Giraffe Watching at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Share:
Category Archives Disney
Disney Cast Member Magic
When you immerse yourself into the world of Walt Disney World, you quickly realize that part of the magic is thanks to the amazing Cast Members. Yes, I said Cast Members, not employees. As a member of the Disney production team, all individuals that work within the Disney umbrella are referred to as Cast Members (CMs in Disney lingo).
On our last visit to Walt Disney World, I wish I had gotten the name of several of the CMs that went far above and beyond what they needed to do. There was the CM in Mouse Keeping that arranged special friends and left us nightly surprises in our room. 
Luckily, we did keep track of a few names to make sure to recognize them.
Kimmy from Garden Grove, CA was the CM at Beaches and Cream that had the entire place sing Happy Birthday to JSL. He was so surprised since he thought the flashing lights were to present another Kitchen Sink at a table.
Countless CMs were involved in helping us through an emergency and then they left some Pixie Dust one evening. It was completely uncalled for, but very much appreciated. After taking the photo below, Papa and I walked down to the front desk to thank them and get names of the CMs responsible for this sweet gesture.
What I wish is that I had taken more photos of these amazing individuals that as a team made our trip even better. I have many names and will be writing to Disney to praise these individuals. Still, photos would have been nice – a face to personally thank them here on my blog.
There were also CMs that made us laugh like Steve from Wallingford, CT. Steve was our fearless Captain on The Jungle Cruise. He was absolutely amazing, keeping the kids happy and tossing in some much needed adult humor.
Another person that made me smile while I was having a rough last night was Stephani from Centerpoint, AL. While I was stressing over last minute purchases and packing at the Yacht Club Resort store, she made me laugh and smile. Suddenly, the idea for this post came into my head. I knew that I had to get a photo of this woman who had made me forget about the stresses of packing my family up to leave Walt Disney World. She laughed, but I explained that I was a blogger and there was a reason for this. She recalled the conference earlier, posed, and told me to make sure to spell her name properly.
It is because of these CMs and countless others that my family will always remember this magical trip that we had together. I will never be able to thank them enough, but hopefully by writing this and letting others share in the wonder – it will be at least something.
Do you have a magical CM tale to share? I would love to know how someone at Disney helped to make your trip even more special or went above and beyond. Let me know what this person or people did and how you thanked them.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event and our extended stay.
Share:
Percussion Playing Prowess
Dear NHL,
In the fall, when you decided that you wanted to play percussion instruments, I wondered how things would go. With most of the school year and two concerts behind you, I can hardly imagine life without a percussion playing kiddo in our house. Though the bell set is a bit shrill at times, we can recognize songs when you play them. The only down side is the size of your kit that has to travel into school each week. I now know where to park to drop it off and where to set it down outside of school at the end of the day.
While we were at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we made sure to stop over by the drum area in Africa. Daddy and I knew that you would have fun experimenting on the different items that were there.
Of course, it was also interesting to watch your little brother follow you around. As you can see, one of you had an easier time switching things up, while the other needs to stretch a bit more.
Still, I think the moment that made me the proudest happened at Mimi’s house on Mother’s Day. She had a little keyboard. Suddenly, we heard a song and looked over. There you were taking what you learned from playing the xylophone to play the same song on the piano without any sheet music. Of course, I wanted to test this theory. When we went to Nana and Papa’s house a few days later, you did it again proving that you really have learned quite a bit. Keep up the great work. I can’t wait to see how much more you learn next year and beyond.
Love,
Mommy
Share:
Disney Junior Swashbuckler Soiree
From the minute we received the more detailed schedule for events of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, something caught the attention of my children. Yes, NHL and JSL immediately noted the Swashbucker Soiree, especially after I read them this:
Ahoy matey! Aye – now this is a family dinner you won’t want to miss! Brought to you by Disney Junior, join us for a buccaneer-themed evening along the beach with live music, a treasure hunt and plenty of fun for everyone.
The boys literally jumped up and down. They guessed that Jake from Jake and the Never Land Pirates would be there and possibly others. The boys, well, they are good at guessing.
After the Cocktail Reception – Passport to the World welcome, we went out to the beach by the Beach Club Resort to meet up with our families. With one quick look, you could see we were in for an amazing pirate party!
Disney Junior handed out pirate bandanas and pirates greeted us as we walked onto the beach where a pirate band was playing music for all of us to enjoy. Then, it was time not to walk the plank because there was an amazing buffet of pirate inspired goodies for all to devour.
While the boys and Nana and Papa were eating, TechyDad and I were able to chat with some of our friends on the beach. We also caught up with head GEM (Good Enough Mother) Rene Syler and stopped for a photo. TechyDad helped the kids eat while we gabbed and gabbed with Rene and every other person I bumped into.
Of course, my little mateys had a hard time staying by their seats soon after this. You see, once they saw someone enter the area, they did not want to stay at the table. Check out who joined the party below.
Yes, that is Jake from Disney Junior’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates. When Jake came out onto the Swashbuckler Soiree scene, many of the kids (including mine) were off to participate in the fun and games. Once NHL and JSL had their photo taken with Jake and the pirate slide behind them…
They had to beware of other pirates. This colorful crew of pirate misfits were teaching the kids how to perfect their pirate pose for the camera.
Looking back on it, I wonder if they were really just trying to help and protect the kids. Soon after this, two scallywags that you may recognize showed up to join the party.
Of course, when you party like a pirate, it is important to stop to enjoy a cool ice cream treat.
This break also means that it is the perfect time for the Pirate mother to send out an Instagram or two to share photos from the fun. And for those that finish their Mickey Ice Cream sandwich early, it’s always interesting to hide your feet in the sand!
Of course, little pirates that have been up since the wee hours of the morning get tired when the sun sets. We knew that we had many more adventures ahead on Friday and beyond. While others remained to dance in the dark, we went back to our room in the Yacht Club Resort to settle the boys in for some sweet pirate dreams.
More to share and lessons learned from our time at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration coming soon.
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.
Share:
Walt Disney World Magic at Night
Share:
- Categories:
- Disney DisneySMMoms fun interesting Wordless Wednesday
Associated With
