Disney Moms Panel Applicaton Successfuly Submitted!

Once again I have dipped my toe into the Disney Moms Panel pool.  Applications for the coveted Disney Moms Panel went live on Sept. 2, and my application has been successfully submitted.  The end goal:  Being selected and being able to serve as a Disney Mom and help others plan their magical Disney vacations!

Before I even opened the on-line application, I knew the “specialty” I was going to select—Disney Cruise Line.  There are other choices and Walt Disney World was a close second.

The application consisted of a series of questions—mostly essay.  Some of the questions were fun and involved knowing a bit of Disney and Disney Cruise Line trivia.  I couldn’t help but smile while I typed.

Other questions were more straightforward—which Disney ships have you sailed on?  Which itineraries?  Which ports?  The facts and just the facts—all ships, various itineraries, and most sailings out of Port Canaveral—though we did sail from the Port of Los Angeles once.

Another questions asked about dining preference given all dining options on Disney Cruise Line.  The word limit was 23.5 words.  My answer took 23 words!  I’m not going to reveal my answer, as that might constitute cheating.  But, I will say that it involved ease, selection, and view.

The best question. . . and the hardest, was to pretend that I was already on the Disney Moms Panel and respond to a fictitious, although realistic, question from a future Disney cruise guest.  Again, there was a word limit.  If memory serves, I was 2 words under the limit.

What surprised me was the photo submission.  It was tricky as the photo had to be in a specific format (gif, jpg, etc.) and most of my photos were jpeg—which was the wrong format.  I did finally find and submit a photo but my choices were limited due to the format requirement. 

New this year was the “verification page.”  After submission, the message was that I would receive an email verifying submission/receipt of the application.  But also there was a link to confirm or verify submission.  I clicked on the link and sure enough, it had my name and state and said that my application had been submitted.  Good thing, as I have yet to receive the email—even in my “junk/spam” folder. 

Now the tough part—waiting.  In a conversation with the husband, I have an estimate as to when I might hear, based in previous years’ application processes. 

In the meantime, my fingers are crossed for all who applied, including a frequent Williams Family Blog reader!

Disney Mom's Panel--Applications Open September 9

On September 9, 2013, Disney will once again open applications for the Disney Mom’s Panel.  Each year approximately 10,000 people (not just moms) apply for a coveted spot on the Disney Mom’s Panel.

The process includes an on-line application which is considered round 1.  Prospective panelists, if selected, then proceed to round 2, which last year required an essay and video submission.  Round 3 has historically included a telephone interview. 

The Disney Mom’s Panel is looking for panelists who can help other guests plan their Disney vacations and answer questions.

So, will you be applying to be a Disney Mom? 

I know I will be applying; it will be my fourth year.  Last year, my application allowed me to advance to round 2.  We will see what happens this year!

No Round 3 For Me--Disney Moms Panel Application

The email from Walt Disney World Moms Panel indicated my Disney Parks Passion was magical, but I was not moving on to round 3 of the Disney Moms Panel application process.  Disappointing?  Yes.  End of the world?  Definitely not!

As you may recall (click here to read more), I was thrilled to move on to round 2 of the process on the third try at applying.  To make it from 10,000 to 200 was darn near a Disney miracle in itself.  And, I’ll get to try again next year.

What I found interesting in this whole process were the number of applicants that I read about on a variety of on-line forums, which were, based on their posts, living in a somewhat suspended reality waiting to hear about the status of their application.  Ironically, when the emails were sent indicating “thank you” or “congratulations” many of the applicants that were moving on to round 3 were out and about doing other things.

What does all of this mean for me?  Well, I will still write and share about our Disney adventures via the Williams Family Blog.  I enjoy the writing, the sharing, and definitely the Disney adventures. 

Will I still help people plan Disney vacations?  You bet!  I learned just yesterday that some local folks were leaving for a trip and someone asked them if they knew about our blog and they responded indicating that our blog had helped them plan their vacation.  Yeah!  Blog comments indicate the same.  And, I am happy to answer questions in person, via phone, or email. 

We are very much looking forward to our next Disney vacation that will include a cruise on the Disney Dream followed by a stay at Walt Disney World.  I’ve already started working on the little cards for the husband to carry with him that includes all of our information for the trip—click here to read more.  Next step—packing!

The other thing I’ve learned in the Disney Moms Panel application process is that I may need to consider expanding my use of technology to twitter. . . along with a Smartphone or Ipod.  I’m thinking about it and will keep you posted.

Maybe Third Time Is The Charm--Disney Moms Panel

Maybe third time is the charm!  A few weeks ago I submitted an application for the Disney Moms Panel—click here to read more.

Disney Moms Panel is an on-line presence of people chosen by Disney to help others plan Disney vacations.  Each year a new panel is chosen.  Would be Disney Moms (and dads, uncles, etc.) can apply for various categories such as Walt Disney World, Disney Vacation Club, runDisney, Adventures by Disney, etc.  I chose the category of Disney Cruise Line for my application.

The application process begins in mid-September and is open for one week or until 10,000 applications are submitted.  I got mine in on the first day.  (When I told this number to someone I work with they said, “You mean there are 10,000 crazy people like you?”  I took it as a compliment.) 

On Friday I opened my email to find “Congratulations You are Moving On to Round 2” of the Disney Moms Panel application process.  I nearly started dancing.  Thrilled begins to describe my response. 

I then had to settle down and read carefully.  The directions indicated that I had to complete the next submission by 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday, October 15.  No late submissions would be accepted.  I would then be notified via email about a phone interview in early November if I advanced to round 3.  Then I read through the rest of the application. . . five more questions to answer and a 60 video were required.  I read through the questions before going to bed so I could have some think time.  It also said not to construct responses on word processing software and then copy/paste into the on-line application.  (I had some suspicions as to why-but more on that later.)

On Saturday morning I listed to a PassPorter Moms Podcast featuring a current Disney Moms Panelist offering more information about the application process, selection, etc.  Again the issue of not copying from word processing came up and it was more about some of the encoding that happens making the receivers of the application unable to read it.  Okay, that’s important!  This particular Disney Mom (who was a dad) shared how the Disney Moms Panel becomes both an on-line community and a face-to-face community, which was something I hadn’t considered.  His best advice was to not get too invested in the process as some of it is a numbers game.  He also told how this year there were some new categories for panelists.

After the podcast, I started drafting my responses to the application questions—on word processing software—as word counts were important.

The first question was about my experiences with Disney Cruise Line.  No problem.  I just highlighted our four, soon to be five, sailings on the various ships and various itineraries.  99 out of 100 words.

The next question was how I have helped friends and family plan Disney Cruise Line vacations.  I told about how a friend of a friend had called me prior to their family’s holiday cruise, our hour long conversation, and how seemingly simple questions can weigh heavy on someone’s mind planning a Disney vacation.  100 out of 100 words used.

I then had to tell about me—this was a bit more difficult but included information about my work and various interests beyond Disney.  98 out of 100 words.

My favorite question was telling about my family.  When I read this response to the husband he said I made them sound better than they were.  I did not embellish; they are just that great.  I included the husband’s goal to go platinum for Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Club and how the train garden in EPCOT is the son’s favorite Disney spot.  100 out of 100 words used.

Describing my favorite Disney memory was the last question.  Wow, there are so many to choose from.  This was also the category that I would have to create a video telling about my favorite Disney memory.  I recalled the time when a fellow guest told us we “glowed” and how that comment made my day.  Yes, I do believe there is such a thing as Disney glow.

We spent some time on Sunday taking various takes of the video.  I knew when I finally got it right and uploaded it onto the computer.

After printing my responses, I then typed them into the application.  (I know, you were worried about that, weren’t you?)  Uploaded the final version of the video and hit “Submit.”  It took a while for everything to go through but I got the “completed submission” message and took a deep breath.

Now, the waiting.  I will say that I was thrilled to make it to round 2 and I wish all current and future Disney Moms Panel applicants a bit of pixie dust!  Good luck!