Thursday, October 31, 2013

Disney Parks Mom's Panel 2014

Hey everybody! Sorry for the really long delay in posting, but it has been a busy 10 months in the DIs Kids house! I'll try and get everybody up to speed in the near future, but for now let's talk Mom's Panel.

My history in applying for the Disney Parks Mom's Panel doesn't go as far back as a lot of the other hopeful panelists, but it is worth mentioning.

The 2012 Mom's Panel Search was my first year applying, and I made through to the second round. I was trying to become the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) specialist, as I have every year I've applied. I was pretty surprised that there were not a lot of DCL specific questions in the first round, but the second round was filled with DCL planing essays, plus a video requirement describing our best Disney Parks memory. Well, something didn't go right so round 2 was the end of my voyage.

For the 2013 search, I wasn't as lucky. I didn't even advance out of the first round. I was actually kind of shocked, as I thought my essays were almost as good as the year before, but I guess not. There were some DCL knowledge questions that I know I got right, so I don't think that eliminated me, but maybe one of them was a trick.

So September 2013 rolls around, and I -like thousands of other Moms, Dad, Aunts, Uncles, and other hopefuls- throw my mouse ears back into the ring. I approached the first round a little differently this year. Unlike in the previous two years, I didn't do several rewrites of each essay, looking for the perfect words. I wrote what came to mind immediately, and only spent a couple of hours on the application, not several days. The new process was a success, and I was officially back in round 2 after a year in purgatory (or maybe a Carnival Cruise).

Round 2 was a little different than two years ago. There were a lot more essays, but not the typical 100 words or less requirements. There were several DCL specific questions, and a couple about me and the family. Again this year there was a video requirement, but it was 60 seconds on why I should be the DCL specialist on the Mom's Panel. I submitted everything last week, and I'm feeling pretty good. I think that I was able to answer the questions well, and with some imagination. My video was honest, and I think I presented it well. I know that the odds are long, but I feel a lot more confident than I did two years ago.

The entire process has been about one week behind previous years, so I don't think we will find out if we advance to round 3 for a couple of weeks, so now all there is to do is wait.