Walt Disney World delight
For Vale family, trip turns on a chance at world famous theme park
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Monday, January 28, 2008 5:19 PM PST
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| Kurt Romans, Vale, stands among the shelves of parts at his store in Vale, where he shared the experience his family had at Walt Disney World as his son won a night’s stay in the park castle. |
VALE - Random chance paid off for one Vale family.
While on vacation at Disneyworld in Florida, Kurt Romans, wife Rachel, and children Austin, Emma Lynn and Spencer, along with Kurt Romans’ sister-in-law, were pulled out of a large crowd and awarded a one-night stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite and opportunities to hang around Walt Disney World’s famous cast of characters.
The Romans’ luck was part of Disney’s The Year of a Million Dreams celebration in which there are prizes given away at the company’s parks and resorts.
Romans said the contest is a random selection drawing done every day and his son Austin, 4, happened to be on the carrousel, on the right horse, when the random drawing occurred for Jan. 9.
Austin’s luck translated into the night stay in the Walt Disney World castle and all the special trappings that went with it. He was also the royal prince for the rest of that day.
Romans said he and his family were in Florida to attend a irrigation convention and decided to go early and take in the sights and sounds of Walt Disney World.
“We were going to a Valley Irrigation conference,” Kurt Romans, said.
Romans said their lucky pick occured during the family’s first day at the massive theme park. In fact, the family had only been at the park about two hours when officials came up and told them they had won the stay at the castle for that night, he said.
“We didn’t understand what they were talking about,” Romans said. “We had never seen any information about the celebration. Now we see it all the time.”
He estimated there were about 100,000 people just at Walt Disney World. The first thing the family had to do was to go get their things for the night, as they were not staying at a Disney Resort hotel. Upon arriving back at the park, the daily parade was starting and the Romans were the grand marshals, surrounded by all the Disney characters.
“We had an escort all the time to show us around. We didn’t have to wait in line,” he said. “We had dinner with Cinderella.”
The fun, though, was just beginning. A company had rented the park for the evening, and it was open until 12:30 a.m. Instead of trying to mingle with about 100,000 people, there were about 4,000 people there that night, which gave the family extra opportunity to spend more time with the Disney characters and go on the rides.
“We got to dance with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” he said, and they spent about an hour with the famous Disney stars. The Romans went on the rides until the children were tired out.
The Cinderella Suite is at the top of the Walt Disney World castle, about four stories up, Romans said, adding there is gold inlay in the floors.
“Those were the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in,” he said.
There are very few people in the park who have been in the castle, he said.
Romans operates Romans Parts and Machinery, which he has owned for 18 months, specializing in auto parts and irrigation.
“We try to make it a one-stop farm shop,” he said.
