Is anyone else worrying about the "new" experience that awaits at DLR?

[DizMe]

Let me just say it: I'm older. I have a long, long history with DLR and have been a passholder for decades. My kids have grown up going to DLR. I was one of those smug know-it-alls that thought I knew all of the ins and outs and would sometimes do a mental eye-roll at those who hadn't done their homework and made newbie gaffes.

Now, however, I'M the newbie. I'm confused, conflicted, and sometimes wondering if I have what it takes to jump back into the fray. I was having serious DLR withdrawals until...some point when I kind of got used to not going. And now, suddenly, here is everything I'd been praying for: new AP announcement, ability to go to Dapper Day, Tiki/Adventureland Day, visit at the holidays etc. BUT I'm feeling as though I'm clueless how to renegotiate the familiar, and questioning whether or not I should go back to my former DL obsession. I'm confused by all of the new changes and requirements and I hate the restrictive nature of the new system compared to what we've enjoyed until now.

I've been so hoping for a new AP system similar to the old, but now that it has dropped, I'm unsure about the whole thing. Is anyone else experiencing these huge highs and lows???

 

[Twinkletoesjohnson]

Let me just say it: I'm older. I have a long, long history with DLR and have been a passholder for decades. My kids have grown up going to DLR. I was one of those smug know-it-alls that thought I knew all of the ins and outs and would sometimes do a mental eye-roll at those who hadn't done their homework and made newbie gaffes.

Now, however, I'M the newbie. I'm confused, conflicted, and sometimes wondering if I have what it takes to jump back into the fray. I was having serious DLR withdrawals until...some point when I kind of got used to not going. And now, suddenly, here is everything I'd been praying for: new AP announcement, ability to go to Dapper Day, Tiki/Adventureland Day, visit at the holidays etc. BUT I'm feeling as though I'm clueless how to renegotiate the familiar, and questioning whether or not I should go back to my former DL obsession. I'm confused by all of the new changes and requirements and I hate the restrictive nature of the new system compared to what we've enjoyed until now.

I've been so hoping for a new AP system similar to the old, but now that it has dropped, I'm unsure about the whole thing. Is anyone else experiencing these huge highs and lows???

Yes! We are arriving this Friday and I am having anxiety about the trip. Pre-Covid I felt I knew the park so well and now I just feel lost. It’s my granddaughter’s first trip, and the first trip my whole family has taken in a year and a half and I’m feeling like I need to make it perfect! But I don’t know how to do that anymore.

 

[pigletliz]

Not really. I will miss the spontaneity of going whenever I needed that Disney "boost", but I figure that I am in the same boat as everyone else. I am just happy to finally have it open. We'll all learn together.

 

[DizMe]

Not really. I will miss the spontaneity of going whenever I needed that Disney "boost", but I figure that I am in the same boat as everyone else. I am just happy to finally have it open. We'll all learn together.

This is my hope. My fear is that I won't like it!

 

[Aspencreek]

As an out-of-stater who only gets to the parks every couple of years on average, it always feels that way to me - for the first day. Seems like just about every visit there are at least "some" changes to how various things run and it takes some time the first day to get it all figured out. For instance, a few trips ago I had to learn how to work the paper printed Fastpass system and by the end of the week was running around getting FPs like a pro (including a number of free ones from other visitors). Next time there I find out about Maxpass so then had to figure out the way that one works and once I realized you didn't have to sprint around but could get in line with your Maxpass/FP and then immediately sign up for the next batch from my phone - nice! This latest visit 3 weeks ago it was Virtual Queues and food reservations, but after a day we were riding ROTR and dining on those sweet, sweet phone-reserved dole whips like champs! I'm sure everyone feels similar to you with all the recent changes, but I'd hazard a guess that after a day you'll be rolling your eyes with a spoon in your mouth smirking at the dole whip newbies who think they can just walk up and hop in line with no reservation.

 

[pigletliz]

Yes! We are arriving this Friday and I am having anxiety about the trip. Pre-Covid I felt I knew the park so well and now I just feel lost. It’s my granddaughter’s first trip, and the first trip my whole family has taken in a year and a half and I’m feeling like I need to make it perfect! But I don’t know how to do that anymore.

Putting way too much pressure on yourself! Even pre-covid, perfection was going to be a nearly impossible standard. Perhaps focus on just having fun together. Your granddaughter is going to disney with her grandparents! She is going to have a wonderful time as long as you aren't all stressed trying to make things happen. (...like guarantees about meeting specific princesses or riding ROTR) Have a wonderful time and make great memories!

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I have mixed feelings. I grew up as an AP, but I actually stopped a couple of years before covid changed everything because the prices were just getting out of control. So, I started taking 2-3 longer trips a year instead. And then everything shut down...

I went back in June. I actually liked things in June because the lines were short. The crowds were more like I remember them being decades ago when you could actually walk and breathe and move. The mobile ordering was a little bit of a bummer, but okay because I knew to order early and I could always change the times later. What really frustrated me was the virtual queue/boarding system situation though. You get less than 15 seconds at 7AM and less than 30 seconds at 12PM to get these groups. And if you don't you miss out. I was able to get my group that I wanted, just barely, but some of that magic was just gone knowing that there are certain places I simply cannot go because my finger wasn't fast enough.

Fast foward to present day. I have another day trip booked for September and am really considering whether buying keys would be worth it. I'm okay with the reserved days because we have always planned several weeks ahead anyway. But what I'm not okay with is the unknown. How crowded are they going to let it get? When will FP come back or will it come back? Will it be replaced with that ridiculous excuse of a system Paris is using now?

I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore. Not when I can go to Knott's for a year for $100 or Universal for a year for $200. And I know what to expect from both of those parks. They aren't trying to reinvent the wheel. Sure, they aren't as top notch, but at least I'm not spending $700+ per year per person to maybe be able to go, to maybe be able to ride the rides I want, to maybe get dinner from the restaurant I love.

I'll always love Disney parks and I won't quit going, but maybe not as frequently. It turns out there's a whole world out there of other things to explore that I can enjoy without considering what the crowds may be like or whether or not I can get a reservation last minute.

 

[SherylLC]

We definitely have experienced feeling discombobulated and things feeling really unfamiliar! We've been able to go several times since reopening (yes, we really, really missed it) and navigating the parks without Maxpass feels weird, weird, weird. But the crowds are so much lower and wait times are really good (much shorter than posted) that we didn't even feel the need to use the app to figure what to ride next. Now that I think about it, standard wait times were shorter than Fast Pass wait times pre-Covid! On one or two of our days we had done everything we wanted to do and headed to DTD for dinner and a drink because we were "done." That never happened pre-Covid and probably was doable since we didn't have the one and a half hours to kill in the park until that last 8:45 PM fast pass.

Like so many things since reopening, it is just the new normal. Lots of things ARE different and feel strange. Like you, I'm older. But I still love Disney and it remains The Happiest Place on Earth. You'll get it that feeling of comfort and home back...don't give up!

 

[disEAR]

We are certainly adjusting our expectations with our upcoming trip in September. Won't necessarily get to do as much, ride as many rides, see everything we want to see.. etc. I think the biggest thing about being in a Disney park is just being there though, and with that mentality we hope to find just as much enjoyment during our time at Disneyland as we always have, even if it is going to be different or more limited.

 

[PirateBrigade]

We were flex pass holders pre-pandemic and we went once in May -- I think that was enough to train us for the "new" Disney experience of a reservation-based, mobile-centric visit. The big unknown is the "flow" of crowds going into the autumn and winter months. But given how similar the new passes are to the old ones, I still suspect we will see 5pm surges on Fridays/Saturdays going forward.

The biggest change we will have to get used to is becoming rope drop people... we used to stroll into the parks at 11am and run until midnight, with the best hours of the park being 9pm-midnight when parents & younger kids would start dropping like flies and making for the exits. Rope drop is now the only guaranteed way to get X # of rides in within a decent # of hours, but I suspect once we get 12am/1am closures again + APs/key things, we'll get back to that flow.

 

[avalon451]

I remember having the old FP system down cold and basically being the walking, talking park map for my family. Remember when FP return times weren’t enforced, and you could stack 6 or more to use in the evening? Then we had a bad few years and I didn’t get back to the parks till 2015, and everything was different. It was very disorienting, and I felt frustrated that I had to learn a different way to roll.

I went back for a quick 2-day trip mid-June with DD26, and had to just resolve to roll with it, do what I wanted, and not stress. It was the FIRST time I actually walked through some of those standby queues, like on Space Mountain! But with a loose plan and willingness to go with the flow (never thought I’d say that about one of my trip plans) it went just fine. The second day I was solo, and I spent more time sitting in a shady spot with a snack and just watching people than I ever have. I still did what I felt like, and I still decided I didn’t care to wait in lines over 30 minutes, but it was nice. More leisurely, less goal oriented. Any day at Disney is better than a good day at work.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

I am going to really really miss fast pass/max pass. I can't imagine actually waiting in lines for everything. lol.
For me though, it is more the stress of having to get a covid test 72 hours before flying home to Canada and having to pay $300 for that - we can afford it - just takes away from an afternoon at the parks to go deal with it.

 

[MillauFr]

Not at all. Crowding was by far the biggest problem preCovid. Disney needed to make changes to get crowds under control.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I've been so hoping for a new AP system similar to the old, but now that it has dropped, I'm unsure about the whole thing. Is anyone else experiencing these huge highs and lows???

I had been feeling that way and that's why I haven't been back, yet. However, the Keys look the same as the APs to me excluding reservations, but it seems like they want all visits to be reservation only. I'm not sure if/when people will be able to walk up and buy a ticket and enter without making a reservations.

The reports of mobile ordering food have been pretty bad. Sometimes it sounds like it would be easier for me to leave the park and go eat on Harbor and come back. So, that is something that I am considering for when I go back.

I'm not really the type to try to get a ride reservation first thing in the morning and then have to scramble if my turn comes up. I never rode the ride in Star Wars and am not sure if/when I will based on the reservation system. Guardians is my favorite ride, but now it sounds like I have to make a reservation to get into the land where the ride is. That will probably be something I'll do when I am solo, but I don't imagine doing that when I am with other people and are taking turns deciding what to do next.

I suspect I'll go and just find another new normal. I've already done that several times and the more things change, the more I prefer to visit by myself. It seems like we get less and less done when it's 2 or more. If it's just me, I can go full speed ahead to whatever I want and since I am not attached to particular food items, etc, if the line is too long, IDC and I just go somewhere else.

 

[whoever]

Reservations system: STUPID
Boarding Groups: STUPID
Restricted Park Hopping: STUPID
No Fastpass: STUPID
No MaxPass: STUPID

These new changes are all STUPID.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Reservations system: STUPID
Boarding Groups: STUPID
Restricted Park Hopping: STUPID
No Fastpass: STUPID
No MaxPass: STUPID

These new changes are all STUPID.

we are in a world wide pandemic which has accelerated the change to mobile first. Disney like all companies in order to survive have to pivot and embrace technology.

 

[whoever]

we are in a world wide pandemic which has accelerated the change to mobile first. Disney like all companies in order to survive have to pivot and embrace technology.

None of which is applicable to removing/implementing those items.

Reservation system: I bought a ticket, I damn well better be able to use it. If demand outstrips capacity, curb the demand through price.
Boarding Groups: Lotteries are counter to merit-based systems. Make them a fastpass
Restricted Park Hopping: See first item
No FastPasses: See first item
No Maxpasse: See first item.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Guardians is my favorite ride, but now it sounds like I have to make a reservation to get into the land where the ride is.

This is no longer the case. Avengers Campus is open to everyone. We were there in early July and entered that land several times during the day.

 

[VandVsmama]

We have 3 2-day tickets to use before end of January and I am not rushing back right now. I'm just not very interested at the moment in having to use Mobile Order everywhere. We've been to WDW twice now since the pandemic started and used Mobile Order extensively while there. It was ok, but there's no substituting anything.

From reading some people's account here on the DL board about what it's like using Mobile Order at DL, I'll pass for awhile. Sounds like it's more disorganized with a lot of variation of procedures from one QS location to another.

I really miss the DL POTC, though.

I can handle no FP, no Max Pass. We can handle waiting in queues with everybody else. But having to wait upwards of 45 min after you've clicked the "I'm here!" button on your Mobile Order before you get your food? Forget it.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We are also longtime AP holders from Northern CA. I am also feeling some uncertainty about what our future at DL will look like. We were there in early June for AC opening and had a great time. Our next trip is over Labor Day weekend, and I admit feeling some dread. I thought it was busy in June but all the reports I'm reading are that it is much busier. We may upgrade our tickets to Magic Key, but it will depend on the lead time for park reservations. If regular tickets get us 120 days and MK is only 90, we'll be sticking with regular tickets. We tend to go over big weekends so not being able to book for Thanksgiving or Christmas would be an issue (we were Signature + AP holders).

I don't like the park reservation system and the hopping restrictions, but I could maybe put up with those IF they helped to control crowds. From the crowd levels lately, it doesn't seem as if that has been happening. But the biggest thing missing in the MK program for me is MaxPass. I don't think we'll be visiting DL nearly as much without it. My fear is that Maxpass will become a very expensive add on for all the MK passes. The monetizing of FP at Disneyland Paris does not bode well IMO.