Meet the Disney Moms Panel
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Walt Disney World has launched its second Walt Disney World Moms Panel at www.DisneyWorldMoms.com. The panel consists of 16 travel savvy parents giving free, tried and true advice for planning an unforgettable Walt Disney World vacation. New this year, Academy Award-nominated actress Angela Bassett, star of television�s �ER� and the movie �What�s Love Got to Do With It,� and a mother of toddler-aged twins welcomes vacation planners to the one-year-old site and shares her own vacation planning tips.
This interactive online forum consists of 15 moms and one dad who have proven their Disney knowledge and ability to field vacation-planning questions from all park-goers. �Truly an eclectic group of parents � from the suburbs of New Hampshire and Louisiana to our neighbors abroad in Ottawa and England � these panelists are equipped and eager to share insights to make trips to Disney magical for every family.
LaughingPlace.com had the opportunity to speak with some of the moms on one of their training days in early December. In the process we learned a little about what's brought them to this point and one thing is very clearly, these ladies (and one gentleman), absolutely love Disney!
(Front Row l-r): Diane Campagna, Jodi Grundig, Kay
Belin, Jo Young, Tanya McNally, Whitney Pickering, Anna Skamarakas, Karen Prince
(Back Row l-r) Doug Ingersoll, Diane Luba (in light blue), Amber Vaughan, Joanne
McCabe, Jennifer Wilkes, Jackie Stevens, Margaret Fries, Cathy Schikowski
Click here for a much larger version of this picture
Their Disney History
Jo Young, England First came to Disney World when she was nine and hardly anyone came to Disney from England. Her parents luckily got addicted so she came about four times. Then she started coming with her daughter. Now she come once every year or two for about two weeks. She always stays on property because she "won't drive here. They drive on the wrong side of the street".
Kay Belin, Indiana: The only grandma on the panel she's been coming since it opened. Now she comes 2 - 4 times per year. Her daughter was married here and her son was engaged here. She's had baby showers here and organized a company trip for husband.
Tanya McNally, New Jersey She would come with her family camping at Ft. Wilderness or a local campground. Then she bought into Disney Vacation Club with her husband before they had kids.
Whitney Pickering, Miss She didn�t go to Disney World until 18 then not again for 10 years until a convention brought her here with a free room. Then she fell in love with it.
Doug Ingersoll, Indiana Parents brought him here regularly around 1972. He still comes often with work and family.
Diane Campagna, Rhode Island Goes to Walt Disney World about once a year and.honeymooned there.
The Disney Moms Application Process
Diane Campagna, Rhode Island She received an email from Disney saying Disney lovers should try out. She answered the questions but didn�t tell anyone since there were around 10,000 applicants last year. When she got an email saying she made it round two she finally told her husband. After three rounds of essay questions and a phone interview with about seven people that was "quite intimidating", she made it.
Doug Ingersoll, Indiana He helt he had a good chance to move past the first round. He was quite confident after the interview that he�d make it on the panel. I ask if there was any trepidation being a dad applying for the mom�s panel? He said "when you love Disney, there�s not a lot people can do to put a hurdle in your way."