Why dont people plan?

[karpy111]

Just got back from a great trip and was shocked to see how many people are clueless at Disneyworld. I dont mean that in a negative way. I just felt bad for people that they spent all this money and dont really know whats going on. Here's a couple examples...

1) SDMT - I saw this couple with their kids ask about the wait time. The CM said its 100 minute wait. The lady said ok where are the kiosk that I can get a fastpass for this ride. The CM said they have been gone for at least 30 days. Further more they debated on getting in line but their youngest daughter was too small. I went over to them and told them about rider swap. The lady was so happy.

2) I also heard a group behing me waiting in line talk about Be Our Guest. They said that looks like a cool place to eat. We should eat there tonight.

3) While at Epcot a couple was getting Fastpasses and asked the CM why Soarin wasnt showing up as an option.

Again I'm just wondering how this happens. There are so many resources out there. I feel that you have to plan to make the most of your trip.

Does anyone else see or hear of these things while at Disney?

 

[Melissakay1q]

I was thinking about something similar between my previous visit and the visit I'm planning for September.

My last visit, also my 1st visit, I had no clue. I thought myself prepared with a second-hand Unofficial Guide that was maybe a year or two old. How much could change in a couple years? Everything. Oh man, I was looking for things that were long gone.

 

[cdnjason]

I believe the simple answer is "they don't know." Specifically, they don't think to look into it after booking their trip. They just book the trip and wait and see when they arrive.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I was just having this conversation with my Dad and Husband a week ago. A co-worker of my Dad's approached him, knowing that he is a Disney fan and told him that his family was headed to WDW in 3 weeks! Exciting right? He told my Dad where they were staying and that they had gotten the dining plan. My Dad asked where they made ADRs and they had no idea that they needed to make reservations for sit down restaurants in advance. My Dad asked if they had their FPs and the guy was like, "we get those there, right?" People just have no idea. I don't understand how you could go on vacation anywhere without doing some research. But, I am a planner. We came to the conclusion that people think going to Disney is more like going to Six Flags than like going to a major city. It makes me sad though, because I feel like those are the people that come back and HATE WDW. They complain about the lines and crowds and food, etc. But, had they done some research ahead of time, even basic research, they could have had a much better experience.

 

[aebeauregard]

Yes. I just think most people aren't crazy disney people like us. I think lots of people go for the first time and have no idea how much advanced planning you should do. I've been several times and love the planning and stuff, but I could see some people thinking it's like going to a local amusement park for the day. Once you get there you probably regret doing no planning. Also if you are just going to take your kids and don't care much I could see some parents not having much interest in trying to plan. I enjoy researching for hours at night once the kid is in bed and tweaking plans but I think lots of adults just want to watch TV at night. Spending hours planning a kid trip probably isn't on their list of fun activities.

Whenever I hear someone is going for like the first time I try to emphasize they should make a couple ADRs like 180 days out and they think I'm crazy!!! Also I try to give advice on FP+ picks and they look at me clueless. If you haven't been it's a lot to try to process with no experience. Disney makes it kinda hard for first timers I think.

 

[wilkeliza]

I believe the simple answer is "they don't know." Specifically, they don't think to look into it after booking their trip. They just book the trip and wait and see when they arrive.

I never understand this. I guess some people do go just for the day (I had a friend do it and I had to explain everything through FP message) but if you stay onsite Disney emails and sends out letters all about planning and what to do and what to see. Those are the ones I will never understand when they are clueless.


Now the day trippers I also never will understand. I guess what happened in my friends case is they planned to only go to Universal with their 4 year old and 10 month old. They did not plan to do Disney at all. The trip was specifically so my friend could see Wizarding World. Well in the airport their son realized Orlando is where Mickey lives and since it was his birthday trip he begged to go to Disney World. They scrapped together the money and took him for the day but I felt so bad that they had no clue about FP+ or rider swap or any of that.

 

[SeeDisney]

I can totally understand!!! I have a friend who is going in August of this summer and yes... they have been to WDW before a couple of times. I told them about the Welcome Show at Magic Kingdom and the Star Wars fireworks as a "must see"....she didn't know about those two events!!!!

 

[Iowamomof4]

I was thinking about something similar between my previous visit and the visit I'm planning for September.

My last visit, also my 1st visit, I had no clue. I thought myself prepared with a second-hand Unofficial Guide that was maybe a year or two old. How much could change in a couple years? Everything. Oh man, I was looking for things that were long gone.

I often see even experienced wdw travelers recommend checking out a guide book from the library! I can only imagine how old those must be.

EDIT: I have been informed that many libraries in fact DO keep newer editions of guidebooks. I stand corrected. Carry on.

 

[gmboy95]

This is actually a troubling sign to me about Disney....the fact that one needs to pre plan every aspect of a Disney vacation is something that is a creation really of the past decade and frankly, not an encouraging one.

When we first bought into DVC over 16 years ago, and going back to the trips we made from our honeymoon on 21 years ago....one could go to Disney and do SOME pre planning, but we could eat in the places we wanted to eat. We could change a reservation on the same day. when fast passes where introduced, you could walk up to a kiosk and get a reasonable hour. You could walk over to where a parade was and get a decent spot to watch. You could watch fireworks from just about any spot without needing a fastpass for a "premium" spot.

You could also decide at a spur of the moment to plan a 3 day trip, and be able to do the things tyou wanted to do....you could even...GASP...walk up to a restaurant and wait for a table.

The problem now is that a family who doesn't understand the things we understand, and doesn't do the massive amount of research necessary, walks into a buzzsaw of things they can access...It is easy for us to wag our finger and say they should have known better, but I have a great deal of sympathy for these folks, because i remember a better time when it wasn't like it is today

 

[Keyser]

Yes, but to be fair, this is often a "you don't know what you don't know" kind of thing. As far as I know, there's no other theme park that requires the kind of advance planning that Disney World does. There are few things around the world, period, that require as much advance planning as Disney World. It seems insane to me that we have to make dinner reservations months in advance, and yet that's what'w required at some places! Our family goes to local places like water parks, or Six Flags, or Sea World without having to make such a plan. Even Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, in Orlando, don't require such advance work.

How are people supposed to know that they need to do that much advance planning? They see the commercials for Disney World, they think - that sounds like fun, and they plan a trip to go. They might hear "you can start making reservations X days in advance", and they get info from Disney about how soon they can do stuff, but they're not told "if you don't plan this way in advance you won't be able to do it without a long wait," or if they are, they think "well, maybe neurotic people plan way in advance like that."

It also doesn't help when Disney changes things. I've been to Disney several times and really understood the (old) Fastpass system well. I can see lots of people who haven't been in 5 years thinking they know what they are getting into. They might even see "oh yes, there's that fastpass thing (the name's not that different). And, now they find - tough luck, you had to reserve your spot for that ride weeks ago - no fastpass for you.

There's not really a way around it, but it's easy for me to see how people fall into this situation.

 

[Regan117]

I don't think there's ever an excuse that you are "too busy" to plan something. It isn't THAT time-consuming to make a few ADRs and fast pass reservations, just in case. I have 3 toddlers, a full-time job, and my husband works all the time. We still manage to book everything we want. I think people just don't know or they don't care and choose to wing it.

My friends are constantly asking me for help and I give them the run-down and all of my suggestions, tons of info, and then they do what they want anyway and don't take any of my advice. Eh, I guess you just have to worry about yourself and let people figure it out. It sucks though, and I do always feel bad when I see them in the parks.

 

[Puffin]

I witnessed a British man in Epcot asking someone what's up with the band that everyone is wearing around their wrists. Hello MagicBand!

 

[aebeauregard]

Maybe Disney does it on purpose so people come the first time and have on ok trip but then they want to come back once they realize all the things they missed out on because they didn't plan it. After seeing how FP+ works and ADRs work they decide to come back and do it right.

Or Disney just ticks people off and they never come back. I know plenty of people who have taken their kids and say NEVER AGAIN.

 

[BlueFairy]

There is so much to do that I think a lot of people don't know what they're missing. Line is too long and we don't have a FP? It's all new to us, so on to the next thing. Yes, it's wildly inefficient, but I think a lot of first timers are so busy taking it in that they can afford to miss some biggees. Beyond that, I think the ADR issue just turns into dining at less than ideal places or settling for QS. Again, they don't know what they're missing or where the 'must do' restaurants are, so it doesn't matter.

I do think the PP is correct that the result is going home feeling it wasn't worth the hassle and expense though.

 

[Huff]

Having to plan your meals 180 days out and having to plan which parks and which rides to go on and the order to do them 60 days out is quite a task and distracts considerably from the vacation experience. I greatly prefer the original fastpass system of getting them each morning and then throughout the day. It worked if you understood them and we could wing it each day.

 

[gmboy95]

I have been on many vacations....the thought that you would need to make dining reservations months in advance is not a normal thought....I can imagine if i were a family of four who just dropped 6 grand on a vacation WITH a meal plan...then thought I was doing the right thing a few weeks out and going on line to make reservations, only to find out i couldnt get in anywhere i wanted, that I would be completely pissed off, and feel like i got ripped off.....the real problem, is that you really cant what you truly want even months out at times....there is not another place you could travel where you wouldnt think 3 weeks prior is ample time to make a dining reservation

 

[aebeauregard]

Having to plan your meals 180 days out and having to plan which parks and which rides to go on and the order to do them 60 days out is quite a task and distracts considerably from the vacation experience. I greatly prefer the original fastpass system of getting them each morning and then throughout the day. It worked if you understood them and we could wing it each day.

Me too. I miss old FP. I don't love being locked into a park months out. I'm worried maybe we will have bad weather the day we have tons of plans and then our off day will be nice. In the past it wasn't as big of a deal to flip days around once you got there.

 

[MissKIA]

To be fair, Disney does send out booklets with all of this info and also emails on the days you are eligible to book dining and fastpasses etc. People just ignore them and then get upset when they think they weren't told. I guess if you aren't staying on site you wouldn't get those, but staying on site there are no excuses.

 

[gmboy95]

Further...I stess greatly to friends NEVER to make a Disney plan less then 6 months out.....I am not sure if Disney wants that as word of mouth advertising

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

I've seen families walk into Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boutique and ask for the next available appointment, thinking it would be an hour wait or so. One mom was blown away to learn everyone had booked their appointment 6 months prior. In January I was at the Fantasyland FP Kiosks getting our next FP and a couple from South America was trying to get FP for 7DMT. They had been there all day apparently but didn't know anything about the FP system. The CM was trying to explain, and I was sympathetic, but that line was not the best place for that conversation. It really slowed the FP line down.

Skipper's Canteen tried to allow for some spontaneity by NOT accepting ADRs, but that hasn't worked out for whatever reason. I appreciate that WDW is trying to accommodate guests that haven't planned each meal.