Is it POSSIBLE to create even more anticipation for your next Disney Vacation?
I dare say, YES!
Countdown to Disney!
Something so easy and inexpensive really shouldn’t be allowed. 🙂
1. Raid the Dollar Store and the Target dollar section to find little Disney trinkets.
2. Don’t forget to start it all off with some magic PIXIE dust,
and the traditional but never boring, paper chain countdown…
I searched high and low
for ideas on Disney countdowns,
but nothing beat
the good old classic.
I did jazz it up a bit by writing
some fun Disney facts
on each chain.
Here is another cute one
with activities instead of facts.
3. NOW go find your best, or most available little helper and start making some number tags.
I used my circle punch in two sizes, some polka-dot stickers and some fun twine to tie them to the package. Why is it that twine always makes something simple look so adorable?
(I LOVE all the fun colors the Twinery offers!)
Wrap your trinkets, add your tags, and feel the anticipation EXPLODE!!!
Then have fun unwrapping one little gift each day until you leave for your Disney Vacation! Or if you are driving, you could pull these out at certain landmarks along the way until you get there.
These ideas could be used for any vacation, my next one just happens to be Disneyland.
And
NO, I CAN’T WAIT!
And
YES, this countdown is mostly for me. 🙂
Some other fun things to wrap up that you would probably pack anyway:
1. Re-fillable water bottles
(you can get FREE ice and water at any Disney restaurant, just ask!)Â I can’t tell you how much I LOVE these Thermos ones. 5 reasons I love them.
1. They keep ice frozen and drinks cold even in the hot sun!
2.They have a built in straw so less spills.
3. The pop up lid keeps the straw clean, and it is fun. 🙂
4. They are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
5. They are perfect to send for school lunch too!
My daughter is obsessed with her Anna and Elsa one, she even sleeps with it. 🙂 But they have other characters, or just plain colors too.
2. Mickey T-shirts
Or get each kid a t-shirt with their favorite Disney character on it (or for my older boys, Star Wars counts now:) You can get them much cheaper before you get to the park.
3. New Disney Toothbrush
You should replace every 6 months anyway and these are Just FUN. I love these ones that spin and have timers, my little kids brush way longer cause they have to wait for the timer to go off!
 5. Glow bracelets / necklaces
These are so fun when it gets dark and great for the night parade!
6. Autograph Book
Kids have so much fun collecting autographs from all the characters and the books in the park are crazy expensive.
7. Rain Poncho
Don’t let a little rain, or Splash Mountain spoil your Disney Day. This kid sized poncho is re-usable, has great reviews and is priced right.
 
8. Fun backpacks
Have your older kids can carry their own sweatshirt for when it gets cold, water bottle, and whatever else in their own pack.
Classic Mickey or go with all the new STAR WARS craze!
9. Lanyard with coin purse
These are fantastic to keep your money, fast passes, cell phones, etc. secure and easily accessible. If you are a pin trader, it functions for that as well! They make one for about every Disney character so it is easy to personalize to your kids’ favorites.
10. Dress ups.
My daughter loved dressing up at Disneyland and the characters they saw all treated her as if she were the person she was dressed up as – which she REALLY loved! TinkerBelle was especially cute with her.:)
What are your favorite tips, tricks or trinkets for your ???
Also, if you’re looking to save some money on a trip to Disneyland, you have to try !!! They seriously have the BEST prices on packages and discount tickets to (among other parks). Mention code: HowDoesShe and save even more!:)
Nesleirbag says
SOOO Cute! Love the polka-dotted, bright- colored pics! As we all know, half the fun (maybe more) is in the anticipation! Super idea, Missy!
Donna O'Neil says
This is so cool! We are going to Disneyland the day after Christmas and I am thinking of doing this. Maybe I can do a 12 days of Mickey countdown. On another note, there is a cute shop that I got cutest Mickey Shaped earrings from. It is called the Hokey Donut. http://www.etsy.com/shop/HokeyDonut
Emily says
A helpful tip for shirts is to purchase them at Walmart. They have cheap Disney shirts, usually no more than 10 or 12 dollars (I have found them for as cheap as $4). I buy them before the trip, but save them for the park. That way, the kids have a fun, new Disney shirt that I didn’t have to pay $25 or more for at the park.
Missy says
We found some cute ones there ($7.00) – great tip! Plus we didn’t have to waste Disney time to shop!
Megan says
We make a paper chain with our kids that goes all around our kitchen — every night the kids take turns cutting off a link. We usually start at 100, it’s so much fun to see the chain dwindle down to nothing (and it’s a really cute decoration too!)
Missy says
I didn’t think to decorate with the chain – I will have to try that next time…I hope there is a next time soon!
Stacy says
Hi! This is my first time finding your blog….I look forward to browsing deeper! But the timing is perfect because we are taking our three kids, ages 8, 8 & 6, to Disney World for the first time in just over three weeks! Love the countdown ideas! I am not sure who is more excited…the kids, the parents….or the grandparents.!
Missy says
Your kids are the perfect ages – you will have so much fun!! Who am I kidding – any age is perfect. 🙂
Tiffany says
Yeah! We are surprising the kids for Thanksgiving and I’m going to use these ideas as we drive! Thanks so much!
Missy says
Hopefully it will make some fun to the car ride. 🙂
Sarah welsh says
This is do creative! I have to know where you got the polka dot wrapping paper… Love it!
Missy says
I got it at Tai Pan Trading in Boise (just opened). I know they are in Utah also, but I am not sure where else. I am a sucker for polka-dots.
Jenette says
Super cute! Love the pixie dust idea! We just got back from Disneyland Sunday. I made my own countdown using Disney images which was super fun for the kids. Our family goes each year the first week of November and have a tradition of when we arrive at the hotel, our 2 kids each have a present wrapped up waiting on the bed from Mickey and Minnie (in Disney Christmas paper of course) and they get new Disney jammies to wear the whole trip. The extra little things make it special!
Missy says
love it! I will have to see what I can do about making this trip annual. What a fun tradition!
LouAnn says
This is one of the things I made for our kids to see when we were going to Disney. The loved changing the date! It was so cheap, scrap wood, paint, hooks were from the garage supplies, and disney paint chips from HD!
http://preview.tinyurl.com/LouAnnDisneyCountDown
Vicki says
We do Disney every year (yes I know we’re lucky) and I have NEVER told my kids we are going (ages 8 and 4). Eight years running now (we go a different time each year) and they’ve never caught on. It makes it soooo much more fun to wake them up in the morning and say “oh yeah, you’re not going to school today” or picking them up from school and heading straight to the airport. The looks on their faces are priceless.
Missy says
What an awesome surprise! I wonder if I could keep it a secret???
Karen says
When we went to Disney with our girls we bought one of the autograph books once we got there. When we met a character for an autograph, they signed the right page of the book so that we could take a picture with the character and put it on the left side of the two page spread. My kids love reliving their Disney memories with the easily made memory/autograph book! Make sure your last name and address is in fanny packs etc. One daughter left hers on one of the Disney buses. We tried tracking it down without success, but 3 months later it mailed to our home with all treasures still intact.
Missy says
Don’t you love it when people go out of their way to be nice. That is such a fun idea! Thanks for sharing.
Tiffany H says
Cute! We’ll have to do this next time! We bought picture frame mats from Hobby Lobby and a set of colorful thin point sharpies and the kiddos had each character sign the picture frame mats in different colors. I put them in frames but we have to print a picture of each kid still haha
Missy says
The curse of digital. It is SO wonderful, but actually printing anything is almost a chore now. :). Thanks for the idea!
Heather Lynne says
We are saving up for Disney World- I can’t wait to hear about your trip!! (You will share, right??)
Missy says
Oh Yes! – can’t wait to share. You will probably hear more than you ever wanted to know. 😉 Disney WORLD – how exciting!
Rosemary says
Hope you had a wonderful time at DIsney! Thank you so much for linking us! Your friends at FindingMickey.com 🙂
Mommy2Twincesses says
I love your countdown ideas! I’ve come up with my own plan for our upcoming Disney Cruise and just posted about it with a link back to this post :o)http://mommy2twincesses.blogspot.com/2012/08/unique-countdown-to-disney.html
Dina says
So Adorable!!