Is it possible to plan a successful last minute trip anymore?

[aristocatz]

We are thinking of treating ourselves to a last minute WDW trip this Spring. It will all depend on several factors, but we don't want to book it until we are certain we can afford it.

The last time we planned a last minute trip (a month before the trip) was in 2010. We didn't get our first choice of hotel & ADR's, but we got our second choice. Rides were FP tickets back then.

Is it possible to plan a successful last minute WDW trip nowadays? We aren't picky on ADR's & hotel (as long as they are onsite), but I"m worried that all of the attractions would be booked up due to FP+

We have two toddler girls, so we would want to be able to take them to the basic popular toddler attractions.

Thoughts?

 

[BigAlsGal]

Of course. I could see (on site)hotel being a bit of a problem depending on when you go. I hear some book up.

 

[PoohCorner99]

If you can stretch your definition of last minute to 60 days and stay onsite, then you'll have the same FP access as everyone else. And try to avoid April/spring breaks. We just planned for Thanksgiving (10+ crowds the entire time) starting at 65 days out. We have ADRs for Sci-Fi, Tusker, Yeti, BOG, CRT, GG, and a Thanksgiving lunch; fast passes for Frozen and 7DMT.

 

[CAS239]

How last minute are you talking? I really wouldn't recommend just deciding same day to go then trying to get FP's.

However most of our trips to Disney some would consider last minute. We are AP holders, stay offsite, and usually plan to go about 2-3 weeks out. 30 days or less, only things I've had trouble getting abundantly was 7dmt & Wishes (no more FP anyways).

Really..if you're booking a trip and doing FP's a week or more out, you can pretty much get the FP's you want. Time slots might be a little slim for the more popular ones like Soarin, Space Mountain, etc..but you can get them.

 

[DLo]

Yes ! I planned the trip I am leaving for tomorrow at about 30 days out. I even changed a couple of adr s today. I think as long as you don't expect to get a frozen fp to o'hana etc you will be fine. I got pretty much everything I wanted at the times I wanted. At first , I didn't get my first choice resort but at 29 days out ( when packages are due ) my fp first choice as well as many other options became available. Of course , if you are traveling at Christmas or spring break , this might be more difficult . I normally book about 6 months out and didn't think it was possible either. There is an article somewhere on WDW info that encouraged me to give it a try - title is pretty much what your thread title is . Good luck !

 

[goofyernmost]

If you stay off-site and don't get all bent out of shape if you cannot ride a certain ride, you certainly can. My last trip was something I decided to do 9 days before I headed down there. I was able to make good FP choices for just about everything I wanted and with a little clever timing I was even able to do stuff that I couldn't get a FP for with little or no waiting.

I suspect that the closer you get to the time you are going to go, the harder it will be to get the FP's or ADR's that you might want. Getting a resort room would be much more difficult depending on when you go, but, never a problem if you stay offsite and neither is dining offsite. Anywhere you want with not reservations required.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Obviously "successful trip" means different things for different folks, but in my opinion, heck yes it's possible. Our trip in early September was booked 30 days out and we walked on to property with no ADRs and no FPs (obviously could have booked some, just didn't). It was liberating! Granted it was a somewhat slower time of year and it was just two of us (me and DS6) but we did everything we could possibly want and more. Frankly one of our best trips yet.

 

[randumb0]

It really depends on what you're looking to ride. I sometimes decide the day of to go to a park but I know if I do that I wont be able to get fast pass for certain rides

 

[elaine amj]

My last 2 trips were planned about 30 days out. We did everything we wanted. I couldn't get Frozen FP so I went at Rope Drop - very doable IMO.

7DMT was the other one I had trouble with for both trips. So I did that late at night - entered the line right before park close and the line was super short (even in a busy park!)

Peter Pan is tough at the last minute as well. If u can manage without fireworks/parade FPs, I found pretty much all FPs (other than Peter, 7DMT, and Frozen) were pretty easy to mess with - even in the last few days before the trip and day of. Oh the other slightly hard(er) ones were Test Track and Soarin.

ADRs actually open up in the last couple of days - that's the time to score hard to get reservations. I got BOG lunch just 10-15 days out.

 

[jtopp]

it is possible. I have planned two family vacations in less then 60 days out ( one closer to 30 days) and a getaway weekend with DW less then a week away. While not always able to get my first choice in ADR's, FP+, or hotels, I was never disappointed, as there are so many choices. Enjoy your trip.

 

[BroganMc]

I hate planning out my days so much I never bother booking a FP+ until I'm actually in town. Nor do I like committing to a meal time.

Now I come down for a few weeks at a time and I'm not really a big rider. I don't go on any rollercoasters and I've met each of the princesses many times.

It really depends when you are trying to visit. If it's over any school break, you're gonna find availability more limited. The headliner rides (Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story, etc.) book up fast in FP+. Character meals book up, especially on weekends, but you can still find some good times week of. Other restaurants mostly book a day before.

Visiting during Christmas week, Easter or Spring Break, Columbus holiday, Thanksgiving, July 4th, most of summer, President's weekend, all require advance planning.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

7DMT and FEA are the only things I regularly can't get FP+ for at a week out.

 

[Disneylover99]

Successful last minute trips are easy. Rope drop is your friend.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that unless you have a list of must do attractions and must have restaurants, you should be able to plan and enjoy a last minute trip. I would not suggest this for first time visitors who want to "do it all", but it you have been, are flexible, and know how to navigate the parks and transportation, go for it!

 

[drea21]

I'm in the process of planning the most "last minute" trip we've ever done. The week after Thanksgiving. We don't mind missing things since this is not a once in a lifer for us. FEA and 7DMT and any princess meet other than Ariel are what isn't available for me for FP. My biggest problem right now is apparently 2016 discount offers are done?? We booked last week and got one (and stacked a Cheaptickets 18% code) but now my parents want to join us and I went to book their room and there are no 2016 offers listed anymore and the third party sites reflect this. I've never booked this soon and always just assumed that the discounts ran through the actual dates. Ugh. The savings was significant enough that now I'm not sure they will join us

 

[kwdw]

Yes, you can have a last minute planned trip that is AWESOME! But also remember, you can book ADRs and just the hotel room essentially for free. (You do have to make a one night deposit on the room, but if you cancel at least five days in advance, you get it back.). I've done this before a couple of times. One time I totally canceled everything about 24 days in advance, the other time I had booked two different weeks and just kept the one week, canceling the other.

This way, the only thing last minute is the flight and the ticket purchase (and FP+). With just a few exceptions, you can get FP+ for a variety of rides the day before, or just few days in advance. Sure, you might not get everything, but add on RD, and you'll be just fine.

 

[jtopp]

Please note that if you call for ADR's while you are already there, the phone line alerts the operator as such and they can get you any last minute cancelations or open appointments. Many times when we were there we called same day to cancel or change our ADR, and was always able to get a different one.

 

[PSUGuy]

In March 2014 we had a trip through the South planned, 2 days in Savannah, back up to Myrtle Beach for 4 days of golf then home. The Sun. before we were to go the long range forecast for those cities and down to St. Augustine were nearly as cold as for Pa so with less than a week to go we got 5 days at All Star Music, the only Value with vacancies, got the tix through Disney itself and started making PF+ picks. All through the week I'd go back to our choices and gradually got better and better times. It can be done.

Bill From PA

 

[disnut8]

We had had a bad start to 2016 but two weeks before Memorial Day weekend, we decided we needed a break and wanted to go to Disney World. We are two adults so wanted the more popular attractions and we were going for a three day weekend. I didn't even have tickets at that point. We had a wonderful trip and saw everything we wanted to see. I even was able to move FastPasses around after the initial bookings so I could group things together better. Oh - and I did everything in one weekend. So yes, it is possible to do it.

 

[mrzrich]

As a local, I often decide to go a week in advance. Some weeks, the trickiest thing is finding a room that won't cost a fortune. Some weeks there are plenty of rooms available, other weeks, not many. I often go to cheaptickets.com and find better rates than Disney, using whatever PROMO code they have at that time.

FP is usually fine, because so many people still don't understand the system. The only tough ones are 7DMT and FEA. Using Rope Drop or end of the night are good strategies for those.

ADRs never give me a problem. You will not go hungry. If you truly have your heart set on a certain meal, check every day. Best advice is to check the night before you want to eat there, because many people cancel the day before to avoid the $10 per person penalty.