We are easy to spot; we’re the ones constantly looking at our phones, searching for locations to check in to and of course, share with the world (and cursing the lack of cell service to complete our check in!). Who doesn’t want to know that we are getting our morning coffee at Starbucks, buying socks at the mall, or enjoying seeing a movie with friends? As newbies find out quickly, quite a few people not only aren’t interested but actually get annoyed with constant check ins! Hrmph. Never fear, there are actually settings in all services which allow you to keep your check-ins to yourself, only share with friends, or share with twitter, facebook, or both.

While each of us use the apps or services in a different way – some to meet up with friends in the same location, others to keep family informed, others just to chronicle their every move, we’re all in it for the fun, and yes, tiny pixelated rewards we may get for checking in. Disney teamed up with popular service Gowalla a few months back and created official Disney check-ins, virtual pins, trips to complete and items to pick up along the way. With the huge social media army nestled firmly within the Disney fandom, this was a natural and welcomed partnership.

Some of the most popular Walt Disney World check-in spots on Gowalla. There are Disneyland spots as well.

Fans could now share their Disney visits and experiences as they happened online. Users can take a photo of a location and leave it behind for future visitors to see. Gowalla also uses random items which may be found or dropped along the way and with the Disney partnership, those items now included Mickey Mouse ear hats, Hitchhiking Ghosts, and Walt and Mickey Partners Statues. Disney created their own official “trips” which include checking in to multiple locations, either within one or more parks, the resorts, or a combination of places within Walt Disney property. Committed users will be rewarded by the trip completion and a virtual pin to add to their collection. Another benefit is visitors themselves can make their own trips which guests can also complete, adding to the fun and competitive aspect of checking in.

Some of the virtual Disney pins from Gowalla for trip completion

Gowalla has now announced a new Walt Disney World Passholder exclusive virtual pin. No details have been given as to whether proof of Passholder must somehow be shown to obtain the virtual pin. Perhaps just not publicizing it anywhere but the Passholder newsletter is the level of “exclusivity” mentioned. If there’s one thing the Disney community does, it spreads news, so I’d imagine many guests will be achieving this particular pin, Passholder or not. I’ll have to report back on it when I complete the challenge myself. One of the spots, Disney Junior – Live on Stage! does not premier until March, but the check-in spot is available currently, so there may be some dishonest checking in among die-hard Gowalla users. Below are the complete set of spots you must check in at to earn the Passholder virtual pin.

Disney Passholder Virtual Pin check-ins

Personally, I love the marriage of Disney and Gowalla and for an obsessive personality like my own (hence my blog), it’s just the thing to keep me excited about the next big thing at Walt Disney World. Much to the dismay of my family, my check-in addition is not going anywhere any time soon. Unlike many other Disney collections (Dooney & Bourke purses, Vinylmation, constantly updating Disney merchandise…) this virtual one is compact, portable, and best of all – free! I no longer fear ending up on an episode of “Disney Hoarders” (that would make an awesome show, btw), my fears now involve a drained battery in my phone. My 12 year old son is following along in my footsteps and we now challenge each other to see who can check in to a spot first. Makes a mother proud…

Gowalla is a free app available for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad,  iPod Touch, and Palm devices.

In addition to being the first to see the new trailer for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” and ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park attraction, the lucky fans will be treated to a special Pirate after party, plus special commemorative gifts—but not until all of them have sworn to the “Pirate’s Oath” in a ceremony on the bow of the Columbia sailing ship. For added fun, fans who come to the event in pirate costume will have additional opportunities to win special prizing.

Following the “Pirates Fans First!” event, the trailer will premiere on Yahoo! Movies, Disney.com, and other premium online destinations around the world at 1 p.m. PST. Later the same day at 7 p.m. EST the domestic broadcast debut will occur on “Entertainment Tonight” as part of their December Event for “Pirates.”

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise.  When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more:  Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa, and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is written by “Pirates” veterans Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio.  The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Barry Waldman, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and John DeLuca.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” sails into theatres around the world in May 2011.  Official website: Disney.com/Pirates. “Like” Pirates on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PiratesoftheCaribbean.

At first there was question as to whether the chef would make it over, as he was still filming and I guess had been stopped by many fans along the way. A man of his word, Chef Irvine did indeed show up and was extremely kind and appreciative that all of us had waited for him. So often you hear stories of celebrities having a different personality in real life or being too ‘big’ to bother with fans but that couldn’t be further from the truth here. Robert Irvine is as funny and warm-hearted in person as he is on his show. It would’ve been all too easy (and understandable!) for him to say, after a long day of shooting, “Sorry, I can’t make it”. Obviously he didn’t say that and we were so grateful for his time!

I swear Amanda and I aren't drooling or anything!

My other blogging pals have covered in great detail the interesting tidbits and stories he shared with us, so I’ll simply direct you to ThemeParkMom, DisneyEveryDay and DisneyFoodBlog for more information and pictures.

Something I never thought I would hear from a celebrity of any sort, was that they had my picture on their computer! Now before you go getting the wrong idea, let me explain. Back in February, several Walt Disney World Moms Panelist friends and many other bloggers converged on Disney property for the first annual Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. The event coincided with the Give a Day Get a Disney Day celebration and Chef Irvine was there filming a very special episode of Dinner: Impossible featuring some of the program volunteers and of course, Disney princesses.

This is Chef holding my phone and talking about the picture on my blog!

As we were strolling through Epcot’s World Showcase, my family and Moms Panelist Kathie Flood‘s family happened to see Chef at the American Adventure pavilion. We waved and he came walking right over to talk with us. We took a few pictures and I blogged about it. When that February visit came up in Friday night’s conversation, I showed him the picture from ZannaLand on my phone he immediately exclaimed, “I have that picture on my computer!” I thought he was joking at first, but he explained how he has several photos in a screensaver on his desktop and mine was “right there in the middle!” I was blown away! I shared the news with Kathie and she said it made her night too as I know she is a huge Robert Irvine fan. As you can see, Chef Irvine is truly one of a kind and all in attendance were just so grateful for his generosity.

That would be "Casualty" he's showing us...

Oh, and did I mention he bought us all tequila shots? Yes. This was the very good stuff…but being the lightweight that I am I could only do a sip! We would’ve been happy just spending some time with him but again, he went above and beyond and made us all feel special. Each fan that came up was able to get a photo or two and a word – even indulging requests to ‘show us his guns’ as we all swooned at his famous biceps (which he let us know were named “Casualty” – on the right and “Cemetery” – on the left because “If I hit you with Cemetery, you won’t be waking up” not that I’d ever think this gentle giant would hurt a fly!) Chef also shared with us that his next adventure was flying to Canada for the Make a Wish Foundation – one of his three charities of choice, the other two being armed forces and veterans. He said he’s loved coming to Disney for the past 4 years because of the people and how everyone works so hard to make it such a wonderful place. Chef Irvine was truly a class act, gracious and imploring us to do something nice for someone we don’t know, each day, to make the world a better place. Will do, Chef. Will do.

Huge thanks to Robert Irvine for a wonderful evening! If you’re in the Hilton Head, SC area, look for Robert Irvine’s eat! to experience some of Chef’s recipes first hand. Also be sure to watch for his new series Restaurant: Impossible, coming soon!!

I’ve personally been avoiding Facebook games like the plague but may have to make an exception for this exciting bit of news! Access the game application directly at – http://www.facebook.com/SocialCity Here are some of the icons you’ll see in the game:

Happy gaming!

…

Some other news – I am now an official contributing author at TampaBay.com’s Whoa, Momma! blog. I know I mentioned I was writing articles for them before, but now I’m all permanent-like and my name’s on the header and my author bio’s on the side. Yee haw! Pretty darn cool and I am extremely grateful and honored that the fine ladies over at Whoa, Momma! for taking a chance on me. You can read my latest post on Activities Off the Beaten Path at Disney there now, with more to come in the coming weeks. Some pieces may even be picked up by the St. Petersburg Times and in turn their news wire and show up in your local paper.

I’ve mentioned on twitter but I know not everyone is there – I have also written a couple of guest posts for Mr. Hidden Mickey Guy himself, Steven Barrett. Again, the honor was mine and if you told me a year ago I’d be doing either of these things, I’d have laughed and said “yeah, right!” I’m so very grateful. You can read my post on Disney After Dark and Staying Cool in the Summer at Disney over on his site.

And of course, you can find me over at DisneyWorldMoms.com where I’ll be answering questions for a few more weeks. I’d love to get a question from a reader to answer on the panel! Just click on the “ask Suzannah a question” link on my WDW Moms Panel bio page.

If you are looking for other ways to stay connected, you can find me on twitter @zannaland, or the facebook page for the site: facebook.com/zannaland (close to 500 members now!) over there you can post comments or questions on the wall, interact with other Disney fans, add pictures to the group photo album and keep up with all the blog entries as well. I’d love to see more of you!

Thank you so much for reading!

Screenshot from the app - Here is your bookshelf to select stories to cast.

Disney Publishing is asking Disney fans the question – “Have you ever wished you could tag your friends as Snow White or Woody?”  Well now you can! They’ve  just launched a Facebook application entitled “Disney Bookmarker” that allows Facebook users to “cast” their Facebook friends as their favorite Disney characters.

Facebook users can cast their friends as their favorite Disney characters from:

• Toy Story
• Finding Nemo
• Cars
• Alice in Wonderland
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast

Disney characters create emotions not only for kids, but also for parents. Now parents and adult Disney fans have the opportunity to tag their friends in a photo of the characters together. Have a friend that always reminds you of Dory? Or an Aunt that reminds you of Ariel? Now you can share that with all your Facebook friends and family.

Cast your own Nemo story book among your Facebook friends.

Facebook users will receive a 7-day free trial of Disney Digital Books (DDB) for using the application. DDB is a comprehensive library of over 600 children’s books online. Children will find favorites from popular Disney themes, such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Disney Princess, Cars, and Hannah Montana, along with many other classic Disney stories.

To access the Disney Bookmarker app directly, use this link: http://apps.facebook.com/disneybookmarker/

In addition, 1-800-flowers.com is  giving 10% of net proceeds from their Toys for Tots collection back to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Just pick an arrangement or gift from their exclusive collection and enter code TOYS at checkout.

Be sure to become a Facebook fan of 1-800-flowers.com for more news and great deals for the season!

Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis proudly present Disney’s A Christmas Carol in Disney 3D opening this Friday, November 6, 2009. IMAX wants you to experience this amazing new film in IMAX 3D and is giving away prizes all this week on their facebook page.

Just by being a reader of ZannaLand, you can also enter to win a prize pack consisting of one Disney’s A Christmas Carol movie poster and one Disney’s A Christmas Carol: Movie Storybook. To enter simply become a fan of IMAX on Facebook and let me know by leaving a comment here on this blog entry. That’s it!

In addition, IMAX and Resourceful Mommy are hosting a Twitter party this Thursday from 9:00 – 10:00pm ET. Just log on to Twitter at that time and join in the fun conversations using the hashtag #xmasIMAX. Be sure to follow @IMAX and @ResourcefulMom to keep up with the giveaways! I’ll be there too, feel free to say hello – @zannaland

There will be more than a dozen winners during the Twitter party on Thursday night so be sure to RSVP for the Twitter party, EDIT: The Twitter party was a great success, but has now ended. The contest for the prize from participating blogs will end on 11/11, so you can still enter! Become a Facebook IMAX fan, and comment here!

See you Thursday night when we’ll turn those Bah Humbugs into Woo hoos!!

Each day from October 19-23, two lucky fans who put the Where the Wild Things Are crown on their profile picture and comment on the IMAX Wall will be entered to win an exclusive IMAX Where the Wild Things Are poster, book, and a pair of IMAX movie tickets! The crown image and full instructions will be released on the IMAX Fan Page on Monday!

In addition – just for reading this blog, you can be eligible to win an exclusive Where the Wild Things Are PRIZE PACK! Two readers from across the participating Momfluence blogs will win the following Where the Wild Things Are Prize Pack:

• An adult Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt (L or XL)
• A kids Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt (size large)
• A Where the Wild Things Are Crown
• An exclusive Where the Wild Things Are IMAX poster
• Where the Wild Things Are book
• A pair of IMAX movie tickets

Here are the two simple steps to enter:

1. Become a fan of IMAX on Facebook here: http://facebook.com/IMAX
2. Fill out this secure document: http://bit.ly/1kjn8H

The contest ends Friday, October 23rd at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to all legal U.S. residents age 18 years or older.

If that’s not WILD enough for you, join us for a Twitter Party to sitewarm the IMAX Facebook page! The party will take place on Monday, October 19, from 9 to 10pm ET on Twitter, using the #IMAXWildThings hashtag. Please visit ResourcefulMommy.com to RSVP and for more information details and chances to win!

See you Monday when the wild rumpus will start!

Brought to you by Momfluence.This contest and party are part of a campaign sponsored by IMAX.