Disney Game Plan – Come up with a game plan that includes a list of must-see attractions. Prioritize or rank list. See what you can see and adapt game plan as needed. Pace yourselves and include a strategy for an afternoon energy slump. Expect to edit schedule so that you may still enjoy the course of the day. You will always have something to look forward to when you return to Disney.

Disney Drill – matching tie dye or neon shirts check; ticket check; safety check; map check; water check; hat, sunglasses, sunscreen check; game plan/strategy check; walkie-talkie or cell phone check; meeting place check; spare food, diaper, clothing check

Disney Day – one of the longest high-intensity days of the year where children’s nap, meal or bedtime routines often get tossed, sometimes Disney Days are consecutive.

Disney Dip – another name for a dip in energy due to over-stimulation, dehydration, long lines, sugar crashes or minimal sleep the night before the Disney Day.

Disney Bonk – severe early afternoon Disney Dip, usually for all ages

Disney Daze – post-Disney Bonk dazed look

Disneysaurus/Disneytaurus – what you call one of your small exhausted children who is misbehaving so much that you no longer recognize him/her

Disney Face Plant – parent face plants on bed post-Disney Day

Disneyitus – someone with Disneyitus can have one or some of the following symptoms: dehydration, tummy trouble, sore throat, exhaustion, cranky mood

Disney Checklist – includes at least 3 Disney dips or bouts of Disneyitus among group per day

Disney Delirium – when life is all about acquiring Disney fast passes or beating the crowds on early admission days.

Disneymania – a collective body of Disney Delirium, i.e. crowd mentality, particularly evident in crowds of adults donning mouse ears or Goofy hats

Disneyterrors – when a child becomes attached to a parent because he/she has been terrorized by one of the Disney kid rides

Disney Aftershock – Disneyterrors that become nightmares post-Disney trip, often involving red beady monster eyes, pirates with hooked arms, or drawn-out wicked laughs

Disneysurvivors – you can find them seated in a back row of an air-conditioned Disney show or parked under a tree with a cold beverage, ice cream, or frozen lemonade recharging for the rest of the day

Disneyglaze – cotton candy or Churro sugar-coated fingers by people of any age partaking in the full Disney experience

Disneyburn – adult arms, necks or backs so sore they “burn,” typical of prolonged periods of holding or walking with an over-sized wiped-out Disney-dazed child

Disneymagic – when fantasy becomes reality for kids or adults on Disney rides, shows or at character greetings, also includes the “WOW” factor such as magic carpet rides or flying Tinkerbells; can happen numerous times during the Disney Day and makes the whole experience totally worth it

Disneyized – a repeat Disney guest who can easily be spotted due to a glazed-eyed happy look despite being in the middle of large sweaty crowds

Disneyfever – an adult with Disneyfever experiences peak-season Disney trip memory loss, akin to childbirth experiences and subsequent memory loss, and is already planning the next peak-season Disney trip while on the current trip

Disneyed-out - an adult who is “all done” with Disney’s long lines, throngs of people, and lost child escapades

Disneygrumps – usually happens on the post-Disney drive with a wiped-out super-exhausted slew of kids piled in a car. The Head Grump Award can actually go to the parent/driver/chauffeur who feels like she/he has been hit over the head with a hammer

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Some Peak-Season Disney Training Tips:

Try to begin your trip well-rested and hydrated. You will drain your reserves while at Disney. Upon your return, give yourself a day or two to recharge and get up to speed again. Ease up on your to-do list and plan for some downtime.

While at Disney, take your water breaks. Disney Days are hot, lines are long, and excitement is high. It is easy to forget to hydrate. If possible, freeze your water bottles overnight so that they are cold when the heat is scorching.

Train for the afternoon Disney Bonk. Utilize your Disney Game Plan and have a strategy for the hot afternoon when everyone hits a Disney Dip. You can go back to hotel pool or room for a rest. See an air-conditioned show. Have a leisurely meal. Or escape to California Adventure where the lines are much shorter. Refresh yourself in the Bug’s Life water park.

Be a Disneysurvivor and plan for some afternoon Disneyglaze. The frozen lemonades are particularly refreshing, take a while to eat, and help you and the kids to truly cool down. Save your Grizzly River or Splash Mountain fast passes for the heat of the day, when you need to get soaked.

If you hit the Disneygrumps, some humor can boost your mood and help you regain perspective. You can have fun developing your own Disney Lingo. Check off when someone in your group gets a bit of Disneyitus, the Disney Daze, or becomes a Disneytaurus. It’s going to happen. Expect it, try to laugh about it, and move on so that you can continue enjoying the Disney magic.