girls were all about the autographs but the signatures in their books were nothing compared to how the Fairy Godmother and my mom interacted with each other as though they were old friends. We got great pictures and mom found her kindred spirit that day. Dang it! I'm crying again!!!

 

[Applemomma]

Not me. I cry when I see the WDW gate on the highway, cry at the start of the morning shows, cry when I see Mickey and friends show up, cry during the fireworks, and basically cry any time something big starts to happen.

That said, I've also cried at the start of Minnesota Vikings home games and Iron Maiden concerts, so this may just be me.

Same here! I've even burst into tears at the start of the "Welcome to the Magic Kingdom" spiel when the bus makes the turn!

 

[TsLoveMickey]

Our trip last April, my daughter was dressed in her Elsa costume in MK one evening. We were waiting outside the Plaza for our ADR when a man passed by and handed her a pack of Ana and Elsa magic band clip things. He said, "Here princess. I only wanted Olaf." I almost cried when her eyes lit up and she decorated her magic band. (She was 4.5) It's special when cast members are sweet, but it's extra special when regular people take time to spread the magic too.

 

[asbyrneva]

When DS was 6 he was chosen as the Junior Mayor of Mainstreet. The Fire Chief gave him a badge and told him his responsibilities. He needed to take naps like the real mayor but that his main job was to greet visitors. He was supposed to wish children with birthday buttons a "Happy Birthday" as well as anybody else he thought needed to be greeted and celebrated. DS decided to take these duties very seriously after his initial hesitation. He waved at all the CMs along the way and told him they were doing a great job! He wished children and adults a happy birthday when they were wearing buttons. All the CMs made a big fuss that the "Mayor" was around. Anna even asked him if he thought he could come to Arendelle and give them tips on village management. When we were ready to leave we decided to take the train to the Mainstreet station to leave the park. A little girl in front of us was wearing a birthday button. DS wished her a happy birthday and asked her if she was having a good time. She smiled and said yes but that she really wanted to meet Elsa and Anna. DS reached into his pocket and pulled out his "golden Fastpass" that he had been saving. He handed her the Fastpass told her that he had spoken to Anna, and that Anna and Elsa were waiting for her and she should have a magical birthday.

The look on her face was magical. The look on DS's face was full of pride. And I don't know who cried more me or the little girl's mom.

 

[KT0191]

I am so ugly crying right now.
Love these stories!

 

[ZoeysMommy0308]

<-----me crying on my couch right now. Our first family trip with my soon to be 5 year old girl is in March. Can't wait for the magic!! I cry all the time Just thinking about it. Thank you for your precious stories.

 

[timsprincess]

I am a true believer in sometimes you have to sprinkle the pixie dust. The CMs and the Mouse can only do so much. We have to be involved in making others' trips special.

 

[vicb]

I always cry at Illuminations... almost every trip we go to see Illuminations on our final night. As I stand there with my husband, daughter and son (now both in their early 20's) I feel so lucky and I wonder if it will be the last trip we stand there together watching that show... so I cry ... done this several times nowas they've grown up, just can't help it.

 

[mcgraws]

Our first family trip to Disney was in 2006, 2 weeks after my Dad died suddenly. I was born in 1969 so I literally grew up with WDW being THE place for families to go on vacation. My dad always wanted to take me there but my mom was desperately afraid to fly and not much braver when it came to long distance car rides (we live in Canada so it it indeed a long drive!). Anyway it never happened for me as a child. In January 2006 on a particularly cold miserable Canadian winter day, I stopped into a travel agent "just to see" what a Disney vacation would cost for our family of 3. That night I mentioned to Mom that I had been checking it out. About an hour later she called me back and said she had mentioned it to Dad and without hesitation he told her to call me back and tell me they wanted to help pay for the trip. This was on January 9th and with them paying for flights for us we booked a trip to Disney for February 1st. On January 16th Dad took a turn and didn't seem to be coming out of it, he was rushed to hospital and died on January 20th. We thought about canceling our trip but something in my head kept saying "Dad would want us to go". So on February 1st we were off! We arrived at Pop Century by 3pm, headed straight to Magic Kingdom and I swear as I walked down Main Street for the first time I could feel Dad there with me sharing my excitement. We did Splash Mountain and Big Thunder before our dinner reservation at Crystal Palace where our 12 year old got to meet Pooh, her preschool Disney favorite! As we left dinner it was almost time for the fireworks so we grabbed a seat on the curb. As Jiminy Cricket began to speak I again could feel Dad with me and I sat and cried like a baby through the whole show. (As I am typing this 10 years later, the tears are flowing!). It was an emotional time but I will be forever grateful to Dad for giving us the great gift of our first family vacation to Disney!

 

[Ds4angels]

Ok who's cutting onions while reading this

I love all the little magic at WDW. We checked in to ASMo and the kids were beyond excited, the cast member started explaining how the kids would be seeing all their Disney friends and they could ask for autographs, just as I'm thinking great I didn't buy any books for that, the cast member gives each child a book and a pen. They were sooo excited.
We were standing in line, later in the evening at MK, and 2 little girls were getting a little fidgety, i pulled out some glow sticks, while whispering to the mom if it was ok, and we gave each girl a glow bracelet, they were happy to wait in line. The parents were super thankful. And my family loved passing on a little of the magic. (i will admit I stole this idea from here)

 

[BlueFairy]

This thread is bringing back a flood of memories. Every nighttime WDW spectacular is magical and I cry. For a million different reasons. Heck, I cried watching the live streaming of Fantasmic the other night because my kids were so into it and finally ready to give it a try.

Let's see, some of ours -

Sharing glow bracelets with kids at shows is the best.

We have a carousel story with my mom and stepdad as well. It was a difficult trip, but all 4 of us adults were little kids again once we got on that carousel.

Anna and Elsa from the train station during the Welcome Show - spotting my girls in their matching A&E shirts with their blonde and brunette hair. Literally moments into our trip and they'd already received a special wink and a smile with lots of waves. This was during the time when A&E had first moved to MK and a FP+ was the hot ticket. Those smiles and waves were all it took! We were already having a magical day and the tears were flowing.

The way we all let our guard down and act like goofy little kids with permasmiles - that's a special kind of magic.

DD2 having a stomach bug and being stuck in the hotel room at WL. I left to get some food and something to make her feel better. I found a plush Koda in the gift shop and brought it to her. He is her special friend. 8 years later he looks more like the Velveteen rabbit and she swears he has the magic to make anyone feel better.

And finally, DH and I were still just dating and took a trip with family and their sweet little 2 year old. On the coldest May 1st I have ever seen in Orlando we were in Epcot via International Gateway early one morning. It was one of those days when you could "fire a cannon down Main St" as Pete likes to say. We turned a corner and there was Mickey coming toward us! And not a soul around. Our little guy was ecstatic and started toddling over. Mickey knelt down and they had the sweetest little moment all to themselves.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[Hawaii2Dis]

I love all these stories! Thank you for sharing!

 

[fireman1]

Magical moments are what you make of them.

One of my best memories of Disney was when I took my daughter on her first trip in 2,000, she was 5.
I had really ( and I mean really ) talked the trip up to her beforehand, especially about the fireworks at MK.
All she could do was look up at me and listen in amazement as I described it. She couldn't wait.

So, we finally made it to the world and we were at the MK. Just she and I. It had been a long day and we were both tired.

It was about time for the show to start and my daughter was getting anxious and excited.

Time ticked by.

She began to think we had somehow missed it. ( who knows what a 5 year old thinks lol..)

Anyway, She was almost in tears. I kept telling her it would start anytime now, but she wouldn't hear it. ''we have missed them'' she said through now flowing tears. I felt bad for having talked it up so much to her.

About that time an older lady, a CM, was walking by and noticed my daughter looking all sad with tears on her face. She stopped to talk to her and bent down as she done so.

They were in their own litle world. She asked my daughter her name, where she was from, etc etc. She then asked why she was so sad at the happiest place on Earth. My daughter explained that we had missed the fireworks.

The CM kinda laughed and said, no child you haven't missed them. My daughters face lit up at that.
The CM looked at her watch, winked at me, and asked my daughter if she was ready to see the show.

My daughter grinned and said yes please.

The CM stood up, looked at her watch again and gave me a sly grin. She raised her hands high, and clapped twice.

The lights instantly went out in the whole place and the show started.

The CM smiled as she walked off and said enjoy the show...my daughter stood there dumbfounded. She looked up at me and asked ''how did she do that''...lol. That look, omg, If I could have bottled it, I would have.

 

[DiannaVM]

This was a few years back, and I remember we were waiting around for the night time parade to begin. My sister and I decided to sit closer to the front and my dad stood at the back. As more families began to find spaces to sit and such, my sister and I moved out of the way so the little kids could sit right as the front as the parents sat to the side of us or stood up like my dad did. I remember this one girl in particular she was wearing a Cinderella dress and must've been about 5 or 6. I can't recall if all the princesses were walking, but I know for sure Snow White was. When she approached the rope, she shook hands with a few of the kids and when she got to the little girl, the little girl was almost star-struck. As soon as Snow White left she started yelling at her mom asking her if she saw her talking to Snow White and that little girl was just so darn excited I thought I was going to cry over how sweet a scene it was. And I still get like that from time to time when I go to WDW and see little kids excited beyond themselves from meeting characters.

I am fairly certain that I will be a blubbering mess when I take my future kids/nieces/nephews to WDW. I've already forwarned DH, because if complete strangers' hapiness can make me emotional, my own kin will make me a wreck lol.

 

[tcherjen]

Seeing the joy in my youngest eyes, makes every trip worth it. She always finds something knew to appreciate each time.

 

[Tomh]

I have a picture from Disney World that I think is magical. Sadly, I know full well that the Photo Pass photographer who took it got in trouble, but we were outside the Captain EO theater by the jumping fountains, and DS5 (or maybe 6 at the time) was running back and forth trying to catch the water. A Photo Pass guy comes along, and before I even realized what he was doing, he had DS5 and DD14 up on the wall standing. He had DS positioned just exactly in the right spot for a jumping fountain to hit him squarely in the head on it's way down, and DD close enough beside him to get the splash. Neither saw it coming. He got a picture, perfectly composed just as the water was splashing off DS's head, and hitting DD. DS was open mouthed smiling and laughing. DD was all scrunched up, kinda grinning, but angry at the same time. The picture is absolutely perfect, and shows the Disney Magic to me.

 

[mickeyschickie]

picture it, the magic kingdom, 2004, a 20 month old Charlotte watching the night-time parade by the barber shop on her Poppop's shoulders, the final float passes us by and sweet Charlotte, wearing her Minnie dress, points at the parade and commands, "follow Poppop, follow" and they disappear into the crowd and follow the twinkling magical lights down main st. - this is why I love Disney

 

[clapton]

The magic for us started way back in 1974 with myself and my husband's first trip to WDW. Then when my daughter was 9 months old and my son 4 the magic began and has never stopped. Fast forward to 2009 when my daughter had her wedding at WDW, truly the most magical, memorable, fabulous day for our family! Even after all these years the magic keeps us coming back!!

 

[clapton]

Love you on the Dis Podcast Jackie!!