I need my Dis folks to help me get excited!

[katyringo]

This might be a rambling post and not make sense, but here is goes.

I find myself struggling to get excited for our October Disneyland trip! And a trip it will be! We will fly into San Diego, hit a beach and then go stay a night in the Legoland Castle hotel followed by a day at legoland. We will then head to Anahiem where we will have 5 full days at Disneyland and oogie boogie bash!! (6 total days! )

This trip was suppose to happen in October 2020.

I'm not struggling to be excited because of the changes or prices. In between Covid and now, I did WDW twice. I've used genie+. It's not that.

I think I'm worried we will go back and the magic will be gone. I honestly think I'm struggling with this because all the accounts I used to follow on like Instagram for disneyland really changed over the closure. That seems silly but I can't find anyone really sharing in the park content on a regular basis. Do you know someone? I went to WDW alone in November for the 50th and found plenty of magic. But this trip is for my kiddos. Specifically- the last time we went my daughter was 2. She will be 6. This will be her first "I remember" trip.. we chose disneyland because of avengers campus and my son's obsession with Spider-Man and also my daughters love of nightmare before Christmas. We've been 3x before.

It will also be our last Disney for awhile. We are middle class, educator family who is trying to buy a home. Inflation.. we are feeling it. And in fact, I've wondered to myself if we should even be taking this trip, but my husband reminds me that they are only little once. But we both agree that after this one, we are taking a break probably years long. And maybe that's also why I'm struggling to be excited. I think when it's over, I'll be really bummed for a bit. Disney is a true love of mine. I also think somewhere in my mind, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. That last two years have been filled with lots of disappointment. Which is another reason why we won't cancel, but kids really deserve this after the last two years.

Okay, that is all.

 

[sophy1996]

The magic will not be gone. We have been to WDW twice and DLR three times during COVID (including Touch of Disney, before the DLR parks reopened). I have found that I much prefer DLR. Your family will love Oogie Boogie Bash. I just now was looking for pieces for my outfit for the upcoming OBB (hey, when you're thrifting, it's never too early to start looking!).

Your son is going to be so excited seeing Avengers Campus and your daughter will be so excited seeing the Nightmare overlay on HM! Those moments alone will be priceless.

Ordinary Adventures is our favorite Disneyland YouTuber. They've been having some rough times lately (right now, Kitra is recovering at home, having broken her ankle), but they will get back to putting out regular DLR content. When I'm at loose ends, I just put Disneyland in YouTube's search and see what comes up for recent in-in-the-parks content. Some of the bloggers I like more than others. If I'm not enjoying the report, I move on to another video.

 

[ColoradoLime]

I'll tell you what helps me get more and more excited is just immersing myself in all things Disney. Have you done a Disney movie night will your family in awhile? I bought some Disney popcorn buckets off eBay and we had a double feature of movies in disney jammies. So fun.

Also, head over to the Trip Report thread and read through some reports of those that have been there recently. Disney magic never goes away!!

On Insta check out: disneylandtourguide, disneyaces, disneyplannerbabe

And join our unofficial, just for fun Halloween planning thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/can-we-just-start-talking-about-halloween-now.3869028/

 

[katyringo]

The magic will not be gone. We have been to WDW twice and DLR three times during COVID (including Touch of Disney, before the DLR parks reopened). I have found that I much prefer DLR. Your family will love Oogie Boogie Bash. I just now was looking for pieces for my outfit for the upcoming OBB (hey, when you're thrifting, it's never too early to start looking!).

Your son is going to be so excited seeing Avengers Campus and your daughter will be so excited seeing the Nightmare overlay on HM! Those moments alone will be priceless.

Ordinary Adventures is our favorite Disneyland YouTuber. They've been having some rough times lately (right now, Kitra is recovering at home, having broken her ankle), but they will get back to putting out regular DLR content. When I'm at loose ends, I just put Disneyland in YouTube's search and see what comes up for recent in-in-the-parks content. Some of the bloggers I like more than others. If I'm not enjoying the report, I move on to another video.

Great ideas!! Maybe I should dig out our alien popcorn bucket! I never even thought of looking for them on eBay!

 

[Didi8367]

I second Ordinary Adventures. I also love Magic Journeys and Fresh Baked. They regularly share in-park content.

 

[evilmommie]

Oh my gosh! You’re going to have a great time. And, I can’t wait to hear more about the excitement and plans leading up to your trip in Oct. San Diego, so fun and beautiful weather for your beach trip that time of year.

I’m a local magic key holder at Disneyland and the magic is definitely still there! By the time you go in October, so many experiences will be back and it’s perfect timing for all of the fun festivities for Halloween. Gosh, no one does that holiday like Disneyland…the pumpkins on Main Street! *swoon* OBB was really fun last year…your kids are the perfect age.

I love to follow Philander on IG. He’s a current GS tour guide at DLR and 99% of what he posts is about DLR. He has such a fun and sunny personality! Can’t leave his page without feeling better about the day.
https://instagram.com/philanderc85?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Here are some of my other favorite, real time Disneyland IG posters. Disneyhungry, Wonders_of_magic, disneylanddailycasey, JosephJurado

 

[Ladyslug]

I took my 6-year-old son to Disneyland for the first time last September for Halloweentime. Just walking in hearing them play Grim Grinning Ghosts in the esplanade, seeing Oogie Boogie presiding over the entrance to California Adventure, and then entering DL and seeing the giant Mickey jack-o-lantern in Main Street plaza filled me with joy. And my son had a wonderful time -- we really followed his schedule, so we ended up riding Astro Orbiter five times and spending a whole morning just hacking doors and scanning crates in Galaxy's Edge. It was unforgettable.

Avengers Campus is fantastic -- it often feels like you can't turn your head there without seeing another superhero. I'm like a little kid there, always going "OMG look! It's Thor! It's Loki! It's Cap!" Don't miss the Spiderman show and always be keeping an eye out for other Avengers, heroes, and villains. Also head into the Hollywood Backlot area to see if they have any Marvel-themed photo ops going -- and when you're there character meet-and-greets will be back!

 

[ktlm]

We went to Oogie Boogie Bash last October and it was fantastic! You will love it! I've always wanted to see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay on the Haunted Mansion and it did not disappoint. For a Spider man fan, seeing his show at Avenger's Campus and getting to meet him afterwards is going to be amazing. They are only little once and it goes by really fast.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

I agree with everyone. Sometimes the magic is what you make it. It sounds like you will make it a special trip for your family. I was at DLR last year for both Halloween and Christmas and love these times of year at the parks. Try to take in the little things like being in Carsland at sunset for the lights coming on with a special Halloween theme. OBB is an experience. So many unique characters, candy, and an opportunity to see Villains Grove. Your trip will be magical and memorable for your kids. There is a quote I really like to think about when I have thoughts like you are having, “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eye of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”

 

[katyringo]

Well.. I'm watching ordinary adventures and the Disneyland band came on and now I'm in tears soo...

 

[lily_belle]

I have a love/hate relationship with Best Life and Beyond on YouTube. They do a great job showing park content but I just struggle with the personalities sometimes. I second FreshBaked too. If you want someone to make you excited for the magic - David is your guy. He truly loves Disneyland and it shows. Five Fires and Paul’s theme park adventures are a couple more I watch sometimes, along with Magic Journeys for food reviews.

On instagram I follow: Disney hungry (she was just there this weekend and has a ton of stories up) - Honestly I have so many I follow I can’t list them all! But watching stories on IG gets me excited too.

 

[midnight star]

I usually watch Five Fires. He has pretty consistent DL content (and other socal parks). For Disney parent content, I’ve seen Five Fires share Just Mousin around and Chasing Magic Daily. Paul’s theme park adventures I follow on ig. Disney Hype Beast does regular merch content.

 

[Wesley815]

I think you'll have a great time!! Social media has changed so much that if you do a general search sadly it may only bring up negative type videos since those get the most views/clicks (click bate)

Other's have already mentioned great accounts, with Fresh Baked and Ordinary Adventures probably being top two for me.

 

[jknc]

Feels like thread I posted about all the anxiety of our upcoming trip.

I think, if a trip is causing anxiety is it really worth it?

I haven’t decided if I’ll be canceling or not.

 

[katyringo]

Feels like thread I posted about all the anxiety of our upcoming trip.

I think, if a trip is causing anxiety is it really worth it?

I haven’t decided if I’ll be canceling or not.

I have anxiety about everything. I would never do anything lol.

 

[gelatoni fan]

With the limits of Magic Key reservations, people who used to post often on social media are simply not able to get into the parks. Others have fallen out of love with Disney due to the many changes.

Sometimes you may not feel that excited going into a trip but you actually have a lot of fun by the end of the trip. Other times, a trip may be a little stressful or disappointing for one person but a super memorable experience for a traveling companion. I hope you have a great trip even if you may feel anxious or apprehensive at times.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I have anxiety about everything. I would never do anything lol.

Same! I am working on excitement for a June trip, and while I am excited I am also so anxious! Even more than my normal pre-trip anxiety, since this will be our first time to DLR since covid. Here's to all the planners working their their anxiety! We got this!

 

[mouschievous]

I have anxiety about everything. I would never do anything lol.

LOL, same!

I think all of us are having worse anxiety than usual because for two years there was no point in getting excited about anything. Everything we were excited about was canceled. As a teacher, I missed out on the last 6 weeks of my 2020 seniors' high school career. Their last play with me, all their senior events, graduation - all of it just...gone, a 4 year relationship just ended so abruptly.

So I think it's understandable that we're having a hard time getting excited for things. It's that whole "waiting for the other shoe to drop" thing.

 

[ironband74]

It will also be our last Disney for awhile. We are middle class, educator family who is trying to buy a home. Inflation.. we are feeling it. And in fact, I've wondered to myself if we should even be taking this trip, but my husband reminds me that they are only little once. But we both agree that after this one, we are taking a break probably years long. And maybe that's also why I'm struggling to be excited. I think when it's over, I'll be really bummed for a bit. Disney is a true love of mine. I also think somewhere in my mind, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. That last two years have been filled with lots of disappointment. Which is another reason why we won't cancel, but kids really deserve this after the last two years.

I feel this - We're going next week, and it will likely be the last time for a while. And I've also struggled with the spendy nature of Disney as we are also saving for a house while inflation eats away at our savings. And I'm bummed that Pirates is closed and NOS is all under construction.

But, sometimes you just gotta do what brings you joy, even if it may set back other aspects. And yeah, the kids are only young once. My youngest is now 13, and my oldest can't come with us because he has an actual job now and doesn't yet have sufficient vacation to take off for a week.

You've got some time. I definitely didn't feel too excited about a month ago. Making dining reservations was exciting and stressful at 60 days out. But happy to report that the last couple of weeks I've been building the excitement (to the point that my wife is actually becoming a little annoyed at my Disney focus). I bought myself a new sling bag and put my favorite pins on it. I ordered some sealed mystery pin packs to trade with. I made myself a leather holder for my Gold Spira that can clip to my pack or my belt and transferred all my gift cards I've gotten as gifts over the last couple of years onto it. And today I'm shadowing the app and working out attraction plans (and plan b's) and practicing the refresh trick with Genie+ and doing all my Type A planning to ensure that we (and the friends who are coming with us) squeeze every last drop of Disney goodness out of our three days there.

I'm pretty hyped now. I suspect you'll get there as well. And when you do...look out!