Retraining our brains...

[dancermommy1]

I was thinking about this, and I mentioned it in a post in another thread. I think part of the discontent people are feeling with FP+ is a cultural thing. We live in an age of truly instant gratification, thanks to the internet. Honestly, when in your daily life do you wait on much of anything except maybe traffic??

I know for me, I don't wait. I expect to get things when I want them, whether it's answers on google or an order from Amazon. I remember just 15 years ago I'd have to log onto the internet, type in a web address, and go downstairs to get a snack because it would take 15 minutes for the website to come up in my browser through my slow dial up And, heaven forbid back in the days of no cell phones or, even older, no answering machines! I might have had to WAIT to get a message from a friend! Or a letter in the mail!

Anyway, I think all of this "everything at our fingertips" has trained us to believe that waiting is the worst. thing. ever.

When was the last time you were in line for more than 5 seconds and you could hear the huffing and puffing of people around you? EVERY DAY! We just aren't used to it.

Last year, i found that the lines were some of the most fun times we had. We played games in line, searched for hidden mickeys (sometimes the lines went too fast!), and the interactive queues are awesome - like the little mermaid crabs, the pooh ride, HM cemetery, dumbo, etc. In fact, we TURNED DOWN fastpasses someone offered to pooh because my son was more interested in playing with the interactive line stuff than he was in the ride itself

I guess my point is, while I don't plan to spend an hour in line - I'll just go find something else to do - it's not such a bad thing to wait for something every now and then. And it's a good lesson in patience and grace for our kids. It's a nice way to teach them that sometimes you DO have to wait, and that you can have fun, be creative, and care for others while you wait. You can meet people in line around you, you can play I Spy, you can sing disney songs, you can look for hidden mickeys, you can play disney trivia, you can carry trivia cards in your pocket to pull out and look at, you can read a small disney book, etc. You can have family time that can't be rushed because you have no where else to go....

 

[disnut8]

I was thinking about this, and I mentioned it in a post in another thread. I think part of the discontent people are feeling with FP+ is a cultural thing. We live in an age of truly instant gratification, thanks to the internet. Honestly, when in your daily life do you wait on much of anything except maybe traffic??

I know for me, I don't wait. I expect to get things when I want them, whether it's answers on google or an order from Amazon. I remember just 15 years ago I'd have to log onto the internet, type in a web address, and go downstairs to get a snack because it would take 15 minutes for the website to come up in my browser through my slow dial up And, heaven forbid back in the days of no cell phones or, even older, no answering machines! I might have had to WAIT to get a message from a friend! Or a letter in the mail!

Anyway, I think all of this "everything at our fingertips" has trained us to believe that waiting is the worst. thing. ever.

When was the last time you were in line for more than 5 seconds and you could hear the huffing and puffing of people around you? EVERY DAY! We just aren't used to it.

Last year, i found that the lines were some of the most fun times we had. We played games in line, searched for hidden mickeys (sometimes the lines went too fast!), and the interactive queues are awesome - like the little mermaid crabs, the pooh ride, HM cemetery, dumbo, etc. In fact, we TURNED DOWN fastpasses someone offered to pooh because my son was more interested in playing with the interactive line stuff than he was in the ride itself

I guess my point is, while I don't plan to spend an hour in line - I'll just go find something else to do - it's not such a bad thing to wait for something every now and then. And it's a good lesson in patience and grace for our kids. It's a nice way to teach them that sometimes you DO have to wait, and that you can have fun, be creative, and care for others while you wait. You can meet people in line around you, you can play I Spy, you can sing disney songs, you can look for hidden mickeys, you can play disney trivia, you can carry trivia cards in your pocket to pull out and look at, you can read a small disney book, etc. You can have family time that can't be rushed because you have no where else to go....

I have to agree. We are all so used to doing things right away now that the idea of spending even twenty minutes in a line means "what can we do for those twenty minutes?!" We went to Disney World last month and I found myself driving for two hours (husband likes to drive because otherwise he would be bored) and I played the very simple alphabet game. Find an A on a sign, then go onto B, etc. People here ask for things to do in lines. My advice - talk! That's the one thing we should never lose - the ability to talk to each other.

But, on that trip last month, we were behind a group of older teenagers and one member spent the entire time in line trying to change the group's Fastpasses so nothing was said the entire time between them except for "drat!" and "I can't get this". I miss the times when they could have been talking about their future plans in life, not just at Disney World.

 

[GillianP1301]

ITA! I get that people want to maximize vacation time, what I don't get is a complete inability to wait for something you want. And it's getting worse because it's being passed onto the next generation. I am so glad that I've been able to instill in my son that some things are just worth waiting for. He's been to WDW twice (age 4 and 5) and had no problem waiting in an hour line. I would ask him if he was sure and never heard a word about it after. Sometimes he would say no and we'd just move onto the next. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy some FP, he thought those were truly magical.

Being honest, the only times he starts to lose his patience is when I do (I've been guilty of this especially with late seating with an ADR, major pet peeve of mine). So I need to always try my best to stay patient too.

 

[Kristine316]

Of course you are right about life in general but, I do not understand your point about WDW?

If you were talking about standing in line at the DMV or doing something else the average person has to do in life I would be right there with you, that children and many adults need to be patient and make the best of it.

To me this isn't about patience as much as it is about value. You seem to be implying that people are only complaining about FP+ because they lack patience and need to "retrain their brain" to accept that things are different now.

If a family went to WDW for years and they felt it was a great value because of everything they were able to accomplish during their stay because of great planning and timing but, now they feel the value just isn't there anymore because of much longer stand by lines and the limit of the FP's they are allowed to receive, for them it isn't an issue of patience... its feeling like they are getting less for their money.

Those guests have a legitimate gripe about FP+ because the value for them has diminished.


Why should someone retrain their brain for a vacation? If the value isn't there they probably should start looking for another vacation destination. I really don't want my 2 week vacation every year be a learning experience.. I want it to be fun and worth the money.

I get that you are trying to be like hey everyone, let's lower our expectations and learn some patience because this is the way it is now.. I get that.
My point is WDW isn't something we are forced to do, it is a vacation guests pay a pretty penny for, it shouldn't have to be a lesson on compromise and patience.

We haven't been to WDW since the implementation of FP+ and for all I know it may be perfectly good for us. I know this fall, on our next trip, if I feel the value has been diminished, we won't go back for awhile.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

If this were 50 years ago and I happened to only be 21, I'd disagree vehemently with you!!! We grew up in a much SLOWER age and time. There are so many things that young people take for granted now and one of them is getting everything (or most everything) quickly.
Who wants to save up money and wait to buy a car. Or a house or even an expensive sound system and computer???
If I had grown up with all the instant gratification that I see people yearning for now, I might feel as if I needed or deserved things to go quickly at Disney. However, we didn't. We first went to Magic Kingdom in 1982. There really wasn't a spring break season then. People usually had off an extra day over Easter weekend. Home schooling was rare. Kids were usually in school for a certain number of months.
We've watched the Disney parks grow and expand and get more crowded every year. We did fine without any fastpass when we first began vacationing in Florida at Disney. Then we used the original fastpass occasionally, not much. Now we're supposed to make reservations 60 days ahead of time and be ready to change them on the spot, on the run when we actually get there?? I don't think so.
And I agree that it's a matter of value for what you pay. I don't want 3 fast passes if I can't have them for the things we enjoy. Now we'll be standing in standby lines because I refuse to schedule my vacation months ahead. We know what we like. We know how to do the parks with the least hassle and we do rope drop. EVERY morning. Always have.
I don't want someone telling me what a wonderful thing it is that I can make reservations for everything except potty calls. That's probably next. I hope I'm kidding about that.
I don't like the idea of FP+ and we never did make reservations for anything. We just go with the flow. Our flow. Not something dictated by some bean counter in an office who doesn't really get why people aren't jumping up and down and being thrilled with these changes.
For those who embrace it, fine. Enjoy. We'll make the best of it. It has nothing to do with us wanting things immediately -- including Disney attractions -- it has to do with changes we just frankly don't like.
And now that I've spent way too much time on the soapbox, I'll move along.

 

[juliebug1997]

I agree. I don't like waiting and I'll use FP (in whatever way they are), but there are some truly great lines at WDW! DH and I had never waited in the line for TSMM and decided to do that during a Fantasmic! one night. We had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the toys! Also, if I'm in a line, I like to talk to the people (and children) around us, see what they've done in case it's something we might be interested in.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm constantly waiting. Waiting for results at work and like you said traffic and waiting to check out at stores and so on. When I go on vacation I don't want to spend a huge amount of it in lines. I don't mind some waiting but too much and I'm done. If others feel differently I don't see anything wrong with that.

My biggest issue isn't even about waiting in line though. I don't like to hyperschedule things when I'm on vacation. I also deal with stress and deadlines and schedules every day and I really, really, REALLY don't want to do any of that while on vacation. Again, if others enjoy it then more power to them.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think people do have to retrain their brains, I agree. But I don't think it's going to be about retraining your brain to wait on lines. I don't even think that's what Disney wants with this new system. I think they want to retrain everyone to be ok with doing what they portion out. I think that the people go with the flow will continue to enjoy going. Regarding the lines, I'm also wondering what is going to happen when they add the rolling 4th FP...I suspect that will make standby lines even longer late in the day. It's almost like they are moving towards a 100% ride reservation system really.

 

[dancermommy1]

These are interesting points. I agree with not wanting to over schedule vacation. I'll be interested to see what it's like this year and if we will want to keep coming back or switch to some other vacation experiences with our son.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Of course you are right about life in general but, I do not understand your point about WDW?

If you were talking about standing in line at the DMV or doing something else the average person has to do in life I would be right there with you, that children and many adults need to be patient and make the best of it.

To me this isn't about patience as much as it is about value. You seem to be implying that people are only complaining about FP+ because they lack patience and need to "retrain their brain" to accept that things are different now.

If a family went to WDW for years and they felt it was a great value because of everything they were able to accomplish during their stay because of great planning and timing but, now they feel the value just isn't there anymore because of much longer stand by lines and the limit of the FP's they are allowed to receive, for them it isn't an issue of patience... its feeling like they are getting less for their money.

Those guests have a legitimate gripe about FP+ because the value for them has diminished.


Why should someone retrain their brain for a vacation? If the value isn't there they probably should start looking for another vacation destination. I really don't want my 2 week vacation every year be a learning experience.. I want it to be fun and worth the money.

I get that you are trying to be like hey everyone, let's lower our expectations and learn some patience because this is the way it is now.. I get that.
My point is WDW isn't something we are forced to do, it is a vacation guests pay a pretty penny for, it shouldn't have to be a lesson on compromise and patience.

We haven't been to WDW since the implementation of FP+ and for all I know it may be perfectly good for us. I know this fall, on our next trip, if I feel the value has been diminished, we won't go back for awhile.

The waiting in more lines aspect of FP+ does not bother me. We are rope drop folks so we get a lot in early in the morning. What does bother me is the fact that we are paying more and getting less. Disney is trying to sell this as "getting more" and I have a hard time stomaching that.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

We've watched the Disney parks grow and expand and get more crowded every year. We did fine without any fastpass when we first began vacationing in Florida at Disney. Then we used the original fastpass occasionally, not much. Now we're supposed to make reservations 60 days ahead of time and be ready to change them on the spot, on the run when we actually get there?? I don't think so.
And I agree that it's a matter of value for what you pay. I don't want 3 fast passes if I can't have them for the things we enjoy. Now we'll be standing in standby lines because I refuse to schedule my vacation months ahead. We know what we like. We know how to do the parks with the least hassle and we do rope drop. EVERY morning. Always have.

Sound like the best thing to do would be to make the 3 FP reservations "just in case" you happen to be in that part of the park at the right time. If not, your time passes, and you can make another selection later on.

So imagine this:
- 60 days out, you book an 11:00 for Space Mountain
- That day, you're off in frontier land at 11:00. Oh well no big deal.
- Later on you notice that PoTC has a 20 minute wait. Log on to MDE and see if a FP is available for right then, and you save yourself 20 mins.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

The waiting in more lines aspect of FP+ does not bother me. We are rope drop folks so we get a lot in early in the morning. What does bother me is the fact that we are paying more and getting less. Disney is trying to sell this as "getting more" and I have a hard time stomaching that.

Disney is right to sell this as "getting more". Why? Because the vast majority of people didn't use the old FP-, so they actually ARE getting more. It's only a small group of people who are getting "less".

 

[jahber]

I can't help but think "Resistance is futile" when I read threads like these. No offense, truly, but I have no desire to retrain my brain to accept less for more money. And it makes me sad that things that worked so well for us have changed. Not devastated or crestfallen by any means--just sad to lose something that really worked.

 

[mom2rtk]

I can't help but think "Resistance is futile" when I read threads like these. No offense, truly, but I have no desire to retrain my brain to accept less for more money. And it makes me sad that things that worked so well for us have changed. Not devastated or crestfallen by any means--just sad to lose something that really worked.

I think that sums it up for many of us.

 

[WillAustin]

To me this isn't about patience as much as it is about value.

I can't help but think "Resistance is futile" when I read threads like these. No offense, truly, but I have no desire to retrain my brain to accept less for more money. And it makes me sad that things that worked so well for us have changed. Not devastated or crestfallen by any means--just sad to lose something that really worked.

Completely agree with you.

 

[dawgsgirl]

I have no desire to retrain my brain to be manipulated by Disney. For some reason, I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. Disney seems to be attempting to orchestrate my every move. No thanks!!

 

[mom2rtk]

I have no desire to retrain my brain to be manipulated by Disney. For some reason, I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. Disney seems to be attempting to orchestrate my every move. No thanks!!

That really does seem to be the case. Which is why I have christened this program "Magic THEIR Way."