Lauren Bergner spent months preparing her 6-year-old son Brody for Disney World.
Brody has autism and communicating with him about change before it happens helps him to adjust more easily.
But Bergner, 37, understands meltdowns are inevitable for her child, who is sensitive to noise and crowds.
“It’s not his fault,” she explained to TODAY Parents.
I am so emotional with these pictures !! Brody was having a meltdown . It was our turn to take pictures with her and he…
Bergner knew a storm was brewing on Sunday, while Brody was waiting to meet Snow White at Epcot Theme Park. It was hot, even by Florida standards. Brody had spent the day hopping from ride to ride with his brothers Billy, 14, and Jake, 9, and he was just done.
“Brody was overheated, sweating and overwhelmed by everything,” Bergner said. “He just started crying.”
Snow White knew exactly what to do to soothe the boy, who is nonverbal.
“She kissed, hugged and cuddled him,” Bergner wrote in a Facebook post that has gone viral with 69,000 shares. “She then took him for a walk away from the crowd! She was amazing.”
Bergner and her husband, Bill, watched on in awe. They had never seen Brody connect with a stranger so quickly.
“I lost it. I was crying,” Bergner told TODAY Parents. “She lead him to a bench and he was leaning into her and she was hugging him. Brody loves squeezes and soft, soothing voices.”
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Bergner was worried the long line of people who were waiting to take a picture with Snow White would be aggravated, but it was just the opposite.
“I turned around and they started clapping,” she said. “It was this magical moment that we will never, ever forget.”
Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration
Open: January 18, 2019 through September 30, 2019
Join Disney’s Mickey and Minnie for new surprises in the Magic Kingdom. Sign the Celebration Guest Book and meet the duo (in their new party outfits!) for a picture inside the Town Square Theater. Then join them outside in front of the castle for their new Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party.
The new outdoor dance parade features a new song called "It’s a Good Time," and classic cast members like Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Chip ‘n Dale and more.
Choreographer Cindy Wilson told the Disney Parks Blog, “The ‘Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It!’ Street Party is a throwback to the Mickey Mouse Club, with wonderful music that everybody’s going to want to get up and dance to, and it’s contemporary at the same time. I think when [the characters] all come off the floats, guests are going to want to just jump in.”
Check the entertainment schedule for run times.
Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party
Open: January 2019
Disney is celebrating the 25th anniversary of "The Lion King" with a Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party hosted by Timon and Rafiki on Discovery Island in the Animal Kingdom.
The dance party includes music, characters and new photo ops every day from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Meet The Incredibles at Pixar Place
Open: January 2019 through September 30, 2019
At the start of 2019, Pixar Place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios transformed into a Municiberg city block. The park features a party for Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone to honor their victories and a meet-and-greet with Edna Mode and her best creations. In addition, guests can look throughout Pixar Place for clues on where to find the youngest member of the Incredible family, Jack-Jack.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
Opening: March 31, 2019
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is a new show using high tech screens. Guests (rookie racers) will learn the rules of the road from "Cars" star Lightning McQueen. There will also be a new character meet-and-greet with Cruz Ramirez.
Wonderful World of Animation
Opening: May 1, 2019
The Wonderful World of Animation is a new projection light show that will take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The show will take guests on a journey through more than 90 years of Disney and Pixar animations with favorites including "The Incredibles," "Coco," "Sleeping Beauty" and more.
Space 220
Opening: 2019
Epcot is opening a new space-themed restaurant called Space 220. According to Disney Food Blog, the restaurant will showcase simulate space views while guests sit in a restaurant modeled after a space station. It will seat more than 350 guests, those of which will be "transported" to the restaurant by elevators covered in digital screens that will mock a trip to space.
A job posting seeking staff for the restaurant lists April 2019 as when applicants can join the cast, so we can assume this restaurant will be open by summer.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Opening: Fall 2019
Both Disney World and Disneyland will be opening a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The park is being made to look like the planet of Batuu, which is a remote outpost that was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes and is now a safe haven for those avoiding the First Order.
There will be two main attractions where guests can fly the Millennium Falcon and another that puts guests in a Star Destroyer in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
Other fun additions will include Luke Skywalker’s blue milk, a marketplace and toys, apparel and characters like BB-8 and Chewbacca.
See more on the park’s progress here.
Skyliner Gondola
Opening: Fall 2019
If you like taking the monorail into the parks, you’ll want to check out the new Skyliner Gondolas. Similar to a lift you’d find at a ski resort, the gondolas will take guests through two parks, offering spectacular views.
The Skyliner Gondola will connect Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to four hotels: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as well as a new resort coming in fall 2019, Disney’s Riviera Resort.
For more on the Skyliner Gondola system, see here.
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Opening: Fall 2019
The new Disney Riviera Resort hotel is inspired by the "grandeur of Europe." It will have transportation to the parks, a fitness center, a rooftop restaurant and wide range of room sizes.
The Riviera Pool, a family-friendly pool, will be decorated with stucco façades, a slide that winds around a column tower (pictured) and a kids interactive water play area that slightly mimics the public fountains of Europe.
For adults seeking peace and quiet, there’s a separate area called the Beau Soleil Pool.
The Disney Riviera Resort is currently taking reservations for Dec. 16 – Dec. 31, 2019.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Opening: 2019
While there’s no set opening date yet for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, their first ride attraction, it’s set to open sometime this year. The ride will begin with guests viewing a new cartoon short with the mice getting ready for a picnic As Mickey and Minnie are leaving, they drive alongside a train where they see that Goofy is the engineer and the ride takes off from there.
There isn’t a whole lot of additional information, but according to the Disney Parks Blog, "Imagineers have been hard at work creating Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, using breakthrough technology to transform a two-dimensional cartoon into an amazing real-world experience."
Epcot Forever
Opening: Fall 2019
Epcot’s famous IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth nighttime lights and fireworks show is sadly ending at the end of Summer 2019, but will be temporarily replaced with a show called Epcot Forever. The new show will feature classic Epcot tunes, combining music with fireworks, lighting, lasers and special effects kites.
Then, keep an eye out, because in 2020 Disney is gearing up to replace Epcot Forever with a new nighttime show called A Celebration of Disney Music with floating set pieces, custom-LED panels, fountains, lights, fire and lasers.
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