General planning question - Oct 2023

[glamdring269]

At first glance, it feels like this upcoming trip is going to be the most challenging one yet. However, the more I think about it I'm not so sure. We're going to be there first week of October (+F&W -Fall Break) but have done this plenty of times before so understand the crowd challenges. It's a 2 adult 0 kids trip, staying at Beach Club, so we know we're going to have more flexibility than many.

So since our last trip there have been several changes. The main ones being park reservations and Genie+. I've been dreading actually sitting down to plan this but wanted to sanity check something. Is it really as difficult as what I have in my head?

Our typical FP strategy was as follows:
1) Rope Drop
2) Paper or FP+ stack as much as possible
3) Get out of there by lunch as the heat and crowds swell
4) Nap
5) Hop to another park, most often Epcot, for the evening.

We're planning to purchase Genie+ every day and will likely pay for ILL if necessary. If this is the case then does it really mean the primary decision is which park to reserve each day? We will continue to rope drop so I suppose the secondary decision will be whether to leverage FP+ in the morning or stack for the afternoon (depending on park hop of choice).

Am I overthinking this? Or is it really as simple as I'm saying above if we are going to buy Genie+ and ILL? I can research general Genie+ park by park strategy like we would have in the olden FP/FP+ days so that's not a big deal.

(We don't really care about ADR. There are a few we will try to get but most of the ones we like are not highly sought after so at least that's one aspect of planning I don't have to worry about.)

 

[coasternut22]

I’m not really sure what your question is. The two main strategies are being in-park and refreshing for better times or stacking for later in the day. Both have their pros and cons. How you tour will really be up to you.

I highly suggest you watch the YouTube channel Earscouts. He has the best G+ videos out there. Start with the 27 tips video. Then go on to some of the other full park days videos.

Second best are Mammoth Club and All Ears. I know Mammoth Club did a video where she stacked for MK and entered the park around 3pm. That was one of the better stacking videos I’ve seen. There are also lots of other crazy strategy episodes on both channels.

 

[glamdring269]

Sorry let me clarify my question...

It seems we are overwhelmed with lots of things to do relative to previous trips. Park res, ADR, Genie+ or not Genie+, ILL, etc.

If one is already set that they are going to buy Genie+ every day, and likely buy ILL where avail, then does it really mean that it isn't as complicated as it first seems? Because basically at that point all you're doing is picking a park to reserve for each day then following a plan not unlike what one would have done before Genie+ and Park res were a thing.

 

[coasternut22]

Okay got it. Yes, things are different, but not as bad as you think.

Dining reservations went from 180 days out to 60 days out. This was always an issue, just a shorter period of time.

Because restaurant reservations were 180 days out and on-site guests selected their first three Fastpass+ reservations at 60 days out, if you think about it, you already had to plan your park days at 60 months. It's basically the same thing now. So, to me, there is no real difference when it comes to planning park days. You just now have to physically go online and reserve them in advance.

The real change comes with G+. FP+ was great for uber-planners because they could plan everything around those FP+ times. This made it easy to plan a day or a morning or an afternoon. With G+, you are at the whim of the return times it gives you. This makes it much harder to plan exactly how a day, morning, or afternoon will look like. This is where the youtube channels I recommended above come into play. G+ is no longer about planning each minute, but planning strategies for how to maximize your day on the fly. The more you know, the more you can control. It's now about contingency planning rather than itinerary planning. This is great for non-planners and on-the-fly personality types. It sucks for planners.

As long as you have your ADRs set and park reservations set, there is nothing you need to do until day of. You can maximize your day of G+ and ILL (and boarding group) experience by really learning about it ahead of time by watching the channels I recommended. Also note things like parties, after hours events, and deluxe evening hours (usually Mon and Wed) when planning your park days.