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Hello from Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2012

Posted on April 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This year, TechyDad and I were both lucky enough to be invited back to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World. The memories that we have from the past and the ones we are making right now will last a life time.

Last year at DisneySMMoms, the speakers were amazing, inspiring, and truly taught me a lot that I have used in life and the Social Media World. In 2011, I listened to these magical individuals:

This year the line up is:

Amy Jo Martin, Digital Royalty @DigitalRoyalty
Ramon DeLeon, Domino’s Pizza @Ramon_Deleon
Peter Shankman, The Geek Factory @PeterShankman
Lisa Druxman, Stroller Strides @LisaDruxman
Chris Brogan, Human Business Works @ChrisBrogan
The conference Host will be comedian Maryellen Hooper @MaryellenHooper

While at SheStreams in September, I was able to snap this photo of Rene Syler and Lisa Druxman after they spoke to us there.

So my question to you this week:

Who would you love to hear talk at a conference and why? It does not have to be about social media, it could be about any topic of interest to you.

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. To see past posts about DisneySMMoms, you can head here.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #200

Categories:
Aloha Friday Blogging Conference Disney DisneySMMoms fun looking back me moments photos social media travel

Tuesday Tales – The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

Posted on April 24, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up as a child that went to Walt Disney World a lot, we always had the latest tour books and guides. Of course, back in the day there were not a lot of choices. These days, there are a lot of books, but most Disney people agree that the king of all books are the line from The Unofficial Guide series. Since 1985, these books have been carted from near and far to Walt Disney World.

Reality check time. The giant Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012 is not the only published item these days. No, now you have multiple options. Wiley Publishing sent me the three books seen above to help us to prepare for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. Although I knew the other items existed, I had never owned them before. We bought several of the big books in the past, but now we had these other books.

The Mini Mickey is a great source of information wrapped up into a handy dandy size. As it states, it is the pocket-sized Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Within the book, there are maps, ratings, and even some of the beloved touring plans for the parks.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2012 really breaks items down based on how children may react to rides, shows, restaurants, resorts, and more. I love that they have more helpful hints about noise level and extreme darkness that could scare some children. I still need to get to know this book more since it is not one that I have used before.

The giant Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is still the mega go to book according to most of my other Disney loving friends. What everyone adores are the attention to detail, notes from other guests, and of course their detailed plans to maximize your park time. One item that seemed to be missing from the books was color photos. Check out the latest book that arrived after I took the photos and started this post:

It’s great to hear all of the wonderful things about say the Yacht Club Resort, but how about some photos inside the room Have no fear. You will also see pictures of rides, parades, and more. The Unofficial Guide: The Color Companion to Walt Disney World is officially coming out May 1!

Another great item to know – the Unofficial Guides are also online. Yes, the official home of the Unofficial Guide is TouringPlans.com and there is also an app. On their website, if you get their all access option there is even more magic from the magical writers that keep everyone up to date on all things related to Walt Disney World. For die hard fans, they even suggest which park is best to go to on a given day based on past history. This is huge when you are limited on time.

I know that these books will be heading to this years Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and we will use them when on the plane, in the resort, and on the go.

Do you have thoughts on the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Let me know and/or ask questions that you have below.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: I received these four books complimentary of Wiley in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links.

Categories:
books Disney DisneySMMoms photos Product review travel Tuesday Tales vacation

Some Favorite Disney Adventures

Posted on April 2, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up at Disney world and then going there on my honeymoon with TechyDad means that I have a lot of memorable adventures. While in high school, we had the Food and Fun plan that included things like parasailing. Yes, I went parasailing at Walt Disney World. We got onto the boat at The Contemporary Resort and traveled around the Seven Seas Lagoon. While up in the seat next to my brother, we listened to music and could see The Magic Kingdom. I need to find these old photos one day soon.

On our honeymoon, TechyDad and I had another amazing plan that also included extras. We were able to do behind the scenes tours, boat, do a fireworks cruise, and more. This was also the trip that we had our first Cirque du Soleill adventure. La Nouba was new in Downtown Disney and we made sure to snag tickets to see the show.

Of course, last year while at Disney Social Media Moms I was able to go on an even bigger Disney inspired adventure. I signed up for the African Trek at The Animal Kingdom.

This tour takes you behind the scenes where you can see the animals even closer, cross over rope bridges, and eat at a beautiful Boma. Here is the group of bloggers that I went on the trek with.

Once we were set up with equipment, it was time to see some amazing animals, cross some bridges, face fears, and live out a magical dream.

One of the last items on the trek is time to sit, relax, have a meal, and watch the animals on the gorgeous Boma.

Of course, this also meant spending some time with some old friends and getting to know new ones.

Before we knew it, the time was up and we were heading back to get our things and go back to our families. Of course, we stopped for one last group photo.

What Disney adventure have you been on that was beyond magical? Please share below or share your link with me to read.

For more on my Wild African Trek adventure, check out these posts:

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to 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.

Categories:
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Tuesday Tales – Walt Disney World Books for Kids

Posted on March 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned before, my oldest son can sometimes be a reluctant reader. It took him a long time to accept chapter books and not be intimidated by lack of pictures. NHL is a third grader and loves to read about science, people, and places. If we have tour books around the house for an upcoming vacation he will read them. I have absolutely no complaints about this. As a reading teacher, I applaud almost any type of reading a child will do.

Last year, while at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I briefly met Tracie A. Cook. Tracie, who runs Vacation Field Guides, is a veteran teacher and Disney fan who is also an author.

When these books arrived the other day, the boys were so excited. I explained to them that both were books about Walt Disney World that were made just for kids.

Vacation Field Guides – Kids Tips for Walt Disney World

Kid Tips for Walt Disney World: Touring Advice by Kids for Kids is just that. The book contains thoughts, via quotes, from children ages 7-15 about Walt Disney World.

There were things to know before you go, specific items to see/do while in each of the parks (with specifics about some rides), dining suggestions, and many other items. NHL enjoyed reading these and weighing in on what his views were since he has been to Walt Disney World multiple times now. I also know he’s excited to possibly help Tracie by filling out a survey for upcoming books. I think the kid connection will help get kids involved in planning your upcoming trip.

WDW Adventure: A Field Guide & Activity Book for Explorers

Walt Disney World Adventure: A Field Guide and Activity Book for Explorers is an interactive book for kids to learn while exploring the magic that is Walt Disney World. As an educator, Tracie has packed this book with a lot of items to make children think while completing their exploration. As I have said forever, there are so many EduMICKational experiences within Disney World if you take the time to look for them.

The book begins with a letter to the explorers, key to navigation symbols used in the book, and some tips before they head into the parks. From this point, there are pages filled with items to complete, locate, find, and research in fun ways while touring. Yes, you will want a pencil to write down items as they are located. Here is one of the pages that caught my son’s attention when looking at it.

I have to admit, I am a little jealous of this book. I want to head into the parks and try these out. The teacher in me thinks that it looks like a great hands on learning exercise while having a lot of fun. NHL will definitely be reviewing this after he tests it out on our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World.

I would love to know if your children (or you) have tried either of these books and you have any tips for children testing out the adventure. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: We received these books from @WDWFieldGuide in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the books through these links.

Categories:
bloggy friends books Disney DisneySMMoms Educational EduMICKation photos Product review travel vacation

Favorite Disney World Resorts

Posted on March 19, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Over the years, I have stayed at a lot of the resorts at Walt Disney World. This Spring, we will be adding two more to my list. Growing up, I stayed at The Contemporary Resort (multiple times), Dixie Landings (multiple times and now called Port Orleans Riverside), and Caribbean Beach (multiple times). Since I have been married, we have stayed at The Beach Club Resort, Pop Century (three times), The Polynesian, and The Grand Floridian. Thanks to Disney dining, we have also visited Port Orleans French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness campground.

Deluxe Hotels:

I don’t think I could just pick one of the deluxe hotels. If money were no option, it would be tough to select which one. There’s monorail convenience, great overall location, and never stayed there before dream.

If I had to pick a resort on the monorail, I would immediately pick the Contemporary. I love that you can simply go down to the ground floor and walk to the Magic Kingdom along a palm tree lined walkway. It isn’t usually crowded, plus you always have the monorail to jump on and get back with relative ease. In addition to this, The Contemporary has Chef Mickey, The Wave, and The California Grill (never been there yet).

After staying at the Beach Club Resort on our honeymoon, I fell in love with the location. Not only is it simply gorgeous with an amazing pool, you can walk or take a boat to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. TechyDad and I often walked into Epcot for dinner, or over to the Boardwalk for a snack or another meal.

A deluxe hotel that I have not stayed at, but visited many time to dine there is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I would adore waking up one morning and opening my door to view animals like giraffes while sipping my cup of coffee. Another perk would be having Boma and the other great restaurants located steps from our room.

Moderate Resorts:

Looking back I loved the quaint, quiet feel of Dixie Landings. We stayed in the mansions there twice and it was fun to bike, boat, and walk around the resort. Since our stay there, the name has changed. I know the the kids would also adore Port Orleans (either section), but would probably prefer a stay at the newer Pirate Themed rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Value Resorts:

We adore Pop Century as a fun filled value resort at Walt Disney World. We have never stayed at any of the other value resorts to date. Our last three visits have included nights at this destination.

The rooms are smaller and you do not have a sit down restaurant, but it’s extremely fun, kid friendly, and they a great food court that includes the infamous Tie Dye Cheesecake. We have adjusted to the value resorts by saving money on the room to use for our dining plans and to extend out stays.

So where do you love to stay or dream of calling your home while at Walt Disney World? There are a lot of Disney posts on my blog from trips during the last few years, so check them out if you are interested.

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.