The Autistic World of Disney

"The characters Dumbo and Timothy Mouse on the Disney Fantasy’s stern weigh in at more than 2,300 pounds. Dumbo is a little over eight feet long from head to tail with an “ear span” of seven feet. Timothy Mouse sits 2’6″ tall on Dumbo’s hat and is holding a paint brush that’s about 3’10″ long. Dumbo was sculpted from large foam blocks by Walt Disney Imagineering artists in Glendale, California. The sculpted pieces were then shipped to Florida where Disney craftsmen and artists created him in fiberglass and paint over a frame of marine-grade stainless steel. The duo was installed in Papenburg, Germany." (Source: DCLNews.com)

I couldn't be more honoured in receiving the coveted invitation to attend the 2018 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in February! This is the 'Most Magical Social Media Conference of the Year 'and takes place at Walt Disney World Resort and with Disney Cruise Line , sailing on the Disney Dream , the third ship in the fleet and sister ship to the Disney Fantasy. Read all about Disney Cruise Line Awards & Honors such as Best for Families  by the 2016 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, Best Cruise Line by Conde Nast Traveller 2017, Best Private Island and Best Cruise Ships.  Photo: Disney Cruise Line I am excited to learn all about all the unique experiences throughout all the Disney Destinations and am truly grateful to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration Team for this coveted opportunity. Please follow along for updates before my arrival in February and during my stay. I'll be posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Now is the perfect time to plan a cruise with Disney, sailing many exciting West Coast itineraries on the second ship in the fleet, the Disney Wonder. What a great time to pair a Disney cruise with a land stay in time to experience the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration which began May 22, 2015. Disney Enterprises, Inc. In commemoration of Walt Disney, Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration will prove to be the event of a lifetime with Disney magic sprinkled throughout and unparalleled Disney entertainment at every turn.  Special celebratory decorations will adorn Main Street U.S.A. and Buena Vista Street. Enhanced structures such as Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland Park and Carthay Circle Theatre, Disney California Adventure Park, will sparkle even more for the event.  The Disneyland Resort will feature new entertainment at both theme parks- Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. There will be three new nighttime spectacular shows with the...

Families sailing Disney Cruise Line have ample opportunities to do things together allowing them to create special memories. After all, Disney Cruise Line is number one for entertainment and Disney Imagineers leave no detail behind, bringing unique experiences to people of all ages and abilities. All four ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet provide consistent activities and entertainment. People of all ages and abilities are accommodated where possible and no one is left behind. "When it comes to pleasing everyone, the difference is Disney."  (Disney Cruise Line) Family Lounges Many lounges offer fun daytime activities for families such as games, music and dancing. The Disney Magic offers Fathoms which is inspired by the ocean, the Promenade Lounge , a wonderful retreat where families can enjoy a refreshing beverage, snack and can even surf the internet. D Lounge  the family entertainment centre loaded with many Hidden Mickeys and offers dancing, family karaoke...

Many guests benefit from the hard copy 'Personal Navigator' which is full of daily news, events and activities, delivered nightly to each stateroom. Now, Disney Cruise Line has added an extra convenience to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App for mobile devices, delivering the same convenience but with an added benefit called the  'Onboard Chat'. Currently, the Onboard Chat is only available on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. The Onboard Chat allows guests to communicate with other members of their travel party and new friends who are on the same sailing by using a convenient 'Chat Number'. The Chat Number adds protection and privacy allowing guests the feeling of safety and security. Through this feature guests share a unique identification, not stateroom number as is the situation with the Wave Phones . Disney Cruise Line has taken extra measures to protect adults and children by using the privacy feature, as well, the primary guest on the reserva...

Disney Cruise Line guests sailing the Disney Dream this past week, had the opportunity to participate in the ever popular Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort before their 'dreamy' cruise. The event ran for four full days and participation was high featuring over 26,000 runners. Participants, from over sixty countries and from all over the United States ran the route through all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, the ESPN Wide World of Sports and through the Walt Disney World Speedway, in Orlando, totalling 26.2 miles. All photos in this post are courtesy of Disney Cruise Line and Disney Parks Blog Posts. Over 700 participants then went on to sail on the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream, where once stopped at Disney's Castaway Cay, those participants ran the Inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge. This 5K event gave runners the opportunity to be surrounded by the lush, exotic surroundings during their run ...

Disney Cruise Line is number one in the cruise industry for high standards, level of personalized service, entertainment and boasts having the best Youth Clubs at sea with the longest running hours. The Youth Clubs are age appropriate and occupy almost an entire deck. I'm going to focus on the Youth Club for teens aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, called Vibe. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder also have a Youth Club called Vibe, but it differs greatly in theme. The Vibe entrance on the Disney Dream. The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are the third and fourth ships in the fleet, they are the newest and are much larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, with many more activities. Having sailed all four ships in the fleet, I can personally attest to the fact that although the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are larger, you are not impacted by that at all, and even though each ship is unique in design, they are all familiar and you can easily navigate your way...

For years and years I dreamed about exploring the historic sites of Europe. As an art history minor in university, I had written countless essays on architectural and artistic genres, I had identified slide upon slide of famous sculptures and paintings, and I knew I could navigate my way through these incredible places from all the readings I had done. Europe had to wait, however, our son was unable to make the lengthy overseas trip, let alone be expected to stand around the countless museums and fully appreciate what he was looking at. What he could do, to his immense pleasure, was to visit Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and sail with Disney Cruise Line. We've sailed nine cruises on all four ships in the fleet, with the great majority of those sailings including itineraries of seven days or longer. These cruises laid the groundwork for my son and helped him acclimate to vacationing because there were many rewards all around him. It was on these cruises that we saw...