It's a REALLY Small World!

[MagicalGuest]

At WDW we always seem to bump into people we know...or folks who know the same people we do. On our last trip, we met a little girl and her family on the bus; turns out I was close friends with her school principal during college. An hour later, we were on the line for Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor and discovered through casual conversation with another family that I had worked with the woman's mother.

On another trip I saw someone at the end of a long bus line who looked like a friend who had moved to New Zealand. I thought it couldn't possibly be her, so I didn't speak to her. Didn't find out until we got home that it was her!

Anyone else have Small World experiences like these?

[WDWCrazyKaren]

Isnt' it amazing?

I haven't had this happen at Disney, but I travelled to Germany, and kept running into people everywhere who lived within just miles of me. It just got to be funny after a while.

A lof of us in Minnesota are German, so I guess we all decided to visit at the same time.

It's a wonder!

[Ian]

Yeah, I've had it happen to me a few times. Once I was walking through Epcot and heard this voice that I immediately recognized as belonging to a Cast Member I had once worked with at the Disney Store (she had a very distinctive voice).

Sure enough I look over and there she is!

It was funny ... this past trip we were standing watching the Osborne Lights dance and this woman right next to us says, "It's cool, but Wanamaker's is still better."

Wanamaker's is an old Philly department store that used to do this Christmas light show every year. Pretty much everyone from my generation and older grew up with the Wanamaker Christmas lights, so it was funny to hear her say that. My Uncle turned to her and said, "I agree!" and they struck up a conversation. Turns out she lives like 2 miles from us.

To be clear, though, the Wanamaker show is not better than the Osborne Lights!

[Scar]

Ran into an old High School buddy once.

Another trip, we struck up a long conversation on the plane down with a retired couple. Then we kept bumping into each other all week long, by the fourth or fifth time we decided to ignore them because we didn't want them to think we were stalking them. :secret:

[Mousemates]

Yep...I've had the "small world" principal happen at WDW too....as well as even more obscure places like Cortez Colorado, Four Corners, Annapolis, etc....it happens because it is "a small world after all."

[Ian]

Another trip, we struck up a long conversation on the plane down with a retired couple. Then we kept bumping into each other all week long, by the fourth or fifth time we decided to ignore them because we didn't want them to think we were stalking them. :secret:Hah yeah this just reminded me ... on the flight down last week the plane was totally full and this poor family got on at the very end. There weren't seats together for them, so they had to spread out and their 8 year old boy ended up sitting next to me and one of the babies.

He was a nice kid and, having a daughter the same age as he was, he and I struck up a bit of a conversation during the flight.

So we go to Crystal Palace for lunch the next day and who's literally seated right next to us, but this kid and his family!

[jodijo]

I thought we were the only ones that had a "Small World" encounter. A few years ago my daughter had her birthday party at a local gymnastic center. A week later we were at AK and the owners of the gymnastic center were there too. Not only did they remember us, they talked to us for a while!

[AndyMan]

I bumped into my old college roommate TWICE in 5 years at the Magic Kingdom. He lives on the oopsite side of the country- so it was very strange.

[MarkC]

3 stories-- the first non-Disney related. To preface the stories I live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

1) While in Baltimore on business this year I saw one of my friends from college, and our sons played youth baseball together and we go the same church. She was eating at an outdoor cafe when I happened to walk by. Both of us were there on business and didn't know the other would be there. She was shocked to say the least.

2) For years, our public school system had a week long fall break in late October and we would often go to Disney during that time. Almost every year we would see someone we knew there. One year we went with our neighbors and ended up running into 7 different families that our 2 groups knew. That wasn't totally surprising given the time frame but still............

3) Many years ago my 7 year old son was invited to a party at Laserquest, and was quite concerned about what would happen. My wife took him there before hand and a very nice young man took them through it to show him the ropes. My wife was quite impressed. Fast forward a year later and we are in line at Rock N Roller Coaster. We start talking to the Cast Member at the start of the line, and lo and behold its the same kid who showed my son around Laserquest. He had moved from Lincoln to Orlando and even remembered giving my son the tour. Wow. He even gave us fastpasses for RNR.

The moral of the story is.....don't ever do anything stupid on vacation or someone will catch you. What happens in Vegas (or elsewhere) doesn't ever really stay in Vegas.

[TheVBs]

So funny! We've never had this happen, but it's fun to read about the experiences here.

[Joannelet]

This reminded me of a segment I saw on the internet not that long ago. A husband and wife were looking through old pics of their families and some of them were Disney pics from when they were children.
In one of the pics of the wife's family there walking in the back of the photoshoot is her hubby in his stroller being pushed by her in-laws. :)
I thought this story was sooo neat! :)

[captain j]

We almost always run into someone we know while visiting Disney.

[mom2morgan]

Oh, my goodness! That's wild! They must have been meant to be together :-)



This reminded me of a segment I saw on the internet not that long ago. A husband and wife were looking through old pics of their families and some of them were Disney pics from when they were children.
In one of the pics of the wife's family there walking in the back of the photoshoot is her hubby in his stroller being pushed by her in-laws. :)
I thought this story was sooo neat! :)

[BWayGrl]

I'm from Pennsylvania, but I went to college at Towson University in Maryland for my first semester. My mom and I went to Disney World during my winter break, right after my first semester. We were riding the bus from our hotel to the Magic Kingdom and my mom strikes up a conversation with the couple sitting next to us. It turns out my mom and the woman both share the same first name, Brenda. And then we find out the husband works at Towson University in the cafeteria! I knew he looked familiar!

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

It has happened to us twice at WDW.

Years ago we were taking a rest outside the Imagination Pavillion @ EPCOT when I heard a voice saying "cripes I can't get away from your family!!". I looked up and it was one of my brothers co-workers with his family.

Last month we made a long weekend trip to WDW for our daughters 21st birthday. While my wife & daughter went to tea at the GF, I picked up our tickets for that night's MVMCP. While on the bus the women next to me was talking about how she was there with the kids while her husband was deer hunting in Wisconsin. She saw the Chicago Bears cap and shirt I was wearing and asked where we live, which is just across the stateline from her in Illinois.
It turns out she graduated from the same college my daughter is attending, she works in the same town my wife does, her and her sister enjoy going to the tea shop in our hometown that my wife and daughter love and last but not least her sister used to work for one of our friends before his untimely death in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.

It truly is a small world...

[smokester653]

My son (16) has worked at a local campground the past 2 summers in the recreation building. While we were at Epcot this past OCT, while heading to the restroom outside of Soaring, a kid about 10 keep saying "Excuse me Excuse me" to my son. My DS turned around & the kid said " Dont you work at Ocean Lakes?" My DS laughed & said " Yes! & your name is ROB - right ?" I think he made that kid's day cause he actually remembered his name.

It REALLY IS A SMAL WORLD!! :mickey:

[K8screen]

We almost always meet prople we know at WDW, even though we live in Scotland.
The funniest was one day when we were coming in on the tram from the parking lot early one morning when we saw one lone figure waiting to get the tram BACK to the parking lot. As we got closer I recognised one of my best friends, who I didnt even know was visiting WDW. I shouted her name and waved. She couldn't believe someone recognised her. She had left the park passes in the car, and was thinking to herself "Well at least no one I know will realise I did something that stupid!"

[Ksmith75]

This has happened the past 3 years.

3 years ago - we ran into my sister in law at the airport (pit) on our way to disney - and a co-worker of dh.

2 years ago, I am standing in line at Test Track and a guy in my building at work (there are only about 25 people that work in the building) was about 10 people behind me.


1 year ago one of my clients was going to disney at the same time - we both found out a head of time that we were staying both staying at the same resort. I though, maybe I would see her, but it is a big place. Well my dh and I were sitting at the pool bar and she walked by - on her way to the lobby to catch the shuttle to the airport....

This past year - my boss's boyfriend was going to orlando to speak at a conference and he ended up being on the same plane as us....

we always see and end up talking to others from the pittsburgh area too - and some of them from our town too...

[MagicalGuest]

This reminded me of a segment I saw on the internet not that long ago. A husband and wife were looking through old pics of their families and some of them were Disney pics from when they were children.
In one of the pics of the wife's family there walking in the back of the photoshoot is her hubby in his stroller being pushed by her in-laws. :)
I thought this story was sooo neat! :)

That's a really great story! Here's another (not Disney related): We know a married couple who were born in the same hospital on the same day, within hours of each other. They didn't meet again until they were adults. We all joke that they must have started their romance by holding hands in their side-by-side bassinets.

[KevMcNJ]

I grew up in Central Jersey but moved to Albuquerque in the early 1990s.

One night I was at the local country western bar and two girls come up to me and say something like did you go to church with us in Princeton?

Turns out it was two girls that attended the same church I did for a while before I moved West who were on vacation in the SW.

We hung out that night then I played tour guide the next day showing them all the local sights

Long time ago, I cant remember their names now

[Phantod]

Our experience occurred on the first weekend in May 2009. We are there at DL on Sunday, which was "Bat Day" and the place is a zoo. We started over in Calif Adventure and then wandered over to DL in the afternoon. So we are in line at Thunder Mtn and as we get to the top of the stairs, I look back to see if there is a line for the rear-most car, which we prefer.

Who do I see but my daughter who lives in Utah and her husband. We had no idea they were going to be there that weekend nor they us. It was a nice reunion.

[BriarRose0708]

In June 2008 I was in line at Spaceship Earth and turned around to see two ladies who worked at the college I attended for undergrad! I hadn't seen them in about 3 years and I also went to the same dance studio with one of the ladies' daughter! I was there for vacation but they snuck away from the conference they were attending for a few hours. It was very surreal!

[MNNHFLTX]

I have had 2 "small world" experiences at WDW they both involved the same people and the same place! I am originally from Minnesota but moved to Florida as a young adult to attend a nursing program. My parents came down to visit when I graduated and we went to the Magic Kingdom for the day. While we were walking across the bridge to Tomorrowland, we ran across my old bosses from the Dairy Queen that I worked at while I was in high school. Strangely enough, 10 years later when I was at the Magic Kingdom with my husband and son, we ran across them again at pretty much the same spot! This time they had two grandchildren in tow. It was very much a sense of deja vu!

[mainemajor]

When I was a teenager I was traveling home from Disney and our group had to be split up on the plane. As I talked with the nice couple next to me I discovered they were high school classmates of my father.

[eandrsmom]

Every time we visit during Mardi Gras, we run into people that we know. Having lived in various places in South Louisiana for most of our lives, we always run into someone from home. I think most of the state exits during Mardi Gras and goes on vacation.

[Victor Kelly]

We have bumped into people we knew from back home plenty of times. We have bumped into people we have been in line and chatted with during a trip.

The only Christmas we were in Mk it was so crowded that we motioned another family to sit with us, turns out they lived 3 blocks from us back in Maryland.

It is very interesting to say the least. And a pleasant experience as well.

[ShanPooh]

When I was in high school we ran into a family at EPCOT that lived in the same neighborhood as us. We didn't even know we were going to be down there at the same time.

Two years ago, a friend of DD's from preschool was down there at the same time we were. We bumped into his family just outside Animal Kingdom Lodge - they were staying there, we were just there dining at Boma.

[spoiled]

Once I went to Taco Bell and met these people. And in the Magic Kindgdom on the 4th day of our 2009 trip we saw them. On Small World too! So, yes it is a small world!:blush:

[Hair_Razor]

I love this thread how cute are these stories! I love the husband and wife one, how awesome.

Ok so here's ours. DH and I were at Disney during F&W a couple years ago and there was a Buckeyes game on and we wanted catch at least part of it so we went to the ESPN bar at Boardwalk. Of course there were other Buckeye fans there so we ended up chatting with this couple. Turns out they work as teachers with my really good friends husband he is their principle. I was in their principles wedding. That was really cool, especially since they liked him:thumbsup:.

[TheMartellFamily]

A few times we have gone we have had the same thing happen. It was even one time we were comming off a ride and all of a sudden we hear that looks like my FIL. I turned and then my DH heard it too. It ened up being someone that had moved to FL about 10 years ago and we had not seen them since our wedding over 15 years ago.

[azcavalier]

I've told this story on here a couple of times, but I don't see it on this thread....

My DW and I were on vacation in Illinois and ran into her best friend and husband from college on the street. We actually were living in Illinois at the time, but they lived in southern Cal. Then, less than 12 months later, we're at Epcot taking a restroom break on the walkway by Odyssey, and I hear from behind me, "NO WAY!". Turn around, and there they are again. It was really cool to run into them twice on vacation in the same year.