Difficult Dilemmas at Disney World
When planning for a Walt Disney World trip, you have to make tough choices: where to stay, how much to budget for dining versus hotels, which FastPasses to choose, etc. This post is a mixture of these real dilemmas you might face when preparing for a Walt Disney World vacation, and other ‘just for fun’ ones that might come up in polite conversation.
The idea here is to work through some of these real and imagined Disney dilemmas, both for fun and practicality. I’ll give my answers and justifications, and readers can do the same in the comments. Between the two, those on the fence about certain, more challenging practical decisions might be able to find some resolution.
Some decisions are easy, like choosing a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FastPass over the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Be warned, as other Walt Disney World debates are so emotionally fraught that they’ve been known to tear entire families apart. (I’m still not on speaking terms with my brother Ludwig after we had words during the Great Castle Cake War of 97.)
3 Nights at Grand Floridian or 7 Nights at Pop Century – This is one of my favorite Walt Disney World hypotheticals, and it’s always interesting to hear how people justify their decision. Obviously, as with the rest of these choices, there’s no right or wrong answer, and it’s all a matter of perspective and priorities.
Personally, I’ll take the 7 nights at Pop Century every single time. Not just because Grand Floridian is far from my favorite Deluxe, but because I’d rather have the extra time. Three days is far too short of a trip to Walt Disney World, and with my “bonus” days, I could spend time relaxing in the Grand Floridian lobby if I wanted.
In terms of raw cost, you’d actually need 15.3 nights at Pop Century to equal 3 nights at Grand Floridian…so that’s the better “value” if you’re looking at things that way. For many people, vacation time is more limited than money, so the choice is not as straightforward as two weeks at Pop Century or a few nights at Grand Floridian. If all things were equal, I don’t know how anyone could choose only three nights at Walt Disney World over two weeks!
Rope Drop or Late Nights – Most people can’t do both early mornings and late nights. While the perfect ‘solution’ is going early in the morning, taking a midday break as necessary, and returning for a late night, that’s also not realistic for a lot of people. Sadly, most people choose the opposite, which is arriving late and being present for the worst time of the day before leaving early.
If forced to choose, I’d pick late nights almost every time. From a strategic perspective, this is irrational; late nights are far less advantageous than early mornings. In fact, nighttime crowds have gotten progressively worse, especially during Extra Magic Hours. This is primarily due to hours (especially at Magic Kingdom) being shortened…or perhaps Starbucks caffeination is to blame.
In any case, this one comes down to ambiance, and nothing compare to seeing the parks come alive in the evening, awash with color and beautiful show lighting. Waiting out the crowds and taking the long walk out of the park, especially at Epcot, after they’ve closed is one of my favorite overall experiences at Walt Disney World.
Get Rid of One… – This has been a popular ‘thought experiment’ on social media, with it most commonly being played out among 4 different Disney animated classics and respondents being forced to choose which they could never watch again. Here, I’m going to choose some crowd-pleasers from My Top 10 Walt Disney World Attractions (albeit not my absolute favorites since many of you probably don’t share those).
You can never ride Avatar Flight of Passage, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, of Tower of Terror again. Which do you eliminate?
I tried to make this a tough decision, but it ends up being easy for me. As much as I love Flight of Passage, it’s the one to go. FastPass+ challenges and an interminably long pre-show are my reasons. I do think it has a lot of repeatability, especially with great details in the video and incredibly engaging scenes…but not more repeatability, or more iconic scenes than the other three attractions.
Holiday Showdown – Generally speaking, two of the best times to visit Walt Disney World coincide with the Halloween and Christmas seasons in the parks. This means guests are often choosing between these two holidays when determining when to visit. Add to that diehard fans of each holiday, and this is both an actual dilemma and a real rivalry–something we carefully break down in our Halloween v. Christmas at Walt Disney World comparison post.
For me, this is another easy answer: Christmas. That probably comes as no surprise to regular readers of this blog, as we often sing the praises of Christmas, and routinely call it our favorite time to visit Walt Disney World. Even setting aside the generally superior weather, there’s just more to Christmas, it’s celebrated everywhere (parks & resorts), and gives a palpable festive cheer to Walt Disney World.
Meal Splurge or Hotel Splurge – Another practical one that for many planners comes down to upgrading their resort tier or upgrading their Disney Dining Plan tier. There are numerous ways this could play out, but for the sake of simplicity let’s say it’s the difference between going from a Value to Moderate Resort or Quick Service to standard Disney Dining Plan.
This is a tough one. If those are the parameters and I can’t get tricky with doing a split stay, renting DVC points, or strategically paying out of pocket for good-value meals, I’ll go with upgrading to the standard Disney Dining Plan. The nicer resort experience is great, and I feel those are the soul of Walt Disney World–what the Florida resort complex does right that nowhere else can replicate.
However, you can visit and explore resorts for free. Perhaps for a lovey stroll after enjoying a filling table service meal. You can’t eat for free. Moreover, as with resorts being an important part of the Walt Disney World experience, so too is dining. Eating only counter service meals would put a damper on one of my favorite aspects of visiting Walt Disney World, and I’d miss that far more than waking up in a nicer hotel room.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Value vs Deluxe – Deluxe but we are DVC an never stayed at value. We enjoy having a kitchen for breakfast and breaks. I will say we have often chosen worse views to save points as we still get
Ride – Tower of Terror. I don’t like it and don’t ride it. I LOVE Flight of Passage. It is the only ride where we have waited 2 hours to ride. I do think the preshow is too long.
Holidays – Never been there at Halloween, but I love Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas stories, etc. Christmas it is.
Food vs Hotel – Food. (but as I said we are DVC so not really a choice). Years ago Disney’s restaurants were nothing great but now days we have found some real gems!
I am NOT a morning person, but I do like rope drop – we get more done in the first hour or two than later in the day. I do LOVE just walking around the parks at night. A friend went for the first time and told me his family went early left in the afternoon (staying off site) and never went back. I thought you really missed some of the magic not being there after dark. I went to Disney when I was a kid and there was only Magic Kingdom. I remember staying late and the crowds clearing out so my brother and I would ride things over and over with NO line. I agree it isn’t like that anymore unless the extra magic hours are like 1am. Did that with my daughter a few years ago and we were DYING.
I was surprised when you said Grand Floridian was far from your favorite. I know you have talked about the DVC lobby, etc. The points are SO high but we stayed there once and I loved that the DVC had its own lobby where we could check in and a second pool. We LOVE Animal Kingdom for that reason as well. The lobby is smaller but it is also less crowded and you can enjoy how relaxing it is.
Definitely more nights over deluxe accommodations.
Mix it up. Do early morning one day and late night another.
I will never ride Tower of Terror again. It is the scariest ride in the world. I loved Flight of Passage and would go back to AK just for it.
I would take Christmas over Halloween but I would go early in the season.
I would most likely skip the splurge on hotel and food and just stay longer. But I am open to once in a lifetime type slurges in both areas
Longer stay always (within reason due to job obligation) vs. shorter. I never stayed at Pop but hear it is perfectly fine. Stayed at GF and actually liked it alot but answer stays the same.
Early mornings over late nights. We can do so much in those first few hours plus early morning with few crowds is awesome for ambiance and peace.
I’d probably say Splash even though its in my top 8 probably. Everytime after FOP I’m in awe so much I tell the cast member (such as nerd). Don’t mess with ToT Disney!! Probably my #2 attraction and my son’s #1. Almost perfect. Mansion is the best classic attraction IMO. Never mess with.
Lowest crowd time with good pool weather is my choice so Halloween??
Better meal plan over hotel for sure. I think one table service is good for sanity.
Value vs Deluxe — Value. I’d rather be able to go and stay in Disney more.
Ride — Flight of Passage. I love the other rides and just could not give them up (and the lines are much shorter and FOP).
Holidays — Never been there at Halloween, but I love Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas stories, etc. Christmas it is.
Food vs Hotel — Food. I try to eat in as many of the restaurants as I can and redo the ones we really enjoy.
I am a morning person, but I do not like rope drop — too hectic. We try to make reservations in a restaurant in a park before it opens. Then we are inside at opening.
Good article. Kind of says it all.
If you want to do AKL, consider renting DVC points. The first time we stayed there, we did it on a friend’s DVC points and it was really affordable. Then we fell in love and bought DVC! Since then, we have actually done an AKL trip where we didn’t go into the parks at all. It’s such a great resort. Your daughter has great taste!
This was supposed to be in response to another post….not sure why it posted on it’s own like this!
Jess,
I saw your response! Thank you. We paid FULL PRICE when we went. Can you believe it? We didn’t learn about renting DVC til afterward, but that is exactly how we plan to go next time!
Thank you for mentioning it. Hopefully the next person will see this BEFORE they pay $400 per night!
1. Definitely a week at Pop
2. Late nights – I’m not a morning person & it usually cools off after dark
3. Avatar doesn’t interest me a all & neither do Star Wars, Marvel, or Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Christmas! – decorations are so pretty & temps are cooler
5. Neither – we usually only do 2 table service restaurants during our week at WDW and the rest are counter service. We also stay at Shades of Green as my aunt is retired Army.
1. While an elegant hotel, the Grand Floridian is not as unique as the Polynesian, or the Animal Kingdom or Wilderness Lodges. Those would be a harder choice to make. But to stick to the question as asked, a longer stay is better.
2. We usually visit in early December, so the daytime heat is not quite such an issue, but I – we – tend to be night people. For several years we rolled that way. I recently attended Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom and was charmed. I so enjoyed the opening ceremony, the chance to ride the Main Street conveyances, and opportunity to see the Dapper Dans and the Streetcar Show that I always make a morning at MK now.
3- Couldn’t miss Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion. I’ve ridden Flights once and enjoyed it, but would only do so with a Fast Pass. I loved Tower of Terror, too, but haven’t ridden it since the conversion to Guardians. For now it would have to be ToT/GoG.
4. Here is a hard one, We have been so often at Christmas and only once at Halloween. Maybe it was the novelty, but I enjoyed the prominence given to the wonderful Disney villains at Halloween. A close one tips to Halloween.
5. I travel with a very mixed crowd. We are foodies, but there are several avid character meal fans in the group (which are also not cheap. Also, we often split our stay with first days at a value, then a nicer resort (Riverside, AKL, WL). Like many readers of this blog, I guess we want a little of it all. LOL
This is a great blog topic, kudos. This could easily be an hour long podcast episode and/or some other form of presentation…so much to dig into here. Without (hopefully) too much rambling:
1) 3 Nights at GF vs. 7 Nights at Pop. This too is an easy one for me: 7 nights at Pop. There is unlikely any resort I would choose for 3 nights over 7 nights at (probably) any value, let alone Pop. 3 nights is simply not enough time to experience much of anything at WDW and I’d easily skip the grandiose accommodations for the extra time.
2) Rope Drop vs. Late Nights. This is a more difficult one for me. On the one hand I love an “efficient” Disney day, which usually includes a rope drop by necessity. However, I agree that it’s hard to compare anything to the beauty of the parks at night. In the end, I think I’ll take basking in the evening glow, regardless of the downsides.
3) Get Rid of One. Another tough one, but I think I’d agree again. FOP is a phenomenal ride that we thoroughly enjoy. I look forward to potentially riding it every time we go. However, I can’t fathom permanently replacing any of the iconic gems listed in favor of FOP. Those others have so much history, backstory, allure and detailed depth, it would be impossible for me to get rid of one of them. Additionally, from a logic standpoint, I won’t wait in the multi-hour line for FOP (it’s FP, rope drop or nothing for us), whereas the others are easily rideable every time via FP or standby.
4) Holiday Showdown. Christmas. This isn’t even close for me. I love Halloween and the decorations. I love the outfits and the weather (if it’s actually Fall). Christmas is simply my favorite holiday of the year and we are “one of those” families, with regard to our own decorations. Thus, being in our favorite place with our favorite holiday abound…easy choice for us.
5) Meal Splurge or Hotel Splurge. Another easy one for me and it’s hotel splurge. We generally don’t use the DDP. We have before and can appreciate it, but our personal preferences generally end up making the DDP not worth it, from a value standpoint. As such, Moderate upgrade all the way (Port Orleans, please).
We’ve been going to WDW for more than four decades, and this tells you two things – we’re Disney veterans and we’re old. Our trips are comprised of all adults and my comments are from a senior perspective.
1.) Don’t know why anyone who does early morning to late night theme parks would splurge on GF for three nights when most of the time in the room is spent sleeping. We do two nine day trips a year; one at a moderate (Riverside) and the other, a value (Pop). Don’t know how that compares in price, but in my book, nine nights at moderate or value level rates higher than three at deluxe.
2.) Late night, not rope drop. If you’re interested in how many attractions you can do, then rope drop is for you. If your interest lies in ambience, fireworks and strolling along without baking in the Florida sun, then late night it is.
3.) No contest – get rid of Tower of Terror.
4.) Christmas first over Halloween, if you’ve never done either.
5.) To make it affordable for us to go twice a year, we only do two or three table service meals and share. It’s quick service for the rest (which we also share; leaves room for snacks and desserts). . However, we do try to do one highly rated or new restaurant each trip. This is what we enjoy and this is what works for us.
1. Shorter stay at Grand Floridian. While it is far less interesting than the Poly, it’s right next door! Also, it’s on the monorail which is also a plus for me. And for me personally, Pop Century just represents a migraine. Too much going on.
2. I’d choose late nights, but would absolutely try early morning once
3. Flight of Passage can go…for same stated reasons.
4. Christmas!
5. Hotel splurge. I appreciate a great, relaxed table service meal experience, but it’s not a priority right now when visiting WDW.
The last 5 years we have been visiting WDW with our medically complex adopted daughter… we are 59 and 60 and have many years of visits under our belts with our 5 adult children and grandies. We began in 1984 and continued at feverish pace until 2014 seeing everything we could cram into two weeks of glorious magical moments. When we added Annabelle everything changed… we move slow… we see lots of Characters.. we savor the parades and the things that were often last on our list in the previous years. Disney has been so gracious with the disability pass and we’ve often been the recipients of amazing Disney magic given to Annabelle lovingly by cast members. This will be the first trip, September, that Annabelle can eat by mouth with reckless abandon ( she has been tube fed and on a very limited diet) we are so excited to experience that.
It’s all magic…. every tiny bit of it!
Why the need to call out that your daughter was adopted?
Maybe they were just sharing information about how they have built their family and explaining how they have a young child and also grown children and grandchildren. Why the need to criticize? I understand where you are coming from, but maybe if they said their ages and that their daughter is medically complex, people would think it was because of having a child late in life and criticize that. I think the point was that they are taking Disney (and probably life) at a slower pace these days and loving it. Have you adopted any medically complex children? (I have.)
Why the need to comment?? Their just sharing about their family dynamic.
We’re 59 and 60…. who is going to understand why we have a 5 year old!
This is rude. It’s their choice how they share about their family. And given their ages + the age of their daughter, it makes sense why they said what they did.
To Sheli: loved the story, by the way! I hope Annabelle enjoys alllllll the Disney treats!!!
Carrie, Elena and Jennifer … thank you! ♥ï¸
Maybe they are proud that they raised their grown children & are now raising an adopted child with the same love & traditions they gave the first time around. That is something many people , I’m guessing at their age, would not have the patience to do. What a lucky little girl to have parents like that. Try to think more positively about others & be less judgmental about all things in general It makes one’s life much more enjoyable.
I swim against the tide and get rid of Splash Mountain. I hardly ride it as it is because a) it’s often down for refurb at the times of year we like to go b) wavy, frizzy hair doesn’t need help like that c) I don’t enjoy face fulls of swamp water and d) save $2 on the ponchos I will inevitably wear on the ride e) bonus, don’t like sitting on wet seats or having wet tennis shoes.
I’m truly delighted a birthday trip for the kid has become a tradition since it’s in the best holiday season, Christmas season.
Great article!
1. I’m not a fan of the Grand Floridian, and the Pop looks pretty cool (I haven’t stayed there), so I’d definitely take the longer stay at a cheaper resort. With the cost of flights and the price break in park tickets, it ALWAYS makes sense for us to opt for a longer stay. Personally, I love a split stay for the optimal balance between price and luxury. For our upcoming trip in September, my daughter and I will be staying 5 nights in a Little Mermaid room at AoA, then my husband will fly in and join us for 5 more nights in a 1 bedroom villa at BC.
2. Definitely late nights. Getting through security and the entry kiosks, followed by waiting in the huge mob of a crowd for rope drop stresses me out! Nothing beats the cool air and magical atmosphere after dark.
3. Get rid of Flight of Passage. It is fine, but did not live up to the hype.
4. Halloween! We LOVE to go in September and attend 2 or 3 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties. The air is getting cooler, and the crowds tend to be fairy light as most kids are just starting school. The Boo To You parade is my favorite!
5. For me, a BIG part of the fun in anticipation is planning out which restaurants we’ll try each day of the trip. Also, we LOVE the Food and Wine Festival! So I’d say, if you have to choose, choose food.
GF vs Pop — GF because mainly I dislike the theme of Pop. The radio music, lack of immersion, and looking at all the real world/non-Disney tacky decorations would irritate me the whole trip. If it was GF vs moderate resort for same day length, then I would chose the moderate resort.
Rope Drop vs Late Night — tough one but I lean toward Rope Drop. I used to prefer late night because I love the lighting, night shows & parades, and ambiance but now I am too tired at night, no night parade, and its too crowded and hectic to enjoy the late night. The mornings are peaceful and wait times are manageable on my favorite attractions.
Get Ride of One — This was easy for me: Avatar FOP. Those other 3 are iconic to me with animatronics, music, and physical sets. Splash and Haunted Mansion are my quintessential attractions. FOP was one and done for me because it made me a little nauseous, I am not fan of screen based rides/shows, and I disliked the Avatar movie.
Holiday Showdown — Halloween. See Kevin’s reasons about real world plus some additional reasons: although I like the Disney versions of Christmas songs, since I go to WDW once or twice a year, I want hear their regular background/loop music of the parks rather than Christmas music.
Meal vs Hotel — Hotel Splurge. Since I love MK (I want to be as close as possible) plus I love the WL and Poly resorts, I would rather save money on dining such as grocery foods for breakfast and lunch and counterservice for dinner.
What about the perennial Epcot festival choice: “booze or food”?
Because, let’s be honest, it’s an either-or!
Is December 14-21 too late in December for lower crowds? Almost ALL of the inventory looks to be available whereas the first two weeks, there’s hardly anything available.
We’re having the HARDEST time deciding between Halloween week and December 14. Help!
Late nights every time! We have an entire list of rides we totally ignore during the day but run to at night (ahem, Dumbo). Luckily our kids are pretty cool with rope drop mornings, hotel after lunch until just before dinner, then back to the parks for the night. We just bring a change of comfy clothes that can double as pajamas (yoga pants, etc) and go to the bathrooms to change and clean up after dinner. Then when the two youngest inevitably crash in the stroller, we take turns on the rides with our 8yo. We almost always make it to close this way and get so much more accomplished! Plus the family pictures after dark by Ariel’s castle are our favorites!
Well, personally I would be happy with a longer stay while sleeping in a cheap motel.
But my daughter’s FAVORITE thing about her trip to Disney was seeing giraffes and zebras out the window of the hotel room, plus the water slide, the decorated lobby, the restaurant…
AKL was so much more her favorite thing than any ride or character that I am seriously considering a split stay in which we just spend two days there and watch animals, eat at the restaurants, do the lodge activities, etc. without even going to a park.
I just haven’t worked out the logistics yet. It would make the most sense to do the two days as a rest period between parks, but that means moving three times: stay at a cheap place for 2-3 nights; AKL for 2 nights; cheap place for 2-3 nights. Is this crazy???
I LOVE AKL! Talk about a transportive experience (and Boma for breakfast is the bomb)!
For us I’ve found that doing a split stay between more than 2 locations gets stressful and feels like it starts to cut into our park time in a strange way. As much as we love some of the hotels, we are always going to spend more time in the parks than at our hotel. Even with purposefully having some days to just relax and take a break!
I’d recommend maybe having AKL at the end of your stay- that way it’s the cherry on top of your sundae and you’re not having to pack up and leave for another less cool place (learn from my mistake).
1000% agree with going to the higher end hotel at the end of your stay. I went from a Deluxe to the real world equivalent of a Value last year, and it made me cry. Literally. Don’t do it! 🙂
AKL is my favorite thing at WDW. We go eat at Sanaa every trip and I love being there, jus walking around and being immersed in the atmosphere there. I don’t think its crazy at all!! I would totally do the same thing. We may end up doing that next year for my 40th birthday. A couple of nights at AKL where we just hang at the resort the whole time, then move somewhere like POR.
If you want to do AKL, consider renting DVC points. The first time we stayed there, we did it on a friend’s DVC points and it was really affordable. Then we fell in love and bought DVC! Since then, we have actually done an AKL trip where we didn’t go into the parks at all. It’s such a great resort. Your daughter has great taste!
Pop Century’s refurbished rooms are beautiful! We stay in deluxe hotels every time we go to WDW and we recently began doing two bonus days at the front of the trip at Pop Century. It’s very cheap, and gives us two days to just get acclimated.
Our family has a lot of down time, and we typically can stay for 9+ nights per trip, so switching rooms may not work if you’re going for 4 or 5 nights. But it’s a best of all situations scenario you may want to consider.
BTW: Grand Floridian is my least favorite deluxe, and the rooms at Pop are so much more modern.