Social Media Moms Celebration: Day 1

Wednesday morning we woke up bright and early to begin our trip over to the Polynesian. I wanted to pick up my conference packet so we could begin planning our week at Disney. After picking up the packet and a really nice swag bag of goodies...we headed on over to Disney's Beach Club Resort and Cape May Cafe for breakfast with the characters.

We were not sure how the kids would react to the characters. Grace was really into it and ready to give out hugs and pose for pictures. Gauge was a little more apprehensive. It took him a while to get warmed up. At one point, Goofy was visiting the table behind us and Gauge thought he should be getting the undivided attention. He kept saying really loudly "HEY, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" If you have ever watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, you know that's one of Donald Duck's lines.

When Donald came around, we thought for sure Gauge would like him since he's always stealing his one liners. Well.....we were wrong. As soon as Gauge got close to Donald...the character made a duck noise to him. That was it!! Gauge flipped out and wouldn't go near him. He kept saying "He bocked at me!" LOL

After breakfast we headed back on over to the Polynesian to check and see if by chance our room was ready early. We didn't get that lucky..so instead we decided to walk around and check out the resort.

As we got near the back of the resort we noticed a boat dock and decided to take a stroll out and check out the view. A boat was waiting there and the gentlemen asked us if we wanted to take a ride. He makes his way around to the Grand Floridian, The Magic Kingdom and back to The Polynesian. We decided why not?

Once it reached The Magic Kingdom....Shawn said "I have our tickets. Do you want to go in and check it out since we have some time to kill?" So, that's exactly what we did. No stroller, totally inappropriate walking shoes (for Mommy) we went in.

We had so much fun! We posed in front of Cinderella's Castle, rode the Teacups, drove race cars, and even got to see Minnie and Mickey! We raced around the Magic Kingdom on a mission to squeeze in as much fun as we could in 3 hours. Around 4pm we headed back to the resort to get checked in and get ready for dinner.

Dinner that evening was scheduled to be at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Buses transported all the families over to ESPN.

Once we arrived, they had the bloggers head into "The Milk House" for a presentation about some super cool things coming up at Disney. Meanwhile the families got to enjoy playing some soccer on the soccer field and munch on popcorn and hot chocolate to tide them over till dinner.

Some of the exciting news coming out of Disney that I'm excited to share with you is:

* The Fantasy Land Expansion - For the first time, guests will be able to step into their favorite Disney fairy tales to have more magical and immersive encounters with Disney princesses. Each princess will have her own themed village within Fantasyland Forest.

* Makeover of Castaway Cay - Disney’s private island paradise in the tropical waters of the Bahamas, is getting an extra dose of pixie dust. Enhancements include an expanded family beach, a floating water platform featuring two twisting water slides, two fresh-water play areas for guests to cool off, a new teen retreat and 20 new private rental cabanas offering the ultimate in beachside luxury. The additional island amenities are scheduled to be complete by summer 2010.

* Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company is expanding its successful cruise vacation business by adding two new ships, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, to set sail in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Two decks taller than the existing Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, the new 1,250-passenger liners will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line.

Following our informational session we all headed in for dinner. Can I just say WOW!!! It was over the top. Tons of food, tons of dancing, tons of music. The kids had a blast. We got to be entertained by the cast of High School Musical. Grace danced her little heart out on the stage.

Gauge didn't want to be too far away from Mommy...so we went back upstairs and enjoyed some Mickey Mouse ice cream together!

We had such a fun evening together. Following dinner we boarded the buses back to The Polynesian to get rested up for Day #2 of The Social Media Mom's Celebration.

Disclosure: I was sponsored by Avitae to attend this conference. As an attendee I also received complimentary items, special discounts, and other exciting benefits such as food and entertainment, so my family and I could experience the magic of Walt Disney World.