Can you be spontaneous at WDW?

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We like to hit a park a few hours before close and see how much we can get done with no advanced planning and no FP+.

Here's an example from last Summer, 8 pm - midnight:

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

 

[wisblue]

To the OP, look at it this way.

If you are frequent visitors, you know your way around the parks. You know what you like to do and what you won't miss if you skip it, and you should know what attractions get standby lines that build up the fastest.

You can start the day with 3 FPs just like everyone else, whether you get them in advance if you have a ticket or if you get them in the park when you get there. You may not get your first choice of attractions and times, but, especially at the MK, you will still have several headlining attractions and times to choose from.

If you are willing and able to get to the park at opening you will have the same opportunity as everyone else to enjoy several attractions before the crowds build up.

We have had days in the last year in which we entered the parks with CM gate passes, meaning no FPs in advance, and had as much fun as always. When we are able to get FPs in advance we make them for the late afternoon and early evenings anyway, and we do a lot of things in the morning without FPs.

I personally think that the claims that you have to plan every minute of the day are dramatically exaggerated. Your knowledge of the parks should give you all the knowledge you need to have a great day without any plans at all. In fact, you will probably have a much better day than people who feel like they need to plan every minute of the day and then feel hog tied by those plans.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We are frequent visitors and actually have a trip planned between Christmas and New Years this year. However, we will be in Orlando in late June staying offsite and are debating on if we should hit a park for a day. My fear is though with the FP+, we wouldn't get much out of a one day ticket. Can you go to a park and be spontaneous anymore?!

We will be in Orlando for 3 days so we were already planning on going to Downtown Disney (or whatever it's called now) for a day but would consider hitting a park too. It will be me and my daughters ages 20 and 24 and we're all Disney fans.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I think you *can*, but I think *how* that spontaneity is possible now has changed. I think it's still possible at RD, and during the hours before closing (especially late night EMH) -but I think for the peak afternoon times, it is more difficult to be truly spontaneous. At least it was for DH and I. We still found some spontaneity, but we had to change how we tour to get it. During Christmas to New Year's week, I think RD and/or late night hours are pretty essential to a more spontaneous trip.

 

[DisneyJediMaster]

So, between this and another thread I was reading today which basically several pages of people said Plan plan plan, book book book, or you very well might be disappointed.

This is what I am getting:
Show up at Rope Drop, and IF the conditions are right, you MIGHT get as much done as you would have in the past .... but if they aren't, you wont.

What makes this system better again ??? I am, again, really confused.

 

[clayfolks]

We were at MK last week and had no problem booking FP+ the day of our visit. After we used our three, we went back to the kiosk to book an additional FP three times. In between FPs, we rode/did Laugh Floor with ten minute wait, Buzz with ten minute wait, CoP, PeopleMover, carousel, Philharmagic, haunted mansion, country bear jamboree, and tiki birds. Oh, and Small World and Ariel. It was very successful and spontaneous!

 

[clayfolks]

AND we missed rope drop by 30 minutes...

 

[Sparkly]

So, between this and another thread I was reading today which basically several pages of people said Plan plan plan, book book book, or you very well might be disappointed.

This is what I am getting:
Show up at Rope Drop, and IF the conditions are right, you MIGHT get as much done as you would have in the past .... but if they aren't, you wont.

What makes this system better again ??? I am, again, really confused.

Remember, this is from the perspective of DISers who tend to be a bit doom and gloom!

Does it really matter if you only get on 5 attractions not 6 anyway?

 

[BudgieMama]

Some of my favourite times during my trip when I hit MK on my own. I had one afternoon where my husband went back to the resort and I hung around to catch a few things he didn't want to do (like Space Mountain). I used the random FP+ I'd booked pretty blindly before the trip, but made good use of extra FP+ and changing times on the app... I also had another day on my own where I'd got a few FP+ booked, but didn't turn up until around 1pm because I'd been at Villains Unleashed the night before. I just pottered round, catching some things I'd missed, enjoying some of the rides I wanted to see again, meeting some characters, seeing the parade and had a great time before meeting my husband for dinner at CRT in the evening.

One thing I found really helpful for pottering around doing what I felt like was the Touring Plans Lines app. I loved being able to see wait times around the park, and would check out what was what before heading to the other side of the park to do something I felt like.

I don't know how that would work with a group, but when there's just you, spontaneous is nice and simple... and I enjoyed seeing what I could get as additional FP+ reservations to speed up aspects of my touring.

 

[HappyDaisy]

You can IF you don't care what you do. It's why we're giving up our annual passes after this year. We live nearby and have been going for years. Since FP+, lines have increased dramatically. You can't get near anything without a long wait--I'm talking over 40 minutes--unless it's a show, like Hall of President's. My experience hasn't been great since FP+. Sure, it's nice to just go and wander around a park once in a while, but EVERY time gets a little boring. I'd like to be able to go on a ride once in a while without waiting for hours. Sure, I could plan in advance, but that wasn't the idea. It was to be able to pick up and go when we want, which we were able to do in the past. Just the idea of going now has me stressed, so we don't bother. For me, FP+ has taken the fun out of Disney. It now requires way too much pre-planning for just a day in one of the parks. That means our AP for this year was a huge waste of money and I won't do it again. Thank goodness Disney isn't the only thing to do in Florida! We'll be exploring those other options in the future.

 

[cjparker0110]

My fear is though with the FP+, we wouldn't get much out of a one day ticket. Can you go to a park and be spontaneous anymore?!


Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Since you only get 3 FP+ in a day (4 if you're lucky), what would you normally do the rest of your day? I'm guessing you normally would wait in lines for other rides. If there is a big ticket ride that you are really concerned about, get to the park early and ride it then...or go during a parade when lines tend to die down a bit. Honestly, I'd be more concerned about paying $100 for a one day ticket than I would be about not having 3 FP rides booked.

 

[Art 1]

I can, and do. I don't get FP since the change, and usually don't know what park I will end up when I leave my house. So for me, yes.

 

[Goofey Drool]

I agree with the above post. Disney has made it less fun for the non planner. On vacation we like to come and go to whichever park we feel like on that given day. However, most on the boards here love to plan and plan some more.... and when they are about done planning they ask about changing plans and re-planning. I think that is half the fun for them. The excitement of planning for the trip many months in advance. Personally its feels like work and not vacation but thats just me. It does suck that I have to know which park I will be in 2 months from now and where I will be at what time on each day of my vacation. I might do a few FP's but I will just have to take the good with the bad I guss and see how this trip goes and whether its worth going back.

 

[mshanson3121]

Sure, as long as you go there realizing that you're going to spend a LOT of time waiting in line, and probably won't get much if anything for dining at the popular places. If you're okay with that then you can wing it successfully.

Now, you can RD, do same day FP+ as others have said, and somewhat plan to do the major rides at RD, then move off to the other attractions, shows etc... Though, that's not exactly the definition true spontaneity. But it'll be more successful.

 

[mshanson3121]

I agree with the above post. Disney has made it less fun for the non planner. On vacation we like to come and go to whichever park we feel like on that given day. However, most on the boards here love to plan and plan some more.... and when they are about done planning they ask about changing plans and re-planning. I think that is half the fun for them. The excitement of planning for the trip many months in advance. Personally its feels like work and not vacation but thats just me. It does suck that I have to know which park I will be in 2 months from now and where I will be at what time on each day of my vacation. I might do a few FP's but I will just have to take the good with the bad I guss and see how this trip goes and whether its worth going back.

Count me out of this one. I do not enjoy the planning - AT ALL. In fact, I have found planning this trip so bloody stressful that I have ZERO desire to ever return to Disney. It has truly killed a lot of the excitement of the trip for me. I know I'll enjoy it once we're there, but honestly, I just want the trip to be here and over with. I honestly would have canceled our trip, if our in-laws hadn't booked non-refundable plane tickets. I would give anything to just show up and wing it, that is how we've done every other vacation - but we have two young children, and special needs children at that, so I know that to give them the best trip, I need to do all this crap beforehand, so that we're not wasting our time in lines, running all over the park from ride to ride trying to do return times, so that our kids actually have a chance of riding the rides they want to. It'd be one thing if Disney didn't require thousands of dollars, but it does, so I'm sure not going to waste the money.

 

[Goofey Drool]

Many times we have been at a park and spent a couple hours and the boys wanted to go to one of the water parks so we just turned around and headed for Typhoon Lagoon for the rest of the afternoon. Not planned at all....I wonder if others do anything like that and if they do wish they hadn't because they had FP's for later etc. Oh well, the park hopper was created for a reason. We will get on that super popular ride next time.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think your odds of having decent rides to choose FP from last minute are high......as long as you choose the MK (and aren't looking for Mine Train or A/E) or AK. If you are ride people I would not try DHS or Epcot last minute. But then my personal opinion is that the MK is the only park worth the price of a single day admission.

 

[DisneyJediMaster]

So, between this and another thread I was reading today which basically several pages of people said Plan plan plan, book book book, or you very well might be disappointed.

This is what I am getting:
Show up at Rope Drop, and IF the conditions are right, you MIGHT get as much done as you would have in the past .... but if they aren't, you wont.

What makes this system better again ??? I am, again, really confused.

Remember, this is from the perspective of DISers who tend to be a bit doom and gloom!

Does it really matter if you only get on 5 attractions not 6 anyway?

To us, absolutely. We are looking at spending significantly more than we did a couple years ago on our next trip, and its looking like we are going to get less out of it, or have to work harder at maximizing it. I just don't see that as a positive change.

 

[JoeA]

Go and have fun! You'll be in a lovely setting with your kids so if a line is long or you can't get a fast pass...walk around and enjoy the theme with a big ice cream cone! Personally, I find most of the rides at WDW to be OK but not all that. It's the sharing with friends and family that make it magical, IMO. So yeah, I guess I am on the other side of the room from the people saying, "you can't have fun unless you're up at midnight 60 days planning!".

Last time I was in MK we strode on by 7DMT and I am pretty sure I still had a fun time.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

I find it funny that the answer is pretty much you can be spontaneous as long as you aren't spontaneous and show up at a set time, follow a set pattern and give up hope of doing anything you might really want to do. Sounds like a real enjoyable experience.

 

[ExBellhop]

FPs are 3 hours of a day at worst, less if you get on the app and speed them up. I wonder what people do the other 21 hours?

Come to the DIS and complain?