Dealing with closures and refurbishment on WDW trips – PREP021

There are always things that happen during Disney World trips that are less-than-ideal and people traveling during the first part of the year often have to handle more of that than anybody else.

Today, we’ll talk about how to deal with closures, refurbishments and other disappointments during Disney World trips.

I also have a quick tip about shopping for Disney World trips when it’s not summer where you live.

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These are notes from this episode. There’s much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

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Dealing with disappointments

People traveling in the first part of 2014 are having to put up with a lot of changes at Disney World which include:

• The normal refurbishments that take places this time of year
• Festival of the Lion King being closed for 6 months (reopening in summer 2014)
• Magic Kingdom monorail closures from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on weekdays beginning January 21 until the end of March (the Epcot monorail will remain open like normal)
• Construction at The Polynesian as a new DVC section is built
• Miyuki the candy maker retired
• The afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom is gone (the new one will open mid-March)
• FastPass+ is being rolled out fully this month to all guests – including those staying off-site – and legacy FastPass machines are being removed

So how do you deal with all of that?

Well, here are a few ideas:

• Attitude. “There are 2 ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations” is a quote I recently came across and it’s a good strategy when approaching a Disney World trip that might have some disappointments. Parents in particular should make sure to frame everything in a positive way to help kids see it that way.
• Make new plans. If necessary, change your plans a bit. You might consider renting a car, switching to a different hotel or changing your trip dates.
• Focus on other things. Take the time you would have been doing something that will be closed (like seeing Festival of the Lion King) to do something else you might not have (like seeing Finding Nemo – The Musical).
• Research and stay flexible. Know as much as you can ahead of time about the changes and then make a plan but stay flexible during your trip.

Quick tip of the day

Is it cold where you are but you’re headed to warm Florida for a trip? It’s likely that your local Target isn’t selling shorts, swimsuits and personal misting fans then. If you need to buy some of those things, be sure to look on eBay which often has a good assortment year round.

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Do you have concerns for things happening during your trip?

Please share them in the comments.

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Shannon Albert

Shannon started this site in May of 2012 to help people plan Disney World trips. Since then, she's visited monthly and stayed in every resort several times. You can find her on social media as well as her weekly podcast, WDW Prep To Go. Email Shannon

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