Travel Photography: The Many Faces of Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom in Disney World

Nothing can instantly take your breath away just by the mere sight of it more than how Cinderella's castle would. This iconic, most-photographed monolith that sits in the center of Disney World's Magic Kingdom is a huge reminder, as you enter the park, that yes! You have arrived at the happiest place in the world! I have the privilege to capture the beauty of the castle as it changes into dramatic images and colors during the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular show. Come and relive the magic with me through these spectacular display of digital ingenuity during the show.

How To Create Lasting Memories With Your Multicultural Tweens At Disneyworld

Harambe Village Acrobats at Animal Kingdom

When our kids get older, it's a real game changer when you factor in travel and vacation destinations. This upset in balance is due to their changing interest and maturing view of what they consider fun that is also age-appropriate for them. Even the happiest place on earth can become a challenge for a tween who have become disconnected to the captivating magic that Disney possesses. Yes it can happen. And if you've been away long enough from all that magic and pixie dust - like what occurred to us-  then that by itself will hasten the process of a dying attraction to Walt's enchanting kingdom. Although I'm sure some of you will be disagreeing about now.

But my tween is not an isolated case. The only downside is, my tween's recent disenchantment may have caused a few fairies to die. Sorry Tinkerbell... However, not everything is a total loss. We did manage to re-invigorate my tween's love for Disney and renewed that attraction to a whole new level that, hopefully, may lasts her - her entire lifetime! Fingers crossed. This is how we did it... and how you can too - if you ever needed to. And if you have multicultural tweens, the better! These tips are specially made for you! They will make your experience at the happiest place on earth beyond happy - that's what I got rewarded with for doing these things anyway. It also gives your tween or tweens a whole different perspective of fun at Disneyworld - and hopefully, appreciate every single minute of being there with you!

Why DisneySMMC is More Meaningful to Me and My Family this Time Around

Inside Yacht and Beach Club Convention Center 

The Disney Social Media Moms Conference is perhaps the most coveted conference available to bloggers out there. It is by-invite only and limited, making the conference a very exclusive event. To be invited is almost an achievement all on its own. And rightly so. It's an invite by Disney itself afterall. None can top that!

Alice Through The Looking Glass: A Twisted Reality

Alice and Absolem inside the "parallel reality" after she crossed the "Magical looking glass" / Photo: Disney:

I have seen trailers of Alice Through the Looking Glass a few times and heard all the buzz, but nothing prepared me for how awesome it was to actually watch the entire movie on the big screen and on 3D - waaaayyy before it officially opens in theaters! Nothing also prepared me for the unexpected surprise that this movie is entirely a story all on its own and only inspired by the original story based on the book by Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. However, this version will surely make you mad - mad with delight!

Disney World's New Disney Springs: An Exclusive look Behind the Wall

Disney Springs Welcome Pedestrian Causeway / Photo : Disney

Downtown Disney No more...
If you frequent Disneyworld or is from Orlando, you probably noticed or heard that Downtown Disney is no longer referred to as such. Rather, it is now aptly called, "Disney Springs". And it's not just the name that changed. Instead, there is a whole redesign and re-imagined shopping overhaul to the town center that will make you feel like you're walking through Florida's historical timeline while enjoying a top of the line shopping experience.

The World Behind The Wall
I was one of the privileged few - thanks to DisneySMMC (Disney Social Media Moms Conference) - to not only step inside the enclosure hiding the new Town Center and final expansion of the new Disney Springs shopping hub but also got a private tour to walk around the site and had a sneak peek on what's in store for the shoppers once it opens. All I'll say is that Shopaholics will surely have the time of their lives once this finally opens to the public!

Disney Pixar's Finding Dory: Her Forgotten Past Finally Revealed

We all know Nemo of course and when we think of this famous clown fish's movie, that Blue Tang, Dory, isn't that far away from our minds, is it? Wait...

Dory who? 
That's right. Dory in a nutshell. The Blue Tang with its relentless STML (Short Term Memory Loss) disability. Nemo's reliably unreliable forgetful friend. However, she possesses a big heart and big enough to make up for her usually erratic misgivings. A positive quality of hers that overcame her sometimes annoying flaw. Her wackiness is so cute and so impressionably adorable that Dory swam into our hearts in full speed and stayed there.

Disney Social Media Moms: The Magic Happens When You Keep Believing

Life sometimes have a way of teaching us a valuable lesson in the "Keep Believing" department. It's easier to give up on a dream when it seem like there is no possibility of it ever coming true. But in the famous words of Walt Disney himself, "When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable" and of course, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Which simply means, keep believing... Dreams do come true. And to the tune of Journey's Keep on Believing, here's my version of  keep believing to make you keep believing... Believing in that getting invited to Disney Social Media Moms Conference is really not that impossible - just, well, keep believing...or better yet, just sing it!

Here's the link to the music with original lyrics to sing along to: Keep Believing
Or the Karaoke Style without lyrics: Keep Believing

I'm not a small town girl
Not livin' in a lonely world
We took the morning drive goin' to Disneyworld
Just a New Yorker boy
Born and raised in Buffalo
We took the morning drive goin' to Disneyworld

The Fast Way to NOT Get Invited to the Disney Conference Inspired by Disney's Iconic Villains

Photo Disney world

And so the magic happened again. When the lovely Leanne Jakubowski O'Regan tweeted a "coded" tweet on a particular time of the year, everyone paid attention. You paid attention. Then your next move was to call on all the gods of Disney you may happen to know and fervently prayed that they'll bless you with a pixie dusted email. Beyond that point, you started to stalk your email. It was a feat to be patient. But you have no choice but to be. Afterall, there is only one Tinkerbell spreading all the pixie dusts. Also, navigating through the ethernet to make sure you get the magical invite does takes a bit of work. To the lucky ones, this is an auspicious time. A time for great celebration. It may even drive them bonkers with excitement, apprehension and delight.

I should know this. I've experienced this exhilarating emotions 3 times. It's the happiest kind of bonkers you'll ever feel.

However, there's always that flip side to every happy event. The Yang to the Yin. The dark side to the light. The evil Darth Vader to Anakin Skywalker. You get the picture. It simply brings the wickedness in others and all the crazies seem to come out of the woodwork all at once. The unlucky ones.

If you're vying (or dying) to get invited to the most coveted Disney conference, here's a nugget of wisdom for you. Don't be a sourpuss! 

Disney Social Media Moms On The Road Celebration Coming to Charlotte!

This Friday, September 14th, there's bound to be a generous sprinkles of Pixie dusts and magic in the air as Disney takes its enchanting kingdom ON THE ROAD to Charlotte! With the exclusive and most coveted Disney Social Media Mom Conference not being able to accommodate everyone who wants to attend, taking it on the road, in the comfort of our own cities, is by far a brilliant idea. A way to reach out to more women influencers and highlighting those that makes a difference in the local community!

DisneySMMoms 2012: Royalty, Strollers, Marketing And Pizza!

with @Maritramos inside Disney Social Media Moms Conference Hall

Did the mention of Pizza in my title made you just a tad hungry? Well, you should be! This pizza has been a big hit at this year's conference, everyone just couldn't get enough of it or him, for that matter, it was almost insane! In a good way, of course. Yes, it's needless to say that this years' conference is definitely an interesting mix! One that made the conference a little more, let's just say, unforgettable!

Let the Memories Begin...A story of Friendship sprinkled with Magic

"Let the memories begin!" This is Disney's new catchphrase for this year, which can be seen plastered all over the parks and their resort hotels and the welcoming sight as soon as you enter the Magical world that is, Disney. It encourages making memories that are not just memories, but truly magical memories and wonders to last a lifetime. One that touched not only our lives but the life of one particular girl... This is her Cinderella story...

Disney Social Media Moms Conference 2011

If there was anything notably different about this year's conference besides the fun and brilliant speakers in the likes of Rene Syler, author and former Anchor of Early Show on CBS and Facebook's Director of Marketing Development, Matt Jacobson - it would be the warm weather of Florida! Certainly, a welcomed contrast to the cold, chilly weather experienced last year. Warm weather definitely ruled. One that delighted both attendees and their families!

Disney Social Media Moms - What will you Celebrate?

Yes, What will you Celebrate? A resounding question permeating within the vast spectrum of Disney World, so pleasantly echoed in every print and vocals of those who speak and represent the magical world that is Disney while I was there during the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration last week.

Disney has definitely captured the essence of what moms truly celebrate and what Disney is all about : Family. And true it was. Disney made it all possible. A magical stay filled with fun for our families and great takeaways for the more than 150 mom bloggers from the 3-day conference. Disney World has set the standard high for all who attended and officially sealed the mom bloggers status into Social Media Mom Influencers. Yes, I am proud to be a Social Media Mom!  "We are no longer JUST mom bloggers. We are now professional influencers in Social media." They've cut out the niche for us. But it's up to us to follow through. Some came for the experience, some came for personal development and connecting. Which direction did you choose? I chose the latter for I believe great things comes with it. Things that are priceless like...

a) Friendships 

Shellie @Military_Mom & Hubby, Kathy Ireland, Molly @MyGOMOM, Tamara @MomRN, Lissete @LisseteD, Maria @ChicagoMommy and Moi'

 

 

 

 

b) Connecting with Online friends in IRL (in real life)

Finally! Jennifer - the Momblogger of all bloggers

 

Cooper of @MomSndtheMsg where I was privileged to share my story on distracted driving

c) Reconnecting with old friends
d) Opportunities 
e)Professional Growth
f) Tools to enhance skills 
g) Learning from the Experts
h)Best of all fun memories and so much more...

If you ask me, I celebrate myself for being a Mom and not just any mom, a Social Media Mom! It's great to see that a love for writing and socializing has evolved into a fruitful experience and has become a solid connection to a vast community that shares the same passion. Most of all without the support and understanding of my family, I would not be where I am today. As what my hubby and daughter wrote in their Disney guest badges below my name: "our Mom Blogger Extraordinaire!" - tis' the greatest honor!


*(Disney provided rooms, meals and park tickets for me and my family as part of the conference package, at a reduced rate.)

Beary Fabulous Time with Maxine Clark - CEO of Build-a-Bear

Maricris and Maxine Clark

at Walt Disney Contemporary Resort 

Ballroom of America B 

I intended to post some useful and smart updates on my recent Social Media Conference at Disney via Disney Social Media Moms today but it's Valentine's Day and it's all about love. I'm still at Disney and still infused with awe at the recent conference but since it's love day, I'll sidestep the original intent. And with this, Maxine Clark immediately came to mind. This wonderful lady who I've immediately come to love by the sheer being of who she is in person and how she values each and everyone in her community just astounds me. She is a great representation of someone who has truly evoked the power of love and put it into action. Her story of how she started Build-a-Bear was conceived out of love and continues to spread that love through her creations of cuddly and bearyful stuff toys for our kids. She gave love and love she got in return. She inspires me and I DEFINITELY "want to be like her when I grow up".

"Thank you Maxine for your friendship 

and for being a wonderful advocate of love."

Happy Valentines to All of you. I wish you a day filled with love and blessings...And please watch out for updates in the next few days. If you're a mom hoping to get successful in the blogging business, you wouldn't want to miss these powerful and effective tools shared by Maxine Clark herself, Kathy Ireland, Marisa Winokur and Chris Brogan.