5 Tips for Planning a Last Minute Walt Disney World Vacation
Walt Disney World is a popular vacation destination and its one of the top choices for Disney Parks which makes planning in advance such an important step. But what happens if you decide to visit on the spur of the moment? Can you still easily navigate the parks when you plan a last minute Disney World trip? Yes, you can with some quick thinking and strategy you can have a magical vacation.
Discount Walt Disney World Tickets
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Walt Disney World discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World expert Brooklyn take care of all your dining reservations, FastPass+ reservations, and more! This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free! Get Your Vacation Quote Here >
Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.
You can read my review on my personal experiences booking through Get Away Today and how much you can save here!
1. Get Your Park Pass Reservation
Walt Disney World uses a reservation system now that will be in place for the foreseeable future because it helps Disney predict crowd levels, plan for staffing, etc. In order to enter the theme park you will need to have a park reservatin!
Before you do anything else, you need to make sure you can secure a Park Pass reservation. Once you have your Walt Disney World tickets in hand (you will need these to make your reservation!) follow the steps below to create your Park Pass reservations.
How to Make a Reservation
- Link your park tickets/admission to your Disney account. You will need valid park admission to make a reservation.
- Create your party. Before you make a reservation, you'll be prompted to create a party from your Family & Friends list on your account. This ensures your group has the same reservations for your trip.
- Select a date and park. Choose the date and time you'd like to visit from the available reservations.
- Review and confirm your plans. You will also be prompted to agree to a COVID-19 liability waiver.
To help yourself prepare for making reservations you should make sure to:
- You’ll need a My Disney Experience account, as this is where your Walt Disney World Resort plans are stored and managed.
- You’ll also need a valid theme park ticket or Annual Pass that’s linked to your My Disney Experience account.
- If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to your My Disney Experience account beforehand, as well.
Important Details for Making Reservations
Everything looks a bit different right now for visiting Disney World so it's important to be aware of these new policies for the reservation system and the state of the parks when they open.
- Reservations are limited and subject to availability and are not guaranteed until a reservation is finalized.
- After 1PM, you will be able to park hop to another park if you have a park hopper ticket.
- A park reservation must be made for each day of entry. If you have a multi-day ticket, you will be required to make a park reservation for each date of your visit.
- It is highly recommend that you make your park reservation as soon as you complete your ticket purchase, as availability can change until the reservation is finalized.
Once you have your Park Pass reservations in place, you can proceed to the next step of your planning knowing that your spot is secure!
2. Start Researching ASAP!
The instant you know you're going to be planning a last minute Disney World trip then you should start your research ASAP so you can start catching up on everything you need to know to prepare for your visit. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be in terms of dining, attractions, hotel, and more.
Here's are our most crucial guides to read when visiting Walt Disney World:
- Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World
- Walt Disney World Planning Guide
- Discount Walt Disney World Tickets
- Guide to Transportation at Walt Disney World
- Disney World Hotel Reviews
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Guide
Read through those guides to get an idea of where you want to eat, what attractions you want to see, and how to navigate the finer details of a last minute Disney World trip.
3. Get Those Dining Reservations
Contrary to popular belief, it's possible to get last minute dining reservations for Walt Disney World and even for some of the most highly desired restaurants!
There's a few strategies for this, first hop on the Walt Disney World dining website and start looking for what's available now and book it! Then start checking daily, hourly, you get the idea.
One great tip is to check right at the 24 hour mark before the desired time of your dining reservation. This is often when cancellations will pop back up and you can grab them! Since Disney World has a 24 hour cancellation policy before any charges kick in, you can often snag really popular reservations this way. Read more tips in our guide to getting last minute Walt Disney World reservations!
You can make dining reservations online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call. Disney World has changed their dining booking policy to 60 days out which also gives you improved success at getting your desired dining reservations.
4. Come Up With a Priority List
Often when you have months or years to research your trip to Walt Disney World you have a clear idea of what things are top priority for you to see on your visit. Now if you're going to do a last minute Disney World trip, you might be scrambling to think through what you need to focus on first!
Make a top priority of ‘must see' attractions and shows and then use that to help you decide how you're going to divide your time between each park, etc. This way you can make sure you don't miss something worth seeing and it will help calm the panic some folks feel when planning a trip at the last minute.
5. Take Advantage of Free Concierge Help
While most discounts are more difficult to get when you book a trip at the last minute, it's a good idea to still check! And if you book with some travel agencies, like our trusted travel partner, you receive free concierge assistance for your last minute Disney World trip!
Our travel partner, Get Away Today, is the best place to book your Walt Disney World Orlando vacation. They not only have a lowest price guarantee, but also offer incredible customer service. They strive to receive a 10/10 service rating from each of their guests and go further than any other travel company I have ever seen to offer incredible service.
For Walt Disney World specifically, Get Away Today offer concierge services for guests booking trips and staying at Disney on-property hotels. They have tasked one of their top Walt Disney World agents, Brooklyn, with supporting Mickey Visit readers.
Brooklyn is a Walt Disney World pro and has a special set of complimentary concierge services she provides to all our readers:
- Consultation call to understand the complexities of your trip and the preferences of everyone in the group
- Walt Disney World dining recommendations and reservations based on your family
- Tailored advice for how your family can best experience Walt Disney World
- Frequent price checks to ensure that you are receiving the lowest prices possible on your tickets and hotel
- Dedicated support so that you can have the best trip possible!
These perks are an incredible help for any Walt Disney World vacation at no additional cost to you. Now is a great time to have helping planning a trip especially with how quickly things are changing at Walt Disney World right now.
Request your vacation quote NOW >
Ready to to Book Your Walt Disney World Vacation?
Take advantage of our wealth of knowledge about Walt Disney World vacation planning! Subscribe to our FREE deals newsletter where you will receive helpful planning information, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest priced Disney tickets anywhere. You can find more information on planning your vacation here:
- Disney World Planning Guide: Experience More, Save Money at Disney
- Value vs. Moderate Hotels at Walt Disney World – Which Should You Pick?
- Best on Property Walt Disney World Hotels for Large Families and Large Groups
- Camping at Walt Disney World – Everything You Need to Know
- When to Visit Disney World: Disney World Crowd Calendar
Disclosure: We have used all the products recommended on Mickey Visit. We may receive compensation when you click on links to some products featured.
