Did planning used to be easier?

[MrInfinity]

All this required planning is just a Dis construct. Everyone out here is seeing what each other does and then feeling like you have to plan that too. Someone tells how they got an extra ride on the Mine Train because of a pre-open ADR? Now you "have" to book that. Someone else put in a room request that got them something cool? Now you "have" to book that too.

Planning Disney really takes like 10 min to make some dining reservations and 20 min to do Fast Passes. That's it! All the other stuff is just things Disney is trying to sell you. The driving factor in these sales is the fear of missing out and the having to do something new/paid on every trip.

 

[YesterDark]

From a newbie perspective:
I've been to Disney World before when I was a kid a few times, just as day trips visiting my grandparents. Now I'm married with two kids (under the age of 5) and one on the way and I'm planning my first Disney trip that starts in 10 days. I got the bug when I went to WDW with my family, my sister's (two kids) and mother back in 2015 for Halloween. She's a DVC member and she goes several times a year if she can manage it.

First off I'm a nerd, an engineer and I fly/travel 20 weeks out of the year for business. I plan business trips on a weekly basis for hotels, food, daily itineraries, travel etc. So planning is something I do most weeks anyway. Disney seemed like a fun challenge. I enjoy getting everything lined up and maximizing time and fun. That being said, you have to do it the right way or you get burned out with "all this stuff you have to do".

I'm the kind of guy who hates being strict about timing and being penned in with a schedule on vacation. I do not want to have my nose in a piece of paper or an app figuring out where to go next, hustle to maximize rides per day etc. I want to enjoy the park with my head up and having fun with my family.

I don't plan to maximize my rides or have a schedule for each minute of the day. I plan the spaces around rides, I maximize and structure the day on where we're going to eat, how we're going to relax and how where we're going to be in a general way. I arrive very early on Tuesday and head home on a Sunday. I have 3 park days, arrival day for food and the pool and a movie. A day in the week for playing in the pool, relaxing, and doing Disney Springs at night.

I'm using the TouringPlans app to plan my day but using it as a way to gauge lines and if I accomplished what rides I'd like to do for the day, but not as a scheduler. I'm using it to take my mind off of running around.

So planning, in my opinion, is easy only if you let it be. Figure out where you're eating. Figure out what rides are musts. Then just let everything else fall in between just use the best tools to make all that inbetween stress free. Technology has given us a thousand more options, we don't need to take full advantage of all of them though.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Planning is as easy or as difficult as you choose. Once you get past the essentials (flights, accommodation, park tickets), everything else is optional. For our last two week trip I made 8 ADRs, bought Halloween party and Club Villain tickets and that was about it.

Once you realize you don't need to control every minute of your vacation and let things flow it gets so much easier.

 

[DeterminedOne]

All this required planning is just a Dis construct. Everyone out here is seeing what each other does and then feeling like you have to plan that too. Someone tells how they got an extra ride on the Mine Train because of a pre-open ADR? Now you "have" to book that. Someone else put in a room request that got them something cool? Now you "have" to book that too.

Planning Disney really takes like 10 min to make some dining reservations and 20 min to do Fast Passes. That's it! All the other stuff is just things Disney is trying to sell you. The driving factor in these sales is the fear of missing out and the having to do something new/paid on every trip.

I have never been able to plan a trip in 30 minutes - even prior to joining this board. If just visiting the parks - maybe. But Disney is more than just four parks. Our last two trips we used the Silver and Premium plans that allowed unlimited recreation. It took way longer than 30 minutes to plan/coordinate tee times at the golf courses, backstage tours, carriage rides, meals, etc. Certainly not something that would have worked just by winging it.

 

[fla4fun]

Ho many straight days of getting Disney Springs will it take before you change that strategy?

You must have different luck with the buses than I do. I usually see two of everything else before one DS bus . . . Of course that could be because I want to go to DS, lol!

I still do bus roulette a few times each trip, and those days usually end up being the most enjoyable for me.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I have never been able to plan a trip in 30 minutes - even prior to joining this board. If just visiting the parks - maybe. But Disney is more than just four parks. Our last two trips we used the Silver and Premium plans that allowed unlimited recreation. It took way longer than 30 minutes to plan/coordinate tee times at the golf courses, backstage tours, carriage rides, meals, etc. Certainly not something that would have worked just by winging it.

I'm inclined to agree, calling a hotel to make a simple change can require 20+ minutes of holding time.

 

[Auntie_Maim]

Ho many straight days of getting Disney Springs will it take before you change that strategy?

Disney Springs doesn't count. That place is anathema to me because it took away my beloved Adventurers' Club.

 

[Roxyfire]

Personally I think it gets easier every time. But I don't have to consider the likes and dislikes of a bunch of people. My son and I like the same rides, restaurants, and so on. I know what times I want my FP+ to be because it works for us. I know we want to take a break midday, I know we want to go back to another park in the evenings. I plan where we go in the morning, FPs, and any dining. Then after a break, we decide where we want to go either based on nighttime entertainment, dining reservations, or whatever FP we can grab off the app.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Isn't that the truth?! I called last week to apply funds from my Disney vacation account. That alone took well over 30 minutes. I use to work in a call center and often wonder if Disney's call center has no metrics for hold/wait times.

 

[Mike D.]

I feel like I used to be good at this whole DW planning thing. Now it feels 20 times harder.


Used to be I would check crowd calendars, pick dates and parks, book dining 180 days out, ignore the two desert parties (cause there used to be only 2), make a touring plan and book fastpasses at 60 days. Easy.


Now, it feels like every time I blink, I learn about some new feature I have to research and make decisions about: Minnie Van, Magic Mornings, Whatever the two new shows will be at HWS (My trip is late November), checking regularly for HWS desert party, Disney Express Bus, Pandora, New Mission Space track, AK dinner packages and don’t even get me started on Disney Springs.


Don’t get me wrong, I love the pre-trip excitement that comes from planning. But even for me this is starting to feel like a bit much. Is it just my imagination or has planning really gotten harder than it used to be? What else out there that I haven’t come across yet?

What two new shows at HWS? Did I miss something?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

All this required planning is just a Dis construct. Everyone out here is seeing what each other does and then feeling like you have to plan that too. Someone tells how they got an extra ride on the Mine Train because of a pre-open ADR? Now you "have" to book that. Someone else put in a room request that got them something cool? Now you "have" to book that too.

Planning Disney really takes like 10 min to make some dining reservations and 20 min to do Fast Passes. That's it! All the other stuff is just things Disney is trying to sell you. The driving factor in these sales is the fear of missing out and the having to do something new/paid on every trip.

Maybe to a small degree some of it is just a Dis construct. Like opening Tinkerbell at the MK, or towel animals, but much is not.

Things can and do fill up and sell out.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Maybe to a small degree some of it is just a Dis construct. Like opening Tinkerbell at the MK, or towel animals, but much is not.

Things can and do fill up and sell out.

I agree to a very small degree, but would also say to talk to someone who did not plan a trip very thoroughly, and compare their experience to someone who did.

I guarantee you'll see a huge difference in the overall satisfaction with their experience and how much they were able to do. It really adds to the experience if you can be at a park at rope drop , as opposed to coming in later in the morning and being herded in, for example.

Where I agree is that some of this can be a little much, like reviewing hotel layouts to try and get the most preferred room.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I agree to a very small degree, but would also say to talk to someone who did not plan a trip very thoroughly, and compare their experience to someone who did.

I guarantee you'll see a huge difference in the overall satisfaction with their experience and how much they were able to do. It really adds to the experience if you can be at a park at rope drop , as opposed to coming in later in the morning and being herded in, for example.

Where I agree is that some of this can be a little much, like reviewing hotel layouts to try and get the most preferred room.

I had to start looking at hotel layouts after paying for a "water view" room at BC several years ago. They meant I could see the metal stair railing to the adult pool through the bushes.

 

[MrInfinity]

Maybe to a small degree some of it is just a Dis construct. Like opening Tinkerbell at the MK, or towel animals, but much is not. Things can and do fill up and sell out.

Right but you don't have to do these things to have a good time. The need for them is self imposed. As an example. You could send us to Disney World tomorrow with no ADRs and no FastPasses and we would have a blast. We wouldn't eat at CRT or get into BBB but so what. We might even have more fun than someone who planned those things 6 months ago. People go all the time w/o doing these rare things but some take it upon themselves to have to plan them. I'd bet many guests don't even know BBB is an option but many out here consider it a must-do.

 

[jsmla]

I'm inclined to agree, calling a hotel to make a simple change can require 20+ minutes of holding time.

I enjoy planning and am much quicker than I was back in 1989 but there's no way I could plan a trip in half an hour! It took me three hours to sign up for Magical Express earlier this week.

From my PTR:

A Not So Magical Morning

Just spent the last three hours or so trying to sign up for Magical Express

10:00 AM
Called WDW to link my Hotwire reservation, on hold for 27 minutes, told tough nuts, call Hotwire. I was also told (after a second fairly lengthy hold) that removing 8 days from my September Free Dining ticket would void all of my September FastPasses in spite of my recent AP purchase. This is contrary to what I was told by several very knowledgeable Dissers. Gave up, will sort the ticket thing out later.

10:50 AM
Called Hotwire, participated in a fruitless journey through their automated system, gave up and googled "Hotwire speak to a human". Called new phone number and they gave me a confirmation number.

11:10 AM
Called WDW back. Only 20 minutes on hold this time. My hard-won Hotwire number is a no go. The guy on the other end was pretty darn unsympathetic too. Every CM that I spoke to this morning used the words "third party reservation" in tones usually reserved for phrases like "virulently contagious venereal disease".

11:40
Called Hotwire, spoke to the fabulous Caroline who actually found an actual real, totally valid confirmation number. Of everyone I spoke with (including WDW) she seemed to be the only one who actually knew what I was talking about. She even stayed on the phone with me while I linked my reservations online. I seriously almost cried. Caroline at Hotwire deserves a raise!

12:00
Called WDW to reserve Magical Express, 12 minutes on hold only to be told that I have no resort reservation in the system even though I can see it on my MDE page right there in front of me. Put on hold again, put on hold for a loooong time before being told I would be transferred to someone. Don't know whom because the phone beeped three times then disconnected.

12:30
I'm seriously spitting nails by now and can't bear the thought of navigating the WDW automated system yet again. Googled Magical Express. First number I tried was only for the lucky people who already have a DME reservation. On the plus side, they didn't put me on hold before not helping or hanging up on me.

12:35
Called the second number (407-939-1936), on hold for a few and then, finally, finally was able to make my DME reservation. My resort reservation had finally shown up, oh, happy day!


It's now after 1:00 PM-that's three hours, a great deal of it spent on hold with Disney. I'm seriously considering cancelling my Pirates of the Caribbean FastPass. Forget Small World I never want to hear that song, ever again!


Still, did I mention that I'm going to Disney World? Yo Ho!

 

[Spencer Wright]

I enjoy planning and am much quicker than I was back in 1989 but there's no way I could plan a trip in half an hour! It took me three hours to sign up for Magical Express earlier this week.

From my PTR:

A Not So Magical Morning

Just spent the last three hours or so trying to sign up for Magical Express

10:00 AM
Called WDW to link my Hotwire reservation, on hold for 27 minutes, told tough nuts, call Hotwire. I was also told (after a second fairly lengthy hold) that removing 8 days from my September Free Dining ticket would void all of my September FastPasses in spite of my recent AP purchase. This is contrary to what I was told by several very knowledgeable Dissers. Gave up, will sort the ticket thing out later.

10:50 AM
Called Hotwire, participated in a fruitless journey through their automated system, gave up and googled "Hotwire speak to a human". Called new phone number and they gave me a confirmation number.

11:10 AM
Called WDW back. Only 20 minutes on hold this time. My hard-won Hotwire number is a no go. The guy on the other end was pretty darn unsympathetic too. Every CM that I spoke to this morning used the words "third party reservation" in tones usually reserved for phrases like "virulently contagious venereal disease".

11:40
Called Hotwire, spoke to the fabulous Caroline who actually found an actual real, totally valid confirmation number. Of everyone I spoke with (including WDW) she seemed to be the only one who actually knew what I was talking about. She even stayed on the phone with me while I linked my reservations online. I seriously almost cried. Caroline at Hotwire deserves a raise!

12:00
Called WDW to reserve Magical Express, 12 minutes on hold only to be told that I have no resort reservation in the system even though I can see it on my MDE page right there in front of me. Put on hold again, put on hold for a loooong time before being told I would be transferred to someone. Don't know whom because the phone beeped three times then disconnected.

12:30
I'm seriously spitting nails by now and can't bear the thought of navigating the WDW automated system yet again. Googled Magical Express. First number I tried was only for the lucky people who already have a DME reservation. On the plus side, they didn't put me on hold before not helping or hanging up on me.

12:35
Called the second number (407-939-1936), on hold for a few and then, finally, finally was able to make my DME reservation. My resort reservation had finally shown up, oh, happy day!


It's now after 1:00 PM-that's three hours, a great deal of it spent on hold with Disney. I'm seriously considering cancelling my Pirates of the Caribbean FastPass. Forget Small World I never want to hear that song, ever again!


Still, did I mention that I'm going to Disney World? Yo Ho!

keep your eye on the prize!!

 

[Gehrig1B]

There is a form for online DME reservation. No need to make a call to Disney.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/airport-transportation-reservation/

 

[bumbershoot]

Used to be I would check crowd calendars, pick dates and parks, book dining 180 days out, ignore the two desert parties (cause there used to be only 2), make a touring plan and book fastpasses at 60 days. Easy.

So you started your wdw trips post-FP+?

Now, it feels like every time I blink, I learn about some new feature I have to research and make decisions about: Minnie Van, Magic Mornings, Whatever the two new shows will be at HWS (My trip is late November), checking regularly for HWS desert party, Disney Express Bus, Pandora, New Mission Space track, AK dinner packages and don’t even get me started on Disney Springs.

All those sound simply like extra options. People like options and new things. While it makes for more decisions, none of it sounds like it has complicated planning.


We started in 2010 so there have been actual changes in how to plan since then. Along with all the other options.

I do feel for first timers or others who simply don't realize how much up front time and effort goes into making a successful WDW in 2017.

All of the first timers i know had zero problems working it all out with the help of wdw emails and the website and have had *better* trips than my family's last couple of trips. Fwiw.

It's not you. I tried to do the whole touring plans thing for our upcoming trip, and just quit. We are taking our youngest daughter, who is 18 months, so everything is unpredictable. Will she sleep in? Will she nap for 90 minutes or 3 hours? Just those two things alone are enough to say forget a plan. We are hitting the parks with an 8am EMH since she'll nap about 1. That's the extent of my plan. I booked these darn fast passes to the best of my ability, but even that irritates me because I couldn't get the times I wanted for some of the big attractions. We've booked our favorite restaurants but even that's up in the air!

Took our first Disneyland trip when ds was 17 months. Ok it was just one day hit we were on a 2 week trip to San Diego.

We discovered that stroller naps were something he wound do (we didn't have a stroller of any kind at home so we had no idea). He also slept in the mei tai baby carrier. Nursed on POTC. (That was fun to get out of the boat when he fell asleep) Nursed near the hippo enclosure at the SD zoo. Etc. I still planned stuff, then if he was asleep I worked with that and still did our plans.

Worth a thought.

The busses aren't bad so I think Minnie transport solves an imaginary problem

The biggest actual problem it solves is going from resort to resort.

Another problem it solves is that some of us have had junky bus situations and want to avoid them. I'm glad for you that you don't find the bus situation to be so bad. Lucky!

It seemed like *most* people had no clue about Maxpass which was to our advantage maybe?

It is brand spanking new.

We were there too and I refused to partake. I despise FP+, too. And please don't get me started on the plastic toddler bangles known as magic bands.

Maxpass would be ok if it weren't an upchairge though. It saves Disney money. They get to ultimately get rid of paper FP machines, can put revenue creating things in the place of machines, get rid of the need for paper, and the CMs at the FP kiosks. And it reduces the criss crossing of the parks, which is likely good for traffic management. It's a win win for Disney, and I feel that charging for it is rotten.

We ended up buying lanyards for the kids because it turned into such a hassle trying to dig tickets out constantly.

That's the traditional thing to do with tickets!

 

[Westcoastwild]

For longer trips I'll make really detailed plans, but only because I enjoy it (and it may be a slow day at work), fully expecting that we'll maybe stick to the plan 25% of the time. The planning is just part of the fun for me, and so is totally blowing off the plan when we're there. I know, that sounds totally weird!

Lol. Not weird at all! I do the same thing!! Sometimes I stick to my plan and sometimes I just change up the whole day.

So you started your wdw trips post-FP+?



All those sound simply like extra options. People like options and new things. While it makes for more decisions, none of it sounds like it has complicated planning.


We started in 2010 so there have been actual changes in how to plan since then. Along with all the other options.



All of the first timers i know had zero problems working it all out with the help of wdw emails and the website and have had *better* trips than my family's last couple of trips. Fwiw.



Took our first Disneyland trip when ds was 17 months. Ok it was just one day hit we were on a 2 week trip to San Diego.

We discovered that stroller naps were something he wound do (we didn't have a stroller of any kind at home so we had no idea). He also slept in the mei tai baby carrier. Nursed on POTC. (That was fun to get out of the boat when he fell asleep) Nursed near the hippo enclosure at the SD zoo. Etc. I still planned stuff, then if he was asleep I worked with that and still did our plans.

Worth a thought.



The biggest actual problem it solves is going from resort to resort.

Another problem it solves is that some of us have had junky bus situations and want to avoid them. I'm glad for you that you don't find the bus situation to be so bad. Lucky!



It is brand spanking new.

We were there too and I refused to partake. I despise FP+, too. And please don't get me started on the plastic toddler bangles known as magic bands.

Maxpass would be ok if it weren't an upchairge though. It saves Disney money. They get to ultimately get rid of paper FP machines, can put revenue creating things in the place of machines, get rid of the need for paper, and the CMs at the FP kiosks. And it reduces the criss crossing of the parks, which is likely good for traffic management. It's a win win for Disney, and I feel that charging for it is rotten.



That's the traditional thing to do with tickets!

I think it's less luck and more that I do take public transit at home? Seriously, almost all of the "junky" situations people describe in regards to the buses are not all that terrible. I can understand the resort to resort thing but literally all you have to do is hop the first bus to a park or DS and then get on a bus to your destination resort.

It's like the golf cart thing at FW. Maybe it saves you 10 minutes, but what exactly do you "risk" by taking the bus and "losing" ten minutes?

 

[chiburple]

What two new shows at HWS? Did I miss something?

Hehe, Sorry! Disney announced that they're going to have two new Christmas shows at Hollywood Studios during the season, but they didn't say what or when yet. This is in addition to Jingle Bells Jingle Bam.

Thank you for illustrating my point so well though! I feel like you captured exactly what I meant.