Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzannah Otis.
Hi Suzannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I grew up primarily in Massachusetts but visited Florida often with family in Ocala. I moved to Orlando in the mid-’90s to work for Walt Disney World.
I then used my Travel & Tourism Management degree and became a travel agency manager in Winter Park and Maitland. After having 3 children, I decided to start a Disney-focused blog in 2009, Zannaland.com.
I also applied and was chosen to be on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel back in 2010-11 (now called PlanDisney Panel). It was then that my focus on helping people and sharing Disney magic really became my mission.
I wanted to share memories I had as a child as well as present-day tips, and connect with others. I have been a fan of social media from the start, and Instagram has always been my favorite place as I love taking and editing photos and sharing them, to highlight the parks and other travel destinations as well. Recently, I’ve ventured into YouTube as well and am getting more comfortable on camera. I also still work full-time doing social media and agent training for a travel agency.
I’ve been a vegetarian for over 10 years and became a vegan over 4 years ago. When a friend was selling her VeganDisneyFood.com site in 2021, it seemed a natural fit to take over. I’ve loved sharing vegan options around Disney parks, resorts (and beyond), and truly helping people plan their vacations around what they know they can eat and enjoy.
I love finding new vegan items and speaking with chefs to confirm ingredients and taking the work and confusion out of vegan dining for Disney guests. Getting feedback and comments from people letting me know how much our site and guides have helped them with their Disney trips has been incredibly rewarding.
I live a few minutes away from the magic, right behind Cinderella Castle. There I enjoy my own personal Happily Ever After with my husband Scott. I share my adventures with my 3 children and 6 (yes SIX) cats. In my free time (what’s that?), I’m completing my degree after 25 years, I love to travel to National Parks and explore the country, and my husband and I have a Disney history podcast, Up the Waterfall which we are working on new episodes for now.
As you may have guessed, I am also addicted to coffee.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I’ve dealt with many personal issues from childhood to adulthood, many of which made me want to give up on my dreams. Seeing my mom deal with some setbacks taught me that you can start over in life and create new beginnings.
Even when failing, or feeling like I was, I kept moving forward and trying a different path to get to where I wanted to be. And my dreams have certainly changed over the years, but I keep dreaming. I’m still a work in progress, but having a focus and a calling to help others has helped me stay grounded. My children are the most important thing in the world to me, and they’ve kept me going and encouraged me along the way.
I got divorced at 39 and never thought I’d find love again, but I did and remarried 6 years ago. My husband Scott has been my biggest supporter and cheerleader (and my best VeganDisneyFood reporter). Finding a circle of friends who have your back and believe in you has been a great source of strength too.
When I’m having trouble seeing the forest for the trees, I have a great support system to help guide me through the wilderness.
As you know, we’re big fans of Vegan Disney Food. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
VeganDisneyFood was created in 2017 as an Instagram account. Soon after, VeganDisneyFood.com was started and food reviews of vegan items at Disney parks and resorts as well as complete vegan guides were shared. We branched out to YouTube video reviews as well. What we do at VeganDisneyFood is take the work and worry out of wondering what vegans can eat in Disney theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Springs, and water parks.
We share a new photo pretty much daily of delicious and completely vegan food or drink items that can be found at Disney. We also explain where and how to order this item and its cost. On our blog posts and videos, we provide honest reviews for items, so guests can know if it’s worth their while to order this item.
Our Complete Vegan Guides list every vegan item at each Disney theme park: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as every single Disney hotel, Disney water parks, and every Disney Springs option. We also share items from Disneyland and are working on our Complete Guides to Disney Aulani and Disney Cruise Line. We confirm any changes and update these guides monthly.
Our Instagram and other social media accounts are a great way for guests to follow along and also interact and ask any questions they may have about a location or what’s available. We often have non-vegans following and commenting who may have specific dietary needs or allergies and know that vegan options will usually work for them as well. When a new item comes out, we will speak to a chef, sometimes multiple times, and ask all the questions to determine ingredients, brands being used, and all the questions that guests may have so they can simply go and order, and not have to worry if it’s okay for them to eat.
Having people comment or message me and let me know how much our sites helped, or thank me for all the work we do, is what I am most proud of. Knowing that you are directly making people’s lives easier by providing this service, is a wonderful feeling. I take the site and every comment very seriously and I hope people know that I am always willing and able to help in any way that I can.
I also love spreading the vegan lifestyle and the beliefs and actions behind the decisions we make. Showing people that it isn’t difficult to eat vegan or be vegan and that we can all make changes that make a difference. This is why I love being involved in local Orlando events as well. Finding other vegans and vegan small businesses and spreading that word to my audience may help them step outside of Disney into other vegan options, and seek out local businesses in their own area as well.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the ’80s. My childhood was a combination of playing outside from morning till the streetlights came on; building forts, exploring forests, and talking to trees, to staying inside playing with Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake dolls, or Atari all day. I had an extensive sticker collection and roller-skated pretty much everywhere.
In my high school years, I was involved in the drama club and public speaking (which I then forgot and traded that in for social anxiety in college). All in all, I had a pretty magical childhood up to a point and was a very silly kid, obsessed with E.T. and Smurfs and Annie before discovering music, and then it was all Doc Martens and black tights for the remainder of childhood.
My love of music and Broadway and performing, in general, has stayed with me and I love being a supporter of the arts. From a young age, I loved creative writing and would make up stories whenever I could. I turned that into blog writing, but someday hope I have a book or two left in me.
Contact Info:
- Email: zanna@vegandisneyfood.com
- Website: VeganDisneyFood.com and Zannaland.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/vegandisneyfood and instagram.com/zannaland
- Facebook: facebook.com/vegandisneyfood and facebook.com/zannaland
- Twitter: twitter.com/veganatdisney and twitter.com/zannaland
- Youtube: youtube.com/vegandisneyfood and youtube.com/zannaland
