Every Kid's Dream Vacation

March Break. It’s definitely a popular time to travel to sunny utopias to beat the winter blahs. Last year, I was gallivanting in South Korea and Micronesia. This year’s break was a tad quieter.

During my childhood, I was fortunate enough to do lots of family travelling during the breaks (a benefit of having parents who are teachers). As every March Break would creep closer, my parents would ask: “So...what should we do this year?” For as long as I can remember, my brother and I would shout (as if we’d been rehearsing for years): “DISNEY WORLD!”

Well, we finally got our wish in March 2002. My family packed our bags and flew to Orlando for the week. We experienced magic, the fairytales and the fun. Before we knew it, the week had flown by and we were on our way back to chilly Ottawa.

Disney World has been on my mind lately with all the talk about March Break travel. Pearson International Airport was hit hard with excited March Break travellers—experiencing the highest volume since the start of the year on March 13. However, this article reports that there's a four per cent decline in flights compared to last year.

If the great weather we’ve been experiencing recently decides to stick around, I won’t be that upset that I’m not sitting on a beach somewhere or getting my picture taken with Mickey and Company on Main Street USA.

Disney is one of the most popular destinations for March Break travel according to this blog. It’s appropriate for travellers of all ages and can be done on a variety of budgets. And budgeting is key—especially this year.

I didn’t really think Disney World needed a lot of PR help with the volume of people that visit every year, but I guess it never hurts to be proactive. In January 2008, Disney World hired New Jersey-based Coyne PR to launch a creative social media campaign that spread the good, the bad and the ugly about Disney through a group of Moms. The Walt Disney World Moms Panel, as it is known today, was built on the idea that moms rely on other moms for advice. The Coyne PR team created the first-ever online forum that gave guests “insider tips and insights from parents who have the passion and knowledge to create an ideal Walt Disney World vacation experience for others.”

The program didn’t stop with the online forum. Coyne PR launched a nationwide search for 12 parents who could share insider info about Disney. After the winners were announced, “Disney Parks invited the 12 panellists – the 11 moms and one dad – to Walt Disney World to participate in the specialized training sessions, which included media training, a Web tutorial for the site, photo shoots, one-on-one meetings with executives, and various park and property tours.”

A parent’s dream job? Perhaps if you’re keen about all things Disney and enjoy sitting in front of a computer while exchanging information with site visitors.

Although there’s no Disney World for me this March Break, I had a relaxing one-night getaway in Niagara Falls and got my wisdom teeth out. I have fond memories of my family trip to Disney and will definitely use the Moms Panel when I plan a trip for my own family some day. What do you think about Coyne’s PR initiative? Creative? Strategic? What would you do generate buzz?