If you know me, you know that short Disney trips are kinda my thing. And I don’t mean like three days…I mean less than about 36 hours.

Hey, Disney!

At this point, the longest I’ve ever been in Orlando is about a week, and while I loved it, I’m the type of person who’s go-go-go nearly all the time. That means that my schedule is usually so packed, I don’t always have time to be down in Orlando for days at a time. Not to mention, I’m pretty spontaneous when it comes to solo trips, so it’s not surprising if I randomly decide to go on a trip two weeks in advance. Back in October 2025, I had some friends who were visiting Disney World for the first time in EIGHT years, and I had a very short window of time to surprise them, so yes, I did fly to and from Orlando on the same day and spent about 12 hours in the park, and I learned A LOT.

Plan For Delays

While I was hoping and crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t experience any flight delays, I ended up hitting snags both TO Orlando and back to Atlanta. On the way to MCO, we had a tiny bit of trouble on the runway that delayed us for about half an hour, though we made it up mostly in the air. However, on the way back? Yeah, we were delayed in boarding by about an hour and 15 minutes, because our plane was still in the sky when we were supposed to be boarding.

Ready to head to Disney World!

While I was hoping for the best, I already went in expecting the worst. Maybe it’s just due to my naturally anxious nature, but I’ve almost always got multiple plans in my head to fix any situation that may arise. I even had a backup plan for if my flight back was completely canceled! Not only does this help me still feel like I’m in control as a Type A person (should probably go to therapy for that, huh?), but it also means that I don’t feel like the ground has just been pulled out from under my feet when something slightly goes awry.

Check BOTH Uber and Lyft

Rideshare prices will change depending on the day you’re using it, the time of day you’re searching for the ride (yes, 20 minutes can make a difference), and I found that prices were different depending on whether I looked at Uber or Lyft.

Rideshare Sign in EPCOT

Not only that, but there were certain perks that I had on one rideshare app that the other didn’t have, which also lowered prices. It wasn’t anything that had been planned, but I made sure I had both downloaded AND I had created my accounts before the day of my trip, so it was easy to see what was the cheapest. Additional tip: when you’re looking for the rideshare stop at MCO Airport, head to the second floor and go all the way to the right to number 20 — that’s where rideshare pickup is!

Sometimes Saving Money Isn’t The Best

*GASP* The cheap 25-year-old just said sometimes saving money isn’t worth it? I KNOW, WHO AM I?! It’s true, though — on this trip, I knew I wanted to get to the park ASAP to meet up with my friends, so it was most important for me to pay for a rideshare to get to the park faster.

Disney Springs Rideshare

I could have chosen to take the LYNX bus to Disney Springs for just $2, but that would have taken me an hour, plus another 30-45 minutes to hop on a bus at Disney Springs that would then take me to an EPCOT area hotel, where I could then head into Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While I’ve done that route before and loved it to save money, in this case, it wasn’t the way to go.

Getting To The Correct Terminal at MCO is Harder Than It Seems

Don’t ask me how this happened because I have no idea, but in my rideshare back to MCO Airport, I almost went to Terminal A, when I was supposed to be at Terminal B. Fortunately, my rideshare driver was so kind to drive me to the correct one, and it wasn’t until I stepped inside that I realized what a mistake going to the wrong one would have been.

MCO Airport

Being closer to Terminal A would have put me closer to security for the WRONG set of gates! Now, fortunately, they’re just across the way from each other, so if I had paid attention, I likely would have noticed that my gate number wasn’t in the group listed, and I would have gone to the other one. But after waking up so early and spending a whole day in the parks, it’s entirely possible I wouldn’t have been thinking straight, and I would have gone through the wrong security wing (…I’ve done it before, but that’s a story for another time).

Pay close attention!

Overall, I’d totally do a trip like this again, especially if it means I get to spend time with friends or family, or experience something extra special in the parks. I know I’ll be down in Orlando more later on this year, and you can bet I’ll share all my stories with you to help you plan your trip more easily, so stay tuned to AllEars!

I Drive 7 Hours to Disney World for My Job…and I Won’t Make These 6 Mistakes EVER Again

Have you ever taken a short trip to Orlando? What did you learn? Tell me in the comments!

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