Disney Last Minute with Late Mornings...How's That Possible!?

Tips for young adults and other people who just don't enjoy getting things done early!

No matter when you arrive, you can have a fun day if you know a few Disney secrets!

I recently sent my 20 year old daughter and her 21 year old cousin to Walt Disney World (WDW) for the weekend during their winter break. We had planned to be in Florida recently to visit my parents on the West Coast of Florida. Since our cousin lives in that area year round and has an annual pass for Disney, and my daughter had an extra non expired day on a ticket from 2 years ago, the girls thought it would be fun to cruise over to Orlando and spend the weekend. Our cousin booked 2 nights at the POP Century about a month before the trip and got a Florida resident rate.  Other than that, the girls made no advance plans, and neither is well known for being an early bird! I wondered just exactly how this trip would go. 

For me it would have been an unmitigated disaster...I plan Disney trips like a military campaign complete with spread sheets, multiple planning apps and checking crowd calendars, but I have different priorities and goals than 2 young adults. They enjoyed some later mornings and last minute reservations (and let's face it, they encountered more than a few snafus) but being young and adaptable, and having visited many times before, they happily went with the flow. I wouldn't suggest this kind of trip for people taking a first trip to WDW, or for a trip with little kids who are less adaptable, but if you ever find yourself with an impromptu day or two at WDW (conventions are often held in Orlando and you might find yourself with an extra 1/2 day in WDW sometime! ) or are the type of person who felt you would never like WDW because it's not in your nature to plan so far ahead,  here are some of the tips my daughter and I suggest to make even a last minute trip to WDW fun!

You don't have to stay at a high end hotel in WDW to benefit from the concierge services. (the lobby at the Contemporary Resort)

Tips for a Last Minute and Late Start Visit in WDW

1) If you can stay in a WDW resort, you can take advantage of the concierge services to plan much of your last minute trip.  These services are available even in the lobbies of Disney hotels that cost as little as $120 per night.  And the Value Hotels at WDW also offer food court style dining which can be much faster for breakfast than getting up late and then sitting down for breakfast at a restaurant. If you've truly not planned anything at all for your WDW visit, go to the concierge to buy your tickets and get a  recommendation about which park is best to visit that day. They will have the best idea about which park is likely to be least crowded and which might have special events that will create bigger crowds.

Special events like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party can affect crowds, the concierge will know where to send you for the best experience!

2) Also use the concierge to ask them which restaurant is a good choice. They can make those reservations for you. It may not be the hottest ticket in town (places like the Princess character breakfast in the castle book up literally within minutes of "opening" reservations 365 days in advance) but the concierge will be in the "know" about which places are likely to have some openings and save you the time and energy of wandering to restaurants that already have a full slate of reservations and a huge standby waiting line.  If you are already getting to the parks late, you can plan to eat at off times, (think lunch at 3 PM, dinner at 9) which will allow you to avoid normal meal crowds and enjoy a relatively quieter park when everyone else is eating. You'll enjoy more park time knowing you have a late lunch reservation and wont have to wait standby to eat when you are hungry!

Popular dining spots like "Be Our Guest" in Beast's Castle at Magic Kingdom, are a hot ticket, booked well in advance.  There may be no way to score a table without months of planning, but the hotel concierge can check for same day cancellations for you!

3) As soon as you know you are going to WDW, (or while waiting in the concierge line!) download the Disney World Wait Time App (it's free with ads, or you can upgrade to an ad free version) This app will list the wait times for each attraction at every park and you an use it to plan where you want to go on the fly. You won't need to walk across the park to learn that Space Mountain is a 130 minute wait and then waste more time wandering to the next place!  There are apps for a fee that will actually create the "best itinerary" for you based on what you'd like to see, but these require a little more time to learn and aren't the best option for the last minute, late start trip.  Keeping it simple, you can check the app and choose rides based on the shorter wait times.

Here is an example of wait times in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom on the Disney World Wait Time App

4) Once you've arranged your park choice, advanced dining reservation and ticket options with the concierge, be sure to get the map and entertainment schedule for the park. Do try to make it into the parks before noon time and make your very first stops the headliner rides in that park (Space Mountain, Rock and Roller Coaster) that have Fast Pass (This is a advance reservation system that allows you to use your ticket to get a Fast Pass to return to the ride during a specified later time window and join the much shorter Fast Pass line to ride at that time) The FP attractions are noted right on the park map. These FP's will be generated until there are no more time windows open during the time the park is open.  During busy times, this can happen before noon for top attractions.  

Rides like the Rock'n Roller Coaster in Disney Studios offer fast pass, or you can choose the single rider line.

Once the Fast Passes are out, the only option is to wait in the regular line, or you can make this time shorter by choosing to have everyone in your party go to the "Single Rider" line.  This line moves more quickly since they will use singles to fill in ride vehicles occupied by parties of odd numbers. You might not get to ride with your party, but the line will be shorter!

Another way to beat the long lines is to ride the headliner attractions during major parades or fireworks displays.  Most guests are enjoying those events and lines are often shorter.

Fireworks can still be seen from some exterior lines in WDW, (Big Thunder Mountain, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) so you can enjoy a shorter line and still have a view of the fireworks!

Going to headliner attractions during a parade can thin the crowds waiting in line. Just make sure you get yourself to the part of the park where your attraction is located, sometimes parades cut off cross traffic making it hard to cross the park after they've started.

5) If you do get stuck in a long line use that time to check your app for the shortest line for your next attraction.  You can also pose for selfies,  have a snack, or apply your sunscreen (you forgot that while rushing out in morning, didn't you?) 

 We've received no promotional consideration from WDW, or any app related to WDW.  All photos credited to Jeffrey Klofft.  Let us know if you have any other good tips for Last Minute, Late Start Disney trips!

You Have to Take Steps To Fly!

I'm preparing to take a flight. For most folks who don't fly for business on a weekly basis, flying is is a little anxiety provoking. Most days we move through our life under our own power, on foot, in cars, on bicycles. Even if we take public transit, we more or less control our route and don't need to make any special preparations to go.
Flying is so different, there are requirements about identifying yourself, showing things, what you can't bring, what you can bring and how much that can weigh. Every day there seems to be some new rule...you show your lap top, but not your iPad, oops, now you have to turn on all your electronics, but only of they ask. Getting prepared can feel like a military campaign! 

Here are the steps I take to feel more comfortable flying- I've also collected a few stories of trips to the airport gone wrong...they remind me to not make the same mistakes (and in the case of my own mistakes- not make them AGAIN! I hope it helps you too! 

As soon as I book my flight: 

1) Triple Check the Details
The first two checks should happen before I am are booking flight, so I make one more check to make sure I got all the details right! It's easier to change problems even with a "no changes" fare if you can call within minutes of your error!

Check dates (and year!) If it's an international flight, remember that most of the world lists the date as day, then the month, then the year so 04/11/15 means NOVEMBER 4th not APRIL 11th.

Check that the AM/PM s are correct.  Again in the rest of the world, a 24 hour clock is used so 8AM is 8 and 8 PM is 20. But it's easy to mix up an 8 Am flight with an 8 PM flight in the US. My mother recently showed up 12 hours early for a PM flight, with her poor kitty in the carrier (that's a long day without a litter box!) Luckily, a cat loving counter service rep took pity and got her on standby for a much earlier flight!

Make sure the destinations are correct. Confirm  the abbreviations for your airports are correct. There are several San Joses - don't end up in California if you want to be in Costa Rica! And if you are using booking engines to book flights with connections make sure that the airports for the connecting flights are in the same location (or you've left enough time to get to the other airport) There are 3 airports in the greater NYC area, 2 in Washing to DC,  so be sure your flights enter and leave the same one, or you have enough time to transfer (not always a short trip!) Even if your connecting flights are at the same airport, ensure you've got enough time to realistically get to that connection. For me, an hour is minimum for a domestic flight, and 2 for an international connection or domestic unfamiliar airport.  Road warriors can afford to schedule tight connections; they have the "status" to bump to the top of the standby lists if they miss a connection and they are on the companies nickel and only missing dinner, not part of their expensive vacation or a cruise ship!

Make sure your name on the reservation exactly matches the name on your identification!

2) Check My ID and Documents 
The very first thing I do when I book a flight (I'll have tips for actual booking of flights up soon too!) is check what documentation is needed to go and return from the place I'm flying. In the case of a domestic (within the US) destination usually you'll only need a photo ID, such as a drivers license or State ID card. In the case of an international flight, usually you'll need a passport. Lay eyes on both of these right after booking and make sure that the expiration date is not before or during your trip. In the case of international trips, many countries require your passport doesn't expire for at least 6 months after your trip dates. Some countries require visas, or a certain amount of unstamped pages. I check these for each of my countries as soon as I book a trip,and then have plenty of time to ensure there are no emergency fire drills in the days before the trip to wrangle last minute documents.

3) Packing 
OK, unless it's a last minute trip EVEN as neurotic as I am about planning I don't pack the day I book, but I do check to see what my airline allows or charges for baggage so I can plan accordingly.  Most airlines include carry on bags, but limit the sizes and amount (generally 2, one in the overhead and one under the seat). Some airlines are now charging for carry on bags. Most airlines charge for checked bags, Southwest and Jet Blue are two that have not, but even that is be changing with Jet Blue adding checked bag fees, so always check (no pun intended) the airlines website for specifics. 

4) Check Those Emails!
After you've ensured you can legally fly and the flight is the one you want, you can relax till packing time. Except keep an eye on your emails...if you book well in advance there is an excellent chance your airline will "change" the schedule on you before you depart. Yup, you make a change, be prepared to pay 50 bucks (or more!) but expect the airlines to change your flight (for schedule and equipment changes) as often as they like with no compensation. If I get that email I don't ignore it! I review the changes immediately, if they are small, a couple of minutes here or there or a change in "equipment" I am probably all set. But I make sure they haven't seated me someplace I don't want to be or scattered my party around the new plane. If there is a big change, that no longer works,  the best bet is to call. I had a friend who was officiating a destination wedding. She was required to go to city hall and sign some documents for the happy couple before she flew how on Monday morning. A change of her flight that sent her out of town before city hall opened was unacceptable. She was able to call and get her flights changed at no cost to times that would allow her to complete her business. Weddings, important business meetings and cruise ship departures require a close look at changes to ensure your new schedule still works. 

Ok, now I can relax!

While Packing for my Trip

1) Bag Size
Make sure your bags are the right size and weight for the flights you are taking. Even if you use a US carrier to get you somewhere with their generous size carry on limits, you might be taking onward flights with stingier size and weight restrictions. Don't be that person at the check in counter unloading their underwear and deodorant onto the filthy airport floor to get bags under weight! Don't be that gal! Pack for the strictest requirement. In the case of our African Safari trip which included strict weight limits on small aircraft, this meant going to Johannesburg with a just duffle bag that weighed less than 25 pounds and a back pack carry on. 

Here is an example to the RUEMEID- to the right is a unique QR code that can be scanned and I can enter a new itinerary with each trip. They also sell stickers and tags for electronics- they make excellent gifts for your favorite traveler or college student!

2) ID Your Bags 
Once you've picked a bag, pick a way to ID them. I use Rue Me ID 

http://myrume.com/collections/rumeid

(please note our "independence" on our home page, we have not received any items from RUE ME, or payment to promote them)

It is an online tag with a unique QR code that I can scan and then enter a new itinerary with every trip. I write out the itinerary with all of my details on the computer once. Then I have a copy to leave at home with the house sitter, a copy to put inside of each bag, (in case the exterior tag is removed or broken off) and then I can can copy and paste the same info into my online Rue ID site. If my bag is waylaid, a simple smart phone scan by anyone locating it brings up my contact information and more importantly where my bag is supposed to be on which days. I offer a reward; because someone who finds my bag may not really want what I have packed, such as my (glory days) bathing suit and my (glory days are over) swimsuit cover up, but I don't want to lose them, especially mid trip- so offering a reward gives incentive someone to return it. 

Also think about some distinctive item to attach to your bag that will help you distinguish it from someone else's similar looking bag. Lots of bags look similar- a shower pouff or colorful duct tape wrapped around the handle helps you identify yours and also prevents someone else from grabbing it (largely because they wouldn't be caught dead with a shower pouff on their bag)

3) Check to See What You Can and Can't Pack 
There is a whole list of prohibited stuff that makes you go "duh" and yet...every day people try to carry swords, guns, fireworks, etc.! Generally liquid toiletries that are carried on the plane have to be 3.3 oz or smaller and stored in a quart sized plastic bag. Other non liquid toiletries  can be free to roam anywhere in your carry on bag. Electronics all need to be available for inspection and you have to be able to turn them on. So make sure batteries for everything is at 100% Before leaving. 
Do not check medicines, or valuables (money, jewelry, cameras), and critical documents always carry these items on in a carry on bag or on your person. The jury is out on carrying pills with the original prescription bottles. The TSA has various regulations on this, technically it can be interpreted as needing the original bottle, but that is often debated and since those bottles can be bulky, I have traveled near and far to 6 continents with a special travel first aid kit, (the contents of which is a post for another day!) My unlabeled pills are in small zip pouches and while I'm always fearful that it looks like I'm a drug mule, I've never had any issue at the airport. If you have a lot of medication or controlled substances that you need while you travel, it's worth having the pharmacist print an extra label for your medicine and leave it in the bag with the medication, if you don't want to bring the bulky bottle. Prescription liquids and baby formula can be carried on in greater quantities than 3 oz, so bring the originally labeled medicine bottle for those liquids.

A two week trip to Ecuador with older relatives meant lots of pills...these sailed through security and customs, but then one case opened up in the middle of the flight and pills were rolling down the aisle!  The owner of these got on the airplane floor to retrieve all the pills, but one was particularly tricky to retrieve, after a while she finally prevailed and came up triumphantly with...a cocktail peanut!!

Before you leave

1) Quadruple Check
About a week before you leave confirm your flights are still what you booked. Maybe an email about a change missed you, and if there is any snafu, you don't want to discover that night before when there is little time to solve it! This is also an excellent time to lay hands on your important documents license or passport.  Again, I leave some "search time" if these got mislaid (which purse is my license in! - good to know before I leave the for airport! )

2) Check into Your Flight On-Line
You can usually check in for a domestic flight 24 hours in advance. You can print the boarding passes, and just head right to security (after dropping any checked bags) while I am on the airline website, I go ahead and sign up for text alerts or emails on my phone of any last minute changes. 

3) Pack Your Important Documents 
Put them right in your carry on, and when you leave for the airport, don't forget to bring that bag! Yes, it's happened...a friend of my mom's headed east in Florida for a cruise, upon arriving she realized she had not packed the carry on bag in the car. All of the passports were 4 hours away (each way!) on the west coast of Florida and the ship was leaving in 2 hours! The whole family had to return for the documents and fly (at their own expense) to meet the ship in the Bahamas! Ouch! 

Personally, I always stop the car at the end of the driveway and do a three point check. I check for the 3 things I can absolutely not travel without. I actually do a visual check and lay hands on these three things!

• any prescription medication that is required and not easily replaced.
• everyone's passports or required documents (in the case of only a few of us traveling I also open the passports and make sure I have the right pictures to match the faces of the people actually going in the trip and I haven't grabbed a passport of someone staying at home or an expired old one (oh yes, It can happen! )
• money or credit cards (pretty much any other packing problem can be solved with money, (buy toiletries or clothing at your location) but forgetting money and/or my credit card makes everything more difficult! 

Once I've have those 3 things, it's time to begin the journey! 

Once Upon The Airport

1) Check the Big Board at the Airport for your Flight...ensure it's all the same.

2) Check Any Bags and Get my Boarding Passes if I Don't Already Have Them

3) Head to the Security Line
I like to go as soon as I'm all checked in. Even if there is better "stuff" outside security, it can be a hold up, and I feel it's good to clear early rather than rush through at the last moment! I have my boarding pass and ID out and ready to show. Lines can form quickly and people who are running late can cut the line, taking more time than you plan. I'm prepared to quickly pull off my shoes (I wear slip ons and socks) pull out my liquid baggie and any laptop I may have packed. I take off my watch, coat and belt and remove from my pocket my phone, change, and keys. I find it easier to take all that stuff off before I reach the security line and put it right into my carry on until after I clear security, so I don't lose track of the pieces. Even If you clear security like a pro, there is always someone who needs extra attention holding things up, as your valuables fall off the conveyor belt while you are stuck on the unsecure side! Keeping valuables and bits all in one bag makes them less tempting and easier to retrieve when we are finally reunited.

After passing through security, there is a little extra time to kill in the airport; here is one of my favorite places to kill some time at MIA Miami airport!

Whew! We've made it! Ready to fly! Now that we've made it through the grueling planning, packing and security steps, we only have to survive the gauntlet of actual flying. But that's a whole 'nother post!

Where We've Been and Where We Are Going

Jeff has a running joke about me...that I'm not happy unless I have at least 3 trips booked at any given time!  And I'm embarrassed to say, he's not wrong!  Last year I traveled to the Florida and the Bahamas on Enchantment of the Seas with my mother and teen daughter. In September and October, Jeff and I traveled to Eastern Europe and Danube River cruise on AmaPrima, and we took a college visit trip to Minnesota. So it seems there is always a trio (or more!) of trips to pack for each year. But I would argue (and I do!) that this because we take a very programmatic approach to fitting in the destinations we want into an already really busy life, and generally, we plan travel well in advance. 

With short vacation times, and our usually aggressive plans to see and do a lot in that short time, we like to book trips early to have plenty of time for planning and to ensure we get our first choice of all the components we want. The best hotels, cruise cabins or guides can book up even a year in advance!  We almost always book our trips a year or more in advance.

That all changed this year!

{People with more time, and fewer responsibilities can afford to wait it out and see what specials might pop up last minute.  You can get some good deals, but usually only on trips or components that for some reason didn't sell well in the first place (think cruises during hurricane season, or hotels that might be a little down at the heels or a destination off season)  If you don't mind making those kinds of compromises to save some money; waiting till the last minute is a great way to get a good value.}   

Sunset from the Grandeur of the Seas; wondering about that distant Island!

Cuba

For years, when we've cruised the Caribbean from Florida, and I've always looked out the window on our sea days as we passed by Cuba, and been fascinated about this place.  After all, the place we just left- Miami, throbs with energy and music of a huge Cuban American population there. What is the island they left like now?  It's another of the world's politically complicated place, but our travel philosophy has always been that going to a place and learning about it, meeting the people (if that can be done safely) is the best way to learn about the differences and make an informed opinion.  I knew that for years an embargo trade and travel in Cuba had left citizens of the US on the outside, and people in Cuba unable to share the stories of their lives with us.  In 2000, some limited travel on "people to people" exchanges was allowed by the US government for the reasons I mention above, but they were discontinued in 2003, and resumed again in 2011. Ever since sailing by (at quite a distance to stay in International Waters) and seeing the lights glittering on Cuba and miles of undeveloped beaches, I imagined what it might be like to visit there.  

I put a "people to people" tour to Cuba on my list, when the licenses started being offered, but having at least 3 trips booked already, I didn't exactly have a "spot" on the calendar for a trip to Cuba.  But we wanted to fit in a short trip, between other travel we had planned.  At the time I had trouble finding an operator that offered a shorter trip; several were island tours lasting 10-15 days. (Overseas Adventure Travel, National Geographic, Natural Habitat, Roads Scholar, Friendly Planet etc) That's a luxury of time we didn't have, so I put it off and other trips made the top our list.  Our daughter almost traveled there with a high school group (and we were angling to find a way to latch onto that trip- after providing some pretty good photos of a prior student exchange, we were hopeful the lure of Jeff's photos might convince the teachers to let us join as chaperons!) but the tour company the school planned to use failed to secure the necessary license and that trip was cancelled. 

On December 21st, President Obama announced the normalization of relations with Cuba.  Politically, it will be debated, but one thing that will not be debated is that a change in US policy will mean changes for Cuba. Eventually, I imagine, US based Caribbean cruise ships will make regular ports of call in Cuba, and I will likely set foot there many times in the future.  But the announcement increased the urgency for us to see Cuba now before it changes!  This thought was confirmed when I called Insight Cuba to ask about their trips.  The representative, who has spent considerable time in Cuba, explained that her friends there could not wait to sell those old 1950s cars and buy modern ones! And I can just imagine the American antique car market salivating over those old cars coming into Miami via barge!  While we talked she confirmed my feelings that things are and will be changing in Cuba and NOW is the time to go to have a sense of that change when when I step off a cruise ship into Habana 10 years from now!

Less than 6 months to do my research!

So, we did something completely uncharacteristic for us!  We booked a trip less than 6 months away!! (only 6 months to plan- how will I cope!?!)  In June 2015, we will take Insight's Jazz in Havana tour. Insight offers people to people tours with guides and all the appropriate licenses. It's under the umbrella of a development organization that uses all the profits from the Cuba trips to pay for volunteer travel to other locations across the globe where they do development work.   It is only 5 nights, so fits perfectly in our schedule. The Jazz in Havana trip with visits to art galleries and museums, artists homes, and meetings with jazz musicians in Havana night clubs, is perfect for our daughters; a saxophone player and a design student.  Jeff is already salivating over the photographic opportunities, and I am looking forward to practicing my Spanish, dancing and meeting Cubans for myself in their home!

Cuba seen from the Navigator of the Seas

So...what about the other 2 trips Jeff insists I must have booked? Well, there might be more than 3 booked now!  I have plans to travel to Florida next week and hope to blog live how to find "real Florida" among all the man made tourist attractions!  In April we will be sailing Adventure of the Seas from San Juan Puerto Rico, visiting Barbados, Antigua, St Marteen, St Lucia, and St Croix. Lastly, we've booked passage on the Azamara Journey from Miami to Cartegna, Columbia, through the Panama Canal and along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica in early 2016.