Crowds - FP+ - the whole WDW experience

[ww52]

I'll try to keep my point concise but it's tough to describe.

Has WDW grown so popular the experience has suffered?

It's been several years since we've been there. Since 1989 through I think 2011 we've been 8 times total. We always managed to see (almost) everything we expected/wanted to see. I was NEVER concerned ahead of time about crowds, lines etc.

We always got to a park at opening (not exactly rope drop but close). Then did a second park late afternoon or evening. We really didn't use FastPass extensively - and sometimes we had one and realized we didn't need it.

Anyway - we always came away feeling incredibly satisfied with our trip. Well worth going - well worth the money (very expensive, but it's Disney.)

Things seem so very different now. The stress of getting everything set up properly in MDE (which seems to have issues every other day as I check what we have set up so far. And the new version won't work at all on my tablet.)

And the REAL stress is yet to come - getting FP+ 60 days out, which means 6 consecutive days of stress every early morning (6AM Central time). And THAT requires fairly detailed advanced planning for every day ahead of time. And then being able to adjust that in case we lose out on what we want for that day.

Sorry - I LOVE Disney - but all this seems ABSURD.

What's the problem? What changed? TOO many headliners drawing more crowds? It certainly isn't price decreases - at least during the summer (the only time we can go due to teachers in our family).

My "off the top of my head" theory - it's WAY past time for them to build the fifth park:

MK - 1971
Epcot - 1982
Studios - 1989
AK - 1998

No more than 11 years between new parks with an average of 9. But now it's TWENTY years and counting.

The 50th is going to be a nightmare, isn't it?

I LOVE Disney but this vacation will require WAY more planning than ever - and has WAY too much potential for disappointment. I used to get excited planning our Disney trips. Now it's starting to feel more like doing my taxes.

 

[loves to dive]

Or you can do like we do and not plan. I book a resort and that is as far as my planning goes. We decide the morning of which park we are going to and may or may not book FPs on the way. We decide while walking around where we want to eat that night, usually just hop on MDE and either decide on a time and find something for the time or decide on a park/hotel and find something or just look at what's available for a random time and go from there. We don't worry about having to ride a certain ride or eat at a certain place or even if it's too crowded. Too crowded? - head back to the resort and go to the pool/hot tub and get a refreshing adult beverage and chill for awhile. Too crowded? - hop on the bus to another park. Too crowded? - head to a resort and wander around and stop at the bar for a refreshing adult beverage and something to snack on. Too crowded? - stop and sit and watch the silly people rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off while we relax and take in the details of the place. It is what you make it to be.

 

[Gentry2004]

I'll try to keep my point concise but it's tough to describe.

Has WDW grown so popular the experience has suffered?

It's been several years since we've been there. Since 1989 through I think 2011 we've been 8 times total. We always managed to see (almost) everything we expected/wanted to see. I was NEVER concerned ahead of time about crowds, lines etc.

We always got to a park at opening (not exactly rope drop but close). Then did a second park late afternoon or evening. We really didn't use FastPass extensively - and sometimes we had one and realized we didn't need it.

Anyway - we always came away feeling incredibly satisfied with our trip. Well worth going - well worth the money (very expensive, but it's Disney.)

Things seem so very different now. The stress of getting everything set up properly in MDE (which seems to have issues every other day as I check what we have set up so far. And the new version won't work at all on my tablet.)

And the REAL stress is yet to come - getting FP+ 60 days out, which means 6 consecutive days of stress every early morning (6AM Central time). And THAT requires fairly detailed advanced planning for every day ahead of time. And then being able to adjust that in case we lose out on what we want for that day.

Sorry - I LOVE Disney - but all this seems ABSURD.

What's the problem? What changed? TOO many headliners drawing more crowds? It certainly isn't price decreases - at least during the summer (the only time we can go due to teachers in our family).

My "off the top of my head" theory - it's WAY past time for them to build the fifth park:

MK - 1971
Epcot - 1982
Studios - 1989
AK - 1998

No more than 11 years between new parks with an average of 9. But now it's TWENTY years and counting.

The 50th is going to be a nightmare, isn't it?

I LOVE Disney but this vacation will require WAY more planning than ever - and has WAY too much potential for disappointment. I used to get excited planning our Disney trips. Now it's starting to feel more like doing my taxes.

If you are staying onsite (required for the 60 day FP+ window) you can make all of your FP's for the length of your stay on the first day. You don't need to get up every day.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

"And the REAL stress is yet to come - getting FP+ 60 days out, which means 6 consecutive days of stress every early morning (6AM Central time). And THAT requires fairly detailed advanced planning for every day ahead of time. And then being able to adjust that in case we lose out on what we want for that day.

Sorry - I LOVE Disney - but all this seems ABSURD."

You can book fastpasses at the 60 day mark for every day of your trip. You won't have to get up for 6 consecutive days.

eta...Gentry beat me to it.

 

[hllb]

I'm a planner, so the planning doesn't bother me. I was worried about the crowds, but with the planning I did, they didn't really affect us at all. We had a very enjoyable trip.

 

[Klayfish]

It's only stressful if you make it stressful. We stay offsite and have an AP, so we're limited to only having 7 days of FP+ and can only make them 30 days out. It's never once caused an issue for us. You don't HAVE TO plan obsessively. You don't HAVE TO have everything set up perfectly in MDE. Just like @loves to dive, we're very much "wing it" people. We make our 3 FP+ at 30 days, but even that is pretty random. From there, it's very much doing what we want, when we want...and we LOVE it. No stress, no fuss. Just relax and enjoy.

 

[kwdw]

I do think that Disney has done a great job of making the parks much more crowded during most of the year. Good for them in terms of the business model.

Bad news - yes - I agree - to have a great experience - and really get in a ton of rides in one day - you need to plan better now. We still have lots of fun - but just since 2010 - we feel like we have experienced more crowds, lines, etc each time we go. Even lines at carts for snacks seem to more common.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm of both minds.... I want to be a nonplanner..... but then I get worried about actually doing attractions we've traveled a long way to visit.... I HATE the preplanning nonsense we have to do now(well,I do, I'm planning for a large group) and I did enjoy going to Universal a while back,we just bought tickets and went. It was great. no linking,no names/ages/etc and a ton of info required,just a theme park ticket and a day of fun.

 

[bladiator]

I'm on the fence on this:

I got a number of FPs ahead of time, but nothing earth shattering for my recent trip I just got back from, and even those (like say .. a TSMM at 2:15pm for 4 because I can't find anything earlier when I'm getting them only 30 days out), I instantly starting trying to move earlier as soon as the parks opened (either people choose a different park, or they just change their entire plans when they get there -- 9:10am is the best time for grabbing FPs haha). I couldn't get FOP or 7DMT so I just shot for those day of. It's a crapshoot, but it works. I'd rather deal with that for about 20 minutes of refreshing on my phone rather than deal with checking every day for 30 days (which I did to no avail because no one changes their FPs ahead of time).

And as far as building a new park, I agree that I wish they would do that, but if they would just keep building entire new areas on to existing parks (like they are doing with Toy Story and Star Wars Land, Pandora, and even New Fantasyland), that can help alleviate the crowds a bit. But they're definitely not building quickly enough for the crazy crowds currently. A couple new countries in epcot could help as well.

 

[Wubar]

Perhaps the experience suffers according to you, but obviously not for everyone else crowding the parks. Planning is part of every vacation - Disney just has a few more moving parts involved so it takes a bit more attention. You don't have to be an over-the-top planner if you don't want to - have your hotel reservations and tickets and you can enter the park and walk around as much as you want, just go with the flow.

However, if you do want to ride on some popular rides, then yes, FP planning will be necessary, and if you want to eat at popular restaurants, then ADR planning is necessary too. Crowds have increased, technology has changed, and low crowds and walk on rides have mostly become a nostalgic memory from the past, so no need to dwell on how things used to be, just focus on how things are now. Only you can decide what you want to accomplish with your days at WDW, and certain wants have an associated level of pre-planning that is necessary to make those priorities more likely to happen.

 

[Klayfish]

Bad news - yes - I agree - to have a great experience - and really get in a ton of rides in one day - you need to plan better now.

I would disagree with this. You don't need to plan to get a ton of rides in one day. We don't rope drop (i.e. stand outside the gates waiting for them to open)...ever. We rarely even make it for opening, we usually show up between 9:30 and 10:00am. We show up with just the 3 FP+ we had made 30 days prior and nothing else. No plans, nothing. Barring the week of Christmas, we still can easily hit 8, 9, 10 rides in a 5 or 6 hour period...and that includes time to stop and eat lunch. So while there's nothing wrong with planning, it's not a necessity.

 

[Monykalyn]

How many are in your party? We went over Thanksgiving (offsite) and had no issues with FP for 4 or 5 (including FOP-but I think I lucked into those when they ended up releasing more). Even on Tday there were tons of FP available in MK day of.
New years week-the only day that didn't have lots of FP available day of (party of 2 this time) was NYE-and even then I scored day of FP for FEA.

yeah-kinda a pain to keep refreshing app for more FP but OTOH-better than waiting in lines . Once you get the hang of the app it is actually pretty easy, and watching line wait times and mobile ordering and seeing photo pass photos right away is pretty nice.

 

[My3SweetSuns]

I think the pre-planning takes all the stress out when you finally get there.
I like knowing that regardless of what the crowd is like, I am guaranteed these rides, this dining, etc.

My next trip is next week, I feel happy and relaxed right now. I put all the energy into planning, so we can just follow our “plan” & enjoy our time together.

(One more thing I enjoy about pre-planning online - nobody having to run across the park with a handful of hard tickets, shoving them into a machine and waiting for the tickets to spit out & then running back to wherever the group was & praying they returned with ALL of the tickets AND fast passes.)

 

[mamamelody2]

See, I don't find the planning stressful at all. I find it fun.
I love getting online at 7 AM and getting those fastpasses.

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

Our first trip was in 2015 and we didn't do a very good job of planning. We had made our FP+ reservations about 40 days out (didn't realize the window opened at 60 days, or that it was a big deal), and we had only a few dining reservations, one for Raglan Road, Kona breakfast, and one for 'Ohana breakfast. (Didn't realize only 'Ohana was the one I actually really needed to make) and those, I made a few weeks prior, I didn't even know 180 days was a thing. Our first day at Magic Kingdom, we were in such a tizzy to get there (we arrived at our hotel that day, around noon) we hadn't eaten lunch. It was 2pm and we were starving. We went to Plaza and they said it was a 2 hour wait. We were like... wth???? So we all ended up eating at Casey's, standing around because there were no seats, because we had no idea what we were doing. After that, we used our FP's and queued the rest of the attractions, and our longest wait for any ride the entire trip (we did all 4 parks) was 40 minutes, which was for Test Track, which went down while we were waiting. On our last night, my husband and I were borderline teary because we had had such a great time with our son that we couldn't wait to come back. We both laughed our butts off because WHO GETS TEARY EYED ABOUT LEAVING THE HOUSE OF MOUSE WHEN YOU'RE NOT 4. We had another trip planned shortly.

Our next trip in 2016 was more structured because now we were "experienced" and we had the CRT 8am reservation and the BOG dinner reservation etc etc. And at the end of that trip, we were exhausted (moreso than the last one, but I liken that to bringing along the little sister too, ha.) but just as satisfied with our time as we were the last time. I guess my point is, we didn't do a great job of planning our first trip, but we had a blast, and couldn't wait to go back. Our subsequent trips have been far more structured, but equally as fun. If you don't mind the planning, it's helpful for keeping the stress at bay. My family is not a sit down and people watch kind of crew. We are not a sit down 3 times a day for big meals kind of crew, either. Having even a loosely structured day really helps us stay motivated when it gets hot or busy, knowing we have a FP coming up in awhile, or a trip back to the hotel to swim, etc. We don't know WDW prior to FP+, and 180 day dining reservations, and we love it all the same.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I like the planning part it gives me something to do while I'm waiting for my trip. I plan our park days, ADRs, and FP+ at 60+ days, but many times after we get there things change and it's in no way ruined our trip.

@hllb did a quick little report on how they handled the crowds and it's an excellent example of how it can be done. You will notice that they did many attractions and that there were still FPs to be had even after the 1st 3 were used.

Your trip is what you make it. I admit I had a hard time a couple of years ago when we went on a Sept trip. It was suppose to be low crowds, but due to a religious holiday that fell on our dates the crowds were huge. I don't think that even Disney was prepared. I was so upset at first with the crowds on the buses, boats, monorails, parks, etc. Then I realized that my attitude was making my family miserable and they were grumbling along with me. Once I decided to throw out my perfect plan and be in the moment and have fun with where we were things brightened up and it was a fun trip.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

We both laughed our butts off because WHO GETS TEARY EYED ABOUT LEAVING THE HOUSE OF MOUSE WHEN YOU'RE NOT 4. We had another trip planned shortly.

.

Oh I know the answer to this one.....ME!!! But my DS swears that as soon as we hit WDW I revert to being a child so

 

[Mome Rath]

One of the things that kind of helped me were the trips we took over New Years Eve/Day... now nothing feels quite so crowded. lol An aspect I love about WDW is the ease of abandoning a park if it is too crowded (if you have an AP or Park Hopper).... or even finding something to do at the hotel, pool, or Disney Springs. I've been enough times that I can do either; I can totally wing it with no ADR's or FP's, or I can totally plan it and get BoG 180 days out and all the FP's I want by relentless hunting. I have that choice. I realize that people that don't get to go that often don't have the same choice, but I do think that is the value of Disboards.

When I really stop and compare, the biggest thing I feel is different from the pre-FP days at Disney (when everyone had to stand in line), are the ADR's. When I was young you definitely did not need to have any type of ressie to eat in the bigger restaurants. The Dining plans started changing that, and yes, now if there is somewhere you absolutely want to eat, you have to get an ADR. On the flip side, there are more restaurants, both TS and QS, to choose from.

 

[ww52]

Oh my - GREAT responses! I can't get to them all.

Reminds me of what I love so much of Disney - the shared positive experiences with complete strangers!

Quick point for now - THANK you for those that told me we can do each day FP+ 60 days out of our first day. THAT for some reason is something I missed.

I wonder if dining reservations were the same? We did get all the ones we wanted 6 months out, but did that day by day.

(Which proves my point in a way - it's become too complicated. Everything I read says you can book 60 days out - I don't recall the qualifier. It sure SOUNDS like 60 days from the first day FOR the first day, then 60 days from the second FOR the second etc. )

I'll get to reading all these responses from you wonderful people later today. Again - thanks!

 

[My3SweetSuns]

Oh my - GREAT responses! I can't get to them all.

Reminds me of what I love so much of Disney - the shared positive experiences with complete strangers!

Quick point for now - THANK you for those that told me we can do each day FP+ 60 days out of our first day. THAT for some reason is something I missed.

I wonder if dining reservations were the same? We did get all the ones we wanted 6 months out, but did that day by day.

(Which proves my point in a way - it's become too complicated. Everything I read says you can book 60 days out - I don't recall the qualifier. It sure SOUNDS like 60 days from the first day FOR the first day, then 60 days from the second FOR the second etc. )

I'll get to reading all these responses from you wonderful people later today. Again - thanks!

If you’re staying offsite, it’s 30 days and you have to do each day consecutively, perhaps that’s what you’re thinking of.

For Dining and FP on-site, you can do them all at once. (Dining at 180 days & FP at 60 for on-site guests & good neighbor resorts)