by Soarin’ Diva
We’ve all been there. Feeling that lonely, depressing emptiness that invades your soul as you view that “See ya real soon!” sign while you exit Walt Disney World property and head back to the reality that is your life. Alas, how will we cope? How can we go back to a place that isn’t filled with pixie dust, characters, and pure joy?
The dreaded walk to the car for the trip home.
Due to work and school, our family only has the pure joy and pleasure of all that is Walt Disney World once a year. When you only get to vacation at The World once a year, that seems to make the time you aren’t there feel like even more of an eternity. Whether you drive hundreds of miles home, or board the “Tragical Express” to the airport for your flight back to reality, it seems there is nothing more depressing than that trek back to your hum drum life. Take heart though; there are actually a few ways to get through those dismal months of not being at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. I’ll share a few of my favorites with you.
One of the most obvious ways is to watch Disney movies….a lot of Disney movies. Nothing lifts your spirit like watching a little Timon and Pumbaa. Nothing touches your heart like watching Carl and Ellie’s great love in “Up”. Our household definitely indulges in as many Disney movies as we can. It’s a sure-fire way of getting you in the Disney spirit. With so many excellent Disney movies to choose from, you never get tired of them.
My next way to keep your Disney spirit alive may seem a little strange, but it works for my husband and I. We’ve actually DVR’d several different documentaries on Walt Disney World, Walt Disney, Disneyland and Disney cruises. We love to pass the time kicked back on the couch enjoying old clips of Walt Disney and his Imagineers talk about the planning stages of building the parks and creating the rides and attractions. There are many secrets and tips you can learn from these documentaries as well. Keep your eyes peeled on networks such as The Food Network, The Travel Channel, TLC and The History Channel- you may be able to catch one of their documentaries.
Now to reveal my biggest secret for getting through those eternal non-Disney months….my husband and I are constantly planning our NEXT Walt Disney World vacation. When I say constantly, I really mean constantly. Our next vacation was actually booked the very first day of our last vacation. A little Soarin’ Diva Tip: if you stay at a WDW resort, if it’s available, take advantage of something called the bounce back offer. If you have never heard of the bounce back, it’s something only available to people staying on WDW property and you can ONLY take advantage of it while you are actually there, not after you get home. My suggestion is, when you get to your room, dial extension #8844 and ask them what the current bounce back offer is. If they have one available, it’s usually a room discount or it could even be free dining. The BB we received was free dining, so I jumped at the chance to go ahead and book our next vacation. You must book then, from your room, to be eligible.
My Disney binder and a copy of the packing checklist I keep inside the binder.
The inside of binder with crowd prediction calendar and calendar of park hours/restaurant reservations
Knowing that our next vacation was already booked made our last day of vacation much more acceptable this time, and we have been in the planning stages ever since. I have created my own binder full of information for our trip. I’ve created and printed calendars full of our dining plans, park hours, projected crowd levels and plans for extra events, such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, which is our favorite thing about fall at WDW. When it’s time for me to select our Fastpasses, that too will be entered into my calendar and binder. I love to plan! I know, some of you are probably too busy with work, the kids and life to plan as much as I do, but there are options for that as well. How about a travel agent? Contact our recommended travel agent, Patricia at All Dreams for Travel, and she can do all the work for you. Best of all, all of her services are FREE, all you have to do is click here to request a quote!
