We’re going to Walt Disney World… again. It’s so strange that I visited WDW for the first time in my life back in 2011 and now, only five years later, I’m actually heading back for my third visit. Not only will this be my third time to WDW but it will also be the third year I have had the privilege to attend Disney Social Media Moms Celebration blogging conference.
A lot of fun and tons of learning are to be had by my family and me over the next few days. I guess we have been talking about the other benefits of attending a lot more here at home though.
2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration — A Family Experience
That’s not all. This time, we decided to invite my mom and her husband to join us. It’s kind of like a “nice” payback. The first time we went to Walt Disney World, it was actually their anniversary trip and we, well, sort of crashed it. They were staying in a two-bedroom condo and his daughter was already coming. So, we asked if we could join and they said okay. Fast forward to 2016 and now it’s our turn to host them on our trip. 🙂
Being my third Disney SMMC and my third time to Walt Disney World, the plan is just to sit back and let it all soak in. During previous visits, I was so focused on fitting everything in and tirelessly trying to finish work I didn’t have time for in the first place. STRESS!!! Plus, Frans and Munchkin got sick during the trip from the food at one event (was catered by an outside vendor and not Disney) so 2/3 of our vacation was spent in the hotel room with sickies. She did wake up with swollen eyes from a bug bite but that should subside soon (we hope). This time we are determined to make it AWESOME!
2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration — Planning
Our party of five will be staying at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. We stayed at this resort last year and had a very comfortable stay. It’s only a 5-minute walk from the hotel to Epcot, 7-10 minutes to the Boardwalk, or 2-3 minutes to the boat pier that takes you to Hollywood Studios. Other conference attendees will be staying there and at the neighboring Yacht Club. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs are a bit further away but we’ll have a car (thanks to Kia we’ll be nice and comfy in the 2016 Kia Sedona) and parking is complimentary at the parks for those staying at any of the official Disney Resorts.
I also did a TON of research on places to eat. Since my husband has celiac disease, the choices of restaurants we can frequent does lessen. A few meals are included with the conference arrangements but we’re on own for the rest of the trip. Disney is fantastic with accommodating those with food allergies but some counter and table service restaurants have more dishes to offer than others. Here’s our list of dining ideas through the week. I’ll let you know how they are. FYI, if you have any dietary restrictions, make sure to tell the cast member and a chef will come out to discuss the options with you. 😀
Magic Kingdom
- Be Our Guest (if we can get a table or via counter service)
- The Plaza (maybe)
Animal Kingdom
- Yak & Yeti (counter service)
- Flame Tree Barbecue (counter service)
- Sanaa (table service)
Hollywood Studios
- 50’s Prime Time Cafe (table service, must call in advance for gluten-free fried chicken)
Epcot
- Tangierine Café in Morocco (counter service)
Disney Springs
- Wolfgang Puck Express
- Cookes of Dublin (counter service, had the table service at Raglan Road last time and it was amazing with gluten-free fish and chips)
- Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC
Resorts
- Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (counter service at Port Orleans — French Quarter, has gluten-free beignets, no need to call in advance)
- Sanaa (table service at Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Kona (table service at the Polynesian)
We found a few gems the last time we visited (such as Mama Melrose’s, Ohana) but wanted to try new places this time around. I also have a pretty long list of other restaurants but the pocketbook will only go so far. 😛
2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration — Here We Come!
This is going to be an amazing trip! Tons of new things are going to be opening at the parks this summer so follow my Periscope account (https://www.periscope.tv/cookiesandclogs) for live updates or if you have any questions you’d like me to ask experts we might talk to.
Disclosure: I was invited to attend the 2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. As part of this, we received hefty discounts on our lodging, food, and park admission and enjoyed special programming for attendees. We were also gifted with a Memory Maker package. All opinions are my own.
