My Four Random Magical Disney Memories

As we all know, Walt Disney World is a place where dreams really do come true; and everyone from the Imagineers to the Cast Members makes sure that that magic is all around us, every single day. Whether it’s a ground-breaking new attraction or a simple Guest interaction, that indescribable pixie dust is always there. But sometimes magic can take on different forms, and that is in the occurrence of the unexpected…those random times when things come together just right to create a little Disney magic seemingly out of nowhere. I’m sure that everyone has their favorite “unexpected Disney moments,” and I certainly have more than four stories I could share, but these are some of my favorites.

1. A Magical Cruise
It was a quiet fall evening, and Lisa and I (that’s “extraordinary Celebrations Customer Service Lisa” for those of you who know her!) were enjoying our gourmet cupcakes outside of Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian, ready to enjoy the evening’s fireworks across Seven Seas Lagoon. From out of nowhere a Cast Member wandered by, asked us how we were doing, and told us how he was about to take one of the boats out for a test drive. “Well that’s cool!” we thought. But that wasn’t the end…he asked us if we’d like to come along. “You’ll get a great view of the fireworks!” he offered up as an enticement. Wait…you mean you’re offering to take us out for a private fireworks cruise??? “Sure!” And so we went, joined by another family, and we enjoyed a “front row” seat to a spectacular viewing of Happily Ever After, all on the quiet rippling waves of Seven Seas Lagoon. And all for simply being in the right place at the right time.

2. Paying it Forward
Many of our fondest Disney memories come when we get the chance to create our own magic…where we can play “Disney Dream Maker” and do our little bit to make another family’s vacation that much more magical. One instance I’ll never forget happened years ago…back when we got our FastPasses on little slips of paper from the attraction kiosks (remember those? Ah…the good old days!). Anyway, my daughter and I had FastPasses for Test Track…which you may recall always ran out early in the day. Earlier in the morning we had the chance to ride it without much of a wait, and we figured we’d save our FastPasses for later in the day. Well, later in the day arrived (actually mid-afternoon), and we were ready to head back to our resort to relax for a bit. But what about our FastPasses? Having ridden Test Track earlier, we realized that was good enough, a relaxed dip in the pool was much more inviting at that point. We happened to be near the Test Track FastPass kiosks at the time, and I overheard a young couple sharing a sad “oh no” between them. It seems that the FastPasses had literally just ran our for the day, just as it was their turn to get theirs. And it was clear this was a once in a lifetime trip and they had been really looking forward to Test Track. (This was back when it was the big headliner in the park – Soarin’ had not yet arrived – and the standby time was well over two hours, you can probably see where this is going…). My daughter and I wandered over to them and asked them what was wrong, and they explained how much they had looked forward to riding Test Track. Well little did they know a bit of pixie dust was about to head their way! I handed them our FastPasses and said they could use them, and best of all they were valid now…they could walk right on! They looked at us incredulously…are you serious? Yes indeed we said! Disappointment quickly turned to excitement, and the young couple gleefully ran off to experience the attraction they had so been looking forward to (profusely thanking us the whole way). And my daughter and I felt a warm glow in our hearts, we made someone’s Disney dream come true! I’ll never forget that feeling.

3. Extra Special Brownies
This is a favorite story of mine that actually happened to one of my friends. They were visiting the Magic Kingdom and were having lunch at the Crystal Palace. Being as it was a buffet, and seeing as one of their children couldn’t eat eggs, they had the opportunity to pick out just the right foods for their little one…and ask which dishes contained eggs. To their dismay, all of the desserts had eggs in them, so it looked like their son would have to go without. Now there’s nothing better than a classic Disney dessert, and as you would expect the young boy was disappointed. The Cast Member helping them out asked what his favorite dessert was, and he replied “brownies.” “Let me see what I can do.” The family then went back to their table to enjoy their lunch, and nearly forgot about dessert. It was then though that the head chef himself came over to their table with a plate full of delicious brownies. It turns out it was a special egg-free recipe that he knew, and he baked them specially for the young boy…on the house no less. The smiles on everyone’s faces were priceless, but even more so was the memory they would always have of a special dessert created for them by a special person.

4. A Little Courtesy Goes a Long Way
This next entry is about creating your own little piece of magic for a fellow Guest. A day in Disney can get hot, crowded, and let’s face it, a bit frustrating, especially when everyone wants to do something different and everyone is tired and sweltering (always a great time to take a break for a refreshing dip in the pool, but that’s another story!). And inevitably tempers may briefly flair. But even in these moments you can find a little Disney magic. All it takes is a little courtesy. To let someone go in front of you in line; to make sure they get the best seat on an attraction – or even just a seat on the bus; to let them stand in front of you during IllumiNations so they get that awesome “front row” view. Whether you’re the one passing on a little kindness, or if you see someone else reaching out to help a fellow Guest, you’ll get to experience that little bit of extra magic knowing that you or someone else went out of their way to make someone else’s day just a little bit more special. Even more heartwarming is when you or a fellow Guest or a Cast Member can turn someone’s tears into smiles, whether it’s by replacing that dropped ice cream cone, giving up your front row seat on Space Mountain, or even just listening. That’s true magic.

These are just a few examples of that random magic that can happen anytime at Walt Disney World. Do you have any memorable stories you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!

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