Disney Vacation Traditions

[mamabunker]

Do you have anything that you do every time you take a Disney vacation?

We have a few. For years, my husband and I have been counting lizards (weird, right?). The count starts over every day. Now that we have kids, they think it's fun and they help us out.

We also have a notebook and each night, write down each person's favorite part of the day. We do this on non-Disney vacations and day trips, too.

In the same notebook, we write down the states that we see license plates from. Our goal is to see all 50 states in one trip. It hasn't happened yet.

 

[PUSH]

Aside from doing all the rides, eating at our favorite restaurants, seeing our favorite shows, etc, the only thing I do the same every trip (intentionally) is play the license plates game. With my rules you can only use moving vehicles, in other words no parked car! The most I've gotten is 40 something. I've caught an Alaska and Hawaii plate before! Not in the same trip though. It's something to do on a 21 hour car drive.

 

[erasure fan1]

The first trip we took my daughter to Disney we happened to stop at the Tennessee welcome center on I-24 (right after you come back into Tennessee from Georgia) They have a bunch of sculptures of animals made from mosaic tile like fish, turtles, snake... We took her picture with them and every year since then she asked to stop to see the fish. We have stopped there every year to take her picture with them, except one. The one time we didn't stop was because the rest stop was being renovated. She was so heartbroken when we passed it, she cried for the next few hours. Now my son looks forward to getting his picture with them.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We do the journaling thing too writing down our favorite things and funny things of the day, and license plates. We also have our picture taken on the carousel each trip.

 

[draybook]

We just started collecting Xmas ornaments this past September and we have one tradition that happens every time(except this last trip). That tradition is that on every MK night we have to be the last ones in line and I have to be the last one in a Doombuggy(with exception to the CM).

 

[luv]

My son always wanted to see how fast we could get from the plane to our room. He timed it. "OK - don't forget, I will get the suitcases and come meet you at the door! Don't go back!"

He was SO disappointed the time our room wasn't ready, lol. He made me walk to the room so we could include it in our record book.

He always wants to win, even if we're only beating ourselves. Everything is a contest.

 

[jlsHouston]

Character dine...well the one thing I do for disney trips way different than other trips is the travel outfit with the travel bag...It is of course always Disney themed.

 

[Pooh Lover]

We try to begin each trip with dinner at O'Hana. We always try to get at least one resort specific souvenir, preferrably from the WL. Many of our meals, snacks and drinks are tradition by now too, we've done them so many times.

 

[Tiggerish]

(1) have an ice cream every day, and never the same thing or from the same place twice.

(2) get my picture with Tigger.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Does going nuts over ADRs count? It's this crazy ritual for me. I mean, I book things at the 180 mark like everyone else but I debate with myself over my choices so much during the weeks leading up to that mark and then as soon as everything is booked- I get this insane urge to try and improve already good plans. i.e. 6 solid months of shifting times, adding a lunch, flip flopping on meal locations, etc. It doesn't help that ADR stalking is like some silly fun game for me. I've been known to do a victory dance around the couch if I stalk my way into something hard to get well after the 180 mark. The game ends as soon as we leave the house for WDW.

 

[Neph-Neph]

I always buy the picture from the first ride on Splash Mountain every trip. I've been doing it since my trip in 2000.

 

[Figgy1]

We have quite a few aside from the rides and shows! On the ride south I always get a picture of my boys in front of the welcome to Florida sign, A picture of them togethet on the speeder in HS and no trip is complete without a slushie or 2 from Les Vins. The list could go on and on!

 

[DisneyGuyNYC]

I usually do a 4 or 5 day trip. No matter what my first four days usually go like this: Magic Kingdom the first day, Epcot the second, Hollywood Studios the third (with a double back to MK or Epcot to finish things at the end of the day), and Animal Kingdom the last day.

Also, Dole Whips the first day. Always Dole Whips.

 

[PREMiERdrum]

I second the Dole Whip motion, we usually carve out some afternoon time for Dole Whips and a few minutes of relaxation in Adventureland.

Some other favorites-
- Getting my daughter's hair cut at the Harmony Barber Shop
- Sweets from the Main Street Bakery before the night parade
- Fried Rice from the Yak and Yeti in AK.
- A Ghiradelli nightcap to wrap up an evening at Downtown Disney
- At least one afternoon relaxing with cold beer poolside at the resort

Harsh realization: All but one of our traditions are food and drink related. Better get in some extra time at the gym before our April trip!

 

[DisneyGuyNYC]

Better get in some extra time at the gym before our April trip!

Haha, always do. I always come home with an extra 5 lbs so I work my off at the gym the weeks before.

 

[MouseDreaming]

Our first night, we always have dinner at the Sassagoula. We even traveled there for our first night dinner when we started our trip at the DTD Hilton, last year. Lizards-my DD always wants to "hunt" them. For a while she would try and catch them, but luckily never caught one. Now, she tries to take pictures. Watch the kids play a game of tag on the big lawn at POFQ. Ice cream at 11 (that was exciting the year my DD shared with her kindergarten teacher, "And we eat ice cream at 11 AT NIGHT! That's when I found out her teacher is also a Disney nut) So many more.
I really like the idea of the journal. I might have to "borrow" that one.

 

[Disvillain63]

Dole Whips are a must, as well as Ghiradelli's. We also always watch the EWP at least one night. DTD on the last day before we hit the road.

 

[Todd L]

We always get something for the xmas tree at The xmas store downtown...We have a bunch now and we all look forward to getting the box out of the attic and hanging them on the tree every year!!

 

[Kristamouse]

We have an Christmas ornaments from all 11 trips as well. We must ride COP, I want my kids 8, 7, 4, and 2 to remember that ride, I always worry it will be gone on our next trip. As for the drive we get a lottery tickets of some type in every state and beep the horn as we cross state lines...silly I know but my parents did it with us too!

 

[real mad hatter]

We toss our dimes into the river on the bridge overlooking the Sassagoula at PORS and make our wish on our last day.Done this since our first stay there in 2008. Theres a story behind it.