Debuting Jill Cooper, our Disney Moms blogger

Need to know what Disney hotels have the best pools? Want intel about what attractions will be too scary for kids? Heed the advice of Jill E. Cooper, a member of the Disney Moms Panel and one of our new guest bloggers. Look for her regular posts on the Orbitz blog.

By Jill E. Cooper

In 1975 my mother, a first grade teacher and father, a wire-rope mill worker, packed up our family in a 1971 Plymouth station wagon for our journey south to the newfangled Disney theme park my mother had been researching.  Quite simply, that vacation would change my life.  We were all instantly bitten by the Disney theme park bug, and my parents spent the rest of my childhood saving every extra penny so that we could all go and experience the magic together as often as possible.  When times were good, that meant we’d be there every two to three years.  When college tuition payments were looming and money was tight, we got there less often but the memories from prior visits sustained us.

In 1990, I convinced my unsuspecting fiance that Walt Disney World would be the perfect place to honeymoon.  This was the first of many trips we would take as a couple or as part of a much larger multi-generational group. Then, many years later when our son turned 5, we introduced our family’s fourth generation to the happiest place on earth.  I’m so pleased to report that Brian, now a tween, is just as enamored with the parks as his mother.

In my professional life I shepherd a bunch of bright and energetic teenagers through the AP psychology curriculum at an independent day school.  One of the 16 college textbook chapters we explore together dissects the notion of memory.  We learn that while we cannot always predict what will be retained in our memories, episodes of our lives that are unique or that have emotional significance are more likely to stick.  I’ve found that is definitely the case with regardto the priceless memories I’ve made with loved ones at Walt Disney World.  While I may not remember the third item on the grocery list I accidentally left at home on the kitchen counter 30 minutes ago, I can remember the look on my grandmother’s face as she watched the fireworks above Cinderella Castle from our balcony at Disney’s Contemporary Resort 30 years ago.  I realized long ago that money spent on our Walt Disney World vacations is a sound investment in our family’s collective memory.

I am so lucky to be able to shape the memories of future guests to Walt Disney World as member of the 2011 Moms Panel.  In this capacity, I can also respond to guest questions posted on the site and happily offer my advice as to how to make the most of the magic with their families.  I can recommend the best Disney resort for their travel party or the most expeditious way to get to breakfast at Chef Mickey’s.  I can even suggest a multitude of ways to make a guest’s trip extra special, with a celebratory meal, the perfect fireworks viewing location, or the best place to take the quintessential vacation photograph.  I feel similarly blessed to have the chance to share my perspective on the magic that awaits Disney guests through my contributions to this blog.   Along with my dear friend and colleague from the Moms Panel, Deborah Bowen, we’ll do our best to sprinkle the Orbitz blog and your next Disney vacation with some extra pixie dust.  Here we go!

Jill E. Cooper has been an aficionado of the Disney theme parks since age seven.  She is a deliriously happy addition to the 2011 Disney World Moms Panel.  She and her small family haverecently added Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney vacations to their portfolio of magical Disney travel experiences.

Tagged: Disney, Family time