Got the Disney winter blues?
If you are reading this article, there is a good chance that you may be feeling homesick for Walt Disney World. And who wouldn’t miss the magic? The intriguing music of Innoventions, the sinful smell of churros, the amazing sight of thousands of lights blinking in the Main Street Electrical Parade, the delicious taste of a Dole whip float, the feel of wind in your hair on Splash Mountain – Disney is an assault on all the senses.
Sometimes you step outside your door on an early dewy morning, and you swear the air smells just like it does at Fort Wilderness. You see Hidden Mickeys everywhere – in the clouds, in your soup, even in the dirty dishes piling up on your countertop.
How do you even cope? It is almost a daily struggle as you count down the days until your next trip. The winter months certainly add on extra stress – Christmas is well over, and you are eagerly awaiting the first days of spring.
Whether you are experiencing blizzard whiteout conditions, mundane workdays in your office cubicle, or are just straight up missing the Magic Kingdom, how do you pass the time until your next trip?
Chances are that you follow Doctor Disney’s Facebook group, “I’m So Disney…”, and if you don’t already, you should join.
This group talks about anything and everything Disney. Friendly members are more than willing to chat and give their opinions, advice, praise, and support on everything – including the theme parks, collectibles, crafts, and vacation memories – with everything in between. It’s a great place to kick the Disney blues and chat with those who feel the same way you do!
Missing Tonga Toast? How about the strawberry soup from 1900 Park Fare? Doctor Disney has recipes for several of the hottest dishes from Walt Disney World. Try whipping up your own Dole whip and putting it in your favorite Mickey glassware. Buy a Mickey waffler and create amazing breakfast foods that rival those of Crystal Palace.
Music is an amazing tool – It soothes the mind and energizes the spirit. Pandora has Disney stations that can be searched to bring up a random assortment from the movies and parks, with tunes like the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room and Part of Your World. A quick YouTube search can bring hours (even days!) of music at your fingertips. Almost every ambient background loop that plays at the parks, resorts and everywhere in between can be found on YouTube. This includes the music from the Magical Express, all the way to Liberty Square, to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Most, if not all, has superb sound quality. Want a more tailored Disney Parks music experience? Apps for the iOS and Android, such as Sorcerer Radio and MouseWorld, stream this kind of music 24 hours a day.
If you haven’t already, order the latest Vacation Planning DVD directly from Disney’s website. It will help to bring some Disney magic to your home, and you can select what you are most interested in, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, and Adventures by Disney. Best of all, it’s free!
Another great resource available to most people is the local library. Chances are yours may have the newest copy of Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World! If you dive a bit deeper, you may find some great biographies on Walt Disney, as well as other amazing literature on the parks and films. It just depends on what your library has in its collection. If your library has a DVD selection, you may also find some Disney films there.
[Image via Disney]
There are some amazing Disney crafts out there. Disney Family has some cute ideas, including some adorable Mickey and Minnie Valentine’s Day cards! Pinterest is always teeming with fantastic things as well – search “Haunted Mansion crafts” for 13 hour clocks, hitchhiking ghost ball jars, and tombstone cupcakes. For the more avid crafters, papercrafting is an awesome hobby with many resources available online. You can make tiny replicas of Space Mountain and Wall-E, all for free as long as you have a printer.
As you can see, there are many ways to kick the Disney winter blues! The ideas presented here are simply just skimming the surface. We want to know how you pass the time until your next trip!
Share how you get your Disney fix in the comments or in the “I’m So Disney…” Facebook group.
