Does anyone just "wing it"

[CTDisneyfan816]

Sorry, apparently my math was off, I was thinking it'd be later in December.

I still say that ADRs are needed if you want TS meals.

I agree that is true anytime of year

 

[C.C. Langley]

I say you can wing it! I just decided a week or two ago that I wanted to go back to DW at the end of June for a quick little visit. I got all the fast passes I wanted and all of the TS's I wanted too (Including a dinner at BOG, breakfast at Ohana, and some other harder to get places). I didn't know we were going until 24 days before the trip, so I couldn't hyper plan like usual. I did check the reservation site 2-3 times a day, but in 6-8 days I had all the meals I wanted. For our upcoming trip I know what days we're going to what park and have one ADR a day in the park scheduled for that day, and our three fast passes are planned. Everything else I'm winging. No touring plans. Just gonna use the Disney experience app and the touring plan app for wait times and see what happens. Eat the rest of our meals whenever we feel like it at wherever we feel like it.

Plus, don't forget to just check the disney app at like 9-10pm each night for ADR's for the next day. I changed the times of so many of our hard to get ADR's on our last trip so we could sleep in. People cancel the night before so they don't get penalized, and you can just snatch them up. You probably could do the whole trip without pre-planned ADR's at all if you aren't dead set on where you want to eat and just be surprised by what's available.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We always have adrs and fp+. Then again we schedule lots activities so they are kind of necessary. We do tend to come and go to parks during our stay spontaneously. We always make our adrs even if we miss a fp+.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've always booked ADR's but only a couple so it was easy for me to choose to hop on the first bus that came before FP+. Plus I had park hoppers most of the time.

But now with FP+, I don't do that anymore and plan out which park on which day so I can book FP+ and have ADR's. For my next couple of trips, I won't have an AP and won't be getting Park Hoppers to save money so there is no winging it for me.

 

[Susan C]

I wish sometimes I could wing it... but I'm just not programmed that way..

 

[Aerinha]

I think it was easier to wing during the paper FP age. My first two adult trips were at that time and other than two adrs per trip it was all haphazard. Now they ever restrict what FP you can have with the tier system. I think a magicband swipe and fingerprint recognition would have prevented one person from hogging all the FP for one time vs having to do it online. The kiosks were so easy vs standing in line for a CM to help you get one after your three are up.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

On our early December trip we pretty much winged it. We booked the trip over Thanksgiving and arrived 12/10. I sniped a few ADRs and booked some FPs with little concern of we had to change them on site. Sure enough we ended up switching them the night before almost every day. We managed to get some good ADRs at the 24 hour point when we knew what park we'd be in the next day. It was our best trip yet.

 

[kiford]

We do something in between winging it and excessive planning. If there's something special we want to do (e.g., La Nouba, Wild Africa Trek, MVMCP, etc.) I book that first. Then book ADRs - mostly try to arrange them around either the special plans that we've made or a specific evening parade if we want to do that. If that's not necessary, then I just book them so that I'm not eating similar cuisine two days in a row (e.g., no two days eating Italian). Then I'll plan vaguely to go to the park closest to where I'm eating on a particular day and book FP+ for those days. Last time, we only used 2-3 of our FP+ so I'm not too worried about that; we never really much used FP- either. Disney isn't all about rides to us. We like to spend time at the shops, watching street performances, and just wandering and talking to each other.

So we end up with a general structure: here's where and when we eat, here's the most convenient park to that so we'll need to be there about that time and the rest is as we feel. Often, the only thing that really is followed is the special events and ADRs and in between we go where the mood takes us. We figure we'll probably come back another year so if we miss a ride, it's no big deal. It took four trips to actually get into Toy Story Mania and those were all really great trips even without it.

 

[Jeannie in NJ]

For our last trip, we only picked 3 adr's for a 9 day visit. The rest of our meals were either quick service or club level. We have been so many times that we don't care if we miss some rides (except Soarin is a must for me so I do fast pass that one) and we go to all the shows which fast passes are not really needed for in my opinion. We get park hoppers and go to parks every day (Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios just one day each) but most days we hop over to MK and Epcot and just do whatever we happen to feel like at the time. We were able to go on all the rides that we wanted to with no long stand by lines. We went from Jan. 2 or 3th and stayed for 9 days.
Actually the longest line was for the hot air balloon at DTD and I went solo on that as the rest of the family would not go so they just hung around DTD till I was done.

 

[loves to dive]

We pretty much wing it. We usually look on line the night before if we think we are going to want TS and when we find something that tends to dictate which park we will be at around the time of the ADR. I have an AP and my DS and DIL always have PH so we might book a FP at the time we book our ADR, might not. Now at F&W I do book any special seminars I want to go as soon as they are announced, those puppies book up fast.

 

[Nohal]

With the advent of ADR's and FP+ I don't think you can wing it your entire trip. If there are TS you want to eat at you must make an ADR or take the chance of not eating there. If there are rides you don't want to miss you need FP or wait in line for a long time for more popular rides. We just came back from Universal studios where we spent 3 days. We just winged it and it was so nice not to have a strick schedule.

 

[disneyseniors]

For our last trip, we only picked 3 adr's for a 9 day visit. The rest of our meals were either quick service or club level. We have been so many times that we don't care if we miss some rides (except Soarin is a must for me so I do fast pass that one) and we go to all the shows which fast passes are not really needed for in my opinion. We get park hoppers and go to parks every day (Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios just one day each) but most days we hop over to MK and Epcot and just do whatever we happen to feel like at the time. We were able to go on all the rides that we wanted to with no long stand by lines. We went from Jan. 2 or 3th and stayed for 9 days.
Actually the longest line was for the hot air balloon at DTD and I went solo on that as the rest of the family would not go so they just hung around DTD till I was done.

Yes Jeannie, we also get park hoppers. We go to a certain park in the AM, then back to the resort to rest and recharge our batteries, then we decide at that time where we want to go for the evening. never had fp's for the pm, just wing it, and have a great time. Funny you mention the hot air balloon ride at DTD! My husband has been trying to get me to do this for the past 2 years. It was down both times due to high winds (whew). I don't know if I am able to go all the way up there!!!! I'm afraid of heights. So, how was it? Honestly? Did you get scared? Looks like we tour the same way!

 

[disneyseniors]

With the advent of ADR's and FP+ I don't think you can wing it your entire trip. If there are TS you want to eat at you must make an ADR or take the chance of not eating there. If there are rides you don't want to miss you need FP or wait in line for a long time for more popular rides. We just came back from Universal studios where we spent 3 days. We just winged it and it was so nice not to have a strick schedule.

Nohal, we are going to Universal side only for one day in November. I am really looking forward to doing what you did, no adr's, fp's, just going where we want and doing what we want When we Want, and actually eating when we are hungry Sounds like heaven to me, or at least like a vacation should be

 

[WillAustin]

If you travel during a peak season, I think it's easier to wing it with ADRs but not FP+, unless you don't mind long lines.

 

[Jeannie in NJ]

Yes Jeannie, we also get park hoppers. We go to a certain park in the AM, then back to the resort to rest and recharge our batteries, then we decide at that time where we want to go for the evening. never had fp's for the pm, just wing it, and have a great time. Funny you mention the hot air balloon ride at DTD! My husband has been trying to get me to do this for the past 2 years. It was down both times due to high winds (whew). I don't know if I am able to go all the way up there!!!! I'm afraid of heights. So, how was it? Honestly? Did you get scared? Looks like we tour the same way!

I have no fear of heights so I loved it but no one else in my family would go on it. The operators spaced out everyone all around the parameter of the balloon to balance it. No one was allowed to stand with or even close by another person. I don't know if this is the norm or if it was because it was windy. The balloon is open to the wind, there is a railing and netting to keep you in but the balloon was rolling (I thought it was fun) but I could see how it would scare some. It was night and the far off lights of the parks were beautiful. I will go again sometime. If it is the norm that you would not even be allowed to stand next to or even close to your husband, you should just have him go on it by himself. If you are afraid of heights, you probably should not go on it, it goes up pretty high and like it said, it was really rolling over in the wind. You are not strapped in or anything.

 

[DisneyFive]

I've always booked ADR's but only a couple so it was easy for me to choose to hop on the first bus that came before FP+. Plus I had park hoppers most of the time.

But now with FP+, I don't do that anymore and plan out which park on which day so I can book FP+ and have ADR's. For my next couple of trips, I won't have an AP and won't be getting Park Hoppers to save money so there is no winging it for me.

Aw, dang. I can almost feel the bummerness ( is that a word?) in your reply. :-(

Dan

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

Just don't go so crazy as a coworker of mine who has a spreadsheet with a schedule down to the minute.

 

[jrtoastyman]

We always do a lot of planning, but the truth is that when we get to the parks, we more or less wing it a lot of the time -- I think we enjoy the process of planning a trip more than we like actually following the plan to the letter. With that said, "winging it" for someone that has never been before is very different than the people in here winging it. I'd guess that most people on here can tour more efficiently with no set plan than someone that has planned but is going for the first time.

 

[jolene63]

Despite all the planning that I actually do, I really wing it more than many around here. I plan for what parks I'll be in, make FP+ and ADRs, but outside of that, anything is fair game. I don't have a specific order for attractions, I just go where I feel. Sometimes I am at a FP window right when it opens, sometimes toward the end of the hour. I am actually a meticulous planner, but on vacation I want to have some flexibility and freedom.

This sounds exactly like me!

 

[CdnKayDee]

We book ADRs and FP+ but when it comes to the vacation everything is changeable or cancelled. We really decide day of what we want to do 90% of the time.