6. Choose an alternative special experience

If the family really had their heart set on a particular experience, you may not be able to replicate that—however, you can still find other ways to make the day special, especially if you have some wiggle room in your budget.

For example, if you struck out trying to get onto Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, your best bet for a similar experience will involve leaving the parks and heading to Disney Springs. Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a hyper VR experience that allows guests to take on a stunningly real mission in the Star Wars universe using VR technology paired with a giant maze. This maze allows guests to physically interact with digital objects in a way that baffles the senses. Until the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, it was hands down our favorite experience at Walt Disney World—for me, I even rated it higher than Flight of Passage. The Void has also recently released a Wreck It Ralph hyper VR experience as well. If your time at the parks turns out to be a total bust, these experiences at Disney Springs can be well worth the money.

Other fun options you can try include special meals and dinner shows, playing mini golf at Fantasia Gardens, enjoying the resort pools, getting a massage or hitting the spa, and even trying out some of Disney’s more last-minute offerings for tours. As mentioned earlier, character encounters are another great option for parents to consider—World Showcase is a particularly great destination if your child wants to meet one major character after another.

7. If possible, find a way to try, try again

This may not be possible for everyone, but depending on the layout of your trip, it may be worth scrapping the day’s original plans to try again on another day.

Once again, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance serves as a great example. If you are staying on or near Disney property, you may have the ability to try a different day to get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios early. Lately, the sweet spot is to arrive at the parks about 45 minutes to an hour before rope drop (go with the latter if it’s a really busy week). If you can shift your busted Disney plans to another day, do so. Take the pressure off the day that got busted by giving everyone in the family some hope that you can try again, then find other ways to enjoy your day.

If you can’t move your plans to another day, you may not have to give up on your original plans entirely—unexpected things happen at Disney parks. Last minute Fastpasses can open up. We’ve walked up to restaurants before and been told they couldn’t accommodate walk-ups only for a cast member to chase us down one minute later saying that a table opened. Even with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, people who get into backup boarding groups are making it onto the attraction more often now.

Above all, if your Disney day gets busted, remember that attitude is everything. You might be able to set the tone for your family to still enjoy the day just by doing your best to keep calm and have a good attitude. If you need to step away for a moment to gather your wits and calm raging emotions, that’s okay. Believe in yourself that you can actually do this, and more often than not, everything will still turn out okay.

Have you ever experienced a busted Disney day? Were you able to salvage it?