My family has several Disney traditions that we make sure we do every single time we enter one of the parks. They make our family vacations that much more exciting and memorable. If you are looking to spruce up your time away with the people you love, here’s a little pixie dust you can sprinkle on your upcoming getaway.
14 Disney Traditions You Cannot Miss During Your Next Trip
Wear Your Minnie Mouse Ears
Our very first tradition is to pick up a pair of Minnie Ears and wear them as often as we can. You don’t have to go crazy and buy a new pair every single time you go down, just really love the one you commit to purchasing.
I’ve had these rose gold Minnie Mouse ears for a few years and I am SO HAPPY WITH THEM that I never look for a new style.
Have Everyone Pick A Favorite Ride
Be sure to hit up your favorite rides and always talk about why they are your top picks. Personally, my favorite Disney ride is actually in Disneyland – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It used to be in Disney World but they took it away a few years ago. My children never had a chance to ride it and I talk about it all the time.
They actually want to visit Disneyland for the sole purpose of experiencing Mommy’s favorite ride and it is on our to-do list! But while we are on the East Coast, we each have our top picks and we make sure to hit all five while we are running around the parks. It becomes somewhat of a scavenger hunt.
The kids stake their claims on rollercoasters and flying elephants and then we just make sure that we all enjoy their top picks. It brings us all together.
Decorate Your Magic Bands
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We recently started a Disney tradition where we let the kids decorate their Magic Bands. You can purchase stickers that are Disney-made which makes it easy and simple. Trust me, moms. I know. Or you can just give the kids some sharpies and nail polish and let them have it.
We’ve done it both ways. Like I said… the earlier choice is the better one because there is less mess and stress.
Pick A Family Restaurant
Oddly enough, our family restaurant is the Morrocan one in Epcot – Marrakesh. Ok, we have two! We like that one and we LOVE the drive-in movie theatre one in Hollywood Studios – Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. I just don’t have a picture on hand today to showcase it.
No matter WHAT, we make sure to get in and have a meal at our favorite spots. Disney traditions are special because you make them that way. The kids LOVE the bellydancer show and the car seats – so they are both something to look forward towards.
The Obligatory Castle Photo
I mean… do I even need to say this? What Disney vacation is complete without this stellar shot amongst your memory collection? We kick off our vacation with this Disney tradition and “get it out of the way” because it is such a top priority for us.
We NEED to have this photo and I don’t want to spend the rest of the week stressing about it. So, we get there, take the photo, and check that box right off of our list! Then we usually print this shot and hang it on our wall as part of our Disney collection.
Related: How To Draw Disney Characters
Disney Bounding With The Family
Ok, let’s discuss this one a bit. You don’t have to spend a ton of money Disney Bounding. In fact, not many people even need to know what you are actually doing. My husband and I were dressed up as Rapunzel and Flynn here and if I didn’t tell you… would you have known? Ok, maybe the floral crown gave it away.
But Disney Bounding is so much fun if you do it low key! I love to see the people who go ALL OUT and get costumes or MAKE costumes and really put the time in it. I AM HERE FOR THOSE PEOPLE.
However, I am not one of those people. Instead, I sort of just use what I have and put together outfits that sort of FEEL like the character while still very much looking like me. I could go anywhere in my long purple dress and you wouldn’t think twice about what I was doing. I also had a yellow sweater by the way to represent her hair.
A LOT of Disney guests got it. They kept CALLING me Rapunzel. But those were the die-hards and I appreciated them! Most just saw a girl in a yellow sweater with a purple dress. And that worked too!
If you’d like to see some Disney Bounding options I’ve written up in the past, check these out:
Check Out All The Ride Photos
I am going to sound so cheap here – UGH. I wish I was a better person, but we typically do NOT buy the ride photos at Disney. We just run as fast as we can and go and see how silly we look. That is just as much fun as the ride itself.
Try to make silly faces or get in tune with one another as you go down big drops and have a big laugh at the end of the hall when you see what you all look like during the big scare!
A Visit To Disney Springs
Disney is typically GO GO GO GO, but not when we have an afternoon at Disney Springs. We just LOVE carving some time into our schedule to visit the food capital of the universe OMG.
I think we spend more time eating than waiting on any ride line while on vacation and that is the truth. We are foodies through and TRUE. So, Disney Springs is SUCH an important part of our Disney traditions. A must-do!
Disney Character Meet And Greet
I mean – guys! Come on. What kind of Disney traditions post would this be if I didn’t include a little Mickey and Minnie into the mix? You have to get a photo with the mouse that started it all, right?
There are LOADS of opportunities all over the park. We always make sure to take a few. We don’t get them all because I don’t want to spend a full day worrying about autographs. But we HAVE to get some. The children just love it.
Find Something Unique During Every Trip
We always try to find some Easter Egg or super cool fun fact that we can take home to the extended family. On our last trip to Disney Land, we found the Disney wench from the auction that was removed from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! We actually FOUND where she was being kept and stored!
Our tour was part of our Adventures by Disney trip, but guess what?! She is part of a tour that everyone can see. You can go and visit her in the archives! I almost fell on the floor when I saw her in the room. I thought I would never see her again and then THERE SHE WAS! Two inches from my face. SHAZAM.
As a true Disney fan, little things like this bring me so much JOY. It was such a highlight of my trip. I LOVE finding things off the beaten path and we always try to get at least one super cool thing out of every trip. It is an absolute MUST on our Disney traditions list.
Disney Inspired Food Tour
I know I mentioned food already, but we LOVE to find things that are shaped like Mickey’s ears. In fact, we are the ultimate suckers for anything that looks like these benights. If they serve it in this shape, odds are we are buying it.
As we walk around, we always look out for fun ideas of things to eat and if they are charactered-shaped, then it’s literally happening. No questions asked.
A New Travel Ornament A Year
This is an old photo. I am sorry about that. I am in Starbucks right now and it’s 7:45 in the morning and I am scrambling to get this post done before my kids have to go to camp. But trust me when I say the NUMBER ONE thing we do when it comes to Disney is buy a new ornament every single time we go down to the parks.
Every year, we get something with the year on it and without. I have an entire tree that is basically filled with Disney ornaments. This winter, I will do a post dedicated to it. Last year, I bought a SECOND tree because I ran out of space. Do you hear me? I am crazy.
As far as Disney traditions are concerned, this is one that I hold so very close to my heart. My kids love this one so much because we get to remember all of our trips during Christmas as we decorate the house. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Truly.
Matching Disney Shirts
I have an entire post dedicated to Matching Disney shirts that you absolutely have to check out. We love to do this as it brings an entirely new level of FUN to your vacation.
Pin Trading At Disney
Ok, folks. This is such a fun thing to do for the kids and it really gives them a reason to KEEP ON MOVING. There’s no stopping my three when they see someone ahead with a lanyard. I can barely keep up!
Pin trading at Disney is simple. You bring a lanyard with pins that you start off with and then you let your kids either trade with other children or with park employees. HERE’S A TIP THOUGH – if you bought them expensive pins, don’t let them wear them. Because those puppies will get traded faster than a hot tamale.
Kids don’t care. They just like to talk and trade and have fun swapping. They literally would trade a black circle for a 24-carat gold Minnie head if someone asked because it’s fun. So, do yourself a favor and only give them pins you are OK with them trading. This is one of those “take it from me” lessons.
Once you set up their lanyards, just watch them have the time of their lives. It truly is such a joy.
What Are Some Of Your Disney Traditions?
These are some of the things that my family loves to do while we visit Disney. What are some of your Disney traditions that you keep each time you head out for a little action and adventure? Would love to hear from you!.
Jennifer
Friday 16th of August 2019
My favorite will always be "It's A Small World". One because the tune is catchy. Two because it is great to remember ALL the countries and what they bring to this wonderful world. And three, most importantly, it is inside and nice and cool!