I knew it was a "pick a number" game.. but that's the point kinda. There is ONLY so much increase that be given before every day is near max capacity.. that's just not practical or enjoyable for the guests. And most importantly, for this guest.
Admittedly I was being flip with that last line about diminishing returns ... but to expand on my glib thinking..
Someone pointed out the 9 attractions thing.. and someone else mentioned pushing thru a crowd to get to those and that nails way better my line of thinking.
We arrived here at Disney on Friday. I knew the parks would be sheer insanity and pretty much expected to get very little done til Monday. Mainly because of the holidays. I haven't been disappointed on that count.
Yes, I could have gone full commando and packed in ... well, probably more than 9 attractions per day ... but I'm getting older now.. I can't walk as long as I used to before my feet hurt and I just want a nap. Typically for me that's about 2pm. And now that I'm older, I like to savour the details.. and not RUSH across the park from FP machine to short line back to redeem FP etc.
I don't like any of that. So we arrived yesterday, we got lucky squeezed a couple of non-headliner attractions in at Epcot in the afternoon and then MK last night before a TO DIE for dinner at Tonys.
Today, we hit Animal Kingdom. Despite arriving at 8:53 .. I didn't even try for Everest today. Or anything "major" -- we got an FP for the safari, we had a lovely breakfast at Pizzafari, then used the FP, wandered the Pagani trail, took the train up to Conservation station and checked all that out.
We shopped a little and decided.. let's have lunch at DTD and then go back to the resort and chill at the pool. Did that and then off to Hollywood Studios, saw the Osbourne Lights and the Disney Animation thingy. (Which was weaksauce compared to the old days..) And then off to Whispering Canyon for dinner.
I tell you all this because even tho I have weak feet and low stamina .. this is not my natural touring style. The crowds were thick.. not as thick as earlier in the week, but still considerably outsized from where they will be on Monday/Tuesday and beyond. Magic Kingdom has been full-on nuts yesterday and today in my book. Seen it worse, but just not the kind of crowds at which.. I enjoy the parks.
And that is my point in a nutshell. If FP+ increases the planning required, and it seems like it does; if it reduces the number of attractions I can reasonably get into without standby lines of 45, 60, 120 and 180 minutes; if it reduces my ability to have a decent day at the parks without 6 months of planning; and if it raises the baseline of the slow times to higher crowds (effectively eliminating or severely reducing the slow times) ... then I'm done with Disney. Seriously. I'm at the age now, where generally speaking, the MAX time I will wait is 20-25 minutes. That's it. That's why I take slow times for trips.
I guess I got old?
One of my favorite things about Disney has always been that while some people like to plan the whole deal months in advance, I never have and never will. I liked getting up in the morning and playing Disney bus roulette to decide where I go that day sometimes. I don't want to decide where to eat 180 days before the meal. I don't wanna decide that even 180 MINUTES before every meal. (I'm ok with arranging a couple in advance)... And I sure as heck don't want to decide what rides (from a limited list) at what very limited times of the day 60, 120 or 180 days out.
Disney is convinced there's money at the end of this FP+ rainbow.. and there might be. But not one red penny will be mine if the stipulations above are the side-effects of this 'guest benefit' ...
