Does anyone else miss the spontaneity

[Mimarian]

I never have equated a trip to WDW with spontaneity but regardless one can be as spontaneous as they would like at Disney. People do it all the time but it does come with tradeoffs especially the busier times of year. But when I think about having to make ADRs 6 months in advance at Disney for a desired restaurant, I compare it to other trips I have made and having to book in advance: 1. Alcatraz in San Francisco. You cant be spontaneous and show up at the dock in summer and expect to be able to get a ticket. 2. Popular luau in Maui. I had to book 3 months in advance. 3. Staying in a property onsite at the Grand Canyon in the summer. I had to book a year in advance. 4. I am going to NYC in a few weeks and have been trying to snag a ticket to see Jimmy Fallon and Tonight show. havent been successful. Being spontaneous means I will now need to wait in long lines if I want to have a chance of getting a ticket. 5. Same with certain Broadway shows in NYC. The list goes on. Wherever you go, spontaneity comes with a tradeoff especially if you hit popular travel spots in their high seasons.

I don't think we are comparing apples to apples. I planned to go to WDW a year ago. That is basically what your comparisons are. When you went to Alcatraz did you eat? Did you know what you wanted to eat before you went? You are comparing it to things that have very limited access anyway. I can get into WDW, I just may not be able to do things if I don't snatch a spot before I go.

 

[Mimarian]

Nobody is asking for complete spontaneity. It's all a matter of degree. The items you listed would be the equivalent of booking ADRs and special outings like a fireworks cruise. Maybe you'd like to book your time to enter the ocean on the beach? Maybe you'd like to tie yourself into a specific time to be at a given shop in New York? I actually love planning certain special things in advance. It's filling in between those special appointments with more time commitments that turns it into a negative.

Yep

 

[disneyfan55]

I never have equated a trip to WDW with spontaneity but regardless one can be as spontaneous as they would like at Disney. People do it all the time but it does come with tradeoffs especially the busier times of year.

But when I think about having to make ADRs 6 months in advance at Disney for a desired restaurant, I compare it to other trips I have made and having to book in advance:

1. Alcatraz in San Francisco. You cant be spontaneous and show up at the dock in summer and expect to be able to get a ticket.
2. Popular luau in Maui. I had to book 3 months in advance.
3. Staying in a property onsite at the Grand Canyon in the summer. I had to book a year in advance.
4. I am going to NYC in a few weeks and have been trying to snag a ticket to see Jimmy Fallon and Tonight show. havent been successful. Being spontaneous means I will now need to wait in long lines if I want to have a chance of getting a ticket.
5. Same with certain Broadway shows in NYC.

The list goes on. Wherever you go, spontaneity comes with a tradeoff especially if you hit popular travel spots in their high seasons.

Yes, but lately with WDW the entire trip almost is preplanned. You may have to book a room, play etc well in advance but it is just everything now at WDW. Friends of ours planned a crosscountry trip last summer in just over a month that included staying on Mt. Rainier, Paradise Inn, various ranches on the trip, and a 2 week Alaska cruise. The cruise was offered at a great discount (just 600 per person), thus the trip. That is just a little example. Having visiting WDW for almost 40 years, the past 8 or so years are ever so planned and costs very much higher by percentage. And so much more crowded most all year now.

 

[disneyfan55]

I don't think we are comparing apples to apples. I planned to go to WDW a year ago. That is basically what your comparisons are. When you went to Alcatraz did you eat? Did you know what you wanted to eat before you went? You are comparing it to things that have very limited access anyway. I can get into WDW, I just may not be able to do things if I don't snatch a spot before I go.

exactly, I just wrote similar comments.

 

[#1 Goofy Fan]

My husband and I are talking about taking a trip without doing much planning at all. We aren't going to make any ADR's or FP+ reservations. Instead, we will wake up that morning and decide which park we want to visit. We might swing by guest relations that morning and see if they have any dining opportunities for us, but otherwise, we will just do counter service. I'm sure that ADRs and Fast Pass+ help to fuel all of this planning which, in turn does bring in more money for Disney, but it's likely to have the opposite effect with us. We have been planning detailed trips for years. This summer, we are doing a parks-free vacation and have little planned. We have talked about going to a water park, but intend to just do that if the weather looks good and we feel like it on any given day. We also plan to just get on whichever bus shows up at the hotel first. We have talked about miniature golf, Tri Circle D Ranch, Characters in Flight, Disney Quest, resort exploring, and all sorts of things, but have no set plans. We might do some of these things and we might not. And we are loving talking about it. If this goes well, we will definitely end up doing a park trip this way.

This has always been my families style - go to the bus stop and get on the first bus that arrives - with the following exceptions - we always have one ADR at AK prior to park opening and we always do Chef Mickey's for Breakfast - but for both of these we drive to ADR. After morning at AK we play it by ear. I have never been a planner at WDW and honestly I am nervous about our next trip losing something - afraid lines might be crazy long, without knowing where we will be on any certain day (except AK) hard to plan FP+.
Hope your trip works for you.

 

[disneyfan55]

Nobody is asking for complete spontaneity. It's all a matter of degree. The items you listed would be the equivalent of booking ADRs and special outings like a fireworks cruise.

Maybe you'd like to book your time to enter the ocean on the beach? Maybe you'd like to tie yourself into a specific time to be at a given shop in New York?

I actually love planning certain special things in advance. It's filling in between those special appointments with more time commitments that turns it into a negative.

yes. I agree.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that planning a few activities and booking a room is quite a bit different from pretty much planning out everything. You can expect to need reservations for popular restaurants and passes for popular attractions but you shouldn't have to plan out every detail of your vacation. As this thread shows, some people like to plan every detail and some don't. Different strokes.

 

[PlutoMars]

Nobody is asking for complete spontaneity. It's all a matter of degree. The items you listed would be the equivalent of booking ADRs and special outings like a fireworks cruise.

Maybe you'd like to book your time to enter the ocean on the beach? Maybe you'd like to tie yourself into a specific time to be at a given shop in New York?

I actually love planning certain special things in advance. It's filling in between those special appointments with more time commitments that turns it into a negative.

What is the equivalent in your mind at Disney to booking time to enter the ocean or beach; or having to tie yourself to be in a given shop?

 

[Mrs Lapo]

Omg, I can't agree more! I have been dreaming of taking my family to Disney for about 10 years now. I finally booked my trip in Feb for this coming Nov. I never knew how much planning was required. I am able to make my ADR on Mon and I have spent the past month planning out our itinerary. Now I'm so stressed out that I won't be able to get the reservations I wanted & have to redo it all ( never knew it was going to be like this.

We wanted to surprise our kids with this trip. I was going to wait till a week before leaving to tell them. Now I'll have to tell them at least 60 days before so they can pick their own FP+ otherwise they may not be able to get one for the rides they want.

I have no prior experience so I'm not knocking the system. I don't know what it was like before now. I just didn't know this is what it was like until after I booked my trip. Thank god I found this page or I would have been screwed! Everyone has been so helpful.

 

[PlutoMars]

I agree that planning a few activities and booking a room is quite a bit different from pretty much planning out everything. You can expect to need reservations for popular restaurants and passes for popular attractions but you shouldn't have to plan out every detail of your vacation. As this thread shows, some people like to plan every detail and some don't. Different strokes.

Where is Disney requiring people to plan out every detail of their vacation?

Even people who love being spontaneous, at least have some rough plan in place when they enter a park. There are hard time events like shows and parades that they may want to see.

But I certainly agree that people are all over the spectrum when it comes to their touring and vacation styles

 

[disneyfan55]

I agree that planning a few activities and booking a room is quite a bit different from pretty much planning out everything. You can expect to need reservations for popular restaurants and passes for popular attractions but you shouldn't have to plan out every detail of your vacation. As this thread shows, some people like to plan every detail and some don't. Different strokes.

I agree, and it is the change over the years that has happened at WDW. Back I think before FD, there was just so much more relaxation. Maybe you may not get a reservation for lunch/dinner exactly when you wanted but you could get it the day of or day before for the most part. Even eating at the castle was possible. We walked up for lunch in 2001 and no problem even with a larger group. Now can't even get the res. a month or 2 ahead of time and have to pre pay no less.

 

[mom2rtk]

What is the equivalent in your mind at Disney to booking time to enter the ocean or beach; or having to tie yourself to be in a given shop?

Booking ride times.

 

[disneyfan55]

Omg, I can't agree more! I have been dreaming of taking my family to Disney for about 10 years now. I finally booked my trip in Feb for this coming Nov. I never knew how much planning was required. I am able to make my ADR on Mon and I have spent the past month planning out our itinerary. Now I'm so stressed out that I won't be able to get the reservations I wanted & have to redo it all ( never knew it was going to be like this.

We wanted to surprise our kids with this trip. I was going to wait till a week before leaving to tell them. Now I'll have to tell them at least 60 days before so they can pick their own FP+ otherwise they may not be able to get one for the rides they want.

I have no prior experience so I'm not knocking the system. I don't know what it was like before now. I just didn't know this is what it was like until after I booked my trip. Thank god I found this page or I would have been screwed! Everyone has been so helpful.

10 years ago, and you wouldn't have had to do all that planning! much more relaxing back then.

 

[Planogirl]

Where is Disney requiring people to plan out every detail of their vacation?

Even people who love being spontaneous, at least have some rough plan in place when they enter a park. There are hard time events like shows and parades that they may want to see.

But I certainly agree that people are all over the spectrum when it comes to their touring and vacation styles

If I want to ride Test Track during a busy period, I will likely have to decide what day way in advance and accept a time. In the old days I could decide to go to the park that day when I woke up and get fastpasses when I got there. Going back even further, we went to kiosks early in the day to book restaurants at Epcot which was fun.

Things have gradually changed. Of course we always had a rough plan but that was the point, the plan was just an outline and not drilled down to each ride and exactly when to ride it.

 

[disneyfan55]

Where is Disney requiring people to plan out every detail of their vacation?

Even people who love being spontaneous, at least have some rough plan in place when they enter a park. There are hard time events like shows and parades that they may want to see.

But I certainly agree that people are all over the spectrum when it comes to their touring and vacation styles

It is not required but if you want to do it you must! I have visited many many times, the past 8 or so years if not planned for a lunch/dinner basically cant go. It did not used to be that way. The castle was available same day not that long ago.

 

[disneyfan55]

If I want to ride Test Track during a busy period, I will likely have to decide what day way in advance and accept a time. In the old days I could decide to go to the park that day when I woke up and get fastpasses when I get there. Going back even further, we went to kiosks early in the day to book restaurants at Epcot which was fun.

Things have gradually changed. Of course we always had a rough plan but that was the point, the plan was just an outline and not drilled down to each ride and exactly when to ride it.

YES!!! That is the same point I am trying to state! It was much more fun. The castle was avail the same day as well! Free dining and even just dining plan as well as the new fp has made all have to be planned. We went in Oct, with the advent of the new FP and nothing basically avail day of for many attractions. And that was 'slow time"

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I like the planning, I don't mind booking ADRs and FPs in advance, but the one part I don't like is it's nearly impossible to plan a trip last minute. As APholders we sometimes just get a hankering to go on short notice. But the downside is limited FP availability for popular rides and attractions as well as popular restaurants. We will still go and have fun, but when it comes to WDW the early bird definitely gets the worm.

 

[TravelingCoopers]

I haven't been to WDW yet, just Disneyland several times. I hope to go to WDW sometime in the next few years and now I know to really really look ahead of time.

I'm like a lot of you where I like to have some ideas of places I want to go, places to eat, etc, but I never have planned any trip down to a T. I love letting the day take me to wherever it goes. But that's in the real world where I'm out and about in cities and areas with miles and miles to explore. I can see why so much planning needs to go into Disney World. With all the people there, you gotta make sure you can see/do the things you want.

 

[disneyfan55]

I like the planning, I don't mind booking ADRs and FPs in advance, but the one part I don't like is it's nearly impossible to plan a trip last minute. As APholders we sometimes just get a hankering to go on short notice. But the downside is limited FP availability for popular rides and attractions as well as popular restaurants. We will still go and have fun, but when it comes to WDW the early bird definitely gets the worm.

I, too, am a planner. I just don't like every aspect. We are AP holders as well, but not sure for how much longer.

 

[PlutoMars]

If I want to ride Test Track during a busy period, I will likely have to decide what day way in advance and accept a time. In the old days I could decide to go to the park that day when I woke up and get fastpasses when I got there. Going back even further, we went to kiosks early in the day to book restaurants at Epcot which was fun.

Things have gradually changed. Of course we always had a rough plan but that was the point, the plan was just an outline and not drilled down to each ride and exactly when to ride it.

You dont HAVE to do that to ride test track. You could be as spontaneous and show up at Epcot at a given day and get in the standby line or even single rider line. Disney isnt requiring anyone to book a ride. It is done by choice. Of course, that will come with a tradeoff.