Today is such a happy day because this week Colleen (@collyatthepoly) has joined me here on the blog to share about her love for Disney! Colleen is a Disney blogger and Disney fashion QUEEN.
She shares some of the SWEETEST stories and about how much of an impact Disney can have on our lives <3
You are in for a treat! Check it out:
Tell us about you!
Heyyyy! I’m Colleen and I’m 29 years old. I live and grew up on Long Island, New York. I’ve always hated talking about myself because I was SUPER shy my entire life. I still can be shy now but it’s at least gotten better as I got older. When I’m not in Disney, you’ll probably find me working. My full time job is being a librarian and I work with teens, so all of the photos I take or posts I write are all done on nights and weekends. I also have a lot of different interests, sometimes I think it’s too many. I love clothes and fashion, even if it’s just my quirky style. I’m really big into history and like to travel to historical places. During these travels, I’ve been to 15 different countries - and no none of those countries were in Epcot haha. I’m a big animal lover and will always find a way to talk about my dog, Lola. I’m also very big into advocating for women’s rights. I used to do a lot of volunteering throughout high school and college for these causes and I’m currently trying to get back into volunteering again.
What inspired you to start your blog?
I’ve been a Disney lover my entire life and I was flooding my personal Instagram page with pictures from all of my trips. Then after my January 2018 trip, after posting a bunch of park pics, I started stumbling upon a few Disney Instagrams. I’m embarrassed to say but I had no idea this was an actual thing! So I kept looking for other Instas to see if the Disney pages I found were just some rare finds. But instead I started finding TONS of pages of amazing fashion ideas, Disney tips, and of course park snacks. The overall feel from all of these pages were positive vibes and I wanted to be apart of that community. I don’t have too many friends except for my bestie who like Disney so I really just wanted to find people to connect with and who understood my love of the magic. So I booked my first solo trip to WDW in April 2018, just to try out blogging and I’ve kept my page strictly Disney ever since! Since then, I changed my Insta handle to match my page and started my own blog of tips and reviews. I’m still learning the blogging lifestyle and am no expert but it’s just really fun to be apart of. I was lucky enough to meet some amazing people and connect with other Disney lovers, some even living close by to me! My ultimate goal was to be apart of the Disney Community and spread some positivity but making these friends has been very rewarding and I’m so glad I decided to start this journey.
What do you most enjoy writing about on your blog? What do you most enjoy sharing on Instagram?
My favorite thing to write about on my blog is personal memories. I’ve never been big into sharing stories about myself, I feel vulnerable and I’m kind of sensitive, but I find the more I talk about these memories the more I remember them. People have said they love to read these stories too, I think we all have these moments that make us laugh or cry and we just need to share them with others.
My favorite thing to share on Instagram is park fashion. I may not be the best or spend tons of money on my outfits but it’s my passion. I’ve always loved using clothes and different styles to express myself and I find I can do that easily without criticism. That’s one of the amazing things about the Disney Community, they’re very supportive people and that’s big to someone like me. Park fashion means different things to everyone so it’s fun to see how everyone interprets this
Favorite Disney experience/memory?
I love sharing Disney memories and I’m not going to lie I usually get emotional when writing some of these posts because these memories mean more to me than anything else and are literally part of my core being. As a kid, I went to Disney for every single family vacation throughout my life and my parents would only ever stay at the Poly, I guess that’s why I love it so much.
I have so many great vacation memories, but the one that stands out to me the most was when I was 17 years old. I was a senior in high school, getting ready to go to college and my family was in Disney to celebrate my parent’s anniversary. I was having the best time ever, our trip was coming to an end and all of us were pretty tired. The plan was to hang out at the Poly for the evening and watch the fireworks from the beach like we usually do at least once per trip. But time was running out on this vacation and my sister and I really wanted to see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom just one more time, after all the next night was our final night and that’s when we usually watch the fireworks from the Poly beach. My parents were tired but finally gave in and we literally ran to MK as fast as we could to catch the show. We had to stand back on Main Street since people were already lined up and as we were walking up the lights turned off for the show to begin. This was when Wishes was still going and I feel like Jiminy Cricket spoke to me that night. I felt as if I was the only one in the park at that moment. During Wishes, I had a personal tradition that everytime the “shooting star” firework would fly over the castle, I’d make a wish. That night, as I felt like I was going off to college and growing up, I wished that I’d always return to see the fireworks. I cried after that because I didn’t want to lose the magic and happiness I felt. But now I know that I’ll never lose that feeling. I’m now a DVC member so I’ll always make it back to see the fireworks and Jiminy was right when he said “wishes can come true, if you believe in them with all your heart. And the best part is, you’ll never run out of wishes. They’re shining deep down inside of you. ‘Cause that, my friends, is where the magic lives.” I’ve never lost the wishes in my heart and I’ll never forget the feeling I had on Main Street USA at 17 years old.
How often do you go to Disney? What are your best tips for Disney Vacation Planning?
I go to Disney as much as I possibly can! In 2018, I was able to go to Disney 4 times and it looks like I’ll be there for another 4 visits in 2019. I have a big dream to fly down for extended weekends every other month so that I’ll have 6 visits per year but that will all depend on finances as I go.
My best tip for Disney Vacation planning would be to make a plan for the days you’re there ahead of time. I know some people like to go into days without a plan but that doesn’t work for someone like me. If I lived closer to the parks, I might have plan-less days but since I only get a few days every few months I want to make sure I get to see, do, and eat where I’d like. By having the day planned I know what park I’ll be at (which helps me plan my outfits), what fastpasses I have for the day, and maybe some dining reservations. All I have to do is enjoy the day, which is how I like to travel.
Who are some of your favorite Disney bloggers to follow/connect with and why?
My favorite bloggers are:
Kristen (@neverlandandmagic) she lives local to me and is the queen of positive vibes!
Courtney (@colormemagic_) she is also a NYer and the colors in her wardrobe make me so happy!
Kait (@kaitkillebrew) because she seems so genuine and sweet and her tips are also always on point.
Lexie (@thepixietraveler) her tips are through Insta instead of a blog but she’s always behind the scenes at Disney events so I enjoy getting that perspective and getting to see merch previews.
You! Nicole (@belleoftheparks) because her posts are genuine and her blog posts are about relevant Disney topics that people want to know about.
Disney Favorites?
Movie: The Little Mermaid because both Ariel & I entered this world in 1989 . We grew up together and I still know every line of that movie.
Character: This is the hardest questions ever! This answer has changed over the years for me but right now I’m going to say Tiana is my favorite. I feel like I have a similar personality to Tiana so I just connect well with her.
Song: This answer has also changed but my current favorite song is "I am Moana" from Moana. This song of finding who you are really spoke to me so much that I have a Moana tattoo on my ankle so that my feet will wayfind me through life.
Park: Magic Kingdom! I could sit and do nothing at MK and it would still be the best day ever because of the atmosphere and the castle views.
Attraction: Tower of Terror because I have the funniest family memories from this ride.
Resort: The Polynesian, which I’m sure wasn’t hard to figure out based on my blog name (haha). I grew up at the Polynesian, a piece of my heart is there and I don’t know if I’ll ever find the words to describe that feeling.
Festival: Flower and Garden! I’m a sucker for pretty flowers and Violet Lemonade.
Sweet Snack: A Dole Whip, I could literally eat them every day.
Savory Snack: The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls in Adventureland, they’re just so yummy and you can eat them easily while you walk around the park.
Quick Service Restaurant: Sassagoula at the Port Orleans - French Quarter Resort. I never actually order real food there but this is the first place I ever had beignets and now I can’t live without them.
Table Service Restaurant: ‘Ohana has and will always be my favorite restaurant. The food is always amazing, you can’t beat the vibes, and I like to be apart of the cousins.
Is Colleen awesome or what?!
I hope you loved getting to know Colleen as much as I did! I'm so thankful she shared with us so many fun and inspiring things!
You simply MUST follow @collyatthepoly and check out her blog by the same name for Disney fashion, tips, and inspiration!
Now, share your favorite Disney memory with us here in the comments! We would love to hear :)
Have the best day ever, friends!!
<3 belle of the parks
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