It’s October 25th.  9:01am Pacific Time.  18 hours since I got the news.  The new that I would not be progressing from Round 3 applicant to *Disney Parks Moms Panel Participant*.  It’s been a rough 18 hours. But let’s start from the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start.

September 5th, 2018 was the date the Disney Parks Moms Panel Applications went live on momspanelsearch.com.  This year was strange because all the local ABC news stations announced the applications and basically said “do you think you are a Disney Parks expert?  If so, apply now — your compensation will be an all-expenses paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort”. Obviously with an announcement like that, many people who had never heard of the Disney Parks Moms Panel before ran over to their laptops and submitted an application.  

This was not my first rodeo.  It was my third year applying to the Panel.  Year One, I didn’t make it past Round 1. Year Two, I made it to Round 2.  Year Three, Round 3. But here is the theoretical breakdown of application statistics (total conjecture and has not been confirmed or denied by Disney):

Round 1: 10,000-20,000 applicants

Round 2: 200-400 applicants

Round 3: 20-30 applicants

It’s stiff competition is my point.  And I can only assume this year had on the upward end of that first number, due to the News Channel announcements.

I realize that many of your readers probably don’t even know what the Disney Parks Moms Panel is.  Here is a little video with an overview, as well as a link to the website: https://disneyparksmomspanel.com/

September 5-12th was the period of time you could submit your application.  The application is first a page that lets you know the requirements of the application, including choosing a “specialty” (Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, or Disney Vacation Club),and that to be qualified you must have visited a Disney Property in the last 12 months (or 24 if you are applying for Disney Cruise Line or Disney Vacation Club).  

The next page of Round 1 asks a series of questions.  This year for Walt Disney World Resort (my specialty) there were 4 questions that each had to be answered in 100 words or less.  I’m not sure if you have checked the word count for anything you’ve typed lately, but let me tell you, 100 words is nothing. NOTHING.  It is very difficult to do, and for me at least, required many days of pondering, drafting, editing, and finally submitting to complete Round 1.  My application went in on September 10th in the afternoon.

Fast forward to October 2nd at 9:30 am Pacific Time.  I have to fast forward because that month was so long, waiting in anticipation for the Round 1 results to arrive.  Disney never tells you when you will hear back, it just usually takes “about a month” from the start of the round. I am a member of a Facebook group called “Amazing Adventures of the Disney Parks Moms Panel Search!” and that morning, the group was a-buzz with people posting “check your inbox!  This is not a drill! Emails are coming in!”.

I started to panic.  Having made it to Round 2 last year, I felt confident I would do it again.  But then people I love, respect, and KNOW would make amazing panelists, didn’t make it through to Round 2.  WHAT.

My email hadn’t arrived.  I was getting worried. But then a flurry of people said their email landed in their Spam box for some reason — so i skipped over there to check.  And lo and behold, there it was. My email. My acceptance into Round 2.

Round 2 is unique from the other rounds because it requires, not only 4 100-word answer questions, but also a 1 minute video answering a question.  Videos are tough. You have to let your personality “shine through” while being clear, brief, precise, and polished.

Last year I just spoke into the camera for several minutes and then cut the footage down to 1 minute.  Here was the results:

I liked my video from last year, but it didn’t get me to Round 3.  So I tried some new techniques. First, I did the whole thing in one take with no cuts.  Then the reviewers would know it was “me” and not just a weird mash-up. I know people in the past have made it onto the panel with edited videos, so not saying that’s a must, it was just something I wanted to do.  

My other strategy was to send it my application quickly.  The form said to submit the application as soon as you felt it was ready, which led me to believe they do “rolling review”, or go over the applications as they come in, instead of waiting for the deadline to close.  With that in mind, when the applications were opened on October 3rd at 9:00 am local time, I spent the ENTIRE day pondering, drafting, editing, practicing, filming, practicing, filming, filming, filming and finally submitting at 7:59 pm on that same day.  

I believe I might have been the first application turned in for Round 2, if not, for sure one of the first.  That means, my application got fresh eyes from the reviewers before any others were seen. I always did this in school, I would sign up to give my report first in class every time, so I couldn’t be compared to others.  I’m sure the Panel review is more complicated than that, but it was a strategy that I was trying. Here is my video I submitted:

Round 2 closed on October 10th, and we would all have to wait until October 18th for our replies.  Same as before, the Facebook groups alerted me to the incoming of emails! I didn’t know what to expect.  I hadn’t made it to Round 3 before. That group is SO SMALL that it is near impossible to have that honor.  People I love, respect, and KNOW would make great panelists, didn’t get through to Round 3.  But I checked my inbox to see my fate and there it was.  My acceptance to Round 3.

I was pinching myself.  How did this happen? What did I do that made me stand out?  I was excited beyond belief. I hadn’t told many people I had applied yet, because the sting was still fresh from last year.  But now that I was a ROUND 3 applicant, I started telling some friends and family, in hopes their mental Pixie Dust would carry my dreams into reality.  

Unlike Rounds 1 and 2, Round 3 is simply this: a phone interview.  A 10-15 minute phone interview with the Powers That Be so they can get to know you better.

That afternoon of the 18th, I got a phone call from Jen, scheduling my phone interview for the next Monday morning.  She sounded really nice and I felt relaxed talking to her. I wasn’t worried about the interview because I knew I could do well.  The uncertainty of the format and questions made me curious though and had me anxious for Monday to arrive.

In the meantime, a new Facebook Group was formed, a private group just for those who had made it into Round 3.  Out of the 3-4,000 member “big groups”, the number in this new group was only 17.

I felt like my odds were spectacular.  There are currently about 30 panelists across all specialties, so I figured “we must all be getting in!”.  We all were kinda feeling that way because we all got to know each other through posts and chats we grew to love, respect, and KNOW that we would all make great panelists.

Monday came and my interview was here.  They called me 8 minutes earlier than my scheduled time, but I was ready.  They asked me a series of questions, none of which were trivia or testing my knowledge.  All of them seemed geared towards getting to know who I am and what kind of panelist I would be.  I felt relaxed and that the reviewers were friendly and non-threatening. The call lasted 15 minutes and was over as quickly as it began.  The search process was no longer in my court — I was done and the waiting began.

Come Wednesday, October 24th, the anticipation had frothed to a head.  We were all in an absolute frenzy waiting for the calls to come in. Late afternoon had arrived, and still no calls, so I let myself relax and say “I guess it isn’t today”.  Then, someone posted on the group that they got a call and it was a no. Calls were arriving.

I sent myself into an absolute tizzy.  My heart rate skyrocketed and I felt nauseous.  I couldn’t put my phone down or think or eat or function. 

At 2:12 pm local time, my phone rang with an unknown number.  I answered. They said “Hi, is this Ashley? How’s your day? Well, we’ve come to a decision about the Moms Panel for this next year, and I’m sorry to tell you that you won’t be on it this year.  But we want you to know that we really liked your responses and video and interview, and we really hope to see you apply again next year. Okay? Have a good day.” The call lasted 57 seconds. I think I said something like “oh.  uh huh. ok. thanks for everything. bye.”

In 57 seconds my journey of 2 months came to a screeching halt.  My heart was up in my throat, and I immediately developed a pain in my side.   What now? This had been my focus for the last 2 months. I knew I shouldn’t have put so much hope into it, but I did and it was over.  Who was I now? What did I have to show for it? The night was hard. My self-esteem hit an all-time low.

But, now it is a new day.  The search is behind me, for this year at least.  I will apply again next September, but I will probably do better in finding balance and guarding my heart.  The search is brutal: you never really know what the reviewers are looking for, and those requirements change from year to year.  Out of our Facebook group of 17, only 7 made it in. That means, if there were 20,000 applicants, that everyone has a .035% chance of making it on the Panel.  That’s terrible odds. It’s really a gamble that nobody should make.

But we do.  So many have applied year after year.  Some people have been applying for 12 years and still haven’t made it.  It’s such a spectacular dream, and it would be pure magic to see the end from the other side.

This year, however, is not my year to be on the Disney Parks Moms Panel.  I give my deepest congratulations to you fine ladies and gentlemen who did make the 2019 Panel.  And to those, like me, who got lost along the way — maybe next year will be our year.

Until then, I plan to blog about my Disney knowledge, as an outlet for my passion.  So, please continue to read this blog, follow me on social media, and let me know what kinds of topics you’d like to read about.  I also always welcome personal emails and messages with questions or comments.

See ya real soon!

-Ash