Making Magical Travel Memories That Last with Disney Parks

“A Disney vacation is the perfect way to create family memories that will last a lifetime,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at a media announcement today in New York. “We’ll spotlight those ‘only-at-Disney’ moments with family and friends during our ‘Let the Memories Begin’ campaign.”

At TravelingMamas.com, we’ve always held to the mission of inspiring readers to make travel memories that last. Today, Disney announced their latest information about their family travel experience campaign. The announcement included the latest survey by Peter Yesawich of YPartnership, which was compiled by asking people about their travel memories at different points in their lives. We’ve always been interested in what this company has to say about travel and their report of discovering Celebration Vacations was a hit a few years ago, and still is.

The question was asked “What Vacation Memories are the Most Enduring, and Why?”

The survey included some interesting facts:

• Family travelers plan their travels to make lasting memories for their children.
• Travelers are capturing memories and sharing them with family real-time through social media sites.
• Kids want to take vacations with their parents, with friends as second choice, granparents third, and pets last.
• The top three family vacation choices were: Disney Parks, Europe, and Washington, DC.

Micheal J. Fox even made an appearance, sharing his photos and memories with his family with Disney Parks.

Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Tom Staggs, made some announcements regarding new attractions at Disneyland, Disney Cruise Lines, and other items of interest, including Disney Vacation Club’s new property at Ko Olina, Hawaii and Adventures by Disney, the Disney branded family tour company.

Walt Disney Park and Resort’s fun new campaign is “Let the Memories Begin”, which will allow Disney guests to share their personal photos by using Guest Generated Content (GGC) for Disney commercials online. For future TV commercials and other advertising and marketing programs, Disney Parks is asking guests to share their memories by uploading photos and videos at a special “Let the Memories Begin” online hub at www.DisneyParks.com/Memories. From a first meeting with a princess to a laugh-filled watery touchdown on Splash Mountain, Disney Parks is looking for videos and photos that capture those never-to-be-forgotten experiences. On select nights, these captured moments will be integrated into the Castle Show.

You can make your own video and upload it to Disney Park’s Disney Memories Youtube Page. I already have my own arsenal of personal Disney Memories including my first visit when I was a teenager, my dad’s first visit when we went on a multi-generational trip for his retirement, and celebrating my daughter’s 11th birthday in a very special Disney way.

I know that some traveler’s out there poo-poo the Disney vacation, but as a parent, seeing the joy and wonder expressed by my children during their first visit to a Disney Park is truly a magical memory that none of us will ever forget.

Do you have any special Disney memories?