5 Ways to Cure Those Post-Disney Blues
We’ve all been there. We’ve researched & planned our magical Disney trip, and we wait for months & months, and it finally arrives! We separate from our world back home and get totally lost in our trip, sometimes forgetting what day it is completely . . . until that dreadful day we receive our eviction, ahem, checkout notice. Suddenly something in the pit of our stomachs begins to hurt, and before we know it tears are streaming down our cheeks! We face reality that all good things must come to end, and we return home in a fog wondering what happened to our excitement and vitality! If this sounds familiar, what you are experiencing is known as the Post-Disney Blues. It’s a real thing for us Disney travelers and fans. Know that you are not alone and that there are ways to recover from this dilemma. Below are 5 tips that will get you back to feeling normal in no time!
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Follow a fan page
We “Disney people” treat these fan groups & pages as support groups to help us get by until we are able to take another vacation. On these pages you are able to find trip reports, reviews, tips, Disney fashion trends, company news, videos, and a lot more. Some good sites to follow via web or social media are MickeyBlog.com, Chip & Co., Kenny the Pirate, and DisneyFanatic. Sometimes these groups or pages even host live streams of parades, live shows, and fireworks that can really appeal to that Disney nostalgia you might be feeling!
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Host a picture sharing & reminiscing party
Gather your travel companions together, whether they are family members or friends, for a few hours of fun. Have Disney-themed snacks and drinks with your favorite Disney tunes playing in the background! If you have photos printed of your trip, you can use those as decorations where your party guests can walk around and reminisce of the fun times. Or, if you bought Memory Maker or have a lot of Disney Photo Pass photos, share your computer screen and choose which pictures are your favorites! At this party you could start your photo album or scrapbook and have everyone add a memory to it. Watch any trip videos that were taken during your vacation. Have everyone share their most memorable part of the trip. Whatever you decide to do at your party, be sure to have fun!
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Organize those trip purchases
Sometimes when I return home from a trip, I am just too depressed to unpack the non-essentials. However, you can make this work to your advantage when curing the post-Disney blues! Set aside all of your souvenirs and mementos in one location, and designate a specific time in the not-too-distant future to unwrap and rediscover them. Each one might bring back a special memory, and soon you will find yourself smiling again. In addition, there is the excitement of planning where to display your souvenirs or how you will organize them. For example, my husband and I collect pins on our Disney vacations, and we have acquired quite a few! We are planning to display all of them on a cork board to reminisce, and we will continue the collection as we travel and have new experiences.
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Plan another trip
This is the “hair of the dog” approach where the belief is that the only way to recover is to return to that which caused the pain initially! Many people abide by this rule and believe that the best way to recover from the post-Disney blues is to immediately start planning another trip so you have something with which to look forward. The excitement of the new trip will overcome the sadness of the tri p which has just passed. In addition, knowing that you can return might take the pressure off of trying to fit everything into one vacation, which is essentially impossible! Admittedly, I use this approach, and it does help significantly. However, not everyone has the ability to return the next year or two, which brings us to the next tip . . .
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Create a wish list
If it is not in the cards for you to take another Disney vacation in the near future, and you are a bit down about your vacation ending, a great thing to do is to create a wish list for a future vacation. Think about what things you missed that you’d like to see or restaurants or rides you would like to try. In addition, Disney has many options from which to choose in terms of travel destinations. Did you know that they have a resort in Hawaii called Aulani? Or that you could travel to places like Italy or Costa Rica with Adventures By Disney? Or work on your tan aboard a Disney cruise! Your travel agent could be a great resource in helping you create a wish list and/or setting realistic expectations about saving for a future trip!
Hopefully, some of these suggestions will help you overcome any sadness you have returning back to the real world. The magical pixie dust you receive on your Disney vacation is difficult to bid farewell. However, this is simply a testament to it being a great trip, and ultimately Disney wants you to return to make more special memories. Remember, as a Genie once said, “Today’s special moments are tomorrow’s memories.”
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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