MickeyTravels Agent Virtual Meet & Greet – Katie Parany

July 31, 2014 by MickeyTravels

MickeyTravels is excited about our new initiative – The MickeyTravels Agent Virtual Meet & Greet. We will feature a different MickeyTravels agent on a daily basis. We’re proud to have the best Disney Travel agents in the world as part of our MickeyTravels team and this will allow you to get to know them even better. Today the spotlight shines on Katie Parany from New Jersey!

Name: Katie Parany

Where are you from? New Jersey

First memory of Disney? I’ll never forget being six years old and asking my Grandmother if she wanted to come with us to Walt Disney World. I still have no idea if my parents had actually intended on bringing her, but she came with us! My clearest memory of that trip is going to the Hoop De Doo musical review at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds with her and playing music with spoons on washboards! We had such a great time.

What makes Disney MAGICAL in your eyes? Disney is magical in my eyes because it isn’t limited to any specific group. There is so much that Disney has to offer, from its theme parks and other magical destinations, to its movies and television shows, to ESPN and Marvel! Disney offers something for everyone to enjoy, regardless of age. It was Walt Disney himself who said, “Adults are only grown up kids anyway.”

Festival of the Lion King

Favorite Disney destination and why? My favorite Disney destination is Walt Disney World. I visited Walt Disney World many times as a child, and then had the incredible opportunity to work as a Cast Member on the Disney College Program. That experience impacted my life so positively. Other then marrying my husband and having my son, it has been the best experience of my life! I met some of the people who are still my very best friends, learned the service standards upheld by all Cast Members at Walt Disney World, and grew my love for all things Disney by leaps and bounds.

Favorite Disney Character and why? This is such a difficult question for me because I truly love so many characters! I can narrow it down to three. My favorite classic character is Mickey Mouse, really because he started it all and we have so much to thank him for! My favorite princesses are Snow White because she is so sweet and kind, and Merida because she is so free-spirited and brave!

Favorite Disney Attraction and why? I am actually able to narrow this down to one! I do have a favorite attraction in each Walt Disney World park, but my number one is the Festival of the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom! I absolutely love live stage shows, and the visual components of this show, from the costumes to the props and effects, coupled with the wonderful musical component make this show a can’t miss. I especially love the “Can you Feel the Love Tonight” musical number and watching the actors do a “dance” on a trapeze. It is so beautiful that it actually brings tears of joy to my eyes! There is so much Disney magic in that theater, and I really feel it every time I see the show!

Polynesian Resort

Favorite Disney Resort and why? I am absolutely in love with the Polynesian Resort. The island theming captivated me from the time I was a little girl. Believe it or not, because of how much I loved the Polynesian, my first screen name when AOL was released was “Alohakatei.” At the age of 12 I thought switching the “e” and the “i” made it look really cool! I love the resort mascot so much that I actually wrote a letter to the resort telling them how much I loved him. They wrote me a note back on paper that he was on! Now that I am supposedly a “grown-up,” I appreciate the beauty of the resort, the beach, and the amazing restaurants, especially Kona Café! If you ever have the chance to dine there, order the Tonga Toast. You will not be disappointed!

Favorite Disney Restaurant and why? Although I love Kona Café, my number one favorite restaurant on Disney property is Raglan Road at Downtown Disney. I love all things Irish. The food, created by the immensely talented chef Kevin Dundon, is creative and delicious. The music, performed frequently by the members of the house band Creel as well as other performers and bands transports you directly to the shores of Dingle. The dancers are so talented that everyone is captivated by them. I encourage everyone to stop by there, for a meal, for one of their famous bread ‘n’ butter puddings, which will melt in your mouth, or just to enjoy a song and dance over a pint or an apple juice!

Favorite Disney Quick Service Restaurant and why? There are a lot of hidden gems in quick service, and my favorite is the Tangierine Café in Morocco in Epcot. They serve a cous-cous that makes me want to drive there right now from New Jersey to eat it. I have tried many times to find one that is similar, but everything else pales in comparison! If I could only have food from one quick service restaurant in Walt Disney World, I would choose Tangierine Café!

Tangierine Café

3 Disney characters you’d like to have dinner with and why? If I could have dinner with three Disney characters I would first choose Tiana because she would probably make us some delicious New Orleans style cuisine! My next choice would have to be the Swedish Chef because I love being around people who make me laugh, and who better to choose then someone who speaks by saying, “Flerdy Floopin!,” and finally, I would choose Belle because we could discuss books! (Then can I please add the Polynesian mascot to that list? Does he count as a character? And Merida, Rapunzel, Princess Jasmine, Captain Jack Sparrow…the list goes on! Just not Simba and Mufasa because even though I love them, they are lions and would probably eat us. Also, not Jafar.)

Favorite Disney snack and why? I agree with the masses, the Pineapple Dole Whip is my favorite! I love pineapple, which of course fits in with my love the Polynesian Resort, and I love ice cream! Perfect!
Favorite Disney Movie and why? I think I have over 25 favorite Disney movies, but today I will choose The Little Mermaid because I saw it in theaters with my dad when it came out and it is a story that does show how much Ariel’s dad loves her, and Brave because it shows the amazing bond children have with their mothers, and I love my own mother and am now a mother to my sweet 3 month old son!

3 Favorite Disney Song and why? For this question, I am going to follow the rules and truly give only three. My favorite Disney song ever is not from a movie, but is the Spectromagic Theme song. My sister and I used to make up dance routines to an instrumental version of this song, and I actually used it as the cake-cutting song at my wedding. The lyrics of that song are, “On this magic night, a million stars will play beside us, cast a spell of light, glimmering, shimmering, carouseling…” I love that! They really seem so magical! Actually, my other two favorite Disney songs actually aren’t from movies either! I love “In the Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki Room,” which plays in the Tiki Room in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom because it brings the birds, flowers, and tikis to life. Finally, I love “Golden Dream,” which plays during the finale of the American Adventure at Epcot. I love history, so listening to that beautiful song while watching a montage of important figures in American history is very uplifting for me!

Disney character you’re most similar to and why? Hmmm… so many come to mind! Captain Jack because I’m a pirate on the high seas in my spare time, Bunson Honeydew because I’m a brilliant scientist, and Olaf because since I’m from New Jersey I think I was a snowman this past winter! Actually, I do think I’m most similar to Belle because I enjoy books. I think I’ve been told “but you’ve already read it twice!” a few times! That and because I have brown hair, brown eyes, and would love to wear a yellow ball gown!

If you could be one Disney mascot for a day who would it be and why? If I could be a Disney mascot I think I would be Fozzie Bear because my jokes are just about as good as his! (Plus then I could spray water on crowds from my fake flower lapel! Gotcha!)

If you could work at one of the Disney theme parks, what job would you want and why? If I could work at any Disney theme park, I would like to perform as Belle in the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. I would choose this part because I am a singer and miss being in theater, and because I have always wanted to perform as Belle!

Best part about being a MickeyTravels Disney Travel Agent? The best part about being a MickeyTravels Disney Travel Agent is how everyone works as a team, and really, as a family! Everyone is so helpful with answering questions, giving advice, and providing help where it is needed!

Why should I book my vacation with you? You should book your vacation with me because Disney is a part of me, and it means the world to me. I want to create the most magical vacation possible for you and help you create a lifetime of memories!

Katie can be reached at katie@mickeytravels.com or 201-638-1744. She can also be found on our website at www.mickeytravels.com/katie.



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge