We’re back with another Pre-Trip planning post. That’s right, the Duck is going back to Disney World! Flights and hotels are booked. Tickets are purchased and loaded into My Disney Experience. Advance Dining Reservations are booked, but will we actually use them? Read on to find out the answer to that question and all the magical details around this trip.
Over the course of 2024 I’ve booked a few different Walt Disney World stays before ultimately cancelling them. Like many of you, I’m constantly thinking about the next trip(s) and tend to romanticize about potential trips before reality smacks me in the face and wakes me up from my blissful day dream. First it was an October trip for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but that really didn’t work among other travels we had planned. Then it was an early December trip for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but alas, this time of year is already exceedingly hectic and a few nights away just wasn’t in the cards. Someday I may learn the lesson that even though Disney World is a relatively short 3 hour flight away, it’s still better for everyone if I plan trips for the time of year that my “real” life slows down organically. It’s also fortuitous when said real life offers an opportunity to add a Disney World stay to a trip to Florid for other reasons. That’s exactly how this trip came together.
After we had the on-paper December trip booked, we were invited to a family members wedding in the Tampa area on the MLK holiday weekend in January. This time of year has quickly become our favorite time to travel to Walt Disney world and Tampa is a relatively short 2 hour drive from Orlando. I’m starting to see something materialize, just like the Haunted Mansion. Rather than fly down to Florida twice, why not extend the January trip? What’s this? There is a winter deal going on too? Well, well, well, it’s almost like we HAVE to make this work. Ok, if you insist.
So that’s the back story of how this came together. Let’s get into the fun stuff now. The executive summary of the trip details is as follows: A 5-night stay at Port Orleans French Quarter, 1 After Hours event at Magic Kingdom, and 3-day base tickets.
We also have a theme or mindset we’re going to use when approaching this trip – be like The Dude from the Big Lebowski. If you’re not familiar, the dude is a very laid-back guy to put it mildly. He takes it as it comes and goes with the flow. That isn’t generally the way to approach a Walt Disney World vacation. It almost requires you to be the exact opposite of laid back if you have any kind of expectations about getting most things done. And that’s kind of the key for us, we are leaving our expectations at the door for this trip. We’re fortunate enough to be able to go to Walt Disney World regularly and we done it all, or the things that really matter to us. It’s not the end of the world if we go to Disney World and don’t get to ride everything, eat everywhere, see every show. Easier said then done, especially for how I’m wired, but this trip is really going to be a chance for personal growth as I walk slower, put down my phone, and just be in the moment. At least that’s the idea.
That sounds good, but what does that mean? Well, there are a few things that are “requirements” for a successful Disney World vacation that really take you out of the moment. The biggest culprit is the reliance on the My Disney Experience app on your phone to manage Lightning Lane reservations. Getting the most of a lightning lane multi-pass purchase means you should get to the park as early as possible and start using those lightning lanes so you can book the next one. You’re in a constant cycle of using lightning lanes, refreshing the app to find your next reservation, walking lightning lanes to fit your schedule, and generally planning your every move around your lightning lanes. And maybe the worst part is that you end up zig-zagging the park, while looking at your phone, and end the day with sore feet and wondering what you actually saw during your 8 hours in the park. Now if you’re one a once in a lifetime trip or you only go every several years, by all means, maximize those lightning lanes and get it done. But you’re not going to be feeling very dude-like, that’s for sure.
The next biggest culprit that can make you feel like you’re planning a project rather than a vacation are Advance Dining Reservations. For the most popular restaurants you need to book 60+ days out and even then you may find yourself taking a dinner reservation for 9pm or lunch reservation for 11am. Then you’re planning your entire day around those reservations. In my opinion, there are very few dining locations that are worth planning your entire day around. Some notable caveats are character dining experiences, especially if you have a princess obsessed child (or adult, not judgement) or similarly character obsession in your party, and unique dining experience like Space 220. We’ve eaten at almost every table service restaurant in Disney World at this point, and we love them, but they just aren’t worth planning your day around a return trip to most of them. I booked a few ADRs for this trip, but I plan to cancel them unless they align perfectly with how our day is going. Disney allowing cancellations up to 2 hours prior has added some much-needed flexibility to be able to go with the flow here. That said, I’m not going overboard regardless. We’re going to eat mostly at quick service this trip and test those waters.
The last concept that is decidedly un-Dude like is the idea of setting your alarm to rope drop. I’ve been pretty vocal that I have not personally found rope-dropping to be that useful recently. That is undoubtedly largely due to confirmation bias after our target rope drop attraction being down the past several rope drop attempts. And while that’s largely due to luck, it does underscore that you can do everything right – get up at 5:30am, get on the first bus, be at the front of the rope drop line, stand in the mass of humanity, do the elbow shuffle (walking not running!) to the attraction, and get absolutely no benefit from any of it. Being results-oriented is not a great way to think about things, but thinking about things through the lens of expected value IS. In our case, the expected value of all the above is just not there for us. We’d much rather wake when we want and show up to the park when we want. If riding certain rides will be a game changer, we would buy lightning lane single or multi-pass before we planned for the rope drop rigamarole again. If I’m up and ready to go anyway we would still get to the park early, we’re just not going to set an alarm like I’m going to my day job to do it.
So, the overarching principle for this trip is to be like the Dude and that means – little to no use of lightning lane multi-pass, little to no ADRs, and no rope dropping unless we’re awake and ready to go organically. What does a trip plan look like if you following those rules? Well in part 2 of this mini-series I’ll lay it out day by day so you can get a feel if this kind of approach could work for you and your party.
How do you approach Disney Planning? What are your “core principles” that you use when coming up with your perfect trip?
