The Last Night at Disney World: A Tradition Worth Starting

The last night of a Disney World vacation can feel bittersweet. Instead of rushing past that feeling, consider making a little room for it.

The beginning of a Disney World vacation is filled with anticipation.

The last night feels different.

By then, the resort room looks lived in. Everyone knows the route to the bus stop. You've developed inside jokes. You've discovered favorite attractions. Someone has probably announced what they want to do “next time.”

Eventually, someone says the sentence nobody wants to hear:

“This is our last night.”

It's tempting to respond by trying to fit in as much as possible. One more attraction, One more photograph. One more show, snack, or shop.

Perhaps the last night deserves something else, too. A few minutes to remember the vacation while you're still on it.

Don't Make the Last Night a Race

There's nothing wrong with filling your final evening with as much as possible.

Ride your favorite attraction again. Watch the fireworks. Have dessert.

Stay until the park closes if that's what your family wants, but you don't need to turn the final hours into an attempt to rescue everything you didn't accomplish.

You aren't going to finish Disney World tonight. In fact, Disney World is so massive that you will not finish Disney World in one vacation, no matter how long that vacation is!

Trying to do so can make the end of the vacation feel frantic. Instead, choose the things that feel right for the ending.

Find Somewhere to Sit Together

There is a statute on Main Street at Magic Kingdom which most people pass by. It is of Walt Disney's brother, Roy, and Minnie Mouse. They are sitting on a park bench. They look happy, at peace, and not wanting to get up any time soon. For those steeped in Disney lore and those who know that Walt Disney World exists in large measure because of Roy Disney, the statue means a lot.

It also carries symbolic meaning for anyone on a Disney vacation, whether a Disney fanatic or first-time visitor. Find somewhere to sit together. Some of the most magical moments happen when we sit together. Those moments can become lifelong memories.

So, find a place to stop. Of course, it could be a bench in a theme park. It could also be a table at your resort, or by the pool, or even in your hotel room.

Ultimately, the location is not what matters most. The people with you matter most.

Then, ask one question:

“What is one thing from this trip you never want to forget?”

And let everyone answer.

Don't Guess What Everyone Will Say

This is part of the fun.

Someone may choose the attraction you've ridden three times. Someone might say the fireworks. Someone might name dinner.

But, someone else may mention something you'd almost forgotten. The time everyone got soaked in the rain. The joke from the bus. The moment you covered your eyes on the final drop of Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

It could even be a quiet moment at the park or resort. Their answers don't need to be impressive. They just needs to be theirs. That is what makes it impressive.

Let the Answers Become Part of the Family Story

If you'd like, write the answers down.

A few words in your phone or in your journal are enough. You don't need to document the whole vacation. Maybe years later you'll read:

Dad — watching them meet Pluto for the first time.

Mom — that quiet breakfast before EPCOT.

Chip — swimming at night.

Dale — braving Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Those little sentences preserve more than a list of things you did. They preserve what mattered to each person at that particular moment in their lives.

It's Okay If the Last Night Feels Sad

It is not uncommon to feel sad that your wonderful vacation is ending. As wisely put by Vision in the Avengers movie series, "A thing isn't beautiful because it lasts." No one ever wants to be sad. No one wants the vacation to end. Remember, though, that sad feeling represents just how powerful and positive your vacation was.

That's part of why it feels special. You wanted more time. You weren't finished exploring. You weren't finished being together there. Children may express that feeling openly. Adults sometimes do too.

You don't have to immediately replace the sadness with:

“We'll come back!”

Maybe you will. Hopefully, you will!

But for a moment, it's okay simply to acknowledge:

This was really special, and we're going to miss it.

Missing something is one of the ways we know it mattered.

Talk About What You'll Carry Home

The vacation ends. The things that happened during it don't disappear.

You'll bring home photographs. Souvenirs, perhaps. Oh, and laundry. Definitely laundry.

You'll also bring home new stories, new jokes, new favorites. You'll bring home things you learned about each other and maybe even a tradition you didn't have when the vacation began.

That's what makes the final night more than an ending.

It's the moment when the vacation begins turning into something you'll remember together.

Don't Spend the Whole Last Night Saying Goodbye

There's a balance here.

You don't want everyone walking around all evening solemnly announcing:

“This is our last ride.”

“This is our last dinner.”

“This is our last bus.”

You're still on vacation. Enjoy it. Laugh, ride an attraction, have one more snack, stay out late.

The reflection can take five minutes. Then, go back to experiencing the night.

Before Your Trip...

You don't need to plan exactly where your final evening will take you.

Just remember one question:

“What happened this week that you never want to forget?”

Ask it on the last night and listen to everyone's answer. Maybe, when you return to Walt Disney World someday, ask it again.

The final night doesn't have to be about everything you didn't get to do. It can be about realizing just how much happened while you were there.

Plan Your Trip. Make Lifelong Memories.