The freedom of NOT doing Disney

[theSurlyMermaid]

I'm currently planning our WDW trip. We haven't been in two years so all this new stuff is really aggravating me. I'm sorry, but I am already irritated by FP+ and my window isn't even open yet. Oh, but it will be, conveniently when I am on a mini-break in San Francisco and have far better things to do then sit by the computer at whatever time trying to get in at some ridiculous Frozen meet and greet (Which I have to seeing as we have a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old niece who are Frozen-crazy). I already missed out on BoG dinner reservations because I was unaware of the rule that linking my reservation with mydisneyexperience.com would stretch my window out an extra 10 days or some other nonsense. I figured it out when 3 days elapsed and I got 7 extra days on top of the 180, but guess what. No reservations available….I expect they were all snatched up at midnight exactly 190 days out.

I'm sorry, but one should not have to stalk the DIS 24-7 to get a reservation. Of course we want to try BOG…it wasn't there the last time we went. I guess we'll settle for lunch. I'm sure I'll have to waste my time scouring the boards for tips on how to minimize my wait there…..after all I'm the one stuck doing all the planning. No one else in my party has any idea what to do.

I don't want to do UNI now because of the craziness around Diagon Alley but I do daydream about going just because when we do go it's crazy how much we can just do without having a color-coded schedule ahead of time. Some people love that, I don't. I was just fine with planning my park days around restaurants but it's even more than that and it keeps getting worse. I have to download an app and make changes on my phone? Sweet. I go on vacation NOT to stare my phone all day.

 

[Go Vols]

I'm currently planning our WDW trip. We haven't been in two years so all this new stuff is really aggravating me. I'm sorry, but I am already irritated by FP+ and my window isn't even open yet. Oh, but it will be, conveniently when I am on a mini-break in San Francisco and have far better things to do then sit by the computer at whatever time trying to get in at some ridiculous Frozen meet and greet (Which I have to seeing as we have a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old niece who are Frozen-crazy). I already missed out on BoG dinner reservations because I was unaware of the rule that linking my reservation with mydisneyexperience.com would stretch my window out an extra 10 days or some other nonsense. I figured it out when 3 days elapsed and I got 7 extra days on top of the 180, but guess what. No reservations available….I expect they were all snatched up at midnight exactly 190 days out. I'm sorry, but one should not have to stalk the DIS 24-7 to get a reservation. Of course we want to try BOG…it wasn't there the last time we went. I guess we'll settle for lunch. I'm sure I'll have to waste my time scouring the boards for tips on how to minimize my wait there…..after all I'm the one stuck doing all the planning. No one else in my party has any idea what to do. I don't want to do UNI now because of the craziness around Diagon Alley but I do daydream about going just because when we do go it's crazy how much we can just do without having a color-coded schedule ahead of time. Some people love that, I don't. I was just fine with planning my park days around restaurants but it's even more than that and it keeps getting worse. I have to download an app and make changes on my phone? Sweet. I go on vacation NOT to stare my phone all day.

I share your view. We've been going to Disney since the 70's and am not very happy about all the changes and the nearly impossible to get dining reservations. Universal is much more relaxing with express pass and the ability to get dining reservations easily. We are taking a break from Disney for a few years.

 

[ChrisFL]

I personally go to disney FOR disney. I would never choose a theme park vacation to relax. That's what the beach is for. Universal holds no appeal to me so I would never consider it a top vacation destination in itself.

so why are you posting on the Universal board?

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

And the thing is, I actually do remember when Universal was a one day (if you were truly crazy and full of energy) or a weekend destination. The last time we went, we did a solid three days (it was when Hogsmeade opened). With the opening of DA we would add on an extra day….4 days.

My family has been to Disney enough to do it comfortably in 6 days. Hmmm…..4 days to 6 days. Universal is catching up. And while we have an absolutely heavy duty nostalgia for Disney, we have been to Universal enough to create some pretty great memories too….not to mention the ENORMOUS feelings Potter invokes in my husband and I. That is a level of nostalgia on par with Disney for us….wandering the equivalent of the sets as they were in the movies? Yeah.

Now that DA has opened we have agreed that any future trip where we do Disney and Universal we would add a day to Uni and subtract from Disney. May not seem like much to Disney…a drop in the bucket. But I would have told you nobody could love Disney as much as I did….I went there for 14 days on my honeymoon for Pete's sake. I could probably have written a guide book. And I'm getting very annoyed by them. That's just not a good sign.

 

[lazer]

I'm currently planning our WDW trip. We haven't been in two years so all this new stuff is really aggravating me. I'm sorry, but I am already irritated by FP+ and my window isn't even open yet. Oh, but it will be, conveniently when I am on a mini-break in San Francisco and have far better things to do then sit by the computer at whatever time trying to get in at some ridiculous Frozen meet and greet (Which I have to seeing as we have a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old niece who are Frozen-crazy). I already missed out on BoG dinner reservations because I was unaware of the rule that linking my reservation with mydisneyexperience.com would stretch my window out an extra 10 days or some other nonsense. I figured it out when 3 days elapsed and I got 7 extra days on top of the 180, but guess what. No reservations available….I expect they were all snatched up at midnight exactly 190 days out. I'm sorry, but one should not have to stalk the DIS 24-7 to get a reservation. Of course we want to try BOG…it wasn't there the last time we went. I guess we'll settle for lunch. I'm sure I'll have to waste my time scouring the boards for tips on how to minimize my wait there…..after all I'm the one stuck doing all the planning. No one else in my party has any idea what to do. I don't want to do UNI now because of the craziness around Diagon Alley but I do daydream about going just because when we do go it's crazy how much we can just do without having a color-coded schedule ahead of time. Some people love that, I don't. I was just fine with planning my park days around restaurants but it's even more than that and it keeps getting worse. I have to download an app and make changes on my phone? Sweet. I go on vacation NOT to stare my phone all day.

Just sharing my experience, and my kids'. BOG wasn't that great. Lunch was better. We got an email to set up a lunch fast pass...so maybe you'll get that before your trip! Good luck!

 

[BigAlsGal]

so why are you posting on the Universal board?

Why not? I don't necessarily stick to certain boards. I go to new posts and it throws them all up there. If I see a topic sometimes I check it out. When I see someone complaining about the stress of planning a disney vacation I felt like posting my experience which is.....it's not that stressful.

It's not hard to know I'm going to want food 180 days out. It's not hard to plan 3 rides 60 days out. I don't get the stress. That's all.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I'm currently planning our WDW trip. We haven't been in two years so all this new stuff is really aggravating me. I'm sorry, but I am already irritated by FP+ and my window isn't even open yet. Oh, but it will be, conveniently when I am on a mini-break in San Francisco and have far better things to do then sit by the computer at whatever time trying to get in at some ridiculous Frozen meet and greet (Which I have to seeing as we have a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old niece who are Frozen-crazy). I already missed out on BoG dinner reservations because I was unaware of the rule that linking my reservation with mydisneyexperience.com would stretch my window out an extra 10 days or some other nonsense. I figured it out when 3 days elapsed and I got 7 extra days on top of the 180, but guess what. No reservations available….I expect they were all snatched up at midnight exactly 190 days out.

I'm sorry, but one should not have to stalk the DIS 24-7 to get a reservation. Of course we want to try BOG…it wasn't there the last time we went. I guess we'll settle for lunch. I'm sure I'll have to waste my time scouring the boards for tips on how to minimize my wait there…..after all I'm the one stuck doing all the planning. No one else in my party has any idea what to do.

I don't want to do UNI now because of the craziness around Diagon Alley but I do daydream about going just because when we do go it's crazy how much we can just do without having a color-coded schedule ahead of time. Some people love that, I don't. I was just fine with planning my park days around restaurants but it's even more than that and it keeps getting worse. I have to download an app and make changes on my phone? Sweet. I go on vacation NOT to stare my phone all day.

Don't give up on BOG. I could not get an ADR at 180 either. I kept checking and got one a few weeks later at 8:50 - I thought we might just go for dessert. I kept checking and finally got one for 6:30 a few weeks after that. We enjoyed dinner and also made a lunch FP and enjoyed it too.

Here is the website for the lunch FP. It does not count against your three FPs. Dates open up more like 60 days in advance - there is a thread on the restaurant board that tracks the dates. We had several choices of times once the dates opened - it was not at all crazy compared to dinner ADRs.

https://beourguestlunch.disney.go.com/Login.aspx

You will probably get an e-mail invitation, but you should be able to log in with this link even without the e-mail. The FP will not show up on MDE, so don't expect to see it there.

For A&E, if you can't get the right number of FPs, try to get one and copy it to the other members of your family. I was able to get four at staggered times - 12:10, 12:25, 12:40, 12:50 for example - so we could all go in at the same time. My DDs are 15 and 11 and were not interested in A&E, so I gave them up, but I grabbed them while I could until I asked them.

No, there's no stress in planning a Disney trip . . . . Some people like standing in five hour lines, apparently.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Why not? I don't necessarily stick to certain boards. I go to new posts and it throws them all up there. If I see a topic sometimes I check it out. When I see someone complaining about the stress of planning a disney vacation I felt like posting my experience which is.....it's not that stressful.

It's not hard to know I'm going to want food 180 days out. It's not hard to plan 3 rides 60 days out. I don't get the stress. That's all.

That's great if you're going for one day. It stresses a lot of people out who have to do it for seven. And then you bring in the overseas group who stay for two+ weeks into the mix and it can really add up. Sounds a lot like my job that I have to deal with on a daily basis. My vacation shouldn't have to be so structured in the same sort of sense.

Then there is the group with kids that HAVE to get CRT on this day because they might have been lucky enough to get at FP for A & E that coincides with their MK day. There are a thousand different combinations of similar instances like that.

We're glad it's so stress-free for you, as I assume you are a long time visitor like myself. The fact that you can visit Universal for the FIRST time ever and not be forced to stick to a military regiment is worth it's weight in Iger's gold.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Hey, thanks for the links and advice helping me out with BOG. I have pretty much given up on dinner (I would keep checking but that's part of my issue….why should I have to? I have checked a bunch of times since getting shut out and it's just so irritating that I even have to!) but I WILL do the FP for lunch. Thanks for giving me the info in this thread! You have saved me time!

eta: so I clicked the FP link for lunch and it says (surprise surprise!) no FPs are available for the whole week I'm there. It's not quite 60 days out, more like 66. Do I have to keep checking back? (groan).

LOL, this is like poetry in motion, given the topic of this thread! This is what we are talking about….in action!

 

[christophfam]

Holy cow, a fast pass for lunch!? And people think that's ok?

 

[BigAlsGal]

Holy cow, a fast pass for lunch!? And people think that's ok?

Reservations for lunch? What's wrong with that?

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Reservations for lunch? What's wrong with that?

Yes, I know in everyday life I have to check online several times a day in the hopes a reservation will become available. 66 days in advance. Easy breezy!

 

[BigAlsGal]

Yes, I know in everyday life I have to check online several times a day in the hopes a reservation will become available. 66 days in advance. Easy breezy!

If you don't get the fastpass maybe consider eating a light breakfast and just jumping in the BoG lunch line around 10:45. The wait isn't too bad.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

If you don't get the fastpass maybe consider eating a light breakfast and just jumping in the BoG lunch line around 10:45. The wait isn't too bad.

I think this is exactly what we are going to end up having to do. Except I'll feel obligated to check on fast passes anyway. So I'll put in the time checking and still end up waiting. Le sigh.

 

[agavegirl1]

Well then, back to the original topic.

When I go to Orlando, I do multiple theme/amusement parks. Airfare is not as cheap as it used to be. I enjoy planning my vacations but have not liked planning this one to the extent required to do and see what I want to. I have a spreadsheet and the Disney days are planned to the half hour. For the Sea World days, I just figure, rides in the morning and shows in the afternoon. For Busch Gardens Tampa, I have a general direction of what to do first then play it by ear. For our on site stay at US/IOA...I don't even have a plan. Except that, since I will be attending HHN on October 30th, I got a 4:45 reservation at Finnegan's for an early dinner. I don't even know which park I will go to each morning and ...I don't have to.

Also, staying at Portofino, I'm not sure how much resort time I will want but can play it by ear. The resort looks so beautiful and relaxing. I have stayed at Royal Pacific and Hard Rock before. Royal Pacific is like a laid back Polynesian. Hard Rock is more high energy and very fun. The location is perfection however.

I am ending my trip with Universal because I will need the rest after the Disney part. I like (need) to plan so I don't miss the important things I want to see and do. However, I don't have to plan that much at US/IOA in order to do that. For WDW, I really feel it is necessary to do this much planning. There are too many changes (some without notice), too many options for restaurants that absolutely require a reservation, and too many variables that can affect my wait times which affect my ADRs which affect my FP+ reservations etc.

Relaxing at a Universal Resort for my last five days is my reward for my heavily planned Disney stay.

 

[Planogirl]

It'll be even more interesting if Disney's new fastpasses to wait in line actually go beyond Anna and Elsa. I don't consider the thought of that relaxing at all, in fact quite the opposite.

But we all do have differing ideas on what is relaxing and what is stressful. WDW is stressful for US and anyone else disagreeing doesn't change that.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Well then, back to the original topic.

When I go to Orlando, I do multiple theme/amusement parks. Airfare is not as cheap as it used to be. I enjoy planning my vacations but have not liked planning this one to the extent required to do and see what I want to. I have a spreadsheet and the Disney days are planned to the half hour. For the Sea World days, I just figure, rides in the morning and shows in the afternoon. For Busch Gardens Tampa, I have a general direction of what to do first then play it by ear. For our on site stay at US/IOA...I don't even have a plan. Except that, since I will be attending HHN on October 30th, I got a 4:45 reservation at Finnegan's for an early dinner. I don't even know which park I will go to each morning and ...I don't have to.

Also, staying at Portofino, I'm not sure how much resort time I will want but can play it by ear. The resort looks so beautiful and relaxing. I have stayed at Royal Pacific and Hard Rock before. Royal Pacific is like a laid back Polynesian. Hard Rock is more high energy and very fun. The location is perfection however.

I am ending my trip with Universal because I will need the rest after the Disney part. I like (need) to plan so I don't miss the important things I want to see and do. However, I don't have to plan that much at US/IOA in order to do that. For WDW, I really feel it is necessary to do this much planning. There are too many changes (some without notice), too many options for restaurants that absolutely require a reservation, and too many variables that can affect my wait times which affect my ADRs which affect my FP+ reservations etc.

Relaxing at a Universal Resort for my last five days is my reward for my heavily planned Disney stay.

Your trip sounds great, Agave!

 

[schumigirl]

Holy cow, a fast pass for lunch!? And people think that's ok?

I think it's hilarious Disney has managed to convince people they have to decide where and when they are going to eat 180 days away! It actually borders on genius by Disney.

And then they come here and tell us how fantastic it is!

Heck I'm not even sure what I want for dinner tonight never mind 6 MONTHS from now!

If it makes people happy then that's ok......I just don't get it. We never plan anything............would hate to vacation like that..........

 

[mrsabbott]

Your trip review was one of the very reasons why we decided to commit to an "Only Universal" vacation..... I loved reading about your experiences and how much you all loved it. And it just gets me so much more exited to go!!!

Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it! I am looking forward to hearing about your family's experiences!

 

[mrsabbott]

I agree. Our last trip was June 2 and we stayed at Cabana Bay Resort. It was so much more relaxing. I am the planner of the family and I have to admit that it was nice to just go with the flow, not planning on which park we went to each day. We just got up and decided where we were going. I only made one dining reservation and it was to Ohana lol. We did a character dinner at Islands Restaurant and the place was empty. No waits at any restaurant in City Walk either. While I LOVE Disney and don't mind planning some things, Universal has definitely won this family over as a must visit park.

We stayed at Cabana Bay also and loved it! We will most likely stay there the next time we go!