Best way to make a short trip worthwhile?

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

I'm going in September, after Labor Day (Wednesday to Saturday). It was supposed to be my mom and I, but now it's just me! I imagine I'll get a lot done since I can move as fast or as slow as I want.

Those who have gone on short trips, how do you make them worthwhile? What is something you HAVE to do every trip, no matter what?

 

[Brett Wyman]

I'm going in September, after Labor Day (Wednesday to Saturday). It was supposed to be my mom and I, but now it's just me! I imagine I'll get a lot done since I can move as fast or as slow as I want.

Those who have gone on short trips, how do you make them worthwhile? What is something you HAVE to do every trip, no matter what?

It may sound counterintuitive but when I do-solo trips with short time frames, sometimes as short as half a day because I'm in town for work, I try not to plan anything. I just browse at my leisure and pick up open fast passes and hit up rides I can't do when the kids are there.

 

[verleniahall]

Since it will be only you, you can choose your own Must Dos and book ur FP for those! no worrying about making sure everyone wabs to to dhe sam ething

 

[singingpixie]

I've got a quick solo trip coming next week, and in my case I've got a lot planned, only because I like to do that and don't have to worry about someone else feeling things are too regimented! The joy in going solo is that you can go with whatever your own inclinations are as far as that goes, and if it doesn't work out the way you expected, you can pivot.

For me, I've got 2 park days and one non-park (baseball spring training, followed by resort hopping) day planned. I'll have hoppers, so for me it makes sense to have an MK/AK and a HS/EP day. I'm planning to spend a couple hours in the morning parks hitting "must-do" attractions, and then hopping to the second park for the afternoon and evening, since those ones tend to be better suited for leisurely hanging out and exploring, which is something I'm excited to do solo. That's what I like to do- but I'm not a shopper or a character person, so if you like those things your plans may look different. Just go with your gut, or things/approaches to touring that don't necessarily work as well with your usual travel companions

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

My sister and I did a short trip last year during Pro Bowl Weekend. We arrived late Friday night and stayed until Sunday evening. Now, we went in with the mentality of "we've been here a million times. Let's enjoy the Pro Bowl festivities." We were also AP holders at the time, so "swinging by" the parks made sense and we weren't wasting our tickets if we only went to see the fireworks at night.

We've also gone on a 5-day trip. I know that's one more day than you, but we went with newbies and kids, so we felt pressured to fit every. little. thing. in.

The first thing you need to ask is: how often have you gone? When is the next time you'll be going? When is the last time you visited?
This will help you put things into perspective. On past trips, we used to fall victim to "planning with our eyes, not our legs". Every trip we felt the need to fit in as much as possible and midway through the trip we'd be exhausted and sorta over it. When we took a step back, we realized that we had been every year, we were planning on going back next year; and we had been six times in the past two years. Skipping a ride or show this time may be okay.

When was the last time you went?
What's "new" to you. For us, Toy Story Land was brand new. For others, Pandora is also new. Unfortunately for some, it's been a while and Fantasyland is new. Consider what's new and prioritize that first.

When is the next time you'll be back?
This is an important one. Disney is going through a lot of changes over the next few years...heck...over the next few months. I mean, even if you plan on coming back in a year or two, you'll wanna take a long, hard look at what can be going away. We decided that our Christmas trip would be the last big trip for a while (at least until 2021), so we pushed to get everything in. We had been every year for Christmas since 2009 and needed a break. Not to get grim, but my dad passed on January 26th. We won't be back for a while anyway... but had we not fit in Illuminations or things we predicted could be gone come 2021, we would have felt really, really guilty (esp. that dad would have not experienced it)

Double check the date that Illuminations is ending (all I'm seeing is Summer, 2019.) If it's still running, make this a priority.

I think your biggest mistake so far was asking us "what's something you HAVE to do each trip"... no, what's something YOU have to do each trip? That's the question! It's your trip (and a shorter) one, so make the most of it.

We managed to get a lot done in 2 days; we managed to get a lot done in 5 days. Here's some tips:

- Uber/Lyft is your friend. I know, I know... Disney transportation is free! BUT, Disney transportation often takes a while. Commuting from your hotel to the parks or park to park can take a while. With the exception of Magic Kingdom, we often splurge and take Uber when we wanna get somewhere for Rope Drop or quickly, and especially when we need to get to a dining reservation at another resort. It's worth the price if it means we get there fast. We took an uber to Animal Kingdom one morning and were the first ones there.

- We rank our rides based on favorites, hardest to get, and nostalgia. Unfortunately many of them intertwine like a venn diagram, but we prioritize: FoP, 7DMT for FP+... then always go for Thunder Mountain, TSM, etc. No trip is complete without a ride on the Peoplemover or the railroad (if it's open).

- Split DHS/Epcot. It's the best way to get the parks done. One morning go to DHS for rope drop. Have a FP+ for Slinky, ToT, and RnR. Go for rope drop and get on the TSM, then Alien Swirling Saucers while everyone runs to Slinky. Then grab breakfast at Woody's Lunch Box. Then do RnR, ToT, see a few shows, etc. Then go to Epcot in the afternoon. Tackle some food booths at F&W, then stay the night until Illuminations. You can flip it another night. Go to Epcot in the afternoon, go to a few food booths, then go to DHS at night for Fantasmic! and the Star Wars Fireworks. This tends to be the best bet for seeing the two parks.

- You can get MK done in 2 days, easily. I know a lot of people claim it takes about 3, but we've done it in 2. Plan early FP+ selections. Like...done within the first three hours of being in the park, then select a 4th. It will be busy that weekend and you may wind up with a FP+ for Goofy's Barnstormer, but that's 15 minutes back on your day.

- Day 1 at MK: Go for rope drop or (hopefully) morning EMH: Tackle Tomorrowland. Everyone will be rushing to 7DMT, but hopefully you can score a FP+ at some point during your trip. Go right to Space Mountain, then Buzz, then PeopleMover. Done. Grab a few photos in front of the castle and get that beautiful golden hue, then head to Pirates. We usually have a FP+ for Thunder, 7DMT, and Jungle Cruise. Jungle Cruise gets sneaky crowded. I'd trade Jungle Cruise for Peter Pan, though. Get as much as possible done and finish the day/night with HEA.

- Day 2 you can do Animal Kingdom in the morning: FoP FP+, EE FP+, and Kilimanjaro FP+. Try and get some FP+ for MK later that day.

Your other 2 days will be split between DHS and Epcot.

I think that's a pretty solid 4 days.

 

[dbb727]

I just returned from my first solo trip and trust me that you will be able to accomplish everything/anything you want in 4days. In addition, the week you are going is notoriously the lowest crowds of the year so you’ll have even more advantage. I just went from Thurs afternoon(arrived 4pm) to Sun night(flight at 9pm), where it was SUPER crowded president’s weekend (some are saying as packed as Xmas week) AND I had conference lectures until 2pm each day, yet I was still able to visit all four parks and check off everything on my list. Even with huge crowds, I was able to weave around people and still find some quiet paths and moments of tranquility. Really the only thing limiting me was my own body, because I walked TOO much and my feet were aching.

Here is what helped me:
-Park hoppers, you don’t need it, but it really helped with flexibility, being able to pop into a park for a few hours, leave if I was tired, go back to things I missed or return to finish shopping.
-I did DAH at MK on Thursday night. I don’t think you really will need special events being solo and during a low crowd time, but this was a splurge I wanted to try and wouldn’t have spent the money on with a whole family. I was able to ride practically EVERYTHING in MK that night so the next day I just enjoyed the parade and a few shows I had missed.
- No ADRs. I enjoy TS restaurants but I didn’t want to be stuck with a schedule so I canceled the ADRs I originally had booked and just went with the flow at CS or food booths in EPCOT. One night I did leave the parks earlier then expected, I was able to find an ADR for several restaurants within an hour, so picked the best option and went straight there.

My advice: make a list of a few must do items, then just go with the flow! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Samantha Morgan]

I’d focus on snacks I’ve wanted to try and leisurely wandering.

In fact that’s why my hubby suggest he and I go back without the kids. I didn’t get to explore Epcot because our kids were BEGGING to leave to go back to the resort to swim. I reluctantly gave in because I wasn’t able to enjoy myself with them acting the way they were.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

My sister and I did a short trip last year during Pro Bowl Weekend. We arrived late Friday night and stayed until Sunday evening. Now, we went in with the mentality of "we've been here a million times. Let's enjoy the Pro Bowl festivities." We were also AP holders at the time, so "swinging by" the parks made sense and we weren't wasting our tickets if we only went to see the fireworks at night.

We've also gone on a 5-day trip. I know that's one more day than you, but we went with newbies and kids, so we felt pressured to fit every. little. thing. in.

The first thing you need to ask is: how often have you gone? When is the next time you'll be going? When is the last time you visited?
This will help you put things into perspective. On past trips, we used to fall victim to "planning with our eyes, not our legs". Every trip we felt the need to fit in as much as possible and midway through the trip we'd be exhausted and sorta over it. When we took a step back, we realized that we had been every year, we were planning on going back next year; and we had been six times in the past two years. Skipping a ride or show this time may be okay.

When was the last time you went?
What's "new" to you. For us, Toy Story Land was brand new. For others, Pandora is also new. Unfortunately for some, it's been a while and Fantasyland is new. Consider what's new and prioritize that first.

When is the next time you'll be back?
This is an important one. Disney is going through a lot of changes over the next few years...heck...over the next few months. I mean, even if you plan on coming back in a year or two, you'll wanna take a long, hard look at what can be going away. We decided that our Christmas trip would be the last big trip for a while (at least until 2021), so we pushed to get everything in. We had been every year for Christmas since 2009 and needed a break. Not to get grim, but my dad passed on January 26th. We won't be back for a while anyway... but had we not fit in Illuminations or things we predicted could be gone come 2021, we would have felt really, really guilty (esp. that dad would have not experienced it)

Double check the date that Illuminations is ending (all I'm seeing is Summer, 2019.) If it's still running, make this a priority.

I think your biggest mistake so far was asking us "what's something you HAVE to do each trip"... no, what's something YOU have to do each trip? That's the question! It's your trip (and a shorter) one, so make the most of it.

We managed to get a lot done in 2 days; we managed to get a lot done in 5 days. Here's some tips:

- Uber/Lyft is your friend. I know, I know... Disney transportation is free! BUT, Disney transportation often takes a while. Commuting from your hotel to the parks or park to park can take a while. With the exception of Magic Kingdom, we often splurge and take Uber when we wanna get somewhere for Rope Drop or quickly, and especially when we need to get to a dining reservation at another resort. It's worth the price if it means we get there fast. We took an uber to Animal Kingdom one morning and were the first ones there.

- We rank our rides based on favorites, hardest to get, and nostalgia. Unfortunately many of them intertwine like a venn diagram, but we prioritize: FoP, 7DMT for FP+... then always go for Thunder Mountain, TSM, etc. No trip is complete without a ride on the Peoplemover or the railroad (if it's open).

- Split DHS/Epcot. It's the best way to get the parks done. One morning go to DHS for rope drop. Have a FP+ for Slinky, ToT, and RnR. Go for rope drop and get on the TSM, then Alien Swirling Saucers while everyone runs to Slinky. Then grab breakfast at Woody's Lunch Box. Then do RnR, ToT, see a few shows, etc. Then go to Epcot in the afternoon. Tackle some food booths at F&W, then stay the night until Illuminations. You can flip it another night. Go to Epcot in the afternoon, go to a few food booths, then go to DHS at night for Fantasmic! and the Star Wars Fireworks. This tends to be the best bet for seeing the two parks.

- You can get MK done in 2 days, easily. I know a lot of people claim it takes about 3, but we've done it in 2. Plan early FP+ selections. Like...done within the first three hours of being in the park, then select a 4th. It will be busy that weekend and you may wind up with a FP+ for Goofy's Barnstormer, but that's 15 minutes back on your day.

- Day 1 at MK: Go for rope drop or (hopefully) morning EMH: Tackle Tomorrowland. Everyone will be rushing to 7DMT, but hopefully you can score a FP+ at some point during your trip. Go right to Space Mountain, then Buzz, then PeopleMover. Done. Grab a few photos in front of the castle and get that beautiful golden hue, then head to Pirates. We usually have a FP+ for Thunder, 7DMT, and Jungle Cruise. Jungle Cruise gets sneaky crowded. I'd trade Jungle Cruise for Peter Pan, though. Get as much as possible done and finish the day/night with HEA.

- Day 2 you can do Animal Kingdom in the morning: FoP FP+, EE FP+, and Kilimanjaro FP+. Try and get some FP+ for MK later that day.

Your other 2 days will be split between DHS and Epcot.

I think that's a pretty solid 4 days.

I went last year, solo trip as well, same amount of time. The only thing that is "new" is Toy Story Land for me. I won't be back until late 2021. But I planned it this way because all of the new things that are being built over the next two years.

My trip last year, I finished everything SO fast. I was done with MK in less than a day, granted, I only did rides. So maybe I'll focus more on shows this time. Epcot was also very quick for me. But this year I'll be there during Food and Wine.

 

[shyjade]

We ONLY do short trips to Disney (3-4 days max, and that includes arriving after an early morning flight and departing on a late flight). We have our absolute must-do rides, but fortunately they are not all headliners. We get FP's for our must-dos, we rope drop every morning, and we don't push ourselves to do "everything". We are small family (3 of us traveling in March) so it's easy for us to keep everyone happy.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

The last few years all I've done is short trips .
If I didn't find them worthwhile I wouldn't do short trips.
Its usually been my sister and I.
We usually get a 2 day PH and party ticket or 3 day PH.
We know what we like and we know what we can skip and we prioritize.
There are too many "have to's" to list.
Anything we don't get to its because we ere ok with not getting to them and know there is always a next time.

 

[CML's mom]

We did our first short trip last year. Since we have been to the world several times, we decided to pick 3 parks for the 3 full days we were there. No park hoppers. We fast passed our favorites/what we could get and accepted the fact that we weren't going to do it all. We got more FP as we could. We took afternoon/heat breaks 2 of the 3 days, skipped out on MK fireworks cause we didn't want to deal with the crowds. We feel it was worth it. It was as long as we could due to college schedule and work. We would do it again

 

[dbb727]

I went last year, solo trip as well, same amount of time. The only thing that is "new" is Toy Story Land for me. I won't be back until late 2021. But I planned it this way because all of the new things that are being built over the next two years.

My trip last year, I finished everything SO fast. I was done with MK in less than a day, granted, I only did rides. So maybe I'll focus more on shows this time. Epcot was also very quick for me. But this year I'll be there during Food and Wine.

Since you went so fast last time, adding in shows or character meets you haven’t done before is a great idea. Adding a tour might appeal to you, it provides a sense of being with the group for a bit yet everyone is focused on the tour guide so you aren’t forced to interact with strangers if you don’t want to. The 4park challenge is a great idea too. Or visiting a resort/restaurant you haven’t been to.

For my solo trip, I wanted some sort of plan so I wasn’t just wandering aimlessly- I created a list of bucket list items that I had never done/not done in years (tiki room, Country Bears, FOLK, Trader sam’s grog grotto, riding the friendship boat, food booths, etc) so getting to check things of my list plus must-do headliners occupied the time well.

 

[gharter]

I've only done a solo trip a few times. My plan was hit all the rides that I want to do and eat at the restaurants that I want to go to.
I would do all the things that you have wanted to, but haven't been able to do.

 

[Mome Rath]

I do short trips all the time (2 days), and the only real must have for me is park hoppers, I do at least 2 parks in one day, and just focus on my favorite rides/places to graze. Soloing I've only done once, but will say how much more quickly you can do everything, especially travel from place to place and make decisions. It felt like I had gobs of time.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

I do short trips all the time (2 days), and the only real must have for me is park hoppers, I do at least 2 parks in one day, and just focus on my favorite rides/places to graze. Soloing I've only done once, but will say how much more quickly you can do everything, especially travel from place to place and make decisions. It felt like I had gobs of time.

You really do have so much time! I don't think I could ever do a week long solo trip. I think this time, I'm going to try to utilize the extra time I do have better.

 

[bopper]

Another thing to consider is what do you like to do that your mom doesn't (or whoever you normally travel to Disney with)?

Are their fast or slow rides you wish you could do?

Is there something you would like to do at night that everyone says "let's beat the crowds"?

Do you want to do every single ride in a "land" in the Magic Kingdom? Or go in every store/ride/movie at World Showcase?

Have you wanted to try a certain restaurant? Watch the fireworks from the Polynesian? Go to the Hoop de Doo Review?

Try a non-park activity like renting a boat or horseback riding?

Do all the interactive activities at Epcot? Try one of those scavenger hunts?

Like another poster said, Try all the new rides?

Get up super early and try to get a bunch of rides done?

Get autographs from off-beat characters?

Or focus on your FP rides and try to do as many as you can?

Or take it slow...I was at Epcot by myself and did the Segway thing where you could ride around a tiny bit, got cheese and wine in France and sat by the water...

If you think you will be back soonish, maybe try the new things.
If it has been a while, go on your favorite rides!

Or as someone mentioned, take one of the tours!