Day One at the Disney Mom Blogger Mixer

Alright, I’m finally* getting around to posting about the trip (click that for more info, but the lowdown is that 16 mom bloggers were invited to DisneyWorld to talk to them about blogging).  I’m going to assume that you want all the details.  If not, read anyway to make me happy (leave a comment!) and in a few days I’ll get back to posting about ducklings and kids and crafting.

Day One, while the sun is shining…

I only have a one-hour flight to Orlando, so I am concerned about the “puddle-jumper” airplane I’ll be going in.  The last time we went to Orlando, my man and I drove because we valued our lives more than we valued the couple hours we saved flying (only a couple of hours saved, since airport security is so time-consuming these days).  The plane we’d flown in previously had to have been in existence since the Wright Brothers.  Our legs literally cramped up, the plane shook the entire time, the air was stale and hot, and the plane was so loud we couldn’t even hear our MP3 players!  I grew up in little Cessnas, but that airplane was no cute little Cessna.  I prayed the entire time for our future motherless and fatherless children.

Happily, this time my worries are in vain as I get to fly in a newer, quieter, smoother, air-ier jet. 

When I arrive in Orlando (in the basement, after walking on the runway), I feel a bit conspicuous when I see a guy holding a sign with “Seaborg” on it.  Who, me?  C’mon, put that thing down.  I’m just a mom, you know?

Holding the sign is Sean, whose job is to work with the VIPs who come to Disney.  Snicker.  I, a VIP.  Seriously.  Does he really think so?  I try to come up with things to say to Sean to sound oh-so-important and worthy of sitting in his VIP vehicle (a car), but instead, we chat about the company and the celebrities he’s transported (not the Jonas Brothers yet, but his younger sister keeps asking). 

It seems everyone who works at Disney really really loves Disney, or at least that’s the ones we meet, and Sean is no exception.  He’s from New England but left it because he adores Disney, his job, and the weather. 

When we get to the hotel I have a moment of panic when a bellman asks if I’d like help with my bags. I’m not very experienced in who you tip or don’t tip and how much you should tip or not tip — I can make myself crazy with a decision like that — but Sean thankfully notices my hesitation and offers to walk me right up to the hotel desk in the lobby.

Our hotel is wonderful.  It’s called the Disney Beach Club Resort, has restaurants in it, shops, waterslides & pools my children would have adored, and even a white sand beach (like home!) on a lake.  In my packet of stuff…

…is a ticket that will take me to all four Disney theme parks and their two water parks for three days.

So, guess what I do first? 

Um…nap. 

I know!  Who does that?!

I have Mickey Mouse-shaped towels for company and two cozy queen-sized beds.  Choosing which one to use is tough, and I call my man before I sleep to let him know there is room for him.

But he’s 500 miles away and ain’t walking that far. 

Besides, he’s got our 4 kids for the weekend.  Lucky him. 😉

Our itinerary, packed full, looks fun!

To keep the posts from being too huge, I’ll stop here and continue with the evening of day one. 

Remember, I stopped off while I was napping.  I know.  Sorry again.

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*p.s. So, about the lack of posting….there was internet at the hotel, but it was one you had to pay $9.95 for 24 hours to use.  That’s not too expensive, but I am on a personal boycott against high-end hotels charging for wireless internet service in the rooms when I can go to my wee little town, turn on my laptop, and catch 4 free wireless services from the nearby mom-and-pop shops (except Mr. Gene’s Beans because Mr. Gene told me when I asked why not, that he thinks “the internet is a passing thing.”)  And that is my one and very only one complaint about the Disney hotel and Disney experience.  I should add that my little issue is not only aimed at them, but at other nice hotels I’ve stayed at in the past year for my husband’s business trips.