Walt Disney World

Disney Dooney & Bourke Brown Mickey Pink Minnie and Blue Mickey Purses!

23 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

Well, we knew this was coming, Disney and designer Ian Ray of Dooney & Bourke have come out with more amazing new Disney Dooney & Bourke designs! According to the official Disney Parks Blog, there will be a Dooney & Bourke special event at Tren-D to welcome the new handbags. If you are in the Downtown Disney area on February 26 from 4:30-6:30, be sure to stop by Tren-D to meet Dooney & Bourke designer Ian Ray and even get a special gift from Mr. Ray with a $150 or more Disney Dooney & Bourke purchase.

Tren-D sign for Dooney and Bourke event — Sign for the Tren-D Disney Dooney & Bourke special event

Dooney & Bourke cosmetic bag gift — The Dooney & Bourke cosmetic bag in either the white style or black Mickey style was the gift with purchase at the event.

Tables in Wonderland Menu for Discovery Dinner at The Wave

19 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

My family has been Tables in Wonderland (formerly the Disney Dining Experience) members since its inception – when it started out as an option only for Florida residents. The program is now open to Florida residents, Annual Passholders and cast members too. Tables in Wonderland offers 20% off food and alcohol for up to 10 guests in your dining party, at select locations. The card has paid for itself in a matter of visits with the amount of table service restaurants we enjoy.

In addition to the card benefits, Tables in Wonderland also offers exquisite gourmet dining experiences throughout the year. Experiences such as dining inside The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and other unique offerings limited to a small number of lucky diners. When I heard about the following dinner, I immediately thought how much my mom would enjoy it, and wanted to try and secure a spot as a thank you to her for all she’s done for us. I was lucky enough to get those spots, thanks to Nicole at the Tables in Wonderland team (I just emailed our info like anyone else who was interested in attending). My mom is so excited and I cannot wait to experience this with her next week!

Since I can’t wait, I thought I’d share the menu with you all so you can drool get excited too. I’m especially interested in this dinner because it features all local Florida area ingredients and specialties. In fact, we live a few towns over from one of the farms which is featuring items on the menu. Rest assured I will be taking pictures right and left and will report back after the event!

Adding Pixie Dust to Social Media at Walt Disney World

29 January 2010 by Suzannah Otis 14 Comments

Followers on twitter, facebook, or even readers here of my posts on Solo-parenting tips and First-timer tips have probably heard of the upcoming Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World. Having dipped its toes into the ocean of social media and mom bloggers for a while now with Magical Mom Blogger trips and cruises, Disney has now decided to venture into the world of social media conferences.

walt-disney-world2 — Walt Disney World knows how to CELEBRATE!

Walt Disney World will play host to over 100 mom (and dad) bloggers on February 10-12, 2010. Lucky attendees will be treated to what Disney does best – celebrate! Even the name reveals it is not just another blogging conference – celebration is right in the title. And as if simply being on Walt Disney World property for the event was not enough, Disney went the step further to host guests at one of its Deluxe properties, the Polynesian Resort, add in amazing social media speakers who are the top in their field, AND allow attendees to bring family members as part of the conference fee. The value for this event is just mind-boggling since staying at the Polynesian for even one night is close to the cost for the entire 3-night event (including up to 3 guests) with park tickets, some meals and who knows what other surprises Disney has in store. When I first saw the event invitation, I knew I would do whatever it took to be able to attend. This is simply a once-in-a-lifetime event (which I hope happens more than once as I’m sure this is only the beginning of Disney’s social media conference hosting!). I’ve come to the astute conclusion that this taking part in once-in-a-lifetime events thing is a good habit to have. That’s a good plan, right?

Click to continue reading Social Media at WDW

Disney Dooney & Bourke Black Wonder Multicolored Mickey Bags

22 December 2009 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

PART TWO in the Disney Dooney & Bourke Handbag series:

If you have been following the mania that is Disney’s collaboration with Dooney and Bourke with its first foray into Disney park-themed designer handbags, you’ll know by now that there’s a new kid on the block – and his name is Mickey.

Dooney & Bourke has now come out with a new style and color for the winter – PVC-coated black cotton design with bright multicolored Mickey Mouse silhouettes and black leather straps.

Take a look at the new designs –

WDW Moms Panel 2010 Training – Part 1 of Many!

18 December 2009 by Suzannah Otis 14 Comments

Alright, I’ve waited long enough for this update! The truth is, in addition to heading back to Disney World 2 days after returning from training, and then getting sick and having a sick baby to take care of, the thought of trying to put back into words all the the amazing sites, experiences and emotions I felt during the 5 days of training was just a tad overwhelming! But I’m finally here and figure if I break it down into days, I can tackle it. It’s just too good not to share, right?

On the day I was supposed to drive up, I got cold feet. I know, most people would have killed to be in my shoes, both being close enough to drive to Walt Disney World and being picked to be on this amazing panel…but I still got nervous. You see, there’s a reason why I write a blog and don’t host a pod cast or web cast or anything else involving face-to-face interaction. I am in fact, pretty shy. There, I said it. I wasn’t always this way, my 1st grade report card lists me as a “Social Butterfly” and as a result I was separated from my best friend for 2nd grade. It isn’t even because of all the moves my family made over the years, deeming me the eternal ‘new kid’ – I actually had no problem making friends and keep in touch with many of them from all the way back to grade school. This really started in college but is also a combination of being nervous about speaking in front of people. Let me digress a bit…

continue reading about WDW Moms Panel Training…

Grim Grinning Ghosts, Come Out to Socialize!

31 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

“When hinges creak, in doorless chambers. And strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker, where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present. Practicing their terror, with ghoulish delight!

…Your cadaverous parlour, betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis.”

With these famous lines from one of Walt Disney’s greatest attractions, the Haunted Mansion, I thought I’d celebrate Halloween in ZannaLand by sharing some photos of our family during our visit to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Don’t forget to check out my other Halloween posts showcasing the Headless Horseman ride, part one of the Boo to You Parade, part two featuring the Villains, and the Halloween Castle!

Our darling Cereal Killer, Coraline, my ghoulish "Scare-ista" costume, and Spider-Mickey! — Our darling Cereal Killer, Coraline, my 'Scare-ista' costume, and Spider-Mickey!

This was the sign I made to go with my costume, hope some Disney fanatics get the jokes! — This was the sign I made to go with my costume, hope some Disney fanatics get the references!

Continue for more pictures >>

Memories of Disney Wedding Magic

26 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

J and me, senior year of high school-1990

~~Thirteen~~ Fifteen years ago today, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle to greet my Prince Charming and begin our fairy tale life together. Of course, it hasn’t always been a fairy tale, I’d be a little scared if it was! Our story began a lot more than 13 15 years ago too…almost 19 21 years ago, this long-haired boy that played guitar before school in the auditorium, asked if I’d go out with him. I said yes, and have been saying yes ever since. He told me he loved me the first week we met. Never having had a boyfriend before, I was a little dumbfounded by what to reply and simply said, “okay…” Soon, however, I fell in love with his every breath. He asked me to marry him less than a year later, when I was still 17, giving me a tiny diamond he got at the mall. I said, “yes, but…not for a while!”.

us on prom night, May 1991 (for those curious, these 2 pictures show my natural hair color!)

Years passed and we were inseparable, despite many predictions we wouldn’t last 6 months. In 1995, I convinced him to pack up and move 1500 miles away to Orlando and work at Disney World with me. He had only ever moved once in his life, so this was a huge deal. Soon we decided that the time was right and he took that tiny diamond and added it to the diamond from my mom’s engagement ring and added a new diamond on the other side, creating a past, present and future ring that held so many memories, with the promise of many more.

J and me dreaming at the Wedding Pavilion-1995 I was *very* blonde back then!

While working at Disney World, we had seen the building and opening of Disney’s Wedding Pavilion. On our days off we’d head over to check it out, and dream of the ultimate Disney wedding. We were unable to afford a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding, and also could not get a priest to perform the ceremony outside of a church, so we decided to have our reception at the WDW Dolphin instead. It was much more affordable for us, and still gave us the special magic of a wedding at Disney. Planning the wedding was so much fun, and the staff at the Dolphin really took care of everything, we just had to decide what we wanted to eat and what kind of cake we preferred.

There were a few mix-ups along the way from the other vendors, but the Disney part was perfect. One issue was the florist who assured us he could find delicate tiny pale pink tulips to match perfectly with the Stargazer Lilies in my bouquet. When we arrived at the church, the tulips were HUGE and a deep dark pink. Nothing we could do at that point! The other issue was the balloons. Keep in mind this was the mid-90’s (as the pictures of my poofy veil will reveal!) and I guess balloon arches were pretty popular, at least in my mind. I had this vision of a cool twisted archway of pink and white balloons framing our head table. When we walked into the reception hall, there were *single* balloons arranged in a sort of arch shape against the wall behind the DJ. I can laugh about it now. The issues definitely did not ruin the day, though, we had amazing food at the Dolphin, the cake was heavenly and I think everyone had a great time at the party.

We loved being able to take our families around the parks before the wedding too. That year was only the 1st annual International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot so we were excited to share that new experience with our friends and family.

jsgoof — Goofy wishing us well at the Chef Mickey's rehearsal dinner

Our rehearsal dinner was held at Chef Mickey’s, and as you can imagine that was anything but quiet and reserved. We were so well taken care of and everyone had a blast. I can’t recommend Chef Mickey’s enough for a large group – you’re just bound to have fun-and get completely stuffed before the big day!

Just a few of my treasured moments from October 26, 1996…

My mom and me-wouldn't have been possible without all her help & hardwork!

Heading over to the WDW Dolphin-we're married now!

After the ceremony, I remember making the driver pull over (the photographer was following behind us) as I wanted to get a picture in front of the waterfall on the road approaching the Swan and Dolphin hotels. The sun was in our eyes, we were hot and squinting, but it was perfect and that backdrop is one of my favorite photos from the wedding.

Our first dance was to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra, inspired at the time by the recent remake of Father of the Bride. If I couldn’t have Franck plan my wedding, I could at least dance to the same song! I’m glad we went with it though, because it was a timeless choice and hearing it today instantly brings back memories of 13 15 years ago.

~~Thirteen~~ Fifteen years ago seems both like an eternity ago and just yesterday. An eternity because SO much has happened in our lives. We’ve bought and sold 3 4 houses, moved 10 11 times to 3 different states (26 times and 5 states for me alone), have 3 amazing children and a wonderful family as well. I couldn’t ask for anything more and feel like the luckiest girl in the world, today and every day. There are many more parts to this wedding story, but I will share those another year…and my dream is to renew our vows at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, completing the circle of Disney magic started so many years ago! Happy Anniversary J, I love you!

Disney Dooney & Bourke Cindy Sketch Designer Bags

21 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 16 Comments

I first heard of the marriage of Disney designs with Dooney & Bourke purses from a good friend on twitter. He’d seen the posting on a popular Disney-related message board. I hopped over to check it out and, like hundreds of others, I instantly fell in love.

As with most things Disney, once word of mouth gets started, it spreads like wildfire. People reading the message boards and seeing the pictures posted needed one right away and didn’t want to chance waiting until their next visit to see if they were still in stock. If you’ve visited Disney a lot, one thing you learn is that merchandise changes frequently. There may be some tried and true items you can always find in the parks and resort shops, but other special or limited edition items may disappear within months. Of course there is always ebay, but you are then paying quite a markup and must deal with the possible risks associated with a third party seller.

For those familiar with Dooney & Bourke purses, the Disney designs are similar in style and design aesthetic to the Hearts or Fantasy designs D&B has made popular. The Disney D&B bags currently come in 3 different sizes: [links are for size/feature reference and do not show Disney design] Medium Cindy Tote, smaller Tassel Tote, and Wristlet. Best of all, if you have a Disney Visa, Disney Annual Pass or other discount you can use in certain stores, you are be able to get 10% off your purchase. The purses are exclusive to Disney Parks and not available where regular Dooney & Bourke bags are sold.

Pictures of the Disney Dooney & Bourke designs, courtesy of the DIS Boards and my own collection: (as always, click for full-size picture)

HalloWishes Cinderella Castle Views

8 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

Well, normally by now I would’ve written a much more in-depth, hopefully interesting blog entry…but I sit with tens of thousands of other hopefuls waiting this week for word about who advanced to the second round for the Disney Moms Panel 2010 edition. So forgive me but I’m just a tad distracted and unable to focus for some reason! 😉 I’m not even anticipating making the cut, but the anticipation is a killer!

However, I still had some pictures to share with you from our night at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, so I thought that’d help pass the time. This year we were totally in the wrong place at the wrong time when we heard the announcement that Wishes was starting. We’d just gone on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and were about to head out trick-or-treating – I didn’t even realize what time it was! As a result, we were clamoring to get to Main Street to be able to view the fireworks and apparently so was everyone else in Tomorrowland.

There was a traffic jam on the bridge leading to the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle and we were trapped. Not only were we trapped, we were stuck right in front of the huge rock formations between the bridge and Stitch’s Great Escape. So we had virtually no view of the fireworks. Let this be a lesson to you – plan ahead! 😉 Rather than let our position spoil our fun, I just focused on the Castle instead, and snapped the photos you see below. Since that’s my favorite part of the Magic Kingdom, I figured I probably wasn’t alone and some other people would enjoy the montage.

Click to view the photos…