Disney

Atlanta: Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-The-Road”

September 7, 2017 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Wednesday I had the ultimate privilege of being part of the Disney Parks Social Media Moms Celebration (#DisneySMMC) in Atlanta. For those of you that don’t know what this is, it is a wonderful time to get together with other bloggers and learn about what is happening at Disney Parks and learn a few tips and tricks related to blogging or social media. It was a complete honor to attend and has me itching to get to Disney ASAP. My biggest take-away from the event was the quote, “Great things never come from comfort zones”. Very profound!

For the outing, I kept going back and forth on what to wear! I ended up deciding on a Figment theme since he’s my favorite character. I had on a purple shirt with an orange and white chevron scarf and I brought along my Figment hat. I ended up not wearing it though since DisneySMMC gave me some new ears! How cute are these!

Disney Dreamers Academy

Some of the things talked about were new to me and some were more of common knowledge. My favorite part of the conference was hearing from some of the students involved in the Disney Dreamers Academy. For those of you that haven’t heard about this wonderful opportunity, you’re going to love this!

Disney Dreamers Academy is a 4 day event at Walt Disney World where students can be prepared for future careers and become prepared to be a role model as they reach their dreams.

Students ages 13-19 can apply, but only 100 are selected each year. The window is open now for applications and closes October 31, 2017.

During the conference, we heard from 2 amazing students and their stories. Those kids are seriously going to make a difference in the world! Wow!

Disney Moms Panel

Do you think you know Disney like the back of your hand? If so, it’s currently time for Disney to accept applications for the 2018 Disney Moms Panel! Through September 13, 2017, you can head on over to apply for the Disney Moms Panel. Be sure to read all of the qualifications before you apply. Sadly, I’m not eligible this year.

Disney Parks Blog

One avenue of Disney that I was not aware of before the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is the Disney Parks Blog. It’s a great way to keep up with everything Disney, between the changes, upcoming events and festivities, and even a little fun! I loved hearing from speakers involved in the blog and how they come up with ideas and photos to share. The creative stories behind these fun light drawings at Disney World were fun to listen to and seeing all the photos they created.

Special Meetings at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration

At the end of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we had a few surprises! Actress Kim Fields stopped in with an incredible moving speech about finding balance and taking time for self-care. I know that is something I have been trying to work on. Lastly, Mickey Mouse himself arrived! He also brought along Princess Tiana to meet with us. We had time for photos shoots and left with a goodie bag that included a stuffed Mickey Mouse, a rice krispy treat, a water bottle, and more!

Thank you so much to the crew behind Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I had a fantastic time and hope to see you all again very soon!

Giveaway: “Adventures in Babysitting” DVD

June 21, 2016 By MommyOctopus 12 Comments
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Another Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release is coming up! ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING will be available Disney DVD on Tuesday, June 28^th, 2016. We haven’t seen this yet, but are looking forward to watching it!

About the DVD:

“Adventures in Babysitting,” inspired by the hugely popular 1980s film of the same name, is an upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie starring Sabrina Carpenter (of Disney Channel’s hit comedy series “Girl Meets World”) and Sofia Carson (of the hit Disney Channel Original Movie “Descendants”). In “Adventures in Babysitting,” a dull evening for two competing babysitters, Jenny (Sabrina Carpenter) and Lola (Sofia Carson), turns into an adventure in the big city as they hunt for one of the kids who somehow snuck away.

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Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win a DVD copy of ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There But For the Grace of God – My Thoughts on the Disney Alligator Attack

June 16, 2016 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
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Disney Alligator Attack

Yesterday morning I awoke and watched in horror as the news of the Disney Alligator Attack spread on social media. A 2 year old little boy was snagged by an alligator and taken underwater as his parents watched in horror. The father tried to save his son but to no avail. I. CANT. EVEN. IMAGINE.

My own dear children have played on these same beaches. Disney even used to allow people to swim in the lake! I played on these beaches AND in the water as a child!

I’ve taken my kids down to Fort Wilderness and we’ve spent the evening on and in the sand while watching the electric water parade. Almost always, we take our shoes off due to the sand. I’m quite certain many of their little toes have ended up splashing in the water in the evening.

I’ve pointed out the “No Swimming” signs to the kids. I’ve told them about the horrible bacteria that is said to be in the waters.

I honestly never even considered alligators.

Yes, I know it’s Florida. Yes I know there are gators in Florida. However, out of all the times I’ve been to Disney, which is likely around 20, I cannot recall seeing an alligator. I’ve seen snakes, possums, varieties of birds and other creatures. Never an alligator.

Since everything unfolded, there are numerous people placing blame on the parents. “Why weren’t they looking? Why was their kid in the water? It’s their fault!” and other horrific things that aren’t worth repeating. Again. I. CANT. EVEN. IMAGINE.

The horror of what they witnessed happening to their poor baby. Wondering where he was. Wondering if it was quick or if he suffered. Knowing they will have to pack up and return home, one child short. Knowing they will have to see his room left perfectly as before their trip and know that life will never be the same. Do you think for an instant that they wouldn’t take it all back? That they didn’t wish they had stayed in the hotel room? Or perhaps stayed late at a park that night?

Topping the horrible event off by knowing people blame and accuse them. Even worse, likely blaming and accusing themselves.

They need our help, love, and compassion, not accusations. They need our support, not our condemnation.

I pray that they have or will find a church family to surround and support them. I pray that they will find peace and forgiveness. I pray that they know they are prayed for over the next days, weeks, and years.

There but for the Grace of God, go I.

Pete’s Dragon Official Trailer – Coming to Theaters August 12!

June 14, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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I am super stoked about this! Pete’s Dragon was one of my favorite movies growing up and it’s being released August 12 in a more modern version! I CANNOT WAIT! Check out the Pete’s Dragon Official Trailer below:

Are you excited about this movie?

Breastfeeding at Disney World

May 10, 2016 By MommyOctopus 2 Comments
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Tips for Breastfeeding at Disney World

We just got back from at trip to Disney World a few weeks back. This was my third time breastfeeding a baby at Disney World during our vacations. Most of our kids have visited Disney before their 1st birthday, and usually before they are crawling. It’s so much easier to take a trip when the baby is still easily portable. Breastfeeding at Disney doesn’t have to be complicated. Through my experiences, I’ve come up with some tips for you guys if you find yourself with a hungry baby that needs nursing at Disney.

Locate the Baby Care Center

Baby Care Center Disney

My first tip for breastfeeding at Disney would be to find the Baby Care Center. Having 5 kids, I’m no longer very shy about nursing, however, it’s HOT in Disney World during most of the year. During our most recent trip in March, I was sweaty, baby was sweaty, and we found it much more comfortable to make it to the Baby Care Center and sit in the air conditioning. They have a private quiet room to nurse in, which worked great for my nosey little nursling. He was at the stage where he would rather look at everything else despite his hunger. The quietness helped him stay focused and we both were able to be refreshed.

Inside the baby centers, they have all sorts of baby essentials – baby food, diapers, wipes, creams, powder, and more. I was very pleased with the variety of items that were available for sale.

Baby Care Center Locations:

Magic Kingdom: Go to the end of Main Street and hang a left past Casey’s Corner hot dogs. The Baby Care Center is between Casey’s and the Crystal Palace.
Epcot: The Baby Care Center is in the Odyssey building. Find the path just past Test Track that looks like it’s heading to Mexico and you’ll see the long brown Odyssey building.
Animal Kingdom: It’s in the building next to Pizzafari. Go left around the Tree of Life, pass Pizzafari, and it’s on the left.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: The Baby Care Center is immediately inside the front entrance to the park. Walk in, turn left. It’s in the same building as Guest Relations.

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Find a Quiet Corner

Even though it’s Disney World, it is still possible to find a quiet corner. I found a quiet area near the bathrooms at Splash Mountain. There are also some nice cement railings that worked great near the Dumbo ride. Keep your eyes out and you will find some! You could even ask a cast member for directions to the nearest quiet area. Corners of restaurants work well. Most people are so busy wrapped up in the Disney excitement that they won’t even notice you.

On the Rides/In the Shows

I recommend always using your discretion, but we did find several rides that were perfect for nursing. Below are my favorites in each park.

Magic Kingdom:

Hall of Presidents
Tiki Room (although can be distracting with all the noise)
It’s a Small World
Country Bear Jamboree
Carousel of Progress (my personal favorite place)
People Mover (there are some quick corners, so keep in mind)
Mickey’s Philharmonic
Tom Sawyer’s Island
Pirates of the Carribean

Epcot:

American Adventure
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Impressions de France
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
Spaceship Earth

Animal Kingdom:

Finding Nemo: The Musical
The Boneyard
Festival of the Lion King

Hollywood Studios:

Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream

Anywhere!

Breastfeeding at Disney is totally allowed! In Florida, you can breastfeed anywhere you please! I’ve heard from other moms that take their baby in the Ergo and nurse while they walk. I’ve never been coordinated enough to do this, but if you can, go for it! Have fun, stay hydrated, and try to keep cool!

Do you have any others to add? Leave a comment and tell me your favorites.

Also – check out the rest of our Disney World Tips.

Review: Disney on Ice – Frozen

April 21, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Last night we went down to the Infinite Energy Arena in Gwinnett to watch Disney on Ice: Frozen with our youngest 3 children! Disney on Ice is always super incredibly done and Frozen did not disappoint!

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The show starts off with many of our favorite Disney characters coming out. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and lots of princesses and other characters. Even Timon and Pumba stopped by!

I love watching as my little girls’ eyes lit up when their favorite characters came skating out on the ice! Once the Frozen show started, it was fun to follow the dialog, knowing what was going to happen next. My favorite part of the show is when the snow monster, AKA Marshmallow, was chasing Anna and Kristoff around the arena.

All of our favorite songs were in the show and we were encouraged to sing and dance along with the characters. Even my 7 month old son was entertained throughout the show! He loved watching the bright lights and hearing the music.

At the end, all of the main Disney characters come back on for a final song and dance to close out the show.

Interested in seeing a show? There are plenty of opportunities left!

Showtimes:

Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 7:30 PM
Friday, April 22, 2016 – 10:30 AM
Friday, April 22, 2016 – 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 23, 2016 – 11:00 AM
Saturday, April 23, 2016 – 3:00 PM
Saturday, April 23, 2016 – 7:00 PM
Sunday, April 24, 2016 – 1:00 PM
Sunday, April 24, 2016 – 5:00 PM

To get tickets, visit the Infinite Energy Arena’s website.

Walt Disney World’s Flag Retreat Ceremony

April 9, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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In our trip to Walt Disney World last week, my 12 year old daughter received the special privilege of saying the Pledge of Allegiance for the Flag Retreat Ceremony along with The Dapper Dans! The Magic Kingdom Flag Retreat Ceremony is conducted by the Magic Kingdom security team.

Check out the video I took:

And here’s the video that my husband took. He was closer since I had the baby in the shade.

The Flag Ceremony happens daily at 5pm, but I would double check on the day you visit to make sure it’s the same time. During the Flag Retreat Ceremony, the Pledge of Allegiance is said and you can hear patriotic songs as the flag is lowered, folded and a special Guest is selected to participate. The flag is usually given to a veteran in the park. It was beautiful to witness.

Interested in the Flag Retreat Ceremony?

Get to the flag at Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom about 30 minutes before the flag is lowered.
Approach a cast member and ask if someone has been chosen to say the pledge.
If not, let them know you’d like to do it!
They will announce your name and where you are visiting from during the ceremony.
Your child will receive a certificate stating that they participated in the Flag Retreat Ceremony, along with the date.

My kids thought this was super cool! Have you participated before?

Interested in booking a trip or just getting price estimates? Contact my friend Jennifer. Jennifer is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida. Get the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package… Guaranteed! There is absolutely no cost for her service and it’s booked right through Disney. She can help make all your dining arrangements and include some special magic along the way.

We Are at Disney World!

March 31, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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We have been visiting friends and relatives in Florida and enjoying Disney World this week. It’s been a beautiful week it has been! Huge thanks to our travel agent, Jennifer, from Destinations in Florida for setting up the trip for us. She is fantastic at working Disney Magic!

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Not only will she help you find the best rate, she will help you get the dining reservations of your dreams, set up fast passes, and more! We ended up getting a last minute reservation to Cinderella’s Royal Table for our anniversary, which was incredible!

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Somehow I messed up one of my fast passes and ended up getting fast passes for everyone in our family except myself! Jennifer took the time to call and straighten it out instead of me having to spend all day on the phone! Really appreciate her and her work!

#DisneyKids Preschool Playdate!

March 21, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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We received this party pack from Walt Disney World Resort through MomSelect. All opinions expressed are my own.

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We were so excited to be invited to participate in the #DisneyKids Preschool Playdate with Disney World this year. We hosted a #DisneyKids party last week and had a total of 9 kids show up to learn about Disney World and have a ball.

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Check out the wonderful goodies we received from our sponsors!

Sponsors included:

Walt Disney World Resort
HP
I Love To Create
Banfield Pet Hospital
GLAD
all
NESQUIK

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We started off the party with the party hats. One side had a pirate theme and the other side was Sophia the First.

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Next we started reading the book that came with our kit, My Very, Very Smelly Breath! What a silly book! It had some scratch and sniff spots and WHEW was that dog’s breath stinky! The kids just loved it! It talked about all the important things we need to do to care for dog’s teeth. It was a hit!

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Next we played a version of the game Four Corners. Each corner was a Disney park – Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. We also played a game of charades! It was hysterical! Even the parents got involved!

Can you tell which character my husband was being here? LOL!

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Next was Bingo! The kids loved this! I wish I had taken more pictures but I got wrapped up in all the fun and forgot!

After all the games, we had a lovely lunch of Chick-fil-A, NESQUIK and snacks while we watched the Disney Vacation DVD. We ended with a puppet show made with puppets from I Love To Create. It was a fun project and everyone made their favorite Disney character.

As a party favor, each child was giving a Disney World bag filled with goodies including The Lion Guard poster, tattoos, and more.

What a joy it was to be part of the #DisneyKids playdate party, especially with our own trip coming up next week! This really got the kids in the Disney spirit and has our friends ready to go back! Huge thank you to Disney World and all of the sponsors for providing this great party for us.

Interested in visiting Disney? Visit http://disneyworld.com/preschool for great information on planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation with preschoolers.

We received this party pack from Walt Disney World Resort through MomSelect.

How to Save Money on Your Disney World Vacation

March 10, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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As you all know, we are gearing up for another Disney World trip for our 14th Anniversary. My friend Jennifer has been hard at work making sure our trip is good to go and everything is lined up. She’s a vacation planner with Destinations in Florida! I love using her service since it doesn’t cost me a penny extra and she makes sure that I get the most for my money AND that we have everything lined up just the way we want it. We planned this trip just a week or so ago and already it’s lining up to be just the way we want it! Below is an article that Jennifer has shared with me that I think you all will be interested in on how to save money on your Disney World Vacation. Enjoy!

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If you are planning a Walt Disney World vacation, you probably know that it will cost a bit more than a trip to the beach. Here are some tips to help you save!

Know when to go! Disney offers lower rates a certain times of the year based on season. Try planning your vacation for September or January for the lowest rates on resort rooms. This will be your best bet to avoid the crowds and lower the cost.
Cut travel costs! Always compare prices with different airlines if it is not feasible for you to drive. The cost of airfare could be less than driving for couples but is likely more if you are traveling with a family of 4 or 5. Consider the cost of gasoline, food and overnight stops along the way if you’re driving.
Save on lodging! Stay at a Disney Resort Hotel if at all possible. While cheaper accommodations can be found “outside the World”, there’s just something magical about staying on Disney property. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your room will be clean and comfortable. In addition, you will have free use of Disney Transportation or free parking at the theme parks if you want to drive. Another great benefit is the Extra Magic Hours in the theme parks you receive as a Disney resort guest. If you fly into the Orlando International Airport, you will also have free roundtrip airport transportation on Disney’s Magical Express. All of these benefits are available to you as a Disney Resort guest whether you choose a Value Resort or Deluxe Villa accommodations. A Value Resort can be just the ticket for families wanting to cut costs.
Save on food! Did you know that you can take food and drinks into the theme parks? It’s perfectly acceptable to pack a lunch or take snacks into the parks- no glass or alcohol, please. Or, save money by purchasing a Disney Dining Plan in advance and your meals will be covered. If you pay out-of-pocket for meals, you might consider sharing a meal as the portions are quite large!

Always use a Disney Vacation Planner who watches for discounts and saves you money, even after you make a reservation. With some creative planning, your family can have the vacation of a lifetime without breaking the bank!

Interested in booking a trip? Contact my friend Jennifer. Jennifer is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida. Get the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package… Guaranteed! There is absolutely no cost for her service and it’s booked right through Disney. She can help make all your dining arrangements and include some special magic along the way. We’ve used this service before and it was an awesome experience!