Are you a Disney mom? Apply now
My friend Jodi is a Disney World expert. I am not. So when we make the very occasional trek to Walt's place, I don't buy a guidebook or check a website. I just call Jodi and plead: Tell me what to do.
She knows times, dates, prices. She knows hotels. She knows deals. She knows lines and how to beat them. She knows what's worth doing and what's OK to pass on. Jodi just winds me up and points me in the right direction, and everything works out swimmingly.
Jodi, and people like her, is the reason for the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. The panel serves as an online forum, led by these kinds of pros (dads and grandparents are welcome, too), for sharing vacation planning tips. Starting its third year, Disney is accepting applications through Sunday. They are looking for 10 newcomers to join the existing panel.
To apply, you will have to answer some questions and write three brief eassys about your family, your skills as a Disney planner, and your top Disney tip. To apply, go to this website to learn more.
Competition is stiff. They expect about 20,000 people to apply.
I am torn, however, about Jodi. If she applies, everyone else will get to know her secrets, too.
Photo: Beatrice Rose, from Tampa, is a Disney Mom panelist. (Walt Disney World handout)
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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