FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

4. WFH Disneybounding

Girl Disneybounding as Gaston
Image: Flickr, User: BrittReneePhotography (license)

Never been brave enough to take up Disneybounding? Your time has come…

For those unfamiliar, Disneybounding is sort of like cosplaying without actual costumes. Disney parks have fairly strict costume policies for guests over the age of 14-- namely that you can’t wear costumes, lest you be confused for a cast member. Disneybounding works around this by using modern and vintage clothing pieces to put together outfits inspired by Disney characters. There’s also a Star Wars-specific version of Disneybounding that was introduced with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that fans sometimes call “Batuu-bounding”—it’s basically putting together regular clothes (think vests, natural fibers, boots, tunics, etc.) to look like a native of Batuu.

Want to really make that next brain-numbing Zoom meeting sparkle? Subtly introduce Disneybounding into your work-from-home ensemble. Bonus points if you throw in a Disney parks Zoom background!*

Disneybounding is great because you really can make what you want of it. You can go as low-key as throwing on a scarf that reminds you of Mulan to fully color-coordinating your outfit after the Red Queen. I once accidentally Disneybounded as Mary Poppins when I wore a black trilby and raincoat with red lipstick and a Sherlock-style scarf—two different toddlers confused me for the famous nanny. If you’re lucky enough to work from home without obligatory video meetings, even better—go all out!

*That is, dear reader, if your job will permit such shenanigans. Mr. Banks might not approve. I know the saying goes, “You can be anything you want to be,” but we’d prefer you don’t end up in a disciplinary meeting in a red wig, seashell bra, and mermaid tail wondering where you went wrong…

5. Take on a Disney DIY Project

Stormtrooper actions figures around Mickey ears hat
Image: Flickr, User: Jim Bauer (license)

Got a load of extra time on your hands and a whop-ton of creativity? Time for some Disney DIY! Sure, you could keep things simple and make a scrapbook, but we’re going for style, remember?

Like sewing? Hop onto Pinterest and make your own Mickey ears for your next trip—the more unabashedly, wonderfully you, the better! You can be math-whiz Mickey or biochemist Mickey or Historical-European-Martial-Arts Mickey or I-only-drink-from-mason-jars-and-wear-scarves-in-the-summer Mickey. Your choice!

Not much of a sewing fan? Maybe it’s time to dump out that bursting box of Disney trading pins and make something EPIC. A wall-art montage using pins as constellations? Go for it. A pin-trimmed crown and cloak worthy of King Stefan? Why not?

DIY is such an insanely huge category, you really could do anything you want. Have fun with it. Make-up fans can recreate popular character make-up looks. Gardeners can take a crack at Disney-inspired topiary art or flower arrangements. Got a weird doll collection? Crank up the speakers and make your own house-wide version of It’s a Small World!

On second thought, let’s not do that last one. That’s how people end up in the special holding cell for people who went insane working in the doll factory…

6. Catch up on Disney history with vintage videos


Video: YouTube, Central Florida Sights and Sounds

Disney+ has been something of a delight during this pandemic. For Disney parks fans, the series The Imagineering Story is worth the cost of subscription alone. You can definitely get a pretty good Disney parks fix just noodling around on Disney+ for a few hours.

…but what if you’re in the mood to really dig for some gold?

If you’re a fan of Disney history, you have to take the time to watch some of Walt Disney World’s weird vacation planning videos. We dove into these in depth in our Retro Rewind series as well as our exploration of favorite Disney memories from the 80’s, and they are pure cheesecake magic. Why is this little girl in red wandering in an empty Magic Kingdom? Why does it seem so creepy? Did the barrels on Pirates of the Caribbean actually used to explode?!

This is just one of Disney’s old-timey vacation videos. There are so many to choose from, like A Day at Epcot Center, A Day at The Magic Kingdom, and A Day at Disneyland. Grab some popcorn, get lost in a little YouTube freefall, and see how many you can find!

7. Watch ALL the Fireworks


Video: YouTube, The DIS

Okay, we are shamelessly milking the entertainment power of YouTube here, but there’s good reason for that—it’s probably become one of the most complete public archives on Disney history in existence. The mountains of park footage available on YouTube make it possible to take on a very special watch party… if you dare.

Marathon watch all of Disney’s fireworks spectaculars that you can stand.

Now, this enterprise can be as simple or complicated as you want. For example, Fantasmic! fans may enjoy watching the various versions of the show over the years, from its arrival at Disneyland, to the somewhat toned-back Walt Disney World version, to Tokyo DisneySea’s airy, giant-hat centered version, and finally to Disneyland’s amazing 2.0 update.

The Magic Kingdom and Disneyland have both had enough versions of their fireworks shows to make it challenging to track them all. Magic Kingdom is a little easier since it started with the popular Fantasy in the Sky fireworks which lasted until 2003, followed by Wishes which lasted until 2017, finally bringing in the mind-bending Happily Ever After fireworks beloved by fans today.  Disneyland’s fireworks history is much more complex and could involve quite the YouTube dive to pick through Fantasy in the Sky, Remember… Dreams Come True, Disneyland Forever, Mickey’s Mix Magic—you get the point. You will need to do some research.

If you’re sticking to Walt Disney World only, you may as well throw in some of the other park’s spectaculars like the various versions of Illuminations, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, and Rivers of Light. We could easily write an article just collecting all of these shows into videos—for now, you’ll just have the enjoy the journey of seeing what you can find yourself. Hey, we have the time! Speaking of that galaxy far, far away…

8. Take up the shadiest game in the galaxy

Sabaac cards from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

This one will specifically appeal to Star Wars fans, but it’s just zany enough to make this list. If you really want to claim your Star Wars superfan card, you may as well become a master at the game that won Han Solo the Millennium Falcon.

Sabaac.

I write a lot about the Star Wars elements of Disney parks, and so I will admit, I straight up giggled for glee when Disney started selling Sabaac decks in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In proper Batuu style, these decks weren’t just sold—you could straight up play a few rounds on the marketplace corner with the shopkeeper. Rumor has it, some fans have even made off with a rare kyber crystal after winning. Sign me up!

Sabaac is, admittedly, both a simple and weirdly complex game—the geek is strong with you if you decide to learn it. I don’t know enough about cards to compare it to another game (Blackjack? Poker? Bears vs. Burritos?), but your goal is essentially for your cards to add up to as close to zero as possible at the end of three rounds. Green cards add to your score and red cards subtract from it. This would be a simple math game if not for two added elements—for one thing, if you use the Galaxy’s Edge cards, all of the numbers are written in symbols and Aurebesh, meaning there is a learning curve to figure out what they mean.

The second twist is that after each round, two dice are rolled. If those dice match, everyone has to scrap their hand, even if its at the end of the game. While I’ve seen some of the dealers in Galaxy’s Edge skirt around this, it inserts a certain level of chaos theory and means even with the perfect hand, you can get obliterated right before laying your cards down.

Once you get hooked, it’s a positively addicting game.

We got a set for a friend over Christmas and ended up playing Sabaac to decide everything from where we went out to eat to who got which Christmas cookies. The game is a great time-passer, especially if you add some of your own rules and variations.

If you want to try your hand at Sabaac, you can either track down some of the official Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cards on eBay or you can get the cheaper version of the game that was released for the movie Solo. Conceivably, you could even DIY your own cards if you are determined. Either way, if you intend to take on Batuu’s Sabaac dealer (once social distancing settles down),  it can’t hurt to brush up on your scoundrel skills.

What other wacky ways can you think of to get your Disney parks fix?

 

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...