Post Disney Vacation Blues
Returning home after a Disney World vacation is often a letdown. You worked so hard to plan the trip, you had a fabulous time, now you’re exhausted, and people have stopped telling you to have a Magical Day. You’re not at Disney anymore, Mickey.
How to help make the blues go away…
One of the things I like to do is look back over my pictures and the ones on the Disney Photopass. I usually change my screensaver on my computer to a photo from my most recent trip. It makes me smile to see my family at the Polynesian or another magical place and recall the great time we had together. I also change the screensaver on my cell phone and every time it rings I have a Disney memory. When I get really organized I’ll put those photos together in an album. I’ll let you know when that happens.
Another thing I like to do is listen to my favorite podcast, WDWToday. These are my Disney friends and they love Disney World as much as I do. (They don’t know they’re my friends, but it works for me.) On the WDW Today podcast, they discuss only Disney related topics. They are a very friendly and informative group. With my iPod in tow, I walk around my neighborhood and listen to them chat and reminisce. Their conversations take me back to the fun I had at Walt Disney World — that brings me great joy. I suggest listening to WDW Today whenever you can. They record 3 shows weekly that are about 20 minutes long, so you can always get a Disney pick me up from them.
Even though it may be a while until your next trip, there are lots of ways to keep the memories alive.
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I got all my pictures from our December trip rotating on a digital picture frame in my cubicle. I find myself staring at it sometimes, it makes me happy just to look at them.
oh my god i so understand. I am totally depressed this time last yr i was last minute packing as we were off on our honeymoon stopping at French quarter for two weeks. Its so depressing thinkin about it even when i have a trip planned for September with our nephews! Only twenty weeks to go! X
Oh god, it’s been now a month that I was in Disneyland in California, I still, I can’t workor think of anything else…
And somethimes, you just cannot afford another trip yet… I just don’t know what to do. For now, I’m planning my co-workers trips in Orlando. Since I talk about it every day, they decided to go and see by themselves…
Maybe I’ll get a job like travel agent to get some discount to go more often…
Thanks for the blog by the way 😀 And I agree for the support group 😛
That’s so funny…I’ve probably sent at least a dozen families off to Disney with all my chatter…wish I could get a finders fee….in Disney dollars of course!
Don’t tell my hubby but I’m quietly planning our August 2010 trip ha ha ha!
I completely understand Caroline’s post. We were at Disney April 10-17. I have spent the past 6 months planning, reading about, and anticipating the trip. It is a real let down for it to be over and to be back to the daily grind. We won’t go back for another 3 or 4 years…
I guess I’ll work on the photo album!
Kerri – I am in the middle of the big planning and prep now! I think it might be good to mention another tip for fighting the blues — not getting too wound up with the planning. Now — how silly of me to say that to a bunch of people who are obviously mega-planners! I am one too – actually diagnosed with mild OCD! Sometimes the planning is more fun than the reality! I have worked and reworked our custom touring plans (carefully adapted from the real ones in The Book!) I have lists and sublists like you have never seen! I have stacks of matching tee shirts in our closet, ready to go! I am trying to remind myself to let the trip happen! Have the plans, use them, and just let everything unfold from there! Unless you are one of those lucky people who gets to go to disney ALL THE TIME 🙂 like our beloved Unofficial Guide folks — coming home to reality and knowing that the magic won’t happen again for a long time can be tough! It can be even worse if you spent a whole year imagining how wonderful it will be — running little mini video clips in your head of your kids skipping along with Mickey — falling down when one of Mickey’s giant shoes trips them…. kidding. Anyway — what I am trying to say is that the POST trip blues can be lessened by fewer preconceived notions of how fabulous the trip will be! We have less than a month to go till our trip — and I am trying really hard to just focus on life for the next month – school, gardening, house-stuff. It’s not good to “live for” that week at Disney!!!!! It will be fantastic when it happens. When it’s over, there will be other fantastic things, like…… well, like….
Wahhhhhhhhhh! I can’t think of anything!
Maybe someone should start a little support group for people mourning the end of their vacations!
Chris,
You crack me up!! We better get that support group started. Wouldn’t that be a funny group to join. Have a fabulous trip. I am here for you when you return. 😉
Caroline
i, too, am planning the october ’09 trip before the may ’09 trip. i tell myself it’s because the may trip will be rigorous with an 80 y.o. mom and 11 mo. old grandbaby plus two adult daughters. the touring schedule will be dictated by their stamina and need for rest. the october trip will be solo (shhh!) and i can set the pace whether it’s breakneck or lie on the beach all day. anyway, my coworkers think i’m nuts!
My co-workers don’t even ask me where I’m going any more, just when. I’m on the single digit countdown for my third trip in six months and am getting ready to call in ADRs for our Aug trip. But each trip is different.Went in Dec 08 with Mom and two best friends. Jan with my husband and two four year old grandsons. Next week is a quickie four day while my son’s family is there for the 7 for 4 promo. Just got the ‘why not’ from DH so will go for a week in August with 11 year old granddaughter. Already contemplating 3 different trips in 2010. I’m so lucky that my family humors me. Some of my relative actually ‘get it’! There’s no better vacation…it’s not like I’ve never been anywhere else. But DW makes me smile whenever I think about it!
Deb,
You are my kind of gal. My friends have stopped asking also — they just assume. Have a wonderful trip. Oh, I mean trips.
Caroline
Susan,
You know you are among friends here. I think all of our
co-workers think we are nuts. They just don’t get it — too bad for them. Enjoy all of your trips.
Caroline
Caroline – so funny! We are 29 days away from our first family trip and I am already anticipating the post Disney blues! I remember being about 7 (36 years ago!) and leaving the Magic Kingdom on the ferry to the parking lot. I was holding my Robin Hood stuffed animal and just cried!!!!!
We are thinking one cure for the blues will be to plan the next vacation. Even if it isn’t to be for another year or two – or three – it will be fun to think about what we will do next time. This year is the full-on deluxe dining plan, and a week at the Caribbean. My husband is exhausted just thinking about it. HE is looking forward to a more relaxed trip in the future – probably at the Fort Wilderness cabins — cooking there and spending more time at the resort than at the parks. This trip will be in May — maybe the next one will be in January!
I’m hoping this will work. Otherwise, I may need to get some Mickey-shaped prozac.
🙂
Hi Chris,
I completely agree, the best way to keep the magic alive is to plan the next trip.
I loved your story. Have a fabulous trip.
Caroline