5 Ways to Get Excited About Your Upcoming Disney Vacation
The anticipation of a Disney vacation can be almost as exciting as the trip itself. Again, I said almost. J However, planning is definitely part of the fun! Here are 5 ideas to get you pumped for your upcoming Disney vacation!
1. Create a Countdown
There are a plethora of options out there to countdown your trip to your next Disney vacation. There are apps & online trackers should you be interested in more of an electronic approach! A popular app available on the iTunes store is called “Countdown to Disney.” The “Dreamdays App” is another one that has received good reviews and is available for both Android and Apple phones.
However, homemade trackers can be a fun family activity! You can make your own Disney “chain” out of construction paper. These chains can be Mickey-themed, princess-themed, or whatever theme your imagination will allow! Each day you can tear off one of the links, and you will be that much closer to your magical vacation! If you are looking for other homemade ideas, Pinterest is a great place to look!
2. Create Milestones
Depending on where you are traveling, certain milestones may already be created for you. For example, when traveling to and staying inside of Walt Disney World, you can begin making dining reservations 180 days in advance or fast pass+ reservations 60 days in advance. These milestones help to build excitement for your trip. Prior to each milestone, it could be fun to host a “decision-making” party with your family for a fun way to decide which restaurants are top choices, which rides are must-dos, etc.! If you are working with a travel agent, he/she can help make suggestions for your family to discuss as well.
You can create your own, too! For example, each month closer to your trip date could be a milestone celebration. At the beginning of each month you could open a “bag of goodies” for your upcoming vacation. Each bag could contain something that you could bring on your vacation such as snacks, sunglasses, lanyards, pins, etc.
3. Watch Your Favorite Disney Films
Something entertaining to do to prepare for your upcoming trip is to get the family together to watch your favorite Disney films! You could do a marathon close to your trip, or you could space it out a week, a month, etc. My husband and I did this before our most recent trip, and it was a great way to get into the Disney spirit. We watched a different Disney film every night one week before we left for our trip!
4. Watch YouTube Videos
People post fun Disney vacation videos on YouTube that can be entertaining in anticipation of your trip! There are recordings of fireworks, shows, parades, character meet & greets, and general Disney fun! The DisneyParks channel has some great videos to check out! There are also trip planning videos that can be helpful as long as you can trust the resource. Look for someone who is an authorized Disney Vacation Planner to make sure you are getting the best information! (Feel free to check out my YouTube Channel link here)
5. Surprise Your Children
This concept has become more and more popular over the years, and likely you’ve seen videos or pictures of friends who have surprised their children by revealing they are going on a trip to Disney (and they usually make me cry). Many parents wait until a day or two before the trip to break the big news, but my advice would be to do what makes the most sense for your family and ages of your children. Teenagers, for example, might want to have more say in the planning process, so I would advise surprising them earlier than little ones who will want to go right away!
There are different approaches to the big reveal! Scavenger hunts with clues that send kids on a chase to find the “treasure” at the end can be a fun way to drum up some excitement. This could be done in one setting or you could spread out the clues over a few weeks or months depending again on the age of your children. Other parents might choose to have their children open gifts that are Disney themed and ask them to connect the dots as to what all of the gifts mean. This is a great approach for a Christmas or birthday reveal. You could also do a twist on a normal game night where you present the winner with their “prize” (this of course would need to be manipulated to have the correct winner(s) win)! Again, let your creativity run wild! Whatever you decide, make sure to record the reveal as a special memento! The reactions are usually priceless.
The anticipation of the trip is part of the experience, and hopefully you will take advantage of some of these ideas to garner excitement! If you have ideas of your own that you would like to share, please feel free to comment below!
Kim Hart is a Disney travel agent with MickeyTravels. For help planning a magical vacation you & your family will remember forever, contact Kim today!
Kim Hart
MickeyTravels, LLC
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner – PLATINUM LEVEL
Office: 410-529-1324
Cell: 410-925-5966
khart@mickeytravels.com
www.mickeytravels.com
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