Archives for May 2010

The Coolest Disney Name Tag Ever! Disney Photo of the Day-May 26, 2010

26 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

Ok, so those of you following me on twitter will know that today was spent in the company of some lovely fellow blogging/podcasting/reporting/writing friends at the Happiest Place on Earth. Some local media was treated to a sneak peek of Walt Disney World’s new Summer Nightastic event. As a result I have lots to post and share, with pictures and maybe even some video. First, however, I had to show you all something that caught my eye an Imagineer involved in Summer Nightastic’s creation was speaking to us:

Imagineering Name Tag — Behold, the Walt Disney Imagineering name tag! Thanks to @roraboriealice for taking this picture when my camera couldn't capture it.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think that’s the coolest thing ever. I love the old-school 60’s/70’s fonts and the ‘class of’ at the bottom. For Disney history buffs, this is such a nice tribute. I’m sure as a Walt Disney Imagineer, the name tag is the last thing that could be categorized as part of the amazing job description or skills used…but it’s still a fun perk, I think.

Stay tuned for more Summer Nightastic updates! I can’t wait to show you what’s in store.

Walt Disney World Complete Travel Guide iPhone App from a Disney Dad

20 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

When I first met Disney Dad Doug Ingersoll last February, I also was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at his new iPhone app. It looked so cool then, and now it’s available to the world! Doug Ingersoll is no stranger to Disney planning and guides, having written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Walt Disney World among other travel guides. Of course it was only natural that he’d venture into the world of applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Here is all the official info about the Walt Disney World Complete Travel Guide app —

Meet Your Walt Disney World Moms Panel – Dad Chris G

19 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

We are now at week 11 of our Meet Your Moms Panel series here on ZannaLand and get to meet another dad – this time our first new dad from the 2010 panel, Chris G. These informal interviews are meant to be a jumping off point from the bios that appear on the DisneyWorldMoms.com site where you can learn about every panelist’s background and experience with Walt Disney World, and see their personal videos as well. Once you check them out there, you can get to know the panelists a little better here!

The Walt Disney World Moms Panel {image ©Disney}

If the 2010 Moms Panel training trip were to have an official mascot of sorts, it would be Chris. I don’t mean that in a ‘he’d look great in a chicken-suit’ kind of way. Rather, he is someone I’d nominate for class president if we had such a thing. He was actually the first person I met at our reception when we were all nervous and excited to meet one another. He came right over and introduced himself (and to my surprise knew who I was) and was just such a wonderful, positive, exuberant presence in the room. This presence continued throughout training. He had not a bad word to say about a single person and was such a great storyteller we were all captivated by his words. His love of Disney AND his family was ever-present throughout training. It was easy to see why he was chosen to help others in a Disney capacity, since he is a teacher by profession and helps guide children on a daily basis. I was left with the knowledge that his students are very lucky indeed, as am I to know him! Please meet Chris —

Tom Sawyer Island – A Pictorial Review-Part 1

18 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

A little while back, I was gifted with the good fortune of getting a guided tour of one of the few places I’d never stepped foot in at Walt Disney World – Tom Sawyer Island. Ryan P. Wilson, of the Main Street Gazette had planned a research trip and I made it a priority to meet this blogging idol of mine. I’d been reading the Main St. Gazette off and on for years before I even thought of writing about Disney myself. Ryan’s shared love and admiration of the parks from history to present day was something I instantly related to. I wanted to meet him just to say hello and talk about our favorite topic – the tour of Tom Sawyer’s Island was just a bonus.

Unlike me, Ryan grew up as a child of Fort Wilderness, so of course Tom Sawyer Island across the river from Frontierland was like another backyard to him during those years. When I mentioned on twitter that I’d never been, he was astounded at such a fact and wanted to remedy it. As I admitted there, I can thank Steve Birnbaum for instilling a fear of actually running into Injun Joe on the island. That was enough to keep 7-12 year old me away…okay, maybe 20 year-old me too. What can I say, I don’t like horror movies and I grew up hearing about places like Spooky World (formerly) in Berlin, Mass, where people jumped out at you so I wasn’t taking any chances even in the Magic Kingdom. I guess with three kids under my belt, I suddenly became fearless even if Injun Joe was waiting for me. (Which Ryan assured me was not the case.)

Anyway. I do not have the history or memories of this place that Ryan has and shares on his site, but it was still a marvelous place to explore and I definitely enjoyed the company along the way. As I’ve mentioned many times, one of my favorite parts about Walt Disney World is the immersion into the story. From the very basic understanding that there is only one Mickey all the way up to Mom and the cousins in the 50’s Prime Time Cafe thinking you’re using a walkie-talkie when you take out your cell phone, the whole point is to make you a part of the show. Tom Sawyer Island is a perfect example of that. The real world is already long gone, but now you leave even the fantasy land of rides and shows behind and enter another time, where you are exploring right along with Tom and Huck. While I have no doubt that the island has lost some of its original splendor and attention to detail, there are still many committed to the spirit which embodies this magical place.

As always, click the photos to enlarge.

Tom Sawyer Island welcome sign — Tom Sawyer Island "Welcum" sign from Tom himself (with some edits by Huck)

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes!

13 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

ZannaLand first brought you a sneak peak at this Disney Rayovac commercial back in December but now this same commercial can help you win a sweepstakes!

Unlock your imagination and celebrate the chance to win a celebration vacation for four to Disney World® or Disneyland® by entering the Magic Wand Sweepstakes. In addition to the Grand Prize, there’s also the chance to win a lifetime supply of Rayovac batteries or a Disney Gift Card from Rayovac. Enter the sweepstakes from now until 11:59 p.m. (CT) on July 31, 2010 at www.rayovac.com/disneyvacation (eligibility to enter the sweepstakes subject to the official rules found on the website).

Also, be sure to take part in the #Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Twitter Event

Join Rayovac and MomSelect for a Twitter Event to support the exciting Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes. The evening will feature more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac ranging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to Disney Gift Cards.

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Sweepstakes
Date:        Wednesday, May 19th
Time:       7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #rayovac (follow that hashtag on twitter)
Follow:     @Rayovac_Battery, @MomTalkRadio, @CirclePRMary

See you there – and hopefully in the parks too!

Meet Your Walt Disney World Moms Panel – Margaret Fries

12 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Ten weeks into our Meet Your Moms Panel series here on ZannaLand and we finally get to meet Margaret F, better known to some as MEFRIES! These informal interviews are meant to be a jumping off point from the bios that appear on the DisneyWorldMoms.com site where you can learn about every panelist’s background and experience with Walt Disney World, and see their personal videos as well. Once you check them out there, you can get to know the panelists a little better here!

When I first began posting on twitter and started this blog, one of the first Disney Moms I discovered on twitter was @mefries. I soon discovered that she was the life of the Moms Panel party. In fact, it was Margaret’s tweets about meeting up with her “Moms Panel BFF’s” and all the fun they had together that really made me more obsessed with becoming part of the panel. So there you have it, this is all Margaret’s fault. 😉 Now that I’ve met Margaret and spoken with her in person and on the phone, I can see why she is so beloved among Moms panelists and Disney fans alike. She is just SO fun and full of life, she has such a great sense of humor and love of Disney – it’s contagious. I’m so happy and honored to have Margaret here to share some more about herself with all of us —

CoCo Key Water Resort Orlando-a Great Choice for Families

11 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 5 Comments

Coco Key Water park entrance sign — This way to the water park!

After sharing news of the opening of CoCo Key Water Resort‘s Orlando location, I wanted to provide a more in-depth review of the resort and its amenities. Thanks to the resort and their Orlando representative Vicki Johnson, I was able to spend Mother’s Day weekend there with my family and do just that.

We checked in at around 2pm, even though the official check-in time is 4pm as they had a ‘family suite’ available for us. The front desk hostess asked us what configuration of beds we’d like and after I said a king room and a room with two queen beds would be perfect, she found exactly what we were looking for. We received our wristbands for the water park and she told us we’d be in building 6, the tallest building at the resort. We discovered upon parking and finding the elevator to our rooms on the fourth floor that it really doesn’t matter which side of the building you park on; it was easily accessible on both sides with the elevator in the middle.

Baby Mine…Don’t You Cry – Happy Mother’s Day

7 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 10 Comments

I could probably fill a million blog entries with the memories and emotions I feel about being a mother. It is, quite simply, the one thing I knew I was destined for before I was even married. Believe it or not (ok, so it’s probably pretty easy to believe if you are a frequent reader) a lot of how I knew I wanted to be a mom is tied to Disney. I would cry at Disney movies knowing I wanted to share the love I saw on screen with my own children some day. I’d watch other people’s children dance around at the end of the Festival of the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom and be a crying fool thinking of how sweet they were…hoping to someday share memories like that.

I never babysat as a child, in fact, I never even changed a diaper until my first son’s 11 years ago. It wasn’t that I had this need to ‘mother’ or that I felt I would somehow be great at it, it was more about the memories I knew would be there. I had such a wonderful childhood and I wanted to be able to give that experience to my own children. I wanted to treasure my children as much as my mom treasured me. I don’t think I’ve measured up to the bar she set, but I keep trying.

Whoa, Momma!

5 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

This is just a quick note to announce that my first (of hopefully many) articles is up at the TampaBay.com parenting blog – Whoa, Momma!

I was so honored and excited when journalists Sharon Kennedy Wynne and Sherry Robinson (also the editor of the blog) asked me to contribute, after Sharon interviewed me regarding my position on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel.

My first piece is all about the Top 5 Food Values at Walt Disney World.

Big thanks to the wonderful team at Whoa, Momma! for this opportunity and keep a watch out for future articles from me!

CoCo Key Water Resort Splashes into Orlando

4 May 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

A few weeks back I was invited to the grand opening of a brand new hotel trying to make its mark on the Orlando tourism map. In actuality, this brand has been quite successful in other areas of the country, and is making its new home in a spot with quite an established bit of Orlando and even Walt Disney World history.

Originally the Hilton Inn South, this location was the very spot that cast members were trained before the opening of Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort! It’s hard to imagine an I-Drive back then, before the rest of the theme parks and surrounding tourist attractions moved into town.

The Key West-themed CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort opened April 22nd and offers rates through June 15th for as little as $89 per night*. CoCo Key combines a casual tropical hotel setting with a whimsical water park that features slides, rides and fun amplified with four pools, 14 water slides, poolside entertainment, and splashing good times all specially designed for kids in a safe and friendly environment.