Dream Stalking



Kathy, Chelsea and I were walking through Frontierland heading for the restroom when Kathy asked, "Where are they going?" I turned around but didn't see who she was referring to at first. But then I noticed three members of the "Dream Squad" walking in the other direction.

Two of them were lugging huge duffel bags so we decided to follow them. I was assuming they had "Dream Ears" because of the bags. Another couple decided to follow them too before the trio disappeared behind the McDonald's French Fry cart. The other couple left disappointed but I said to Kathy that we should wait there. So we hung out watching trains from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad run by every so often and trying to look "cool" as we waited for a potential payoff.

Sure enough, 10 or 15 minutes later, they emerged with the two carrying the large bags now wearing their white vests. We hung back far enough to not look like we were pursuing them but close enough that when they pulled out the prizes we'd be rewarded.

They set up on Big Thunder Trail, counted down 3-2-1 and started awarding passersby with the ears. We crossed the award line, thanked the cast members for the ears and then headed for the restroom as we had set out to do a short time before.

This is the third time I've won a "Dream" award. We got lanyards and pins last July upon exiting Dumbo. And I won a Dream Fastpass once while on my way to the Disneyland Railroad in Tomorrowland.

I've just missed winning a few other times. I saw guests wearing hats near Pirates of the Caribbean only to find out that the Dream Squad was set up at the exit of Tarzan's Treehouse and had just given away their last set of ears as I found them. We were close to winning FastPasses near the castle but they had run out before we could make our way to the Dream Squad. And a bunch of people came through Big Thunder Trail with FastPasses but I never did see the Dream Squad.

There have been times when we've seen Dream Squad members before carrying prizes but they disappeared backstage to set up and there was no way of knowing where they would re-appear. This time, it appeared they had nowhere to go once they left to wait behind the fry cart. Besides winning a stay at the Dream Suite in the old Disney Gallery location, the only other Dream prize that I was interested in was the hat.

Not sure how proud I am to say that I stalked the Dream Squad but I am happy to have a set of ears to show for it.

Matt