With all Disney parks closed worldwide, you may be longing for a park day. I miss so much about our once weekly park visits. So I’ve been creating the park day magic for my family to experience at home!
Want to have a Disney parks day at home too? Grab your MagicBands and Mickey Ears my friend! Hop in and let’s go!
Dress the Part
I 100% wasn’t kidding about the MagicBand and Mickey Ears. A Disney parks day at home is so much more fun when you really get into character!
Whether that be a twirly princess costume, your favorite Disney tee and hat, or whatever makes you feel like you’re at the Happiest Place on Earth; wear it! I promise it’ll spark joy when you catch yourself in the mirror!
Our Daughter gets so excited to dress up and wear her MagicBand around the house!
Prep the Snacks
So much of our memorable park experiences revolve around those iconic treats that we look forward to each trip. I don’t know about you but for me it’s pure nostalgia when I bite into a Mickey bar. And the good news is that most grocery stores now carry Mickey bars right in the freezer section! Keep it simple and add some to your next drive-up or delivery order.
Feeling ambitious? You could go all out and make something! The creation of the snack itself is fun! Pretend you’re working at the Confectionery and bake away! Caramel apples, krispies, churro toffee, num num cookies, beignets, Mickey waffles, etc!
There are so many options here to bring those Disney snacks right into your home.
It’s All About the Atmosphere
I *crave* the sights and sounds of the parks. I could skip rides and just sit on the hub grass all day with a coffee and that would be the best day ever. Bring that atmosphere home!
I love listening to park music around the house. Especially when I’m cooking or cleaning. I really love Walt Disney Records – The Legacy Collection on Spotify. You can also find this on Amazon, Apple, and YouTube.
There are also tons of great parks and resort atmosphere videos on YouTube. Just search “Disney Atmosphere” and scroll through what pops up. My kids love these! They get to see the parks and I get to hear the sounds. Its a win win!
I love this one specifically for Disneyland atmosphere.
Enjoy the Rides (with UNLIMITED FastPass+)
Just like you can watch Disney atmosphere videos on YouTube, there are SO MANY rides posted on YouTube for you to enjoy too!
Just search for the ride’s name on YouTube and choose one that you like! We LOVE to watch ride-throughs at home. My kids especially love It’s a Small World, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Kilimanjaro Safari; just to name a few.
Watching ride videos is also a great way to introduce a little one to a new ride that they may be hesitant about.
Watch Shows, Parades & Fireworks
If there’s a show or parade from the parks that you love, find it on YouTube! The bonus here is that you can even find old entertainment that’s not available at the parks anymore!
We love watching parades from both Walt Disney World and Disneyland!
Watch the Magic Happens Parade.
Watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
You also could watch your favorite park shows at home!
Let the Magic Begin Welcome Show, Mickey and the Magical Map, Royal Friendship Faire, Happily Ever After, Fantasmic, Disney Jr Dance Party, etc! Choose a show that coordinates with the park you’re “visiting” from home.
Just search for the show on YouTube and find one you like! 🙂
Pack a Bag and Check-In
One of my kid’s favorite parts about a Disney vacation is staying in a hotel! So why not recreate the hotel experience at home?! Everyone can pack pajamas and some favorite toys in their suitcase and head to the “hotel” to check-in.
Set-up a tent or sleeping bag or pull out the couch. Print out resort signage and incorporate something special that resort has into your setup.
For example, if you’re “staying” at the Grand Floridian, you could have an afternoon tea party at home! Or if you’re “staying” at the Art of Animation, you could watch Finding Nemo! Headed to Port Orleans? Make some beignets and take a family bike ride!
You also could watch resort tours or resort atmosphere vides on YouTube. Just search the resort name and see what you can find! I have resort tours posted on my YouTube channel.
Use your imagination and have fun!
Incorporate Play & Activities
If you have young children, incorporate pretend play into your Disney day at home. Setup and let them operate a snack cart, have them be the PhotoPass photographer or the monorail driver. There are so many ways you could incorporate pretend play into a Disney day at home that kids will absolutely love.
If you or your kids enjoy arts and crafts, you could also include crafting in your Disney day at home. My daughter likes to create park tickets and ride signs from construction paper, menus for restaurants, autograph books, etc.
You could even print coloring pages of their favorite characters or rides to integrate a hands-on craft into your magical day. Simple but fun!
There’s nothing like walking down Main Street before a fun-filled day at the Magic Kingdom, BUT you can try and bring some of that magic home! Keep it simple, or go all out! You’ll find your spirits lifted as soon as you hear that familiar parks music right from your living room.
Let the (at home) magic begin!
Follow along on all of our Walt Disney World fun on Instagram @brbgoingtodisney! I share tips and tricks LIVE from the parks each week on Stories! See you there!
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
So many great ideas! Thanks for the inspiration!
I love these ideas!!! Definitely going to put a bit more magic into our days.
I added The Legacy Collection to my Apple playlist for this morning’s bike ride! Thank you for sharing!!
I love this list so much. Thanks for the great ideas!!!!
I absolutely love this idea! I don’t have any kids but I do have a 29 year old sister that tells me how much she misses Disneyland every single day! 😂
These are such great ideas and would be so fun!! We’ve watched rides on you tube but I never thought to look up parades or shows!! Thanks for the awesome suggestions!!