A dazzling array of fireworks surrounds Cinderella's Castle, welcoming visitors to Disney World in Florida. -- Ottawa Sun file photo

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I normally think my chances of randomly winning anything are as good as Eyeore's chances of correctly predicting a hurricane.

But I can't complain about my luck -- or at least my family's luck -- during our recent stay at Walt Disney World. We were randomly selected three times in five days as part of Disney's Year of a Million Dreams celebration.

Disney began 15 months of granting millions of dreams at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort and California's Disneyland Resort on Oct. 1.

Guests are arbitrarily being granted dreams that range from a night's stay in a new royal suite inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort, or at Disneyland, a lucky guest may get a night in a new Mickey Mouse Penthouse overlooking the Disney domain in California. Thousands of other wishes include anything from limited edition gifts to opportunities to participate in parades.

The dreams we were granted included: playing host at It's a Small World in Magic Kingdom, where we were allowed into the operator's tower then escorted to the front boat; extra fastpasses (tickets that eliminate waiting in line) at Epcot; and while waiting to begin Star Tours at MGM Studios, several members of the Disney Dream Squad came aboard to hand out limited edition lanyards and 50th anniversary pins to all riders.

It was two ladies called Super Greeters -- Nancy, from Seattle Wash., and Pat, from Ashland, Ky., -- who greeted us at It's a Small World. They say their job during the "Dreams" event is called "prize fulfillment."

Love these Disney terms.

They carry their particular prizes as they are about to be handed out in a "dream sachel." Nancy said the way the "prize fulfillment" works is very specific. Super Greeters are told that they will give out a specific prize at a specific time to a specific number of people.

The example she gave was the Dumbo ride in Magic Kingdom. On a certain day, maybe the first 20 people off the Dumbo ride at 12:20 would "receive ears."

Mickey Mouse welcomes a visitor to the Magic Kingdom of the Walt Disney World Resort. -- Toronto Sun file photo

Our family experienced this on Star Tours when all of us received lanyards at 10:30 a.m. in car No. 5.

"If the 21st person is unhappy, we explain to them how the prize fulfillment takes place and we can take them to 'guest fulfillment' and do what we can to make them happy," Nancy said. "If we can make someone's dream's come true, we've done our jobs.

"But we want to make everyone's dreams come true. It's the best job in the world."

We stayed on site at Disney's Beach Club Resort, which resembles a turn-of-the 20th Century seaside setting and features a wild waterslide made out of a pirate ship. The Beach Club shares an unique sand-bottom pool with the Yacht Club (only the magic of Disney can keep a sand-bottom pool impeccably clear). It's considered the best pool in the entire resort -- and there are several marvelous pools here, so that speaks volumes.

BREATHTAKING

Kids barrel down Splash Mountain as Mickey Mouse parades by on a float welcoming youngsters to the Magic Kingdom. -- Photo by Alex Urosevic, Toronto Sun

Guests can enjoy the clean water of a pool, yet build sandcastles on the edge of the water and enjoy the beach ambiance. This resort hotel is breathtaking from every view at any time of the day or night.

Our stay included several character meals, which are a great hit with kids -- and young-at-heart adults. Various restaurants offer character dinners, which include a number of Disney characters dropping in for a hug and to mug for a photo.

And if you happen to have a little princess in the family, you'll want to book a dinner at the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. This one fills up fast though, so booking ahead is a must. If you can't get in, there's another princess supper available at Akershus in Epcot's Norwegian Pavilion. All the Disney princesses stop by each table for a photo, autograph and a brief chat.

A bonus of visiting Disney World during this season is Mickey's not-so-scary Halloween party in Magic Kingdom, which happens on 18 party nights from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31. The kids can trick-or-treat throughout the park before taking in the Halloween-themed fireworks spectacular Happy HalloWishes and Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.

And there's something about being able to ride the Haunted Mansion during the Halloween season that makes one of Disney's old favourites that much more memorable.

WestJet Vacations offers packages that include airfare, theme park tickets and accommodation for Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. A recent partnership with Disney Destinations allows WestJet Vacations' guests to book accommodations and order tickets online at westjetvacations.com.

For more info about "The Year of a Million Dreams," visit www.disneyparks.ca.