Take it from me, a final Flight of Passage is not worth nearly missing your flight home…
The time is November 2019, the place is Orlando International Airport (MCO), and the scene is a pair of newlyweds racing to catch a flight home as our names were announced over the loudspeaker like something out of a movie. So, how did we get here?
Like many card-carrying Disney Adults, I’ve been visiting Disney theme parks since I was a child, and I introduced my wife to them when we first started dating as high school sweethearts in the early 2000s. In fact, we had gotten engaged at the Magic Kingdom in 2017, so following our wedding in 2019, it only made sense to take a quick mini-moon (or more appropriately, Minnie-Moon) to the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
On the fourth and final day of our trip, we planned to head to Animal Kingdom and secured FastPast+ reservations for Avatar: Flight of Passage for the late afternoon, approximately three hours before our scheduled 8:45 PM departure time from MCO. We knew we were cutting things a bit close, but figured we’d still have plenty of time to get back to our hotel from Animal Kingdom, pick up our bags, and get to the airport.
The ride itself went off without a hitch, but things began to fall apart when getting back to the Polynesian Resort took longer than we anticipated. In turn, we ended up in our rideshare much later than anticipated, and arrived at MCO’s security line with only about 20 minutes to reach our gate.
We made it through with just barely enough time, which brings us back to the aforementioned race through the airport, carrying a lightsaber no less. We did make it to our gate before the plane closed… just barely, and got on our flight home, exhausted and out of breath.
While the FastPass+ system has long since transitioned into the current Lightning Lane system, the temptation to squeeze out a final ride is still the same. However, I can assure you from experience, cutting it close is simply NOT WORTH IT.
If the only LL available is too close to your departure time, then it should be a no-go. Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney tips from our team’s decades of visits.
Dear Disney: Please Don’t Ruin Magic Kingdom with Your New Mega Expansion
Have you ever cut your departure from Disney World close? Let us know in the comments below.
I felt queasy from the moment that you said the Fastpass was 3 hours before your flight! We fly to the UK so Mears picks us up at about 4 hours before the flight time. We used to go into a park on the last day but now I find it way too stressful as you have to keep an eye on the clock. I prefer to have a good breakfast at the hotel then hang out there and relax until the bus picks us up.