The Incredible message for my trip :)

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I do think the spontaneity is gone, but I still go. I don't mind FP+ and the bands near as much as I did when they first arrived and were glitchy as all getout.

 

[momof2n2]

I'm not even thinking about setting foot in there for 10 months and I'm already having chest pain over the level of planning it now requires. I was just reading about 40 minute waits for PP during fireworks and FP+lines longer than standby? It's like Wonderland found Fantasyland and took over.

 

[Magpie]

Really? I can't figure out if this was serious or not.

My last trip was great, but relaxing and free-flowing, it was not. I had places to be and things to do.

We find Disney incredibly relaxing - that's why my husband calls it his happy place, and why we keep coming back. Mind you, I'm sure our afternoon naps combined with leaving all our relatives, pets and kids at home, has a lot to do with that.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm not even thinking about setting foot in there for 10 months and I'm already having chest pain over the level of planning it now requires. I was just reading about 40 minute waits for PP during fireworks and FP+lines longer than standby? It's like Wonderland found Fantasyland and took over.

It's only stressful if you care about doing things

 

[Kalliope]

I wonder if they've received feedback that it decrease spontaneity (in a negative way) and they've decided to address that in their marketing by going all out saying it increases spontaneity. Just taking down the elephant in the room before the customer thinks of it.

AKA outright lying?

 

[itchin2go]

I do think the spontaneity is gone, but I still go.

Spontaneity took a big hit with FP+. I'm one that thrives on all the planning, so the planning part of things really doesn't bother me.

I do feel like, between FPs and ADRs, I've got a bunch of appointments to keep up with, which doesn't feel spontaneous and certainly adds stress. On the other hand, there are benefits. I have some rides reserved. I know I can eat at the restaurant I want to eat at. Those are good things ... just not spontaneous.

The truth is, I trade spontaneity for getting what I want. It's a necessary choice at Disney. You can be 100% spontaneous, but you will be shut out of certain things. You can book lots of things you want ahead of time, and spontaneity takes a hit. It's just the way it is.

I've surrendered to it, but I can't call it spontaneous.

 

[itchin2go]

I wonder if they've received feedback that it decrease spontaneity (in a negative way) and they've decided to address that in their marketing by going all out saying it increases spontaneity. Just taking down the elephant in the room before the customer thinks of it.

Light bulb moment! I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Spontaneity is dead under FP+. Well, maybe not dead. Maybe just on life support? Anyway, our trips since FP+ feel far less spontaneous than before. I share the frustration of waiting for Disney transport and possibly missing windows. So definitely less spontaneous for us, and also more stressful.

On our last trip, we split time between Disney and that other-place-that-shall-not-be-named. We stayed at a deluxe resort at other-place-that-shall-not-be-named and those perks definitely allowed for lots of spontaneity. No dining reservations because we had priority seating at restaurants and no pre-booking of rides because we had the ability to jump in line whenever we wanted to and bypass most of the people waiting. THAT felt like a vacation. Disney felt like a trip.

 

[JimmyV]

When you are on your computer at 11:58 pm 61 days before your arrival date, waiting for the clock to tick over to 60 days before your arrival date, put your hands over your head, shout "Whooooppppiiiieeee.....I'm being spontaneous", and see how genuine that feels.

 

[tomatecerise]

I mix plan and spontaneity. I have disability and use my return Time with no wait attraction and fast pass. And now i know that i have to plan restaurants in the park you are that day!

And i know now that you can't go to downtown Disney via a park! Not a good idéa to finish your day at Hollywood studios and go just in Time for your dinner at downtown...

 

[DoingDisney]

Spontaneity is massively reduced under FP+. But you really might be more relaxed. Knowing you have something pre-booked might make you more relaxed about it, but having plans that many are making 60 days in advance, having scheduled appointments for things where in the past you did not. Having the entire stock of FPs already picked over by the day you are there if you haven't preplanned, far from spontaneous. The very definition of making plans and booking appointments is the antithesis of spontaneity. Its like getting a discount on an inflated price, you might feel like you are getting a deal, but you actually aren't.

 

[tlmadden73]

I guess the Spontaneity is not there .. but since WDW is so popular .. what would you rather do? Have no reservations and wait in long lines (even for meals) .. or pre-plan a few activities of the day? You can still have spontaneity .. no one is forcing you to use FP+.

All I know is that on my last (and upcoming) vacation . .there are 3 rides (and maybe more) I can skip the lines on. It sorta helps me sketch out the day, but by no means does it dictate my every waking moment in the park.

All I know is I was able to have a RELAXING day with a 2yr old Toddler because we didn't have to wait in long lines for kid-friendly rides like Peter Pan. I am going again in August with my son's cousins and I think Fast Pass will help there as well as we have the morning sketched out.


I guess what is the alternative?:
1) No fast passes at all
Then everyone has to stand in long lines for everything? To get on a popular ride you either need to PLAN to it at rope drop or wait the 60-120 minutes when you SPONTANEOUSLY want to ride it?

2) The old paper ticket system
Great for those who knew how to use it . .. but you had to PLAN there at rope drop .. to grab a ticket for headliner X .. and if you didn't you got a time you didn't pick so had to PLAN to come back at a certain time.
(Because of the paper system I have yet to ride Toy Story despite going to DHS two times since it opened because I didn't get a paper ticket in time and I didn't want to wait 90 minutes. I will now on my next trip guarantee I will be riding that ride with little wait).

3) Pay a "premium" price to skip lines (like Universal does)
Disney is expensive enough .. while PLENTY would actually pay a premium price to skip lines .. it just doesn't feel right and I think a lot of people would look negatively on that.

 

[itchin2go]

I guess the Spontaneity is not there .. but since WDW is so popular .. what would you rather do? Have no reservations and wait in long lines (even for meals) .. or pre-plan a few activities of the day? You can still have spontaneity .. no one is forcing you to use FP+.

Agree, and I hit on that above. I'm not saying I don't understand why spontaneity took a hit, or even why it has to take a hit. It just seems disingenuous for Disney to try to sell something as spontaneous, when it just ain't so. That's all.

Yes, I would rather plan ahead, and have spontaneity take a hit. It just doesn't sit right with me for someone to tell me it's now more spontaneous.

 

[poohntigger]

Not criticizing anyone but your vacation is what you make it...not what MDE tells you...not fastpass+...or any other first world issues. My family reminds me every trip to just relax and enjoy. If we miss a fastpass...so what. We enjoy just being there as family. We take pool breaks when we feel like it or park hop at the last minute. Now having aps helps and going 2-3 times a year does as well. Yes I not only drank the Disney Kool Aid ...I sometimes help stir it...lol.

 

[tlmadden73]

Agree, and I hit on that above. I'm not saying I don't understand why spontaneity took a hit, or even why it has to take a hit. It just seems disingenuous for Disney to try to sell something as spontaneous, when it just ain't so. That's all.

Yes, I would rather plan ahead, and have spontaneity take a hit. It just doesn't sit right with me for someone to tell me it's now more spontaneous.

True ..

I think their point is .. if you have certain things SCHEDULED .. you are free to be more spontaneous the rest of the day?
I'm reaching .. but yes .. I think they are marketing a bit hard for the "spontaneity" perk of My Magic Plus.

I think the "stress" behind not missing your Fast Pass window causes some angst while in the park and probably missing some of the non-ride attractions that Disney has to offer.

How many trips to Tom Sawyer's Island are skipped because you have a fast pass appointment to keep? How many people miss the main street singers because they are rushing to their next fast pass. Who stops to watch the clown show in Storybook Circus if you only have 10 more minutes before your FP window at Dumbo closes?

Or How about the neat things IN the queue that are missed because you have a FP+

 

[DoingDisney]

Not criticizing anyone but your vacation is what you make it...

This is one of the things that disturbs me the most when I read it regarding these trips, and is usually used to diminish peoples legit concerns, complaints etc. (though PP I don't think you did there).

A trip is not simply "what you make of it" ... there are all sorts of things that impact your ability to "make" what you "want" out of your trip. If a vacation is only what you make of it then why not just stay home in your back yard and "Make" that a WDW trip. It's a rather silly thing to say.

 

[DoingDisney]

True ..

I think their point is .. if you have certain things SCHEDULED .. you are free to be more spontaneous the rest of the day?
I'm reaching .. but yes .. I think they are marketing a bit hard for the "spontaneity" perk of My Magic Plus.

I think the "stress" behind not missing your Fast Pass window causes some angst while in the park and probably missing some of the non-ride attractions that Disney has to offer.

How many trips to Tom Sawyer's Island are skipped because you have a fast pass appointment to keep? How many people miss the main street singers because they are rushing to their next fast pass. Who stops to watch the clown show in Storybook Circus if you only have 10 more minutes before your FP window at Dumbo closes?

Or How about the neat things IN the queue that are missed because you have a FP+

I think this is pretty true.

And I think its heightened because a) FPs are fewer now then they were (much harder to get as many FPs as you could under legacy) b) FPs are more important than they were, with lines at the attractions increased due to the use of FP+, your FP to pirates or Space Ship Earth is now much more important than getting to that ride at a given time used to be.

 

[JimmyV]

You can still have spontaneity .. no one is forcing you to use FP+.

While true from a technical sense, this isn't exactly wise. Using ADRs as an example, one does not have to give up their spontaneity and book well in advance. Indeed, one does not have to book ADRs in advance at all. But what one cannot do is forego ADRs, live in the moment, and expect to dine in the most popular restaurants. Similarly, one does not have to use the new FP system. Winging it is always an option. But if one chooses to do this, one is guaranteed to employ the least efficient usage of time possible. My mind has a hard time equating "least efficient" with "free flowing and care free". So if one wants to be the latter, one is more or less forced to use FP+. And once one uses the FP+ system, they gain efficiency, but lose spontaneity. Not really sure one can serve both masters. Though it could be debated whether that was ever possible after, oh, around 1995 or so.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

When you are on your computer at 11:58 pm 61 days before your arrival date, waiting for the clock to tick over to 60 days before your arrival date, put your hands over your head, shout "Whooooppppiiiieeee.....I'm being spontaneous", and see how genuine that feels.

We spontaneously decided to add three nights at a cabin at FW well after the 60 mark and we were able to get FP for 7DMT for both of our MK days for six people. We went on attractions 24 times our first MK day. All of fantasyland, Splash, HM twice, 7DMT three times, etc. etc. Of course it was the day after morning EMH at the MK, so wait times are always down. We still follow our old strategy but now we don't have to worry as much about rope dropping the headliners.

 

[itchin2go]

We spontaneously decided to add three nights at a cabin at FW well after the 60 mark and we were able to get FP for 7DMT for both of our MK days for six people. We went on attractions 24 times our first MK day. All of fantasyland, Splash, HM twice, 7DMT three times, etc. etc. Of course it was the day after morning EMH at the MK, so wait times are always down. We still follow our old strategy but now we don't have to worry as much about rope dropping the headliners.

Yes, but the point that the little video made (or tried to make) was that FP+ allows you to be more spontaneous.

I agree that you can have a spur of the moment trip, and play it by ear. I don't see how FP+ allows for more spontaneity. That's just me.