A Day at Disney

[meloneyb21]

We're thinking about flying down for a day, basically just to breathe some Disney air/catch some Disney vibes. We had a vacation scheduled back in August, but it was cancelled in June for obvious reasons and that was pretty much our only available time to go this year (for a full vacation at least). Hubby brought up the idea to just fly down for a day to maybe go to a restaurant in Disney Springs and/or check out the decor, sights, and sounds of Magic Kingdom? Idk. Does this sound do-able? We'd catch an early AM flight, and then fly back later that night. The kids are down to do it, I'm just not sure yet. The only dates we'd be able to make this happen are 11/14, 12/5, or 12/12.

Thoughts?

ETA: We're coming from Philly.


TIA!

 

[DWillowBay]

Knowing Philly as I do, it only works if your flights aren't delayed, changed or cancelled. In theory, it's a great idea...who wouldn't want to 'drop in' for a day to WDW? I hope it happens for you. My only concern would be the flights.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

I too am concerned about the flights. I’ve read recent reports of direct flights being changed to layovers. I imagine that would knock out some of your plans that would make that day worth it. But I also love the idea!

 

[siren0119]

Way too many variables to really offer decent advice.

Have you already checked the airlines to see if you can get nonstop flights in the morning? If not you could be getting on a plane at 6:30am and not landing until after noon due to layovers.
Have you checked into when the latest flight home available is? Are you OK landing after midnight and/or having to navigate layovers late at night after a really long day?
What happens if your flight down gets delayed?

Whenever you land, figure on an hour from when you land to arrive on Disney property.
Whenever your flight home is, plan on having to arrive at MCO about 2 hours before takeoff, which means leaving Disney property about 2.5 hrs before your flight.

Once you know when you can actually get flights, that should give you an idea of how much real Disney time you'd be getting, and then you can make the judgement call as to whether it's worth it.

Personally, the bare minimum I'd be willing to do is fly down Friday as late as possible, spend the full day Saturday and then fly home on the earliest possible flight Sunday. I don't think I'd feel confident planning a single day at Disney unless I was within driving distance and had more control over my arrival and departure.

 

[meloneyb21]

You all make some good points. I have checked and found some nonstop flights that work for the times I'm looking for, but it still could be a tossup. Hmmm. I'll give it some more thought.

We DO have TSA pre-check if that can account for anything. Maybe it'll take some time off of how soon we'll need to be back at the airport? Idk.

 

[BK2014]

Is there anyway you could make it a one-night stop - fly down one day and fly back the next? I completely understand wanting to get that WDW fix, but I would be concerned that a one day trip would have me too worried about the clock the entire time.

And while I understand that early flights are less likely to be delayed, any delay would really start to eat up your time.

On the other hand, why not? It would hopefully make for an exciting day.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I would also worry about weather being a factor...not just for flight delay but also our Fl weather.

 

[k_hase]

For reference, my non-stop perfect flight that I booked for December was just changed to a 2 hour layover and a time zone change!! The only other option for non-stop on my preferred airline was basically at the opposite time of day. My flight coming home was changed too, still direct but now it's 2 hours earlier. So even if you have the flight in hand, the changes can happen pretty quickly and ruin a one day trip.

 

[A_Hal]

I have never gone down for a day, but I sat on a flight with someone in February who often flies down for a day. He takes the earliest flight down and the latest flight back. The day I talked with him he visited MK and AK, rode some rides, and bought some merchandise he had been wanting from the parks. Since then I have thought about trying it.

 

[kniquy]

We'd catch an early AM flight, and then fly back later that night. The kids are down to do it, I'm just not sure yet. The only dates we'd be able to make this happen are 11/14, 12/5, or 12/12.

If you were at least staying overnight for one night i would say go for it but between flight time, possible delays and/or arriving 2 hours before your departure flight and a dinner i think you have eaten up most of your day. Flights are getting changed all the time now so what you thought was a direct flight could change to a layover.

For the money and time you are spending i would stay overnight so that you have a little time to relax. Plus you need to consider quarantine rules too. Will you have to quarantine and/or test when you return?

In theory it sounds nice but i don't know how enjoyable the time would actually be.

 

[nkereina]

I used to do one-day trips for work. I frequently traveled from Buffalo to Dallas and Buffalo to Detroit, and would return home the same day. I was extremely lucky that I never experienced a significant flight delay that threw a wrench in my trip (and my flights had layovers), so it definitely is doable if all goes as planned. Unfortunately, there's no way to know if things will go as planned. With my work trips, I really didn't care if things didn't go as planned because I knew I'd be back the next month and it was my company that incurred any costs associated with me missing the trip. I'd be a little more cautious if it was personal money though, especially for a family of 4 because that's an expensive day.

If you decide to go for it, the December dates would allow you to see the Christmas décor, but I would suggest going with the November date for the least possibility of encountering a weather-related flight delay. It also has the highest probability of being warmer. It can sometimes be cold in December.

I tend to agree with PPs that since you're spending the money on the flights anyway, it may be worth it to just shell out some additional for a night or two in a hotel. Take the last flight out Friday so you can get an early start/full day on Saturday. And then either fly home Saturday night or Sunday morning. You could likely find some close/off-site hotels with good rates at this point, or even a last minute DVC point rental (check the DVC forum).

 

[deltachi96]

We were just talking about doing the same thing! We just got back from a 3 day trip a couple of weeks ago and booked for the 50th Anniversary, but missed the passholder pop up store in Epcot. I said to my wife we should fly down for the day and she said to look into it. Well, if you don't tell me no, it must be a yes! I am seriously considering this and probably will do it. Problem is, the only date that works for us is Friday, the 13th!

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I admire anyone who can do a quick trip to Disney-especially a 1 day trip. Matter of fact we just added a day to our 7 day December trip because of our flights changing and effectively taking a day of touring time away.

If I couldn't stay overnight I don't think I would attempt the trip. Right now, flights are changing on a whim. I'm hoping right now that our flights don't change again, but I'm expecting it to happen.

 

[Rockbro]

I've come to a place in my life where I realize things don't complete cheaply. Get on the plane and spend the day at Disney.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Personally, the minimum I will do is fly down friday night and fly back sunday. This is after trying something similar a few times.

You do you.

For me, I have found that the total travel time is 8 hours (30 minutes to the airport, security check, waiting for flight, 2 hours flight time, landing time, travel time from MCO to Disney is a minimum of 4 hours if you are willing to cut it close to the airport and all that back over again the other way has for me - never been accomplished in under 8 hours total - I come from BWI, so around the same area).

I have never managed to hit the parks earlier then maybe 10:30.

So you are looking at a tradeoff of 8 hours of travel of 7-8 hours of park time. If you are good with that, you do you.

Travel stresses me and it's not worth it to me without at least one night (preferably 2).

I will note however that back in my younger days, I would fly down to Atlanta or DFW for a 1-hour meeting. But that was what was required of me. Never bothered me.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We’ve done one day Disney trips but it’s been because we were already in Florida and we’re close by and we just drive over. It’s definitely a fun time and whether it’s a week or a few hours, it’s Disney world!!! If you are ok with the fact that flights might get delayed and you have a plan B where maybe you can stay overnight and add a park day if need be, I say go for it. Sounds like a fun trip!