A peek into the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!

Bloggers and Disney fans alike are always asking about the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.  This was our second year attending the Disney Moms Conference and we seriously feel so thankful to have had this opportunity for our first trip to Walt Disney World!  I shared about our first time at Disney Social Media Moms last year at Disneyland in California last year, even though we had been to Disneyland 100 times there was really nothing like going as part of this magical conference. I wanted to share just a couple pics and also a little information about the conference that might answer some questions for those who might want to enjoy it as well!

We attended a four day conference but since we were flying across the country we decided to get there a couple days early!  Our conference included seven day park hopper tickets (we had magic bands!) and we couldn’t let one moment of that go to waste!

All ready for our first flight as a family!  The big kids have not flown since they were 3 and 2 and Little Miss C has never flown.  Given the quantity of untraveled children we had in tow we felt it could not have gone better!  We chose a direct flight which I highly recommend!

Our first night and day was at The Swan and Dolphin Resort which is on Disney property and very close to the hotel we would be staying at the rest of our trip, but it is not a Disney owned hotel so it was a little less expensive.  The Swan And Dolphin is literally walking distance to the Boardwalk and Epcot – you can take a ferry boat to Epcot.  Some rooms (like ours!) even have a balcony view of the fireworks!

Oh, and the pools are fantastic!

If you know me, you know I love a freebie – because I have Starwood we got these fun freebies!

We loved our stay at The Swan and Dolphin was lots of fun and we recommend it to anyone!

We took it fairly easy that first evening and next day, because that afternoon we were able to check intoThe Yacht Club and they had our Magic Bands!! While the conference had not officially started, getting our Magic Bands was our first little taste of the Disney Magic that awaited us!

The good folks at The Swan and Dolphin as well as The Yacht Club were kind enough to move our things over to The Yacht Club – all we had to do was walk over and check in.  At first I was a little worried about needed to switch hotels with three kids, but we found that it was actually delightful.  We had plenty of help to get things checked in and we got to experience views of the park from different rooms as well as checking out different ground and pools – if you are going to Walt Disney World and considering switching hotels at one point (for budget or another reason) we really found it to be a bonus!

The official conference hotel was Disney’s Yacht Club which I wrote about earlier and you should totally check out!
We did check into the hotel a day before the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration started so we had to find a way to entertain ourselves….. this was Easy!  We popped on our Magic Bands and took a quick boat ride to Epcot!

*Daddy helping Little Miss C scan her Magic Band and finger print to get in the gate*

Once inside we met Aladdin and Jasmine!

Since we had just met Aladdin and Jasmine we thought we may as well enjoy dinner in Morocco!

The first two nights it was cool enough to wear sweaters at night time! It did not last! LOL!

“What is this thing Mom?” – Bubs 8 years old “It’s a dinosaur. Let’s take a picture with it.” Me

The kids got tired fast and we knew the next day was the beginning of the conference so we walked around Epcot for just a bit and then called it a night!

The morning of the conference we were up bright and early!  *Squeeeee!* We were so excited to check in first thing!

First things first – say hello to Mickey!

*I have 0 clues about what that face is J is making.*

Family photo with the boss – check!

One more hug from Mickey and then we were off for just a couple hours at Disney Animal Kingdom Park.

We spent the vast majority of our time checking out Dinosaurs…. they are kind of a big deal to Brother.

The kids earned Wilderness Explorer badges just like in the Disney Pixar movie Up! It was adorable and they learned things! I love it when we can learn on vacation!

 The big kids earn money before trips and they buy their own souvenirs – they found a store at Animal Kingdom that had all kinds of gems and rocks and silliness.  They saw these rocks and excavation kits and I have never seen them more excited to part with money. 

We felt we did not have enough time at Animal Kingdom so we hope to be back soon!  The reason we had to leave was the awesome family party that awaited us…..

I really love that what sets Disney Social Media Moms apart from other conferences is that they do so much to include your entire family.

Please note we brought our own Honey Lemon, Hiro, and despite not fitting the theme for the pic we also brought Elsa.  Real Hiro was like……

“What’s Up Girl? I haven’t seen you in forever!” and J was thrilled that he noticed her Honey Lemon costume.

He took the time to really chat with every kiddo, it was an awesome kick off to the party!

What’s a party without Mickey? Am I right?

And no party is a party at all without a princess – J was THRILLED to meet Rapunzel! Or ‘Parunzel’ as Little Miss C refers to her.

We danced the night away with our friends, listened to some fun speakers, and ate more good food than I am proud to admit……

That would be Little Miss C doing her best to keep up with the Electric Slide.

And before heading back to the hotel our party was escorted to waterside viewing of magical fireworks and desserts!

It should be so surprise that we all crashed hard that night!

The next morning Harry slept in with the kids and then took all three of them to Magic Kingdom all my himself! This was conference day for Mommy and I am so thankful I was able to be a part of this conference – we learned about so many things going on at Disney, but also around the world – we were inspired and encouraged….

We learned about how Disney will always have treats, but they are committed to helping kids make healthy choices, even in the parks! I actually wrote more about Mickey Check Meals here!

We heard all about Avatar – coming soon to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Another reason we gotta get back!

Pixar shared about Inside Out – we also screened it the next day – even before it was in theaters!

I think my favorite moment was listening to Vivienne Harr – founder of Make a Stand Lemonade

Vivienne saw the photo above and when she was told that the children were slaves she wanted to do what she could to put an end to it.  She did what a lot of little kids do, she made a lemonade stand.  Now I am not sure about your kids, but I can totally see my kids starting something like this….. and quitting like forty five minutes in.  Vivienne didn’t quit and she now runs a thriving company that helps children all over the world.  Humbled. Encouraged. Inspired.

I met up with Harry and the kids and we ran into a few friends along the way…..

We met Olaf at Walt Disney World!

We had a close call here…….

And then we were off to dinner on the beach

Can you tell we are kinda tired …. a small case of the grumpies had set in by this point, but nothing a beach party can’t remedy right?

Mickey and Minnie in Hawaiian outfits?! Look at all five of them matchy matchy!

The next morning we went to see Inside Out!  Sadly this is my only photo of Downtown Disney!

And after that we enjoyed a little free time……

Hollywood Studios where I met up with a friend!

Then over to Epcot – where we spotted GoGo Squeez – free treats at Walt Disney World?! #YesPlease

We picked up some gardening tips!

We used our Fast Passes to ride Test Track – the kids give it double thumbs ups!

Obligatory family photo in front of the Epcot Ball – courtesy of our Selfie Stick

I plan on sharing a post with photos just of the various Epcot countries – they are SO pretty but just too may to share here!

Our last day was on Mother’s Day!  The conference concluded with a fancy schmancy breakfast, kind words, and a concert.  It was the perfect way to say goodbye to all the amazing people who put the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration together!

We had a few hours before we had to leave for our flight so we quickly got on the bus to Magic Kingdom for just a couple hours……

And Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother bid us adieu with this lovely moment…..

Have you ever been to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration? Do you have a post about your experience? Leave it in the comment section for us to read!  I love reading about past years and even the times we have been!  How do you get invited to this conference you ask? Honestly, I have no idea.  Pixie dusted email just shows up in some people’s inboxes.  My only suggestion – follow @DisneyMoms on twitter, be supportive of other bloggers, and wish upon a star!