You are going to Walt Disney World. In 300 days. So how do you keep the magical and excitement going until the big trip? This is a question that many of us early bookers run into.
We plan, and analyze and research leading up to the actual booking of the trip, but then once you have clicked that button and officially booked the trip it can almost be a letdown. How can you keep the excitement alive and going? Here are a few of my ideas that I have used in the past and plan to use this year again as we wait for our June 2016 trip.
Telling Our Daughter with an Invite
Tell the kids you are going
Our kids are old enough to be aware that we are going especially since we are taking extending family with us, so conversations are often about the upcoming trip when everyone is together; however, if you kids aren’t aware this is a great way to bring the magic of the wait to your home. There are so many ideas out there on Pinterest and YouTube that you can have endless options on how you would like to do this. Even though our kids are aware, I still plan to do something special for them to officially announce we are going. When we went previously, we had Cinderella herself invite our daughter down to the castle. It was truly magical watching her open the invite.
Celebrate the big achievements.
I find it fun to make a big deal out of getting to different numbers on our countdown. We can celebrate 200, 180 when we book our dining reservations, 100, 90, 60 when we do our FastPasses, 30 and then each day from there. These celebrations can be dinner and a movie, watching videos, or just reading about the park. Anything to take time out of the craziness of the week to celebrate the upcoming trip is a great way to keep the magic going.
Receiving a Letter to Mickey
Get creative
Another great way to keep the excitement of the trip going is through crafts. Making a Disney countdown, Mousekeeping envelopes, pixie dust cards, autograph books or even outfits are great ways to keep the magic going while waiting on the trip. Again Pinterest has become a haven of ideas and options in all things Disney if you aren’t overly creative yourself. If you have older kids or really younger ones can do, they often enjoy helping make and create for the upcoming trip.
Immerse yourself in all things Disney
Take a day a week where you focus on Disney. Maybe you watch a Disney movie, read books, watch ride videos, or dance around to Disney music. These are all fun ways to get your Disney side going all while getting your kids ready for the trip through showing them different aspects of the parks themselves.
Research
In my opinion research is never done for a Disney trip. I find the research and learning about all things Disney just as much fun as the trip itself. A great way to keep the magic alive, in my opinion, is to get out on the blogs, Facebook pages, and websites and read away. (You’ve made a good choice coming here. 😉 )There are so many wonderful and helpful sites out there that I love sitting down and reading a quick article here and there about changes going on in Disney or even other’s trips. Research is a unique way to keep the magic alive while you are waiting on your trip.
Crazy spreadsheet for planning
Planning
Disney is a large place and it can be overwhelming to a lot of people. One way I keep the magic going while I try to patiently wait our trip is through planning. I absolutely love planning out our dining reservations. Getting online and reading the menus, reviews and determining if different restaurants would be good for our family. I also love strategizing our FastPasses and daily plans. Now I realize that not everyone is like me and not everyone would find planning magical or even fun, but it is something that I like doing while waiting for our trip to come.
Packing List
It is getting closer…
As the trip get closer, I try to kick the magic into high gear for our kids. We make a special countdown calendar and chain together. Shopping for last minute items for their carry-ons is also a fun activity for them. Having them help pack their bags for the trip, if they are old enough, can also be fun for them. Each week of our last few weeks they received small gifts that would help with our trip as well as teach them something about Disney. This was fun for me to figure out and make and it was fun for them to receive every Sunday morning.
It is so exciting to be going to Walt Disney World even if the wait is 300 days. Hopefully these ideas will give you some ways to keep the excitement and magic as you wait for you dreams to come true. Happy waiting!
What do you do to pass the time when your next Disney vacation is so far away? Let us know your tips in the comments!
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Thank you for this article describing exactly how I feel right now.
In addition to the ideas you presented, I ask the kids what their “must” are. Last time, I mostly got a concensus on turkey legs and Chef Mickey. For the next trip I got some surprise answers ranging from meeting Chip and Dale to one entire churros for myself… Everyday!
The other thing I like to do is give a Disney gift card or some cash for the holidays. Not only does it count as a gift for the holiday but also provides a budget for when we will actually be there, and reassures the kids that they will be able to choose a souvenir they like.