4) Watching Ride-Through YouTube Videos
There is nothing like experiencing the real thing, but watching ride-through videos on YouTube can help get you and your family get excited for your next Disney Parks vacation. If you can only visit a Disney park every few years, then refreshing your memory and re-familiarizing yourself with as many attractions as you can will be very helpful once you’re on vacation. There is never enough time on a Disney vacation to do everything, so if you can eliminate some attractions from your plans by watching them on YouTube then you might save some time to do the things you know you love. It also is a good way to give less popular attractions a second chance. For example, if your family enjoys watching the Journey Into Imagination ride-through video on YouTube then ignore the naysayers, and go have fun! Watching ride through videos are especially helpful to prepare children who might finally be tall enough to ride some of the bigger thrill attractions. Letting them see the ride on YouTube before they see the real thing might help them feel more confident.
3) Packing
The earlier you can have your bags packed and ready to go the better. The reason I say this is because many adults stress about all the errands they have to do before leaving for vacation. One of biggest errands is packing. If you can eliminate the stress by packing as soon as you can, it’ll be one less step in your vacation preparation. For parents with children, packing is an even bigger project because there might be more than twice as many bags to pack. Trying to get the family excited about packing as a group will alleviate the pressure of mom or dad having to do it alone. You might be surprised how excited children are to pack when they know it is for a Disney vacation!
2) Playing Park Music At Home
Listening to the music played on the attractions, like the Splash Mountain soundtrack, or even the ambiance music played throughout the parks, is a great way to get in the Disney spirit. If you’ve never listened to the park music from home you’d be surprised how strong of a connection it’ll have to the memories you might have made of previous trips. For example, when I listen to the Wishes soundtrack it brings me back to working in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. Getting to relive those memories by listening to the park soundtracks will get you and your family excited for your upcoming trip.
1) Start a Countdown Calendar
This one is simple. Whether your next vacation is in a month, or 3 years, starting a countdown calendar is a great way to remind yourself on a rough day that you have a Disney Parks vacation in your future! Some people get really creative with their countdown calendars, and making your calendar could even be a fun arts and crafts project. If you aren’t very artsy a simple dry erase board will do the trick. Creating a countdown calendar will increase anticipation, but the closer you get to your vacation that anticipation will translate into enthusiasm! I highly suggest making a countdown calendar as soon as you can!
