Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, the timing of it all, was rough! Little Miss’s Spring Concert fell on the same night as when I wanted to leave for our Disney Social Media Moms Celebration journey. It totally messed up my plans, but the kid worked super hard in early morning chorus, and with her Viola at Orchestra. She couldn’t miss it. We adjusted our schedule, and left the following morning.
However, to keep expenses down, we chose a flight working with our budget. The downside? It cut our arrival at #DisneySMMC super close to the “time deadline” for registration, and the welcome festivities. Time crunches like this make me edgy, so our trip into Orlando was a little more tense than necessary.
Getting to Disney Social Media Moms Celebration
Inexperienced flying partners
Little Miss had only flown while cooking inside of me, and then once when she was a baby. She wasn’t experienced in the airport process. The Boy? Never been on a plane before this trip. Going through security went well, because our local airport is small, and we flew at a more low-key hour of the day. It worked out well, and my stress started to calm down. Direct flight, left on time, we’d definitely make it to the registration and not miss all the fun afterwards.
Unexpected time suckers
Once we landed in Orlando, we RAN to Disney’s Magical Express. The wait there was longer than expected, and my nerves were back in full swing. As luck would have it, Disney’s Magical Express got us to Disney’s Yacht Club in record time, and we were escorted to the check-in desk by a cast member.
Another little snag. Peter, a lovely man, told us the room wasn’t ready for our family because of “unforeseen circumstances.” I looked at him, looked at my phone, and said “Check-in is 3pm, and it’s 3:30pm. How’s that even possible?” Peter looked like he wanted to run away from the desk, because I’m sure he was waiting for me to lose it on him.
Keeping my composure at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration
We just got off the plane, and run like mad to make it to the hotel to register at the conference. A hiccup like this room thing wasn’t something I wanted to hear. However, I just kept asking “how does this happen, if we’re here a half-an-hour after the start of official check-ins?” Surprisingly, I didn’t lose my temper. With the heat, stress, and eagerness to get to register, I’m sure Peter was waiting for the big meltdown. It never came.
All I asked was how we could improve the situation for my kids, as they were exhausted, and needed to change. Peter got on the phone. He made Disney Magic: a room was made available for us. He offered to have the luggage moved to our room, so we didn’t have to lug it over to registration, because time was tick tock-ing away. We handed it over, took our luggage receipt, then hauled butt over to the conference registration.
Mickey Mouse Welcome
Our hustle couldn’t be matched by any other family as we hightailed it over to the conference area, where we were met with huge banners letting us know we found the right spot. Following the huge banners led to bigger smiles of so many cast members, it was crazy.
The one face that stood out from the rest? Claudia. She was my savior of sanity during the last few weeks leading up to our departure. She answered all my silly questions, and eased my mind about everything happening in MyDisneyExperience.com receiving the big Disney Social Media Moms Celebration invite in my email inbox!
Mickey Mouse welcomed us with open arms, and put all of us at ease. We knew the magic was starting, and it was up to us to hold onto those Mickey ears for the ride of a lifetime.
Cocktails and mingling
Once our family settled into room 1009 at Disney’s Yacht Club, and was enjoying the incredible view from room, I ran over to get the shuttle. It was time for the welcome reception at Epcot for conference attendees, which included cocktails. Mama Sunflower needed cocktails. Plus, see old friends, as well as make new friends.
It was all about mingling with my fellow attendees; getting to know some new people; networking with my people. The cocktails were a lovely bonus! While I mingled, I realized how hungry I was. The aromas from the family dinner being set up made my stomach growl. After some ice breakers with our hosts, we headed to the family dinner party room. All of our families were also shuttled over to Epcot for the dinner, and soon the party started! Food, drinks, music, activities, and of course, characters to meet!
A video posted by Staci (@novsunflower) on
Disney Social Media Moms Family Dinner
Disney knows how to entertain families, and keep kids of all ages, happy! So much food, and fun, I wasn’t sure how Disney would top this amazing family celebration. Crazy, but they not only topped it, they went above and beyond with a dessert party with front row seats to Epcot’s IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth show. I had the most amazing banana cream pie in a jar, the kids enjoyed donuts and macaroons, and lots more. What stole the night? Being close enough to the show, we felt the heat from the fire on the water during the show.
Illuminations at epcot!!! #DisneySMMC
A video posted by Staci (@novsunflower) on
Our family: forever spoiled by Disney’s events team. After the first night, with the magic flowing from everywhere….. I turned to Mr. Sunflower and said “We’re in for an amazing weekend if this is how the first night is going!” Little did we know how truly amazing it would all be. Hello, look at this view we got to enjoy once we returned to our room at the Yacht Club.
My view for the next few nights. I could not ask for more. Thank you #disneyworld #DisneySMMC #disneyyachtclub A photo posted by Staci (@novsunflower) on
