Is planning really required or can we just show up?

[Ariel 2021]

It will be my first time going to Orlando over Thanksgiving this year. The trip is not Disney-specific but we'll probably want to go to a park or 2 for a day each. Hotel already reserved.

I'm used to just showing up at Disneyland without any advance planning (other than tickets and reservations nowadays) but I keep hearing about crazy planning required for Disneyworld. Is this really necessary or can we just reserve park tickets and show up? What are people actually planning and going crazy over? I'm reading about having to wake up super early to book dining, etc. At Disneyland we just eat at walk-up places in the park or go out to eat at a local chain restaurant (outside of the park) and would plan to do the same in Orlando. Or is that not available there? Thanks!

 

[tinkerjo]

It depends what you want out of the trip. WDW is WAY different than DL. It is not convenient to the outside world. There is no way I would leave the park to eat in Orlando/Kissimmee and go back. As long as you don’t mind eating quick service meals there is no need to preplan any dining (we never do) we just walk up and order or you can do mobile order and pick it up. Asfar as the parks go, are there rides you just have to get on? (GotG, 7DMT, Remy, RotR, slinky dog, etc?) If so you probably want to get up and purchase Genie+ and/or get in a virtual que at 7 am. If you don’t plan on going to the park that early you can make your first selection and go back to bed. It works pretty similar to Maxpass at DL, and you can stack rides. I do try and plan to an extent. We rope drop and did Genie+ So we plan our first couple rides and then just do a combination of stand by rides and Genie+ selections without walking from one side of the park to the other. If you have not been to WDW, the size will really shock you. I couldnt believe when we went to DL that we could literally walk across the road from our hotel and be in the parks AND the parks shared a common area you can walk across!!! DL parks are also more condensed and not as much walking as WDW. Even staying and using transportation at WDW you can be on a bus for 20 minutes to get to the park. If you stay in Orlando you may have a pretty long drive, depending.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We are going on a last minute trip next month. I have a hotel, tickets and park reservations. I'm not worried about food we'll find someplace to eat. We might get genie+ or we might just wander aimlessly. But we are not the type that need to do everything, I am confident we will still have fun.

 

[SkyGuy]

We are going on a last minute trip next month. I have a hotel, tickets and park reservations. I'm not worried about food we'll find someplace to eat. We might get genie+ or we might just wander aimlessly. But we are not the type that need to do everything, I am confident we will still have fun.

You’ll be fine, barring Mardi Gras, Princess Marathon/Pres Day week, you’re going in February. There’s a huge difference between winging it in February and winging it Thanksgiving week.

 

[5kidsmommy]

You’ll be fine, barring Mardi Gras, Princess Marathon/Pres Day week, you’re going in February. There’s a huge difference between winging it in February and winging it Thanksgiving week.

We are going during President's Day, just how it worked out. Seriously if all we do is ride a couple rides and have a few drinks at Epcot we are good. That's the nice thing about being older and going often, there is no rush to do it all.

 

[NashvilleMama]

We are going during President's Day, just how it worked out. Seriously if all we do is ride a couple rides and have a few drinks at Epcot we are good. That's the nice thing about being older and going often, there is no rush to do it all.

We are as well and not really sure to expect. Figure low expectations is the key to fun!

 

[_19disnA]

You want to make sure to have park reservations ahead of time particularly during the busiests times of the year. How much other planning you choose to do is really a matter of personal preference. No amount of advance planning will make the parks any less crowded. You can buy those various Genie paid option things on the day you plan to use them. Knowing the general layout of the park is helpful when you book those paid options so you aren't having to zig/zag from one end of the park to the other to make your next reservation. If you don't plan to pay for any of the Genie stuff, then less planning will be involved. Parks can involve MILES of walking so have always found it makes sense to do rides/shows in one area then move on the to next. Disney parks tend to always be crowded so waiting in long ride lines is the rule rather then the exception. The most popular rides will typically have the longest wait times.

We like to sleep in on our vacations and are never in a race to get to a park, but everyone has their own style of how to enjoy Disney. ADR's for restaurants that were booked up ahead of time tend to open up closer to the time of your visit. Have seen lots of discussion about that. I would assume people who finally decide where they want to eat start cancelling some of their plans to avoid that no-show fee. You might find availability on something that was previously sold out. Disneyworld also has a lot of QS restaurants where you can just walkup and order your food. Disney Springs also has lots of good/reasonably priced dining options which we enjoy.

Parks tend to be less crowded early or late in the day. I assume the go-go-to types have run out of steam by late afternoon and leave the parks to take a break which makes them less busy.

 

[RoseGold]

You aren't going to starve, there's plenty of quick service, or booths at Epcot. But dining is difficult. Something like Oga's will require a tracker to grab a spot.

 

[loves to dive]

Yes, as long as you have a park reservation you can go without plans. You can even get day of ADRs for TS restaurants, it probably won't be BOG or Cindy's Table (although I have often seen BOG day of) but you will be able to find something. You can also eat at any of the resorts near the parks. YC/BC, BW/ Swan/Dolphin are an easy walk from HS and Epcot and have some pretty decent food options. GF, CR and Poly are all easy from MK and WL is just a boat ride away. AKL has pretty good food and is a quick bus trip for AK. It depends on what you want to do while you are there. Do you want to ride the popular rides? If so, yes you can but that week, be prepared to wait in long lines. If you just want to ride the rides with low waits, its pretty easy.

I always go with just a resort reservation and a park reservation. Never buy Genie+ and never make advance ADRs. I've always been able to ride the rides I want to and I've never had a problem finding somewhere to eat that is not QS (I rarely eat QS). Push comes to shove, by then the booths for the Holidays should be open at Epcot. You can get a walk up reservation at Nomad Lounge in AK, HBD Lounge in HS - both have pretty filling food options.

 

[SkyGuy]

Yes, as long as you have a park reservation you can go without plans. You can even get day of ADRs for TS restaurants, it probably won't be BOG or Cindy's Table (although I have often seen BOG day of) but you will be able to find something. You can also eat at any of the resorts near the parks. YC/BC, BW/ Swan/Dolphin are an easy walk from HS and Epcot and have some pretty decent food options. GF, CR and Poly are all easy from MK and WL is just a boat ride away. AKL has pretty good food and is a quick bus trip for AK. It depends on what you want to do while you are there. Do you want to ride the popular rides? If so, yes you can but that week, be prepared to wait in long lines. If you just want to ride the rides with low waits, its pretty easy.

I always go with just a resort reservation and a park reservation. Never buy Genie+ and never make advance ADRs. I've always been able to ride the rides I want to and I've never had a problem finding somewhere to eat that is not QS (I rarely eat QS). Push comes to shove, by then the booths for the Holidays should be open at Epcot. You can get a walk up reservation at Nomad Lounge in AK, HBD Lounge in HS - both have pretty filling food options.

Re: Festival Booths. There’s generally a short down period between Food and Wine and Festival of the Arts. FotA doesn’t start until the Friday after Thanksgiving and Food and Wine stops the Fri or Sat before, so it would depend on when OP was going during Thanksgiving. But I agree they wouldn’t be starving by any means.