Do your homework!

[Snow Shoe]

Last night our DS called from the World. He and his family are currently there on vacation this week and next. While telling us about their day at MK, and how cute our DGS and DGD were at CP that morning with Tigger, he told us about two instances where park guests had not done their homework.

Yesterday at MK, our DS was getting FP’s for Buzz Lightyear. As he was leaving the FP machines, and a man came up to him and asked “What are those, and where could he buy them?”. My son answered that they were Fast Passes and they were free. He then had to explain to the man what the FP system was, and then how it worked. The man then told him that it was their first visit to Disney, and that it last day there and he had never known about what FP was.

On Wednesday, DS and his family ate lunch at the Sci Fi Café. After checking in and waiting to be called for their car, he observed several families approaching the check-in desk and inquiring about eating lunch there. One after another were told that there were no openings and that they had been booked for months in advance. Some accepted this, but several got very angry, yelling at the CM and wanted to talk to the manager right then. I’ve seen this same thing happen myself at Sci Fi, and other table service restaurants in the parks.

I just don’t get it. You spend big bucks to go to Disney, to have a good time, but come home disappointed about going the happiest place on earth. They probably will talk about how they had to wait in long lines for attractions or rides, and not being able to eat at any good places, and who’s fault is this? I’m sure they would say not their’s. Whether it’s first time visitors or veterans, always do your homework!

 

[juliebug1997]

My first trip to Europe, I didn't do a whole lot of research and it showed. In some instances I had no idea what others in our group were talking about and saw that they were getting more enjoyment out of the trip than I was. Ever since then, if I'm going somewhere--even if it's for a conference for school, I do some research about the area so I know what there is to do, etc. When we decided to go to Disney last summer, I bought several books and read up on everything. That made me super prepared for most of our trip. Then I discovered this board and I'm a bit more prepared for this coming trip. I know that I will still probably make a few tactical errors but I know it will be less than last year.

 

[photo_chick]

A lot of people who have never been to Disney think it's like going to Six Flags or something where you don't have to worry much about planning or research in advance. My husband was like that before our first trip.

 

[pat fan]

A couple trips ago we saw the same thing at Rose & Crown. A couple were LIVID that they couldn't eat dinner, made quite a scene. My family (parents & sister, first trip for them) thanked me profusely for planning the trip so they could have all the fun and not spend the vacation frustrated like that poor couple.

On the other hand, I am trying to plan a trip out west and am very frustrated at the lack of planning I CAN do. Where's the Dis site for that????

 

[Pembo]

I do think it is crazy that Disney reserves all the tables in their sit-down restaurants and leaves no ressies open for walk-ups. I am a planner but really I don't know where I'll want to eat in 6 months.

 

[disneychic]

I know. I try to help anyone that I know who is going for the first time but sometimes people don't want help or advice....and then they learn the hard way! Or, they don't have as good of a time as they could have if they'd just done some research!

 

[juliebug1997]

I do think it is crazy that Disney reserves all the tables in their sit-down restaurants and leaves no ressies open for walk-ups. I am a planner but really I don't know where I'll want to eat in 6 months.

I just looked at the WDW website and, for my arrival date, there are only 12 restaurants that don't have any availability for that night, and two of them are not usually places opened for reservations for dinner (Horseshoe and Tomorrowland Terrace). It's not that you have to plan out everything six months out but a week out is not such a terrible thing or overly labor intensive. Same thing when I go to NYC. Once I know that I'm going I make reservations for my two favorite restaurants so that I can be assured of eating there.

I do think that, if Disney left some of the tables open for walk ups, you're going to end up with people camping out for those limited number of tables.

 

[MickeyCanada715]

Plan, Plan, Plan.

It's not Cedar Point people!

The magic comes with good planning. My wife finds it amusing that I spend so much time reading up, but she knows, it will pay off in the end.

 

[mskayjay]

Vacation for many people means relaxing and not having a schedule. I understand that there are folks who feel they want/need to plan everything for their trips, but WDW has gone overboard because of the dining and their push to make "the happiest place on earth" into "the busiest place on earth" with nary an empty seat at a restaurant or on a ride at any time of the day/week/month/year. I so miss the days of going off peak and having it be a truly relaxing experience.

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to go on vacation and be able to dine at a restaurant without planning it 6 months in advance. There is no other location that we travel to that almost necessitates this. Unless WDW adds some restaurants, I think the FD push and ADR stuff is going to cause more and more problems.

 

[DisneyMominMTL]

A colleague of mine insisted I borrow her Disney planning book, 2011 edition ( even though I told her I found the Internet a much better source of info).

I still took it and started reading from it... It suggested that people arrive early to the MK, in order to make sure to book ''an early dinner at CRT, because it's usually fully booked at 10 AM''.

You can be certain I didn't continue reading.

Many people will use this renowned publisher's planning book at face value, which would lead to situations as described in this thread.

Not those people's fault.

 

[mfp]

I understand ppl not doing research and being clueless. It happens all of the time. My in laws are one of the most guilty ppl of this. They drove all the way from OH up to Montreal and did NOT research anything. They said they, "walked around" stayed overnight and then drove back?!?!

I do agree with a pp though that the ADRs are crazy. We are staying onsite for the first time and doing the DP. The ADRs are IMO a total PITA! I can totally see ppl being caught off guard that table service restaurants were booked. We ate only one table service during our honeymoon at WDW and we were lucky to walk in during lunch (the moroccan place, and it was subpar food, so I don't have a good opinion of TS from that). However, we just got lucky, I did not know until I started researching WDW as a family vacation that ADRs were such a big part of the vacation. I feel as if they need to be PERFECT and it's stressing me out to try to pick the best places.

 

[2Tiggies]

I can understand someone who knows nothing about Disney, books a trip and has no idea of the wealth of resources and information available. It can and does happen.

What I do not understand is how those who book the trip and are then (fortunate?) to have someone who does know the ropes simply point out that a bit of research is essential, only to brush them off.

I witnessed this with a lovely lady I know through work who was bouncing off the walls when she booked the family's first trip to WDW. I mentioned that there were resources out there and offered to guide her to find any information she needed to make the most of their time there. She dismissed my offer, with no offence taken, but was adamant that the point of a holiday is to wing it. Having learnt the hard way, I didn't push the issue although it did come up a few times in the following months. I joined her countdown, got excited with her. We left for our trip, came back and she had left for hers. On her return we were exchanging stories and her jaw dropped when she learned that not only had my DD seen and MET characters, but we had also dined with them and collected a book full of autographs

To sum it up, she had no intention of planning another trip any time soon. It cost themn a fortune. They didn't know about ADRs and had to leave the parks many times to go for a sit down meal somewhere. They saw Mickey and Minnie but did not know that they could approach them, much less get autographs and pictures She had never heard of Fastpass but had seen it, she thought, on the park maps. Lines were long and they spent and average of over an hour, usually more, waiting for rides.

It is very sad, and I ask the same as the OP: How can you spend thousands on a vacation without finding out anything about where you are going?

 

[AggieTexan]

Last night our DS called from the World. He and his family are currently there on vacation this week and next. While telling us about their day at MK, and how cute our DGS and DGD were at CP that morning with Tigger, he told us about two instances where park guests had not done their homework.

Yesterday at MK, our DS was getting FP’s for Buzz Lightyear. As he was leaving the FP machines, and a man came up to him and asked “What are those, and where could he buy them?”. My son answered that they were Fast Passes and they were free. He then had to explain to the man what the FP system was, and then how it worked. The man then told him that it was their first visit to Disney, and that it last day there and he had never known about what FP was.

On Wednesday, DS and his family ate lunch at the Sci Fi Café. After checking in and waiting to be called for their car, he observed several families approaching the check-in desk and inquiring about eating lunch there. One after another were told that there were no openings and that they had been booked for months in advance. Some accepted this, but several got very angry, yelling at the CM and wanted to talk to the manager right then. I’ve seen this same thing happen myself at Sci Fi, and other table service restaurants in the parks.

I just don’t get it. You spend big bucks to go to Disney, to have a good time, but come home disappointed about going the happiest place on earth. They probably will talk about how they had to wait in long lines for attractions or rides, and not being able to eat at any good places, and who’s fault is this? I’m sure they would say not their’s. Whether it’s first time visitors or veterans, always do your homework!

I'm an obsessive planner, and I see this wherever we go...WDW, Cruise, road trip...

Two summers ago we did an 8 day road trip before a cruise out of Long Beach. We spent time in wine country, Monterey, and on the coast highway. The trip was a ton of research and planning, but it really paid off.

On our last day in Napa, we did a tour at Robert Mondavi. At the end of the tour we had a seated tasting. My DH struck up a conversation with a couple from Boston who were seated next to him. They had just arrived for 7 days, and they were at Mondavi because it was a familiar name. Beyond that, they had no idea what they should do or see during their trip. They had no winery appointments, no dinner reservations...nothing. All I could think was how expensive a trip Napa is, and how little they were going to be able to see and do because they hadn't made any arrangements.

 

[Beka]

There once was a time where you didn't have to plan your WDW vacation to a T. I remember walking up when I was younger to TS restaurants without a reservation. We had a wait, but still...

For DH & I, we don't like to do a ton of research. The fun to us is "discovering" something new. If I know everything about a place, then why go? Just to look at it in person? Meh. I like to have a clue going in, but there's something lost when I know too much. I guess we like to be a little more spontaneous? We didn't make many ressies in October when we went. We somehow managed to get the last available table for Sci-Fi the day we went. Being flexible helps. Oh, and just the two of us too. I imagine it'll be a lot harder to walk up & get a table when it's 4 of us.

 

[mom2rtk]

I got to witness this as we checked in at the podium at (of all places) Le Cellier last December. Someone was trying to go walk-up. He refused to belive her when she told him it booked up 6 months in advance.

 

[goofyernmost]

I side step that entire set of frustrations by staying off site. I can chose from literally hundreds of restaurants along Rte. 197 alone. I don't need a reservation and I don't have to decide what I am in the mood for one day, one week or 6 months out.

I can get to those places as fast, if not faster, then what it would take me to transit from wherever I am in whatever park I'm in if I never left the resort. I can come and go as often during the day as I like, and, I know people don't believe me, but just as easily as one can staying on site. On top of all that I save hundreds of dollars. Do I have a 5 ft. Mouse patrolling my hallways at night? No! But I am usually asleep, gloriously unaware that this isn't happening.

That's what I found out...doing my homework. There is nothing that Disney Food Service has to offer that I cannot find of equal quality and lesser priced outside the World. I love Disney Parks but I am not married to them. I also am not entirely comfortable with leaving every single vacation dollar with the suits from Disney. Course, that's just me.

 

[1girln3boys]

According to our waiter at Sci Fi they do have a limited # of seats for walk ups. Up against the wall are for walk ups. But if you make a reservation you get one of the cars. Walk ups don't get the cars just the tables.

 

[Mousemom]

After going to Disneyland many times our family decided on a trip to WDW. We went to a travel agent, read the small booklet you get from the agent, and then made our reservations. When we got to WDW we were overwhelmed. Our first day there we went to EPCOT. It was so big and we had no clue as to what we should do. That night we went back to the room and decided that we would plan the rest of our days. Although we did not know anything about WDW compared to what we know now we had a great time and it will be one of our favorite trips. While there we decided we wanted to come back the next year. When I got home I started reading and going on line to learn as much as I could. Wow! It really changed the way we did our vacations. I don't really plan our day to day activity but all of our ADR's are made 6 months out, we know of what special events are going on, and get tickets for all extra activities. Now, planning is one of my favorite things about our vacations!

 

[nblake05]

I can understand someone not knowing about needing to make dining reservations or fast passes, etc. What I DON'T understand is why someone would yell at CM and make a scene. That is simply bad behavior in any scenario. You simply don't yell at someone for doing their job. That shows, to me, that even if that person had done their homework, they still have a skewed sense of entitlement and would find something to make a scene about. My husband and I don't make dining reservations for EVERY night we're there and we have had some tremendous luck getting into places last minute. Perhaps, that is also because we are always nice and understanding with the CMs , as well as luck.

 

[TinkPirateMom]

I plan this much for all the trips we take even it is somewhere nearby for the weekend. My husband just laughs at me and says ok let me see the clipboard of fun! I then hand him a typed out itinerary. I just like to plan trips! I did inform him however that this is the on trip that actually REQUIRES this type of planning. Others I just plan for fun.