What would you do? - departure day

[Mosey03]

My friend & I are doing a girls' trip at the beginning of November. We will have 5 full park days with park hopping and we are basically planning to do open to close each day. We finish out our last full day with MVMCP and we're hoping to last until midnight when it ends.

Given all of that, what would you do with departure day? We're staying at All-Star Movies and our flight out of MCO departs at 5:16pm. My friend kind of wants to buy a 6 day ticket and hit a park for a couple of hours that day, but I'm not too sure about that with likely having been out until after midnight the night before. Other options we've considered: checking out Disney Springs, having a late breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe, sleeping in and just hanging out at our resort. I want to know what you would do, and we're open to any other ideas. I think the hitting a park option sounds like too much, but I might reconsider if lots of other people would do it. How would you spend your departure day in this situation?

 

[Wild4Walt]

Last days are always tough when the flight is a bit later like your's. Not enough time to spend a whole day doing something but not short enough to just sleep in. If you're taking Magical Express, they will probably want you on the bus around 2p-215p.

Check out is 11a, so you'll have to leave bags with the Valet.

We always carry our electronics with us so that tends to get bulky to lug for a long time. For us, we'd sleep in, treat ourselves to a late breakfast and hang out at the resort before the ME takes us to the airport.

 

[dachsie]

I would go to DS for a few hours

 

[indoshakespeare]

If there's an EMH that morning, I would get that 6th day ticket

 

[krum]

Well what I would do is add a park day and enjoy the Food and Wine festival.

 

[wisteria1019]

So, you will actually have to leave your resort around 1:00 to take DME to MCO. I would do a late breakfast at another resort or Disney Springs - build in time to return to the All Stars. I shudder when I have to think of departure day....

 

[JillianS1128]

I'm having the same dilemma! 18:50pm flight (but I'm flying to Canada, so would have to arrive at the airport at about your same time/a bit later).

1. If there are EMH somewhere, I'll consider that (I mean, adding a 5th or 6th day really only costs an extra $20 or something at that point). A park I've already been to 1-2 times: do a ride, have breakfast, do another ride or two, stroll around, then head back
2. Maybe explore a WDW resort (I'm staying at a DS hotel): have breakfast there, then walk around a bit. Then head to DS, have coffee, find some past min presents, walk around a bit then walk back to my hotel
3. Maybe a fun and silly time to do a great character breakfast: that way you get a more low-key morning, but it's still a bit of "Disney magic" silliness before you go!

I think find a memorable, "Disney-Magic" filled way to end the trip, but more relaxed than a "go go go" morning/midday.

 

[bryanb]

Your flight is late enough that you could definitely get your money's worth out of an extra morning at a park, leaving around lunchtime.

You can also enjoy a water park. If you feel too tired from the night before, just relaxing the morning away on the lazy river is a nice way to put up your feet on your last day. As a bonus, you'll have showers available before you get on your plane.

 

[Mosey03]

I think it would be a much easier decision for me if we weren't already planning to stay at MK until the end of the Christmas Party the night before. That's what I keep thinking about, especially since we also need to pack up and do the airline check-in and such in the morning before we would head anywhere. And I have to keep in mind that at the end of that day, I have to drive us about an hour from the airport we fly into back to our home city. Tough decisions!

 

[YawningDodo]

If you weren't doing the Christmas party the night before I'd say add on the sixth day for sure...but I've been the more gung-ho traveling companion on the last two trips, and while I enjoyed being in a park on departure morning, I think my traveling companions on the two different trips found it more tiring than rewarding. Even for me, though, as someone who wants to squeeze in as much time as possible...the turnaround on a midnight closing to rope drop the next morning (and you would almost have to rope drop to make it really worthwhile) just sounds like A Lot. Remember that a midnight closing means you can probably expect to get back to your resort around 1:00 in the morning, and if you want to shower before bed that pushes bedtime back even further.

As much as I kind of hate to say it, I think I would strongly consider sleeping in a bit, checking out and leaving your stuff with the valet (or airline check-in if you can do it that early), and hitting a midmorning ADR at your favorite resort restaurant (you mentioned Whispering Canyon). If you have time to kill before your ME ride you could head to Disney Springs after brunch for a little shopping. Alternatively, if you're Star Wars fans you could book midmorning tickets for the Star Wars virtual reality thing at Disney Springs (I've never done it, but seem to recall others on the board liking it).

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I always go into the parks on my last day, because I'll be sad if I don't. That being said, there are lots of other options. You could do a pool day if the weather is nice, go shopping in Disney Springs (my husband & I did The Void at DS on our last day earlier this month), or go mini golfing on property.

 

[mustinjourney]

After going park commando for 5 days, you're going to be exhausted. I would sleep in and then pack-up and leave room at 11:00 am.

From there -- i would either:
1 -- hang out at hotel pool
2 -- go to Disney springs for lunch (you'll have a car, so this option isn't so bad)
3 -- hit up some of the deluxe resorts on monorail for lunch and to look around
4 -- miniature golf
5 -- spa day? Either on or off property.

 

[scrapquitler]

I would go to a park. Just a couple hours wandering up and down Main Street and maybe riding a couple favorite rides is just a nice cherry on top of the trip and a great way to end it. We always take a late flight (typical 7 or 8 PM) and almost always visit MK as our last partial day.

 

[Communicore1991]

I would tour a couple of resorts. I'm a big fan of just walking around the resorts and since you will be in the parks for the majority of your time, you might as well explore the other parts of Disney as well before you leave to go home.

 

[damskipi13]

This has been my situation the last two trips and what I'm doing again for my upcoming trip. It's now my favorite way to end my trip, actually. It lets me unwind for the excitement of the parks but still enjoy Disney.

2016 Solo trip (6pm flight):
- slept in, then checked out
- went to Captain Cook's for late breakfast - Tonga toast on the patio. I stopped at Kona for a side of strawberry compote beforehand
- walked through the Poly, Shades of Green, and the Grand Floridian
- went to Disney Springs for lunch and window shopping
- back to the resort to pick up DME

2017 trip: I'd gone with friends, but they were staying a few more days so they were at the parks my last day. We had MVMCP that night.
- slept in late, checked out right at 11
- went to Disney Springs for brunch
- took a Lyft to the outlets for some cheap last minute souvenirs
- back to Disney Springs to catch a ride to Magic Kingdom
- MVMCP - I shut it down
- back to my resort to catch a taxi to the airport for my early morning flight. DME doesn't run that late, so they paid for my taxi.

My plan for my upcoming trip (7pm flight):
- sleep in then check out around 10
- breakfast at one of the resorts
- outlets
- Disney Springs for a late lunch
- back to the resort to pick up DME

 

[RADOPT]

I will be having an early breakfast at poly and then going to MK. I figure I can sleep on the plane and when I get home. I also tend to wake up with the sun...would be nice not to......