Guests spreading Disney Magic

[Caboosey]

I love this thread - I wish that everyone were as nice as y'all are!

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

We've just given away fastpasses, seats on buses but last time we had a Fantasmic package but my DH didn't feel well so we gave away our certificate.

 

[mvazul]

We were in MK last Wednesday. It was such an awesome, perfect day. Our DD5 had won the TinkerBell pins from the Blue Fairy at Pinocchio's restaurant, but that was not the highlight of our day.

My DH had worn his Chicago Bears NFC Championship shirt. Everywhere we went, random people would shout out, "Go Bears!!" It was the coolest thing. Even several of the CM's told us how they were cheering for the Bears. My kids loved it and would call back to anyone who shouted at us.

We happened upon "Storytime With Belle" just a couple minutes before it started. The place was completely full except along the wall on the right hand side. DH, DS12 and DD5 sat on the wall and I sat on the bench along the walkway. There was one mom with two little girls sitting in the front row. They saw DD (who happened to be wearing her Belle dress) and the mom asked if she would like to sit with them. DD said yes and had a great time sitting with them. Just before the show started, one of the CM's asked DD to be one of the characters. DD didn't want to so she asked one of the little girls DD was sitting with. The little girl was thrilled!!

Also, one CM came up to us and asked for DD's autograph. DH thought he may have been part of the "Dream Team". It really didn't occur to me if he was or not. I just thought it was pretty cool he wanted DD's autograph!! Plus, every CM that saw DD in her Belle dress would bow to her and say how honored they were to be in the presence of a princess. DD ate it up! It was just an extra special touch that made our day there even more enjoyable and memorable.

I absolutely LOVE Disney and I think I'm becoming addicted!!

 

[MarieS]

My story is a small thing compared to what others have written about, but whenever I think of this I get tears in my eyes.
We were at a gift shop at MGM on the first day of our trip. DS was wearing a buzz lightyear lanyard with a couple pins from the starter set we had purchased this morning. ( had no idea he would get into the whole pin thing so much! LOL) DS uses a wheelchair, has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal. A boy about 10 years old comes up to him and asks him if he has any pins to trade. I explain that he can't talk but would love to trade! DS had a huge smile on his face. You may wonder why this seemingly ordinary moment is so magical to me. It's because people are often hesitant around DS, don't say hi, etc. But this boy just seemed to be able to overlook DS's disability and concentrate on the pin trading! LOL He wasn't even fazed when I said DS can't talk. He just pointed at the pins on DS's lanyard to show which ones he liked.
Anyway I just wanted to share how a small thing to one person can make a big difference to someone else.

 

[stargrazer]

Great thread...inspiring, actually. I thought of this thread when I went to Epcot and MGM yesterday.

I gave pixie dust twice...and recieved HUGE pixie dust once - isn't it amazing how you get back what you give?

My first pixiedust was stopping to offer to be the picture taker for a family trying to get some shots in the Soarin' queue. (I also saw the Castle Suite winners of the day go to someone on my ride but that's another story )

My second one was giving away two unused fastpasses for the Little Mermaid show.

We did other small things...pick up a napkin here and there...offer directions or information if we could...little things mean a lot.

In return, DD and I were loaned a towel and a blanket to cover up with while we waited an hour for Fanstasmic! to start. We had forgotten our jackets in the car and were cold and tired and the folks in front of us got in their backpacks and gave us something to cover up with (THANK YOU!! )

So now my thing is...look for small ways to be nice while you're there, and you will have a better experience for it.

 

[SueM in MN]

My story is a small thing compared to what others have written about, but whenever I think of this I get tears in my eyes.
We were at a gift shop at MGM on the first day of our trip. DS was wearing a buzz lightyear lanyard with a couple pins from the starter set we had purchased this morning. ( had no idea he would get into the whole pin thing so much! LOL) DS uses a wheelchair, has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal. A boy about 10 years old comes up to him and asks him if he has any pins to trade. I explain that he can't talk but would love to trade! DS had a huge smile on his face. You may wonder why this seemingly ordinary moment is so magical to me. It's because people are often hesitant around DS, don't say hi, etc. But this boy just seemed to be able to overlook DS's disability and concentrate on the pin trading! LOL He wasn't even fazed when I said DS can't talk. He just pointed at the pins on DS's lanyard to show which ones he liked.
Anyway I just wanted to share how a small thing to one person can make a big difference to someone else.

I can totally understand.
Your DS and my Dd are very much alike. Your story is pure magic to me.

 

[mmiller711]

I work in a class room with children in wheelchairs so I guess I just don't even notice them anymore. I remember one trip we were sitting in the wheelchair section with my mother and there was a little boy sitting next to me. I started talking to him, just the normal stuff, like was he having a good time, what was his favorite ride etc...His mother actually got tears in her eyes and thanked me because so many people will ignore him or talk about him but never to him. He ended up holding my hand while we watched Fantasmic. Sometimes such a little thing can make a difference!

Another time we met a woman from England who was there with her two children. They were about the age of our kids and so we ended up spending the day together at the park. We mentioned we were going to PI that evening to watch the fireworks and she said she'd love to go but the bus for her hotel didn't run that late and it was expensive to take a cab. We invited her to come with us and then DH gave them a ride back to their hotel.

It does make your trip more enjoyable if you know you did something nice

 

[CanadianGuy]

When I was in high school -- 1987 - - our school was one of the first in North America to put all students together.. So in my biology class for example was a highly functioning student who also happened to have Down's Syndrome.. Kevin.

Kevin was an amazing addition to our class and nobody gave him anything but support and encouragement. It was awesome to see even the jocks and the 'too cool' types .. high fiving Kevin.. having him on their lab team etc. I would add that this was years before the show "Life Goes On" with Corky...

A TV crew filming a documentary about it all came to our school and I was selected to be interviewed. They asked me about the whole process...

I still remember to this day what I said, "Kevin adds so much to our classroom. And you know it's funny.. Nobody in that classroom, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, walks out of the room at the end of the day learning the exact same thing. We all take different things away from the classroom every day.. Kevin takes some different things away maybe on certain days than some of his classmates, but we're all learning.. And THAT is why I think this works."

---

On another note.. I read elsewhere about someone in line buying balloons and they bought a balloon for the person behind them. I thought that was simple an amazing thing. I would love to do that on my trip coming up.

My only question is this -- Should I ask the parent for permission first beforehand? (I don't have kids.. so I have no idea what the protocol is on this..)

Thanks,

John

 

[calgarygary]

Definitely ask the parents first. There are a number of reasons for this - the least of which if they are staying at AKL, having the balloon taken away at the resort could cause a scene with a young child.

 

[CanadianGuy]

And I'm going to share this story.. cause I love it so much.. I think it should be a commercial

The first time I EVER went to WDW, I was 24 years old. I flew down from Canada and met a friend from Miami and we drove up and spent three or four days at Disney.

At the end of our first day in the Magic Kingdom.. it was very late.. and we were on the monorail. The crowd had emptied a while earlier so in this monorail car were me, my friend, and two parents of a very excited 10 year old boy.

He was still very energized and excited and talking rapidly to his Dad about all he had seen that day. "Dad you remember in the parade where they... and remember on Splash Mountain with the big SPLASH?? .. "

I looked over at his mom and smiled and I said.. "First time at the parks..?"

She said.."Oh no, Josh comes here all the time.. he's been coming here since he was three."

And Josh says to me, "Did you get to ride Pirates?" and I said yes.. and he and I started talking about all the cool stuff we saw that day..

Just then, Josh's mom turned my friend from Miami and looking in my direction said, "First time in the parks?"

We ALL had a great laugh over that one.. and I tear up to this day thinking about it...

John

 

[mvazul]

On another note.. I read elsewhere about someone in line buying balloons and they bought a balloon for the person behind them. I thought that was simple an amazing thing. I would love to do that on my trip coming up.

My only question is this -- Should I ask the parent for permission first beforehand? (I don't have kids.. so I have no idea what the protocol is on this..)

Thanks,

John

As a mother of two, I would say, yes, ask permission first. It's too bad we have to be so cautious at such a wonderful place, but I know I would feel much more comfortable with someone asking first. I can never be too careful when it comes to my children!! BTW - I think it is wonderful of you to even think to do that for someone else's child. Good for you!!

 

[CanadianGuy]

I sorta figured asking would make the best sense. I've read over and over on these boards that a 6$ balloon can bring so much joy.. Why not!??

[ Ok.. actually my plan is sllightly more sinister.. I'm going to walk around with the balloon for a few minutes to embarrass my adult travelling companions.. THEN give it away ... so technically it may be a slightly used balloon.. but 15 minutes at the most! ]

Thanks!

J

 

[MicheinMA]

This goes back quite sometime, but I was around 10 years old, on our first visit to Epcot. We were heading up the ramp to the monorail and there was a couple in front of us with an enormous bundle of the metallic Mickey balloons. I was just in awe. The man turned around and handed me the whole bunch and said have a nice vacation. That was around 25 years ago and I still haven't forgotten a detail.

We are heading down for our first family trip this April. Hope I can spread a little of that magic in return!

 

[Mickey76]

I kind of feel like I'm tooting my horn, but I love telling this story. I was in WDW in 2002 and visited MK on a particularly busy day at the end of May. I was crossing the bridge from Main Street, USA to Adventureland and saw a man trying to take a picture of his family. Now, I've seen many people try to get a picture on this bridge with the castle in the background, and have much success. This man, however, despite his pleas to all that passed to stop for a moment, could not have his wish granted. The man and his family were African-American, and while I know the majority of the people walking by were just in a rush to get where they were going, I suspect a few were ignoring him simply because they have not realized the Civil War ended almost two centuries ago.

Those who know me know that I have a voice that naturally carries. The look on the man's face was sadness that he couldn't get a picture. So I stepped in and from the middle of the bridge asked everyone to stop for a moment, stepping in front of a few people to make sure they understood me. I said that this man just wanted to take a quick picture of his family. I received a few angry stares, but I didn't bother me. The man was about to take the picture when I told him that I would take it for him. He did not say anything because I he was so surprised that someone would do this for him. I took the picture and handed him his camera and began to alk away. He then said in a great southern drawl, "Wait! Hold on a minute!" I turned around, seeing a man drawn to tears. "Thank you for doing that. That was awesome. What's youre name?" I told him my name was Brian and he says, "Brian, you alright." His family then comes over and gives me a big group hug. They were crying and it made me cry happy tears and they said they would never forget this moment. I hope they don't. I never will.

 

[Dizneydaz]

On our last trip in September we spread the "magic" by using some of our DDP credits that we couldn't use. We treated a very nice family from Georgia to a meal (using 3 QS credits) at Flametree BBQ; and the mom was so grateful that after I gave her her tray of food and she started to leave she turned back and said "I have to give you a hug" and she did. She had tears in her eyes (me too). I felt wonderful. Then we treated a couple of grandparents and their 5 yr. old twin granddaughters at Restaurantosaurus (2 QS). The grandpa tried to hand me $5 and I said, "no, that's no why I'm doing it. Spend the money on souvenirs!"

On our last day, buying food for the plane ride home we used 4 of our last 6 QS credits. I was just going to let the last 2 go to waste when the grandparents in front of us were trying to buy 3 meals and only had 1 DDP credit left. I offered them our last 2 and had to reassure them that we were on our way out to the airport and they wouldn't be used. They were also very happy.

On two previous trips we had treated a few people to ice creams to use up some SC and it's very interesting the responses you get from people. OF course, first off, they don't beleive you. Second, they think there's a catch, and then third, they just get a big smile on their face and accept the "magic".

The feeling I get from this must be similar to how the Dream Makers feel!

 

[Evil Genius]

I all ways carry a little kit that has screws, nose guards and a little screwdriver to fix glasses. We were standing in line one day with the kids waiting for Eeyore's autograph. Sure enough, the lady in front of me's sunglasses fall apart. She's not happy and told her dh that she really didn't want to spend $25.00 on a new pair. I dig in my bag, find my kit and we fix her glasses. I could not believe how appreciative she was.She wanted to buy the kids something, but I wouldn't hear of it. Everyone got autographs and we went our seperate ways. We saw them throughout the week at different parks and she would allways make it a point to catch my eye and wave or point at her glasses. I never knew a $1.99 kit was going to make someone's day.

My dh has diabetes and sometimes just needs to sit down for a minute. We usually find him bench in the shade, and I might do a little shopping or grab a snack, whatever. He has met the most interesting people while resting. It's really nice to come back to him to see him chatting with someone or sharing a story. I think this trip I might start taking pictures of him and his new friends as he remembers most if not all of the folks he's met. Thank you to those folks for keeping him company, you don't know how much it's appreciated.


Sorry I thought of one more. Dh and I like to play those goofy games at Chester and Hester's. We have brought home more stuffed dinosaurs than I really want to admit to. The last two trips, dh has given them away to kids in the area. The last time he saw a little girl and her brother watching big brother and sister ride Triceratops Twirl. Dad was with them, and after much discussion (Dad thought we wanted something) dh gave away two dinosaurs. You would have thought he gave them gold. It's such a little thing and it makes everyone smile.

 

[3boyzmom]

Last year we gave away our the Fantasmic part of our Fantasmic Dinner Package. We overheard the family at the table next to us talking about getting in line to wait, and since our child was too tired to stay for the show, we decided to give them our "tickets" ... they were really sweet and gracious in accepting the tickets.

On our first trip to AKL, a very nice lady gave us the remainder of her cs snd snack credits for out last day - we were suprised at her generocity - very special.

 

[happy2go2wdwmom]

I planned a June '06 WDW trip for a pal who has no arms (!), and only a few "fingers" on his left side. He was able to get on the buses ahead of the lines b/c of his disabilities. Before his trip, I told him to for once enjoy all of the "envious" looks from the others waiting in those long lines as he would hop right on the buses. Well, in following up w/ him after his trip, I asked how the bus rides went, and he said, "You know, I ended up gaving up my seat every time I was on those buses to a woman, or a child or a mom w/ a baby." Honestly, I am not sure how he stood up on those bus trips---it couldn't have been easy in the least-----BUT, what a gentleman, huh?!

 

[WDW1st-timers]

I planned a June '06 WDW trip for a pal who has no arms (!), and only a few "fingers" on his left side. He was able to get on the buses ahead of the lines b/c of his disabilities. Before his trip, I told him to for once enjoy all of the "envious" looks from the others waiting in those long lines as he would hop right on the buses. Well, in following up w/ him after his trip, I asked how the bus rides went, and he said, "You know, I ended up gaving up my seat every time I was on those buses to a woman, or a child or a mom w/ a baby." Honestly, I am not sure how he stood up on those bus trips---it couldn't have been easy in the least-----BUT, what a gentleman, huh?!

WOW....amazing. I wish the whole world was filled with people like this.

 

[happy2go2wdwmom]

It was humbling (my friend w/o the arms who gave up his resort bus seats)! He said he was esp. amazed to see that people would make little children stand up in the aisles...when my fam goes this May, I am going to make a point of giving up my seats in his honor!