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.

 

[AllyInWonderland]

We usually videotape our trip and get lots of pictures taken (even though I don't like it), I usually watch the Disney cartoons in the hotel lobby while checking in and I always have to watch the Disney Sing-Along Songs, and we usually always get ice cream at Ghiradelli in DTD.

 

[Susan Savia]

I pick a pearl in Japan.
Our first day is always at Epcot and riding Spaceship Earth as well as our last day and last ride.
We buy a magnet for the fridge (dated) as well as a photo album.
I keep a small notebook in my purse and jot down things during the day I might forget and
at night write it into a journal. Have done this to all vacations we take. What we did, what
we rode, characters we met, places we eat, car mileage from certain points, places we stop etc.
Take a picture of my son in Italy in the same spot each year. Started doing that when he was 2 (he's 27 now)
etc...

 

[RedDad]

We stop at the FL welcome center (unless we're just too excited to stop), and always get one fridge magnet (usually from the resort where we stay), one christmas ornament, and always make one trip to the WL for our littlest to see the totem and rub the bear's nose. Lately, we've made watching Wishes from the Poly beach a tradition too.

 

[fam]

same thing on the florida welcome center (although no OJ because its usually not open yet).

The other ritual that is unplanned is somehow at least once per trip I get stuck in the giant golf ball with the language set to portugese by accident.

 

[Spikerdink]

I have a few traditions for the first day:

I have to take a photo of the room from every angle before anyone can put down a bag, etc. I like to look back at the room in its pristine condition.

I like to have a glass of wine on the balcony that first night - even if I sit by myself. I don't get this luxury at home...so it is a treat....

The rest of the trip has a few traditions:

I have to see Winnie.

I have to forget all of my worries and problems.

I have to look for a new hidden Mickey.

I have to chat with someone who is a complete stranger.

 

[DisneyDelirious]

Too many to list them all, so I will just list a few...
First park meal is always Crystal Palace
Get an ornament each trip for the Christmas tree
First park is always MK, last park is always MK
Splash Mountain is the first ride and BTMRR is the first fastpass
The list goes on and on...

 

[Lightning McQueen]

Take bets on which colour monorail you will see first each day

 

[steviej]

well, with my parents, we check in to OKW (they don't like to stay anywhere else, and they won't get too much complaints from me about that ), we grab lunch at Olivia's. Off to MK, IASW, PP, HM. Always in that order.

 

[foreverbelle]

Pre trip?

We do the countdown thing. My husband has started a new one at the 99 day mark, he begins his 99 bottles of beer to go. A new beer each day.
As we drive we do the license plate game as well.

When we get there/during

-The hubby and I always enjoy an evening out-usually on our last night-we leave our son to a sitter and hit up the parks. At the end of the night we usually try and grab some ice cream and watch Wishes just the two of us. Its something we have always done.
-Get an ornament each trip with date.
-Upon arrival we usually always end up at Earl of Sandwich and say vacation has yet to start until we do.
-And yes I journal everything at the end of each night.

 

[taz0162]

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.

Iv'e only seen one Hawaii plate outside of the islands that isand it was in IL. Good luck finding one.

 

[WDW 3]

Always took a picture of DD and DH with Buzz Lightyear at DTD. The last couple have a sad dad alone without DD who is in college now.

 

[King Capybara 77]

We have a couple of Disney traditions

1. We Always have to use the "facilities" in Germany whenever we go through there
2.Both me and DW shout the name of a certain "owl logo'ed " eating establishment on the I4
Can't really explain either of them :-\

also the first thing we do when getting to our room is check out the free stuff ( shampoo etc)

 

[figmentfan22]

My husband and I are big people watchers. We usually pick 1 thing to keep track of during the trip. For example, 1 trip we kept track of how many families had multiple spray bottles with the attached fans (couldn't understand why each family member needed one of their own). Another trip we kept track of how many newlywed couples we saw wearing the bride/groom mouse ear hats.

 

[tracyandalex]

Ghiradelli's and Chef Mickey's our last morning before heading home.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Every trip is all about traditions, new ones in the making, old ones relived. Like @poohlover, we eat at Ohana our first night, and our first night's park is Epcot. We buy dated Christmas ornaments, Epcot F&W tshirt for each year, and I go on the hunt for Pluto merchandise and Pluto himself!! (however at this rate, I think Pluto has filed stalking charges! LOL) We STILL do Disney Quest once each trip and our first monorail ride each trip, we break out singing *when you wish upon a star*. DS and DH make a bet, every year, which one of them guess how many times I'll cry during our trip. "Let's see, she'll cry when she sees the castle, during illuminations, when she sees Pluto, after Wishes ....etc, etc."

 

[bethymouse]

Must see Wishes! and Illuminations! every trip.
Must get a snow globe w/ year each trip.

 

[nc_disneyfreak]

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.

hahaha...this is me all the way...i book at 180 days out and still, after i got ours down, i feel the urge to move this, move that etc....im not sure why, i guess its because we visualize the day of our adr and we think, "will i be near there at my res. time?" lol....gotta love it

 

[nc_disneyfreak]

i love reading all these. it makes me think were all part of a family...cheesy huh? our first day there is getting into our room, changing and hitting the pool for a couple hours and then going to DTD for dinner at earl of sandwich...not sure why, it just happened like that our first night of our first trip and it stuck lol...isnt that how traditions start? this may sound dumb but whenever were in epcot and we leave the figment ride, my family like to do the honey i shrunk the kids 3D (now captain eo) i never do, i always sit in that area where the water squirts from one fountain to the other...(right above the upside down waterfall) and i just sit in the sun, the wind on me, watching out over epcot for those 20 or so minutes....its so peaceful, im on vacation, no worries, the green grass and trees...ah epcot...
for my whole family, our fave tradition is just being there with them....everything is perfect in those 8 or 9 days...

 

[SecondStarTilMorning]

Our tradition is go to the poly for our first night for dinner and watch wishes on the poly beach. Honestly doesn't get much better than that.

 

[lunchbox1175]

We get a fast pass for the mid afternoon spots for Toy Story Mania and we give it away at the front gate right at the return time to a happy couple of two on their way in to the park.