When we left new Fantasyland we headed over to Storybook Circus to look at the new Dumbo ride and the refurbished Barnstormer and Fantasyland Train Station. This area has been open to the public for about a month and our family had visited it the day before so again, nothing new here. The mood in the van on the way back to the Yacht Club wasn’t nearly as upbeat as on our ride over. Honestly, this was the one time all weekend we were a bit disappointed…and I bought new shoes!

Once we returned to the Yacht Club we hurried to the ballroom where the conference would take place all day. I had a great seat in the front of the room with some great friends. The tables were decorated with wreaths surrounding a circle of electrical plugs sponsored by Rayovac so everyone could plug in their laptop or tablet during the conference. Mary  Ellen Hooper, comedienne, served as host and MC for the day and she kept us laughing all day long!

Meg Crofton, President Walt Disney World

We were greeted by Meg Crofton who thanked us for our love and loyalty of the Disney brand. She let us know how important we are as brand ambassadors for Disney and even though she was speaking to all 200 of us in the room, I truly felt appreciated by one of my favorite brands. Next up was Amy Jo Martin of Digital Royalty. Amy Jo spoke about the power of our brand and my favorite quote from her is, “Where skill, passion and purpose collide-that is where bliss is found.”

Next up was the powerhouse speaker of the day Ramon DeLeon. Ramon owns 6 Domino’s Pizza franchises in Chicago.

@Ramone_DeLeon

Ramon is the king of using social media for customer service. Just go to Twitter and search the hashtag #RamonWOW and read the stories. He told us that if we give people “WOW!” to share they will. He challenged us to create our own “WOW!” and see what happens.

Wacky Gary aka Gary Buchanan from Disney’s Social Media Department shared with us about all of the excitement that happens during Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He was even joined on stage by Darth Vader himself! Then Amy Foster, Director of Consumer Insights for Disney Destinations talked to us about the value of a family vacation. She used the concept that we have but 18 summers with our kids, and that hit home to a lot of fellow bloggers. It didn’t hit me the same way though, I’m in my 19th summer and I envision us taking vacations with our kid’s families in the future just as we do now with my parents and my husband’s parents. I mentioned this concept to my kids later that night and they had the same mindset I did-we will ALWAYS have family Disney vacations for generations to come, and that made this mom very happy

Peter Shankman was the speaker I was most interested in hearing from. I have followed him for years on Twitter and Facebook and he has inspired me through those outlets so i couldn’t wait to hear him in person. Peter encouraged us to be weeds! Why weeds? Weeds are different. Weeds stick around and have the ability to survive no matter what happens around them. My favorite quote from his session was, “Nothing exciting ever happens in your comfort zone.”

Lisa Druxman of StrollerStrides.com encouraged us to get out of our own way. Take that first step towards something we want to accomplish and give ourselves rewards for reaching each small goal. The last speaker of the day was Chris Brogan. The main thing I learned from Chris this year was to get my mobile site in gear…and that is what I am working on.

Throughout the day there was plenty of pixie dust sprinkled in the form of giveaways including a night in Cinderella Castle, a yacht cruise, boxed sets of books by Ridley Pearson and more. I am happy for my friends who won the extra magic…really, I am

As it is at any conference some speakers speak to you more than others and I am always thankful for the great mix of speakers at Disney Social Media Moms, there is truly something for everyone.

Disclosure: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.

The post Disney Social Media Moms Day 2 Part 1 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

We arrived at Disney’s Yacht Club at about 9am and were greeted at the door and given our room keys and our welcome packet. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we went over to check in for the conference so we could get our lanyards, itinerary and park tickets. While I was registering Ron and the kids were able to grab snacks and sodas to take with them into the park from the hospitality table, what a bonus! As soon as we were checked in we headed out to the bus stop so we could get to the Magic Kingdom.

We had so much fun in the Magic Kingdom we forgot to take pictures!! We rode Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, the Peoplemover, Space Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, the Haunted Mansion and others. We at lunch at Pecos Bills and shared some Dole Whips before we headed back to the Yacht Club for a swim.

After a dip in Stormalong Bay it was time for me to get ready for the Passport to the World Cocktail Party which was sponsored by Disney’s Aulani Resort and Adventures by Disney. The party was the first time the attendees got to reconnect and/or meet each other and the time was filled with smiles and hugs. It was at this party that I finally got to meet my online friend Rene Syler! Rene was my favorite speaker at last year’s event and she was back this year as an attendee. I was overjoyed to finally meet her face-to-face.

When the cocktail party ended we met up with our families and headed out to the Yacht Club beach for our Swashbuckler Soiree dinner party sponsored by Disney Junior. While we waited to enter the party we were all given pirate bandanas from the Radio Disney staff who were also entertaining at the party.

Jordan donning his bandana

We found seats with our friends, the Roberts family from BrainFoggles.com, kicked off our shoes and enjoyed the delicious buffet and fun pirate themed entertainment, including the music of the Rusty Cutlass band.

The Rusty Cutlass Band

A Disney event wouldn’t be complete without Disney characters so Captain Hook, Mr Smee and Jake all made appearances to the delight of the kids and adults alike.

Jake

Once we were full from dinner and the delicious desserts (Bananas Foster with ice cream and Mickey Ice Cream Bars!) We headed back to our room to get some much needed rest because there was a lot more magic in store for day 2!

Disclosure: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.

The post Disney Social Media Moms Day 1 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is a great mix of family vacation, Disney magic and bloggy conference all rolled up into 4 awesome days. Thursday morning we will check into Disney’s Yacht Club and start hugging the necks of my girlfriends from around the web Then we will hit Magic Kingdom for the day before prepping for the evening conference events. Friday I will be in conference all day while the family is attacking Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Friday night we have a dinner event at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Saturday morning I have conference events and the family might be hitting a water park. Saturday afternoon our plans are up in the air and then Saturday night is our closing dinner event. Sunday we’ll probably spend at Epcot enjoying the Flower and Garden Festival before heading back home. I plan on using a wheelchair in the parks since my stamina is still pretty low after surgery and we have long days/nights planned but that is ok by me As long as I am at Walt Disney World with my family and friends I’ll be happy.

If you’ll be joining us virtually follow Twitter hashtag #DisneySMMoms and my Facebook for photos and updates.

Link up with us!

If you and your family are attending the celebration, link up your introduction post here this way we can all meet online before we meet in real life! I love making new friends and I can’t wait to meet you!

We will have 5 in our party this year Hubby and I along with Aaron 19, Summer 17 and Jordan 16. Our family has been Disney passholders on and off for years and we are happy to help answer any questions you might have about planning your trip or touring the parks. Just leave your question in the comments and we’ll get back to you asap.

The post Disney Social Media Moms Blog Hop 2012 appeared first on The Mom Maven.