oceancityrealtor's Blog

My first, but definately not my last, visit to the Disney World Resorts ended on Wednesday...but the memories will last a lifetime. Thanks ,first to my wife Barbie,for the surprise trip and a great new friend and "cast member", whom I'll refer to as Mr. "D", at the Magic Kingdom. Here's the story...

Barbie and I were all set to catch the "Magical Express" to Orlando International in the early afternoon Tuesday for our flight back to "reality"...if you call Ocean City "reality". So, to enjoy the remainder of our fantastic Disney experience, we decided to spend our remaining hours at the Magic Kingdom.

Entering the Magic Kingdom is an experience unto itself with the music playing, the sounds, the smells, Main Street U.S.A., Cinderellas Castle as a backdrop...well just the whole experience. We were walking along Main Street, and I took a moment to look under a trash can on the sidewalk. I did this because I thought I saw or read that Disney was built abve ground and that the Magic Kingdom actually sat on the second floor. I heard, with this, that the garbage went straight to a shoot of some kind to the first floor where it was jettisoned away to some magic dump? Well, I heard the story partially correct as I was to find out.

A gentleman, later identified as Mr. "D", asked me how he could help me as I looked under the trash can. I explained that I'm kind of strange and began to bore him with the paragraph from above.... Well, he began to tell me some very interesting trivia about Disney and specifically the Magic Kingdom. Mr. "D" told me that the names on the second floor windows were tributes to those that helped create Disney on one level or another, and that they had a story to tell, each window on Main Street. Mr. "D" also told me the only name that faces the "Castle" is in honor of Walt Disney (Walt E. Disney).

I can only tell you Mr. "D" encompassed everything you would expect from a Disney cast member, and somthing we all should aspire too. He is a genuine, happy and caring person who told of some inspiring, touching and exciting experiences he has encountered in his years with Disney.

Mr. "D" then turned to Barbie and I and asked us if we would be interested in being the Grand Marshals of the Disney World Parade on that day...Tuesday August 21st, 2007? Asked? Interested? Whattaya' kiddin' me.....I was jumping out of my skin...me, Barbie, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy the whole crew? Geez, what are the odds and can I just say honestly- I would not have rather won the lottery- honestly.

Mr. "D" then escorted us ,in all his Disney graciousness, to an office in "Town Hall" where I sat and immediately made flight and hotel changes to extend our trip one more wonderful day. We were then off to "It's a Small World", "Splash Mountain", "Jungle Cruise" and "Thunder Mountain" to enjoy some rides and wait for our BIG EVENT!

Two-thirty at the gates in Frontier Land we met Mr. "D" again, and this time he was with another family from Conneticut. Mr. "D" introduced us to the family who had just won a nights stay at Cinderellas suite in the Castle...WOW! Disney Dreams....We then got our Mickey ears from Mr.  "D" with our names on 'em and all. We got a quick tutorial (just for fun) on how to give a Disney wave to a passing train and then the band and dancers showed up. We boarded our car, and shared the occasion with Donalds (the duck that is) girlfriend "Daisy Duck" in our car. Then the music and announcements began...."Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls...." and to hear, announced through all of the Magic Kingdom "Our Grand Marshals today are Jay and Barb Wise from OCean City, Maryland", I gotta' say was surreal.

Well, the parade was just as surreal, every once in a while someone would yell, "Ocean City" and I'd give a smiley thumbs up (with a dumbfounded look on my face).

Once in a Lifetime, for an ordinary REALTOR, from a great State, married to a beautiful girl and honored to have met a very wonderful person in Mr. "D"...my thank you to all. My thanks to DisneyWorld - Dreams Do Come True.

Grand Marshal Jay

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