Too Much to Take!!!!?????

[Kimmy629]

All of you "regular" WDW veterans will have to excuse this post!

I haven't been to WDW since about 2009 I think. DH and I went for a short vacation. He isn't a big Disney fan, so I don't plan on taking him back, lol! I am looking forward to taking my 11 yr old granddaughter soon tho!

I have been reading posts, TR's, etc., and I just can't figure out all these new FP+, active magic bands, and all these other new fangled things! Whatever happened to just "going" to a park and taking things as they happen???? I haven't even read yet what FP+ means!!!!!!

Am I alone in this sentiment? Or do all of you do all of this coordinating, controlling, planning, etc.????? Doesn't it drive you crazy?????

Please help me understand!

 

[twinz]

I know for my sister and I we do not plan much....we plan when were going, where were staying and maybe what parks on what days but other then that, we don't make ADR's (Advance dining reservations- I think), or plan what rides we are going to ride and in what order. It's just the two of us, no little ones so we take it as it goes. So to answer your question...I think we all have different touring styles. Just an FYI, we have not been since they have fully rolled out the FP+, so I can't comment on that. Have a blast with your granddaughter.

 

[RandFamily]

I LOVE the planning! It allows me to image the trip long before I go and to live vicariously. I enjoy thinking about what park we'll be in, where we'll go and what things are happening. I can't imagine not enjoying planning, ha ha!

 

[DOOM1001]

I feel bad for guests who are out of the loop of all the changes going on,I mean I visit the parks 8-10 times a year,I'm on these boards daily and there's still things that have me confused.For example I got my magic bands a couple of weeks ago and they're linked to my AP's but I don't know if I can use the bands to enter the parks if I haven't checked into my room.It's not the biggest deal in the world but I just don't know,do I use my RFID AP or magic band before checking in,does anyone know?

 

[morethananyonex]

You're not alone, and your feelings aren't just limited to non-veterans either. I'm not crazy about the level of planning our trip next month requires, but I do it because I don't like the alternative either.

I've been to Disney many times, and the extent of our planning has always been to book our ADRs, one a night. We used to book them when we arrived so we virtually did no planning, until we went in the mid 2000s and were shocked to find barely any availability (thanks dining plan ).

Going to whatever park you feel like and doing whatever you feel like is still possible. The problem is, Disney has made it increasingly more difficult to do so. You need to have an ADR if you want to eat somewhere specific (or popular) at a certain time. You now need to make a FP+ reservation if your want to minimize you wait times. You can still get by without making concrete plans, you just will have to lower your expectations as to what you want to do and when you want to do it.

Some Info:

Magic Bands are basically KTTW cards on your wrist, but with increased funtionality. These bands can be used for tons of things around WDW, from charging your purchases, getting in the parks, using dining credits, using FP+, and even opening your room.

FP+ (Fastpass Plus) is the new version of the Fastpass system that will replace the soon to be eliminated FP system that you would be used to from past trips (referred to as FP-). Everything is changing often, but at the moment onsite guests get 3 FP+ choices a day to be used in one park only, with certain restrictions placed on the rides you can choose depending on the park you're booking in. Onsite guests can book these 60 days in advance. Offsite guests currently use the FP+ system at AK only, but they book day of FP+ at kiosks in the park. There is also a limit of 3 for those. Time will tell what changes are made to the system, but at the very least expect all 4 parks to have the system AK has right now. That means FP- will be gone completely (as it is from AK).

I tried to keep those explanations as basic as possible. If you have anymore questions, ask away!

 

[ArwenMarie]

My sympathies. It's rather insane if you think about it too much. I'm sure you will get some good advice on this thread.

 

[OceanAnnie]

All of you "regular" WDW veterans will have to excuse this post!

I haven't been to WDW since about 2009 I think. DH and I went for a short vacation. He isn't a big Disney fan, so I don't plan on taking him back, lol! I am looking forward to taking my 11 yr old granddaughter soon tho!

I have been reading posts, TR's, etc., and I just can't figure out all these new FP+, active magic bands, and all these other new fangled things! Whatever happened to just "going" to a park and taking things as they happen???? I haven't even read yet what FP+ means!!!!!!

Am I alone in this sentiment? Or do all of you do all of this coordinating, controlling, planning, etc.????? Doesn't it drive you crazy?????

Please help me understand!

You aren't alone. We haven't been since 2011, IIRC. There has been a lot of changes!

I usually like to plan, but getting up to speed and planning seems like a lot. We aren't actively planning a trip right now. I'm just reading some snippets here and there about the magic bands and FPs. I'm not thrilled about the changes. I liked things the way they were. But they didn't ask me. I'll just come around slowly, I guess. Oh well.

 

[biminibigblue]

I LOVE planning. I was a TA for over 10 years and now I only get to plan my own trips. However, I must say planning this upcoming trip has gotten just a bit overwhelming. There's just something that's a little less fun about knowing what ride I'll be standing in line for at 1:15 pm in 49 days. I think this will be out last Disney trip for at least 3 or 4 years.

 

[songkat]

I'm in the minority, I guess, but I'd rather they just eliminate any sort of FP at all. Just have normal lines the way it used to be.

 

[Micca]

Kimmy it looks worse on paper (or on your monitor) than it actually is. Follow the material from Disney, and CMs will help you when you get there in person.

 

[jannylynn]

All of you "regular" WDW veterans will have to excuse this post!

I haven't been to WDW since about 2009 I think. DH and I went for a short vacation. He isn't a big Disney fan, so I don't plan on taking him back, lol! I am looking forward to taking my 11 yr old granddaughter soon tho!

I have been reading posts, TR's, etc., and I just can't figure out all these new FP+, active magic bands, and all these other new fangled things! Whatever happened to just "going" to a park and taking things as they happen???? I haven't even read yet what FP+ means!!!!!!

Am I alone in this sentiment? Or do all of you do all of this coordinating, controlling, planning, etc.????? Doesn't it drive you crazy?????

Please help me understand!

You really didn't plan anything when you went in 2009?

I don't think I did any more planning for my 2013 trip than I did for my trip back in 2010 or 1995.

 

[Kimmy629]

Ok, I planned what parks on what days, and made ONE ADR, but that was it back in 2009. I don't like HAVING to be somewhere at a certain time, it just seems to make my vacation more of a chore!! I think I know enough about Disney to know when to be where, where there will be lines at certain times, etc. My daughter hasn't been to the world in years and my granddaughter has never been, so I think I can still get the complete park experiences without all that major planning. Kudos to those of you who enjoy doing this! I do read these boards and trip reports long before my trip comes up, just to see what may be new.

Remember the days when there was ONLY MK and you had PAPER tickets and had to choose ONE big ride off the "A" ticket?????

 

[lucas]

The planning is half the fun!

 

[ChrisFL]

Its only good if you're planning a vacation, if you're an AP holder who just wants to go without planning months in advance, you're out of luck it seems like.

I'm not happy about this whole 2 billion dollar debacle.

 

[jannylynn]

Ok, I planned what parks on what days, and made ONE ADR, but that was it back in 2009. I don't like HAVING to be somewhere at a certain time, it just seems to make my vacation more of a chore!! I think I know enough about Disney to know when to be where, where there will be lines at certain times, etc. My daughter hasn't been to the world in years and my granddaughter has never been, so I think I can still get the complete park experiences without all that major planning. Kudos to those of you who enjoy doing this! I do read these boards and trip reports long before my trip comes up, just to see what may be new.

Remember the days when there was ONLY MK and you had PAPER tickets and had to choose ONE big ride off the "A" ticket?????

You will probably have a disappointed 11 year old either not riding all the fun rides or not experiencing nearly as much from standing in line. Make some FP reservations for her sake! Or you will definitely need to be at each park at rope drop!

There is a thread by mesaboy that will help you choose FP+ times. (I wish a mod would pin it! I can't find it!) Found it: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3143281

 

[Murron]

Ok, I planned what parks on what days, and made ONE ADR, but that was it back in 2009. I don't like HAVING to be somewhere at a certain time, it just seems to make my vacation more of a chore!! I think I know enough about Disney to know when to be where, where there will be lines at certain times, etc. My daughter hasn't been to the world in years and my granddaughter has never been, so I think I can still get the complete park experiences without all that major planning. Kudos to those of you who enjoy doing this! I do read these boards and trip reports long before my trip comes up, just to see what may be new.

Remember the days when there was ONLY MK and you had PAPER tickets and had to choose ONE big ride off the "A" ticket?????

I remember!!!

 

[CynBeth]

I'm in the minority, I guess, but I'd rather they just eliminate any sort of FP at all. Just have normal lines the way it used to be.

I completely agree. We have never gotten FP and the only thing we got FP + for on our recent trip were the MK parades and Fantasmic. We do plan what parks to go to on a specific day and make ADRs but we for example in the MK go to one land and do everything we want there and then go to the next one. We leave some time during a trip open to resort hop or maybe go back to a park since we always add on the park hopper feature.

 

[TwinkleKS]

I've gone without planning. I've planned every minute, and I have hired someone else to plan for me. I prefer to hire someone else now

However, any approach can be fun. You just have to know some of the limitations. For instance, if you don't plan in advance, to expect to eat at CRT or go to BBB. Sure there is always a chance, but chances are slim.

 

[Laketravis]

Remember the days when there was ONLY MK and you had PAPER tickets and had to choose ONE big ride off the "A" ticket?????

I remember those days very well ....just the MK, CR and Poly.... but I thought the big rides took an "E" ticket and "A" tickets were good for things like a ride on the double decker bus?

 

[Kimmy629]

My DD and DGD won't want to eat at any "sit down" restaurant, so I'm not worried about getting ADR's. I guess I'm going to have to give in and read about FP+ and what the heck is going on down there these days!!!!!