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neverlander
02-26-2007, 03:16 PM
As an Oregon resident, I've been amazed to run into people from my hometown on a few DL vacations. A couple of years ago I chatted with a nice family while waiting for GRR. All day we would pass each other, smile and say "Hi..." Well, as you can guess, we never happened to ask the typical question, "Where are you from?" Four days later, I turned around at my daughter's small school (first day of first grade) and, well, there they were! We all picked our jaws up off the floor.
I was just wondering, how many of you have traveled thousands of miles to have one of those, "Wow, it IS a small world!" moments at Disneyland?

disneyherewecome
02-26-2007, 03:23 PM
When I was a kid and went with my parents, we ran into a family we new, who was actually a distant relative. At home, we only lived like 30 minutes from them and of course hardly saw them, but we go to Disneyland and we ran into them. How funny.

Inkyprintz
02-26-2007, 03:37 PM
I have two fun stories!

They both happened on different trips to WDW about 8-10 years ago. On one trip, I was in one of those long, snaking lines for an attraction at MGM. You know how every so often you pass the same people who are farther up in line? We kept passing this family of 4 with two late-teenaged boys who looked really familiar. Finally, we end up stopping at the moment where were even with them. My family is looking at them strangly; their family is looking at us. Finally my sister realizes- it's our neighbors from across the street! We didn't really know them -we'd just wave when seeing them outside. Their kids were in a different school than my sisters. We all had a laugh... then seemed to run into them everywhere we went for the next few days!

My other story concerns a co-worker who had just started working at my office. I didn't know her very well but we had talked enough to know that we were both going to WDW around the same time. Our trips overlapped by a couple days. I knew she was going with her mom and 6-year old niece; I was going with my 2 sisters. We never even discussed where we were staying. One day I went off and did my own thing. When I met up with my sisters later in the day they had to tell me about this woman they met on the bus coming back from Epcot to the hotel. It seems they had met a woman who was very outgoing and funny. She had invited them to meet her down at the pool. We all headed down to the pool area and don't you know - it was my co-worker! That was about 10 years ago and that woman is no longer a co-worker but she is one of my best friends!

Inkyprintz
02-26-2007, 03:43 PM
Oh! I just remembered another story! My sisters who are 10 years younger than me, were children and spending summer vacation with grandparents in Las Vegas. I was about 19, visiting a friend who lived near Palm Springs. One day we decided to go spend the day at DL. It was my first visit and I was very excited. I don't remember the ride or attraction but we exited on a level that overlooked an area where people were waiting for a show. I looked down...and there were my sisters! Out of the blue, my Grandparents chose that random day to bring my sisters to DL!

grimgrinningirl
02-26-2007, 04:43 PM
Well, being from San Diego, it's not that much of a shock to see someone I know at Disneyland, but it's still unexpected.

On our last trip a few months ago, we took off work/school to go to DL. We were in line for Thunder Mtn. when I noticed the guy behind me was looking at me. He said "Excuse me" but I didn't recognize him. Then he told me who he was (a friend of a friend I had only met a few times). If he hadn't said anything, I never would have noticed. I guess I wasn't the only one who played hookey that day :p

Andrew
02-26-2007, 04:48 PM
For years, my wife and I have had a running deal that if either of us sees someone we know at the park, we owe the other one a mint julep. It specifically cannot be someone we knew was going to be at the park, either, so our regular park-going friends and Cast Members are excluded.

We've each paid up a few juleps over the years.

wdwmartin
02-26-2007, 04:57 PM
I just ran into a girl that I was friends with about 18 years ago when we all used to hang out at Videopolis. So that was pretty cool running into a DL friend at DL.

adriennek
02-26-2007, 04:58 PM
ok, aside from people we met via Disney-related internet sites and newsgroups...

We've run into a few different families that go to our church. One time we were walking out of the park at the end of the day and ran into a mom and her two kids who we know pretty well from both church and cub scouts. During an MA, Doc saw a family we know from church when they happened by his station. He told them where I was but I never saw them.

I'm sure there have been more over the years but those are the two that are most recent.

But going to Disneyland, for us, is almost like going to the grocery store in a town with only one grocery store -- it's harder to not see someone we know than to run into someone we didn't plan to see there.

Adrienne

Koukla
02-26-2007, 05:33 PM
I actually *met* online the other day a shirttail relative of mine while reading a trip report on this very same Web site! Unusual last name, but when I wrote to him and relayed a family story. . . yep, turns out we're related.

And I guess Disney runs in our family blood a little b/c when I first got online years ago, I started doing geneology and was corresponding w/a woman who did geneology as a hobby. She figured out we were third cousins and we struck up an online friendship. I just figured she was in the west PA/east Ohio area where most of that family remains today.

A few months later, when she found out where I lived and worked, she asked me specifically what building I worked in. She then told me to look out the __ side of the building and look at the white mountain (the Matterhorn). She told me that's where her daughter works and they live just beyond, a few blocks away. All that time we wrote back and forth, and here she lived just a mile or so away!

Bytebear
02-26-2007, 06:19 PM
But going to Disneyland, for us, is almost like going to the grocery store in a town with only one grocery store -- it's harder to not see someone we know than to run into someone we didn't plan to see there.

That is the same with us. We are always running into people we know. But it's funny, we say "Don't you live in Riverside?" How can you be here every day? Don't you have a job?"

Grumpy Pete
02-26-2007, 07:08 PM
In Oct 05, my wife and I were coming out of Tomorrowland on our way to watch the parade from the DLRR station and right in front of Star Tours we ran into two of my wife's cousins. They said that my wife's sister had gone back to the hotel with their wives. 600 miles from home and we meet family! Talk about a small world. We met them the next day for lunch and had a fun time.

Another one happened earlier this month. We were taking a "my feet are tired" break near the Frontierland gate. I heard a voice that sounded familiar and looked up. There was an old friend who I hadn't seen in 10 years. He had moved to So. CA and was at DL with his wife and parents. Again, what a small world.

My wife says, "I can't take you anywhere, but we meet someone you know."

It will be interesting to see who we meet next time. :D

WITron
02-27-2007, 01:09 AM
In 2005, we went at Christmastime and I really wanted a handmade candy cane. Since I had 2 little kids, I wasn't able to stand inline, but my dad was nice enogh to stand in line for me. While waiting he struck up a conversation with the person behind him and was telling him how they had recently moved from California to Wisconsin. It turned out that the person standing behind him was the new neighbor of the ppl that sold my parents their house.

Vegitabeta
02-27-2007, 03:23 AM
Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I'm from England, in the north east. I was waiting at the gates to go into DL, and in front of us, a little way down the line are two people we know from further down our street! What are the chances of that?!

yohomama212
02-27-2007, 09:29 AM
The first week of the year we were making marathon trips to the park like the excited newbie AP holders we were. My mom had been trying to contact her cousin who recently moved to the SoCal area. We had done some things together at the malls and such, mom's cousin has a little girl who's between my DS and DD in age, so we were trying to get together more. Mom called and e-mailed her, but never heard back. Our second day to the park, we were standing in line for the tram and mom looks back at the huge crowds. She says, "Hey, I think that's my cousin... and her boyfriend...! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" There they were! Turns out they had been AP holders since she and the baby moved down here. We spent that day and the next day with them in the park and it was so great! Cousin is a full-time college student and boyfriend is a school administrator, so now that school's back in getting to the parks is harder. Right now we're planning on a trip in late May before I have the baby, then gathering a big team force for the opening of Nemo!

Liz :cool:

disneyperson
02-27-2007, 12:06 PM
We live in Sacramento and we always see someone we know when we're in Disneyland.

PanFan
02-27-2007, 03:11 PM
One of my first days of work I was telling the story of how I got hired (originally placed in Paradise Pier, begged and pleaded and got switched to Fantasyland) and one of the CM's gave me a really funny look, then said "I think I know you..." Turns out she's an MPer and had read my "Interview Monday" thread where I detailed my whole experience as it was happening! Love ya someimagination!

disneyperson
02-27-2007, 03:47 PM
It seems like every time we go to Dl the same cute, perky little woman yells our names across Main Street and runs up to hugs us. ;) :D

yohomama212
02-27-2007, 04:43 PM
How absolutely frightening!

disneyperson
02-27-2007, 04:52 PM
How absolutely frightening!
Nah, like I said she's very cute and perky.

UltraByte
02-27-2007, 04:56 PM
Only once have I met someone I know in real life, and that was back in like... 3rd grade? A girl at my school was there the same day, and we were in the same class as well.

Though, on a site, I mentioned I was going to DL, and some kid said he teacher was going the same day as me. @_@

Karin
02-27-2007, 06:29 PM
I work for a large health maintenance organization here in So Cal and sitting on the curb to watch the fireworks one night DH and I struck up a conversation with the man and his DD sitting next to us. After a couple of minutes I looked hard at him and said "Don't I know you from somewhere?" We went through the regular "where did you go to school", "where do you live" routine and finally figured out he's one of the doctors (1 in about 4300) that goes to the conferences I organize!

disneyroxxx
02-27-2007, 06:43 PM
Not in Disneyland, but when my dad and I were traveling back home, we were in an airport near Tokyo, and my dad realized we were standing next in line to some people he knew from rotary club. We come from a very small town in Oregon, so it's unusual to meet someone from our town in Japan!

adriennek
02-28-2007, 03:27 PM
OK, so many possible replies, which one to choose? Here's the winner...


It seems like every time we go to Dl the same cute, perky little woman yells our names across Main Street and runs up to hugs us. ;) :D


How absolutely frightening!

You have NO idea.

Adrienne
tickled pink black

disneyperson
02-28-2007, 03:51 PM
OK, so many possible replies, which one to choose? Here's the winner...





You have NO idea.

Adrienne
tickled pink black

Bwahahahahaha! We'll be looking for you on our next visit.;) Maybe one of these days we can actually stop and chat for awhile.:D

adriennek
02-28-2007, 04:02 PM
Bwahahahahaha! We'll be looking for you on our next visit.;) Maybe one of these days we can actually stop and chat for awhile.:D

I know, in my runners up was a reply about how it's not even like we ever plan to see each other, it just ends up happening!

It's our little tradition. :D But I always say, I'd much rather leave a meeting with people thinking: "Oh, that was nice, I wish we'd have more time together." than "My golly, I thought she'd NEVER leave!" ;)

Adrienne