How to Make that Disney World Vacation Memorable Months Down the Line

It is important in most any child's life that he or she be given bragging rights of one kind or another, not just for the self esteem value of it but for the playground respect it gives the child. This is not to say that teaching your child to be a "bragger" is the right thing to do in all instances, but there will come a time when it is appropriate for your child to brag and be proud of something he or she has done that other children may not have, a time for your child to stand out in a crowd as an individual. Knowing that a DISNEY trip will most likely not be an every year trip for your family and figuring in that a trip for 2 adults and 2 children to DISNEY WORLD for a 5 day stay will run you somewhere around $6500, this would be the time to let your child make some memories of his own to savor in the days and months ahead.

Some of the things you can do for your child cost little to nothing except time but will garner many memories later on when the trip is over and the suitcases unpacked. In looking back, you will see how these simple things made all the difference in your child's trip and how they form memories as well.

Take pictures of everything! This is easy to do in the day and age of digital photography. With a memory card of 2 GB holding approximately 400 shots, you can shoot all day long and have memories galore! Do NOT however delete any pictures while on your trip. Resist the urge to check them out when you return to your hotel room. Oftentimes the best shots are the ones you may not have felt were frame able but in fact work great in a family movie. And when it comes to family movies. Search the Internet for free downloads of DISNEY songs or purchase the rights to use a few songs for your family video. Easy to do and the right music can make the funniest of pictures come to life.

Take a good camera and case. Camera's come in all sorts of price ranges. Get one that has good definition, invest in rechargeable batteries and learn to use it. Take a camera case that is comfortable to sling over your shoulder and you'll never have to search for the camera and miss a shot. If you are interested in video, use the video feature on your camera or purchase a FLIP video camera. The FLIP ultra model is about $100 and takes 60 minutes worth of good quality video and is a no brainer to use. This makes it perfect for all parties in your group to use and downloading is simple too. It doesn't get much easier than this!

Purchase an autograph album or bring one from home. At a price of about $6 in the parks, your child has a great place to store his written memories of characters, friends he meets and even some of the actors in shows if he is lucky enough to greet them. Dating the pages when you return will also assure you can reuse the same book when you return to the parks and add to the fun. At a price less than a big Mac meal, you have memories, which are priceless, and while your child is obtaining the autographs, you have a perfect chance to take pictures.

Stay for the parade. This sounds like a no brainer but many families choose to miss the parades at DISNEY WORLD. This is a mistake if your children are awake and ready to go. The parades are magical and the lights are breathtaking. And believe it or not, your child may be invited at the end of the parade to add to his memories by helping out the characters that bring the end to the parade. Wait and watch for the opportunity, you never know what may happen.

Close down the park one night if at all possible. Or if you are staying at a DISNEY resort, consider the after hours fun as well. Both times offer opportunities to talk to the ride employees and have some fun with them. We laughed and joked with one employee at THE HAUNTED MANSION who proved to have a great sense of the macabre and a willingness to have fun with guests. This would have been missed had we not stayed later in the night. Other areas where the employees have fun are THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ride and believe it or not, the bus rides back to your motel. The bus drivers know a lot about the parks and even if they are not talkative the radios on their buses keep them informed of what is happening all over the various parks. We learned a lot of inside info that my sons found to be "way cool" about people being in the park too late, cars being lost, and people needing help finding a place in a "soon to be closed" park. We also heard the announcement as we boarded, "The magic kingdom is now officially closed but not cleared" which we later learned meant that it was closed to the public but that the rides had yet to be double checked for lingering visitors. Simple stuff to the adults in the group but exciting to a child.

Ride the rides as much as you want. Remember that you may not be able to revisit DISNEY WORLD for some time, so get your rides in as many times as your party will stand. It's actually a blast to ride certain rides such as The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Mission to Mars or Disnosaurs multiple times. This gives you a chance to see everything and to have fun re living the ride. We had a blast looking for Jack Sparrow on Pirates and Identifying the dinos. Any ride can be a multiple rider if it hits you right. Check them out and re ride your favorites!

Gather and save some kids meal plates. This sounds pretty lame but the black plastic kids meal plates used all over DISNEY are well made and will withstand a lot of use if hand washed. My son gathered during our stay about half a dozen of these plates and will be using them I suspect for some time. Wash them before packing of course and treat them gently and they will be great souvenirs for some time to come.

Save a couple of the Mickey soaps for later. Another tip that sounds silly but one that means a lot to the kids in the group and believe it or not, these soaps are a hit with nearly any age group when it comes to souvenirs taken home. Our room maid was kind enough to give my son a couple extra soap rounds, which he gave to friends at home. They were thrilled and as one kid said, "there's something special about having Mickey on your soap". You know what? She was right!

And when it comes to souvenirs for friends, purchase an assortment of ink pens with Mickey's face on them, magnets or even small toy figures the first day you are there. Figure two small souvenirs for everyone on your list and add 4-6 more for those folks you might have forgotten and you're all done. Most resorts have great shops and since prices are about the same all over the park, you might as well purchase them close to your suitcase, pack them away and enjoy the rest of the trip.

Ask for special items. When in Animal Kingdom we noticed that the straws were made of a special material that would not harm the animals if they ate them. Being in the middle of a "green" unit at school, my son asked for some to take home to share with his class and was given them with a smile. Please remember this should only be done in all honesty and not for private use. The idea of the animal friendly straws intrigued my son as did the paper napkins his friend, but they asked for them for a school project. Be considerate when you make your requests and understand if the answer is "no", as well as remember to say "thank you" if the answer is "yes".

And lastly, remember that there may be a long time between DISNEY WORLD trips, so take enough money for those souvenirs and fun items that you won't find elsewhere. We ended up with a corkscrew, wine bottle cork and dog collar, to name a few of our purchases, all emblazoned with Mickey's famous silhouette and my son; well, he carried onto the plane a 4' long dinosaur he treated himself to after riding the DINOSAUR ride 5 times. The dino wasn't cheap at $20 but the pride he had when he showed it to the pilot of our plane was worth every penny.

But most of all, remember that you are making memories for the future as well as having fun for the moment, and that is what it's all about. Have fun and give Mickey a high five for me when you see him. And tell him "I'll see you soon!"