You’ve just realized you have a long weekend over Valentine’s weekend because of the President’s Day holiday, so you’ve decided to take your Sweetheart to Walt Disney World.
What are you, crazy?
No, I didn’t mean that. You’d be crazy NOT to jump at that last minute trip to the House of Mouse! But what the heck are you going to do, with no dining reservations, no FastPasses, and no chance to choose the romantic color red for your Magic Bands? Well, let’s just see what we can do to make this trip not only happen, but happen with many wonderful, romantic memories to boot!
Let’s start with dining reservations. I’m going to break this to you gently. You are not getting into Cinderella’s Royal Table. And there are probably a few other options not available to you at this late planning stage, but fear not. You’ll be glad to know that a quick search today, just 9 days in advance, shows dinner reservations available at many Walt Disney World resort restaurants, both inside and outside of the theme parks. You may not get prime time for V-Day dining, but if you don’t mind eating before six or after 8, options include my favorite Artist Point, the way under talked about Turf Club at Saratoga Springs, Sanaa, Jiko, Paradiso 37, Bongo’s Cuban Cafe, or numerous options at EPCOT. That romantic dinner can be something intimate and quiet, like Artist Point; or you can opt for fun and rambunctious, like Raglan Road.
And while this may not be the romantic dinner you had in mind, there is all sorts of magical moments dining for lunch at Be Our Guest. You don’t need reservations to eat there at lunch time, and you can sit in the West Wing with the enchanted rose, or check out the room with the giant music box. Great memories to be made if you are willing to wait in line a little bit.
FastPass+ encourages you to book your ride times in advance, but you may not have time to do that. Thankfully, you’ll find locations at each theme park where you can choose your FastPass+ options after you arrive at the park. I’ve seen pretty good availability last minute so far on rides and attractions, so if you want to steal a smooch with your Sweetie as you kick his butt on Toy Story Midway Mania, you may still find a FastPass+ available.
How about those plain grey Magic Bands you’ll be stuck with, since you didn’t customize them in advance? Gotcha covered. You’ll find virtually every resort and gift shop now stocks a supply of Magic Band covers and Magic Bandits, which are little pins you can stick in the holes on your Magic Bands to make them more personal. You can choose from solid colors, patterns, favorite characters – any combination of accessories to make the bands ones you love.
There are rooms available, plenty of park passes to hit up the places where you’ll find the most magic, and if you decide to wait until the moment strikes to pick up the perfect gift for your Valentine, you’ll find everything from delicious smelling bath products, watches, jewelry, clothing, accessories, or the gift that keeps on giving – annual passes!
So pack those bags, book those flights, and get your hiney down there with your honey. A Valentine’s Day full of love, romance, and magic – what could possibly be better?