Your next chance to join the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Dads too.

For 11 years Disney has assembled a group of Disney travel-savvy parents into a panel that provides advice to other parents on how to best plan and enjoy their family’s Disney vacations. It started focused solely on Walt Disney World but has since expanded to offer guidance and first hand experience on Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, and more. It is, of course, the Disney Parks Moms Panel, and if you’re a Disney buff who loves to travel and help others, you can apply too.

The search for the next Moms Panel will be open September 5-12, 2018. Disney welcomes dads, moms, in-the-know family members and anyone who feels they’ve spent as much time at a Disney park as Mickey Mouse himself to apply for a chance to be a part of the magic.

You’ll want to apply earlier rather than later as Disney has been known to cut off applications when they reach a certain number.

“It is truly rewarding to see Disney guests come together and share their personal stories and experiences in an effort to help others plan a memorable Disney vacation,” said Leanne O’Regan, Director of Public Relations for Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products. “For 12 years, the Disney Parks Moms Panel has helped millions of people around the world plan outstanding Disney vacations with over 250,000 questions and answers available at any given time, all thanks to the impressive group of panelists who are chosen each year. We encourage those who have a passion for sharing their knowledge on all things Disney Parks to be our guest and apply to the 2019 Disney Parks Moms Panel!”

New this year, the Disney Parks Moms Panel will be more accessible than ever with answers optimized for search engines and home assistant devices – a first for Disney Parks and Resorts – allowing the panelists to reach even more Disney guests around the world.

“My passion for creating epic Disney getaways led me to the Disney Parks Moms Panel,” said Jerry M., one of the Disney dads on the panel. “The magic of the Disney Parks Moms Panel is our collective experience and our diverse backgrounds coming together that make this panel so informative. Our mission is to be everyone’s trusted guides when it comes to planning a Disney vacation, offering heartfelt advice from our own experiences. Together, as a panel, we’ve just about done it all!”

Over the years, I’ve met quite a few of the Moms Panel panelists and I’m frequently asked what it takes to be accepted. Officially, Disney says panelists are selected based on their wealth of Disney knowledge, as well as their ability to communicate authentic answers to those seeking assistance for their upcoming trips. In my observations over the years, it also helps to be organized, be friendly with other Disney fans, and be what I would call outgoing and not afraid of trying new things. Recent panels have also done a lot of video (and soon audio), so sounding good while talking on video might be another strong selling point this year.

Now, I understand why Disney continues to keep the name the ‘Moms Panel’ despite the fact that it has Dads on it. The foundational marketing studies that inspired Disney to form this group stated that the majority of final spending decisions for vacations are made by moms. Kids have influence on choosing the destination, but moms do the majority of the travel planning. That may not be true in your particular household, but it’s the overall trend. I also understand why that may make some dads may feel like they shouldn’t even apply, but I hope they don’t let Disney’s marketing focused name prevent them from throwing their hat in the ring if they feel they have an expertise that can help others enjoy the magic.

Applications for the 2019 Disney Parks Moms Panel will be accepted from noon EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, through noon EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. To apply, visit www.momspanelsearch.com. The application process includes a series of short-answer questions, a brief video submission and a phone interview over three rounds. The 2019 Disney Parks Moms Panelists will be announced in January. Applicants selected must be available to attend a training session at Walt Disney World Resort from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 2018.