You’ve heard us say it a million times — plan your Disney World vacation in advance!

There are reservations for hotels, restaurants, and parks that you’ll need to snag, plus you’ll want to think ahead of time about how you plan to spend each day. But what happens if you book a trip later than usual? Or if you forget to do something until the last minute? Or even if you happen to want a last-minute getaway? Today, we’re talking about the times that it actually benefits you to procrastinate in Disney World!

Last-Minute Dining Reservations

Guests are allowed to make dining reservations 60 days out from their visit, and Disney Resort guests can reserve 60 days out, plus up to 10 days of their trip (so technically up to 70 days out). We highly recommend booking your dining as soon as that window is open to you so that you can get the times and restaurants you want, but things don’t always work out that way.

If you booked your trip last minute or missed your dining reservation window, don’t worry — you may still be able to visit the restaurants you want! Keep checking back, especially in the days leading up to your visit, and you may be able to book some popular restaurants at odd times or find reservations for spots you’ve never visited before.

In our experience, in the days before you’d like to dine — often within 48-24 hours before — we’ve found a LOT more reservation options than were available just days prior. Many guests book dining reservations early and, in the days before, decide to keep or drop some reservations. In order to avoid the $10 per person cancelation fee if dropped within 24 hours of the reservation, many will cancel plans the day or so before.

Also, if you don’t have any dining reservations on the day of your trip but you’d like to try some sit-down places, then make sure to check out the Mobile Dine Walk-up Waitlist. This feature in the My Disney Experience app shows which restaurants have day-of availability. You may have to wait a while to be seated, but you’ll be able to get in! (Check early in the day before they run out of walk-up availability!)

These Are the Top Disney World Restaurants for 2021! — Click Here

Merchandise Sales

While we usually encourage you to buy the merchandise you want when you see it (it may only be available at that particular shop or it may sell out), there are a few instances where waiting may be beneficial. If the item isn’t something that you want right away, it might be beneficial to wait and see if the price drops. 

OK, we totally get it. Sales seem to happen in Disney World gift shops once in a blue moon, but they DO happen — you just gotta be there at the right time. Don’t count on sales to happen during your trip, but they may be more likely if you’re visiting at the end of a holiday season or the end of an EPCOT festival. If it’s a seasonal line of merchandise, Disney World tends to run special deals to get rid of those items at the end of the season. However, if it’s something you want to use during your trip — don’t delay!

Click Here for 7 Souvenirs You Can ONLY Find in Disney World!

Discounts

If you’re booking a last-minute trip, then there’s a chance that new discounts will be available that weren’t several months ago. This way, you’ll be able to craft your trip to ensure that you fit the qualifications of the special offer, and you can save some BIG bucks!

If you’ve already booked your trip, the good news is that you may be able to call Disney directly and get the discount added to your package. However, after you’re already booked, you may not be able to apply the discount if there are any restrictions. In that case, you would have to alter the plans to fit the deal. Check the fine print of the trip you booked and the discount you’d like and see if you can modify or cancel without a penalty.

Click Here to Check Out Current Discounts and Deals!

Can You Procrastinate With Genie+?

When the FastPass+ system was operational in the parks pre-COVID, guests were allowed to book FastPasses in advance of their visit. If you were looking to hop on the most popular rides in the parks, it was generally recommended that you make your FastPass reservations at the earliest possible opportunity.

Now, however, the days of complimentary FastPasses are behind us, and Genie+ is poised to be the new paid system that allows guests to bypass the standby queues. One of the major differences from FastPass+ (other than the fact that it costs $15 per guest, per day) is that you cannot make your “Lightning Lane” (the new term for the FastPass lane) reservations until the day of your visit. 

While there used to be some advantages to waiting until the last minute to find great FastPass+ selections, Genie+ has leveled the playing field by making ALL of their Lightning Lane reservations day-of for all guests. So, you can no longer “procrastinate” when it comes to booking Genie+ reservations, because even if you purchase Genie+ ahead of your trip, you will be unable to book any reservations until 7AM each day.

Because Genie+ has yet to launch as of this writing, it remains to be seen how the system plays out with making your day-of reservations. It seems like we’re heading back to the days of racing to get those first few return times to bypass the standby queue — the big difference is that instead of running to a FastPass kiosk, now your fingers are racing to make those selections on your phone.

Click here to learn more about Disney Genie.

So there you have it — if you’re a procrastinator, it’s not ALL bad news! Last-minute vacations are totally possible, you just might have to shift your plans and, possibly, your expectations. Last-minute trips can be a great way to step away from the familiar and try something new. A new hotel, new restaurants, etc. Didn’t get that dining reservation you were dying to score? Great opportunity to try that lesser-known spot instead. And whether you’re traveling next week or next year, we can help you plan!

Should You Book for 2021 or 2022? Click Here to Find Out!

Have you ever planned a last-minute trip?