6 Things We Fear When We Have an Upcoming Disney World Trip
We’ve all been there — you book your next Disney World trip 1 year out and then that’s ALL you can talk about. Your coworkers know that you’re going to Disney, your friends know, heck, even your distant great cousin Nancy knows. Because a Disney trip is EXCITING!
Cinderella Castle
But, along with all that excitement can come another emotion — FEAR. No matter how hard you plan, there’s always something that could go wrong. Will your room be ready when you arrive? Will Florida’s one week of winter hit while you’re visiting and you’ve packed all wrong? We’ve felt ALL of these fears and more, but rest assured, there are a few things that you can do before and during your trip to chase away the scaries.
Canceled or Delayed Flights
We have found ourselves being a little afraid that we’ll have trouble just getting to Disney World when we’re flying, but in 2022 it’s almost naive NOT to plan for a flight delay, or worse, cancellation. In fact, in the 2021 holiday season, we saw THOUSANDS of flight cancellations EVERY DAY — so, yeah, not unreasonable to be afraid of this one. But, here’s what to do if this happens to you.
First of all — don’t panic! There are ways we can handle this. Make sure you’re staying on top of checking your flight’s status so you can know as soon as possible if it gets canceled or delayed and change your travel arrangements right away. Most airlines have a cancellation policy, so read up on that before your travel date to be the most prepared.
Lines can get long at Orlando Airport
If you’re already at the airport when your flight is canceled, try to book a new flight as soon as possible. Get in line for the airline’s desk and/or call your airline carrier to get on a new flight. You might even be able to change around your flights with the airline if you’re facing a long delay as well.
Orlando International Airport 50th Anniversary Display
But, it’s not just flights that you have to arrange when yours is canceled — what about all those Disney World plans you spent months making?
Well, if your new flight time will mess up your plans at Disney World, don’t worry — many of these plans can be rearranged! Start with your hotel reservation and then take things step by step. If you’re staying at a Disney World Resort, you can try to modify your reservation online. This won’t always work, so you can always call Disney at (407) 934-7639 instead.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
If you need to move the days of your theme park tickets, know that you can modify your ticket up until 12AM EST the day before the first valid use date. You will also need to change your Park Pass Reservations. Note that the same parks you have reservations for might not be available for the new days you’ll be visiting, so, before you go ahead and make any changes to your tickets, double-check that all of the days you plan to be in the parks are available on Disney World’s Park Pass Calendar.
Once you’ve confirmed that there are park passes available for those dates, you can change your ticket dates through your My Disney Experience account under the “My Plans” section of your app or the website. Read more about how to do this here.
Magic Kingdom entrance
And, if your flight problems have messed up some of your dining reservations, those can be modified, too! You can cancel or modify your reservation online through My Disney Experience up until the day before usually. Each restaurant at Disney World has its own cancellation policy, which you can find in the email confirmation for your reservation. Keep in mind that restaurants do charge a cancellation fee for no-shows or reservations that are canceled after the designated cancellation period.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
If you need to change or cancel a reservation within 24 hours of the reservation (aka when you’ll likely be charged to cancel), the best way to do this is to call Disney at 407-WDW-DINE. Remember, explaining the situation to a Cast Member may help when it comes to cancellation issues — but, nothing is guaranteed.
Read more about what to do if your flight to Disney World gets canceled or delayed here!
Your Favorite Ride is Closed
Ugh, isn’t it such a bummer when your favorite ride breaks down or unexpectedly closes? Or, when the ride your kid has been dreaming of going on for the first time isn’t available? This can definitely happen while you’re in Disney World, but there are some solutions.
Expedition Everest
First of all, make sure you study up on the planned ride closures in Disney World for things like routine maintenance or renovations BEFORE your trip, so you’re not caught off guard by them. Disney is usually pretty on top of their game and publishes any refurbishment closures months in advance to help you plan. We also write both a weekly and monthly refurbishment post that covers everything from attractions to pools. So subscribe to the DFB newsletter to get all of those details straight to your inbox.
But, there are still unplanned ride closures that can happen due to bad weather, technical difficulties, and more. The main culprits? Splash Mountain and Rise of the Resistance (though that’s not to say that this can’t happen to any attraction at any time).
Yes, Rise of the Resistance Is Going to Break in Disney World. Here’s What to Do When It Does.
So, what should you do if this happens? Well, if you had a Lightning Lane reservation through Disney Genie+ for this particular ride, you can go speak to Guest Services and they should be able to help you out. You could get compensated with things like an extra Lightning Lane reservation.
Tower of Terror Lightning Lane
In the past, we’ve seen these extra Lightning Lanes applied automatically through your My Disney Experience app when a ride breaks down. So, if you notice the ride is closed, check your Genie+ through My Disney Experience and see if you were given another Lightning Lane reservation you can use for that day — this saves you time standing in line to speak with a Cast Member. These kinds of Lightning Lanes can usually be used at multiple different rides instead of just one, so you could end up skipping the line for a ride you weren’t able to grab a reservation for earlier! But note, this may not always be the case.
A closed Splash Mountain is a sad Splash Mountain
If you’re not using Genie+ and find that a ride is closed down, don’t lose hope! First, come prepared with a plan on how long you’re willing to wait if an attraction breaks down while you’re in line. We’ve all been caught in a line for WAY longer than we’d hoped because we thought it would just be “5 more minutes” until it was running again.
And, if you’re not in line when the ride is deemed “temporarily unavailable,” be sure that you’re checking the My Disney Experience app often. This will not only make it so that you don’t want all the way from Tomorrowland to Frontierland just to find that Splash Mountain is indeed down, but it will also help you know when the ride is back up and running.
Click here for Our Step-by-Step Guide to Using Disney Genie+
Terrible Weather
Now, when we talk about terrible weather, we’re not talking about the daily afternoon rainstorm that inevitably hits Central Florida every day in the summer — we’re talking about bad weather that doesn’t let up! It is not super fun to do Disney World almost completely in the rain because many rides close down, you can’t get the pictures you want, and entertainment can be canceled. But, on the bright side, this could also mean lower crowds for the things that are open!
Tomorrowland on a “Severe Weather Warning” day
So, don’t be the person that has to go back to their hotel for the rest of the day because they didn’t come prepared for the weather! Check weather apps ahead of your trip to see if the weather will be bad — that way you can manage your expectations and pack the necessary supplies in your suitcase. If there is a lot of stormy weather predicted for your trip, bring ponchos, umbrellas, rain jackets, waterproof shoes, extra socks, etc. so that you can power through the rain (and save on those WAY overpriced Disney ponchos)!
Those clouds are rollin’ in
And, while Florida weather is certainly unpredictable, there are times of the year when you’re more likely to face bad weather in Disney World. For example, hurricane season takes place from June to November so you’re more likely to experience some storms during this time compared to mid-December. Knowing this in advance helps you either plan your trips for times when there is likely to be better weather or just understand that rain showers might be in the forecast for your trip and prepare accordingly.
Bring your own rain gear to prepare for these days!
If you’re committed to going to Disney World when the weather could be more temperamental (because let’s face it, some of us can ONLY travel over summer break), come into your trip with a backup plan!
One way of doing this is to schedule an open day during your vacation when you don’t have any set plans. You can then use that day to do things that might have been rained out previously. And, if you don’t end up needing this day to do rained-out activities, you can just use it to re-do things you really liked! Talk about a win-win! Just make sure that you have park tickets that will accommodate this plan, and make a Park Pass Reservation in advance for the park where you think you might need it — you can always change it closer to the date.
Click here to see ALL of the rides that shut down for rain in Disney World
Getting Sick/Hurt During Your Trip
Yeah, this one would really REALLY not be fun to experience! We are definitely scared of getting sick or hurt right before our trip, or even worse DURING our trip. And, while you won’t be able to rest in your own bed at home if you end up sick in Disney World, there are a lot of resources to help ya out.
Look out for first aid locations in the parks!
First, know that there are First Aid locations in each of the Disney World parks. You can find them:
- In Magic Kingdom — First Aid is located between The Crystal Palace and Casey’s Corner, as you’re walking towards Adventureland.
- In EPCOT — First Aid is located in the Odyssey Center between Future World and the World Showcase, near the Mexico Pavilion.
- In Hollywood Studios — First Aid is located in the guest relations building on Hollywood Boulevard, right near the park entrance.
- In Animal Kingdom — First Aid is located in Discovery Island right next to Creature Comforts.
These First Aid centers can help you with a wide variety of issues like cuts, the annoying headache that you just can’t get rid of, and more. They have sample sizes of all kinds of common medication, and it’s FREE! Just keep in mind that the medications they carry are standard basics, like antacids, pain relievers, etc. If you need more specialized meds, you’ll be directed to a gift shop.
Hopefully, you won’t need too many of these on your next Disney World vacation!
Each First Aid Center also has a licensed nurse who is equipped to treat you. For allergic reactions, First Aid Centers have EpiPens, and nurses are also able to administer injections for illnesses like diabetes.
And, if you need a prescription filled but don’t want to leave the parks, you can have them delivered to First Aid Stations through Turner Drugs (but they are PRICEY) or straight to your Disney World hotel by utilizing Disney’s new partnership with AdventHealth. You can also get your prescription filled at a local pharmacy like CVS and take your car or an Uber over to pick it up.
Hollywood Studios First Aid
If you need to see a doctor, there are now many Telehealth services where you can set up a virtual appointment so you won’t even have to leave Disney World (obviously, in a medical emergency, call 911 or have a Cast Member call for you). Plus, through Disney’s new partnership with AdventHealth, there is now a new suite of virtual services available for those who may find themselves in Disney World with healthcare questions. This includes things like Emergency Room resources as well as Urgent Care and Virtual Care. You can even have a doctor come to your room with the new Doctor2Me service.
Also, note that Cast Members all over the parks are also trained to assist you in an emergency. So, if you get hurt or sick, find a Cast Member immediately and they will be able to help you.
Read more about Disney’s new partnership with AdventHealth HERE
Not Being Able to Get a Park Pass Reservation
Moving on to something less serious than becoming sick — what if you can’t get a reservation for the parks you want to go to in Disney World? Park passes HAVE booked up completely before (especially around the holidays), and it’s not fun to have your vacation fully planned out and then realize that you can’t even get park reservations. But, with some foresight, you likely won’t face this issue at all!
©Disney
The BEST way to prevent this from happening is to book your park passes ASAP — like, literally right after you buy your tickets. Disney does require that you first purchase park tickets for the dates that you plan to visit, but as soon as you have those in hand, make your park reservations. And, if you know you’re going to Disney World around the holidays, buy your tickets and make your reservations WELL in advance — and we mean MONTHS in advance.
If you come to find that the parks you want to go to aren’t available, keep checking back! We have seen Disney add more availability from time to time and people are constantly changing their park plans so you never know what might open up or when.
Even Annual Passholder can get their reservations booked up!
Our biggest advice is to book SOMETHING, even if it’s not your preferred park. You can upgrade your ticket to a Park Hopper and go over to the park you originally wanted to visit after 2PM (so long as it’s not at capacity). If the day sells out at all four parks completely, you won’t be able to go to any park at all — so, it’s better to at least be able to get into a park and then park hop rather than having no options.
Click here to learn more about Park Pass Reservations and how to make them
BIG Crowds
Just LOOKING at a picture of people packed onto Main Street, U.S.A. like sardines for Magic Kingdom fireworks can be scary, but what if you ARE one of those sardines?! REAL scary! But, it’s not just the fact that you might be a little uncomfortable watching nighttime entertainment when it’s crowded, it’s also what the big crowds mean for the rest of your park day — like high wait times and lines galore.
People, people everywhere
The best thing you can do in these situations is to be prepared! Have a game plan for your park days and your must-do rides, make dining reservations you know you want well in advance, and manage your expectations (there will undoubtedly be A LOT of people around you).
You can also use Disney Genie (the free portion) to make an itinerary with all the rides that you definitely want to hit and spots that you want to eat at. The service is designed to give you suggestions as to what you should do while you’re in the parks based off of crowds. Plus, you can even see the forecasted wait times of rides in the app, so you can plan when to ride each attraction with the lowest wait times of the day!
YIKES
You can also consider buying Disney Genie+ for your trip, or at least for a couple days. This way, you can make reservations to skip the lines of certain rides using the Lightning Lanes. You might not be able to do this over and over and over again if the parks are really busy (since reservations can get booked up), BUT having a few long lines that you can skip throughout the day can be a big time saver. Just keep in mind that Genie+ will cost ya $15 per day, per person in Disney World and select pay-per-rides will be a separate cost.
Lightning Lane
You can also spend some time away from the crowds by taking breaks from the parks! Hang out at your hotel’s pool, shop around Disney Springs, go fishing on Bay Lake — there are a lot of activities you can do outside of the parks.
Pool at Beach Club
And, if you are looking for a break from the crowds in the parks, use secret walkways! Yes, there are many secret walkways in Disney World that aren’t very popular and therefore will save you some time and/or get you away from a lot of people.
See our list of secret walkways around Disney World HERE!
So, there are some things we’re scared of leading up to a Disney World trip, BUT there are also solutions and actions you can take to help alleviate or prevent these issues! Overall, only worry about what you can control, make preparations in advance, manage your expectations, and have a backup plan. That way, you know you did everything you can and can get back to feeling excited instead of worried about your upcoming Disney World vacation!
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Is there anything else you’re scared of leading up to your Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments!
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