Some people consider Disney World a once in a lifetime vacation. Others visit Disney World year after year and consider it a tradition for their family. If that’s you, this is an article you’ll want to read!
Especially if your kids are still young and you’re just starting out your annual or bi-annual Disney vacation journey, it’s a good time to start a tradition or two. If you’re already several years into your family vacations, have no fear! It’s never too late to start new traditions!
Here are four fun family traditions for your Disney vacations!
1. Get a Caricature Sketch
The first family tradition suggestion I have is to get a caricature sketch. A caricature sketch is hand drawn by an artist in a cartoon-ish style. You can have as many people as you want in the picture, and it’s a lot of fun to do!
Getting one every time you go means you can see how people change throughout the years and even see when new family members are added. It’s also a great souvenir to take home and hang on the wall! Soon, you’ll have a gallery wall showing off your pictures and your years of fun family vacations!
There are caricature artists all around Disney World, but my favorite is in Disney Springs. They’re also the most reasonably priced.
2. Eat with the characters
Another fun tradition is more of an experiential opportunity. Character dining allows you to dine with some of your favorite characters. They’re better than a meet and greet because you get more one on one time with the characters instead of being rushed through a line.
There are lots of fun character dining opportunities in Disney World both in the parks and in the Disney resort hotels. There’s a Disney Princess dining in Cinderella Castle, Winnie the Pooh and Friends in Magic Kingdom‘s Crystal Palace, and the Aloha Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and Friends at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. These are just a few of the many great meals, so choose the best one for your family.
To make this a tradition, you can do the same one on every vacation or choose a different one each time. Regardless, you’ll have some excellent photos (PhotoPass Photographers will be on hand to snap your photos) and great memories!
3. Try something new
There’s so much to see and do in Disney World that it’s impossible to do everything during one vacation. Also, if you have young children, there will be some things they can’t do because of height or won’t do because they’re too scared. As kids grow, they’ll be more able and willing to try new attractions, so make it a goal to try something new (for them and for you!) each time you visit!
It doesn’t have to be an attraction, though. There are plenty of restaurants, snacks, shows, and more to try something new on each visit.
Whether it’s something small or something big, make it a goal to try something new on every family vacation. Your vacations will never become redundant, and you’ll never run out of things to do!
4. Grand Circle Tour
My final suggestion for a family tradition is to take the Grand Circle Tour. Board the Walt Disney Railroad at the Main Street USA Station and ride all the way around Magic Kingdom. It’s a great way to see the park from a different perspective, and you can even ride it back around and jump off at Frontierland or Fantasyland.
It also pays homage to some pretty significant history. Walt loved trains, and he wanted a train in his parks. So listen to the audio, and enjoy 20 minutes of relaxation and scenery before you begin your busy day in the parks.
Do you have a Disney vacation family tradition?