Need input rather quickly - PLEASE!!!

[minmate]

Strategy wise -- the day you return home, would you take an 11am flight or a 6 pm flight. Not concerned about when we arrive back home.... just trying to convince dh that we could "possibly" get a late check-out... and even if we don't, that we could do SOMETHING for those last few hours... mainly I'd like to do a leisurely character breakfast. However, leaving at 11am would mean we'd probably be picked up by the town car at 9 am -- meaning we'd have to have an EARLY 7ish breakfast... TOO EARLY for me with a long day ahead!

I'd rather have a late seating, say 11am breakfast... but then we'd have to "kill time until" about 3:30-4pm. We're staying at the POP. Could we go for a last swim and change somewhere (we wouldn't have a room) -- or go into a park for one last time?

Also, can't we have them store our luggage? That's my dh's concern, where our luggage will be.

Am I pushing it? Should I just do the 11 am flight and be done with it? I feel like it's kind of wasting that last day!

 

[disnygrl30]

We just left on 3/9 and we took a 3:30 flight. It allowed us to do the couple last minute things that we wanted to do. The front desk can hold your luggage, so you could have a last minute swim if you wanted to. If you don't mind getting home later, I would take the later flight. We left Orlando at 3:30 and got into Boston around 6:30. We had to drive 4 hours to get home, but it was worth it to us to have that last little bit of time at Disney.

Have a great vacation

 

[ncbyrne]

I agree with you...if you can get a later flight, I'd stay for as long as I could! You can tour resorts, visit DD, rent a boat, oh...there's lots to do in those remaining few hours - go for it!

 

[joliesmom]

Leave on the later flight, that's what we did. You can store your luggage with the bellman. You can also use the pool or go to downtown Disney. For a 6pm flight you're going to get p/u by 4pm, and check out is 11am. I've never done late check out at Disney. That gives you enough time for breakfast/ lunch or both. Good luck.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Disney will store your luggage for you should you decide to stay later than normal check out time. You retrieve your luggage when it's time to return to the airport. It's really easy and hassle free.
If you have park admissions left for your last day I would certainly go to a park to close out the trip. On our last trip (2003) my DS (now 14) and I finished our trip in the Studios. We had our last rides and a great last day. We finished with 13 total rides on TOT that week! Then we had a nice walk back to the Yacht Club for lunch and our ride back to MCO. It is always a tough thing to say goodbye to WDW so enjoy your last day.

 

[minmate]

thanks for the quick replies and ideas! If we were to just hang out and swim... would we just change in the bathrooms in Classic Hall, or where? since we wouldn't have a room to go back to?

 

[mhaley]

We always take the latest flight out that is available. You can get a full day in without paying another night in a resort. Lots can be done up until 4 or 5pm. Also, it is better to have the kids wiped out for the flight home. They tend to sleep.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We take the latest flight-time possible.
2) We place a change of clothes in a small carry-on
3) After the day, we conveniently change into our travel clothes
4) Can always fill the day with activities, such as
. . . extra park time
. . . leisurely shopping
. . . last-day character meal
. . . resort swimming or resort-hopping


NOTE: WDW is too expensive of a vacation to not use all the time possible. After all, the later flight (usually) doesn't cost more, so we get more vacation and/or park time for the same vacation dollars.

 

[gigi1313]

you can change at the bathroom/locker room at the pool (next to laundry facility... can even toss your suits in the dryer prior to putting them in your carryon!)...

what we did w/our last day/later flight (5pm?) was rent a car onsite that morning (shuttle takes you to car care center) and had brunch at dtd, then drove around, hit some gift shops, gatorland, and a few other little off-site things and then headed to the airport... it made for a fun last day and did not feel like wasting a day travelling!

enjoy!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We stayed at POP in August and they have bathrooms that you need your room key to get into near the pool area. We stayed in the preferred building, which is right next to the Hippy Dippy pool. It's on the left side of the pool when facing it from the food court area. Right inside near the elevators on the left, there is a bathroom. Hope that helps, and have a great time!

 

[robinb]

We have APs, so we try to get a flight home later in the day so we can do an hour or two at the MK before we leave. Even without APs, I think I might take a later flight. You can hit DTD or just relax at the pool. Don't expect a late check-out. Disney doesn't do that. You can leave your bags in the room (under the window) and ask bell services to pick them up for you. They will keep them in the big room next to the bell services stand until you are ready to go.

 

[Tinkim]

On our last trip, we checked out of Pop in the morning around 8:30 and brought our luggage to bell services to be held until our departure time of 4:30. We hopped on a bus and went to MK and stayed there until about 3:00. I took the latest flight home I could find at 6:50 p.m. specifically to get this last day at the park. When we went the year before that our flight was earlier around 2:30 but we didn't know what to do with ourselves since we stayed off-site. If I stayed off-site again, I would try to book a character breakfast and/or head to DTD to get that last bit of magic before heading home.

 

[minmate]

Thanks for the ideas... and for the info on the bathrooms near the Hippy Dippy Pool -- we've stayed at Pop, but I never really bothered to notice bathrooms there! lol...

As for late check-outs, I know they're not guaranteed, but I DO know that my dad got them on our room at the GF last June. Then again, he's been known to be a very persuasive man... lol...

I think I'll try the later flight! Thanks Guys and Gals!

 

[disgirl]

We always take the late flight back to NY. We usually take our time in the morning, check out between 10-11, have a late breakfast out or eat a quick breakfast in the room, and hit one of the parks for the last few hours. Last year, while in DL at the GC, we just hung out at the pool, got changed in the bathrooms, while the hotel held our luggage for us. I agree with others in that you pay all that money to be there and if you do not care about arriving home late, then enjoy your last day at Disney!! Have fun!

 

[Ilovestitch]

I always try to get the latest flight possible. We like to go to a park or two and do any rides that we missed to do some shopping. We never do late check out.

 

[frannn]

just a little bit later both last year and again this year (Oct). I will have to work the next day, and DD11 will have school, so I don't want to leave as late as 6pm, so we are flying home around 4 pm. DH thinks a few hours in the park is a tease, but I am so obsessed that I will take as much as I can possibly get! Last Sept, it worked out well. We checked out of our resort, left the luggage in the trunk, and ate at the food court. Then we went over to MK & did 3-4 rides, and ate a counter service lunch. From there, we headed straight to the airport. DH kept rushing us, but we were extremely happy we had that "last day taste" of MK. It really eased the pain of having to leave!

 

[eeyore0062]

We always took the latest flight back as possible, that way we could do a character breakfast and shop at DTD before leaving.

 

[llij]

Most of our flights have been later flights in the afternoon. We usually go back to a park for the morning or go to DTD for some shopping. The resorts have always been great about holding our luggage for us.

The one time we did leave early (9:00 a.m. flight) it was so weird to be walking in our front door at noon!

 

[henrylovespooh]

We were there about two weeks ago and chose the 6:20 p.m. flight home. I liked it. We stored our baggage with the bell desk before going out for the day. We went to MGM until 3:00 p.m. and then let the kids run around the playground (and I hit the gift shop) until our van came to pick us up at 4:15 p.m.

My theory is either to leave around 10:00 a.m. in the morning or take a 6:00 p.m. flight. Anything in between and you either waste time doing nothing without a room or you run around like crazy people trying to meet a deadline.

 

[golfgal]

I would also take a late flight since adding another day to your park tickets costs almost nothing if you have at least 5 days to start with (we added a 7th day to our 6 day tickets for less then $1/person). Use the day to your advantage and visit a missed attraction or plan a whole park day. We are planning on leaving late in the evening on our check out day (we will have a rental car so not worried about luggage) and heading to a park. We are going to the coast for a few days after Disney, but we would consider staying in the parks until 9-10 pm that day and getting a hotel room near the airport (cheap room only deal) that night and flying out early the next morning if we weren't going to the coast.