SAFD: On our first trip, when our older daughter was four she was chosen to receive the rose at the end of the Beauty and the Beast show at HS.

When the same daughter was six, she got her BBB make over in the front window of World of Disney at Disney Springs. It made her feel really special!
 
SAFD: The best piece of Disney magic I’ve experienced was several years ago. We took a family trip (wife, daughters, mother, father) just before Christmas. My father had been fighting breast cancer and was on an experimental chemo drug that left him with sores in his mouth. One of the first things we did at Disney was MVMCP. We were looking for somewhere to have dinner at the start of the party, but with the limited number of restaurants open we were having a hard time finding something that my father could eat comfortably.

While the rest of us ate at Pinocchio Haus my mother and father went over to the snack counter at Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and settled on a milkshake for him. They chatted with the CMs about the situation while the milkshake was made and after handing it to him, the CMs refused to let him pay for it, saying “It was from Tigger”.

It’s a small thing, but one that’s really stuck with me. It seems like there’s less and less of the Disney magic as the years go by, but I’ll always appreciate that little piece of it.
 
SAFD:

I don’t really recall any specific moments of Disney magic. For me and my family the whole experience of Disney has always been magical (outside of a stolen stroller incident). I just appreciate that from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave everything just feels different.

The one time that popped into my head was last January. We had a reservation for Tusker House. It got pushed back because they were swamped and when we were eventually seated we were being rushed a bit because, you know, they were swamped and way behind and we were pretty conducive to eating quickly since we had other plans that were about to get overlapped. Anyway, when we finished our meal, Mickey had not visited our table and he was not scheduled to be back around for a long time. My nieces and nephews were pretty distraught. As we were leaving our server arranged for Mickey to stop in the lobby of the restaurant and take pictures with our group. It was a nice end to an experience that had not been top notch (even if that was somewhat understandable).
 
I have been on both the giving and receiving end of passing along unused fast passes. It was such a nice thing to be able to do for someone, and really nice to get in return as well. I don't mind the new system, but I do miss this.
 


1. I’ve been given a free item from time to time whether it’s a soda, or Mickey bar. Small but always a great gesture.

2. Not really something the CMs could control but I was evacuated on SSE in March so getting to see the behind the scenes was magical.

3. We were late due to bus issues for our Star Wars dessert party once and we told them when we arrived that we were late. They asked why, they brought us in, got us desserts and then brought out to go boxes for us to take some back to the room and then refunded us half the cost of the party. We didn’t ask for any of that.

4. I love happening upon character Paloozas at Epcot. I’ve had it happen twice now during marathon weekend and it’s a great way to get character photos with medals.
 
SAFD: Disney magic from CMs: When we were stationed in Texas, we would only go to Disney about once a year and would get the military salute tickets. We would buy them on base so we had to activate them when we got to Orlando. We were at MK the night before we were planning to be in the parks activating them and there was a CM who was entertaining the kids while we got it all squared away. He was really funny doing character sounds and nearly giving them each a roll of Mickey stickers. When we were finished, he motioned me closer to the window and asked if we wanted to go visit Mickey right now. I told him we will be seeing him tomorrow because that's when we will use our first day. He was like "oh no need for tickets, I'll walk you in right now". He gave us paper EMHs because we couldn't scan our bands at the rides and told us to shut the park down! We only ended up doing one ride because the kids were already exhausted from traveling all day (it used to take us close to 12 hours to get to Florida between driving to the airport, waiting for flights, and the actual flights). It was so incredibly cool though to get in for free and I was a sobbing mess.

Disney magic from other guests: not ever something "magic" but I'm always thankful for everyone who lends a hand when I'm at the parks alone with the kids. From people helping me get food to a table to people making sure the kids have seats on the bus, it makes me so thankful that there are some out there who will lend a hand.
 


SAFD:
The one that pops into my head right away is from our 2016 trip. We were running back and forth to the FP+ kiosks (this was before you could book additional FP+ on your phone). On one visit, we were using the kiosk like experts (because we were), and a CM asked us if we could get a FP+ for any ride what it would be. Without hesitation, we went for 7DMT. And then he gave us a paper FP+ to use. It was totally unexpected and just super magical.

My favorite "fellow guest" magic moments are the ones where we make friends with people on lines. We've had a lot of good ones, but the one that stands out most in my mind is from DCA. We waited on a 1.5 hour line for Radiator Springs Racers in the rain (and when my sister had a broken foot). The people in front of us, a couple there with their 5-year-old twins, asked if we wanted to stand under their large umbrella. We ended up talking to them and their kids the whole time and riding with them - it really made the long wait a lot more bearable.
 
1) Akershus - our first visit. I knew we wouldn't have to pay for YDS but I thought that meant he could have whatever from the little buffet and whatever off our plates. Our waitress surprised us with his own little bowl of mashed potatoes. The second time (on another visit) we went, he was being extremely fussy and they brought him out his own little cheese pizza.

2) ODS got to dance in the street with Jesse during the Move It, Shake It parade.

3) Buzz Lightyear signed YDS's pillow case when typically he only stamps things.

4) We were first in line to meet Alice and got to ride the teacups with her.

5) We were 2nd in line to meet Anna and Elsa which made us perfectly happy. When the CMs came out to get the first family, they said that two of their group had walked off. The CM asked that family to step to the side and let us through. The CM said "Welcome, you our the first family of the day." We were like oh, this is cool. Then, Anna came out to meet us and it hit me that "Oh this is a big deal!" Then Elsa opened the door for us and our boys were in total shock. The CM said to DH, "Dad, now's a good time to video." :laughing:

6) We've had a couple of character meals where we somehow missed getting someone to sign either the book or the pillowcase. Every time, we've asked the CM and they've made sure to get that character to come back by or they have taken it to them.

7) Our boys were being cranky on the bus ride from our resort to one of the parks. The bus driver gave them both some bubbles to occupy them.

It doesn't take much to make an already magical trip that much more magical. We love those little "extras". I feel like there are more things but these are all that I can remember right now.
 
SAFD - For 20+ years WDW has been our home away from home. Our extended family and so many friends have spent so much time together at WDW - hundreds of people. Not just time, but the most incredible time. I have a million stories, but they are all family centric and many are too private to share. So, for me, the magic is in the nostalgia. No matter where I turn in WDW, memories await me. My life has been blessed, and WDW is a part of that.

I am not sure where WDW fits in our future. I hope that it has a place. I will work to ensure that it has at least a small place. Time will tell.
 
SAFD: We gave a bit of magic a few years ago. DH and I are fans of Eeyore and Roo (the boy dog likes Tigger). In 2012 in order to acquire the Eeyore and Roo pins we wanted we ended up with a multi pin package containing all of the Winnie the Pooh characters. Coming off of the Winnie the Pooh ride just behind us was a mom with 2 young kids. The kids had been really good during the wait for the ride, and had not bugged her to buy anything in the gift shop, so I walked over to the mom and handed her the pins we did not want with the comment “These are for your children.” She was shocked. Hopefully that was something that made her day, and the kids, extra special.
 
SAFD: On our 2017 marathon trip we dined at Cinderella's Royal Table on Sunday after the race as our celebration dinner. Walking into the dining room, I pointed out to my sister how nice the view must be at the table centered up against the windows. Low and behold- that was our table! We dined, had champagne bottle service and watched Wishes for one of the last times right against the windows! Same trip, we were browsing in the sweet shop in Hollywood Studios when a CM saw our marathon medals and asked if anyone congratulated us yet. A little confused, we said sure, and she asks if anyone has given us a congrats present yet before giving us each a caramel covered apple!

During on 2018 Dopey trip we decided to wait for FoP right at park close. We stayed in line for 3 hours and spent most of it chatting with the family in front of us (two adults and three kids.) We ended the line by playing Heads Up right before we went on the ride. Not super magical but we had a lot of fun getting to know these people and it made the wait go by a lot faster.
 
SAFD:

There have been so many, I can't count. Here are a couple of them - one from many years ago, and one more recent.

My very first trip to Disneyland was in 1974. I was 4 years old and my dad was attending a medical convention in Anaheim, and we stayed at the Howard Johnson's across the street. I lost my Dad 3 years later, but my memories of spending time with him at Disneyland are some of the most vivid and happy memories I have of him. I particularly remember being in line for Haunted Mansion. I was petrified with fear, and my dad was holding me in line knowing that I wasn't very happy about doing it. About halfway through the line he said "hey look! Mickey Mouse is in line too!" Sure enough I looked up and saw Mickey Mouse in line greeting guests. My dad said if Mickey Mouse was ok to go into the Haunted Mansion then I would be ok too. It was one of those moments I'll never forget. That trip began my lifelong love for Disney parks, and I'll always remember that very first trip with my dad.

A couple of years ago we planned a couples trip to Disneyland for a few days in the middle of December. It is actually the same 6 of us that will be down there for Marathon Weekend. We had a great time and decided on the last day that we would get to Adventureland at rope drop to do Jingle Cruise. We were near the front of the crowd waiting for rope drop about 20 minutes before the park opened, when a cast member appeared and asked for all of the crowd to reply in the affirmative when he yelled out the attraction they were planning on running (walking ;)) to. He started with Indiana Jones, and most of the crowd yelled in the affirmative, then did Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Splash - he then said - "how many of you are going on the World Famous Jingle Cruise" and the six of us (and only us) said "yes!" He then said "step right up - this is your lucky day". Apparently this cast member was one of the heads of operations for the Jingle Cruise, and a 25-year veteran of the parks. He then proceeded to give us a private tour of the queue with some history of the attraction, then was the skipper for our very own "private cruise". He was amazing, and the six of us were in stitches by the time the ride was over. You could tell how much he loved this attraction, and it made it all the more worthwhile. It was truly one of the most magical things I've ever experienced in a Disney park.
 
One of favorites was from our last trip in September 2017. We were in line to meet Talking Mickey. My daughter, who has autism, had been terrified of all the characters on our previous visit but was starting to come out of her shell with this trip. The family in front of us had on a birthday button and the cast member had them sing happy birthday to the little girl in the family. My daughter broke out into giggles and smiles upon hearing the song and started saying a few words from the song. She still doesn’t speak a ton so we love it when she says anything on her own. We always told the cast members before we walked up that my daughter had autism and asked that the characters not walk up to her but instead let us make the move based on how she was reacting. Without asking, the cast member noticed that my daughter was hesitant and asked Mickey if we could sing the Happy Birthday song becasue she noticed my daughter loved it. We happen to get the whole thing on video and it was truly a memorable moment!
 
SAFD: Both of my daughters are adopted from China- we traveled in 2009 with friends with two daughters also adopted from China- all 6-7 yrs old. When we got to China pavilion at Epcot- Mulan was out for a photo op but other than us no one else was around. She took the hands of the girls and walked them to the pond to look for Mushu, then she took the four of them into the Temple of Heaven replica and showed them the temple telling them all about it. It was very special and super sweet of her!! The girls were in awe and all us parents had tears in our eyes! Very magical!
 
SAFD: I find each and every trip is filled with magic of kind people on the bus giving up seats, lovely cast members engaging my kids, and smiles, but I have a few that stand out.
1. We went to Aulani when my kids were 2.5 and more than a little jet lagged. I was thrilled with the kindness of CMs at the ready to distract and hand my tots stickers in their melt down moments of not knowing if it was nap time or snack time. They saved this mamma several times.
2. Elena was not high on my list of meet and greets, but will be forever. One kid was dying to stand in line to meet Cindy who was at best cool, and the other child was not happy as she wanted to be anywhere else. After getting books signed we were ushered to the best Princess ever, who engaged my impatient kid, played hide-and-seek behind the prop curtain, and danced with her, even trying out cranky kid's favorite dance move, 'spinning tornado,' to much peril of Elena's ankle. We had some terrible character experiences that trip (I'll skip Ariel forever), but she made a little fan out of my not-princess-loving daughter.
3. On a trip to DL, kids fell asleep early due to the time change, so DH and I each picked a night to go out solo. I failed to realize I picked the night of a hard ticketed event and ended up with only an hour by myself so I headed to Trader Sam's, which was as expected quite busy. An older lady asked me if I was there by myself and I told her I had ditched my husband with the sleeping kids to celebrate vacation and she laughed so hard I thought she may fall off her stool. She then told her date to give up his stool for me (I declined but I did lean in to order a drink) and proceeded to tell me all about her grand kids. It was a hoot! At the end of two drinks, I did not have a bill! Fun and random stranger pixie dust!
 
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I have two great CM memories. I first leaned if Magic moments years ago when I was trying to buy a shirt in Italy but the registers weren’t working. I was pretty patient and after 5 or 10 minutes they said the shirt was on the house. Second time was this years marathon. We had already planned a trip a week later but my wife and one son (whose birthday was marathon day) went for the weekend. The Saturday would have been the 15th day so we couldn’t use the typical tickets. The hotel CM just gave is a free park hopper pass for the day. Saves us a couple hundred dollars.
 
SAFD: It's a small thing, but when we stayed at Poly last January, we would often stop and get coffee in the mornings at the coffee bar outside Kona Cafe. We got the same young CM a couple of times and one morning, we stopped and the machine was down. She was super apologetic and we were all, "It's no problem. Don't worry about it!" The next morning when we stopped off for coffee, she fixed us up our two lattes and as the other CM went to ring us up, she said, "Oh no. They are good. Already taken care of." and gave us a big smile. It was a sweet and unexpected little bit of pixie dust.
 

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