Events at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration #DSMMC #books #reading

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I paid my own conference fees and received gifts during the conference. All opinions, experiences, and thoughts are my own.

I’ve written before about the amazing time my family had at the 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We laughed. We smiled. We enjoyed every moment at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Disneyland last year. It was a true highlight of 2014 and our family’s vacations!

Work and Family Fun at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is a 4-day event for bloggers and their families. The trip to #DSMMC was all about good ole family fun and great adventures. Some events are for bloggers only and some for bloggers and their families. While I attended sessions, my husband — @DadKnowsBetter — took the kids to Disneyland and California Adventure.

#DSMMC Conference Schedule

Day 1 of #DSMMC

• We arrived at John Wayne/Orange County Airport.
• Took the SuperShuttle to the Disneyland Hotel.
• Registered for the Conference at the Disneyland Hotel upon arrival.
• I attended a Welcome Reception for bloggers on the Magic Kingdom Lawn at the Disneyland Hotel while my family rested in our very elegant hotel room.
• I attended the Opening Night Dinner Reception at the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree.
• The theme of the evening reception and dinner was healthy eating and living with Disney’s TRYIt! healthy foods.
• We ate a very filling and healthy meal.
• Later we did a scavenger hunt for clues, met Mickey and Minnie, and rode a few rides Great evening of family fun!

Day 2 of #DSMMC

• After a very restful night at the Disneyland Hotel, I left our hotel room very early for the first day of Disney Social Media Moms Celebration sessions for bloggers.
• My husband and the three kids hit the park later that morning.
• At a breakfast sponsored by Hanes, I won an enormous Hanes gift basket. This was only the start of my good luck. Disney knows how to shower bloggers with prizes and swag!
• After the Hanes breakfast, the day’s general sessions sponsored by Alamo began.
• When the Day 2 #DSMMC sessions ended, I met up with my family in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
• My exclusive Disney Social Media Moms Celebration Attendee Pass gave my family priority access to all the rides. I’ll admit to feeling a little guilty when my entire family bypassed the long lines. The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration Attendee Pass with Priority Access to rides was part of the #DSMMC fees I paid. This exclusive, priority access to rides is a huge benefit of attending the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.
• Even though we knew we would have exclusive access to Cars Land at a breakfast before the park opened on Day 4, we couldn’t resist exploring this section of Disneyland’s California Adventure later that day. What an amazing area! Just like the Cars movies!!
• Alamo very generously gifted bloggers with a $100 gift card that we used for dinner at Flo’s V8 Cafe. We feasted on Spit-fired Rotisserie Quarter Chicken with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, BBQ Pork Ribs with mashed potatoes and signature cole slaw, and Veggie Tater Bake. Delicious!
• The day ended with my family watching the World of Color fireworks and light show from the VIP section.

 

Day 3 of #DSMMC

• At a breakfast sponsored by Disney Jr., I listened to LeVar Burton (from Reading Rainbow, Roots, and Star Trek: Next Generation) introduce the Give a Book, Get a Book initiative to foster reading in children. My husband and kids attended a Disney Jr. breakfast for families.
• Suffice it to say, @LeVarBurton got a Standing Ovation from all of us when he was introduced. The woman sitting next to me at breakfast was crying. I fondly remember watching Reading Rainbow with my children. I always got awesome book recommendations from LeVar Burton.
• LeVar Burton was introduced by Genevieve Goings from Disney Jr.’s Choo Choo Soul. She got a warm reception, too. Bloggers LOVE Disney!
• There was a cavalcade of talent from a reading of a Disney Jr. children’s story by Tim Gunn (voice of Baileywick in Sofia the First), David Arquette (voice of Skully in Jake and the Never Land Pirates), and Ariel Winter (voice of Sofia in Sofia the First).
• Next up was a surprise appearance by Elle Fanning (Aurora in Maleficent). Elle turned 16 so we all sang Happy Birthday to her as Disney castmembers handed out cupcakes to all of us. What a truly unique and magical moment! A yummy one too!
• The morning ended with a musical performance by Sabrina Carpenter (Maya on Girl Meets World).
• Next up…an advance screening of the very sweet and charming Disney Nature film, Bears at the Downtown Disney AMC Theatre.
• After a busy morning, my family and I hit the parks for a fun afternoon and evening of rides at Disneyland and California Adventure.
• We ended the day with a Toon-rrific Dinner in Mickey’s Toontown sponsored by GoGo squeeZ. Disney actually closed down this section of the park down just for Disney Social Media Moms Celebration attendees and their families. Amazing!
• We ate yummy food, rode a few rides, and listened to a DJ. The desserts were fabulous although I should have brought a jacket as California evenings in April can be cool. Hot coffee helped warm me up!
• We had access to Reserved Seating for Remember…Dreams Come True Fireworks Spectacular, but we opted to do more rides.
• Disney outdid itself again with the Day 3 programming!

Day 4 of #DSMMC

• By the morning of Day 4 we were all dragging. Having fun is tiring!
• After a slow start, we headed to Disneyland California Adventure for an early breakfast event. It was SO fun to enter the park before the gates were officially opened. We felt like VIPs!
• My older teen hung out at the hotel…she takes a while to get ready. We were TOO anxious to get to the park and didn’t want to wait for her!
• Disney castmembers handed us black and white checkered rally flags as we walked to Cars Land.
• Disney opened up Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land just for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration attendees and their families! So fun! My older teen joined us in time for the breakfast.
• A fun morning of breakfast and Cars Land rides awaited us!
• After breakfast, we rode more rides ALL DAY LONG.
• We had a late lunch at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland before heading back to the Disneyland Hotel to rest.
• We let my younger teen stay in the hotel to rest up while we returned to the park for more rides. She had a slight sunburn on her legs.
• The day ended with more rides and a quick dinner at Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney District. We took mac and cheese back to the younger teen.

Bonus Day!

• The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration ended with the Cars Land Breakfast on Day 4, but we decided to extend our stay in California with an extra night at the Disneyland Hotel.
• We stayed in the same room. I loved the hotel room, especially the carved wooden headboard that lit up to look like fireworks.
• While I packed and the teens rested and packed, my husband took our tween son on a mission…a mission to find a Phineas & Ferb hat.
• The first day my husband and son found the Yoda backpack my son was dying to have. Their mission was not in vain as they found the Perry the Platypus hat in a store in Disneyland.
• After checking out late morning, we picked up sandwiches from the Earl of Sandwich in the Downtown Disney District that we ate in the Disneyland Hotel lobby.
• As we left we got a photo opp with Chip or maybe Dale.
• A funny moment was when Goofy chased after me. He was worried I was leaving Disneyland without saying goodbye to him. I gladly stopped for a photo opp with Goofy!
• What a great way to end the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!