I'm feeling so sad ...

[bsjs0708]

To be quite honest I made a decision during my last visit that I too was going to give WDW a break for a while..I'm a fan of the original.Disneyland will always hold a special place in my heart and I'm gonna be focusing more Disney visits there.
That being said, my niece wants to go for her first visit to WDW next Feb and would like me to come with..I'm hoping that seeing the park through her "first visit" eyes will renew my WDW passion...
There are a few reasons for my "disenchanted " attitude...but I won't get into it...lets just say I'm kinda feeling the loss of spontaneity. ..

 

[joannamet]

So you can sit around and bemoan the past or you can accept that you can't control everything and enjoy Disney in a new way. Ultimately, only you can decide if its still worth it for you or not but you really should give some of the changes a try.

I particularly think the comment about ADRs or fast food is just silly. There are wonderful dining options in the World that require no ADRs or you for which you can get an ADR the day before.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

....its still good enough that we go as many as 3-4 times a week....

 

[Jennasis]

Yeah, FP+ blows. But we literally just bought DVC last year, so we're in for life (sort of). So we're changing up our touring so we can avoid using FP+. Luckily A&E mean nothing to me, and I wouldn't wait more than 20 min for 7DMT so I wouldn't need those FP anyway. I'll maybe hit it at RD, otherwise we'll use RD for hitting the biggies or get them late at night.

Then we'll use our DVC as a home base as we spend more time at the ever-expanding USO.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I am a proponent of voting with your pocket book (as I just said on another thread), but be sure to let Disney know that you are doing so. If enough people protest this way, the policies will change.

That said, I'm not voting with you on this one. None of these policies made my trip worse. I just did my first FP+ trip, and it needs some tweaking, but I did like having the most important fastpasses set up already without running all over the park. I think it could be drastically improved if they would get additional fastpasses working with the app. There are still good restaurants available at the last minute - I didn't even book 180 days out, and I still went to BOG for both lunch and dinner and Beaches and Cream (which is hard to get at times because of the limited number of seats).

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

The days of a quick 3-4 days to see the Xmas lights and ride our favorite rides multiple times are as dead as the dodo bird.

100000000% categorically untrue. We did exactly that this past Christmas. We booked in late November for a trip first week of Dec. and it was without question the best Disney vacation my family has ever had. In fact I know we're gonna do it again this Christmas and I'm not booking till after our August trip because the spontaneity of that trip is part of what made it feel so magical.

 

[whiporee]

To the OP and other feeling much the same, you have to understand that there are people here whose intent is to make you feel bad about a Disney vacation. I don't know the reason -- maybe they are bitter because they can't take one themselves, maybe they just like causing trouble -- but their purpose in being here is to make you feel like WDW is no longer a fun place to be. And those folks dominate a lot of the conversations about things like FP+ and ADRs and pricing strategies. They may have valid points, but the overriding sentiment to their postings is that Disney used to be great, now it sucks for reasons X, Y and Z. They pretend to love it there -- may even have a bunch of trips in their sig -- but in reality they are trying to make others feel about about upcoming vacations. They lament changes that cannot be undone, the extrapolate a single experience to a universal condemnation. That's the tactic.

I have a friend who just got back from a week at DLR, which many are portraying as Nirvana because they still have the old FP system. And she's a planner, a rope-dropper, a collector. She said that the vacation as rough -- crowded, didn't get to as much as they had in the past, stuff like that. But, she said, the photos were wonderful. And that's what Disney wants -- they aren't in the theme park business, they are in the photo op business. The point is to give visitors enough great memories to make them put up with a lot of things that from a distance make no sense. But think about it -- if there were no FP+, then every morning would be a race at rope-drop; if the window for ADRs was not 180 days out, then whenever reservations opened up there'd be the same kind of rush. There are 30,000 rooms in the resorts -- all of them, and the rest of the visiting public, want their shot at the most fun possible.

Disney is more crowded now than it was in the past, and i think everyone laments that for their particular trip. But the only alternative -- limiting visitors or raising prices even higher -- would create just as much bad feeling. More and more people want to be there, and everyone tries to find strategies to maximize their vacation. That's natural and human nature. But WDW isn't interested in maximizing YOUR vacation, they are interested in giving everyone who goes those photo ops, those 20 or so memories that will make them come back. So they restrict the rules to the point where everyone has a chance at at least most of what they want to do, creating the photo ops.

If you're done, then you're done. But I hope you don't let these boards make that call for you. There are sometimes nefarious things that go on around here, and they often come in the nicest of disguises.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We canceled 2 trips because I was unsure about the rollout and final configuration of FP+ ... now with the additional new policies about changing room reservations and the potential of tiered ticket pricing ...

In the end it feels like Disney is trying to convert a resort vacation into a "cruise-like" vacation where they lock you into a length of stay (stay a week or face a penalty), daily excursions (pick your parks and rides in advance or be penalized), pick your restaurants 6 months in advance or expect to eat fast food ... on and on. If you deviate, then you will be penalized. All of this will help them to manage one of their most expensive line items - personnel.

I guess my tickets will sit in my drawer next to my Disney VISA reward/gift cards until my kids use them to scatter my ashes.

I plan to get an Amazon credit card and stop accruing Disney points as I will not be using them. The days of a quick 3-4 days to see the Xmas lights and ride our favorite rides multiple times are as dead as the dodo bird.

There is support group for this...

 

[hoosll]

Form OP:
What I was trying to say in my original post is that a WDW vacation is becoming more like a structured cruise vacation. It is presented as being a boon for travelers but in the end it serves the corporation by:
1. Keeping people on property longer by limiting what you can accomplish in a day, i.e., tiering FP+ in Epcot and limiting availability of FP+. It also favors people with smart phones ...
2. Allowing the corporation to predict the distribution of guests at the parks, hotels and restaurants so that staffing can be maximized or minimized.
3. I don't have children traveling with us so there are only so many experiences that we are interested in, under FP- we could maximize our favorite rides and restaurants
4. I don't fly so we are committing to 4 days driving for 3-4 days at WDW, so I am just as committed to getting my money and time's worth as people who invest in airline tickets and a week at the parks.
5. I used to love the planning but changes such as the notice needed for canceling a dining reservation mean that if you feel sick or end up at a different park, you will pay.

The corporation wants our behavior to be more predictable, I want to be more spontaneous so I will explore different vacations for awhile.

 

[WillAustin]

Form OP:
What I was trying to say in my original post is that a WDW vacation is becoming more like a structured cruise vacation.

Your points are very reasonable.

There is still room to have a spontaneous trip and have fun, but I do agree expectations are different now than in the past.

 

[IrishNYC]

How does FP+ favor those with smart phones? You can't make your 4th+ FP+ on your phone, only at kiosks. The only advantage is rescheduling from your phone, but you can do that at a kiosk as well.

 

[whiporee]

Again, if you're done you're done. But I want to address some of what you've said:

1) a) I think limiting what you can do in a day is a very subjective idea. A lot of people think FP+ allows them to do more in a day, especially during crowded times. b) tiering in Epcot is a logistical reality. They do not have enough seats on either Test Track or Soarin' to accommodate each person who walks through the gates, and it also allows you to know whether a FP is available before you walk through the gates or drive to the park c) it does help to have a smart phone.

2) Probably, but I don't know as that's a bad or immoral thing. Correct sizing staffing allows them to keep costs down, which might lead to customer benefits. I'm sure that increased staffing costs would lead to price increases.

3) You're right. Under Fp- you could maximize your rides (not sure how it helped with dining). But that maximization on your part came as minimization to someone else. Nothing wrong with that, but Disney has chosen to equalize opportunity for everyone. While I'm sure people of good will can have varying opinions as to the rightness of that decision, I think you'd be hard pressed to say they did it with bad intent.

5) For your situation, it's a $20 penalty. While I don't like spending other people's money, it's not as though someone is attending a broadway play and have to eat the tickets. And my understanding is that because the policy can vary from restaurant to restaurant, if you explain your situation, they often waive the penalty. But no-show penalties are not uncommon in high-demand restaurants, which most of the ones at Disney that take ADRs are.

All that said, you're making the right decision. You're clearly done and WDW doesn't work for you anymore, so I wish you luck in finding your next favorite spot. I'm partial to the Bitter End in the BVI or South Seas Resort in Captiva. That's only a three-hour drive from Orlando, and it's a wonderful place to spend a few days. Plus, shelling!

Good luck.

 

[disney144]

We went right after they rolled out fp+. Because we were there on special tickets, we could not reserve any of our fp+ until we were in the park. We still had no problem. Picked a few rides and waited in line for the rest. It is convenient being able to do it all at one kiosk instead of running around the park all day.

 

[smitch425]

Form OP:
What I was trying to say in my original post is that a WDW vacation is becoming more like a structured cruise vacation. It is presented as being a boon for travelers but in the end it serves the corporation by:
1. Keeping people on property longer by limiting what you can accomplish in a day, i.e., tiering FP+ in Epcot and limiting availability of FP+. It also favors people with smart phones ...
2. Allowing the corporation to predict the distribution of guests at the parks, hotels and restaurants so that staffing can be maximized or minimized.
3. I don't have children traveling with us so there are only so many experiences that we are interested in, under FP- we could maximize our favorite rides and restaurants
4. I don't fly so we are committing to 4 days driving for 3-4 days at WDW, so I am just as committed to getting my money and time's worth as people who invest in airline tickets and a week at the parks.
5. I used to love the planning but changes such as the notice needed for canceling a dining reservation mean that if you feel sick or end up at a different park, you will pay.

The corporation wants our behavior to be more predictable, I want to be more spontaneous so I will explore different vacations for awhile.

A few thoughts on each of your points...
1. Yes, it is a bit easier if you have a smartphone in your party, but it certainly is not necessary. Kiosks must be used to book additional FPs. If everyone was forced to use a kiosk for all changes, the lines would be insane. Allowing guests to use smartphones helps to alleviate the backup. While tiering is a bit of a pain at times, we've never had a problem doing everything we want easily, and the tiering is only in two parks, and it does help with crowd control, which benefits everyone.

2. Disney is a business, and it is smart business to meet the needs of your consumer. Knowing the anticipated crowd level helps them plan accordingly. I cannot understand why you feel this is a negative. Perhaps you could elaborate?

3. Having a small party actually works very well with FP+. Even with our family of 4, we easily got 6+ FPs per day, and that was with very little effort on our part.

4. Everyone wants to get their money's worth, whether it is a meal in a local restaurant or a multiday vacation. You already have park tickets, so you are currently wasting money by not wanting to use them. Lol

5. You can think your fellow travelers for the cancellation policy. The restaurants were losing money because of, for lack of a better term, reservation hoarders. Something had to be done, and typically they will wave the fee if you have fallen ill.

Spontaneity can still exist at WDW. In fact, FP+ is much more flexible that the old system. You can change things on the fly, you are guaranteed 3 attractions, and most importantly, you know ahead of time exactly when you can do those attractions. I truly hope you are able to visit again someday, especially since you already have tickets. I think you might be surprised at what you can do if you allow yourself to have an open mind.

 

[glohoffman]

I rent dvc so I'm used to being "locked in" to my plans. Doesn't bother me much...makes me become more sure of my decisions.

 

[MattsPrincess]

I hadn't been to WDW since I was 12...so like, 14 years ago. We just moved to FL and I knew I had to go back. We went this past saturday, after deciding to go thursday night. I booked our 3 FP on friday morning, but beyond that we had no plans/reservations/etc. We had a blast and can't wait to go back, and are now thinking of getting AP's.

 

[gatormom2tots]

We were dreading the new FP+ system. We were pros at the old system...gave away many fps at the end of the night we had stashed throughout the day.
But honestly, it hasn't been THAT bad. We had to change the way we tour and, honestly, it has forced us to slow down. We still rope drop but, instead of collecting fps during the first 2-3 hours to use later in the day, we enjoy the morning and then use our scheduled FPs in the afternoon.

But if you want to throw in the towel...more power to you.

For the kids (which is 75% of it for us), it is JUST as magical!

 

[MYD714]

My parents are in Florida now and they decided yesterday that they wanted to go to Epcot today with relatives. I was able to make ADRs for four of them yesterday, and there were plenty of times and restaurants available. When they got to Epcot this morning, they bought tickets and went to ride Soarin' immediately. They had a 10 minute wait, and then they were able to make a fast pass for Soarin' for later in the day. They are having a great time!

My parents were really skeptical about FP+ (and having to make ADRs) because they hate having everything scheduled. However, I planned our entire trip last summer and they loved knowing what they were doing and were they were going. They also loved not having to have someone run for fast passes and magic bands. FP+ helped us make sure that we did all of the things that were most important to my niece (like meeting A&E) without having to lose our minds in the process. I loved that we rarely had any "what should we do now?" moment

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Disney is more crowded now than it was in the past, and i think everyone laments that for their particular trip. But the only alternative -- limiting visitors or raising prices even higher -- would create just as much bad feeling.

I loved your entire post, but disagree with this. Disney could start spending their money on new high volume attractions or a 5th gate (gasp) instead of spending every dollar on more rooms, while removing attractions. Current trend is build more rooms, remove old attractions, leave said attractions empty rather than replace with something new.

Other than that, spot on post!!

 

[pigletgirl]

It's hard for me to feel sorry for those who feel this way. It's a theme park! The fact is no matter what Disney does, folks will shell out the $$$ to go. That's been pretty evident thus far.

Disney isn't forcing you to go. There are many other vacation spots. Do whatever feels best for you.