It’s almost that time!
The holidays are almost upon us, and traveling to a Disney property, no matter how many times you’ve been, is exciting all on its own. From the changing decorations to the hustle and bustle of special events, there is plenty to see and do. But, what if I told you that you could amplify your experience by incorporating a little extra magic into your excursion? It’s easier than you think, and you can plan it year round, not just during the Holidays!
Pick a Theme!
No one says you need to visit the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or A Pirate’s Adventure to truly experience some princess or pirate magic. You can plan a whole day party at the parks by choosing to theme your day. If you make it a princess party, find some dollar store tiara’s and get creative with some gemstones. Extra fun if you match the gemstone colors to resemble a favorite princess. You can challenge your party to take a picture with every princess at the park. Winner gets something worthy of royalty. Pirate parties require eye patches and pirate speak. Give your loved ones some treasure like fake gold coins, and challenge your loved ones to speak like a pirate all day. Award more coins throughout the day if they keep up the pirate act. Most gold coins at the end of the day is the last to walk the plank back to the buses.
Themes aren’t limited to just princesses or pirates, there are infinite themed possibilities such as:
Ugly Christmas Sweaters on Main Street
Have your loved ones decorate their own based on a character, a ride, or a Disney food.
Disney Couples
Belle and Beast, Charming and Snow White, Hercules and Megara; you catch my drift
Disney Movies
Get a group to dress up like 101 Dalmatians
Disney Villains
Ursula, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen walk into the Emporium… not a joke; it happens more often that you think.
As you can see from the ideas above, there is plenty to roll with if you add a little imagination. Themes are fun for all ages as well. Ideas like these are not just reserved for the kids, anyone can throw a themed party at the Park regardless of age or party size. You can get as elaborate or low key as you want, adding activities or just strolling around. The important thing is to have fun!
Here is an example of an adult Princess Party where my friends and I all Disneybounded as the princesses in different fashion styles ranging from the 1950s Greaser styles to Grunge attire and everything in between. We had custom ears to go with our outfits and symbolize our Disney Princess. Can you identify the princesses?
Plan a Resort Hopping Party!
You can monorail it, bus it, or both. A resort hopping party is a great way to see some magic outside of the parks. There are 27 resorts on property, and each is quite unique. In my humble opinion the best time to plan this kind of party is the holiday season. Disney rolls out the red carpet of decking the halls and incorporates ceiling high and lobby wide Christmas trees with special ornaments glistening from branches into their resort decor. Aside from impressive trees, certain resorts create life size Gingerbread houses, some which incorporate moving parts. It truly is an Imagineering spectacle to see, and a treat for the olfactory senses. If you plan a resort hopping party during the holidays, you can take advantage of all the yuletide festooning and take a Christmas card picture with your loved ones in different holiday settings.
Resorts can also carry different merchandise than the parks. Sometimes a really hard to find trading pin is just sitting in the gift shop at the Grand Floridian waiting to be found. When you have the opportunity to resort hop you get to find some interesting gifts to take back home with you. I also can’t forget to mention the dining experiences you can have when resort hopping. Some of the most fantastic Disney fare can be found at resorts across the property, some of which offer views of fireworks and other special experiences like dinner shows.
If you’re over 21, you can do a Resort Crawl or a Monorail Crawl. This kind of party allows participants of legal drinking age to enjoy the finer libations offered on the House of Mouse property in a safe way using Disney transportation to get around. A definite must if you enjoy finely crafted spirits.
ProTip: the monorail also takes you through Epcot, where you can hop off and visit the World Showcase for a more culturally diverse drinking experience.
These are just two ways to plan a party within your Disney Trip experience. Neither requires fastpasses or reservations, of course, unless you want to add those to your itinerary. All you need is a little imagination to have a whole lot of fun!
Enjoy and Party On Friends!
Erika is excited to be on the TMSM team and where Disney Parks are concerned, you won’t catch her dead on It’s a Small World. If she asks to ride that, this is a clear indication that she is in danger and you must send help. You will, however, catch her performing Random Acts of Disney (R.A.D’s), park hopping with her amazing group of impressively talented and kind friends (usually in some themed attire), hanging out by The Haunted Mansion, and ugly crying during fireworks… then begging for a Mickey Premium Bar to eat her feelings…this is a judgment-free bio.
Otherwise, Erika works for the State of Florida and is actively involved in her community. Erika believes in empowering others and spreading kindness to people from all walks of life. Erika also makes custom designed Disney inspired ears, etched glass, gifts, and accessories. You can check out, like or follow her work on FB, which also links to my shop’s Instagram: www.facebook.com/imagineering.emporium. She looks forward to getting to know everyone and sharing the magic of Disney!
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