Everyone knows that Disney is the happiest place on earth, but these 12 stories will remind you exactly how and why.
They’ll bring a tear to your eye, make your heart grow three sizes, and basically give you a near-Disney experience right in the comfort of your own home.
Let’s check ’em out!
#12. A sweet serenade.
“My parents took me to Disney for my eighth birthday.
I got to eat dinner with Mickey and Minnie, and there was even a birthday cake.
We had cake leftover, so they put it in a box and we walked back to the tram that takes you to the parking lot.
One of the guys helping people get on the tram saw my cake and started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me, then the ENTIRE tram of people joined in.
It was the best birthday ever.”
—melissaft
#11. Special treatment.
“My husband was in a wheelchair for a short while due to a work accident, but we didn’t have a handicap tag.
In the mornings if you get to the park first thing and ask, you can get a spot that’s close to the tram, next to the handicapped spots.
One day we got there late and all the spots were taken.
The cast member we spoke to instead made us ‘Guests of the Day’ so that we had special parking RIGHT next to the tram, got a special certificate, got FastPasses to the front of the ‘World of Color’ show, and got a special escort to our parking spot.
It was magical, and made us feel amazing.”
—alyssamercier
#10. A lovely proposal.
“My boyfriend (now fiancé) planned the perfect surprise proposal at Disney last summer, knowing it had been my dream to get engaged under the fireworks there since I was a child.
He had the help of the sweetest Disney photographer, who took the most gorgeous pictures of the whole thing, had ‘Happily Ever After’ pins on hand, and even TEXTED my fiancé words of encouragement beforehand because they could tell he was so nervous!”
—alices40df081da
#9. So much candy.
“We were there over Easter last year for my son’s seventh birthday and they had an egg hunt at our resort.
He was super-excited, but tripped and fell right at the start, so was only able to get a single egg.
A cast member saw how upset he was and gave him an ENTIRE BAG (we’re talking, like, four pounds) of candy!
They really made his Easter.”
—amybeeman
#8. Play the part.
“I wore a dress that looked exactly like the red dress Lilo wore in Lilo and Stitch to Magic Kingdom once.
When I went up to meet Stitch, a slew of little kids kept yelling, ‘Hi Lilo! Hi Stitch!’
And it made my heart feel so happy and full.”
—chanllycac
#7. Best birthday.
“We took my great-grandpa to Disney for his 95th birthday because it’s his favorite place on earth.
His favorite ride has always been It’s A Small World since its been around for so long and is such a classic.
They let us to the front of the ride since he and his girlfriend were older.
After we finished, he was telling the people running the ride how much he loved it.
Well, they then let us ride it THREE TIMES IN A ROW without ever getting out of the boat.”
—betsyjames319
#6. A bit of extra magic.
“It was a very cold, very late winter’s night at the Magic Kingdom when my boyfriend and I were enjoying the Extra Magic Hours — which leaves the park nearly empty. The temperature was dropping so fast that we were considering leaving early when we noticed a lone cast member crossing Fantasyland, headed towards us. When she reached us, we realized she had two cups in her hands.
She told us she’d ‘gotten orders from her boss, Mickey,’ to bring us hot chocolate because it seemed like we ‘needed something warm’ to keep us going.
It was such a simple, kind act that reminded me that the magic of Disney is in the little things.”
—racheld4a0bad6ea
#5. The best seat in the house.
“My boyfriend, who is a Marine, got sent to Japan for three years. I’d been really depressed since he’d left, so I decided to go to Disney to try to cheer myself up. I went for three days and, while it was fun, it was also pretty lonely. On my last night there while eating alone, a cast member asked what the occasion was. I told him the bare bones of my situation, and he asked if I was planning on seeing the ‘World of Color’ show (I wasn’t). He left for a minute, and when he came back he gave me a pass to see ‘World of Color’ from the prime restaurant viewing area. He told me to thank my boyfriend for his service and to enjoy the show.
I ended up seeing the show for the first time in one of the best seats in the house, and I bawled my eyes out at the end. It was the perfect way to end the trip and really brightened my experience. I didn’t get the cast member’s name, but I think about his kindness all the time. It really proved to me that Disney magic is real.”
—morganr47b650c06
#4. Employee of the year.
“We were there for my son’s seventh birthday last year. My husband had a FastPass for Space Mountain, so my son and I went to Tom Sawyer Island. He has ADHD and, honestly, at that point my anxiety was through the roof because we were alone. My son was wearing an ‘It’s My Birthday’ button and a staff member named Justin noticed. He ALSO noticed I seemed stressed out. Justin asked my son if he’d ever seen a ‘hidden Goofy.’ He hadn’t, so Justin took us on a scavenger hunt to find one.
During all of this, I heard someone radio Justin to go take his break, but he told them he couldn’t because he was ‘on a special mission from the boss to make [my son’s] birthday super special!’ Y’all. I cried. Justin had probably been standing out in the heat for hours, but he refused his break to help me. I will never forget him.”
—jamieparker1850
#3. Two beautiful princesses.
“My daughter was four at the time we saved up to get her the ‘princess makeover’ where they do their hair, nails, and let them choose the dress of any princess they want.
My daughter chose Rapunzel. When we were watching the parade, we saw Rapunzel come around the corner and you could IMMEDIATELY tell she noticed my daughter from afar.
She walked right up to her, told her what a ‘beautiful princess’ she was, gave her a hug, and moved on.
My daughter was speechless and in TEARS.”
—ariele4f22ca7f0
#2. The memory of a lifetime.
“My daughter Mia LOVES Belle.
When she was four, we dressed her up in her Belle costume and went to see ‘Enchanted Tales with Belle.’
At the end of the show, they have all the kids go up front for a photo ops with the Princess.
The cast member helping Belle kept Mia off to the side until all the other little kids had their turn, which seemed odd at first.
Next thing I knew, Mia was the last one up. Belle took Mia by the hand and was dancing and twirling around with her.
Everyone was clapping and I was bawling like a baby!
Mia STILL talks about that memory.”
—laurenw4f2b72845
#1. True wuv.
“I worked at Disney in 2006 for the College Program and, on one of my nights off, I went to Magic Kingdom to watch ‘Wishes’ (the fireworks show).
There was an elderly couple in front of me and, after the fireworks, they began slow dancing to the exit music right there in front of the castle.
You better believe my 18-year-old self bawled like a baby.”
—srinner09
Start saving up to go… right?
Do you have any Disney memories you want to share?
Drop those in the comments!
