PDA

View Full Version : Ever bumped into someone you knew?



MicMouse
06-17-2008, 11:55 AM
Have you ever spotted someone you knew while at WDW?

SurferStitch
06-17-2008, 12:36 PM
A couple of times.

Once was on our honeymoon in 1996. I bumped into my friend's grandmother, aunt and cousins at the HDDR.

We also bumped into a PSU acquaintance at Narcoossee's. He was working there when we had dinner. That was about 8 or 9 years ago.

This year a fellow employee is going to be there during part of our trip, so we'll have to see if we bump into each other somewhere.

Scott C
06-17-2008, 12:40 PM
When I was a kid, got in line at U of E behind my dads boss -- neither one knew the other was going to wdw.

As a adult, I own a retail Hobby Shop, I have run into customers several times.

I also like to look at everyones T shirts for local connections

Also employee name tags,now that they list hometowns -- spoke to a security guard last trip - his dad lives two blocks from my shop.

Thanks
Scott C

DisneyDog
06-17-2008, 12:50 PM
We once bumped into our neighbor's parents.

CaptainJessicaSparrow
06-17-2008, 01:51 PM
A few times.

Most recently, I ran into one of my former managers from when I was living in Deerfield Beach.

The most interesting one was a couple of years ago after a convention. At anime cons, people tend to be in costumes and have make-up/wigs on. My boyfriend at the time and I were walking by the fountain at Epcot when we heard someone shout the characters we had been dressed as and came running over to us. It was odd considering we were both in normal clothes.

Then again, last year at MNSSHP, I saw quite a few people I knew from conventions in their costumes, including some friends who had a completed Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts.

Boojum
06-17-2008, 02:00 PM
Our school system gets a fall break in October, and many people we know plan to go to WDW during this time. A few times, it's been like "old home week."

What's neater to me is this: a few times, we've started chatting with people while on buses, in line, etc. (We like to listen for other Southern accents) Twice, when we've done this, we've discovered that we had mutual friends even though we were perfect strangers. DH even managed to meet a second cousin he'd never seen before, but had heard of.

Hate to use a cliche', but it is indeed a small world! :fresh:

crazypoohbear
06-17-2008, 02:03 PM
I ran into some friends in the gift shop of Test track a few years ago. We heard a kid crying and looked over to see what was wrong, it was my friends niece having a melt down!
THat same trip my friends ran into some other friends later that day!
Once, some friends were down there and ran into our parish priest! (he's an annual passport holder!)

kdkhopper
06-17-2008, 02:25 PM
Not at WDW but while at Disneyland last Fall, someone tapped my husband on the shoulder while we were in line for Autopia. It was a family that we're really good friends with back home in Illinois! We both knew there was a possibility that we would be there at the same time, but didn't know for sure until we saw them there.

drummerboy
06-17-2008, 02:27 PM
Seems like no matter where I go in WDW, I keep seeing DW. :D

We did see a local (for us) T-shirt on a bus a few trips back and got talking to the people. The were from our county, although we hadn't met before.

PlutoToo
06-17-2008, 03:09 PM
My boss and his family at the Osborne lights

elmjimmlm
06-17-2008, 03:13 PM
I see my DB every year...Oh thats right, we all go together...:blush:

IloveDisney71
06-17-2008, 03:30 PM
In all of my trips, I've only seen someone I knew once. It was the daughter of a former co-worker.

Flower
06-17-2008, 03:36 PM
For us, it happens quite a bit actually.

On our most recent trip we ran into a colleague of DH's.

In 2004 DH & I were traveling with a friend. We were shopping at DTD and I ended up running into Carol (Polygirl).

tmosier
06-17-2008, 03:36 PM
Yes! I couldn't believe it! My daughters and I were leaving MK after an emergency bathroom visit and a stop at the gift shop near the gates when I heard a voice that caught my attention. If I had taken two more steps, we would've literally run into my husband's co-worker and his family!

ChipDale2708
06-17-2008, 04:09 PM
Yes! Last year at the Flower & Garden Festival. I knew one of the account executives I work with was going the same week we were but was staying off site. We had just made it to the main entrance of EPCOT and he was just coming through the turnstiles. Small world!

How many people have run into the same guests time and time again during their stay? One trip we kept running into another family every where we went. By the end of the trip we were all on a first name basis! :)

MatterhornMiss
06-17-2008, 04:15 PM
The first year my family went to WDW, we bumped into the pastor of our church and his family shopping on Main Street after the parade.

DizNee143
06-17-2008, 04:28 PM
i dont remember when it was but had to be almost if not more than 10 years ago..
i came across one of my highschool teachers..not some one i really wanted to see at the moment..
another time i ran into a friend of mine at the rainforest cafe in AK...my mom ran into someone she knew in the port orleans gift shop..
there might have been a few more..but these are the only ones i can remember at the moment..:mickey:

kakn7294
06-17-2008, 05:15 PM
We've run into people we know several times. In 1993, we shared flights with, stayed in the same hotel as, and went to the same parks on the same days as the manager of a local Pizza Hut and his family. In 2005, we ran into a number of people we knew from work but that was to be expected as our trip coincided with the annual work trip. In Dec 2006, we ran into a girl from my sister's girl scout troop. Last year, after our mini-meet on Wed, we ran into John and Karen again in Epcot on Friday.

coloradowendyl
06-17-2008, 05:42 PM
We run into at least one person we know on each trip...whether at WDW or anywhere else. My kids have taken to the saying "we can't take you anywhere"! And running into people we know at WDW is not always a good thing lol...I am a believer in comfort vs fashion when it is hot, and often I look just "lovely" lol! (term is actually scary...probably! Make up just doesn't happen there!)

Wendy

DISFREAKS
06-17-2008, 06:18 PM
DW sat next to someone on the bus and started a conversation. Wound up this person graduated from high school with her older sister and they were friends.

MissMaryPoppins
06-17-2008, 07:31 PM
I grew up in NJ and everyone goes to Disney World the first week of November. During my Junior year my best friend's parents told her they were going to Myrtle Beach for the week. We kept complaining to eachother that it would have been so much fun if we were all going to be there together. So on our second day we were at the Studios and I was standing outside the 5&10 with my mom and my grandmother and I heard someone call me. It was my friend and her family. I remember being really surprised and saying "Why are you here?" Her parents surprised her and her brothers. They got them all packed up and her mother bought all kinds of books, and magazines and card games to keep them occupied in the car. They finally told them the truth once they got close to Florida. It was a great surprise.

Joy

Magic Smiles
06-17-2008, 08:53 PM
On our visit in 2006 we ran into 2 separate families in WDW that we work with. One family we knew were going to be there and the other was our bosses boss's family. My son played basketball with their son and it was my DS that spotted their son in AK. We took a group photo and when they got back to work they sent it around to the other employees. It was funny. We then met another family at Universal IOA. I offered to take a family photo of them and then we started talking to find out that lived just a few streets away from us. That was weird!

Georgesgirl1
06-17-2008, 09:01 PM
DH jokes that we could go to a remote village in Africa and I would still see someone I knew!

One time after getting off of Splash Mountain I heard someone yelling my name. I turned around and it was one of my high school friends. She and her husband had been two boats behind us.

My favorite story is one that happened on a family trip when I was in high school. We went to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. As you probably know, when you come in the waiter or waitress introducing you to thew room, "These are my cousin from_____". Well after our introduction, from across the room we hear a yell. "Hey, It's my cousins from Georgia! No really. It's my real cousins from Georgia!" we look over and my mom's cousin is one of the waitresses. She had changed to that resturant from Boma just about a month earlier!

Kristin

pixiegoose
06-17-2008, 09:58 PM
In 1998 or 2000 (I don't remember which) my family was at Shades of Green getting our tickets and my dad heard a familiar voice coming from the front of the line. Turns out it was his best friend from the war college that he hadn't talked to in about 8 years. Amazing that we happend to be at SOG at the same time- we were staying off-site and his friend was at Grand Floridian! It really is a small world and the military makes it smaller! :mickey:

DisneyWhirled
06-17-2008, 10:24 PM
It has happened to us a few times....

Once when I was in HS, my friend and I ran into our typing teacher @ the park.

A few years ago, as we were exiting Fantasmic, we ran into one of the families my kids went to daycare with.

In '06 we were sitting at DHS waiting for the parade on a very hot day in August. While sitting there, a friend/collegue of my DH and his family spots us.

Last August, we caught a plane in Manchester (about 1.5 hours from our home) and sitting right across from us in the aisle is a family from our church. We rode ME with them, and even ran into them later in the trip @ Epcot. (Later at home I run into the mom all the time at school when dropping my kids off). The same vacation, we ran into Kathy, Phil, Stephanie and Megan at the American Adventure a few days after we had an Intercot meet.

All this and we live soooo far from WDW!!

brownie
06-17-2008, 10:26 PM
My step-grandma and her new husband. We knew they were going to be there during our trip in 2001, but we didn't make any plans to meet. We just happened to run into them and spent the evening together at Epcot.

Coach48
06-18-2008, 07:43 AM
Someone from our family inevitably will run into someone we know every trip.This past Apr we spent a day at Sea World and ran into a family from down the street.while the next day at Epcot we met a family from school.Had no idea either was going.Happens all the time.Maybe we just know too many people.

snowflakegirl
06-18-2008, 10:30 AM
When DH and I were there for our honeymoon in 2004 we were picking up our packages at the end of the night at the front of Epcot. Suddenly I heard my new last name being called (in college everyone knew DH by his last name rather than his first). We turn around and there are two people who lived in the apartment underneath us our senior year of college. We hadn't talked to or seen them in almost a year.

LauraleeH
06-18-2008, 06:12 PM
At Night of Joy last year, my best friend, my dad, and my brother ran into my brothers ex-girlfriends family. Awkward...

EllieMae
06-18-2008, 06:57 PM
Last June our family ran into several people we knew. We first ran into a girl that teaches with my mom (who happened to go to college with) who was on her honeymoon. We ended up seeing her randomly throughout the trip. I also ran into one of my Kindergarten student's and his family on the last day of our trip, which was the first day of theirs. I had talked to them prior to going and knew that they would be there close to the same time but it was a total surprise to see them. It was funny because it was only the week after school was out, but he, being 6 years old, played shy while I talked with his parents for a while. It was very crowded at Epcot and heard my name being called, it was neat to see them. :mickey:

amd780
06-24-2008, 08:54 PM
Last year DH and I were standing in line for the Jungle Cruise, when DH realized his coworker was one of the people in front of us! It turns out that she runs the Marathon every year, and we happened to be there the week after. It's definitely strange running into people "from the real world" while at WDW! :)

pink
06-25-2008, 01:35 AM
When I was only six my parents and I went to WDW and before we left my told my best friends mom that we were going. Well I guess they liked our plans so they left the day after us and stayed in the same hotel. We were walking around Epcot one night had dinner together and watched the fireworks. It was wierd and so fun! :mickey:

Ropachs
06-25-2008, 09:19 AM
Way back in 1979 when I was 7 years old, my parents told me I would never be able to spot my friend from school whom was also there on spring vacation. Obviously WDW was smaller then, but I did see her, twice.

c&d
06-25-2008, 10:37 AM
We boarding the boat to go back to WL when we hear, "anyone from Melrose MA raise your hand" It turned out to be our neighbors up the street who were heading over there for lunch. We didn't even know they were down there for spring break.

disneylovinmom
06-25-2008, 12:22 PM
I work in a doctor's office and ran into one of our patients and his son. Also, my aunt and her family were in line for IASW at MK and saw our old high school principal and his wife. The funny thing is, the principal said "It is a small world after all!".

Diznee4Me
06-25-2008, 12:42 PM
A couple of years ago during MNSSHP my DW and DD were getting their faces painted and I decided to go ride the rides. As I left Toontown and ran through Fantasyland I just happened to turn left and noticed my DD's music teacher and her husband sitting at a table eating an ice cream. No idea they were going to be there, very busy and at night. What are the chances?

Disneyexpert15
06-25-2008, 05:08 PM
That's has never happened to me. If it ever happens to me on one of my future trips to WDW, it'll be a weird coincidence. :mickey3:

smatterchu
06-26-2008, 05:59 PM
YES - just last Friday!!

The funny thing was - it was only second day of work...and a day I wasn't originally scheduled for...

I was taking pictures on Hollywood Boulevard (in front of Mickey's Sorcerer Hat) when the next couple gave me their PhotoPass card. As I took it, he looked at my nametag and said, "You're from Dyersburg, TN? That's where I'm from!" I looked at him, and he DID look familiar - but that's not unusual in a little town (yes, we're all related, lol)...

Well it turns out, I did know him -- we went to high school together! I hadn't seen him in 15 years, but we totally knew each other and were friends. He remembered my maiden name, and I remembered some things about him....it was too funny...

I figured it wouldn't be long before I met someone from home (12 hours away), but I didn't think it would be my first week of work.... Very cool!

Sean Riley Taylor's Mom
06-26-2008, 06:40 PM
My husband and I ran into our mail lady waiting for the bus at DTD on our honeymoon in 1996.

In September we ran into my husband's co worker while we were waiting on line for Soarin. They were supposed to be gone by the time we got there but, decided to stay two more days.

It is always neat look out for people we know.:mickey:

WinnipegDisneyFanatic
06-26-2008, 06:43 PM
It's happened more than once to me.

In 1999, my aunt who lives in Florida was in WDW. Funny part was, my dad wasn't sure it was her - as we dont see her often - so he got my sister who was 10 to go and say 'is your name Patty (last name withheld!)?' and she said yes...then my parents and I approached her..haha.

The other time was in May 07 when I ran in to a good friend who I knew was staying at Pop like I was, but we didnt have plans to meet up. But we rode the bus from MK together once, and then saw her in MK a couple of days later as well.

Freaky how these things happen, considering it's sooo big now. But then again...I guess it's just part of the magic!

Chris :hatter:

Figment52
06-26-2008, 06:59 PM
While waiting in line at Tangerine Cafe one night, we were in line behind a cm from Burlington. Had no idea who he was, but it was kinda cool to talk to someone from our tiny neck of the woods.

At Biergarten in 97, DD recognized someone she went to HS with.

KathyMJ
06-28-2008, 09:42 PM
We have run into someone on every trip! But I think the funniest was when I was still working as a secretary at an elementary school in town. It used to drive DH and kids nuts because no matter where we went, I would run into one of my kids from school. They would always get so excited to see "Mrs. Peacock" outside of the school building. You see, when you are between the ages of 5 and 10, you believe that all school staff members never leave the building!!

We happened to be in line at one of the attractions in MGM when all of a sudden we kept hearing "Mrs. Peacock...Mrs. Peacock". DH just looked at me and said "NO WAY". The look on his face was priceless.

It was even better when they asked me to take pictures with them:rotfl:

CAS
07-03-2008, 07:31 PM
It's weird isn't it!

Yes, in a freak coincidence a friend and I went down on Spring break back in the nineties and I ran into another good friend, a co-worker of mine from years ago. It was great. But what makes it REALLY freaky is he was also great friends with the person I was with and I didn't even know it.

Neither of us know this person from the same town or circumstance. The fact that both of us know this person is by itself remote...but that we're both together and run into him in WDW? We both try to introduce the other to this guy and we're like, huh? You do? Oh my God! This is the Tony you talk about??? What are the chances??? Now remember, this guy isn't even from either of our home towns! I don't know what the chances of those 2 coincidences are but it has to be in the millions.

Tink#64
07-04-2008, 12:04 AM
A few years ago, at the end of our first day we were waiting in line to catch the bus at DTD Marketplace & as one of the busses passed us we heard " Hey (our last name)! We were all surprised wondering who in the world knew us in WDW! It was friends of our's & they were riding back to their resort from one of the water parks getting ready to leave to come back home, it was their last day! We had known that they were visiting the week prior to us but didn't realize that they hadn't already left for home! Still as humongous as WDW is, what are the odds of running into someone, even if you knew they were there! :cool:

Pop Centurion
07-04-2008, 12:18 AM
On our last day of our 06' trip I ran into a friend in Planet Hollywood in DTD. Then last year I ran into the same friend in PHL Airport after we got off of our return flight from WDW. While the 2nd time wasn't actually in WDW, I thought it was strange to run into the same friend two years in a row at the time involving my Disney vacation.
Wonder if I'll see him this year. :mickey:

DisneyOtaku
07-04-2008, 05:16 PM
All the time, actually. Usualy it's my dad's friends with their families. But it even gets to the point where we will be staying at the same hotel and we had no idea until we run into them at the pool!

Last time I ran into someone was a friend of *mine* at EMH at MK and we were going on Peter Pan or something...and she was RIGHT in front of us! We couldn't believe it ^_^

janmathatter
07-04-2008, 05:37 PM
I ran into my plumber at Pleasure Island once.

thumperbug
07-06-2008, 07:22 PM
We've run into people from work there twice. Once we were at town hall at MK and heard someone yelling my husband's name. It was the head of payroll from our job. The 2nd time we were on line for POTC and I ran into a co-worker who had gotton laid off with me a week earlier. We also ended up on the same flight home.

Minnie Imagineer
07-06-2008, 07:52 PM
Well, we meet a family at the airport while our laggage was delayed and then we bumped into her family about 4 times after that...on different days and different parks!

Another time, I was wearing a shirt from my hometown and someone asked me about it because that is where they lived too!

biodtl
07-07-2008, 11:50 AM
Every vacation we go on - WDW or not - we run into someone who knows my dad. We usually start up a conversation with someone, find out they are from Pittsburgh, then we tell them the name of our small town and they say, "hey I know a guy from there" and without fail, it's my dad. The man apprently knows everyone.