How to visit Disney World without plans

I used to plan our Disney World trips with military precision — spreadsheet at hand, I would make dining reservations exactly six months in advance, and grab our FastPasses exactly 60 days out. 

And then I moved to Florida, and 25 years of experience went out the window. 

When you can pop over anytime for a morning in the park or a date night dinner, things are different.

Sure, we can still make dining reservations six months in advance, but this only works for special occasions, because who knows what we’ll be in the mood for six months from now? But there’s no more 60-day window for FastPasses, and that makes a big difference for the marquee rides like 7 Dwarfs Mine Train and Avatar: Flights of Passage. 

It’s a very different way to do Disney — not better or worse, but different. 

We’ve learned some lessons in the past year that translates into useful tips for last-minute Disney travelers who miss those important advance-planning windows. 

It’s not for everyone 

Going plan-free — or plan-light — isn’t for everyone. But it can work for you if: 

• You don’t have any desire to eat a meal with princesses. These are always some of the toughest dining reservations to get, so if you have your heart set on this — or if your kid does — it’s best to hop on that six months in advance. 
• You don’t have your heart set on eating anyplace in particular, at any particular time. If you want a dinner reservation at California Grill an hour before fireworks, by all means jump on that as far in advance as you can.
• You can take or leave the marquee rides. Or, you don’t mind hitting rope drop or standing in line. 
• You like to wing it. 
• You’re new to Disney and won’t know what you’re missing anyway. (Seriously!) 

Dining and FastPasses are really the two areas where planning ahead benefits you most. Here are some things we’ve learned about doing both on the fly: 

Rides 

The key to rides? Getting to the parks early. We’ve found we can get to the Magic Kingdom at park open and do everything we want — including Peter Pan’s Flight, the mountains, and 7 Dwarfs Mine Train — by noon. 

Over at Epcot, we’ve seen 15-minute waits on both Soarin’ and Frozen as late as 11 a.m.

If you have your heart set on Flights of Passage, plan to brave the rope drop at Animal Kingdom on a day without morning Extra Magic Hours. You may still have to wait an hour, but that’s nothing compared to normal 3-hour waits. 

If you’re doing the early morning ride routine, always try to avoid parks with morning Extra Magic Hours, especially if you’re not staying on property and arriving with the early birds. 

You can also try staying late at the parks, although the lines don’t really dwindle until quite late.  

Dining 

There are so many good choices at Disney World that you really can’t go wrong, even if you don’t make a single reservation. 

Embrace quick service: Quick-service dining has really upped its game, at least in Animal Kingdom (Satul’i Canteen and Yak and Yeti) and Epcot (poutine near the Canada pavilion!). Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have lagged behind, but even there you’re no longer relegated to crummy hamburgers and overpriced hotdogs. 

Try something new: You may not be able to get a last-minute reservation at the California Grill, but you should be able to get one at Citricos or Kona Cafe. There are some terrific, under-appreciated restaurants at Disney parks and resorts that you’d be delighted to discover — Jiko and Sanaa, both at Animal Kingdom, are easy to get into and are both wonderful, and it’s a treat to see the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

Eat at the bar: OK, this isn’t the best option for kids, but if you want to try one of the signature dining restaurants without a reservation, most have bars where you can order from the complete menu. 

Nosh around … wherever: Did you ever live in a neighborhood where your friends did “progressive dinners”? You would have cocktails at one house, an appetizer at the next, entree at another, and finish up with dessert at a fourth. You can do this in many places around Disney — especially the Monorail resorts, Disney Springs and Epcot, which all have numerous great eating options.

Eat off-hours: Make all the jokes you want about early birds, but they do get the walk-in tables. You can even get into the California Grill at 5 or 5:30 if you walk-in. Also, consider eating your main meal at lunchtime when the parks are starting to get crazy crowded. It’s a good time to take an air-conditioned break, especially if you got there for rope drop. 

Try for last-minute reservations: Nearly all the signature dining restaurants now require 24-hour notice of cancellation. So hit the My Disney Experience app or the website 24 hours before you want to snag a reservation and keep hitting “refresh.” We’ve gotten lucky before. 

There’s a lot to be said for a trip to Disney World that isn’t planned like a military operation. If you’re open to anything, drifting around Disney following your whims can be just as great.