Even with the best-laid plans, unpredictable situations are bound to happen on a Walt Disney World vacation that you simply can’t plan for. Or can you? While you may not be able to anticipate everything, you can plan your day to account for situations beyond your control. Conversely, you may experience the downside of this equation when you don’t take this approach, as I did on a recent Disney World trip.
There is an overlooked risk Disney World guests take when they sleep in, as I learned all too well. Let’s dive into the mistake I made in planning my day and how you can avoid doing the same. See also another mistake to avoid. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Encanto hotel rooms at Disney World’s next resort and a new twist on a Disney World dining tradition.
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Sleeping In on a Disney World Vacation
One of the biggest decisions in planning a Disney World vacation is what time you’ll start your day, as pretty much everything you do the rest of the day will stem from that choice.
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Many Disney World planning resources sing the praises of waking up as early as possible, being at the theme parks before they open to take advantage of rope drop, and, if you’re staying at a Disney hotel, Early Theme Park Entry. Crowds steadily increase as the day goes on, so being at the parks early helps you accomplish more rides and not wait in as many long lines.
There is another risk you take, though, in getting a late start to your morning at a Disney theme park, as I was recently reminded. This tip also applies to the second park you visit with a park hopper ticket.
I’d gone to sleep super late the night before following a full night of Disney After Hours. Being at the parks as early as possible the next morning was out of the question. I planned to arrive at Magic Kingdom around lunchtime, and one of my must-do attractions was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The runaway mine train roller coaster recently reopened with a new track and enhanced special effects after being closed for over a year, and I hadn’t ridden it since the reopening.
Despite the forecast calling for a clear day and skies being sunny and blue when I arrived at Magic Kingdom, things quickly turned overcast. Before I knew it, I was caught in the middle of an Orlando downpour.
Many outdoor Disney World rides continue operating in the rain, but all outdoor experiences close at the first sign of thunder or lightning. During my visit, as the rain segued into a full-on storm, it was clear that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad wouldn’t be opening anytime soon.
In typical Florida fashion, the storm lingered for hours, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad remained closed for the entirety of my Magic Kingdom visit.
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Don’t Save Outdoor Rides for Later in the Day
Ultimately, storms are more likely to happen in Orlando in the afternoons than the mornings. If you sleep in as I did and arrive at the parks at lunchtime or later, you are more likely to run into inclement weather that forces outdoor attractions to close. They may not reopen for a long time, if they reopen for the day at all.
Alternatively, even if you wake up early to rope-drop but plan to park-hop later in the day, know that this same rule applies to the second park you visit. If you have a favorite outdoor attraction that you 100% want to ride, visit the park that the attraction is located in first. Don’t save that park for later in the day. This goes for characters who meet outdoors, too. If someone in your family really wants to meet Mirabel, for example, that will be a no-go if it’s storming, as her location in Fairytale Garden at Magic Kingdom closes in bad weather.
For Magic Kingdom, this is especially key to remember as we’re in the thick of Halloween season and as the holidays approach. Many nights, the park will close at 6:00 PM for guests not staying for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. With such an early closure, this means that an afternoon storm could rule out the possibility of getting to experience any outdoor ride if you’ve saved them for the end of your day.
See another mistake I made in the rainy weather.
Even with all this said, I’m not totally against sleeping in on a Disney vacation. Especially on a longer Disney trip, you need to be smart about pacing yourself. Build in a morning or two within your itinerary to catch up on sleep, or you’ll be exhausted. We included this in our tips for Disney World first-timers, but this one is applicable no matter how many times you’ve visited.
In the case of my Magic Kingdom day, even if I planned to sleep in, I should have considered the possibility of a storm and factored that into my plans, perhaps arriving at Magic Kingdom just a smidge earlier, or making a beeline for Big Thunder as soon as I arrived and before the storm.
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