60 day FP...sigh

[Kriii]

I checked my 60 day FP date and found that it is on a Monday morning. Of course, the 7 AM time is just when I need to be getting to work. Disney, I enjoy your parks but why are you such a PITA to schedule for? I went to Universal last year and it was soooo much easier to plan! I have dining reservations but not necessarily the times or restaurants I would like. I will keep looking for better reservations but seriously, it should not be this much work! I have been to Disney plenty of times and know the score. My trips are getting shorter and fewer as a result of the excessive planning that is needed. Done venting!

 

[mom2rtk]

They did that because that's when the tech people are available if issues come up as you schedule.

Because of the varying time zones, there really is no ideal time.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I have a pretty laid back job and one year I actually put in PTO to be late so I could make my ADR's in peace. Terrible, I know, but we REALLY wanted BOG. I could make them at work but with my luck an emergency would happen at that exact moment.

 

[Kriii]

I can't be late to work and I do realize that getting a FP at 7:00 AM is not anything close to being a real worry in life, I just wish that this extra stress wasn't part of planning. I do appreciate that I can now make dining reservations online. I am old enough to remember having to call Disney at 7:00 AM sharp and hope to get through in time for a CRT reservation! Once I was on hold two hours. I am only spending two days at WDW this time and would like to make the most if it. Disney should really take a look at how Universal handles things. Way more laid back and just as much fun!

 

[Klayfish]

They did that because that's when the tech people are available if issues come up as you schedule.

Because of the varying time zones, there really is no ideal time.

Yep, totally agree. What works for one person wouldn't work for another. There's no "right" way for WDW to do this that will please everyone. For me, 7am is ideal. Having it at midnight would be a disaster for me. DW and I get up at 4am, so we go to bed by 9:30pm. I can count on one hand the number of times we've been awake at midnight in the past 15 years...we don't even stay up for New Years Eve. Having the window open at 7am is perfect, I'm already in my office in front of a computer. Sorry it makes it more challenging for you, OP.

 

[alliecat523]

I have never made FP reservations the minute they open for my trip and I've always gotten what I wanted.

 

[AllieBoo]

I am on central time, so thankfully I was able to make mine at 6:00 am, which was great because it didn't interfere with me getting to work. I did like it better when the window opened at midnight though. I will say that I tweaked my plans throughout that day and found everything to still be available, even the Pandora rides.

 

[Hootch]

I did our FPs yesterday. It took an hour. We got everything with some times a bit off. Later in the day I was able to clean those up. Our plans in the banshee ride and FEA. Our kids did not want to do Seven Dwarfs.

Apparently Disney has a good idea on hours and just not sharing them. There is FP availability in DAK in the eight o'clock hour showing for FP on June 16th..

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I have never made FP reservations the minute they open for my trip and I've always gotten what I wanted.

As long as you are not looking for FEA or 7DMT, you are fine (Pandora may get this way).

 

[CAS239]

Just make your FP's on your lunch break or when you get home. You don't have to be on right when they open up to be able to get what you want. You can easily get on after work and get all the FP's you want, including 7dmt, FEA, and very likely Pandora.

Or just pop in the bathroom for 5 min after you get to work and snag what you want then lol. There's only as much planning as you want it to be.

 

[Beer Me]

I hate seeing people stressed out about disney!

I've planned entire Disney vacations less than 6 weeks out and they worked out just fine. If you can't get a fp for something use a different strategy, like rope drop. Worst scenario is you wait in some long lines.

 

[Hootch]

I just looked at the Pandora rides a day after my 60 day window and there are several times available for a party of three. (I used modify to look at different times and our party is three.)

 

[Budzooka]

I made our FP selections last week at 60 days, but then tweaked them over the weekend. Still plenty of options for a party of 12 at Pandora.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I wonder if the FP availability for Pandora will start to drop and be harder to get once word spreads that its open.

 

[CAS239]

I wonder if the FP availability for Pandora will start to drop and be harder to get once word spreads that its open.

I'm sure the tier for the Pandora rides is what's greatly helping leave FP's for people. But there's plenty of people who still think you have to pay extra for fast passes, so I'm sure once Pandora opens and more word is out then FP's will be going quicker

 

[Amelia :)]

In the U.K. my FP window opens at 11am, but it's just the way it is! I had to wait till my 2pm lunch break to do most of them, but I managed to get FEA and SDMT whilst I was "going for a quick wee".... the things we do!

 

[Kriii]

My point was why do we have to reserve FP so early at all, but I don't think I made it clear in my first post. No one is forcing me to go to Disney or anything I just wish so much planning didn't have to go into it. I miss the flexibility that I used to have at Disney.

 

[DisneyOma]

I checked my 60 day FP date and found that it is on a Monday morning. Of course, the 7 AM time is just when I need to be getting to work. Disney, I enjoy your parks but why are you such a PITA to schedule for? I went to Universal last year and it was soooo much easier to plan! I have dining reservations but not necessarily the times or restaurants I would like. I will keep looking for better reservations but seriously, it should not be this much work! I have been to Disney plenty of times and know the score. My trips are getting shorter and fewer as a result of the excessive planning that is needed. Done venting!

Universal is small beans compared to WDW - that's why it's easier to plan, if you want to pay extra for their pass (or stay onsite). We go to both, but Universal is only a day's worth of our trip, as we are not into the intense roller coasters that fill those parks. We only go to the Harry Potter sections. We have to plan a lot though - as who wants to wait in those long queues, especially the Hogwarts one that takes you so close to backstage that you can see (and smell) the trash back there? And hear the traffic, see the blank back of the building, etc. So we go very early, head right to Hogwarts, etc. It's not the 60 day madness, of course, but it still takes planning.

I can't be late to work and I do realize that getting a FP at 7:00 AM is not anything close to being a real worry in life, I just wish that this extra stress wasn't part of planning. I do appreciate that I can now make dining reservations online. I am old enough to remember having to call Disney at 7:00 AM sharp and hope to get through in time for a CRT reservation! Once I was on hold two hours. I am only spending two days at WDW this time and would like to make the most if it. Disney should really take a look at how Universal handles things. Way more laid back and just as much fun!

If Universal was as big, had as many visitors as WDW does, then it would be the same way. The only areas that get crowded at Universal are the HP ones.

 

[mom2rtk]

My point was why do we have to reserve FP so early at all, but I don't think I made it clear in my first post. No one is forcing me to go to Disney or anything I just wish so much planning didn't have to go into it. I miss the flexibility that I used to have at Disney.

Totally get that. I personally think it's nuts to reserve a 2 minute theme park ride 2 months out.

 

[lchuck]

I'll go the other way and say that it's awesome we can use this time when I'm not on vacation to save a bunch of time in the parks when I AM on vacation. I only get a precious few vacation days every year, so I love being able to reserve times for those really busy rides and save myself from wasting that time in lines. Speaking from my own past experiences, I went to WDW several times as a child and in high school and now have taken my own kids these past 2 years. I much prefer the current system where there are guaranteed times I know I won't be waiting in lines vs the past times where we spent many hours waiting for Space/Splash/Thunder. I compare how much I get done in a day now to the past and can't believe the difference. I understand you give up a little flexibility, but in reality, were you really deciding in the moment which ride to go on or where you merely looking at the size of a line and using that to decide? Maybe I'm in the minority, but my family and I love FP+ as it is now!