You will never believe where I was when I first read the email with an invitation I had been dreaming for years to receive. I had just finished recovering from my third surgery and daily radiation for a month during my second round of breast cancer. It was a pretty rough year and I was in the waiting room at my oncologist’s office scrolling through email waiting for a routine check up to see how I was healing from the radiation burns I received during treatment. And after such a challenging and devastating year, it almost seemed perfectly timed that I read the email inviting me to the Disney Creators Celebration at that very moment. Honestly, I almost started crying in the middle of the waiting room. Getting that invitation was not only an honor and a dream come true, it gave me hope for a better tomorrow and that things in my life we’re going to change and get better. And so I did what every Disney mom does, I celebrated by taking a trip to Disneyland to do a photo shoot so I could share the good news!!!
We had about four months to plan for the trip which was perfect because there was a lot to plan for and I’m glad we had ample time! Since we were traveling internationally to the Bahamas, me and my husband had to first get updated passports and get our children first time passports in order to travel and go on the trip! And of course I had to start planning all of the outfits to wear for each day of the weeklong trip including some matching family and mommy and me outfits! I even contacted a bunch of local shops to have matching Minnie ears for each outfit of the trip! And don’t forget my matching manicure and pedicure I got for the trip – which matched my new American Tourister suitcase I was gifted for the trip – and the last time I have stepped foot into a nail salon in almost a year! I also highly recommend checking in online before your trip and arranging a call from Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse welcoming you on the Disney Dream! All of this can be arranged on the Disney Cruise Line website.
About a week before the trip, coronavirus was just starting to become more prominent. I remember reading an article saying that there were some issues with the virus spreading on another cruise line, but for some reason it didn’t seem real at the time and certainly didn’t stop us from traveling. Even when we got to the airport to fly out of LAX to Orlando, there were just a few people wearing face masks and it seemed more out of the ordinary than if you didn’t wear one. It’s crazy to think that just a couple of weeks after the trip the pandemic officially started in the world shut down. I think back about how fortunate we were to travel and go on this trip before that happened and travel as safely as we did. To be honest, it never even occurred to us that anything bad would happen. So it’s crazy to think that just a couple weeks later Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line were completely closed, and even to this day, the Disney Cruise Line still remains closed a year later.
This was the first time I was at Walt Disney World since high school, and it was my children’s first time ever! We wanted to acclimate to the time change so we flew out two days before the celebration started. And I’m so glad we did! We were able to explore Disney Springs as well as some of the parks before officially checking in!
On the first day of the celebration, we checked in to get all of our materials, which included a welcoming breakfast, and a meet n greet with some of the other creators and brands sponsors while we were there. The sponsors included Go Go Squeez, Havaianas, OtterBox, and American Tourister.
Disney hosted everyone at Disney’s Riviera Resort, the newest resort on the Walt Disney World property. The resort was absolutely stunning and everything was so clean and new!
We spent our first day at the Magic Kingdom. We took the complimentary shuttle to head to the park. We spent the morning going on rides that were toddler friendly and also ones we didn’t have at Disneyland. For my entire list, please see here!
Then we did an outfit change and we had dinner at the prestigious Be Our Guest restaurant in Beast’s castle! We made reservation well in advance on the Walt Disney World app and we are so glad we did! It was definitely a highlight of the trip because we are such big fans of the movie! There were 3 different dining rooms and we were seated in the perfect spot in the main dining room near the faux windows in the back! It was a delicious prix fix dinner and included a meet n greet with Beast himself!
Then we did another outfit change and spent the evening going on more rides, seeing the Country Bear Jamboree, and watching the fireworks!
We spent our second day at Epcot and went on the Frozen ride for the first time!!!
That evening Disney invited us to a Welcoming Reception at the Epcot World ShowPlace Pavilion. After the reception, our families joined us for dinner and meet n greets with our favorite princesses!
The third day was the conference at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Halfway through the conference, we were treated for lunch!
And afterwards, we were invited to attend an exclusive Disney Creators Celebration Showcase! There were sponsor booths, autograph tables, a fashion show, and I even got a meet n greet with Ian and Barley from Onward!
After the conference was over, I met up with my family at Hollywood Studios and we spent the afternoon in Toy Story Land!
The fourth day was spent at Animal Kingdom. Disney had arranged for us to go before the park opened to the public for a special breakfast at Satu’li Canteen and an opportunity to go on rides without a Fast Pass as many times as we wanted! Our first stop was Pandora, World of Avatar! We went on Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage – which usually has at least a two hour wait! Both rides were incredible!!!!
Then we did an outfit change and spent the rest of the day exploring the rest of Animal Kingdom! It was our entire family’s first time ever at this park so we wanted to soak it all in! And of course we had to get a photo in front of the Tree of Life! Our next top was the Kilimanjaro Safari to see all the animals, followed by Expedition Everest, and then on a wildlife express train ride to Rafiki’s Habitat Habit! and the Conservation Station where the kids got to go on a scavenger hunt and see some animals up close at the petting zoo!
That evening, Disney had arranged for us to go back to Hollywood Studios to explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge after the park closed, and we took the Skyliner to get there from our resort!
We had the entire section all to ourselves and we even got to ride Rise of the Resistance for the first time ever!!! After the ride, Disney had a special private dessert party and reception for us to enjoy music, food, beverages, more rides, and meet n greets with characters from Star Wars!
It was so fun to experience all of this with my friends from back home, too!
The next morning, it was time to hop aboard the Disney Dream for the weekend!! It was our first time being on a Disney cruise and the first time my kids had ever been on any cruise!! We had to get up so early, it was still dark outside!
But before we left Orlando, we stopped at Disney Springs for an exclusive sneak peek screening of Onward. Disney provided us breakfast while we watched the movie and it was so fun! That was the last movie I have seen in a movie theater!
After the movie, we traveled about an hour to Port Canaveral. I can’t say enough of how magical a Disney cruise is and I highly recommend every family to take one!
As soon as you check in and step aboard the ship, there is a welcoming cast member crew who announces you and welcomes you! If you want to check it out, please visit my cruise highlights on Instagram and I have it all on tape! As soon as we were on board, Disney had arranged a Welcome Aboard reception for us! There was champaign, cupcakes, singing, dancing, and more!
After refreshments and the show, we had private meet n greets with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto! Can you believe it?
When the reception was over, we headed straight to our stateroom where we found more gifts from Disney including champaign and a fruit basket!
Disney handpicked staterooms with a veranda for all the content creators on the trip. Each stateroom also came with a queen size bed, a bunk bed with a curtain in between the master bed, a bathroom, and closets!
Later that afternoon, the ship had a sailing away party! Normally its planned outside, but it was super windy that day, so they moved the party inside!
And then one of the most magical things happened. Peter Pan took both of my children’s hands and led them around the ship for about 10 minutes and then gave them hugs before leaving.
That evening, we had dinner at Animator’s Palate. Each night guests dine in different restaurants on a Disney cruise. This restaurant was artistic and nautically themed!
The next morning, Disney arranged for us to have a private meet n greet with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!
Then I dropped my son off at the It’s a Small World Nursery and my daughter off at the Oceaneer Club! To read more about childcare on board, click here!
Then I explored the ship! There were so many outdoor activities to do including the pool, splash pad, waterslides, and the famous AquaDuck!
The inside of the ship was incredible, too!
And the views from the ship were spectacular!
After I ate lunch, I attended some exclusive immersive experiences that Disney arranged for us on the ship! We were able to see a behind the scenes look at Beauty and the Beast in the Walt Disney Theatre, go to Tiffany & Co (my favorite) for a special treat, and then get a behind the scenes look at food from all of the restaurants on board including Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and Royal Palace.
When I was done, I picked up my kids and we went to Vanellope’s for a special ice cream treat!
That night, we had dinner and then saw the Beauty and the Beast LIVE show (which was amazing) and then got ready for Pirate Night!!!! This is a tradition on Disney cruises and it’s a fun one! Besides dressing up, there are character meet n greets all over the ship and a big party at the end of the night!!
The next morning I dropped my kids off at the kids club (there is one on land)
and participated in my first runDisney 5K on Castaway Cay!!! The best part is that I was able to run with my bestie Jenny from Princess Turned Mom (also pictured above)!
Then I picked up the kids and we spent the rest of the beautiful day on Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas! This was definitely a huge highlight for all of us, but especially the kids! We had a BBQ lunch, unlimited soft serve ice cream, character meet n greets, music with a dance party, shopping, playing in the sand and ocean, and my daughter even had her hair braided!
That evening, Disney threw us a special Farewell Reception with champaign and treats. It was such a special time to share with friends!
Luckily we were able to fly home with some friends and while the kids played, we got to rest and reminisce about the trip!
This is a trip I will never forget snd feel so fortunate I was invited and able to attend. Thank you Disney for making this possible for me and my family! A year later, my kids still talk about the trip fondly and ask to go back all of the time!
What an incredible trip for your family and it seems like the timing was just perfect!