Sometimes we let our excitement get the best of us when planning our Disney trip!
Fireworks in Magic Kingdom
One of our favorite things about Disney World is just how much there is to do and see! But with all of the new experiences, fancy places, and fun events that are constantly catching our eye, we have to admit that our impulsive side sometimes gets us in a pickle. But the good news is, hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes!
There’s no wrong way to do a Disney World vacation. As they say, there’s a lid for every pot, and the most important thing to consider when planning your trip is what’s best for YOU and your family. But even though we practically hear that advice in our sleep, we’ve still fallen victim to intrusive thoughts before…Here are four things we regret impulse-booking for our Disney World vacation!
Booking a Trip During a Busy Time of Year
You’re likely to experience at least some crowds regardless of when you choose to visit Disney World. But there are definitely a few times during the year that we can count on to be SUPER busy!
Crowd in Magic Kingdom
We typically try to avoid booking a trip during major holidays, long weekends, and spring break, since the time off of school and work tends to bring tons of crowds to the parks. Plus, there are “sneakier” events that also bring in big crowds that we also try to avoid, like the first day of an EPCOT festival or runDisney race weekends!
Magic Kingdom Halloween Decorations
But what can we say, whether it’s the only time of year we can fit in our trip or just the temptation of seeing the parks all decked out for a holiday, sometimes we just can’t help but book a trip during a busy time! If you find yourself in a similar boat, remember to properly set expectations for yourself and anyone else in your party to make sure you’re ready to deal with the crowds.
Hollywood Studios
Plus, if you’re staying at select Disney World hotels you can take advantage of perks like early theme park entry or extended evening hours to try to find a little bit of quiet(er) time amid the chaos!
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Booking a Dessert Party
At Magic Kingdom, guests can book Fireworks Dessert Parties which give them the opportunity to watch the park’s nighttime spectacular with a great view and, of course, lots of desserts!
Dessert Party
If you have a super busy day planned and you want to get a good fireworks spot without having to camp out, booking a dessert party might make sense for you. But the main reason we’ve regretted booking a dessert party in the past is that it can be EXPENSIVE, especially if you have a lot of people in your party!
Crunch Bars
Depending on the date and dessert party type, adult ticket prices can range from $99-$129 per person, so it’s pretty safe to say that you won’t get your money’s worth in desserts alone!
A look at the fireworks dessert party viewing area
Basically, this is a splurge that might be worth it if you want to enjoy the fireworks in a more chill atmosphere, but we’ve regretted booking it just for the sake of our sweet tooth when a trip to Main Street Confectionary would have done the trick!
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Booking a Late Dinner Reservation
Sometimes we have our heart set on eating at a specific spot in Disney World and we snap up whatever reservation we can get! But this has come back to bite us before when we’ve impulse-booked a late dining reservation.
Be Our Guest
Disney World days can be long, hot, and exhausting, and when we end up with a late dining reservation, we’re usually super hangry by the time we finally make it to our table!
Tourtiere at Le Cellier
Plus, if catching the fireworks is on your must-do list, snagging a late dining reservation could mean that you have to miss out on that night’s show if it falls at the same time as your meal.
Fireworks
If you have a particular Disney World restaurant on your bucket list and there are only late-evening reservations available, you may still want to snag one for the experience. But if you’re also prone to hanger or don’t want to miss out on the fireworks, be sure to keep an eye out for earlier reservations instead!
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Booking a Super Expensive Room
We spend a shocking amount of time daydreaming about staying in a fancy room somewhere like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. But there have been times when we couldn’t justify our impulse splurge!
View from an Animal Kingdom Lodge room
For trips where we don’t have a resort day planned or we intend on spending long days in the parks, we might not be in our rooms often enough to justify a hefty price tag. We’d rather save booking that ultra-luxe hotel room for a trip when we actually have time carved out to actually enjoy it!
Grand Floridian DVC Rooms
For travelers who usually aim for more budget-friendly trips, make sure you really think about what you need from your hotel room during your trip before you impulse book your dream room!
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When the time comes to start planning our Disney World vacation, we have to admit that we sometimes get carried away with our excitement. And while our impulse booking sometimes works out just fine, we definitely do have a few regrets! We’ll continue to share more about our experiences around Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB for everything you need to know when planning your next vacation!
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For the dessert party, I think it depends on which one and what’s on offer. As in reading what’s included, where it is, and is it worth the additional price.
The former Star Wars dessert party in Hollywood Studios (currently gone/hasn’t come back) we thought was extremely worth it. It had savory foods on top of the desserts. Guaranteed photo ops with multiple Star Wars characters (as in the only people allowed in line were other people at dessert party). A collectible popcorn bucket. And an in-character stormtroopers escort to a prime fireworks spot reserved just for the party. I think at the time we went it was $ 69/79 extra?
In comparison, the ones on offer currently I don’t think are worth the price.
I like to book table service meals for lunch rather than dinner at Disney World, then go to a quick service for dinner, or maybe get a few snacks throughout the day instead of a second meal. I find that when I book table service for dinner, I’m often not actually hungry enough for a big meal when I get there.
Yeah I never got the “let’s book at Polynesian” thing, when CBR is just as good, if not better due to the skyliner. Unless you’re doing a LOT of lounging at the resort, you’re really only going to use it a small fraction of your trip, and last I checked, water is the same across most pools.
One of our favorite events was the Christmas dessert party at Hollywood studios. We went in 2019 and had such a great time. Unfortunately, it never came back after covid.