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Momsketeers for Disney World

Experienced parents act as online guides to the theme parks and resorts

BY BETH WHITEHOUSE | beth.whitehouse@newsday.com

February 13, 2008

It's all Beth Choisez's husband's fault.

Thanks to his inability to sit on a beach and relax, the Floral Park mother of two is now unable to log on to her computer without seeing a question about Disney World.

Fourteen years ago, Beth and Jim married. While all their friends went to Sandals and reclined on a beach for a week on their honeymoons, Jim couldn't deal with the thought of being that sedentary.

So the newlyweds honeymooned at Disney.

Since then, they've been back nearly 20 times.

So when Disney asked for candidates to answer questions about Disney World on a new Web site, Beth Choisez applied.

She and 11 other parents - mostly moms, plus one dad - were selected from 10,000 applicants to help the online community plan trips to Mouse country by answering parents' individual queries and offering tips for a successful visit.

Disneyworldmoms.com launched on Jan. 7. Within the first week, the site had 1,000 questions, said Michelle Baumann, a spokeswoman for Walt Disney World in Orlando.

"Our research has shown moms are typically the ones who have the responsibility for planning their families' vacations," Baumann said. Disney wanted to sponsor a site of "real parents talking to real parents," she said.

Visitors to the site must register to post a question, but not to read answers to other people's questions.

Choisez, who is 39 and works full-time at Jet Blue University, is committed to answering eight questions a week, though she says she's been averaging about 20. She will be a site mom for six months. Choisez said her older daughter has Asperberger's syndrome, so she tends to try to answer the questions from moms whose children have special needs.

In exchange for her work, Choisez said she got an all-expense paid trip for four to Disney. Disney can re-up her for another six months. After the first year, Disney hopes to choose new mom applicants, Baumann said.

Choisez's favorite tip for moms: Know your own family. If your kids melt down in the evening after a day of park stimulation - like her 9- and 11-year-old daughters, Nicole and Jessica, tend to - schedule a table-service dinner and then retire to your hotel room for the night. Don't try to pack everything in.

"If you think, 'I'm going to wing it,' it's not going to go well for you," Choisez said. "If you plan even a little bit, it gives you a framework."

Mikey Mouse Q&A tips

A sampling of Disney World questions posed to Beth Choisez and other panelists at Disneyworldmoms.com:

How do I get a birthday cake delivered to a Disney restaurant for a celebration?

You can order a cake to enjoy at any restaurant by calling the Cake Hotline at 407-827-2253 with 48 hours advance notice.

Can teens and adults get their hair and makeup done like a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique?

There is no age limit for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. A number of mothers and grandmothers get hairdos right next to their children.

What are the "hidden Mickeys" I keep hearing about?

Hidden Mickeys are a great "hidden" attraction at WDW. They exist in many forms, but often are defined as subtle (nonobvious) appearances of Mickey's head (often just 3 circles, but sometimes a profile view) in unexpected places. There are literally thousands of HMs across the parks, and there is no official complete listing of all these gems.