Disney October 2021 Planning
Months ago, we found out both our in laws (brother/sister/nieces) and best friends were both going to Disney World during Fall Break. While it sounded fun to plan and tag along, several things kept us from booking a trip: money, 50th anniversary, Brad’s travel, crowds, etc. We also didn’t want to invade on their vacations. Well about two weeks before fall break, we still were not sure if Brad would be home or not. So I started looking at several options for Melody and me, including Disney. A few days before fall break, Brad found out he would be home, and we started floating around the idea. We kept going back to not going due to money and just the exhaustion of driving and a short trip. Melody was clueless about our family and friends going. But that changed the Friday before fall break. Her best friend, Lydia, found out she was going, and Melody started asking to go to Disney too. After a lot of talking, negotiating, and even some arguing, we decided Saturday morning we would head to Disney on Sunday. THE NEXT DAY! Thankfully I am a seasoned Disney goer, so this wasn’t impossible.
As soon as we decided, we made a plan of how to accomplish everything in less than 24 hours. I first booked the room to confirm we even had a place to stay. We wanted to use our Hilton Honor points at the DoubleTree at Disney Springs. This helped in the trip being more affordable. We had plans the weekend after in Memphis, so we opted to go Sunday - Thursday. Brad researched getting tickets when we got there at Shades of Green. We wanted to get discounted tickets, and where we get them locally was closed on the weekend.
Next I made a food plan. This was for all of us while traveling and for Melody while there. I had ideas of where we would eat, and I even made a few reservations before we left on Sunday. After making our food plan, I made a quick grocery list, and we ran to get them.
After groceries, I came back to pack while Brad took the car to get an oil change. With us driving, it was definitely necessary. As usual, I did try to match everyone as best as I could with what clothes we had clean. Here was everything for both Melody and me. I didn’t grab pictures of Brad’s clothes. I also packed a few things such as swimsuits and glow sticks. I also labeled Melody’s bags to make for easier mornings and evenings at the hotel.
I know you can’t really tell a whole lot from our food plan above. Basically we were traveling both Sunday and Thursday. I always bring food in the car that is easily accessible to make stops minimal. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all park days. Because we were staying off property, we were not sure if we would go back to the room for any breaks, so we had to plan to be gone all day. I could not make park reservations prior to leaving since we didn’t have tickets, but below were the reservations/plans I hoped to make once getting our tickets.
Monday - Hollywood Studios (morning), park hop to Animal Kingdom
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom (morning), park hop to Epcot
Wednesday - Epcot all day
As I mentioned above, I did make a few dining reservations before going, and I added/removed during our trip. Below is what I planned and when as well as our non-reservation plans.
Monday
Lunch - HS: quick service ~ maybe Backlot Express or Catalina Eddie’s
Dinner - AK: quick service or go back to hotel depending on how late we stayed
Booked but canceled: Garden Grill at 5:35 (date booked 10/2)
Tuesday
Lunch - MK: booked Grand Floridian Cafe for 12:05 (date booked 10/2), but cancelled and opted for our backup of quick service at MK
Dinner - EP: booked Chefs de France for 5:30 (date booked 10/3) and 7 (date booked 9/30 - me hoping to convince Brad to do Disney with this reservation!); we ended up cancelling the 7 pm, but kept the 5:30 pm
Wednesday
Lunch - EP: Garden Grill for 11:35 (date booked 10/3) and 1:20 (date booked 10/2); we cancelled the 1:20 once we secured the 11:35
Dinner - EP: Garden Grill for 5:10 (date booked 10/3); we opted to cancel once we secured the lunch reservation and decided to do quick service at Epcot for dinner
So those were our basic thrown together plans. Thankfully we did secure tickets and park reservations (more on that in a few days). Sometimes these last minute trips can be the best, and that is what we were hoping for! I am not sure I ever had a trip quite this last minute though.
