DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
1. Shop
Whether you’ve been waiting to visit Disney Springs until the last day of your trip, or you find yourself putting off purchases to make carrying them easier, picking up those last-minute souvenirs is a must-do at the end of your trip. Though some items can easily be purchased from home via the Shop Disney Parks mobile app, many cannot (including food). If you have your heart set on coming home with some Main Street Popcorn or Mickey Rice Krispie Treats, you’ll want to pick up a bag or two before you leave the resort.
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2. Take photos
Particularly for guests who visit the parks on at least a somewhat regular basis, taking lots of photos may not be a priority. Even if you have hundreds or thousands of photos of Cinderella Castle, there is no harm in taking a few more– especially if you happen to be visiting during a holiday season when the park is decorated differently from the rest of the year.
3. Make sure you have your travel documents
Hopefully you have everything you need to efficiently depart from the Walt Disney World Resort, but in the unfortunate chance that you find yourself without a passport or license before the end of your trip you’ll want to know before you arrive at the security gate at the airport. (This is also one reason why making copies of important paperwork when you travel and keeping them in multiple bags is always a wise decision).
4. Tip your resort cast members
In addition to cast members working as waitstaff or bartenders in Disney restaurants, you should also be tipping housekeeping cast members, and bell services and Disney’s Magical Express cast members if you receive assistance with your luggage. While you may often tip housekeeping only on the day that you check out of your resort room, consider leaving tips for these cast members throughout your trip. You never know if the same cast member services your room for the entire week, so you may be leaving some cast members without any tip and some with the entire tip if you only do so when you check out.
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5. Explore your resort
If you are not visiting a park on the last day of your trip, take some time to explore your resort. Chances are you never got a chance to do so when you arrived: Many guests check into their resorts, freshen up in their rooms and head right out to the parks, leaving much of their resort unexplored. If this situation sounds familiar spend some time before your departure simply wandering and taking in all of the details you’ve missed during your stay.
6. Book your next trip
What’s the best way to cure the post-Disney vacation blues? By booking another trip of course! Before leaving your resort, check out the information provided in your hotel room or talk to a cast member about booking your next trip using a bounce-back offer. You can often save some money by booking your next trip before you leave!
7. Reconcile your bill
Your resort bill will be emailed to you prior to your departure from the resort. If you did not use your MagicBand for charging privileges, chances are there will be no additional balance listed on the receipt. Still, double checking that the information is correct before you leave is never a bad a idea.
8. Spend time at the pool
If you have a late flight or drive home (and no park ticket) spend some time relaxing by the pool before you return home. Bell services would be happy to watch your luggage for you, and many of the resort’s pool areas offer lockers and changing rooms for this reason.
9. Grab a bite to eat
Especially depending on the time of year and what part of the day you are leaving your resort, security at the Orlando International Airport can be a time-consuming process. For this reason, grabbing a bite to eat at your resort before you leave may be beneficial. Spend some time enjoying a salad or sandwich at your resort’s quick service restaurant to ensure that you’ll have time to get something in your stomach before you fly home.
10. Check your luggage and pick up your boarding pass
If you are flying home after your vacation, you can check your luggage and pick up your boarding pass at your resort. This complimentary service allows you to skip the check-in line at the airport and head right for security and to your gate.
11. Hydrate
You’ve (hopefully) been on top of staying hydrated throughout your trip, but don’t let yourself fall out of this habit on the last day. Travel in general whether you are driving or flying can be exhausting, and dehydration can lead to fatigue (not to mention how dry the re-circulated air on the plane is especially compared to the humidity you’ve been dealing with in the parks).
