Moment that made you think THIS is the Disney Difference

[loves to dive]

So you wanted something that was just pure magic with nothing free, no upgrades, just pure magic? Got plenty but one of my favorites:

My adult son had been going through a very hard time - divorce, sudden medical issues (turns out he has nerve damage in his spinal cord), depression, just a hard time. I hadn't seen him smile in a year, not one tiny little smile. We were walking back to BW from Epcot one night, just usual great day at Disney and there was a private party going on at YC. We could hear the music where we were walking. All of the sudden my son just started laughing and dancing because he was at Disney and it was his happy place. Right in the middle of the walkway, him dancing and me crying because not only was he smiling, he was laughing and dancing.

That is pure magic and has nothing to do with free upgrades, free food, just pure magic. It couldn't have happened anywhere else because WDW has always been his and my place. Through the years there have been others that have gone with us but we always have had the best times just he and I and just being there. We had actually been on trips to other places that year but Disney was where he found his smile.

 

[Desert Girl]

We were at AK. It started raining on the way to the safari ride and I dropped my coffee I had just purchased at Starbucks. I was so frustrated I started tearing up. A cast member noticed and handed me a voucher for a free coffee. It was so unexpected and sweet.

 

[Pasta88]

My family's moment was back in September of 2016. Magical Express was pulling up to drop us off at the Caribbean Beach Resort. As I was looking out of the window, I noticed a cast member standing with a sign and balloons. I thought 'How nice. Someone's in for a surprise!'. I gathered some of our things, and looked out again. The sign read 'Welcome (OUR LAST NAME) Family'. I looked at our friends who were also traveling with us, questioning if they had set something up. None of us knew what this was all about.

I picked up our 11 month old, and grabbed my 4 year old's hand. As we were walking down the bus stairs, the cast member said "Welcome, (MY FIRST NAME)!!" I wish someone could've captured my reaction. Uhhh....hi? She asked where my husband was, calling him by his first name. He had let a few people go before him on the bus, but before I could answer, she said "oh here comes (his first name)!" I honestly didn't know what to say, and was a little creeped out that this person knew who we were.

I finally got the words out - "What is this all about?" She said, "Your family has been selected as Family of the Week!" We got an upgraded room, a Caribbean Beach cooler full of snacks and drinks, extra fast passes, along with a few other perks! How cool is that?!

 

[PrincessAsh514]

There's always something special in every trip, but my first trip (that I remember) was in 2015 for my 20th birthday. I was in Magic Kingdom for my actual birthday and was absolutely blown away by the special treatment I got. I was given free cupcakes, directed to go through the Fastpass line when I didn't actually have a Fastpass, sang happy birthday by talking Mickey, and given countless "Happy birthday, Ashley!"s. It may not seem like much and I think it's somewhat standard birthday treatment in the parks, but being there for essentially the first time after having never experienced that much magic and cheeriness in one place, it felt amazing. That magic and positive energy is exactly what the Disney Difference is for me. That day is really what made me fall in love with the Disney parks and what made me want to become a Disney cast member myself (I did the DCP a year later!)

 

[terri33inne]

Does anyone have any vacation moments / stories from Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, Disney Vacation Club, that made you think "this is the Disney Difference"?

I'll go first, so our first trip was in 2004 and we stayed at Disney's Yacht Club Resort (still my favorite resort) I was only 5 so I don't remember all that much, however, we returned once again in 2008. The cast member checking us in was asking if we had stayed with them before, and we said yes. Then the cast member asked us "How does it feel to be back?", and my mom replied saying "Well it is a little bittersweet, it's great to be back but a little bittersweet as my husband isn't with us anymore" this interaction was maybe 30 seconds. The cast member finished checking us in, and wished us a magical stay. The next morning, delivered to our room was a solid white chocolate Mickey Mouse statue, chocolate covered strawberries decorated with tuxedos, a fab five character photo autographed, and a note saying "Thank you for letting us bring a little magic back into your lives." This was the moment for us. Just a simple interaction, made magical by one cast members actions.

This made me cry.

Our very first trip... my DD had just turned 5. We were got to MK for rope drop, we were on the magic carpets, when I heard a voice behind us say 'Mind if we join you?', and turned around to see Aladdin & Jasmine hop in our carpet, and a photopass photographer was there to capture it. I explained to my daughter after that something like that was VERY unusual... then we went over to the carousel to find the step-sisters riding it... one came & took her hand, and rode with her, and then walked her over to the castle (holding her hand) to get photos. SAME day!

Also, on our first trip we stayed at POR, and I always loved how when we'd get off the bus, and walking back into the lobby there was usually a cast member with a large Mickey hand, waving, and saying "Welcome Home".

I do have to agree with some PP that I feel like these magical moments are fewer & farther between now.

 

[Raemama]

First off, reading these are making me smile in a rather hard day. Thanks, OP. We've had so many "Disney Difference" moments. I'll share a few really significant ones. I should mention that when my children were little we were very poor and couldn't afford vacations, much less WDW. Now that I can afford it, I've given the gift of WDW to each of my kids, even though they're grown. It's been an amazing experience!

1) In 2017 my hubby and I had a wonderful meal at Narcoosee's--we were hanging around outside for a bit after the meal and noticed the boat docking. We got the idea to board and ride to MK. We'd never heard or seen the Electrical Water Pageant, but it was going on as we sailed around the lake! So magical! And when we got off at MK, we walked in as Happily Ever After began. We just hugged each other and enjoyed the moments. We reminisce often about this evening filled with accidental magic!

2) In 2018 I took my daughter for a belated high school graduation trip. We had so much fun on this trip, but the very best part was during Happily Ever After: that 22 year old woman cried and held my hand through the whole thing, occasionally leaning over and saying "Thank you, Mama!" I'll never forget that.

3) My oldest son is autistic and suffers from extreme anxiety and bi-polar disorder. Even so, he agreed to go on a WDW trip with me as a big goal for himself. We planned it very carefully for a year, going over how things would go and all the details, watching videos, and practicing for various scenarios. I knew there was a good possibility he could have meltdowns that could require leaving the parks/line/restaurant/whatever. Everything went fine on the plane ride (his first ever at 27!) and hotel check-in. We went to MK first because he loves loves loves Tigger. As we were walking slowly up Main Street together, we noticed a cavalcade approaching the hub. At Casey's Corner I suggested we stop so we could see it better. Tigger was on the end of that float and as it was moving past us, I called out, "This guy right here loves you, Tigger!" And Tigger looked straight at my son, crossed his arms over his heart, then pointed to him. I can't tell you what it meant to my son (and to me).

 

[Eastern]

I finally got the words out - "What is this all about?" She said, "Your family has been selected as Family of the Week!" We got an upgraded room, a Caribbean Beach cooler full of snacks and drinks, extra fast passes, along with a few other perks! How cool is that?!

This happened to us at Poly. I was so shocked I didn't even react. The kids were asking me, 'what does that mean?' and I didn't want to say in case I was wrong but it was a great upgrade.

Another time I was in Contempo Cafe at CR. I asked the cashier how much the coffee was. He told me just go ahead and get a cup, no charge.

There were lots of other times over the years that CMs did little things that were nice and magical. I think that most CMs are sincere and want you to have a good time when you are at Disney.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We've had quite a few magical moments, but a couple stand out in my memory.

In Sept 2003, we had taken our older son for his first trip at 15 months old. (We hadn't been on vacation in a couple of years and I was so ready to go anywhere!) The parks were still pretty empty after 9-11 two years prior and everything closed pretty early. We had gone back to MK after an afternoon nap at our resort, and as it got close to 6:00 or so, a lot of the QS places were already closing. We walked over to Crystal Palace and even though it was about $30 per adult (which was huge to us), the baby would be free, so I walked up to the window and asked if they had any walk-in reservations available. The CM looked at her list and said, "Give me 10-15 minutes." So we waited and were seated. We had been at AK earlier that day and seen Pooh & the gang, so seeing them again just lit up our son's face. Every time a character would be at neighboring tables, he would get so visibly excited until they got to him and we got the best pictures of him with every one of them - his face just shining. Then of course, they'd have to move on to the next table and he would wail as they left until we pointed out another one was coming soon. As it got closer to closing time and the restaurant emptied, the characters came back around to see him specifically. One played peek-a-boo with him around one of the pillars in the center of the restaurant. They just kept coming over to see him and interact with him until we left. We walked out of there knowing something special had happened.

In probably 2012, we had taken a quick trip for a long weekend to go to the MNSSHP as a surprise for our sons. Our youngest was dressed as Peter Pan (in the Disney Store costume with all the accessories). We were watching the parade go by and Wendy saw him right up front and called out to the Peter in the parade "Peter! You're over here!" and Peter came rushing over and he and my son dueled right in the middle of the parade. Such a great moment for him.

Another time my husband and I were there without the boys for an anniversary weekend and the CM at the entrance to the American Adventure stopped us and made me think that CMs had been looking for us all day and that we needed to make an emergency phone call. It turned out to be an anniversary wish from Mickey & Minnie, and then he sent us up the "colonial elevator" to the top of the rotunda to hear the Voices of Liberty and get preferred seating for the show.

Magic is always where you look for it. It's in the CM with pins whose eyes twinkle when they ask your kid if he wants the "secret" pin that's turned backwards. It's in the CM that notices you're wearing a birthday button and wishes you a happy birthday (I must have gotten a hundred birthday wishes on my 40th birthday). Or the CM at the ice cream cart that says "this one's on Mickey" when you drop yours. It's the water artist that lets your kids try to paint the Mickey on the sidewalk. It's the reflection of the fireworks in your child's face. And it's why we keep going back.

 

[Kelly014]

I have three!

(1) Our very first trip, we were doofuses and did not budget nearly enough time to get back to the hotel from the park for our Magical Express bus, so of course we missed it and were running late. I went to the front desk to ask if there was another ME bus we could catch (not really understanding how they work), and the CM walked us to the front of the hotel, waved over a taxi (remember those, before uber/lyft?) and handed the driver a voucher to take us to the airport at no charge. It was totally our mistake and they didn't have to do that at all, but I remember just being floored at the level of customer service.

(2) My twins' 7th birthday was the first trip that they were tall enough for "the big rides" (they are total adrenaline junkies) and we were spending their bday at AK. They piped up to a CM near ride loading area that it was their first time riding EE and they were so excited! He saw their bday pins and promptly whisked them away to the front row. They loved it so much that we got back in the line and rode it again, and again the CM gave them their "VIP seats" in the front row. They still talk about that every time we go back to AK.

(3) My youngest was around 2 when we went to eat in H&V. As we were walking through the restaurant he saw the characters and broke into a run toward them and of course, tripped and landed flat on his face HARD. He had a bloody lip and started wailing like a banshee, so I picked him up and cuddled him but he was inconsolable. Minnie tapped me on the shoulder and gestured me to hand set him down, and she knelt down and held out her arms and he instantly went quiet and gave her the biggest hug. He stayed there hugging her for several minutes, and each time I tried to call him away Minnie shook her head and kept hugging him close until he finally stepped away. I'll never forget the look of pure love on his little tear-smudged face.

That last one made me tear up a little, so sweet!

 

[WDWRookie2009]

2009 I planned our very first trip to Disneyworld, my husband was coming home from Iraq for his 2 week RnR and I saw a commercial where everyone just looked so happy so I got online..looked around and waited for dates of leave. I finally got confirmed dates and booked.. 6 WEEKS out. This forum and TourGuide Mike helped me so much. Our first day was MK and we went to dinner at the Plaza. When making the ADR I was asked if we were celebrating anything. I told her not really just celebrating being together again after 9 months apart and another 6 months apart waiting for us when we returned back home.

I didn't think anything of it and while we were finishing up eating three or four cast-members came out with dessert for all of us, a Welcome home and Thank you card with Mickey saluting and the fab five signatures. I started balling, my boys ( 3 and 8) were happy with the yummy desserts and just when I was sold on the magic another gentleman came out and shook my husbands hand and said "we know your time is precious and we want to make sure you enjoy the most out of it". He gave us multiple fastness return slips to use throughout our stay (the old paper ones). He then gave each of our boys a stuffed Mickey. It was our first day ever at Disney and I was sold.

We have spent numerous birthday and special occasions at Disneyland because it is closer but finally made it back 10 years later in 2019 to celebrate my sons 18th birthday and graduation. We are also going back this summer just because and next year will be going to celebrate his 21st birthday! That day marked my then 8 year old to be a life long Disney fan!

 

[Cabius]

It's January 2020, and my daughter is meeting Princess Aurora at Epcot. I'm standing there with my jaw on the floor, absolutely flabbergasted, while my daughter is beaming.

<record scratch> You're probably wondering how I got here...

Flash back to January 2019. My daughter Charlotte, just shy of her 3rd birthday, insisted on bringing presents for all of the Princesses. So she made little cards and beaded bracelets, so she would have a little gift for each Princess she met.

When she met Aurora, she was an excited little chatterbox, telling her that we have a chicken named Aurora at home, and another chicken named Maleficent, and they are very nice and give us eggs and... the sorts of things a precocious not-quite-3-year-old says to a Princess who is named after her pet chicken!

Skip ahead 51 weeks to January 2020, and Charlotte once again comes armed with gifts for Princess Aurora, a small card with a toddler's scribbled coloring, signed "Love, Charlotte".

Princess Aurora reads the card, gasps, and says, "YOU'RE CHARLOTTE WITH THE CHICKENS!!"

That's right -- a year later, she remembered my daughter and her chickens. (Charlotte had to inform her, sadly, that Maleficent had since passed on to the great henhouse in the sky.)

I'm still floored whenever I think about this story. I really, really hope we get to see this Princess Aurora again some day.

 

[WEDWDW]

It's January 2020, and my daughter is meeting Princess Aurora at Epcot. I'm standing there with my jaw on the floor, absolutely flabbergasted, while my daughter is beaming.

<record scratch> You're probably wondering how I got here...

Flash back to January 2019. My daughter Charlotte, just shy of her 3rd birthday, insisted on bringing presents for all of the Princesses. So she made little cards and beaded bracelets, so she would have a little gift for each Princess she met.

When she met Aurora, she was an excited little chatterbox, telling her that we have a chicken named Aurora at home, and another chicken named Maleficent, and they are very nice and give us eggs and... the sorts of things a precocious not-quite-3-year-old says to a Princess who is named after her pet chicken!

Skip ahead 51 weeks to January 2020, and Charlotte once again comes armed with gifts for Princess Aurora, a small card with a toddler's scribbled coloring, signed "Love, Charlotte".

Princess Aurora reads the card, gasps, and says, "YOU'RE CHARLOTTE WITH THE CHICKENS!!"

That's right -- a year later, she remembered my daughter and her chickens. (Charlotte had to inform her, sadly, that Maleficent had since passed on to the great henhouse in the sky.)

I'm still floored whenever I think about this story. I really, really hope we get to see this Princess Aurora again some day.

WOW!

Just a suggestion,but this Aurora may still be around and I would take a chance and email Guest Communications your story with all the details-locations/times/dates,etc.-and let Disney know this amazing story.

I am sure Aurora would love to know how memorable she is to your family!

 

[Sandiz08]

Oh my so many Disney difference memories... my daughter was once announced as princess jasmine when she boarded a Disney bus. My kids got given a free giant cookie inside the confectionary. Our daughters first ride on big thunder after she had missed it due to rain or being shut down on previous trips took place with her sitting by herself in the front row while the fireworks were going off. She said it was real... just like the commercials. We will also never forget our waiter at Carthay Circle at Disneyland.

 

[AngieInOH]

#1 Walking up the stairs to CRT my daughter said "I can't believe my wish came true, this is what I wished for". Not another place in the world a wish would be so magical.

#2 We were chosen as family of the day at Satuli Canteen. A section was roped off just for us and a CM waited on us; got us drinks brought out a special fruit tray. Then a CM came over and asked my daughters what their favorite character was. He then proceeded to draw the characters. It was awesome! The drawings are framed with our official "Family of the Day" Certificate.

 

[loves to dive]

Another recent one just in case people want to say "that's all well and good but none of it's recent". Last year in Jan. just before the shut down, my adult son and I were walking around Epcot eating at booths and just enjoying ourselves. A CM came up to us out of the blue and asked if we were enjoying ourselves, why yes we are we answered. That's good she said and handed us a big ole stack of stickers. At first I was thinking, this is odd what would two adults want with a bunch of stickers. Throughout the day as we were going to booths and walking around people would ask where we got the stickers. We would smile and say it was magic just for them and hand them some. We had so much fun handing out those random stickers I can't help but think that CM knew what she was doing.

 

[disneyseniors]

I've got another one, and it is funny and kinda embarrassing, LOL.
About 4 years ago, my husband and I went to Epcot for the day. It was Valentines Day. We had to stop and get an ECV for both of us due to my husbands nerve damage and to my mobility problems. So, two ECV's needed. I asked the CM for 2 ECV's, and she got this happy look on her face and said, "I'll be back in a minute", and hurried away. When she came out she had an ECV decorated all in pink with a big pink heart on the front and a big valentines day balloon. I laughed and thought , Oh No. my husband won't like this, so I'm glad this is mine. But the CM said, this is for your husband. You should have seen the look on his face; it was hilarious! Then they brought mine out and it was pink and decorated with a big heart and balloon too, We were the first couple of the day and we got our pictures taken too..Well, we rode all around Epcot in those pink Valentine ECV's and everywhere we went people smiled and said Hi and talked with us. My husband just wanted to get the heck around the WS and take these back. He was so embarrassed. I loved it and talking with people and making them smile.
On the way back I saw a Mom and a little girl dressed like a Princess, so I asked the Mom if her Princess could have a special balloon. She was so happy to get the balloon, and I told her it was for a special Princess.
My husband had given his to another little girl while I was doing this.
It was a fun surprise and special for me, but probably not so much for a big older man. It has made for alot of funny stories over the years.

 

[olwyngdh]

Just this last trip in February we were hit with Pixie Dust. It was just my husband and me celebrating our 30th anniversary and we were in line for Frozen. I was talking to the CM holding the "line starts here" sign and she told me about how long we would have to wait for the ride and I told her it was ok, it would break down before we got there anyhow and explained to her that we had never ridden it because every single time in all the years it had been open it had broke down or been shut down for some reason before we even got in the building and joked that I was beginning to think the ride was just a myth. The next thing I know a CM comes up and says "follow me" and took us right to the ride and made sure we got on it. It really does exist! My poor husband had no idea what was going on because he had been lost in playing a game on My Disney Experience until the CM tapped him on the shoulder and said "come with me"

Aurora has always been the Princess with the memory. My girls were shocked when they were young and we had been to dinner at Akershus one night and were touring the world showcase the next day and we saw Aurora in France. She recognized them and made a big deal about being so lucky to see them again and that all the other Princesses were going to be jealous of her.

 

[olwyngdh]

Oh, and another one! I had miscounted our QS credits on the dining plan on one trip and somehow ended up with one more than I thought I had so we decided to grab breakfast at Pizzafari. When we went to get in line we were stopped and told no, we didn't need to get in line since we were the family of the day! They took us to a table in the back room that was decorated and had a reserved sign on it, took our order, served us on REAL plates with REAL silverware and REAL cups for our coffee, took pictures of us and then brought out a pin board and let our girls trade to their hearts content. I think it is the whole randomness of Pixie Dust that makes it special. Back when there was still a parade at AK my BiLs family were chosen to ride on a float and the kids were given Simba stuffies.

 

[VickiVM]

Two stories.

In 1991 or so, my husband's sister invited us to DW with her family and the grandparents. They had just moved to Tampa and got 2 rooms at the Yacht Club, club level. We were only married a year and I always thought DW was for kids...certainly not for adults. But it was an inexpensive vacay, so why not. Not surprising, but after a couple of days of theme park food binging, I wasn't feeling well. I was up late sick to my stomach and thought perhaps the concierge person might have something on hand to calm my stomach. Unfortunately, only a night security person was available on the 5th floor, and he didn't have anything to give me. About 15 minutes later, there was a light knock on the hotel door...it was the security person who managed to get someone to let him into the gift shop and he brought up an otc medication to see if it would help. It did and the next morning I was ready to hit the park! Needless to say, I had already fallen in love with WDW and the service was a definite WOW factor!

About 10 years later, we were visiting (about our 4th trip or so) with our 9, 7 and 4 year old children. There was an area at the entrance to World Showcase, in between the 2 gift shops, where a double-decker bus would come out with several characters for meet/greets. My oldest and youngest were in one line waiting their turn for autographs and my middle daughter in another line. As her turn was approaching, she realized she didn't have her autograph book. It was our last day in the parks and the book was already full of autographs from the week. I dumped out my bag to look for it, she looked in her fanny pack and nothing. We figured we just left it behind on a ride. She was crying and didn't know whether she should step out of line or continue. Just an emotional mess. I felt horrible for her. One of the handlers noticed she got out of line and was crying and asked what happened. I explained. He said that the next appearance was in a couple of hours and to come back then. So we did. He noticed us when we arrived and pulled out a brand new autograph book to give her. AND, it was already signed by many characters. He told her he went around the park and got everyone to sign it for her. And if that wasn't enough. He told us to wait until the end, and he pulled our family around to behind the bus where we were able to spend a few minutes and take photos with all the characters at once. We have several photo's from that afternoon that we dubbed our "Family Portraits". That was truly special.

Then there was that time when my kids were teens and same daughter was griping (in that grating way teenagers gripe) that she was hungry at the exact same moment we were passing a churro cart in Disney Studios...and well, you can guess what she got out of that!

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

It was my daughter's 5th birthday (2006), we were at the MK for rope drop and used a little known trick to ride the train from the main station back to the Storyland Circus area (I think that's what it was called?) station by Mickey and Minnie's houses. We were held at a rope line right outside Mikey's house waiting for the park to open when Mickey came out of his house, saw my daughter standing at the rope with her birthday button on, and went right to her. There were only a handful of people back there at the time so it was a very personal experience for all of us. After greeting us, Mickey took my daughter by the hand and gave her a personal tour of his house and the garden area in back. It was priceless. My daughter barely remembers, but my wife and I still get teary eyed thinking about what a special once in a lifetime experience we had that day. Of course that area is all gone now, but we can still remember whenever we walk through.