News from Disney Social Media Moms 2017 Disneyland Celebration

August 27, 2017 Margalit Sturm Francus

Every year the Disney Social Media Moms organizers invite bloggers to partake in their ‘ On the Road’ Conference. Here are the magical news from the 2017 Disneyland Celebration.

Let me say, last week when I opened my email and seen that Disney had invited me to their Social Media Moms ‘ On the Road’ Celebration; I was ecstatic!
We all know that a Disney trip makes for a magical day, but the Disney SMMC Event made it exponentially more special.

After being invited last year, I doubted how they could top last year’s event, but let me say; they proved me wrong. The organizers did a fantastic job of treating the attendees to insightful tips, exciting news and plenty of Disney fun.

About Disney Social Media Moms Conference

The Disney Social Media Moms Conference is an invitation only conference that provides bloggers with Disney news and tips. They do hold the longer three-day conference, and then they also have smaller ‘On the Road’ events. Similar to last year, I was invited to the one-day event in Disneyland to learn about the latest happenings so I could share all the exciting news with you!

Unlike last year, this year I decided to bring my family along. Since my husband and son with autism, are avid Disney fans, I knew they would love spending the day at the parks, enjoying the new rides and food.

My son with autism was primarily interested in the Summer of Heros event in California Adventure park. My husband and I wanted to see the newly returned Fantasmic Show; it has always been one of my favorite Disney shows.

After spending the night at the nearby Sheraton Park Hotel in Anaheim, where we experienced their innovative brand-new Autism program, we were more than ready to begin our magical day.

The Venue

The event was held at Stage 17 in California Adventure Park in the heart of its Hollywood area, right off Carthay Circle.A delicious buffet style breakfast was served in the large room filled with round tables all decorated in colors of red blue and white.

The event was small, less than 100 influencers in attendance, so it served as the perfect opportunity to network. Most of the attendees were from California, with one or two exceptions. I got to chat with new bloggers as well as see some familiar faces. In fact, two of my Travelingmom.com friends, Julie and Leslie, were invited too.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure News

I love attending Disney events since I get to learn about all the upcoming exciting movies and park attractions.

I can say this, mark your calendars for November 22, 2017!
There is a significant buzz around Olaf’s Frozen Adventure so be sure to follow the hashtags #olaffrozenadventure on social media.

The 21-minute movie “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure plot involves the first holiday season in Arendelle after the two sisters unite. The royal siblings realize they have no family traditions of their own and as a true friend Olaf sets out to find the best traditions his friends.

The featurette directors; Stevie Wermers and Kevin Deters provided us with a sneak peek view, and it looked great. The movie is a visual masterpiece, and along with the friendship story line and catchy new songs, it promises to become a fast family classic.

Blogging Tips from Disney Editors

I always try to keep brief of new ways to reach readers by sharing written material as well as pictures and videos. The Disney PR team is accommodating in that sense.

Last year they introduced us to video editing apps that I still use. This year the tips were about using the correct format posts on the social platforms.As Megan Sayers Chapman, the editor of Babble.com cleverly put it ‘create content where you want it to live.’

She explained why influencers should strive to customize their content depending on the social platform they use. Hence, longer videos are ideal for YouTube while captioned no little sound clips perform better on Facebook.

Next, Sara from the Instagram team told us about the importance of using Instagram stories. According to her, a successful Instagram profile should include videos, stories, and photos. She also reminded us to post frequently and advised us to use the two-factor authentication feature.

Conference Inspiration

As usual, the meeting included two celebrity guests that provided us with much-needed inspiration.

The first was Stacia Martin who has been a Disney artist and historian for the past 37 years. She spoke about her work and challenged all of us to practice the basic drawing skills she showed.

Best of all, we all got one of her illustrations to take home!
My son with autism flipped over the Mickey drawing and insisting on hanging it in his room immediately.

The second person to come and share her story was Amy Robach. Amy works as a news Anchor for Good Morning America. Back in 2013, Amy revealed on Good Morning America, that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after receiving a mammogram on live television. She proceeded to undergo a bilateral mastectomy and eight rounds of chemotherapy, radiation as well as reconstruction surgery. She spoke candidly about her life in the public eye as well as how the experience changed her life.

Goodbye to Disneyland’s Electrical Parade

Our intermission surprise was a mini Electric Parade Show that reminded me how much I loved the parade and how much we will miss it after it leaves Disneyland August 20, 2017.

The Swag

This year’s swag was a backpack filled with goodies.There were items to use during the park visit like a refillable water bottle, sun screen lip balm, and delicious rice crispy treats. Thanks, SMMC for saving me, I had forgotten to pack sun screen, and you saved the day!

The second set of goodies consisted of a Guardians hat, and blue tooth speaker, a short Disney stories book, a Mickey figurine and note book. My son claimed direct ownership of most of them. He was gracious enough to leave me with the notebook.

The Max Pass

One of the best things about having the event at Disneyland was that we got to visit the parks after the conference was over. So we had the chance to check out the new Max Pass, I had heard so much about.
In our case, the MaxPass was preloaded on to our tickets, but you still need to load the app on your phone. The new feature can be added to any ticket for an introductory surcharge of $10 a day.

Autism Travel Tip: I recommend this pass for all families, especially for parents with autism. The pass gives its holders unlimited downloads of Disney photo pass, and the ability to reserve Fast Passes right on the cell phone.Both useful time-saving features.

Next, I loaded the Disneyland mobile app on my phone. This app I tell you where the complimentary WIFI is offered in the parks. There are many locations throughout Disney that you can connect to and save your data usage.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout

Part of our amenity gift was getting a Fast Pass to The Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

For starters, I must confess I was heartbroken to see the Tower of Terror attraction go away. It was one of my favorite rides in Disney California Adventure.

When the new ride opened, I didn’t even want to go try it out.
Two months later I put a stop to my prolonged mourning and finally tried it out. Not once, not twice but three times.

The ride itself is short. So short that you may not remember much. But you will be happy with the catchy 1980’s music, humor, and continuous drops for 2.5 minutes!

Autism Travel Tip: If your child with autism loves thrill seeking rides, this is the perfect ride for them. If your child can not handle darkness, screams, and drops, you may want to skip it.

The New Fantasmic Water Show

We also got Fast Passes to watch the new Fantasmic Show, which originally debuted in 1992. During the show, Mickey Mouse takes guests on a fantasy journey filled with adventure, love, and some evil entities.

The newcomers are Aladdin, Jasmine, Rapunzel Flynn Rider, and the elusive Captain Jack Sparrow. The new tech upgrades are magnificent, and the new mist screens blew me away.

The good news is that Fantasmic still uses the paper ticket Fast Passes so you can get one without affecting your Fast Pass queue. If you are not a morning person and still want to see it (believe me you should!) then book a Fantasmic dining package that provides you with a voucher for a reserved viewing from the Blue Bayou, River Belle Terrace, or Hungry Bear.

Autism Travel Tip: Bring a light blanket for you kid to sit on if he or she hates sitting on concrete. Be aware that the front rows get splashed with water during the show.

My Takeaway

After an early morning conference and a full afternoon/evening in the parks, it was time to drive home. Spending the day at Disneyland was as magical, as always. But getting the inside scoop on the new releases and rides was priceless. Thank you, Disney, for hosting us!

Disclosure: Disney hosted us at the Social Media Moms On the Road event and provided us with complimentary park tickets. As always, all opinions are my own!