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Meet the Disney Dining Team!

“To all who come to this happy place, welcome!” – Walt Disney

Welcome to DisneyDining.com, the place to be for delicious Disney foodie content, tips and tricks for planning the most magical Disney Parks vacations ever, the best in Disney nostalgia and history content, and the most up-to-date and credible Disney news from around the globe.

We’re so glad you’re here! We invite you to sit back, relax, and stay a while! If you love Walt, Disney, and the Parks as much as we do, you’re in the perfect place to enjoy news, information, tips, ideas, history, and feel-good stories with a Disney twist. But before you get started, we want to introduce you to the Disney superfans (and certified Disney Adults) who make up our fabulous team of writers!

Becky Burkett: Senior Writer

Becky Burkett

Becky is a Georgia native who grew up in the Lone Star State, and she has been visiting Disney Parks since she was 11 years old. To this day, she remembers the joy that filled her soul when she saw the lights of the Main Street Electrical Parade and heard the iconic music from the nighttime spectacular for the very first time. It would be a memory that forever stayed with her and grew her love for Walt Disney World from the beginning. 

Becky is a Walter Elias Disney fanatic and historian and is devoted to keeping his memory alive. She also loves to write about Disney nostalgia, Disney Parks through the years, PIXAR, and Imagineering. When she’s in the parks, you’ll find her croonin’ with the birdies in the Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki Room, creepin’ in the Haunted Mansion, or hangin’ with Woody and Buzz at Toy Story Land. Still can’t find her? Look again wherever the Imagineers are congregating.

Becky believes that Walt Disney was so much more than an entertainment and theme park tycoon–he was a savant with a vision for life and how it could be if happiness and kindness were strived for. 

When she’s not in the parks, you can find Becky at home in Texas, writing about her Disney Parks adventures, learning something new about Walt and defending his posthumous dignity with searing OpEd pieces. When she’s not writing Disney, you can still find her up late at night, writing children’s fiction and continuing work on her newest book, I’ll See You in the Morning.

Brittni Ward: Senior Writer

Brittni Boardwine

Brittni is a Disney and Universal fan. One of her favorite things at both parks is collecting popcorn buckets. While at Disney World Resort, Brittni meets the princesses and rides Kilimanjaro Safaris. At Universal, Brittni enjoys the Minions and watching Animal Actors on Location! When not at Disney World Resort or Universal Orlando, Brittni spends time with her family and pets.

Eva Miller: News Writer

Eva Merrill

Eva was born and raised in the beautiful state of Oregon but has since relocated and lives in New York City. Since she was young, Eva has loved to perform in musicals, especially Disney ones! Through performing, Disney’s music became the soundtrack of her childhood. Today, Eva loves to write about all the exciting happenings for the Walt Disney Company. In her free time, Eva loves to travel, spend time in nature, and go to Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is Lilo and Stitch, and her favorite Park is Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Isabella “Bella” Reimer: Fact-Checker

Isabella Reimer

Isabella Reimer grew up visiting Walt Disney World and relocated to Central Florida to be even closer to The Most Magical Place on Earth. She earned her Bachelor’s from Florida State University, where she double-majored in Creative Writing and Women’s Studies. Her biggest hobby is bonding with the ikran at Avatar: Flight of Passage, and her retirement plan includes becoming the 1,000th Happy Haunt in the Haunted Mansion.

Jamie Sylvester: Director of Content

Jamie Sylvester

Jamie considers herself a Disney nerd: a kid at heart who loves the magic and memories of Walt Disney World. She follows all things Disney and enjoys vacations, day trips, and weekend getaways to the parks, and she geeks out over the planning of such events. She’s on a mission to experience as many Disney desserts and Disney cocktails as possible! Jamie is married to another Disney nerd and blessed with a daughter and a son. Jamie and her family thoroughly enjoy the magic at Disney and want to help others experience the magic as well.

Krysten Swensen: Senior Writer

Krysten Swensen

A born and bred New England girl living the Disney life in Southern California. I love to read, to watch The Golden Girls, enjoy a Red Sox game, and love everything to do with Disney and Universal. Disney’s best character ever is Figment, and its most underrated movie is The Great Mouse Detective. Love living by Walt’s belief that if we can dream it, we can do it. Follow my Disney and Universal adventures on my Instagram, @BrazzleDazzleDisney!

Michael Arnold: News Writer

Michael Arnold

Michael was born and raised in Alabama but currently lives in Florida. While still in high school, Michael joined the army and spent almost 12 years in service with multiple combat deployments. Upon leaving the service, Michael attended both the University of Alabama and UAB in Birmingham, where his education focused heavily on infectious disease and Public Health. Michael is also married and has five children.

Michael has been visiting Disney Parks since he was young. One of his favorite memories was being asked by a Disney Cast Member if his family wanted to preview Flight of Passage in Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Disneey’s Animal Kingdom is Michael’s favorite Park, with Disney’s Hollywood Studios coming in at a close second. He’s a huge Star Wars fan, and his favorite Disney film is Pirates of the Caribbean. Michael enjoys Disney history and helping friends plan their vacations to Walt Disney World. As an Annual Passholder, Michael and his family visit the parks often in Orlando.

When in the Park, you can find Michael checking out lightsabers and riding rides during fireworks. You can also trust that he’ll try as much food as possible so you know exactly what to order during your next trip.

When not in the parks, Michael spends most of his time with his family or working on research at a hospital in Florida. In addition, Michael spends a lot of time enjoying college football…Roll Tide, and writing so that others can keep up with the latest at Walt Disney World.