So, here's the background.
I had a trip fall in my lap (through the amazing generosity of amazing friends!). They have DVC, booked a 2BR villa at GF in February and invited me along.
This is a rare, special, once in a lifetime treat! (For reference, I'm a Value Resort kind of gal, so this is the nicest place I would have ever stayed). Completely a dream. Of course all that's on top of getting to go with my awesome friends and building tons of memories!
We went together in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, I took my son (then 12) and he had the most amazing trip. (My son could not join in 2024). For this trip, I felt that he may have grown out of Disney or needed a break. But when I asked him and joining, he said he'd love to come! He would miss 2 school days and work his tail off to get caught up on return - he agreed to this.
Original plan was to leave Friday after school. (Friends going in early Friday, maybe water park for them that day) Saturday - Epcot. Sunday - HS morning, pool afternoon, Superbowl in our room. Monday - MK. Tuesday - Epcot. We LOVE
Festival of the Arts and were thrilled to have two Epcot Days! Wednesday - home.
Enter the hiccup: my son has a school function Saturday morning he cannot skip!!!
At first, I said to him, it sounds like this Disney trip is not going to work (since we'd be losing a night and full Epcot day). He was so disappointed! I was too!
So then I tried to regroup to see what I could salvage from our trip. I think I was feeling like "I want it all!!!" and when I cut a very important piece out, I sort of felt like, "What's the point now?"
But when I reflected on previous trips, I started to think that we could still make a great trip in this short time. How would it compare?
In 2022 - 5 nights, 3 park days (plus one day at Universal). We saw and did SOOO much! It was essentially my and my son's first trip (we'd been a decade earlier).
In 2023 - 5 nights, 4 park days (one was the afternoon of arrival day).
In 2024 - with my friends but without my son. 3 nights, 2 park days plus one After Hours Day. Again, I feel like we did so much on this tiny trip.
(Side note, in 2024 I did a second Disney trip... can you tell that I got hooked in 2022???? That was a big trip. My son and I were there for 6 nights, and parks on 5 days!)
This 2025 trip - 4 nights, 3 park days. No AK this trip.
On this potential trip, I am looking at 4 nights and 3 park days, with one being a bit shorter due to watching Super Bowl on Sunday.
With our volume of trips, clearly we no longer have that worry to try to do and see every single item. We're at a place where we can pick a few of our favorites, and soak it all in.
I feel like this trip will still be "worth it", even with missing that full day at Epcot.
What do you all think? It will still be a worthwhile and magical trip, right?!?!
Then... I think we need to stick with our regular plan (for a variety of reasons, like SB parade, birthday timing, other factors). But, what should we do upon arrival on Saturday? I figured we could be at GF by 4:30 pm. It it worth it to drop and run right to Epcot, and buy a park day just for maybe 4 hours? Or, would we best enjoy time savoring the GF experience, maybe dining somewhere on monorail line, visiting gift shops (we all love this!), and maybe watching MK fireworks and Electric Water Pageant? Get into bed so we can possibly rope drop HS the next morning (guessing 8:30am EE hours).
