Disney Stress

[mocame]

Amyone else really stressed out by all the changes right now? Our first week of May trip planning has been so difficult this year.

1. BTMRR on again / off again,
2. Don't know if Star Wars fireworks will be new / old / none
3. Star Wars show will be open but there are no times yet,
4. ROL announced but no dining plan or FP info yet,
5. I thought I had my FP plan in place but it included plans to get 2nd tiers we love as 4th FPs but with MDE changes, Barnstormer will be impossible to get since I don't have all FPs done by 1:00 each day.
6. I thought Epcot Norway changes were off my worry list when they were moved to "summer" but now they're in MDE which I'd be thrilled for the ride, but anguished over the M&G since I have an FP for MK.

Lots of good things in that mix, no doubt, but I wish they weren't happening the way they are with the Disney Brand Vague Announcements and Late Breaking Details. I know we'll go and have fun but it's really stressing me out. I feel like my whole life right now is watching and waiting for Disney announcements. It's feeling a lot like work and my "work" life balance is way out of whack right now.

I understand! We will be at Disney for about 10 days (including the first week of May) and this is our 2nd and final trip to Disney. I am a planner and we wanted to see as much as we could this trip because it will be the last. I'm trying to look at the bright side...When I started to plan this trip, all I heard about were the things being taken away and closing while we are going to be there. It was depressing because they were attractions/restaurants/food that we were looking forward to. Now BTMRR is open and I have FPs! Rivers of Light will be open too! Nighttime safari and rides at AK! Things are looking up!

I am constantly on these boards and it can be stressful since I have changed my touring plans SO MANY times (and probably will again) but I also want to enjoy this trip too. We will see what we will get to see and it will be okay if we don't see everything. I want to enjoy the magic that we receive and not focus on what we don't get to see or missed! I hope you have a great trip. Our last trip was the same time of year and we loved it!

 

[scrapquitler]

Good morning can someone please explain the ops comment about the Norway ride. Is there a possibility that the new ride will be open in early May? This is the first time I've seen anything related to that. We will be at wdw on May 10 and would be very excited if this were true. Thanks much for any info you may have

As far as I know, firm dates have not been announced yet. I think the OP was concerned about the Ana and Elsa meet and greet more than the new ride. It is uncertain if/when the Ana and Elsa meet and greet will move from the MK to Norway.

 

[Magpie]

Amyone else really stressed out by all the changes right now? Our first week of May trip planning has been so difficult this year.

1. BTMRR on again / off again,
2. Don't know if Star Wars fireworks will be new / old / none
3. Star Wars show will be open but there are no times yet,
4. ROL announced but no dining plan or FP info yet,
5. I thought I had my FP plan in place but it included plans to get 2nd tiers we love as 4th FPs but with MDE changes, Barnstormer will be impossible to get since I don't have all FPs done by 1:00 each day.
6. I thought Epcot Norway changes were off my worry list when they were moved to "summer" but now they're in MDE which I'd be thrilled for the ride, but anguished over the M&G since I have an FP for MK.

Lots of good things in that mix, no doubt, but I wish they weren't happening the way they are with the Disney Brand Vague Announcements and Late Breaking Details. I know we'll go and have fun but it's really stressing me out. I feel like my whole life right now is watching and waiting for Disney announcements. It's feeling a lot like work and my "work" life balance is way out of whack right now.

I love planning, and I love change. If Disney didn't keep mixing things up, I'd get bored very quickly and stop going. Change is what keeps me coming back, year after year. I love the fact that every one of my trip plans is different. And I don't mind making last minute adjustments at all - it's fun!

BTMRR on again? Hurray! I was going to drag my husband onto Splash, which he's not terribly fond of, but now we can do BTMRR instead. If it gets cancelled, we'll go back to Splash. One way or the other, I'm good.

Star Wars fireworks? Old or new, I've never seen them, so the possibility is super exciting. No need to plan - we've got annual passes, so if they're on, we'll hop over and see them.

Ditto the Star Wars show.

Our trip is in early April, so it looks like we'll miss Rivers of Light by just a few days. Bah! Still got my fingers crossed for a soft opening/ dress rehearsal, though!

We rarely use 4th Fastpasses, anyway.

And the Norway ride would be fantastc, but why would it matter whether you meet A&E in MK or Epcot? In fact, it makes choosing FPs simpler... meet the princesses in one park, ride in the other. And that's even assuming it opens in time for your trip.

Basically, either awesomeness happens, or it doesn't. If it does, you jump on it early, because you've been paying attention. If it doesn't, you stick to your original plan. Either way, you're happy. No stress!

 

[loves to dive]

Nope, heck I couldn't even plan getting gas for my car yesterday, I thought I was going to get it on my way to work this morning but at about 8 last night I decided to go get it then, so planning things like when I'm going to eat and where I'm going to eat more than one day out is beyond me. We just don't plan, that way we aren't disappointed. Yes, I had two ADRs for our trip next week, I made them last week. One is for tea at the GF because I must and one is for supper at HBD because we like to do that. I have FPs but only because there was one ride at each park we wanted to do, the others are fillers. Even if we don't get to do the one ride, which is a possibility since our plans tend to be pretty fluid, it's no big deal, it's a ride. My son has a back injury that every Navy doctor in the Chicago area (where he was stationed) was unable to diagnose, he is back in college at 35 and in pain. A complete career for him was changed and now his life is up in the air. Life happens, we just go with it.

 

[hiroMYhero]

My point there was not that I want a Barmstormer FP (although we would certainly be happy with it) but that even it won't be available. With the changes I don't think there will be any 4th FPs to be had beyond 1:00 or 2:00, not even Barnstormer. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but I feel like having to find a kiosk significantly reduced the number of people getting 4th FPs. Now everyone will do it.

We've been to the parks many times (6) since MM+ went into effect and have seen numerous families wearing grey MBs because they had no idea they needed an MDE account nor did they know about pre-booking FPs.

Guests without MDE will still be numerous and unpopular rides such as Barnstormer and Little Mermaid will still have FP availability.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

For me, planning is one way to occupy my time between trips. I love planning. Heck, I love budget forecasting, too. Anything that lets me bust out a new Excel spreadsheet equals me being a happy camper. I know we will roll with the punches when we get there, but I am still excited by the possibilities of new attractions opening. Last time we justmissed 7DMT opening, so I know I can deal with any disappointments as well.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think there is a difference between planning when you know the specifics and planning when everything is so uncertain. It also depends on how soon you are going to be back. If you go once or twice a year, you might not care if you miss RoL this time or the Frozen ride, etc. But if you don't go that often, you probably feel like you want to do these things now while you are there (I don't know how often the OP goes, just talking in general). I think it's easy to say take things as they come, but that's not how WDW has set this up now. And then when you add in uncertainty with opening dates, will things have FP or not, dining packages, times, park hours, it can become stressful or maybe a better word is annoying. Obviously this is all in perspective of Disney problems, not real world problems.

 

[TXStormtrooper]

We will be there the same week! I've spent a lot of time planning, but also have most of our afternoons open and expect that things likely won't go according to plan sometimes. I was disappointed when we heard BTMR was to be closed for our trip, as it is a family favorite, but wasn't going to let that ruin our trip. And now I'm just excited beyond words that it will, indeed, be open!!! We know the AK night stuff will be open on our trip, but at this point we aren't even including that in our plans. We may or may not spend an evening in AK. That will be a spontaneous decision during our trip. As far as Star Wars additions at HS, we'll have to just enjoy them spontaneously, too. We aren't about to miss those, but we will either fit them into our current plans or adjust accordingly once they are official. I have our 3 FP+ booked for each day. If we are able to get 4th ones, great. If not, we will either enjoy the stand-by queues or find something else to do. There are always rides with short waits, and plenty of non-ride things to do in each park and all over Disney.

I'm sorry you are experiencing so much stress. Try to relax a little and just enjoy the process. For me, planning is half the fun. Well, maybe just a quarter the fun when it comes to Disney. But I know that even the best plans need to be flexible. We never know what will happen on any given day. Being flexible goes a long way in maintaining the enjoyment of your vacation.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

When WDW adds stress to my life instead of relieving it, I will be done. Thankfully, not a problem for me.

 

[Magpie]

I think there is a difference between planning when you know the specifics and planning when everything is so uncertain. It also depends on how soon you are going to be back. If you go once or twice a year, you might not care if you miss RoL this time or the Frozen ride, etc. But if you don't go that often, you probably feel like you want to do these things now while you are there (I don't know how often the OP goes, just talking in general). I think it's easy to say take things as they come, but that's not how WDW has set this up now. And then when you add in uncertainty with opening dates, will things have FP or not, dining packages, times, park hours, it can become stressful or maybe a better word is annoying. Obviously this is all in perspective of Disney problems, not real world problems.

Our next trip is in mid-April. We won't be returning for at least 18 months, maybe longer. There's some bad stuff (terminal cancer among them) coming down the line in our family and some difficult days ahead of us all. So, maybe this will be our last trip. However, knowing this doesn't change my perspective - I'm still taking things as they come, and not getting stressed about it.

If anything, the fact that this may be our last trip in quite awhile is making me feel even more relaxed about all the stuff I'm missing. I'm just going to enjoy the heck out of my vacation, right in the here and now, and not worry about things I could be doing instead!

 

[ArielSRL]

I can't speak for the person who first answered no, but my answer is that I don't mind change. You're letting it create stress by fixating on things too much. It's not a matter of loving Disney so much, but rather that there's such a smorgasbord of fun, you can't see everything there is to see, but everything you do see will be fun.

Not trying to argue, but some people just aren't built that way. I wish I could be carefree...footloose and fancy free....but I'm just not wired that way. Without a plan in place I become so anxious, I can't enjoy what I am experiencing. In other words, planning actually frees up my mind to have a good time.

With that said, I am now a mother and I've had to learn more and more to roll with the punches. Doesn't mean I don't get stressed or still try to have some sort of plan, but I just try to deal with my stress better.

Its hard to understand if you don't feel the same way.

 

[Paigevon]

1. BTMRR on again / off again,

6. I thought Epcot Norway changes were off my worry list when they were moved to "summer" but now they're in MDE which I'd be thrilled for the ride, but anguished over the M&G since I have an FP for MK.

We're also going the first week of May! Head is spinning, because we pushed back from first week of June just a few days ago!

Wait BTMRR is off again? I have a FP+ for it.

What's going on with with Epcot Norway now? I have MK M&G FP+ too!

 

[ArielSRL]

We're also going the first week of May! Head is spinning, because we pushed back from first week of June just a few days ago!

Wait BTMRR is off again? I have a FP+ for it.

What's going on with with Epcot Norway now? I have MK M&G FP+ too!

May 27th is the rumor now for FEA....no mention of the M&G though.

 

[Paigevon]

May 27th is the rumor now for FEA....no mention of the M&G though.

Okay, that was about to destroy all my last-minute FP and dining plans!

I selfishly hope it stays May 27th and we can get a FP+ for 1 or 2 day trip at the beginning of June. Even though we live in FL, I only went once at ~13 and now we're getting Weekday Select AP! This will be the only *big* trip though, any others will be at an All Star or offsite and no DDP, most likely.

ETA: Sorry for hijacking, OP! Hope things calm down for you *hug*

 

[ArwenMarie]

Our next trip is in mid-April. We won't be returning for at least 18 months, maybe longer. There's some bad stuff (terminal cancer among them) coming down the line in our family and some difficult days ahead of us all. So, maybe this will be our last trip. However, knowing this doesn't change my perspective - I'm still taking things as they come, and not getting stressed about it.

If anything, the fact that this may be our last trip in quite awhile is making me feel even more relaxed about all the stuff I'm missing. I'm just going to enjoy the heck out of my vacation, right in the here and now, and not worry about things I could be doing instead!

I can see that viewpoint too.

Sorry to hear about the terminal cancer in your family, hope there are many good days ahead for you all

 

[Magpie]

I can see that viewpoint too.

Sorry to hear about the terminal cancer in your family, hope there are many good days ahead for you all

Thank you. Me, I'm grateful it still looks like this trip will go ahead as planned. Everything after that, we'll just have to play by ear.

 

[Paigevon]

Thank you. Me, I'm grateful it still looks like this trip will go ahead as planned. Everything after that, we'll just have to play by ear.

I also want to wish you wellness and healing for your family. I hope your trip is completely magical!

 

[dachsie]

I really don't think you will have a problem getting a later FP for Barnstormer. I went during Spring break last year and got it as my 5th FP

 

[monorailrabbit]

I'm kind of in the middle here. I LOVE planning, LOVE IT!! It's what keeps me going between Disney trips. I plan even when I don't actually have a trip booked. So I can get how it's frustrating when Disney opens up things 180 days and 60 days out, and then changes things. BTMMR is my DH's favorite, so am I a little worried that refurb will be pushed back into our window and we will miss it? Sure. But stress? No. Stressing won't fix or change anything. It's still a Disney vacation so I know it will rock my socks off regardless! There are always other things to do or try! I think all the new things coming are super exciting and there is just no way it can be a seamless rollout without affecting SOMEONE. Someone will always be within a booking window and will need to adjust. So don't stress! I know it's easier said than done, but bottom line is you are going to Disney and it will be great!

 

[Micca]

Dis stress??????????????? Allow me to use it in a sentence: I'm a guy with a beard, I'd look strange in dis stress. (and I wouldn't have shoes to go with it.)