Help?! A VERY last minute trip...

[2boysmommy]

Due to some crazy scheduling coincidences...I find myself planning an extremely last minute weekend at WDW. November 2-7 last minute. Not ideal. Myself and my husband, our boys (11 & 13), and my parents. We have all been to Disney numerous times, but never without months of meticulous planning. (Well - before kids and FP+ my husband and I lived in Jax and would often drop in on WDW with no planning. The World is much different now..)

So the question is - am I kidding myself that we can have a good time without any FastPass options available to us? We would rope drop TS @ HS as that is the only thing we haven't experienced yet. Otherwise it would be ride what we can find that has low waits...not concerned about dining as we are going to be a cheap as possible on food.

Is this going to be the worst trip?

Oh - and it's also Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon weekend.

 

[StacyStrong]

You'll be able to get fast passes, just not for SDD, FOP, SDMT, etc. You'll have a blast! Grab what you can and you'll be set!

 

[Melissa Perez]

Due to some crazy scheduling coincidences...I find myself planning an extremely last minute weekend at WDW. November 2-7 last minute. Not ideal. Myself and my husband, our boys (11 & 13), and my parents. We have all been to Disney numerous times, but never without months of meticulous planning. (Well - before kids and FP+ my husband and I lived in Jax and would often drop in on WDW with no planning. The World is much different now..)

So the question is - am I kidding myself that we can have a good time without any FastPass options available to us? We would rope drop TS @ HS as that is the only thing we haven't experienced yet. Otherwise it would be ride what we can find that has low waits...not concerned about dining as we are going to be a cheap as possible on food.

Is this going to be the worst trip?

Oh - and it's also Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon weekend.

I recently planned a ~30 day out for halloween (10/30 - 11/3) and got every fastpass easily except SDD. If you have tickets now it is worth seeing what FP+ you can scrounge up, if you get tickets when you're there it's worth it to see what FP+ are available while you're there. And especially since you've all been there numerous times, maybe this is a vacation you take it a little easier. Some of the standout memories from the last few years of "relaxing" WDW vacations were lounging by the pool, Living with the Land, etc etc the things we overlooked often times before!

 

[cruiserkaren]

We went in June of this year and I booked on a Monday and our flight left Sunday. Had a great trip!

 

[bryanb]

@2boysmommy -- Gosh, no this isn't going to be the worst trip. In fact, you have been given an amazing gift to try something new! Since you have already been to WDW numerous times, you're about to enjoy the place in a whole new way without every magical moment being meticulously scheduled. No pressure to check off everything on your list.

You'll still find plenty of Fastpasses, even though the handful of most-popular attractions will have been booked up. Just use the "refresh" method to pick up Fastpasses for those. Worst case, during your trip, maybe you'll find yourself standing in a couple of longer standby lines, but take the time to enjoy people watching, the queue details and each other's company.

As for the rest of the time, you can live more spontaneously. Check out things that are off of your usual routine. I used to be worried about the "perfect" trip, but now I realize there is not one version of a perfect pre-planned trip. Have an amazing time!

 

[Willow1213]

We are in jAX and just booked for next Monday 10/29. I was able to get Soarin and Nemo in Epcot and Buzz,Speedway, and Mickey M&G in MK. One week in advance only a few things were gone.

 

[Bound and Rebound]

Our one last minute trip....planned Mon/Tuesday, left on Thursday was the most memorable and fun of all! You already have the right mindset that you won't get on all the headliners and sometimes the right mindset is all you need. Have a magical time

 

[Stuarotra]

I planned a trip with my adult daughter 7 days out and we had a wonderful time. One of the best trips ever. You will be surprised at what opens up last minute. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We even got BOG lunch reservations and 2 dessert parties booked within those 7 days. You will have a wonderful time!

 

[Wubar]

You'll be fine. Plenty to do without planning every second 17 years in advance and then pulling your hair out if you get seated for an ADR 10 minutes late. Of course, set your expectations accordingly. If you expect to be handed the moon on a silver platter and will be crushed when you don't get it, well then yes, you might be disappointed. Enjoy the spontaneity of it all, have fun, and go make some family memories!

 

[Marthasor]

I think for WDW vets, like yourselves, you'll be pleasantly surprised how fun a spur of the moment trip can be! We've done trips on a weeks notice and typically get one or two "must-do's" in and then let the chips fall where they may. We end up discovering things to do that we wouldn't necessarily have planned and it's been a lot of fun.

 

[Upatnoon]

Due to some crazy scheduling coincidences...I find myself planning an extremely last minute weekend at WDW. November 2-7 last minute. Not ideal. Myself and my husband, our boys (11 & 13), and my parents. We have all been to Disney numerous times, but never without months of meticulous planning. (Well - before kids and FP+ my husband and I lived in Jax and would often drop in on WDW with no planning. The World is much different now..)

So the question is - am I kidding myself that we can have a good time without any FastPass options available to us? We would rope drop TS @ HS as that is the only thing we haven't experienced yet. Otherwise it would be ride what we can find that has low waits...not concerned about dining as we are going to be a cheap as possible on food.

Is this going to be the worst trip?

Oh - and it's also Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon weekend.

November? That's not last-minute at all. You may find it refreshing to just go and plan nothing. Just walking around the park and people-watching would make for a fun trip.

 

[TIME4DIZ]

Stop. You will be able to get just about every FP. If you’ve been several times I’m sure you know which ones will be tougher than others. Those tough ones may be obtainable day-of or can be accomplished via rope drop.
Focus on the fun and have a great time.

 

[Klayfish]

You can get FP+ for anything, with the potential exception of FoP. So IMO, absolutely go, you'll have a great time. I could drive down there today with zero pre-made plans and spend the entire day doing rides without waiting in a line more than 20 minutes. That's the beauty of MDE.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Just don't be disappointed if you don't get to do the latest headliners and you will be fine. Ride something else instead and enjoy it!

 

[Ginger R]

I agree with the other posters. You will have a great time. We planned a trip in only a few weeks time back in May for June and we were able to get the fastpasses we wanted as well as dining reservations. Have a great trip and enjoy!!

 

[NH-to-FL]

Is this going to be the worst trip?

Absolutely not! You'll be at Disney!

I frequently pop into MDE for FPs two or three days in advance to enhance our winter walks around Disney and have success. Only the top headliners like FoP, SDD, 7DMT are hard to find. Your plan to rope drop to get Toy Story Land is the way to go. If I feel the need to visit a headliner I rope drop.

Do some some simple planning to chose what park on what day, have a list of 'would like to do's', and then jump onto MDE to get the FPs you can find. Keep your phone with MDE handy in the park to keep looking for FPs. Or just follow your plan of ride what has a low wait.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

You're going on a FAMILY vacation. How blessed and wonderful is that!!
Have a great time!!! Leave the stress and worries at home, LOL.

 

[Mome Rath]

Love last minute trips (you have plenty of time this time around; I've made up my mind and driven down over night before )! Hope you have a ball!

 

[kagmypts]

I am going to echo what many others have already said. Just go and have fun! We have taken a few trips with only a couple of days notice (we literally decided two days before my son's 10th birthday to surprise him with a trip to Disney). Those were some of our best trips since we went in with zero expectations! We grabbed whatever FPs we could and did not sweat what was not available. It was actually liberating to take a trip where we winged everything. Enjoy your time in Orlando.

 

[wfjny]

Last month my wife and I went with literally 48 hours notice for a quick weekend. Left the teenage/young adult kids at home with relatives, drove down (we are an 8 hour drive). We had a blast going on a few rides, having a nice dinner, etc.

Imagine what we could have done with over a week of planning...