Suffering from PDSD #PDSD

     You read that correctly. I'm suffering from PDSD  not PTSD (well I am but that's not what this post is about).  Post Disney Sadness Disorder I believe will soon become a household phrase for any family returning home after visiting "The Happiest Place on Earth"
***Notice my hash marks to get this trending !!
     While it is never easy to return home from any fun vacation there is a certain feeling associated with knowing that you're not going to be in Disney again any time soon.  The thing that makes it so different than other vacation is you experience this feeling not only after your first visit but even after your 20th.  I would guess that possibly those that own an Annual pass might not suffer as deeply as others.  However I would venture that at some point they were truly overwhelmed with PDSD or they would never have become pass holders in the first place.

     We haven't been to Disney as a family in quite a while.  That's not to say we haven't been there.  When you live within a day's drive of Kissimmee chances are your kids are going there about once a year for some reason or another.  Our kids have gone without us for choir performances, Grad Night (which sadly due to out of control behavior the park is no longer sponsoring), Night of Joy, Girl Scout trips.. and various other reasons.
     I also think part of the PDSD is the realization that you've probably dropped over a grand for your three or four day adventure.  We're very fortunate that Disney offers Florida resident discounts.  Being a family of five it was just under $900 for the three day park hopper tickets as opposed to buying them online for almost $1,600.. Thank you very much Disney!!  One thing I did notice this year in the parks is that there seems to have been an adjustment on their prices as I remember  everything being priced outrageous last time we were there.  Another great change is the ability to bring in your own food and beverages ~ Publix subs in Disney rocks.
     Our kids are all older but that doesn't mean we didn't have to go and see characters or ride the favorites.  Everyone had their "must" ride attraction.  We hit Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Dinosaur, The Great Movie Ride, Pirates of the Carribean and even Its A Small World.  My favorite ride ~ Splash Mountain wasn't working during our visit.  We enjoyed the new Fantasy Land and just love the Little Mermaid Ride.
     What's a Disney visit without shows?  I could just sit and watch them over and over simply to enjoy the reactions of the younger set.  One of the best newer shows was in Epcot at The Seas.  Crush was my favorite character in Finding Nemo so seeing his "Turtle Talk with Crush" show was a must.  What made the show wonderful in addition to the person voicing Crush for this audience interaction was the kids. OH MY.  For this show the younger set sit among the sea weeds inside the coral AKA on the green carpeting inside the orange tape.  The kids ask questions and learn about Sea Turtles.  Most importantly is they learn to speak sea turtle Crush style.... throughout the park we heard kids repeating Crush's favorite word Dude all afternoon :)  As with any show watching the kids get excited and unable to control their enthusiasm is definitely contagious.  Follow that up with any of the Disney Parades and I'm set for the day.

    The weather really can't even truly dampen the intoxicating joy (was that sugary enough for you).  Our last day in the parks was not one of Florida's Sunny best.  However it truly didn't affect people's ability to enjoy the day just the same.  We just bundled up and hurried a bit quicker between attractions. If anything the fireworks show seemed all the more magical in the evening mist.  I love my picture of the castle with the raindrops.
     So how to recover from PDSD?  First off take lots of pictures.  I also love the new Disney Photo Pass that allows you to load all of your pictures into one place.  We had some wonderful photographers at our Character Meets.  One followed the action as Pooh broke the line to engage with Patrick! Another took pics of the girls and Tigger dancing while I sang The Tigger Song (yup I know all the words).  Another suggestion is to grab your family cuddle up and watch tons of Disney Classics, like I need an excuse to do that.
     As for me the way I'm planning on recovering......

Returning in April just hubby and I to celebrate our Anniversary, even have reservations at Victoria and Albert's  after that we'll be suffering from PDBD...post Disney Broke Disorder :)