- Hula Hoops & Sidewalk Chalk. We were awaiting a boat to take us to the Magic Kingdom, and while trying to keep several toddlers and an infant occupied, a cast member suddenly appeared, wielding hula-hoops and sidewalk chalk. With delight, we watched our children happily entertain themselves for a few minutes longer until our boat arrived. It was such a simple and thoughtful thing to do, and while I don't know the cast member's name, I always remember him fondly for it.
- Texas Rangers. In 2010, we had the pleasure of attending the Hoop de Doo Revue dinner show. The food was delicious with generous portions, the sangria was plentiful, and the show was corny and fun - complete with singing, dancing, and puns galore. The audience participation and laughter was really a highlight - even before our son was chosen to take part in the show! They randomly chose people by name from the audience, and when his name was called, it was really the icing on the cake. It was rather hilarious to see him up on stage, dressed in an oversized Texas Ranger costume, shooting the bad guys with his "hand" guns, and drawing laughs from the audience when the rescued damsel in distress kissed him on the cheek - and he promptly wiped it off!
- Mousekeeping. On more than one occasion, we returned to our room to find our guest towels in the iconic shape of Mickey's head, of various animals, and sometimes arranged in some humorous fashion with souvenirs that were left in our room. One time we returned to find the princess dolls in the window with several small animals, placed where we would see them before we even entered our hotel room. I'll bet it's a lot more fun being a housekeeper at a Disney resort than at a Travelodge. Just sayin'.
- Impromptu Jedi fights. We took an extended family trip with my husband's grandfather, parents, aunts & uncles, cousins, siblings & their kids, and there were over 50 of us in total. One morning, as we sat chatting with some family members outside of our hotel room, our son was playing with his newly-purchased light sabre. A cast member was walking by and began interacting with my son - "playing" Star Wars with him and running away. One of my favorite things to see happen is when an adult truly knows how to interact with a child, and this was a good and fun example of that. How I wished I'd gotten a photo of it!
- Unexpected Street Shows. On more than one occassion, while wantering around the parks, we have been surprised by something going on on the street. While I realize that these are well orchestrated and practice, they sometimes had a bit of an impromptu feel to me - perhaps because it wasn't a large production on stage with a couple of regular, scheduled times. Also because would sometimes pick out members of the audience, asking them questions, talking to them, and even teasing them a bit. We have stumbled upon musical pirates & their treasure, Hollywood starlets arguing with their directors, a band, a barbershop quartet, drummers in Japan, amazing acrobats in China & Africa, and a walking (but not talking) vine lady. What an entertaining way to pass the time, and also to have the opporunity for a few minutes to slow down, rather than spending the entire time rushing off to do the next thing.
- Character Interactions. In Walt Disney World, many things are larger than life. The character meet & greets are no exception. We have enjoyed a couple of character meals as well as met up with some of our favorite characters in the parks. When our third daughter was around 2, she would not go up to any of the characters - she wanted nothing to do with them despite her sister's excitement in saying hello and having their augotgraph books signed. Imagine our surprise when, upon seeing Pooh bear, she ran up to him and gave him a hug. Another time, while enjoying a character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, we were treated to visits from Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter and Tigger. Tigger, however wasn't content to say "hi" and be on hismerry way. No, in true Tigger form, he stole my daughter's hat right off her head, put it on another child's head, tossed it around and eventually wore it himself. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that was certainly an awesome way to start ours!
- Hidden Mickeys. You may be wondering - what is a hidden Mickey? All over the parks and resorts, you can find the outline of Mickey Mouse's head scattered about, some are obvious, others are more subtle. Though not officially acknowleged by Disney, Imagineers are allowed and even encouraged to add them when designing anything from queue lines, attractions, hotel rooms, pathways...anywhere, really! There are websites, guidebooks, and apps devoted to helping you find and keep track of them, but my favorite way to enjoy them is to stumble upon them oursleves. It is almost like you've been let in on a little secret, and it is really fun to have the children proclaim, with surprise and delight, "Look, mom, I found a hidden Mickey!" I encourage you to look for yourself next time you are there to see how many you can find.
- Autographs by restaurant staff. While staying at another resort location, we decided to travel to Olivia's Cafe at Old Key West Resort for a dinner. Upon discovering that one of our daughters is named Olivia, one of the wait staff took one of the menus and took it around to have the other cast members working that evening to sign it, some adding funny comments as well. She felt really special when they singled her out in this way, and still has it as a keepsake.
- Animation Academy. When visiting Hollywood Studios, we have often passed by the Magic of Disney Animation building. For whatever reason, it didn't really interest us, but when visiting in 2013, we walked in to check it out. It turned out to be a welcome rest, but still with plenty to do - visiting Incredibles characters, enjoying some down time while your kids enjoy one of the many coloring stations, or walking through the Animation Gallery. It also houses the Animation Academy, where a Disney animator tells a little bit about what they do, then gives step by step instructions on how to draw various Disney characters. On the wall in front of me, I am looking at renditions of Daisy Duck created by my husband and I, as well as a Pacal that I drew and a variety of indistinct characters drawn by our almost three year old daughter. Suffice it to say, we didn't miss our calling as animators, but we DID appreciate the insight into the animator's job and how characters are drawn, as well as the keepsake drawings.
When I look back at these times, they aren't necessarily the most exciting ones of any given trip, nor would our trips have been ruined had they not occurred. However, little moments like this really helped to make each trip special, and they are definitely unique to Disney. I can't think of another place that we have visited where moments like these could have occurred. In the end, I think that the most enjoyable part of times like these is that it wasn't really about being on vacation, "selling Disney", or making ours the perfect trip, but it was about interactions with each other - each person doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and making the world a better place with their kindness, their sense of humor and their desire to bring joy to another person.
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