lugnut33
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2008
Reading all the FP+ threads got me thinking how a trip to WDW has changed over the years. If you compare a trip in the 80's to now it sure has changed a lot.
Back in the day very few people had to set up their travel more than 6 months in advance. Looking through early WDW brochures it was encouraged that people just show up and stay without a reservation.
You could just walk up to restaurants and get a table. No need to get up at 12 a.m. exactly 180 days from arrival to make ADR's at the popular restaurants. You didn't need a credit card to hold reservations. If you wanted to make a reservation at an Epcot restaurant back in the day, you could do it the day of at a special video communications kiosk inside the park.
When you got to the park, you just waited in line to ride the attractions you wanted to see. You got up, decided which park you wanted to visit, and that's where you went. You didn't need to get up at 12 a.m. exactly 60 days in advance to make your Fastpass selections or you'd be out of luck in seeing one of the E-ticket attractions. No need to consult the crowd calendars 60 days out and determine which park you wanted to visit. Or look at what dining reservations you made 4 months earlier to know which park to make your FP+ selections.
I should also add, that many times you would randomly run into Disney characters out wandering the park, but now you need to stand in line or use one of your Fastpasses in order to see them.
I know I'm forgetting other things that have changed. Some of the changes are no big deal and some have been for the better. I just know that a WDW vacation has gotten much more difficult to plan for.
Back in the day very few people had to set up their travel more than 6 months in advance. Looking through early WDW brochures it was encouraged that people just show up and stay without a reservation.
You could just walk up to restaurants and get a table. No need to get up at 12 a.m. exactly 180 days from arrival to make ADR's at the popular restaurants. You didn't need a credit card to hold reservations. If you wanted to make a reservation at an Epcot restaurant back in the day, you could do it the day of at a special video communications kiosk inside the park.
When you got to the park, you just waited in line to ride the attractions you wanted to see. You got up, decided which park you wanted to visit, and that's where you went. You didn't need to get up at 12 a.m. exactly 60 days in advance to make your Fastpass selections or you'd be out of luck in seeing one of the E-ticket attractions. No need to consult the crowd calendars 60 days out and determine which park you wanted to visit. Or look at what dining reservations you made 4 months earlier to know which park to make your FP+ selections.
I should also add, that many times you would randomly run into Disney characters out wandering the park, but now you need to stand in line or use one of your Fastpasses in order to see them.
I know I'm forgetting other things that have changed. Some of the changes are no big deal and some have been for the better. I just know that a WDW vacation has gotten much more difficult to plan for.