More Happiness, less stress

[Luvdis90]

We are going to Disney in two months and I have found myself becoming more and more stressed thinking about FP+, reservations, crowds and so forth. I remember when going to Disney was just pure pleasure and magic. I am hoping to get that feeling back again. I remember when my son was about seven and was really into Toy story. That year when we went to Disney, it was all about meeting the characters, standing in long lines to ride Buzz lightyear and general running around the park trying to get things done. But the best part of that trip was on our last day when we were at pizza planet having lunch. We were in the back near the air hockey table and out comes Jesse from toy story. She was just there, no crowds, no autographs, but just her and my son playing and having fun. It was a magical moment. My son is much older now and more into rides than characters, but I hope that during our next trip I can find a moment or two of magic and not worry so much about getting that next fast pass or dinner reservation but just enjoy the moment of hapiness that Disney works so hard for us to create. Please remember a moment in your trip that brought you and your family that magic.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Stress (emotional, physical, etc) is often caused by a change that requires you to adjust or respond.

It is on each of us to chose how we want to respond as Disney changes. The ones who accept and adapt to the changes should experience less stress than the ones who do not.

The days of accumulating the most FPs while in the park and sending FP runners to create the optimal schedule are behind us. Now, the work is better done before you arrive, well in advance. Some don't like it, some do, but in the end the ones who are able to better plan the best trip (in advance) for their family will experience the less stress.

It shouldn't be about securing the top FP+, or the most FP+ or the absolute hardest to get ADRs. It is about creating a schedule that allows your family to eat things they like, see the shows they like and ride the attractions they like and do so without being subjected to the longest waits of the day.

It's hard because it takes time, research and change, but the tools are there if the will is. if the will, time or ability is not there to do the legwork, then a change in how you approach the parks or your entire stay might be an appropriate response to reduce stress.

I hope you feel the magic on your trip and remember, if you are stressing about something you can change, then change it until a point where you have done all you can do, then relax and enjoy or change your plans.

Have a specific plan A, but then be able to throw it out of the window and go to plan B on a whim and not let it destroy your day or trip.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

Because I mostly travel solo, my situation is different than most, but I have never done an ADR or overly planned a trip. When I go to Disney (first I am able to go off-peak so crowds are not a huge issue), the only planning I do is try to gauge which park is best to go to on a given day. Beyond that if I'm in the mood for a certain kind of food and I'm walking by it, I'll stop. Much more relaxing for me than clock watching seeing a 10 minute wait for Soarin' but you have to be at a restaurant in 15 minutes.

 

[shyjade]

I can relate to exactly how you're feeling. Last year's trip we had to come to terms with Disney just not being the same anymore. I'm not saying bad, just different. We've had to come to terms with the fact that the days of riding Soarin' 6 times during our stay are gone.

Last year we took a different approach and starting trying out new things instead of relying on our old favorites. We went to DTD, mini golf, and tried several new shows and attractions that were never a priority or of much interest to us. We ended up having a really good time (except the first day MB fiasco we had).

We our planning one last trip for the foreseeable future this fall, and plan to try out some new places over the next few years. Since we "expanded our horizons" last time, and we can't go back to the old way we used to enjoy the parks, we will be upgrading from the value level to moderate and plan to spend more time at the resort than in years past. Usually we use the resort to shower and sleep and swim once. This time I plan on relaxing more at the resort and having more of a "vacation".

 

[TJA]

standing in long lines to ride Buzz lightyear and general running around the park trying to get things done..

I can remember moments just like you described when my kids were younger -- we'd stress out trying to get to parks early so we could sprint to the FP machine....only to create more stress because the return time was either right during our ADR or late at night. Now with this new system, we can relax and simply enjoy the magic! We are assured to get on the rides we love at times that are convenient to our family. We were just there over Easter week and did more than we've ever done in disney! No lines....no running around parks racing to FP machines....no worries about arriving to the parks early to secure a FP...and we got to ride every single ride we love.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Part of what you call stress, I always saw as the fun of WDW. It was like a large puzzle. If you were creative, attentive, and thoughtful- you could easily outpace the mindless masses. Sorry to use that expression, but I don't know how else to say. If there are ten turnstiles, half the crowd will mindlessly herd into the longest line. We got ahead simply by picking the empty queues.

One of my favorite experiences, is entering MK at night after dinner. Swim upstream against the masses, and you could have MK almost to yourself. It may still be possible, just more rare. Even if the attractions has waits, seeing all the folks leaving gave us a happy rush.

Another magic memory for us was entering the Space Mtn FP queue late at night and finding it empty. We'd run down the hill, and it was the best feeling!

My last visit did have magic; it was fun to explore the new AoA, and the food court has some nice options. But MOSTLY we created magic by leaving WDW. We had a BLAST exploring the Gulf Coast, the Everglades, St. Augustine, Ft. Lauderdale. It was very refreshing to remind myself that Florida is home to WAY more fun than just WDW! We visited the most amazing shell covered beach, saw island critters, huge gators, tons of fish, the oldest fort in the USA, ate fried gator, rode an airboat, saw tons of water birds, learned tons of human and natural history, got a little sunburnt, ate amazing food! OOh, I just love a good slice of REAL key lime pie!

In short, we did whatever we FELT like doing each day. The only pre-booked commitments we made were transportation and a place to stay each day! Each day over breakfast or dinner, we'd decide our next move. Easy.

Another poster in another thread put it rather simply, in discussing WDW vs. Universal. Universal's system is not ideal, but Disney's new FP+ is just WAY more complicated to use than it should be! They could have created something that's easy to use, but they didn't. Even old fp- was more complicated than it should have been. They could have made it simple, each hour guests can enter any one FP queue they want, for each hour they are in the park. Easy.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Last June trip, had to change airports, flight delayed, change lunch ADR on the fly, arrive later than expected, started to pour at DTD, raced to car, headed to check in at Bonnet Creek, clothes soaked, groceries delayed, race to MK for BoG ADR...still pouring rain but hey we're at WDW...

Walked into BoG and forgot about everything else...we were transported to Disney. Enjoyed our meal and when we walked out of the restaurant, the rain had stopped, the sun had set, the magic was illuminated and the park was empty!

We walked on anything and everything we could for 2-3 hours...Magic!

 

[disnut8]

Quite honestly as a 52 year old woman with a 54 year old husband and a 32 year old "child" living 800 miles away with his own family, we have two full time jobs and are a little under eight hours from Disney World. So, we go quite often. And you know what I think anytime we are there? "I'm not a work, I'm at DISNEY WORLD!"

I had to adapt to MagicBads and FastPass changes and even on our first trip this year in March, we had NO FastPasses. But we still had a good time and relaxed and enjoyed our vacation.

 

[Disfan1968]

Since we "expanded our horizons" last time, and we can't go back to the old way we used to enjoy the parks, we will be upgrading from the value level to moderate and plan to spend more time at the resort than in years past. Usually we use the resort to shower and sleep and swim once. This time I plan on relaxing more at the resort and having more of a "vacation".

I think Disney wants to see more of this. Our plan is to use the FP's (30 over 10 days) to make sure we hit all the headliners with little wait. But no, we won't be trying to ride the same ride 5 times or anything. With this in mind, we'll hit the parks for about 6 hours a day. A few FP's, a few standby lines, some browsing, an ADR each day and that's gonna do it.

The other part of the day will be for relaxing, hitting the resort pool bar, the resort pool, DTD, water parks or even just relaxing with the family on a stroll.

I really want my kids (ages 3 and 4) to grow up seeing Disney as a vacation, not a mission, so I am happy to set a more leisurely pace. The new FP system really works for me in this regard. I have all the headliners booked, including A&E and I have them for times that work for me.

Good times.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

We have yet to use FP+ but I am expecting it to relieve our stress. We used to run around early in the am gobbling up fast passes and riding every headliner at rope drop. With the new system I feel much more relaxed (in my defense I do have multiple days in each park) as I won't have to run around any more, I have the comfort of the reservations to avoid the biggest lines.

 

[Stefecatzz]

...but I hope that during our next trip I can find a moment or two of magic and not worry so much about getting that next fast pass or dinner reservation but just enjoy the moment of hapiness that Disney works so hard for us to create. Please remember a moment in your trip that brought you and your family that magic.

I've had many moments that were magical recently. And they all had to do w/the fact that I began to choose Not to stress out about anything. The one that stands out the most for me is when I saw One Man's Dream in the Studios after not being able to get the last FP+ I wanted at the kiosk. I teared up at the end of it & got chills (in a good way). I thought how great it is that I am able to appreciate it so much more than when I was younger.

I wouldn't have had this magical experience if I hadn't accepted that if the next FP+ I wanted in the park was unavailable, then I'd choose another attraction. I also chose Not to rush around the parks like a madwoman in order to make sure I got on every single ride I wanted & saw every show. The amount of stress, happiness or magic in your trip is entirely up to you.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think Disney wants to see more of this. Our plan is to use the FP's (30 over 10 days) to make sure we hit all the headliners with little wait. But no, we won't be trying to ride the same ride 5 times or anything. With this in mind, we'll hit the parks for about 6 hours a day. A few FP's, a few standby lines, some browsing, an ADR each day and that's gonna do it.

The other part of the day will be for relaxing, hitting the resort pool bar, the resort pool, DTD, water parks or even just relaxing with the family on a stroll.

I really want my kids (ages 3 and 4) to grow up seeing Disney as a vacation, not a mission, so I am happy to set a more leisurely pace. The new FP system really works for me in this regard. I have all the headliners booked, including A&E and I have them for times that work for me.

Good times.

I think this is the best approach with the new FP. Six hours in the parks then go do other stuff. A long trip helps too.

 

[Momof2Singers]

I am right there with you guys.

The first few times we went, my daughter was small, she had 3 eye surgeries, so the trip was a diversion from all that she was going through. Duke Hospital had just told us she had to wear patches again because her eye was not responding after the last surgery. There was no planning, no ADR, I didn't even know what that was, but we did get to do Ohana for breakfast and we had a great time. Of course that was 17 years ago. And looking back at the pictures of that cute little girl with the eyepatch, she had the time of her life. All the characters made such a fuss over her.

Then in 2006, things changed, I had two kids 6 and 11, and surgery for me..emergency gallbladder surgery at midnight for Pancreatitis. Everything changed after that, something happened in the hospital either before or during surgery and I came out with a damaged spine and permanent nerve damage on my right side. Many doctors later, no one could give a diagnosis, and of course no one took any responsibility. So for the past 8 years, I have definitely had many challenges. My younger daughter also had significant health issues at age 8 and after three hospitals, and tons of drugs, our family chiropractor finally found she was totally toxic, especially from all the drugs they had given her. She had lesions over 95% of her body, lost her nails, lost her hair, a very low time for all of us. But we are so thankful, with a lot of help, she is perfect except for the fact she does not sweat properly. That in itself is a concern in heat. At that time we were told to get the assistance pass. I had never heard of it. We got it, and it was so nice. My girls could actually ride with me, since I could not stand in line and we felt like a whole family again. To be honest, we almost always went in off times and barely needed it, but it was nice when we did.

The point is, you make it what you can, with what you have. Now that the assistance pass has changed, it will be different, but the great thing is, they aren't little any more and can do things on their own. We feel there are lots of kids that really need this help. Both of my daughters, now 15 and 20, even realizing things have changed, are so happy just to be there, no matter about fast pass + or any of the other problems that could occur during this busy July vacation. They want to explore what they have never seen. They opted to skip dumbo and peter pan, wow, could not believe that, to try things that they had not seen. They are such caring kids, having had their own challenges, they really feel for those kids that still do.

Thanks to this board, I have a list of wonderful things to do and places to eat that we have never attempted before. I know there are a lot of people that are stressed, me included on that 60 day mark I was a little crazy for the unknown, because this was all new, but things worked out and after 2-1/2 hours at midnight, I had 2 passes to A&E LOL, and although I am still one of those sitting here waiting on a BOG fastpass to open up for July, it will be a wonderful time either way. I think this trip will be different from any we have ever had. We have so little time with our children, rejoice in good health, because it is truly a blessing. This is probably our last trip...which saddens me to know this may all be over, but we are older parents, and truly appreciate what we have had these past 17 years at the Happiest Place on Earth...Thanks Walt Disney, you did good.

 

[JoeA]

I am right there with you guys. The first few times we went, my daughter was small, she had 3 eye surgeries, so the trip was a diversion from all that she was going through. Duke Hospital had just told us she had to wear patches again because her eye was not responding after the last surgery. There was no planning, no ADR, I didn't even know what that was, but we did get to do Ohana for breakfast and we had a great time. Of course that was 17 years ago. And looking back at the pictures of that cute little girl with the eyepatch, she had the time of her life. All the characters made such a fuss over her. Then in 2006, things changed, I had two kids 6 and 11, and surgery for me..emergency gallbladder surgery at midnight for Pancreatitis. Everything changed after that, something happened in the hospital either before or during surgery and I came out with a damaged spine and permanent nerve damage on my right side. Many doctors later, no one could give a diagnosis, and of course no one took any responsibility. So for the past 8 years, I have definitely had many challenges. My younger daughter also had significant health issues at age 8 and after three hospitals, and tons of drugs, our family chiropractor finally found she was totally toxic, especially from all the drugs they had given her. She had lesions over 95% of her body, lost her nails, lost her hair, a very low time for all of us. But we are so thankful, with a lot of help, she is perfect except for the fact she does not sweat properly. That in itself is a concern in heat. At that time we were told to get the assistance pass. I had never heard of it. We got it, and it was so nice. My girls could actually ride with me, since I could not stand in line and we felt like a whole family again. To be honest, we almost always went in off times and barely needed it, but it was nice when we did. The point is, you make it what you can, with what you have. Now that the assistance pass has changed, it will be different, but the great thing is, they aren't little any more and can do things on their own. We feel there are lots of kids that really need this help. Both of my daughters, now 15 and 20, even realizing things have changed, are so happy just to be there, no matter about fast pass + or any of the other problems that could occur during this busy July vacation. They want to explore what they have never seen. They opted to skip dumbo and peter pan, wow, could not believe that, to try things that they had not seen. They are such caring kids, having had their own challenges, they really feel for those kids that still do. Thanks to this board, I have a list of wonderful things to do and places to eat that we have never attempted before. I know there are a lot of people that are stressed, me included on that 60 day mark I was a little crazy for the unknown, because this was all new, but things worked out and after 2-1/2 hours at midnight, I had 2 passes to A&E LOL, and although I am still one of those sitting here waiting on a BOG fastpass to open up for July, it will be a wonderful time either way. I think this trip will be different from any we have ever had. We have so little time with our children, rejoice in good health, because it is truly a blessing. This is probably our last trip...which saddens me to know this may all be over, but we are older parents, and truly appreciate what we have had these past 17 years at the Happiest Place on Earth...Thanks Walt Disney, you did good.

Nice post! I hope you went to POTC with the eye patch!

I like the "happy to be there" part. Great way to see things. A few years ago my wife and I took a dear family friend who has been battling cancer and you never have seen 3 bigger kids! I was in my late 40's, and the youngest kid! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been to Disney (since my now mid-20's kids were in diapers) but I saw it through a new lens that trip.

We laughed, I saw a few tears (happy ones), and made memories that will last forever. Disney didn't do that - we did. Disney simply provided the platform.

 

[pigletto]

I am bound and determined not to ruin the fun with all the planning this time. I got all worried about all the planning last trip (December 2013). Now in fairness, this was when fastpass+ was really up in the air and things were changing daily. It was hard to plan because NOTHING worked correctly on the website, everything was new, nobody knew if it would be legacy fastpass or fastpass+ only.. etc etc.

In the end though we went and had a really nice time. So I am actually forcing myself to not read anything too negative. It's a necessary evil to plan my ADR's and book some Fastpass+. It's more planning than I want after 9 trips but it has to be done. But.. I am not going to stress over it, I refuse to rush from one thing to another, if an ADR is too hard to get I will plan another, and if we can't get a fastpass for something I guess we're standing in a line.
We work too hard and save too long to stress out about vacation of all things. I'm sure there's still magic to be had off schedule

 

[Momof2Singers]

Nice post! I hope you went to POTC with the eye patch!

I like the "happy to be there" part. Great way to see things. A few years ago my wife and I took a dear family friend who has been battling cancer and you never have seen 3 bigger kids! I was in my late 40's, and the youngest kid! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been to Disney (since my now mid-20's kids were in diapers) but I saw it through a new lens that trip.

We laughed, I saw a few tears (happy ones), and made memories that will last forever. Disney didn't do that - we did. Disney simply provided the platform.

So right Joe, loved those simpler times and YES we did go to POTC, she was terrified. My husband gets "his" vacation next summer, a week in a condo at the beach where he can channel surf to his heart's delight

Thanks for the nice comments!

 

[chitwnnole]

We did a week this last year at thanksgiving week. My Wow moment that will forever be burned into my disney memories is this: (actually there are two from the same trip). We did a fast pass + for meeting Cinderella. My wife of 17 years and 43 years old literally turned into a 5 year old when she met Cinderella. I will never forget that moment when my wife met Cinderella for our family photo shoot. She literally was a little girl again. She truly took a step back in time and it was truly like she was a 5 year old meeting the most popular and most special of all princesses. On the same trip I witnessed another WOW moment with my wife and it was when we ate at Le chefs de France. What a wonderful place. She swears she had the best quiche she has ever had and I swear I had the best Mac and cheese I have ever had. The Wow factor is it was just us no kids (grandma and grandpa watched the kids )

 

[disney meema]

I think all you can do is make your plans and then be open to how the day plays out ... Knowing you can eat where you want and ride a few favorite is a plus. Lots of time during the day and evening for magic moments : ) I think that's what makes magic moments not knowing when it will happen

 

[wench]

I know I'm in the minority with this opinion, but I found that FP+ made my trip last October so much less stressful. I'm a picky eater & really prefer table service to counter service. So, with my ADR's, I already had an idea of where I'd be in the park at certain times of day. Planning my FPs ahead of time in conjunction with those reservations ensured that we did far less backtracking than ever in the past. My son & I both agreed it was so much more relaxing than our last trip. There was no longer that feeling, of "OMG we have to hurry go do this now, or get that FP ASAP", because we already had them. Our days in the park were downright leisurely compared to past trips.

Plus, I really felt it was amazing that I didn't have to make my son pick between Jedi Training & TSMM. Since our TSMM FP was already locked up, we were able to go straight to Jedi sign ups & get in the 1st show of the day.

 

[JCornell]

I love all of the planning and due to ADRs we already know which park we will be at each day. We already know which rides are our must-do's so we grabbed FP+'s for those earlier in the day but not so early that it would drive our schedule on us. But I totally know what you mean by the stress of over-planning this level of detail. I always create spreadsheets and suddenly our days look totally packed which feels like we don't have a lot of flexibility.

I read a trip report recently that put things back into perspective though. They had an a-ha moment where they realized they can change their FP+'s anytime they want so if you're enjoying yourself, feel like you need a break, or just would rather not run over to the other side of the park, pull out your phone and change it. Once they realized the FP+'s were flexible and they were the master of them instead of vice-versa, they had a great trip. This is the mindset I'm going in with in a few weeks. Hopefully it all works out. And if we end up skipping a FP, it won't be the first time.