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Treasured Memories

Do you have a Treasured Memory of your own you'd like to share? E-mail me and I'll post it here.

My treasured memory involves our favorite ride and an extraordinary cast member. On our last trip in 2006, my 2 oldest daughters and I had decided that we would try to break our one day record of Tower of Terror rides. (8 in one day). We rode the ride over and over and made it to 7. On our 8th ride, we told one of the cast members, James, that this was our tie breaking ride, and we only had one more to break our record. He told us good luck and he hoped we could make it through the line to break our record.
When we unloaded at the end of that ride, James was waiting for us downstairs. He carried us straight upstairs via the backstage elevator and put us right back on the ride, so we could complete our task.
That friendly gesture made our day and we will always remember the length that cast member went to to make our visit magical!
(oh...we ended the day with 13 rides....a perfect number for the Tower of Terror!)

Dennis Martin - Helena, Alabama

On our first trip to Disney with our 4 year old daughter, we were running up a ramp (because we were so excited) to get on a monorail and our daughter tripped and skinned her knee. While we were comforting our daughter, we noticed an attendant running away and then suddenly returning to us with a band aid. All of this happened before the next monorail arrived. This young man went out of his way to help us! It was so awesome – so Disney! Keep up the good work and thanks for wonderful memories. Can’t wait to come back – February 2006!!

Karen Lindsey, Madisonville , Louisiana

One of my favorite memories about Disney...

In 1996 my husband and I had promised our children that we would take them to Disney world in Oct of that year... unfortunately he was killed in a car accident in July. Not wanting to disappoint the girls I was determined to take them anyway... they had enough loss for one year.

My whole family, 13 of us, decided to go. We took the train down and stayed off site. My older brother brought my 5 year old niece with us. She along with my 4yr old, 6yr old, and 9yr old totaled 4 girls. This is important because on our last night in Disney we went to EPCOT. While we were there my other brother and I bought the 4 girls costumes at the Emporium. When I went to pay the CM (unfortunately I don't remember her name) made the comment that the girls were so lucky to get nice costumes and a trip to Disney. When I explained to her about the trip and my husband she said "OH I am so sorry, what can we do here at Disney to help?" I told her there was nothing but thank you for asking. She then took me over to the stuffed animals and had me pick one out for each of the girls to include my niece. She gave them to me from Disney. She then asked me if I was going to put the costumes on the girls. When I told her I was she asked if I would come back and show her. I told her I would. After we got the girls dressed, they looked just like the characters they dressed as, Snow white, Belle, Tinkerbell, and Cinderella, we went back and the CM took pictures of the girls with her. She said the pictures would hang in the Backstage area.

When we left the emporium after thanking the CM we went and watched the fireworks. It was so crowded when everyone went to leave we hung back and just sat and listened to the music that was piped in. The girls started dancing on the light spots on the ground. After a while my brothers and sister in law started to dance with them like ballroom dancers. People started to take pictures and video of them while they danced. It was one of the most memorable experiences I have had at Disney.

Heidi

Our Disney vacation will always be special for my entire family...

Last May, I had it in my mind that not only my family but my sister, her family and my parents must go to Disney together. I would love to go yearly but not everyone in my extended family agrees with that. So, getting everyone together was an undertaking. My parents were not sure, they were already going to Florida for another vacation. We did all go and had a fabulous time! Six months later, very unexpectedly, my mother passed away. Our Disney vacation will always be special for my entire family since my mother was with us. I treasure that time - I love to look at the pictures and the video. My children will have to try to remember their grandmother and this will help. The Pooh mug my mother picked up for me for planning the trip makes me smile whenever I use it. I now see ads that Disney is running encouraging group travel. In fact, there is now planning available to groups of 8 or more at the main reservation number. Thanks!
Cathleen

A Most Magical Memory:

I was thirteen and visiting WDW with my parents, sister and aunt. We were taking a shuttle to our room at Dixie Landings. Everything was going as it should, when BANG! A large leather suitcase fell out of the back of the shuttle, and made a gun shot noise. It made all of us jump. The driver was extremely apologetic, and told us that if anything, anything at all was broken or damaged in any way, it would be replaced. Thankfully, nothing was damaged or broken. I don't think anyone in family thought anything of it, I sure didn't. We went to a park or dinner, I can't remember. Anyway, when we returned to the room, there was a HUGE basket full of fruit and endless amounts of things. There was a note from the shuttle driver apologizing, and making sure everything was alright. My aunt proclaimed "Ohhhhhh... That's so Disney...". It turned out to be the best Disney vacation I have ever had...

(submitted by reader A.T.C.)

12 year-old son checks us in to Fort Wilderness:

My son, Jason (age 12) got to check us in at Fort Wilderness. Cast Member Peggy asked if he had a computer at home. He said yes. She asked if he knew how to use it. He said yes. So she asked if he’d like to come around the desk and check us in, using the computer. Of course, he said yes. So she brought him around back, while I ran out to the car to get my camera. They were gone for quite some time. I later found out the she was getting him an autographed photo from Chip, a Mickey Mouse balloon, and a certificate. She then instructed him on how to check us in using the computer, and what questions to ask me, and on handling the money and making change. I always responded to his questions by calling him Sir, which he got quite a kick out of. He will always remember this trip as being special, thanks to Cast Member Peggy.

posted by Diane K.

Lost "Puppy"

Our 7 year old daughter has a favorite stuffed puppy that we gave to her after her real dog was killed by a car. "Patches" goes everywhere with her including our trips to Disney. Last year she accidentally dropped Patches in the Orlando airport upon our arrival. Our moods were very glum even after the second day at Disney due to her sadness. On our third day we returned to our on-site hotel room and there on the bed sat Patches!!! The staff had attached a note to him saying that "he really missed our daughter, etc." Luckily before we left home I had attached a name/address tag to Patches. Two very kind people found Patches at the airport and actually drove him to WDW. The staff went waaaay out of their way to make this a very happy day for our daughter, we will never forget their kindness.

Submitted by a reader who did not leave their name

This One's On Me!

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, the sun shining through the mist, I woke early to take a short walk and ponder the days events. It was the start, to yet another day at my most favorite place, Disney World.
My family was staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort and today was Blizzard Beach day for them, ESPN Sports Club day for me. The University of Florida was playing the University of Tennessee in football, however, my home team, the Louisville Cardinals, were playing Penn. State, then ranked #1, in an earlier game. After seeing everyone off to the water-park, I went directly to the Boardwalk Resort, home of the ESPN Club.

Arriving at 10:30am, a half an hour before opening, gave me my choice of seating. U of L kicked off at 11:30, Florida and Tenn. was set to start at 5:00, so there really wasn't much of a crowd until later. The only people around was this young couple at the next table. I could hear them cheering on Penn. State, so I struck up a conversation.

Come to find out, they were there on their "Honeymoon," my wife and I also went to Disney World on our Honeymoon. We talked, we cheered, we played sports trivia, it was a lot better than sitting there alone. When the club began to fill for the Fl./Tenn. game, they asked me to join them. When I moved over, our waiter brought in six more people, he appreciated it and it showed. I was really enjoying myself. However, my team wasn't faring as well, by half-time they were down by 40 points, so I decided to call it an afternoon.

My new found friends said they were staying until the game was over, leaving before the Fl./Tenn. game started. So I wished them well and went on my way. Without coming right out and saying it, I could tell my friends were there on a shoestring budget. Stating how they "barely had enough to do this, they couldn't afford to that". So just before I walked out the door, I flagged down our waiter one more time.

I had him put a credit, limited to $60.00, on their tab, he was not to tell them until they were ready to go. If they hadn't reached the $60 limit, he was to buy them one more round and tell them of my plan. If they had reached the limit, just take it off the total. My waiter was real cool about it, and assured me things would be taken care of.

People may think I was crazy for doing such a thing. I just hope this young couple will one day pass along this random act of kindness. Or maybe tell their children about it when they bring them to Disney World. It was just my way of spreading a little kindness.

The rest of the day was spent with my family at EPCOT. As we were waiting in line to bard our bus back to the resort, beat and tired from a long day, I thought about that young couple and how they may have reacted early this afternoon. Did they appreciate it? Did they think I was nuts? For all I know, they may have been playing me all along. Just then, as I was stepping up into the bus, I heard someone calling out "Hey U of L! Hey U of L Cardinal

Fan!" Not believing what I was hearing, I gazed out over the throngs of people, and to my surprise, in the farthest reaches of the crowd, was that young couple. He had one hand on his heart, the other was a thumbs-up, his wife was blowing me kisses.

Mission accomplished.

By the way, the tab was less than $50.

submitted by reader WDWFanatik

The Happiest Place on Earth

My favorite memory of WDW goes back to our first visit. I had a high pressure government job. We got off the Disney bus in front of the Magic Kingdom. "When You Wish Upon A Star" was playing, and it felt like the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders and I suddenly understood that this really WAS the Happiest Place On Earth.

submitted by reader Anne Stepien

A Chance Meeting

I visited Disney World with my daughter and her family for a week in February, and two of my classmates who live in different states than I do were also going to be there, although I didn't know for sure what day they would be arriving. I left a message on their answering machine and said I would be at Epcot having dinner at "Norway" at 6:40 p.m. that day and if they happened to get the message before we had made contact, to come there and we would make our plans for the couple of days we would all be there. As we were walking around Epcot I kept looking around just in case they happened to be there already and as we approached the Norwegian pavilion I noticed them standing outside of the Restaurant and just about passed out from surprise.

I said to them that they must have gotten my message and they said no, they just happened to be there as they were walking around looking things over, as they had just arrived about an hour before. I really do believe in mental telepathy or whatever you call it, otherwise how would you explain how this could have happened, in all of the Disney Parks that they could have gone to and at the exact time I was thinking they may have been there if they would have gotten the message. We all had gone to school together since 2nd grade and we graduated from high school 44 years ago and all live in different parts of the United States. We had a wonderful time and my grandchildren thought it was neat to meet my friends from when I was small.

submitted by reader Jan Knuth