My family and I love to eat.  In the spirit of the Food Network show by the same name, we’re going to share the best thing we ever ate and hope that you will tell us your favorites too.

This is my last post about my latest Disney Media Trip.   I’ve written about Summer Nightastic, posted a video of Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade, interviewed the Green Army Men from Toy Story 3 and showed you how I dressed for both work and play at Disney World.   As you can see from my blog posts, my weekend was pretty amazing; Disney always makes sure that the media trips are full of magical touches.  And we eat good on media trips with catered dinners and dessert buffets.  It’s delicious, beautifully presented and there’s an open bar.  We always love these dinners.

But still my family cannot leave Disney World without having the best Disney treat we ever ate: Dole Whip.   There’s a debate among Dole Whip fans (there are legions of them out there!) if the treat is best in it’s purest form–just the ice cream–or as a float with pineapple juice.  My family votes for the float.  I’m telling you, there is nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a Dole Whip!  Somehow we always seem to get ours right before the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party; we sit on the benches leading out of Adventureland and watch the people move it and shake it.  Or watch the ducks(sometimes a better option).

Doesn’t that make your mouth water?

*Dole Whip fans, what’s your vote: ice cream only or float?

Alas, I can not take credit for “gets their glow on”…that is a phrase that I heard the Disney people use all weekend but it’s an accurate one.  Disney World has put some special things in place only for the summer nights; everything is glowing and sparkly and full of pixie dust.

My family and I got our glow on last weekend at Disney World.   I was invited by Disney to attend the media events surrounding Summer Nightastic and I was able to bring my family as well.  As you know, my family never passes up an opportunity to go to Disney World!

Summer Nightastic includes several special events throughout the parks:

• The return of Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade to Magic Kingdom.  A staple at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the parade returns to Disney World Resort for the first time since 2001.

• An elaborate new Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular that tells the story of pirates and fairies.

• New special effects and summer-only drop sequence to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

• Rock n’ Glow Dance Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where a DJ and live rock band keeps the guests dancing five nights a week.

• Live Sounds Like Summer tribute-band concerts at Epcot.

My family and I had a fantastic time!  We love Disney World and got to experience many of our resort favorites (especially with a media fast pass in our hands!) as well as some new things that we’ve never done before.  That’s why Disney World is such a fun place to visit again and again–it’s never the same vacation twice.

As media, not only did I get to experience Summer Nightastic in the theme parks like the other guests, I also had the privilege of interviewing some of the Disney people responsible for making the magic happen.

First I interviewed Marc Lorenzo, one of 6 fathers on the 21 person Walt Disney World Moms Panel.   If  you’re not familiar with the Moms Panel, you should be if you are planning a trip to Disney World; they offer guidance, opinions and great suggestions for making your Disney experience a memorable one.  Marc is a relatively new Disney World fan–his first trip was in 2007–but his application stood out among the 20,000 applicants.  As a single dad with a strong social media presence and a focus for saving money while vacationing at Disney, Marc’s favorite thing at Disney is the Main Street Electrical Parade and spending time with his son.

Talking to imagineers at Disney World is always fascinating.  These are the people who imagine and engineer the attractions at the resort.  I interviewed imagineers Jason Roberts and Diego Parras about Tower of Terror.  They said that everything they do starts with a story; they want the guests to be immersed in the story, not the technology.  After the story is worked out, then the engineers are brought in and finally the architects.  Diego said that it’s like a director looking through the lens of a camera: first there’s the wide shot (the outside of the attraction), the medium shot (the attraction que) and then the tight shot (the ride itself).

I rode Tower of Terror during my first trip to Disney World and while it scared me so much that I won’t ride again, I still say that it is one of the best rides that I have ever ridden.  The story and theming of the ride is amazing.   Part of me really wanted to ride again to experience the new effects and drop sequence for Summer Nightastic that Diego and Jason talked so excitedly about, but the other part of me (my queasy stomach) didn’t think it was a great idea.  Instead I admired the special summer nighttime glowing effects safely on the ground.

Gene Harding, the Show Producer for many of Disney’s fireworks (Wishes, Halloween, Christmas), spoke to me about Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular.  Just like with the attractions, the idea for a fireworks show starts with the show director writing a story and script.  After the script is in place, then they add the music and the fireworks designer gets involved choosing the color palette and different shells. Disney works with several different companies in the US and China to get the best fireworks.  This was the first time they used perimeter fireworks (seen around the park) for a summertime show; usually perimeter fireworks are reserved special occasions like July 4th.

The fireworks show that we see is a result of several rehearsal shows that have been perfected.   While the show is about 12 minutes long, each show will change depending on the wind conditions for that night.   The fireworks are controlled from a gazebo near the castle, but the fireworks are shot from several rooftop locations within Fantasyland and roadside locations outside the park.  Gene’s tips for good viewing spots are in front of Crystal Palace and on the Tomorrowland Bridge.  His favorite part of Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular is the pirate section.  I loved it all–the pirates, the fairies, Tinkerbell–it was the most visually stunning fireworks show that I have ever seen; Disney really works their magic with this show!

All of the Summer Nightastic events were fantastic, but seeing the Main Street Electrical Parade was a highlight for me.  I absolutely LOVE this parade.   Although I have been several times within the last year, Disney World is a relatively new experience for me; it’s Disneyland that I know like the back of my hand.  Going to college on the west  coast, I would go to Disneyland on a whim and often times just to see the Main Street Electrical Parade.    I was so excited to be a part of the media around the parade’s return to Disney World as part of Summer Nightastic.

As part of my media tour I went backstage to see the parade floats and talk to some of the people responsible for the parade.  I learned many things about the parade that I didn’t know.  Bob Jani, no longer living but a Disney Legend, got the idea for the parade during Christmas.  While looking at his Christmas tree, he was fascinated by the twinkling lights and even more so when he removed his glasses and saw how his blurry vision diffused the lights and made the tree even more beautiful.  Back in the office he played around with lights and chicken wire and an idea was born.

Currently there are more than half million lights used in the parade.  To make the parade more eco-friendly and reduce the electrical output, about 10,000 lights are LED bulbs that only use 25% power.   Originally the floats were gas-powered which was noisy and polluted the air.  As technology provides a better way to produce the parade, Disney makes those changes.

As you can imagine, taking the parade apart in California and putting it back together in Florida was not easy!  Marc Hurst, the Technical Director for the parade, said that every part had to be labeled and every wire had to be accounted for.  It took 26 semi trucks to transport the floats.

Douglas Enderle, Emmy Award-winning Senior Costume designer, showed us a dress that is worn by Cinderella’s ball dancers.  The dress had 284 lights, iridescent fabric and crystals (some of them Swarovski) meant to twinkle and diffuse light in multiple layers.   What you don’t see is Nomex, a high temperature resistant fabric that is layered between the lights and the dancer, for obvious safety reasons.  Because of the differing state laws, many of the parade dresses had to have all the lights taken off in California and put back on in Florida after the move.

I interviewed Forrest Bahruth, Show Director of Walt Disney Entertainment, about the parade.  Forrest has been with Disney for 39 years; he has worked at Disneyland, Tokyo Disney and Walt Disney World.  He favorite parade float is Elliot the dragon.  When asked what is the biggest challenge of the parade, Forrest replied that every night has to be like opening night.  They are always taking notes to ensure an excellent performance.   Forrest likened the choreography of the parade as “animation come to life” and I agree; the effortless movements of the dancers and parade performers is the result of carefully rehearsed choreography designed for our amusement and pleasure.   As Forrest said, the people behind the parade are acutely aware that they are “making memories.”

During this trip I got to see Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade with VIP viewing in front of Cinderella’s Castle and I was positively beside myself.   As Tink led the parade and sprinkled pixie dust that traveled to every float, I danced to the music and held my daughter’s hand.   Making memories.

*Read about the rest of my media trip in the blog post: Toy Story 3:  An Interview With The Green Army Men.

*Full Disclosure: I was invited by Disney to attend the Summer Nightastic media event.  Disney paid for my flight, hotel room, several meals and park tickets for me and my family.  I paid for my family’s travel.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I was invited to attend Disney’s first ever Social Media Moms Celebration in February of 2010 and since I love Disney, I jumped at the chance.  If you’ve been reading my blog within the last month, you have seen this badge proudly displayed:

Since our families were invited to join us at the Social Media Moms Celebration as well, I took my kids out of school for three days.  That was quite a hard decision for me, but besides our normal fun at Disney World, I knew that my family would experience special Disney magic on this trip and I didn’t want them to miss it.  Because my mother joined us on the trip as well, my husband was able to be an attendee like me and go to all the conference events; I was happy to share this with him and glad that he could join me.  There’s so much to tell about this fantastic event that you might have to read this blog post in stages, but do read it all because it’s an event worth hearing about.

The Social Media Moms (and Dads)

Quite awhile before the event at Disney World tweets were flying with the hashtag #DisneySMMoms and all the attendees were connecting via Twitter about what to wear, what to bring, and just general excitement about the event.   This is when I absolutely love Twitter because I “met” people that I hadn’t previously been following and developed a rapport even before we met in person.  Indeed most people knew each other’s Twitter name instead of real names and upon meeting each other it would go something like this: “Hi, I’m Sherrelle.”   I would get a pleasant smile and handshake.  Then I would say, “I’m Funkidivagirl on Twitter” and the smile would turn into a big grin and the handshake into a hug because we would realize that we “know” each other already.    A Facebook page was created with multiple discussion panels and one dad even created a Ning site for the dads to meet.  Yes, this was a social media event alright!   While at Disney World it was fun being with old friends that I know in real life or have met previously at other conferences while also meeting new friends.  There was never a dull moment or lack of somebody to talk to; everyone was friendly and engaging.  My husband, one of the few male attendees, remarked that at a predominately male conference there would never be so much chatter on an early morning bus to breakfast.  Hey, we talk a lot online and it doesn’t stop in person!

The Hotel

Our conference fee included three nights at the Polynesian resort and I was very excited because I had never stayed there before.  It is one of the few resorts on the monorail line and that was very convenient for our families to be able to travel around Disney World while we were in the conference sessions or at media events.  The hotel room was HUGE compared to the other resorts that I have stayed in (Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs and Riverside) and my family of 5 was very comfortable.  There was plenty of space for our clothes and enough room to lounge about or for my daughter to play.   We had a beach view and if it hadn’t been so cold, it would have been very nice to sit on the balcony.   We were able to watch the water parade from our balcony; my kids loved that.   Since we were there for a specific event (and it was very cold, I have to say that again, I mean freezing), we didn’t get to experience all the hotel amenities like the beach and volcano pool, but I have a feeling that we will return to the Polynesian on another visit.

The Conference

Our first conference event was a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki at Epcot’s American Adventure.  He was a fantastic speaker and talked to us about how he uses Twitter.  First of all, I loved how he–and all the speakers–assumed us to be social media savvy and talked to us like peers (as they should have).    His speech was both informative and engaging as he took us through the various ways to use Twitter: to sell, to search, for customer service and to gain more followers.   I learned many take-away points about how to take my Twitter game to the next level.

The big conference day on Friday was an all-day event at the Contemporary Resort and Conference Center.  I was not a fan of the Contemporary years ago, but lately I am loving it; the decor has changed from an out-dated 70s look to more of a hip, sleek W Hotel.   And you can’t beat the convenience of the monorail stopping right inside the hotel.

• The first speaker of the morning was Maxine Clark, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.   Her story of a “dream”–a dream that is now a gazillion dollar business–was perfect for the location and backdrop of the Cinderella castle behind her.  Our tables were decorated with Disney Princess Build-A-Bears and my daughter is still upset that I didn’t win the raffle for the bear at my table.

• Next up was Marissa Jaret Winokur, actress and Tony Award winner for her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.  Marissa did her speech interview-style; it was funny and entertaining, but the audience mostly connected with her talking about how she juggles being the mother of a young child and her career.

• I think Kathy Ireland’s speech was the most surprising to us all.  We knew her as a once super-model and yes, knew that that she had an extremely successful lifestyle brand and business, but didn’t know just how inspiring she is as a woman, wife and mother.   This is a woman who has her priorities in order–faith, family and then business–and really tries to live her life accordingly.  She has been married 22 years to an ER doctor and commercial fisherman (who knew, right?) and together they have built a personal life and business that has not been free from trouble, but that is real and true.   I know that I became a fan and I would venture to say that the whole audience–including my husband and other men–did too.

• Chris Brogan followed Kathy Ireland and while he said it was a tough act to follow, most attendees were eagerly awaiting his moment on stage.  Known in social media circles as a “rock star,” he’s an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author.  We all knew this as he has a constant presence on Twitter and well, everywhere.  What we didn’t know was just how funny he was!   While he talked to us about how to make our blog posts better, more engaging, and more community-oriented, he also had us rolling in the aisles.   I am breaking one of his rules now, “make blog posts shorter and more concise,” but at least I am following another rule “be helpful.”   Chris was around for most of the conference days and was very accessible for questions and conversation with all the attendees.

• The conference ended with a very funny comedian, Mary Ellen Hooper, who had everyone in stitches about her observations both in social media and real life.

The Press Events

Part of our time at the Social Media Moms Celebration included media press events with traditional media (print and television) as well.  Our first event was at ESPN Wide World of Sport’s Milkhouse (a very nice facility with posters of athletes wearing milk moustaches).  There at the Milkhouse we learned “What’s New, What’s Next” at Disney World.

• One exciting thing that I have to come back for is “Summer Nightastic,” which includes the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.   Just watching the video clip brought tears to my eyes as it is my most favorite thing at Disney, and currently it is only shown at Disneyland in California.   Other fun events of “Summer Nightastic” include new drop sequences for Tower of Terror (I won’t be riding that–once is enough), a special fireworks show and the return of Sounds Like Summer concert series to Epcot.

• The Disney Cruise Line has some big things in store for the next few years; in 2010 the Disney Magic will sail to Europe for a 5-month season and in 2011 the Disney Wonder will sail for the first time to Alaska.  I’m not a fan of cruising, but I think that Disney can entice me to try one of their cruises because they look like so much fun as well as luxurious (I’m all about luxury on vacation).    However, I think that I will be the only one in my family to try the AquaDuck, a water roller coaster that goes out over the water, on the new Disney Dream.

• Disney World is about to undergo the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history–a three-year construction project to expand Fantasyland.  When it’s done, the expansion promises to make Fantasyland even more magical than it is now.  Each Disney princess will have her own village for an immersive encounter, there will be a new ride with Ariel and friends and the classic Dumbo’s Flying Circus will expand to twice it’s current size as a brand new circus-themed attraction.  Two new themed restaurants, Be Our Guest and Gaston’s Tavern will provide fun culinary experiences.  I’m really looking forward to the new Fantasyland!

The other media event we attended was a ceremony at Epcot’s World Showplace honoring volunteer families from around the world as part of Disney’s Give A Day, Get A Disney Day.  Just 6 weeks into the program 600,000 people have committed to or completed their volunteer activity–this is more than halfway to Disney’s goal of 1 million volunteers.

It was a thrill for me to see Kermit The Frog because I’m a big Sesame Street fan, but most of the audience loved Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  He  urged the audience to shout with him “move those balloons!” to reveal the Guinness World Record-certified world’s largest canned food sculpture–more than 115,000 cans.   Later that day there was a volunteer event to dismantle the sculpture and pack the canned food into boxes for distribution to food shelters.

The Cast Members

I know from past Disney media events that I have attended that Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager and Leanne Jakubowski, Director of Social Media, do everything first class, so really I didn’t expect anything less than what was presented.   Disney as a company is impressive in their execution of excellence, but it’s the customer service that makes Disney stand apart from similar experiences.   From the bus drivers to the cast members who held the flashing light to always point us in the right direction, we were always taken care of.   When it was cold outside, we were given hand-warmers and heaters.  When it was dark, we were given flashlights.  When it was raining, we were given umbrellas.   Our comfort, safety and enjoyment were always the first priority of the cast members; I don’t think we could have asked for a better experience.

The Dinners, Parties and All-Out Fun

Oh, but it was not all work; we had time to play as well and let me tell you, when Disney throws a party, they know how to get down!  There was a DJ at every dinner and the kids were encouraged to dance and play.   The food was plentiful and tasty.  Here are some highlights from the different events:

Wednesday night was our first event at ESPN Wide World of Sports and WOW, it was fabulous.  The characters, dressed in sports gear, visited all the tables for photos.   The food was tail-gate fare (originally supposed to be served outside, but it was too cold) of burgers, hot dogs, make-your-own nachos, sausages and beer cheese soup.  Cracker Jacks and peanuts decorated the tables.  My daughter went wild for the display of cotton candy.   It was a really fun event and set the mood for all the fun yet to come.

Me & Laura Spencer

After a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki, we spent all day at Epcot with our families.  My family loves Japan in World Showcase; my daughter learned origami and we bought our favorite Japanese candy.  We also spent the day looking for hidden Mickeys; we found a really cool one in Epcot’s France.

Thursday night’s event was held outside at Epcot’s Future World and it was cold, but hand warmers and heaters kept us warm.  The food was prepared by–surprise!–Chef Robert Irvine from Food Network’s Dinner Impossible.   We had tasty little dishes inspired by the Disney Princesses; my favorites were the seafood shepherd’s pie (with lobster and scallops) and the cheesecake push-pops.   My daughter is a huge fan of this show and was so excited when Chef Irvine briefly took the stage to explain his dishes; we can’t wait to see the show when it airs on Food Network sometime in the spring.   After dinner we were treated to a concert by a new band, Allstar Weekend, winners of Disney’s Next Big Thing contest, before the big stars Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato took the stage.  The concert ended with fireworks.   It was a great ending to a fun day spent at Epcot.

Our last dinner party on Friday night was held after hours at Hollywood Studios.  Originally the event was supposed to be on the set of Lights! Motor! Action!, but  the rainy day forced the dinner inside.   Characters were present to dance with the kids while we dined on a buffet dinner.   But after dinner was when the fun really began because we had Toy Story Mania, one of the most popular rides at Disney World and easily a two hour wait in line, ALL TO OURSELVES!   Yes, that’s right, they opened up the ride just for our group!  My kids were so excited and even I entered the building screaming.  We ran in, grabbed our glasses and rode over and over again trying to beat our high scores, because guess what?–we could; there was no wait!  It was so much fun!   Across from the ride Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye were waiting just for us, to take photos and interact with the kids (and adults too–I was excited to see them!).  This was such a fun way to end the conference; as you can see from the photos, we had a blast.

Chris Brogan & my husband James

Chris & James battled; Chris won.

You can also check out this 12 second video of Chris and James on Toy Story Mania.

The Goodies

Ahh, the goodies; Disney gave freely and it was all good.  We got a big bag ‘o goodies when we checked-in: watches, a game kit, a blanket, a laptop bag and my favorite, a desktop box of post-it notes.   What can I say; I like post-it notes!    After the ESPN dinner we were given a really cute hat.  During the conference there were many raffles for gift baskets, purses, Build-A-Bears and the most coveted prize of all–an overnight stay in Cinderella’s Castle (insert copious oohs and aahs here).   Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves presented the golden key to the lucky winner, who, alas, wasn’t me.  What I wouldn’t give to stay in Cinderella’s suite!   During the conference we were given cute pink polar fleece jackets which really came in handy due to the cold weather, but also useful for identifying each other in the parks after the conference was over.   We also left the conference with a plush Mickey doll and a red sequined Mickey bag–both which my daughter took as her own.

Our conference fee included 7 day park hopper tickets, with add-ons like the water parks, miniature golf and Disney Quest.  While we didn’t use the water parks because it was too cold, my mom took my kids to Disney Quest on Friday while I was at the conference because it rained all day.   Having the park hopper tickets was fantastic and we did use them for the two days that we stayed after the conference as well; I wish that we would have been able to take advantage of the full seven days.

The park tickets were great.  The gifts were great.  But the ONE THING that made this trip over the top, the ONE GOODIE that was beyond fantastic, beyond fun and simply mind-blowing for my family was this baby right here:

Yes, it is unassuming, but I hope you understand the seriousness of this little white card: this media Fastpass allowed us to NOT WAIT IN LINE for any ride that had a Fastpass, which are all the most popular rides at Disney World.  Soarin‘, a 90 minute wait?  Not for us; we slipped in our card and bam! Fastpass tickets came out with times stamped for that very minute.   Expedition to Everest is out of Fastpasses for the day?  Not for us; we still get Fastpasses!  Because we never had to wait in line, I was able to talk my husband into riding all the roller coasters with me.  I usually ride by myself on family trips; he hasn’t ridden with me in over 10 years, but this time he rode them all.   I even talked my kids into riding Expedition to Everest (who normally don’t ride roller coasters);  my son loved it and my daughter still isn’t sure about how she feels.   Because of the Golden Ticket, as everyone at the conference took to calling it, my husband and I rode Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time together and loved it; we highly recommend it as a “must ride” attraction.

The Rest of My  Trip

My family stayed an extra two days after the Social Media Moms Celebration ended.  We moved out of the Polynesian resort to the Sheraton Safari; it was off-property but only a 10 minute drive into Disney World.  I was very nervous about staying off-property because I have never done it before and let me tell you, I will never do it again.   You would think a Sheraton would be nice, but the hotel was old, out-dated and the rooms were tiny;  it is not a place that I would recommend.  The only good thing about it was that we used my husband’s hotel points and we didn’t pay a dime.  I don’t think it was worth saving the money; although we had a car, we didn’t have the convenience of Disney transportation nor were we allowed Extra Magic Hours.  And I didn’t like being “out of the magic” and into the chaos of that section of Orlando.   My advice would be to stay on-property or if you elect to stay off-property, do your research.

Because we had the Golden Ticket, we were tired from the conference activities, we stayed off-property and it was freezing, we didn’t get up early and out to the parks like we normally do.   We were with the chaff, not the wheat as we prefer to be.  True, with the Golden Ticket we were King of the Chaff, but chaff nevertheless.   It was a busy week at Disney and lines were long for food and non-Fastpass rides.  My original mantra, “get to the park before it opens” still stands; it makes for a much less-crowded and more pleasant park-going experience.

Besides riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time and my family finally experiencing my favorite ride at Disney, Expedition to Everest, we used our limited time to experience our favorites.  Again, we didn’t see Indiana Jones at Hollywood Studios.  Next trip we have to do that, but it was just too cold this time.   We ate at Casey’s on Main Street in Magic Kingdom; eh, it was okay as is most of the food in that park.  We rode the ferry from Magic Kingdom’s Ticket & Transportation Center for the first time because the monorail was packed and we really liked it.    We were going to the park to see the Spectromagic Parade and caught the ferry just in time to view Wishes from the top deck; that was a nice vantage point to see the fireworks and highly recommended (although you do miss hearing the accompanied audio track).  As always Spectromagic was beautiful and magical; we were prepared for the cold with our new Disney blankets from the conference, but it wasn’t too bad that evening….not with all our layers: a short tee, long tee, hoodie, winter coat, hat and gloves.  I told you, it was freezing.

The Spectromagic Parade was a great way to end our magical 5 days at Disney World.  I am so happy that I was invited to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration and I hope that this is just the beginning of many other media opportunities for me at Disney World.   Me and The Mouse…we’re becoming tight.  :-)

*Full Disclosure: I was invited by Disney to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration.  While I did pay a fee for this opportunity, the total package of 3 nights hotel stay, meals and 7 day park tickets for my family of five was offered at a greatly reduced rate.  I paid for my own transportation to Disney World and all meals and accommodations after the end of the conference days.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve just gotten back from the first ever Social Media Moms Celebration at Disney World and let me tell you that it was FABULOUS!  I’ll be writing about that later this week, but first I wanted to give you a few tips about planning your own vacation to Disney World—specifically how to save money.

My family has been to Disney World a few times and we plan to return often; it is one of our absolutely favorite vacation spots.  But as anyone who has been there knows, it is not an inexpensive vacation.   Fortunately, a little knowledge and research before your trip can help you save money.   I’ve taken a Disney vacation when money has not been a concern and I’ve been to Disney when I’m literally counting every penny that I spend.  In either case, I try to spend money on “the good stuff” and save money wherever I can.

Don’t pay for water.   Bring in your own water bottle.  This is by far one of the easiest ways to save money at Disney World.   A bottle of water in the parks can cost a few dollars, but if you bring in your own empty bottle and refill it throughout the day, you could save $12-$16 per day just in water alone.   Refilling a water bottle also cuts down on the consumption of soda.   The Florida sun is brutal and you need to keep hydrated, but it shouldn’t cost you money to do that.

Limit snacks.   Pack your own snacks such as pretzels or crackers to stave off hunger or boredom in line, but allow each person one Disney snack a day.   You’re on vacation after all and Disney World does have some fantastic snacks.  My family never leaves Magic Kingdom without having a Dole Whip.

In another park it might be the Mickey-shaped ice cream bar.  Epcot’s World Showcase is a great place to have a churro from Mexico, crepe from France or red bean ice cream from China and we always make sure to get a mango pie at Animal Kingdom.  We enjoy Disney snacks, but each person is only allowed one special snack per day.   By limiting my family to only one purchased snack a day, we can save $20 per day.  This tip not only saves us money, but it is healthier for our bodies as well.

Eat breakfast in your hotel room.   My family does take advantage of a few Disney breakfast buffets or character meals during our vacation, but most of our breakfast is consumed in the hotel room.  Either I bring food from home (we drive to Disney World) or go to the grocery store when we arrive.  Most Disney hotel rooms have a small refrigerator big enough for yogurt, juice and milk.  Add some cold cereal, fruit and bagels or muffins and that’s a complete breakfast.   Breakfast groceries for a week would cost about $50, while eating breakfast out every morning would be $200 or more for the week–and that’s just a quick counter meal breakfast.   A character breakfast or buffet costs my family $70 per meal, not including tax or tip.   Eating breakfast in our hotel room saves my family tons of money, but it also saves us time because we can eat and get dressed in shifts; we like getting to the parks early to beat the lines and heat.

Share a meal.   Disney World serves huge portions, especially at the table restaurants, so if you aren’t on the Dining Plan, share a meal.  Most of the time the meals are too much food for one person to eat anyway.  By sharing a meal, even just one meal a day, my family can save $175 over the course of a week’s vacation.

Check for special offers.   The official Disney World website is the place to find special offers for Disney World resorts and packages; the button is located on the upper right corner of the home page.  All of Disney’s officially advertised deals are here and depending on the time of the year, there can be some great deals to be had.   Last spring break vacation my family took advantage of the “Buy 4, Get 3 Free” offer and our hotel at Saratoga Springs, the Dining Plan and park tickets for 7 nights cost the same as 4 nights.  This saved us about $1,650.00 and because of the savings we were also able to stay in much nicer hotel than we had on a previous trip.

Let kids use their own money for souvenirs.   My kids often get money from relatives for Christmas and birthday presents, but really have nothing to spend it on at home.  Disney World is the perfect place to spend some Grandma Money.   What parent likes to deny their child–especially at Disney World?  But saying “yes” to every desire can really add up.  Kids are usually better consumers when they spend their own money and really think about their purchases instead of asking for everything that they see.

Buy souvenirs wisely.   Disney World is full of wonderful things to buy and your kids are going to want everything, but you should save your souvenir money for the good stuff.   Anything that you can buy in the mall at the Disney Store or Target back at home, don’t buy it at Disney World.   Instead, take advantage of the special items that only Disney sells.   Personalized mouse ears are always fun to buy.  My daughter loves going to Once Upon A Toy in Downtown Disney to buy new parts for her Mr. Potato.

Many of the gift shops outside of popular attractions have souvenirs related to that attraction.  For instance Tower of Terror has really neat hotel-related souvenirs and the gift shop at Star Tours is a perfect place for Star Wars fans.    Epcot’s World Showcase is a fun place to buy souvenirs from around the world.  My family’s favorite store is in Epcot’s Japan; we love Japanese candy and wind-up toys so this is where we spend our money.  It’s different, fun and not something that we can buy anywhere.

I hope that I’ve given you some tips about saving money on your next vacation to Disney World.  For a more detailed review of my trips to Disney World please read my 3 part series, How To Do Disney World Like Funkidivagirl.  You can read about all my Disney World experiences, including media events that I’ve been invited to, in the catergory T as in Tango: Disney World.   If you have any questions about Disney World, please leave me a comment and I will try to answer.

And come back later this week to read about my FABULOUS time at Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration!

I’ve been VIP many times before in different arenas.  My uncle, being a bishop, gives me VIP status in certain church circles.  My husband, working most of his career in the music business, included me in many VIP events in that world.  Being backstage at a Will Smith concert is nice–don’t get me wrong–but I think that I’ve been spoiled forever by Disney VIP (sorry Will, but Mickey is The Man).   I’ve done Disney World the easy way (off-season and short lines) and the hard way (during Spring Break when the park was at such capacity that they shut it down and lines were 2 hours long), but I’ve never done Disney World VIP-style until now.  And I must say, it’s going to be very hard to go back to being a normal park-goer after the experience I just had!

My pass to VIP-dom.  I’m officially press!

Believe me, I was working; we were gone from about 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. everyday and moving fast the entire time, but there was plenty of fun and Disney magic in everything we did.

Let’s start with the people that I was so fortunate to be with during this fabulous experience.  Taking us on this whirlwind journey was Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager for Disney World.  She was our fearless (and hilarious) leader.  I met Laura at Blogalicious ’09, but didn’t know just how wonderfully kooky she was until now.  Laura ran a tight ship, but provided plenty of laughter along the way; she loves her job and it shows.  Heather Murry and Darcie Maranich, both on the 2008 Disney World Moms Panel, were also on hand to share their wealth of Disney World knowledge.

Heather, Laura & Darcie

Besides myself, there were 7 other bloggers invited to Disney World (pictured below from left to right):

Lucinda Anderson Hughs, FrugalSocialite.com

Deveter Brown, Blackplanet.com

Angela Cooper, Hangingwithmrsacooper.blogspot.com

Onica Cupido, Blasianbabynotes.blogspot.com

Me: Sherrelle Kirkland-Andrews, Funkidivagirl.com

Lorraine Robertson, Askwifey.com

Tara Jefferson, Theyoungmommylife.com

Lashanda Henry, Blackparenting.blogspot.com

Lorraine is the only person that I knew before the trip, but by the end, I had made new friends.  We were the social media bunch; there was traditional media represented as well and we spent much of our time as one big group.   Here’s a group shot of almost everyone:

The magic started upon entering Animal Kingdom Lodge; I had been there before, but didn’t get to spend much time in the lobby.  The decor is incredible, the art work authentic and the animals outside were so fun to look at (I love animals).  African drummers can be found at numerous times of the day providing further ambience to the whole African safari-like experience.  We ate breakfast one day at one of the restaurants on site, Boma, and it was just as incredible as the dinner that I had there before.

And talking about meals…we had some incredible working lunches and dinners.  Well, we had to eat right?–And Disney made sure that we experienced some of the best they had to offer.  Our first dinner at Contemporary’s California Grill, one of Disney’s signature restaurants, set the tone for our VIP treatment.  Delicious food, special pumpkin cocktails and an incredible view of the sunset over Cinderella’s castle–well I can see why people come to this restaurant to celebrate anniversaries and other special occasions.

Lunch at Contemporary’s The Wave was so delicious, especially the appetizers that just kept streaming out: Five-Spice Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Lump Crab Cake, Pear and Midnight Moon Cheese Salad, Black Bean Chili with a Jalapeno Corn Muffin, Pepper-seared Tuna and Chicken-filled Summer Rolls; we barely had room for our entrees!  My Organic Beer Flight was a nice way to sample all 3 beers on the menu.  The staff was so attentive and gracious at The Wave; my parting gift of a Tinker Bell cup (with a green glowing Tink) made the experience that much more magical.

Breakfast at Pizzafari was one of my favorite meal because of the french toast served; cinnamon and sugar-coated deep-fried goodness with sliced bananas and syrup….OH MY!  It was so good that I only had one piece; I was afraid of eating anymore or else I wouldn’t ever stop.  I know some of the Disney World restaurant recipes are online and I have to find this one in order to make it at home; my family will love it.

Dinner at Cat Cora’s new restaurant Kouzzina very was good (I had a delicious appetizer of goat cheese grilled in a grape leaf) and the drinks were good too.  Laura had one of the fancy glowing martinis while everyone else yelled “Opa!” and slammed down ouzo (not me; I was too chicken).  Lorraine didn’t exactly like the taste of ouzo.

During dinner, cast member Brad talked to us about Disney’s new promotion for 2010: “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.” Starting January 1st Disney is giving away 1 million park tickets to anyone who signs up to do community service through Hands on Network.  It’s a great way for a family (ages 6 & up) to give back to the community and earn a Disney park ticket as a reward.

As wonderful as our meals were at Disney World, that’s all the sitting we did because the rest of the time we were in and out of the parks (via the backstage secret VIP entrance…shhh!) experiencing so much of the World.  Vinnie, our wonderful driver, made sure we made it to each destination on time and in total comfort.

We toured several of Disney World’s properties to have a look at different accommodation choices: the new Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort (very hip and modern, like a W Hotel), Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Villas, All Star Music Resort Family Suites and Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas.  The Treehouse Villas were my favorite because they were just so different; the 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and full kitchen would be perfect for a large family or an extended family enjoying a vacation together.

We had a special VIP experience in each Disney World theme park.  Our first stop was Disney’s Hollywood Studios where after viewing the show, we took a behind-the-scenes tour of The American Idol Experience.  Michael, our cast member guide, explained the whole audition process and showed us the Coke Lounge and producer offices.  Here I am, ready to make someone’s dreams come true:

Our time at Magic Kingdom began in newly updated Hall of Presidents; Disney imagineer Diego Parras talked to us about the incredible work that goes into making the Disney magic.  Disney has a patent on the audio-animatronic system and Hall of Presidents is a good place to see that magic in action; while the whole show was impressive, the figure and gestures of newly added President Obama was so very life-like.  Diego confirmed that it was the most technologically advanced of all the presidents represented.

Speaking about the whole imagineer experience, Diego explained how it is the mission of the Disney to create stories for guests to immerse themselves; therefore, imagineers have to immerse themselves as well.   For example, while creating Expedition Everest they went to Nepal and while creating Mission to Space they worked with Nasa.  Most of all, he said to be an imagineer you have to think outside the box and act like a kid.  Sounds like a ideal job description to me!

We were also in Magic Kingdom to enjoy Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, a ticketed event independent of regular admission.  Guests were dressed in costumes, trick-or-treating was available at various candy stops and Halloween decorations were everywhere.

We took a quick ride on Pirates of the Caribbean–a perfect ride for a Halloween party–and then enjoyed the highlights of the night: Happy HalloWishes Fireworks and Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, which we got to experience VIP-style on the top of the train station.   Hot chocolate and dessert buffet selections in hand, we saw 2 awesome shows from the perfect vantage point.  The parade starts with a run by a headless horseman–truly magical, but hard to catch on film.

Our dessert party at the train station.

The castle was as beautiful as ever all lit up and made for perfect photo-opps.  That’s me in the first photo and Laura and Jawn Murray in the next photo.

So, how about this for VIP treatment at Epcot: being whisked right off our private bus and ushered into fantastic seats at a Boyz II Men concert.  Seats so good that it was an easy catch of the roses tossed our way.

Boyz II Men looked and sounded great, but our interaction didn’t stop there at the concert; we met up with them later at a VIP dessert reception.  That’s Lucinda eating fruit like a good girl, while I ate cheesecake.

Me & Lorraine

Animal Kingdom wasn’t left out of our tour of Disney World; we had a private Kilimanjaro Safari aided by the commentary of cast member Ric.  Before the safari we saw where many of the animals lived backstage and learned about the conservation efforts of Animal Kingdom such as how the safari trucks run on propane and cast members park their cars to ride bikes throughout the grounds.  As we viewed the animals Ric was a wealth of knowledge and answered all of our questions; we were so fortunate to have his expertise at our disposal.  First thing in the morning is the best time to catch the animals awake and they didn’t disappoint; they posed for photos graciously.  I think the lioness was waiting for a movie deal, she was so picturesque, and the rhino got so close to our truck that I’m not sure if that was a welcoming sign or a scare tactic.

Disney World made sure that we had many different wonderful and magical experiences, but the main reason we were there was for the debut of Princess Tiana, Disney’s newest and first African American princess and star of The Princess and the Frog.  The excitement started with this bag left in our rooms the night before the big media event:

Princess Tiana made her debut in Magic Kingdom with a processional and official welcoming ceremony.  Besides our crew, there were several media outlets present to cover this exciting event.

I was professionally taking photos and video of the ceremony, but I was positively giddy with excitement (maybe that’s why the camera is so shaky)!

I have more photos (of when I got to meet Princess Tiana!) and video, but that will be my next post.

I truly enjoyed doing Disney World VIP-style!  Not only did I get to be present for a historical Disney event with the debut of Princess Tiana, I got to have many other amazing Disney experiences and met some wonderful new friends as well.  Two more things made this trip fabulous.  First, when I asked Laura if we could stop our fast moving train for a refreshing Dole Whip, not only did she oblige, but she treated the whole crew!  I love her for that!  It’s my favorite snack in all of Disney World and no trip is complete to me without indulging.

And lastly, I left Disney World on a very high note.  Lorraine and I managed to squeeze in a ride on Expedition Everest right before we left for the airport (no VIP this time, but luckily there were no lines because we were really pushing our luck).

It was her first time riding and as you will see, she loved it.

And that’s how you say good-bye to Disney World, with screams of joy and lots of laughter!  Woo-hoo!

*Continue reading about my trip to Disney World in the blog post Princess Tiana Has Arrived.

*Full Disclosure: I was invited to Disney World as “media” for the debut of Princess Tiana.  My entire trip was paid for by Disney (hotel accommodations, flight, transfers and meals).