Spontaneity at WDW Gone

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Before FP+, this was the extent of our pre-planning:

1. Look at TP/EasyWDW crowd levels and choose parks/day
2. Book ADRs at 180 days
3. Have a general idea of what attractions we *have* to do at some point during the trip.

For our trip in November 2014:
*For this trip, we had many late entry days due to the structure of the trip. Arrival day we entered around 12pm, the 2nd day we didn't go into a park til 7pm (spectator party tx) as DH was resting for the 1/2 marathon, the 3rd day we entered around 12pm as we'd been up til 4am for the 1/2 marathon. 4th day we made RD at MK. 5th day we go to AK not long after RD.

1 & 2 - same as above (did not get BOG, the only ADR we really wanted, at all for our trip, despite being up at 6am and having the +10 onsite perk).
3. In order to know what times I *could* look at to schedule FP+ for, I first had to figure out about what times we would enter the park each day. This meant also doing this:

3a. Figuring out how long it would take to get from MCO to Yacht Club, then YC to MK, on arrival day. We hadn't used ME since 2006, so had no idea.
3b. Figuring out what time we'd get back to the hotel from the 1/2 marathon and its spectator party.
3c. Figuring out how much sleep we'd want to get (minimum), then transport time to DHS so we could decide what time could schedule FP+ for as we planned to hop to AK in early evening to see AK after sundown.​

4. Once we had an idea what times we'd be in the park, then it was deciding what rides would make sense to FP+ at the time we'd be in the parks (usually headliners).
5. Making sure to schedule FP+ in a way that makes traveling sense in the parks - I actually didn't do this very well at all, and we back tracked a lot because of it. Especially in the days after the 1/2 marathon, when added walking for DH was not great.
We've *never* done touring plans before - we've always picked a land, toured it, then moved on to the neighboring land. I planned the FP+s for neighboring lands well, but not in good orders...i'd have the 1st FP+ be in the middle land, then 2 and 3 on either side...required back tracking. Just a different kind of thinking than we're used to. Now we know better, so next time we'll fix those mistakes.

It was way more pre-planning than we've ever done before. We rarely ever make RD, but we never planned out transportation time before. We'd usually arrive anywhere from 30min-1 hr after RD, and we had no issues whatsoever getting FPs. We had no reason to need to know transport times before. This, trip, though, it had to be considered. (Also had to be considered in part b/c a friend was with us, but staying at another resort, so we had to plan meeting up outside or right inside the parks). We had limited time in the parks and we wanted to maximize it as best we could.

It hadn't really occurred to me to plan FP+ in a way that didn't make us backtrack. That turned out to be a huge mistake for us. Because of the rain during the 1/2 marathon, DH got some blisters, and it made walking painful for him the days afterwards. WDW is a lot of walking to begin with...we did way more of it than we needed to this trip (or ever did before, even with having to go to rides twice under legacy FP, as we never strayed all that far from them while we waited).

We've learned from it, for sure. But it was more planning than just saying "hey, I want to ride Space, 7DMT and BTMRR on this day!" And that's without even going into having to read mesaboy's thread and josh's tutorials on EasyWDW to figure out the FP+ interface, and how it's almost better to first select times at the opposite end of the day you really want them for, so that you can then see all availability for the time period you're really trying to get the FP+ for. Very counterintuitive, IMO. The system shouldn't let you *book* overlapping FP+, but it should allow you to see everything when you're looking. If you choose 2 attractions at overlapping times, it should pop up with something like a "change ride A or change ride B in order to save your FP+ choices".

I think your experience is what happened with you.

And you tie that to FP+.

But -- planning around marathon weekend has been something participants and non-participants had to do prior to FP+. It is not unique to FP+ trying to her around to the venues and meet ones race "obligations". I participated in 2005, 2006, and 2008 and remember how it was to plan around Expo, group meets, (for me ) Team Pasta Parties and Victory parties and so on. FP+ could go away and that planning would not and how much required depends upon all your planned activities.

And for us, though YMMV--we don't use touring plans. We used disboard advice on doing the park on party days and avoiding EMH morning parks if staying off sight. I don't see a need to follow touring plans which still seems to be following someone else's schedule.

There are those who were über planners well before FP+ and some aren't. Both remain possible under the new program.

I do understand how it may be more planning for someone, but I wanted to comment that the marathon "anomalies" are pretty standard with Marathon weekend.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Villainized - There were people who were worried about the role out of this for certain but the vast majority of people were here telling us how those who didn't like the sound of it were completely wrong on their predictions.

Disney would NEVER do things like

Get rid of the old FP system, the new system would be in addition to it.
They wouldn't limit your FPs
They wouldn't Tier attractions
They wouldn't Tier who got to book when
They wouldn't try things like forcing you to use FP for rides
and on and on and on ...

Villainized ... that was a good one.


Your entire premise is so ridiculously flawed, that people "complain" more than talk about their positive experiences. This is true of open unsolicited reports on like customer feedback sites for instance, this is very well known, but this is a FAN page, with some of the most loyal and defensive people about Disney and WDW. Disney could burn the castle down and people would still be here talking about a) how Disney is going to build a better one, b) how amazing the fire was, and Walt would have wanted to try and warm up Florida a little so he would approve. c) how amazing the new theme at MK is, Magic ruins !!!

Fan page with some of the most loyal fans doesn't represent majority viewpoint.

Talk about a flawed premise.

People rejoicing at burning down the castle?

And where is this "requirement" to use a fast pass?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

And did! We were actually seated by 6:25 after I checked in at 6:20; scarfed down all the crab legs I could and we were out of there by 7:20. Luckily caught the boat in time and made it to the HS gates by 7:55 (park close was 8pm but EMH was until 10pm that night).

I've never complained that we don't get a LOT done each time we go - but I do plan extensively. One thing that really helped mellow it out was that this year, after all these years of going, I discovered the best drink value in all of WDW - it turns out that a Tequila Sunrise is just $7.25 at all of the resorts. And they make them stout! LOL!

You and me until you mentioned stout. I think the first drink on my list post baby is the Grey Goose Slushy.

That said--you set quite the ambitious schedule there. How is that the their of the system? It seems you got lucky with being able to be seated early and then electively opted to scarf down your food. At any point, you could have opted out of either aggressively scheduled activity. But at some point you realized what you set up and opted to go with it.


I fail to see now this can be attributed to FP+.

In fact, if almost sounds like a spontaneous last minute decision to try and squeak in the lights if you could.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I think FP+ and all of the now required pre-planning is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for"
When I came to these and other Disney fan message boards over a decade ago, I thought I was missing out on something.
Posters were sharing their touring plans and spreadsheets, and looking at it made me feel like I had to plan every second of every day.
People were sharing their magical moments, and others were taking those ideas, and scheduling their day to conveniently be in the right
Place at the right time to also have that magic.
Websites popped up to help people plan their days, giving them start times, and order in which to visit attractions. All of this shared on the
Internet for everyone to see and for all of posterity. Planning minutiae became normal among message board users. Spreadsheets, and planning guides,
The PassPorter guide was a must have guidebook.
So the Disney powers that be designed a system that would feed this need to plan down to the minute and months in advance...and people hate it! It boggles my mind. The
People who hate it are all over the same board where, a decade ago, color coded spreadsheets and touring plans were a must for the savvy disney traveler.
The boards where "critique my plans for next summer" and "how far in advance do you pack" were constant thread titles are now the the place to lament
Pre-planning and lack of spontaneity.

Getting off my soapbox now, sorry for the rant.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I don't think anyone cares about having to pick three attractions. It's just that once you picked them, you are basically locked in. Sure, you can change the day prior, but you are probably going to be standing in long lines for the e-ticket rides.

So, you aren't just picking three rides. You are committing to 1) a park; 2) a timeframe (do you need to be at the park early to get through your first three and then hope to hop or get others at a different park later, or are you saving them for the afternoon); 3) probably some dining reservations

You are planning these things at 60-180 days out, when you have no idea what the weather will be like, how tired you'll be, how your kids will fall in love with one park or attraction and want to go back the next day.

If you cancel your AK FPs because the kids loved EP, you probably won't be able to get Soarin' for the next morning. "But Mom, we rode it yesterday!" "That's because two months ago, I thought that you'd really like riding Soarin' on Tuesday. How was I to know you might want to ride it on Wednesday as well? Look, we can still ride, the wait is only 120 minutes." I'll pass.

If the system really was flexible (like it was when we were there in Oct 2013), then I would have no issues booking three rides in advance. Or booking nothing in advance and just winging it. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked that way for us at all. You preplan and stick to your plan, or your choices are to miss rides or wait in long SB lines.

Maybe they wanted to ride Soarin' again because it was...fun?

I think time of year also matters--because our plans changed several times last week to accommodate repeat rides, rides with friends, or whims changed. We (well all but me who was restricted) didn't miss any rides.

We refused to wait in any SB that exceeded 30 minutes and did not have to do so very much at all.

So obviously, experiences can differ--but options are not as limited as you described. And certainly, if you go at a peak time, that would have impacted you under both systems. Old system would eat up time for having to have a FP runner, no choice on FP time, black out to a second FP per posted restrictions, and no recourse other then giving away the fast pass if you decide to not use it for whatever reason. And yet we (my family) loved that system. But it was not without its flaws.

We traveled in October 2012 and found this trip in Dec 2014 no better or no worse from a planning perspective. Because of our manner of travel this time. (Traveling with several families, not buying tickets until close to the last minute), we had to have some flexibility that would make über planners panic. But it did not ever threaten to impact our experiences negatively.

And yes, I realize the the just us. My point is that it seems that many experiences can be countered and with small exception (failure of equipment), it is truly a YMMV thing on what suits you. But the new system seems to be working with a lot of people. We had no issues on our trip.

Guest services was practically a ghost town except at MK on party night around the time when folks decide they want tickets or they no longer want to go.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think FP+ and all of the now required pre-planning is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for"
When I came to these and other Disney fan message boards over a decade ago, I thought I was missing out on something.
Posters were sharing their touring plans and spreadsheets, and looking at it made me feel like I had to plan every second of every day.
People were sharing their magical moments, and others were taking those ideas, and scheduling their day to conveniently be in the right
Place at the right time to also have that magic.
Websites popped up to help people plan their days, giving them start times, and order in which to visit attractions. All of this shared on the
Internet for everyone to see and for all of posterity. Planning minutiae became normal among message board users. Spreadsheets, and planning guides,
The PassPorter guide was a must have guidebook.
So the Disney powers that be designed a system that would feed this need to plan down to the minute and months in advance...and people hate it! It boggles my mind. The
People who hate it are all over the same board where, a decade ago, color coded spreadsheets and touring plans were a must for the savvy disney traveler.
The boards where "critique my plans for next summer" and "how far in advance do you pack" were constant thread titles are now the the place to lament
Pre-planning and lack of spontaneity.

Getting off my soapbox now, sorry for the rant.

Astute observation!

Speaking for me--all that planning stuff seemed...crazy.

 

[Suvadoo]

So excited to be headed to WDW in a few days for a week of Christmas fun. This will be over 20 trips we have planned for our family at WDW. ''

With all the deadline dates, FP plus scheduling, etc..it seems like the spontaneity of doing something at WDW is gone. Yes, we have planned and scheduled and reservered out the wazoo and yes, I KNOW it will be a wonderful trip cause we are with family and we are AT DISNEY...but I guess I miss the good old days when you could do what you wanted and not feel like you missed out on an opportunity because you didn't book it 60 days in advance.....

First of all, none of us know whether the OP has used the FP+ system on previous trips. The post does not mention previous experience.

Some people who are happy with FP+ assume that people who are unhappy with FP+ were Legacy FP super users, but this is not true.in my case. I was never a super user and most of the time attractions were ridden only once per day.
When I used FP+ last April, I found myself constantly checking my phone to make sure we didn't miss a FP+ reservation. on several ocassions, we spent time doing nothing it the parks because there wasn't enough time to enjoy another attraction without running the risk of missing the next FP+ reservation. I didn't like being controlled by these reservations, but there was really no choice since the SB wait was over an hour for most E-ticket attractions.
Also the lines for rides that previously had short waits ( 15-20mins) had SB lines that are 30-40mins long. I don't think my touring style can be used an excuse for the reason I don't like FP+.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think your experience is what happened with you.

And you tie that to FP+.

But -- planning around marathon weekend has been something participants and non-participants had to do prior to FP+. It is not unique to FP+ trying to her around to the venues and meet ones race "obligations". I participated in 2005, 2006, and 2008 and remember how it was to plan around Expo, group meets, (for me ) Team Pasta Parties and Victory parties and so on. FP+ could go away and that planning would not and how much required depends upon all your planned activities.

And for us, though YMMV--we don't use touring plans. We used disboard advice on doing the park on party days and avoiding EMH morning parks if staying off sight. I don't see a need to follow touring plans which still seems to be following someone else's schedule.

There are those who were über planners well before FP+ and some aren't. Both remain possible under the new program.

I do understand how it may be more planning for someone, but I wanted to comment that the marathon "anomalies" are pretty standard with Marathon weekend.

You assume we had not experienced a RunDisney run before this. We did. Dh ran the TOT 10 miler last year. The only preplanning we did for that was the first #1-3 as I referenced in my post. We had the same late days, stayed out til 3 or 4am for the spectator party..all of that was the same. We did not have to do any of the transportation planning last year that we did this year. We did not have any of the back tracking issues that we had this year. We did not spend any time 2 months before our trip figuring out what time we would get to parks.

Those things were, *for us* a direct result of fp+ preplanning, not "marathon anomalies".They may not be for someone else, but it was for us, which is all I was talking about.

Oh, and ftr, if you read my post fully you'll see I said we have never used touring plan schedules. We haven't. All we use TP.com for is checking their crowd level predictions. I tried using their touring plans for our 2007 trip for about a day, and dh was having none of it. Haven't bothered even looking at that part of their site since, so no, we weren't ever following their schedule either.

 

[famy27]

Maybe they wanted to ride Soarin' again because it was...fun?

I think time of year also matters--because our plans changed several times last week to accommodate repeat rides, rides with friends, or whims changed. We (well all but me who was restricted) didn't miss any rides.

We refused to wait in any SB that exceeded 30 minutes and did not have to do so very much at all.

So obviously, experiences can differ--but options are not as limited as you described. And certainly, if you go at a peak time, that would have impacted you under both systems. Old system would eat up time for having to have a FP runner, no choice on FP time, black out to a second FP per posted restrictions, and no recourse other then giving away the fast pass if you decide to not use it for whatever reason. And yet we (my family) loved that system. But it was not without its flaws.

We traveled in October 2012 and found this trip in Dec 2014 no better or no worse from a planning perspective. Because of our manner of travel this time. (Traveling with several families, not buying tickets until close to the last minute), we had to have some flexibility that would make über planners panic. But it did not ever threaten to impact our experiences negatively.

And yes, I realize the the just us. My point is that it seems that many experiences can be countered and with small exception (failure of equipment), it is truly a YMMV thing on what suits you. But the new system seems to be working with a lot of people. We had no issues on our trip.

Guest services was practically a ghost town except at MK on party night around the time when folks decide they want tickets or they no longer want to go.

Darn internet, with no sarcasm font Yes. Soarin' is fun and we do love it. And under the old system, if we rode it on Tuesday, and loved it, we'd probably have been able to ride it a second time and Tuesday and certainly we could have dropped our AK plans and had another ride on Wednesday. That just wasn't possible.

All of our trips were at similar crowd level times (6-8), other than Labor Day. We hardly used FP on that trip, and we could be very flexible. But it was seriously the smallest I've ever seen the crowds since DD was born in 2006.

And I totally agree about never waiting in SB lines that are more than 30 minutes. I can't recall the last time we did that. In some cases over the last year, we got more done with FP+ (12 FPs at MK) and in other cases we got less done (skipping HS completely). But in all cases, I felt that I was completely wedded to my e-ticket FPs at every park other than MK (and certainly for A&E and SDMT, I was tied to those). There was no chance of moving a HS or EP day and still getting TSMM or Soarin'.

Once I made a choice, I had to stick to it. When our plans changed (sleeping in just a bit one morning), we had to scramble to not lose our Soarin FPs. When we wanted to swap AK and HS because of weather, we couldn't do that and still get TSMM. We dealt with it. We still had fun. But I really did miss the option of changing plans based on our daily situation.

In terms of ADRs, we generally one make 3-4 over a 7 night trip. We also park hop, so we never felt ADRs tied us to one park. We do O'Hana quite a bit. Most trips, we just take the monorail to MK when breakfast is over. But two years ago, we decided to grab the bus to HS instead. We got there after RD, but still in plenty of time to get FPs for TSMM. Now, if I pick O'Hana and MK, that's where I'm going. I can't lose SDMT, so we stick to the plan. And I can't swap for a different day, because there likely aren't SDMT passes available for any other day of the trip. I'm glad that other people don't feel locked in, but I certainly do.

 

[North of Mouse]

I think FP+ and all of the now required pre-planning is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for"
When I came to these and other Disney fan message boards over a decade ago, I thought I was missing out on something.
Posters were sharing their touring plans and spreadsheets, and looking at it made me feel like I had to plan every second of every day.
People were sharing their magical moments, and others were taking those ideas, and scheduling their day to conveniently be in the right
Place at the right time to also have that magic.
Websites popped up to help people plan their days, giving them start times, and order in which to visit attractions. All of this shared on the
Internet for everyone to see and for all of posterity. Planning minutiae became normal among message board users. Spreadsheets, and planning guides,
The PassPorter guide was a must have guidebook.
So the Disney powers that be designed a system that would feed this need to plan down to the minute and months in advance...and people hate it! It boggles my mind. The
People who hate it are all over the same board where, a decade ago, color coded spreadsheets and touring plans were a must for the savvy disney traveler.
The boards where "critique my plans for next summer" and "how far in advance do you pack" were constant thread titles are now the the place to lament
Pre-planning and lack of spontaneity.

Getting off my soapbox now, sorry for the rant.

I so agree with your 'soap box' rant!

It's vacation, for goodness sakes, and planning goes on all year in regular 'life'. Why would I want to plan my supposedly relaxing vacation also??

We don't, we won't! When it becomes too hard to enjoy Disney like we have for many years - then it will be time for us to part ways. We love Disney, but we will not schedule everything on vacation.

We enjoy sweet reminders of our times at Disney through the year, but do not take up months of our time to plan our next trip there - we have a great life otherwise, which we enjoy, which does not include Disney.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

You assume we had not experienced a RunDisney run before this. We did. Dh ran the TOT 10 miler last year. The only preplanning we did for that was the first #1-3 as I referenced in my post. We had the same late days, stayed out til 3 or 4am for the spectator party..all of that was the same. We did not have to do any of the transportation planning last year that we did this year. We did not have any of the back tracking issues that we had this year. We did not spend any time 2 months before our trip figuring out what time we would get to parks.

Those things were, *for us* a direct result of fp+ preplanning, not "marathon anomalies".They may not be for someone else, but it was for us, which is all I was talking about.

Oh, and ftr, if you read my post fully you'll see I said we have never used touring plan schedules. We haven't. All we use TP.com for is checking their crowd level predictions. I tried using their touring plans for our 2007 trip for about a day, and dh was having none of it. Haven't bothered even looking at that part of their site since, so no, we weren't ever following their schedule either.

Respectfully--marathon weekend is its own animal which characteristically has its own anomalies (3 am wake up calls) that would not be experienced for shorter race held on a Saturday night. I specifically referenced marathon weekend since that is what you referenced and not other RunDisney events that I have yet to participate.

But if FP+ made it a challenge for you, so be it. But transportation planning and planning sleep remain an integral part of Marathon weekend since inception. (ETA: and are actually made worse once they split the event over 2 days and doubled participant capacity in 2006.)

 

[Suvadoo]

Respectfully--marathon weekend is its own animal which characteristically has its own anomalies (3 am wake up calls) that would not be experienced for shorter race held on a Saturday night. I specifically referenced marathon weekend since that is what you referenced and not other RunDisney events that I have yet to participate.

But if FP+ made it a challenge for you, so be it. But transportation planning and planning sleep remain an integral part of Marathon weekend since inception. (ETA: and are actually made worse once they split the event over 2 days and doubled participant capacity in 2006.)

But Angel Ariel was comparing this year's Marathon weekend to previous years without FP+. She provided concrete examples of what was different. Her post was valid as were her experiences.

 

[tim123]

So excited to be headed to WDW in a few days for a week of Christmas fun. This will be over 20 trips we have planned for our family at WDW. ''

With all the deadline dates, FP plus scheduling, etc..it seems like the spontaneity of doing something at WDW is gone. Yes, we have planned and scheduled and reservered out the wazoo and yes, I KNOW it will be a wonderful trip cause we are with family and we are AT DISNEY...but I guess I miss the good old days when you could do what you wanted and not feel like you missed out on an opportunity because you didn't book it 60 days in advance.....

I miss when they pumped your gas and checked your oil and washed your windows at every gas station in the good ole days too…but its 2015 soon. Them days are over. I miss the fountain at the Poly and Sunset Point..

I think one can still be 100% flexible at WDW even today…I just don't think ya can necessarily do it when its really crowded like pretty much most times these days…

I went in early September…didn't need Fps, walked into all my food choices..from Cali Grill to Ohana to 1900 Park Faire…without a problem.
With the singular exception being CRT.

I really wish it was like that for the folks who can't go except in the 'regular and peak season'…but I encourage them to try and figure a way to go when spontaneity is possible as it most certainly STILL is albeit fewer and fewer days as time goes by.

I miss a lot of things about the good ole days. But they are gone.
'Hey Mom how come we can't ride in the front of the Monorail anymore?"

 

[Shaden]

Fan page with some of the most loyal fans doesn't represent majority viewpoint.

You missed the point entirely. People here defend Disney to the death. You (as other have) tried to argue that people are more likely to complain than to say something positive, that's why we see so many negative FP+ posts. Except, that rule doesn't apply here. That rule would apply if this were a sample of the overall population, but this is a fan page. A place where people LOVE WDW, where Disney for many of them can do NO wrong. Where even when they do something a poster does not like, there are countless occasions of people posting "I really don't like X, but I am sure Disney isn't going to keep it that way so its going to be GREAT"

The much more likely bias on this site is to be and to post positive reviews of Disney and WDW changes, not to have a vocal negative minority.

" People rejoicing at burning down the castle? "

An example of the fact that Disney can do NO wrong for some people.

And where is this "requirement" to use a fast pass?

Maybe you aren't aware but Disney has run a few experiments of FP ONLY rides. Where, there is no standby, if you have FP+ you can experience the attraction, if not, not.

Added to the fact that with higher wait times, and more people using FPs, and a higher ratio of FB:SB ride allotments, using FP has become much more important. This is part of their strategy as they have spoken many times about Locking people in to their trips, and keeping their audience captive.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Respectfully--marathon weekend is its own animal which characteristically has its own anomalies (3 am wake up calls) that would not be experienced for shorter race held on a Saturday night. I specifically referenced marathon weekend since that is what you referenced and not other RunDisney events that I have yet to participate.

Respectfully, no I did not reference marathon weekend. I referenced a 1/2 marathon in November. That is the Wine & Dine 1/2 marathon, not marathon weekend. The Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon is run at night on Saturday, just like the TOT 10 miler is. Start time for Wine and Dine 1/2 was 10pm, with the spectator party running from 10pm-4am. In 2013, the TOT 10 miler start time was also 10pm, and the spectator party also ran from 10pm-4am. I was comparing apples to apples, not apples to oranges as you are implying.

But if FP+ made it a challenge for you, so be it. But transportation planning and planning sleep remain an integral part of Marathon weekend since inception. (ETA: and are actually made worse once they split the event over 2 days and doubled participant capacity in 2006.)

And my specific point was that transportation and sleep planning were not issues for us months prior to the trip on the very similar TOT 10 Miler weekend. Obviously we figured out transportation and sleep patterns *once we were there* in 2013, but we did not need to spend time thinking about it, or planning activities around it, 2 months before our trip. We did have to do that this year, and it was directly due to FP+. I was figuring all of this out in the days leading up to my 60 day window opening. We did not have to do that in 2013.

I didn't say FP+ "made it a challenge" for me - please don't put words in my mouth. I simply said it increased the amount of preplanning and explained *how* it increased our pre-planning.

As I very specifically stated - my comments were *not* about whether or not FP+ was good or bad, just about how much it increased the pre-planning required.

 

[WhispyPixie]

Oh my goodness! Post a random opinion, go to dinner and wake up to 5 pages of other opinions. I certainly didn't mean to open a can of worms.

There were several questions asked of me..hope I can remember them all.

• No, This is our first trip with FP+, so I have NO IDEA how things will all turn out
• Yes, I have been during the week of Christmas before (with the older FB system) and we had spontaneous things occur daily. Except for maybe the actual day of Christmas.
• Yes, I am aware that I choose what or what not to do (FP, Dining options, rides etc) and that I can take or not take advantage of anything that I have or haven't scheduled.

I don't expect WDW to change this system back to the "old days", nor was I asking them too, shoot for that matter after this trip, I may love it! My post was made from a simple observation that we have been scheduling and scheduling and being the free soul that I am, I KNOW that sometimes, I just like throwing caution to the wind and NOT doing what was planned and STILL have some ride or meal options open. From the sound of things, some of those options might still be there of course barring the fact that it is Christmas week!

In any case, it really doesn't matter, we have fun simply BEING at Disney. Our kids have grown up at WDW and I seriously doubt whatever changes WDW creates it won't change future family growth or of future trips! I used to write trip reports when we would go, perhaps a new trip report with the new FP+ is in order I put the link to one trip reports from over 10 years ago...kinda fun to see how much hasn't changed..lol

Click Here to Meet the Traveling Circus Characters Part 1

 

[emldrl]

Oh my goodness! Post a random opinion, go to dinner and wake up to 5 pages of other opinions. I certainly didn't mean to open a can of worms.

There were several questions asked of me..hope I can remember them all.

• No, This is our first trip with FP+, so I have NO IDEA how things will all turn out
• Yes, I have been during the week of Christmas before (with the older FB system) and we had spontaneous things occur daily. Except for maybe the actual day of Christmas.
• Yes, I am aware that I choose what or what not to do (FP, Dining options, rides etc) and that I can take or not take advantage of anything that I have or haven't scheduled.

I don't expect WDW to change this system back to the "old days", nor was I asking them too, shoot for that matter after this trip, I may love it! My post was made from a simple observation that we have been scheduling and scheduling and being the free soul that I am, I KNOW that sometimes, I just like throwing caution to the wind and NOT doing what was planned and STILL have some ride or meal options open. From the sound of things, some of those options might still be there of course barring the fact that it is Christmas week!

In any case, it really doesn't matter, we have fun simply BEING at Disney. Our kids have grown up at WDW and I seriously doubt whatever changes WDW creates it won't change future family growth or of future trips! I used to write trip reports when we would go, perhaps a new trip report with the new FP+ is in order I put the link to one trip reports from over 10 years ago...kinda fun to see how much hasn't changed..lol

Click Here to Meet the Traveling Circus Characters Part 1

I wasn't addressing you directly with my post; well, kind of, but not to scold or offend, just to give my perspective. I posted for two reasons; one, because I have a different perspective than many of the frequent posters, and two, because I enjoy these discussions, and occasionally like to participate. However, my post was pretty much ignored, because the for FP+ and against FP+ posters just keep up the back and forth.

I really do understand what you mean, a WDW trip today is much different than it used to be. When I first started planning ours, I was surprised by all the changes, and all the preplanning I would have to do. Kinda stinks, but we'll adapt, as I'm sure you will also.

I just keep reminding myself, if we don't get to ride everything, or see everything, it'll still be ok. Our trip will still be awesome; after all, we're going to WDW!!

 

[mickyzzzzz05]

We were there for 9 days starting November 30th. It was great. Are there more crowds than in years past - yes. We really appreciated being able to use the Fast Pass plus. It really helped in our touring. The magic bands were great.
Huge key to a good day for us is getting to the park early!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Oh my goodness! Post a random opinion, go to dinner and wake up to 5 pages of other opinions. I certainly didn't mean to open a can of worms.

There were several questions asked of me..hope I can remember them all.

• No, This is our first trip with FP+, so I have NO IDEA how things will all turn out
• Yes, I have been during the week of Christmas before (with the older FB system) and we had spontaneous things occur daily. Except for maybe the actual day of Christmas.
• Yes, I am aware that I choose what or what not to do (FP, Dining options, rides etc) and that I can take or not take advantage of anything that I have or haven't scheduled.

I don't expect WDW to change this system back to the "old days", nor was I asking them too, shoot for that matter after this trip, I may love it! My post was made from a simple observation that we have been scheduling and scheduling and being the free soul that I am, I KNOW that sometimes, I just like throwing caution to the wind and NOT doing what was planned and STILL have some ride or meal options open. From the sound of things, some of those options might still be there of course barring the fact that it is Christmas week!

In any case, it really doesn't matter, we have fun simply BEING at Disney. Our kids have grown up at WDW and I seriously doubt whatever changes WDW creates it won't change future family growth or of future trips! I used to write trip reports when we would go, perhaps a new trip report with the new FP+ is in order I put the link to one trip reports from over 10 years ago...kinda fun to see how much hasn't changed..lol

Click Here to Meet the Traveling Circus Characters Part 1

Great positive attitude to have and I hope you enjoyed your trip.

Conversations tend to continue on threads sometimes.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But Angel Ariel was comparing this year's Marathon weekend to previous years without FP+. She provided concrete examples of what was different. Her post was valid as were her experiences.

Specific timing constraints to a marathon event have always existed. Her experience as a of invalidated if FP+ frustrated her.

What is invalidated is the sudden expectation that more planning around the event is required than pre-FP+ given cited examples are always a considerarion.

Respectfully, no I did not reference marathon weekend. I referenced a 1/2 marathon in November. That is the Wine & Dine 1/2 marathon, not marathon weekend. The Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon is run at night on Saturday, just like the TOT 10 miler is. Start time for Wine and Dine 1/2 was 10pm, with the spectator party running from 10pm-4am. In 2013, the TOT 10 miler start time was also 10pm, and the spectator party also ran from 10pm-4am. I was comparing apples to apples, not apples to oranges as you are implying.



And my specific point was that transportation and sleep planning were not issues for us months prior to the trip on the very similar TOT 10 Miler weekend. Obviously we figured out transportation and sleep patterns *once we were there* in 2013, but we did not need to spend time thinking about it, or planning activities around it, 2 months before our trip. We did have to do that this year, and it was directly due to FP+. I was figuring all of this out in the days leading up to my 60 day window opening. We did not have to do that in 2013.

I didn't say FP+ "made it a challenge" for me - please don't put words in my mouth. I simply said it increased the amount of preplanning and explained *how* it increased our pre-planning.

As I very specifically stated - my comments were *not* about whether or not FP+ was good or bad, just about how much it increased the pre-planning required.

My mistake--I did miss the November date.

Transportation and sleep planning are still a consideration. But differently for an evening event.

And while it may be more planning for you, my point was that it is characteristic of marathon events and not new. I stated that clearly to counter your clearly stated point.

I did not plan 60 days in advance then and I certainly wouldn't do so now. That was a choice you made.