The executives in charge of Walt Disney World want park visitors to plan trips well ahead of time. It helps them project revenue and manage crowds. Sometimes, impulse takes over, though. You just suddenly decide that you need a trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth. Here are a few tips for planning a last-minute trip to Walt Disney World.
Transportation thoughts
Image: Alaska AirHow you travel to Walt Disney World is entirely up to you. Traveling by car or bus is usually cheaper, while flights are more convenient. The only aspect to consider about flying is that rates spike in the 14 days before departure. Try to book before then if at all possible.
You should sign up for airfare deals. Sometimes, one of these emails/texts might be the cause of your sudden Disney trip. You’ll find an Orlando/Tampa/Sanford deal that’s so good that you feel priced into a vacation. Just remember that when you land somewhere other than Orlando International Airport (MCO), you’ll have additional travel expenses for a taxi/ride-share, or car rental.
You can still use Magical Express
Image: DisneyHere’s a pro tip that you may not realize. When you book at an official Disney resort, you’ll receive an important amenity, Magical Express service. You can use it even when you don’t have the Magical Express tags.
The standard process is that you contact Disney and relay your flight information. They mail you a set of luggage tags for routing purposes. Once you arrive at the airport, you simply hand off your luggage, and it automatically gets processed with a Disney resort destination. It’s a carefree luggage system.
You don’t need to do anything ahead of time, though. Once you arrive in Orlando, you will head to the Disney section of MCO. This area hosts the Magical Express station. Here, you can tell the cast member your reservation number or show them your Magic Band information. They’ll take care of your luggage from that point and allow you on the bus to your resort.
This strategy is not as convenient since you must take care of your own luggage until you reach MCO. But it’s better than not using Magical Express at all.
Finding a hotel
Image: DisneyHere’s the shocking part of planning a last-minute trip. Did you know that Disney offers cheap rooms through some discount travel websites? It’s absolutely true!
When you monitor websites like Travelocity, Kayak, and Priceline Express, you may find shockingly good deals. Priceline Express is the least conventional of the travel sites. You won’t actually know which Disney resort you’re getting when you book this way, but some of the deals are outrageously good.
I’d only advise this sort of booking for Disney fans that have done it all by now and don’t mind a bit of randomness during their vacation. Similarly, you can find many non-Disney resort deals and a fair share of Airbnb offerings at reasonable prices, too. The sacrifice is that you lose out on official Disney resort amenities, something my family’s unwilling to do.
Pick a home park but get Park Hopper
Image: DisneyOnce you know where you’re staying, a pro tip is to settle on your home park during your trip. Plan for this place to be where you spend most of your time. I suggest this because it’ll have ripple effects on the next three discussion topics, too.
When you pick your favorite park for a trip, you’ll have a stronger idea of which restaurants and FastPasses to target. Even so, I still recommend the purchase of Park Hopper tickets with Disney admission.
Image: DisneyYou never know what will happen on a given Disney day. So, you don’t want to get locked into a single park. For example, the entrance at Magic Kingdom recently suffered a technical outage. This snafu prevented guests from entering the park for more than two hours. Without Park Hopper, you’d be stuck just outside, hopelessly frustrated.
When you have Park Hopper, you can adapt on the fly, an essential skill at Walt Disney World. Since you’re on a last-minute trip anyway, you haven’t planned much anyway. You’re not losing out by switching strategies and heading to a different park.
Advanced Dining Reservations
Image: DisneyFirst of all, even though you’re planning at the last minute, don’t think that you can’t book any Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs). While the biggies like Be Our Guest and Chef Mickey’s are likely sold out, you’ll have plenty of other wonderful options.
Walt Disney World is home to more than 200 restaurants, lounges, and snack stands. Many of the Table Service establishments accept ADRs, and some of the best ones are available during your arrival week.
I can’t say for sure which ones you’ll find, but some of my favorites like Kona Café rarely sell out. The Wave… of American Flavors is another underrated eatery that falls below the radar. Here are several other good places for last-minute ADRs: 50’s Prime Time Café, Biergarten, Cape May Café, Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd Skipper Canteen, Trattoria al Forno, and Whispering Canyon Café.
Mobile Ordering
Image: DisneyOf course, you can go an entirely different way with spontaneous vacation. You could ignore ADRs altogether. Instead, you could prioritize counter service restaurants for quick bites. After all, you’re probably not staying long and want to maximize your vacation time. Sitting down at a restaurant for 60-90 minutes isn’t the best way to do that.
You should utilize Mobile Ordering instead. This service allows you to order ahead at more than 30 Quick Service restaurants. You’ll find the full list of participants here. The best part of this service is that you can use it while you’re standing in line for rides and attractions! You’ll be able to select your entire meal.
Disney won’t even prepare your food until you signal that you’re ready, giving you complete control of the process. It’s a spectacular way to maximize your Disney vacation time.
FastPass management
Image: DisneyDeciding how to address FastPasses is one of the most challenging parts of an unplanned Disney trip. Many of the best attractions sell out their FastPasses before the 30-day window opens for non-Disney resort guests. Should you try a week or two before your trip, you may find nothing satisfactory. That’s okay!
On the day that you’re at the park, you can monitor available FastPasses on MyDisneyExperience. While you’re unlikely to find Avatar Flight of Passage or Slinky Dog Dash, other E-ticket attractions are sometimes up for grabs. I’ve booked Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, and Test Track during a daily visit. It wasn’t the same day, of course, but it’s proof that you can find some of Disney’s finest attractions during your park visit.
Image: DisneyThe other thing that you should decide in advance is how many FastPasses to book on a given day. You may select up to three, but two of them are for lesser rides everywhere but Magic Kingdom. The other three parks employ a tiered FastPass system that limits the availability of E-ticket attractions.
I’d still suggest that you select three FastPasses per day unless your options are awful. In doing so, you guarantee that you’ll wait in a short line for three rides. Then, the instant that you’ve entered the line for your final FastPass of the day, you can start looking for more via My Disney Experience. Speaking of which…
Use My Disney Experience religiously…and pack a charger/battery
Image: DisneySeveral of the suggestions listed here combine with the My Disney Experience app. You can check FastPasses and utilize Mobile Ordering via this program.
When you plan a last-minute trip, My Disney Experience is your best robot friend. You’ll want to have it running most of the time. The drawback is that it’s a known battery hog. And I’m talking obscene amounts of battery drain.
For a spontaneous Disney vacation, packing a charger is an absolute must. You might even choose to bring a spare battery, presuming that your phone allows swapping. If not, you’ll find FuelRod stations throughout Walt Disney World and even at MCO. Consider spending the money to buy one of those and thereby have access to spare battery charges whenever you need them.
