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Experiencing the Magic of Disneyland through the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration – #DisneySMMoms

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A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration which was held in Disneyland this year. I could hardly contain myself when the invite came and I knew immediately that this was one conference I couldn’t miss.

If you know me, you know that I am a huge Disney fan. We visit Walt Disney World every year and have been since my son was two. Disney holds a special place in my heart. The memories we’ve made over the years are priceless. I have always wanted to visit Disneyland, to see where it all started, to be able to walk in Walt’s footsteps and here was my chance. I knew we had to go and I booked it almost immediately.

Looking back, I can’t believe it’s over. It went by so quick but the memories made will last me a lifetime. One recap is not enough to cover all of our magical experiences we experienced and things we learned.

We were treated to amazing speakers, entertainment and food. We learned about new things coming to Disney Parks and some great programs that I can’t wait to share with you. I left the conference session moved, motivated and inspired by everything we learned. Hearing from these speakers and their passion really left a mark on me for life.

One of the speakers was Tom Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. When he talked about the Magic of Healthy Living campaign and food allergies he immediately had my attention. He said one of the goals of the program is “not only fantastic food, but safe and healthy options for our guests.” My son has severe food allergies and I can truly say, Disney has done an amazing job of having safe, healthy options for him to eat. At each restaurant, the Chef has come out to talk to us about his allergies. They either let us know what is safe for him to eat or have even made him his own allergy safe meal, which I think is amazing and another reason I love Disney.

Aside from the speakers, amazing food and entertainment was the people we met and the memories that we made.

Like this night, when my son met Gary Buchanan, Social Media Manager for Disney Parks. I met him for the first time last year at the DSMMoms On The Road event in NYC.  We saw Gary at dinner one night and he had a line of people waiting to talk to him. My son asked who he was and I told him he works with Mickey Mouse and loves Star Wars just like him.  As soon as I told him that, he grabbed his autograph book and asked if he could go say hello and get his autograph. Gary was so amazing and sweet to him. He not only took the time talk to him but he really did autograph his book which totally made his day. R was so excited to meet someone who worked with Mickey and loved Star Wars like him. He’s already asked me several times if we’ll see Gary again when we visit Walt Disney World!

Another one of my favorite memories from this trip was when we met Thumper. Thumper is a very special bunny in our house. His been a favorite of my son’s since he was little and even though we go to Disney every year, we have never met Thumper. Being almost 10, I knew he’d be excited but the look of pure happiness on his face when he met Thumper is something I will never forget.

Moments like these are one of the reasons Disney holds a special place in my heart.

Dawn

Stay tuned for Disney Social Media Moms: Day 1 The Beginning of the Magic!

Disclosure: I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and paid a conference fee at a deeply discounted rate. As a part of this conference, discounts, food, entertainment and some special gifts so that we could fully experience the magic of the Disneyland Resort. I was not asked to blog about my experience. All thoughts are my own.  

CindyWindy2003

Thursday 15th of May 2014

Despite the expense, the crowd, the lines, Disney is always where the kids want to go, it will always be that special place for families in the USA and around the world.