My youngest and I had headed to the airport filled with excitement for our father-son trip to Disney World. It was his first Disney trip and we couldn’t wait to get there despite the early morning flight.

As we navigated through the airport getting breakfast, our spirits were high. With a detailed Disney plan to execute once we arrived, we headed to our gate, ready to board our flight.

But something peculiar caught my eye. Glancing at the airline app, our seat numbers didn’t seem right. Confusion turned to curiosity as we approached the gate agent for clarification. And then, we discovered we had been upgraded to first class! My child’s eyes sparkled with disbelief – his first ever first-class experience, and what a time for it!

The reason for our unexpected upgrade seemed to be that we had originally booked a window and aisle seat in coach, leaving the middle one empty. The airline likely needed the full row to seat a family together. In a twist of fate, our strategic seating choice turned into our lucky charm.

Despite being domestic first class, the cushy seats still felt like an upgrade. The realization hit us - our Disney adventure had already begun, sprinkled with unexpected upgrade to start the trip off right. It was a reminder that sometimes, the magic starts even before you reach your destination.