About Me: Hi, My name is Malanie R., and I'm thrilled to be representing New York City on the 2012 Walt Disney World Moms Panel! I am of Puerto Rican descent (Hablo Espanol), was born in New York and raised in California.  Professionally, I am an Occupational Therapist specializing in both geriatric rehabilitation and pediatric early intervention.  Some of the things that I enjoy in my downtime are reading, singing, listening to music and working on the next craft project.  One of my favorite activities is planning a Disney vacation! Be it for myself, a coworker, or a family member, every aspect of the trip is planned in order to assure you are enjoying the magic experience that is Disney!

About My Family: I am a single mom to two wonderful children who share my Disney passion.  My daughter is a voracious reader, and enjoys writing songs and watching movies from the 1980's.  She loves shopping at Downtown Disney and taking her picture with all the characters.  My son enjoys all sorts of sports activities, rooting for the Yankees and is acclimating to his first year in an accelerated science high school.  He usually can be found chatting up the Cast Members at every attraction!  Both express a desire to attend The Disney College Program in order to experience Disney on a whole different level!  One of our favorite things to do when we travel is to try and identify the new Disney touches in the parks.  "Hey, that wasn't here last year" or "Look Mom, that's new!!" are phrases that have become a fundamental part of our vacation.

About My Disney Experience: Growing up on the West Coast, my first taste of Disney magic was when I was 3 years old in Disneyland, and I have been hooked ever since.  My children and I visit Walt Disney World at least once a year and have had the pleasure of going by ourselves and with family.  During one of our vacations, I was honored to help plan and attend my brother's engagement at Cinderella's Royal Table.  It still brings tears to my eyes to recall how special and romantic that was!  As I work with special needs children, I have been asked on several occasions to help plan a Disney vacation, and to give recommendations and tips on how to best enjoy the park with their child.  My number one tip would have to be use Extra Magic Hours to your advantage!!  Oh, and take your time to enjoy everything! (Yes, that's two tips, but I couldn't help myself!)

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Other Q&A's from this Panelist

We are heading to Disney World next month and need to rent a scooter. Suggestions where to rent and easiest to get on and off bus?

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I'm planing a trip to disney world for my sisters birthday and its our first time in disney world. I'm planing to go in february and i was wondering if when vacation packages for 2014 are coming, because i want to start saving money and make reservations.

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We received annual passes as a Christmas gift. Is there a certain time limit we have to activate the passes?

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Hi Moms! I have heard that when you are staying on poperty (like we are in September - YEAH!) there is a flyer left in your room with a "special" if you book your next vacation before you leave. Any hints on what these specials are? Deposit requ

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i trying to figure out which hotel is best for us. old keys west of port orleans we have 6 people going but two rooms. we have a toddler 21 months old and a 11 year old plus a great grandpa who is 88 years old can walk but not too far with out a wheelchair