Hello everyone, and welcome to Ask Morgan Mondays! Today’s question comes from Patricia in New Jersey, and I thought answering it would be a great way to introduce myself and this series!

Patricia says: “Hi Morgan, Before DVC Central and this site, were you involved with other Disney sites…..and if so, which ones?”

Hi Patricia! The short answer is no, I’ve never worked with other Disney sites prior to 2012. Much to my dismay, I’ve never been a cast member, either. I did read the Walt Disney biography in 6th grade, but I’m pretty sure any Disney cred I might have received from that has long since expired. My experience comes from spending a whole lot of time in the parks and answering questions for thousands of people about how to do Disney in the most magical ways possible.

Check it out. It’s a great read.

I’ve been going to Disney for years and have been helping friends and family plan vacations for a good long while, but I didn’t stumble on the Disney web communities until around 2011 when I was searching Facebook for a site or page that could give me some tips on how to use my Disney Vacation Club membership. I had so many questions about policies and procedures and basic planning that I was having trouble finding accurate, timely answers to. There were lots of great sites with pieces and parts of what I wanted to know, but I needed it all in one place!  As I continued to research for friends and eventually, their friends who asked me to plan vacations, I got feedback that I wasn’t the only one looking for information. And so in June of 2012, with the help of a good Vacation Club friend Debbie, I started the Facebook group DVC Central. In the beginning, Debbie and I really just wanted a moderated page where Disney fans could ask and answer questions and talk about the Mouse. While we’d originally intended to focus on Vacation Club, we realized quickly that the importance that Disney has placed on pre-planning was leaving all kinds of Disney fans old and new with planning questions.

“Wait…HOW did you say this thing is going to work again?”

DVC Central grew in leaps and bounds and as it did,  so did my concept of what I wanted my contribution to the Disney community to be. I saw Disney’s focus shifting to complete emphasis on pre-planning with dining reservations at 180 days and Fastpass+ and I heard regular Disney vacationers becoming concerned that they wouldn’t have the time or the know-how to plan. I knew that I could give them the tools they needed to address those concerns and refocus on having FUN with the new tech that Disney was rolling out. It’s been my philosophy for a long time that the more detailed information guests have, the better their vacations and experiences can be – not just what time the parade is, but where can my kids and I get the best view and even what can we do with the confetti they throw out? Disney has always been about magic for me and my family and I wanted to share the information that makes it that way. More, I wanted to share as much of the information as possible in one central (See what I did there?) location so that people who found me and my sites wouldn’t have to waste time collecting it all themselves. From refurbishment announcements to parks information, merchandise announcements, movie releases, and even just fun photos and videos, I wanted Central to be a one-stop-Disney-shop.

So why am I popping up on Disneyways? Well, it’s simple. In researching daily for Central and the vacations I continue to plan, I have found a huge community of bloggers and tweeters, commenters and podcasters who share and share alike. If we all help each other, we are more apt to have information that will help you maximize your time on property. I’m all about that.  Krista has a fantastic blog here with unique and fun information, and I’m really excited to add to the magic of Disneyways. And some things, like my upcoming World Secrets series, require a few more words than Facebook and Twitter allow.

So that’s me, and I thank Patricia for a great first Ask Morgan Mondays question! Feel free to wander on over to DVC Central on Facebook and say hello! Join the group (www.facebook.com/groups/DVCCentral) if you’d like a great Disney community to talk to, or just “Like” the page (www.facebook.com/DVCCentral) if you’d like tips and information in your newsfeed daily. I’m a regular columnist on WDWFanzone.com and am on Twitter at @DVCMorgan. And don’t forget to look for me in the parks. In my typical getup (below), I’m usually pretty easy to find.

A note from Krista: Although Morgan has never worked with any other sites on a regular advice column, she has done some writing for WDW Fanzone.

Click here to see her article about

Ten Walt Disney World Holiday Traditions You Won’t Want to Miss.

Click here to see her article about Running Disney.

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