How long for ESTA approval?

I applied for ours again last week for our trip next month, finished the application around 11.30 or 12 the other night then went to bed, next morning when I checked I had gotten the email to say status change around 1 am and actually thought of this thread 😅

@Qilin I have never forgotten any of those things. I am surprised at people who do.

I'm naturally very organised. Fortunately! And I create mini spreadsheets, add key dates to an online calendar, etc routinely, So, it's rare for me to forget things like these.

However, I'm also not infallible and I'm also aware it can just be the one slip that makes all the difference.

For example, I checked all of our ESTAs one year when we went to Orlando. The print outs I had were all well in date. I sorted out one for dd's friend who was travelling with us. Everything sorted - or so I thought. What had slipped my mind was that dd had needed a new passport between booking the holiday and going. It was only at check in 48 hours before leaving that the error was found - and it wasn't even that obviously. I just wouldn't let dd check in on time. Everyone else's went through but it kept giving me an error for dd. It never once said what the error was. I tried all sorts of solutions for ages, in a panic! It was only then it suddenly dawned on me - in the hectic time when sorting DD's passport (had a fairly tight turn around for her due to it running out between a previous holiday and a school trip abroad) that I'd forgotten to renew her ESTA. Luckily it was back when it was near instant approval,so,was sorted that evening.

But as it goes to show - even if you are normally organised and have strategies in place to avoid mistakes happening - it just takes one busy event to let things fall down.

So I'm not naive enough to believe that no one is infallible!

So happy for you OP, can relate a little to the stress, last time we went to the US, a postponed covid trip, we had to do supervised pcr tests, the stress was unbelievable, dh dropped his swab mud test, thankfully camera superviser didn’t pick it up, we got all clear but the thought of missing out after all the planning was just awful, never again!!

I just read this thread - that was a roller coaster ride! So glad they came through OP. I had my heart in my mouth as when we first went to the states with our eldest 10 or so years ago, we were advised to leave up to 2 weeks for the ESTAs to clear!!

Hope you have a fabulous holiday, I love Disney World.

I'm organized af too. Never missed an appointment or forget an ESTA or missed an expired passport. But I'm also not a sanctimonious that who comes onto threads where OP is under such a large amount of stress to brag about how amazing I am and how I just COULDN'T POSSIBLY do something so stupid.

If I had to choose between knowing OP and knowing you, I'd absolutely choose the OP.

You sound lovely 🙂 Please show me where I laughed at the OP?

Also, that day won't come for me, because I am organised. How on earth do people forget a Dr. appt?

@Qilin I have never forgotten any of those things. I am surprised at people who do.

There's always a twat @Scalottia

No, I have never forgotten to do something like this

When the day comes on which you do inevitably mess up, I hope everyone laughs like fucking hyenas at you.

I can't stand disorganised people, they do my head in.

Occasional human error is a thing. Someone can be the most well-organised person you've ever met, but they will still, once in a while, forget something important. It happens. Forgetting one important thing, once, does not make the OP 'a disorganised person'. It makes her human.

Unless you are planning on going on holiday with the OP, which seems unlikely, her situation affects you in precisely zero ways. So maybe just try to relax a bit, because if you spend your life having your head done in by situations happening to complete strangers with no impact on you, you'll end up exhausted.

Life sometimes gets in the way.
And with something like a Disney holiday there is a lot of stuff and dates to remember, so much to organise before you go.
All it takes it to drop the ball once, easily done.

Ideally you'd joy everything down, have calendar reminders, so things straight away - but life isn't always that straight forward and people get distracted every day.

Why do people forgot their purse? Why do people get locked out of their house/car? Why do people forget a doctors appointment? Why do some children get sent to school in uniform on non uniform day(and it not be a choice)? The list could go on forever.

All every day stuff but also things people forget regularly. Unfortunately some have bigger consequences than others.

@Scalottia you seem to have forgotten something a lot more important though, empathy and compassion.

Thanks for the crown OP. No, I have never forgotten to do something like this, especially something as important as an ESTA etc. I don't think I am amazing, but I am glad that I have never experienced the avoidable stress that you did. Enjoy your trip.

Just caught up on this thread, I’ve never read something that gave me so much anxiety😵I’m so pleased you managed to get them through in time.
We go on October and I will be triple checking in the run up to check they're still all valid. Have an amazing time.

I always leave my ESTA till late because I tend to travel every year around the same time and if I get it too early it runs out before I've had the use of it! You generally get them back super quickly so I'd never apply until a week before I fly. In fact did it this year for family (mine was still in date).

Glad so many virtuous people on here like to think they'd never screw up anything.

So happy for you!!! What a relief! Have a wonderful time in Disney, it’s the best!! X

What a stressful thread!
So glad you and especially your kids got to go!

A good few years ago mine was instant, but my boyfriends might have been a few days or so.

I felt every emotion with you on your comments OP and am so glad you got a happy ending!

DH and I had both ‘overlooked’ the visa situation last year and when checking in were asked where our ESTA’s were. Cue confused faces and then mass panic.

We applied and then sat pretty much in silence as we were both so anxious. Boarding closed and they were not back.

DH was trying to organise alternative flights but they were coming in at around £1800, whilst I sobbed and sobbed, when by some miracle happen and they came back.

Virgin were amazing and whisked is through first class and we were the last ones on the plane. I don’t think I relaxed until we were half way across the Atlantic!

I hope you have the best holiday!

this thread has given me
steess

i always thought it was instant

you live and learn

Have a fabulous holiday lovely 💕

Enjoy your well deserved holiday, wear those sandals, also on that sun cream and enjoy.

I book flights as soon as they open so around 11 months normally in advance. I do get my ESTA in plenty of time but only because I have seen that if it doesn't get approved it can take months to get one in person.

However I can totally understand why some people don't know about it or think I'll do that later and forget.

And I do get mine after booking flights and hotels because I know I can cancel them usually up to about 2-3 days before I fly. Therefore there is no reason I would need to get an ETSA prior to booking anything.

‘’Social media…” gasp….a mistake….

I’m so happy for you, OP. The stress reading this thread was immense (and I was reading when there were 17 pages already!) so I cannot imagine how you felt. I’m so glad it worked out. I’m at WDW later this year and I dread to think how I would feel if I was in your shoes. Have an amazing time!