Does anyone else miss the spontaneity

[Planogirl]

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.

I used to get fastpasses for our group when we arrived at the park. We didn't have to wait in a one hour line or ride separately.

No matter how you look at it, it is different. Some people like it and some don't.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

FYI they closed the single rider line at RR when we were there. Something about "lines too long" according to CM? We used to rely on it for a quick Test Track or Everest, but clearly they close the single rider line if they want to...

 

[SnowWhite09]

I know that a lot of people love to plan their vacations to WDW right down to the last detail. My DW is one of them. I just wish that we did not have to plan what park we were going to 6 months in advance. I do like the fact that we don't have to stand in lines for FP- anymore and God help you if you got stuck behind a tour trying to get a FP-. So that part I like. It just seems like its not as spontaneous as I would like. We have to decide where we want to eat ahead of time and what ride we are going to do and what park we are going to be at. I am not bashing the new system. I think its a great way to introduce better technology. I just wish there could be a mesh of technology and spontaneity.

I do wish we could be more spontaneous. We don't do any of the table service restaurants because we don't know what we want to eat tomorrow so I don't want to book 180 days in advance. While we have a general idea what park we are going to on what day, we like to have the flexibility to change our minds if the weather isn't the way we expected. I love planning, but when I am there I want to have the flexibility to change - that is the beauty of a holiday; a change in routine and from the rush, rush, rush!

 

[Sparkly]

You don't have to book ADRs. You don't have to book FP+s until the day before if you don't want.

You're only a slave to the plan if you make it so. Flame suit on.

 

[Coach81]

No time for spontaneity... must plan.. plan.. plan!!!!! What's next?

 

[disney meema]

Yes and no .. Miss the just go with it times yet planning does make it easier with crowds ect. I do think the. Days of spontaneity our about kuput sadly

 

[bookgirl]

I don't, but I haven't actually felt that my spontaneity has been hampered all that much, being an adult with no kids I don't have to hit some of the crazy line rides and I don't have to worry that one glitch will cause a meltdown (either the kids or the adults).

I tend to do a lot of planning but I don't tie myself to an actual "PLAN". I hit an area with a lot of information and a basic plan that has options, so that I can change my mind and do a variety of things at a moment' notice.

With the MB/FP I have done a lot of switching and changing with very little hassle (both solo and with other adults in my party) so I still do a ton of stuff on the spur of the moment.

YMMV but for me, I'm still doing good.

 

[btk2333]

we are planners- I feel much less stressed about vacations when we have things like where we're eating and to what park we're going planned in advance.

We've done trips with my parents which fall apart because they don't like to have things planned and they just don't end up being fun.

That being said I still feel like there is plenty of spontaneity available- there have been plenty of days that we've changed FP+ and ADR's the night before because we wanted to switch our planned parks

 

[ArwenMarie]

I am glad they added the 4th FP in. That does add some spontaneity. Spin the MDE wheel see what you get!

(not trying to be sarcastic)

 

[ShannonMB]

I'm just really not that into spontaneity at Disney. DD and I usually go with other family members, who all are aware that if they want to do Disney with us, they have to follow our lead. The worst way to tour, imo, is to have several people, all with no idea what to do next having to stand around and hash it out. It may sound selfish, but my Disney trip, my way. I lead our cohorts around in a very orderly fashion, and everyone who tours with us say it is the best EVER.

Yep, to me, spontaneity at Disney = standing around not knowing what to do. Add some heat or crowds to the mix and it can be a very frustrating day.

 

[surferdave]

I don't, but I haven't actually felt that my spontaneity has been hampered all that much, being an adult with no kids I don't have to hit some of the crazy line rides and I don't have to worry that one glitch will cause a meltdown

Actually the biggest thing having kids does is cut back your options and flexibility. I think it gets exponentially more difficult to manage things with MM+ with every additional person on your list. It hasn't escaped my notice that the most glowing reports of how awesome it is comes from couples who use it, and people who like to demonstrate how good fast pass availability is can get almost anything for one person.

 

[mom2rtk]

we are planners- I feel much less stressed about vacations when we have things like where we're eating and to what park we're going planned in advance.

We've done trips with my parents which fall apart because they don't like to have things planned and they just don't end up being fun.

That being said I still feel like there is plenty of spontaneity available- there have been plenty of days that we've changed FP+ and ADR's the night before because we wanted to switch our planned parks

BTK......... Totally OT ........... but I'm LOVING the new Avatar photo. So glad they arrived safely.

CONGRATS!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Actually the biggest thing having kids does is cut back your options and flexibility. I think it gets exponentially more difficult to manage things with MM+ with every additional person on your list. It hasn't escaped my notice that the most glowing reports of how awesome it is comes from couples who use it, and people who like to demonstrate how good fast pass availability is can get almost anything for one person.

I would add there are a lot of glowing reports from people who go often.

 

[CindyCan]

I was there the 2 weeks ago, which was my first experience with FP+. I have to say it really didn't impede my spontaneity. Granted, I was one person, but that actually made me want to be more spontaneous because I didn't have to cater to others' wants.

The biggest way that I found it to be spontaneous is that I booked my FP+ for late afternoon, therefore choosing my 2nd park of the day in advance. But my 1st park each day I decided either the night before, or when I got up in the morning.

I also changed FP+ quite often (but not usually headliners) as I figured out what worked better than what I had booked. Again, with one person it's probably easier to do that.

I did NOT miss having to cross the park multiple times to get FP-, then to use FP-, then to get another FP-, and then cross the park again with no idea if the ride I wanted had FP- or for what time.

My biggest complaint is that I would have liked to overlap windows. If you have a FP+ for Splash at 5:00 and one for BTMR at 6:00 and you arrive at Splash at 5:00 you're going to have quite a wait for your BTMR timeslot to open. However, this is where I was spontaneous as well: I'd look at the standby time on Splash & BTMR and use the time I had to wait by doing one of those rides standby. If I'm going to wait around, why not wait in line?

And that's not really a complaint - more of an observation. I was worried about FP+, but I like it better than FP- and I'd call us super-users of that system.

 

[btk2333]

BTK......... Totally OT ........... but I'm LOVING the new Avatar photo. So glad they arrived safely. CONGRATS!

Thanks mom- they came at 29 weeks and spent 7 weeks in the nicu but they're home and growing now!

 

[2Tiggies]

Yep, to me, spontaneity at Disney = standing around not knowing what to do. Add some heat or crowds to the mix and it can be a very frustrating day.

I completely agree that not having a plan usually equals less efficient use of your time, but to me, spontaneity isn't about not having a plan. It's about being able to change it on the fly. Example: Last year DD and I were getting ready form morning EMH at DHS. She got out the shower and slipped and fell hard onto the tiles. I was not going anywhere until I'd given her at least 30 minutes to calm down and check if she was injured. With there being no way we would make the start of EMH I got her a juice and something to eat and we decided to get onto the first non EMH park bus that showed up and get to whatever park it was for regular hours rope drop. It is a bit more tricky when you have your FP's all planned out for the day and have to cancel them and see what is left at the other parks. It can be done but your options are limited. By getting there for rope drop, our options were no more limited than they were with our Plan A, C or D - whichever we ended up doing.

 

[surferdave]

I completely agree that not having a plan usually equals less efficient use of your time, but to me, spontaneity isn't about not having a plan. It's about being able to change it on the fly. Example: Last year DD and I were getting ready form morning EMH at DHS. She got out the shower and slipped and fell hard onto the tiles. I was not going anywhere until I'd given her at least 30 minutes to calm down and check if she was injured. With there being no way we would make the start of EMH I got her a juice and something to eat and we decided to get onto the first non EMH park bus that showed up and get to whatever park it was for regular hours rope drop. It is a bit more tricky when you have your FP's all planned out for the day and have to cancel them and see what is left at the other parks. It can be done but your options are limited. By getting there for rope drop, our options were no more limited than they were with our Plan A, C or D - whichever we ended up doing.

Bravo, perfectly said. Not everyone is gonna give you credit or like this but I certainly will.

 

[dbramer]

Isn't that what we have always done when we have gone to disney? With the touring plans, FP- runs and crowd calendars, a Disney vacation is never "spontaneous." Not sure where this idea came from. Every one of us looked at crowd calendars and crowd levels prior to going. We look at historically low attendance dates to book our vacations and knew which park we were going to hit on which dates. ADR's have been 180 + 10 for as long as I can remember, so we planned our meal ressies six months prior, so we also sort of planned which park we were going to be in.

I can't think of one person that I know that would just up and go to disney and make their plans the day of. That is spontaneous. Spontaneous is getting up and flipping a coin to decide which park to visit. Spontaneous is walking through the park and saying "Wow, I want to ride X ride now, let's go."

The "lack" of spontaneity has been a rallying cry for those opposed to FP+ since it started, most without ever having experienced it. "It takes away our spontaneity." Well, didn't they plan which FP- they were going to run to first and in which order they were going to get them months in advance?

Just not sure where this idea came from....Disney and spontaneity are diametrically opposed ideologies.

 

[Sydnerella]

I would hazard a guess that a big issue with it for some is just that it is yet another important part of vacation that needs to be planned in advance to make the most of one's limited travel time and budget. All of my non Disney friends thought I was a nut job planning dining six months out and as a result which park which day. I will not share with these people that now I plan three attractions per day down to the hour two months in advance... That would sound completely ludicrous to them....

Planning ahead is still worth it to me, now and before FP+ but the extent to which it needs to be done now for me to enjoy the same level of attractions/entertainment as before is greater which I am not crazy about. But despite my detailed itineraries we always find spontaneous fun, unexpected pixie dust, and new surprising unique experiences we love.

This is because at the end of the day, it is WDW! And we love it!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[amg35]

It doesn't bother me. We only go once every few years or so, so it's fun. This whole year of planning feels like a vacation leading up to a vacation.

Next year will be Universal(two nights) and RC cruise, I don't have to plan anything but excursions and dinner times!