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Flight attendant says 'yas' to Dh1m surprise

Dubai - The 32-year-old UAE resident had entered the 'Say Yas' summer prize by spending Dh500 at the island

Andrea Canciani had the biggest surprise - and shock - of her life waiting at Yas Waterworld recently.
When the Abu Dhabi resident was invited by the water park management to come over to collect a prize she had won, Canciani went, assuming it would be just another giveaway.
The 32-year-old flight attendant and aspiring musician had entered the 'Say Yas' summer prize by spending Dh500 at the island, earlier this summer. And on September 22, she went to collect what she thought was a small prize won in the draw.
At the park entrance, Canciani was met by the Yas Waterworld mascots, who escorted her to the Hairat Pearl Diving tank. Here, she was met by Mohamed Al Zaabi, CEO of Yas Island, who congratulated her, while two pearl divers unveiled a waterproof cheque for - hold your breath - Dh 1,000,000 with her name on it!
A one-million surprise
"I can't believe it, I'm still in shock! My husband and I both thought we had been invited to spend a wonderful day on Yas Island, but this news has surpassed all our expectations. I am so grateful and hope this isn't just a dream," said Canciani, when she was finally able to get the words out.
A few hours later, across the road from Yas Waterworld, a similar story put a big smile of Samer Maslamani's face. A Jordanian resident in the UAE, he was invited to Ferrari World to collect a "small prize" for having visited Yas Waterworld with his two boys earlier this summer.
Upon arrival, Maslamani and his wife were greeted by Jesse Vargas, general manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and whisked away on a VIP tour of the park in a Ferrari car. After braving an adrenalin-fuelled front seat experience on Flying Aces, which boasts the highest rollercoaster loop on the planet, Maslamani was surprised with an even bigger prize - a trip for 4 people to the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, including flights on Etihad and a luxury hotel stay.
"Yas Island is a place where dreams come true. Our Say Yas summer campaign had more than 50,000 entries and we continued to surprise and delight visitors afterwards, with weekly prize draw giveaways including three Maseratis, over the three-month long campaign," said Al Zaabi.
"The grand prize giveaways were particularly rewarding. Our winners had no idea what they had won until the big reveal. and their reactions were priceless. It brings all of us at Yas Island great joy to spread happiness," he added.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com