Why dont people plan?

[Maistre Gracey]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/today-is-my-180-days-and-i-cant-get-ohana-so-disappointed.3516277/

Ridiculous...

MG

 

[Angel Ariel]

I've been going for nearly 12 yrs, 1-3 times a year. It hasn't really changed in that time. Which ADRs are hardest to get has changed some, but that's about it.

While I don't dispute that the above is your experience, it definitely is not ours. I planned a trip for dh and I with less than 2 months notice in 2007. Did the same with less than 2 months notice for a friend of mine in 2014. It was much more difficult and took a lot more effort on my part to get my friend ADRs (for 3 people) than it took me to get ones for dh and I in 2007. in 2007 I literally made 1 phone call and had every reservation we wanted, including Le Cellier and California Grill. In 2014 it required lots of searching the ADR site for many days, as well as coordinating some ADR switching on the restaurant board here as there was no other way to get an ADR.

So, as I said, I respect that the above is your experience, absolutely. But I wouldn't agree with the general idea that it's not any more difficult to get ADRs now than it was years ago...in our experience, it was much more difficult.

 

[maltdizzy]

Thought we'd take a tour of the White House. Called our Congressman four months ago. Found out this morning we were declined. We didn't schedule days because we were waiting to find about that cornerstone.

Thought we'd take a tour of the Washington Monument. Checked a month ago -- all the tours were sold out for 80 days.

Thought we'd take a tour of the National Archives. Checked about a month ago -- all the tours were sold out until August. Same thing with guided tours of just about anything.

So we'll wait in line and see the stuff we can and not worry about what we can't.

Not to be argumentative, but hopefully helpful. Can't help on the White House, that takes a congressman, but it's the only one of the three that requires advanced planning. Unlike WDW's ADR's and FP+'s, the vast majority of the Washington Monument tickets are held for same day distribution. Show up early enough in the morning and you should score them (no promises), I have always gotten them same day. Not a guided tour, but no tickets are needed to the National Archives, it is open to all visitors 363 days of the year. I always just walk in. If you were expecting to take the time to read the Constitution of Declaration of Independence, you'll be disappointed either way, tour or not, guests are flowed past in a continuous line by a guard that spurs the line along at a quick pace. Everything tourist spot in DC is as easy to get into as it was decades ago, except where security is involved (I used to walk right into the Capitol and start wandering the halls when I was younger...ate at the cafeteria, got a haircut at the barber...all just from wandering in off the street...trust me, you can't do that anymore.

Please enjoy DC, we do. I can't call it my hometown, I grew up across the river and defer the title Washingtonian to those who actually live in the city.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I'm afraid of the same on our November/December trip.

It happened last time, and will probably happen again.

I'm trying to find a good balance of "perfectly planned schedule", and "go with the flow"-- it's not easy, and I have several ADRs to book on Sunday that definitely aren't meshing with the go with the flow side. But I do know this- If my child wants to ride space mountain again instead of heading to fantasyland..or if he wants to skip a fireworks show and go back to the resort- That's what we'll do . At the end of the day, the vacation is about him...and the most valuable lesson I learned last time- sometimes kids just don't want to see every show/parade/character, and in us thinking that they need to do so is creating the opposite of "happiest place on earth"

Just wanted to let you know our strategy that works very well with a toddler: we plan a "must do" for us which may be small world or dumbo and follow that with 2 or 3 things we would like to do. For example, my daughter LOVES Dumbo, so we would plan to meet circus pals afterwards which is a take it or leave it for us. Then if she wants to ride Dumbo two or three times, it's much less stressful, because we will just skip circus pals.

And sometimes you just never know what even your 2 year old has outgrown since her last trip. I mentioned earlier that when we went and she was 15 months old we watched MSEP 6 times in 4 days. It was THE ABSOLUTE BEST THING EVER in her mind. So we went out of our way to get a fast pass when we went back and she couldn't have cared less about it and almost acted bored....

 

[whiporee]

Not to be argumentative, but hopefully helpful. Can't help on the White House, that takes a congressman, but it's the only one of the three that requires advanced planning. Unlike WDW's ADR's and FP+'s, the vast majority of the Washington Monument tickets are held for same day distribution. Show up early enough in the morning and you should score them (no promises), I have always gotten them same day. Not a guided tour, but no tickets are needed to the National Archives, it is open to all visitors 363 days of the year. I always just walk in. If you were expecting to take the time to read the Constitution of Declaration of Independence, you'll be disappointed either way, tour or not, guests are flowed past in a continuous line by a guard that spurs the line along at a quick pace. Everything tourist spot in DC is as easy to get into as it was decades ago, except where security is involved (I used to walk right into the Capitol and start wandering the halls when I was younger...ate at the cafeteria, got a haircut at the barber...all just from wandering in off the street...trust me, you can't do that anymore.

Thanks. I appreciate the input and the advice. We'll be there a week, so I hope we'll get the chance to hit the highlights and maybe even something more. Our Congressman did set us up at the Engraving Bureau, and I think we'll have a great time/

The kids will have a great time. I'd much rather be fighting over beach chairs somewhere

Thanks again for the feedback. That was nice of you.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Not to be argumentative, but hopefully helpful. Can't help on the White House, that takes a congressman, but it's the only one of the three that requires advanced planning. Unlike WDW's ADR's and FP+'s, the vast majority of the Washington Monument tickets are held for same day distribution. Show up early enough in the morning and you should score them (no promises), I have always gotten them same day. Not a guided tour, but no tickets are needed to the National Archives, it is open to all visitors 363 days of the year. I always just walk in. If you were expecting to take the time to read the Constitution of Declaration of Independence, you'll be disappointed either way, tour or not, guests are flowed past in a continuous line by a guard that spurs the line along at a quick pace. Everything tourist spot in DC is as easy to get into as it was decades ago, except where security is involved (I used to walk right into the Capitol and start wandering the halls when I was younger...ate at the cafeteria, got a haircut at the barber...all just from wandering in off the street...trust me, you can't do that anymore.

Thank you for clarifying this. I didn't think the Washington monument and national archives absolutely had to be reserved ahead. Thanks for confirming that

Something else for the poster visiting D.C. to be aware of...well, 2 things.

#1 - The Washington monument's elevator has been causing problems and unscheduled closures of the monument more frequently of late. The last incident was about 2-3 weeks ago. Just something you may want to keep an eye out for (they post alerts on their webpage).

#2- If you are planning on using the Metro system at all, be aware that *major* track work on the entire system is beginning this week. This was a recent decision made by Metro because of the incidents of smoke in the tunnels in the last year. The # of trains running on certain lines I decreasing, some lines will be single tracking every day, and I believe Metro ceases running at midnight every night...and I know there's more to it too, just can't remember it all. It's a massive issue, and is going to cause all kinds of other issues with traffic and other public transportation as well. Check out wmata's website to see how the "Safetrack" closures may affect you.

 

[JimmyV]

I've needed dinner reservations MANY times weeks or months in advance for places we wanted to dine at outside of WDW (NYC, DC, Montreal, Paris...).

I don't think anyone is complaining about making reservations weeks in advance. Or even months (if "months" means one or two). But there are but a handful of high demand restaurants that will even take a reservation more than 60 days in advance. In fact, I can't think of a single one in NYC that does. Marea-30 days. Babbo-30 days. Per Se-60 days. Daniel-30 days. Eleven Madison Park-30 days. And on and on. There may be some places that book 180 days out. But none of those places are high demand or hard to get into. You could probably get a reservation the day before. The bottom line here is that the high demand restaurant industry worldwide functions just fine with a 30 day or 60 day booking window. And this includes restaurants that are in far greater demand than anything WDW has on its roster. The idea that Disney World is materially different is pure fiction. It could operate it's restaurants with a 60 day booking window. Indeed, it did so for years and the world didn't come to an end.

 

[maltdizzy]

Thanks. I appreciate the input and the advice. We'll be there a week, so I hope we'll get the chance to hit the highlights and maybe even something more. Our Congressman did set us up at the Engraving Bureau, and I think we'll have a great time/

The kids will have a great time. I'd much rather be fighting over beach chairs somewhere

Thanks again for the feedback. That was nice of you.

Depending on the kids age, there is one hard to get ticket in DC, the Holocaust Museum. Not for the faint of heart.

But some of the best things are walk-ups...the memorials around the reflection pool...WWII War (I think it's ostentatious), Vietnam (still brilliant despite their tries to gaudy it up with more statues), Korean War (looks incredibly eerie on a foggy day), Lincoln (it lives up to the hype), FDR (great on a hot, sunny day, one of the best of the new memorials), and even the Jefferson (which is a bit of the beaten path).

And, of course, the Smithsonians. The Dinosaur wing of the Natural History is closed for the next few years, but I think they were displaying their new big T-Rex somewhere (don't quote me on that). The kids should like the Wonder exhibit at the Renwick Art Gallery (one of the Smithsonians). And, if you're running out of ideas, the Spy Museum, a commercial museum is pretty damn good, have to get you tickets early in the day, IIRC).

 

[Aliceacc]

Keep in mind, folks, that not every first time visitor to WDW feels the NEED to go to 'Ohana or BOG or whatever. And that it's entirely possible to have a great WDW vacation without all those things.

Yes, knowledge is power. So because I know how tough it is to get the top ADRs, my travel agent was on the phone at 7 am on the 180 day mark. We got BOG, we got LeCellier.

But had she had the flu and been unable to get out of bed, we would have had a very wonderful vacation. We would have eaten at other restaurants, been in WDW together, and had a great time.

So, yes, you have better odds of having the vacation of your dreams if you book your ADRs at 180, and your FPs at 60. And if you understand the meaning of rope drop and of EMH. That means you can choose whether or not these options will enhance your vacation.

But you don't NEED BOG or 'Ohana to have a great time.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Wifey and I eat out virtually every day of our 25 years together. Wait, early on we are Kraft Mac 'n Cheese often!!!

Anyway, we have searched for the best steakhouses, and seafood houses we could find. I have traveled (for work) to every corner of the country, and still have not needed reservations. When we used to live in Connecticut we visited NYC annually.... Never a ressie needed. I'm sure there are some, but not where we stayed (Times Square).

MG

You keep saying you haven't needed reservations -- of course there are restaurants in EVERY city where you don't need reservations! HOWEVER, in many places there ARE restaurants that you WOULD need to reserve far in advance IF you were interested in eating there.

I gave Nobu in NYC as an example. Try just driving up to The Inn at Little Washington without a reservation. Or Jean Georges in Paris. These are all fancier places that are quite popular. You certainly don't need to want to eat at these places!! But IF YOU DID, you'd have to plan ahead and make a reservation, probably pretty far in advance. I'm not saying no one has ever just walked up and eaten there without one, but I doubt it happens too often.

Again... plenty of other options if those places are booked. That's like WDW as well. I can live without a BOG dinner!! But if I really want one, I'm online at 180 days to make sure I snag it and get it out of the way.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

While I don't dispute that the above is your experience, it definitely is not ours. I planned a trip for dh and I with less than 2 months notice in 2007. Did the same with less than 2 months notice for a friend of mine in 2014. It was much more difficult and took a lot more effort on my part to get my friend ADRs (for 3 people) than it took me to get ones for dh and I in 2007. in 2007 I literally made 1 phone call and had every reservation we wanted, including Le Cellier and California Grill. In 2014 it required lots of searching the ADR site for many days, as well as coordinating some ADR switching on the restaurant board here as there was no other way to get an ADR.

So, as I said, I respect that the above is your experience, absolutely. But I wouldn't agree with the general idea that it's not any more difficult to get ADRs now than it was years ago...in our experience, it was much more difficult.

I can't speak to that, as I rarely try to get ADRs that late!! I am just saying that the experience at 180 days is the same for me since about 2005. Used to be Le Cellier, now it's BOG -- but the process and difficulty of getting the more popular places is the same at 180 days.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

#2- If you are planning on using the Metro system at all, be aware that *major* track work on the entire system is beginning this week. This was a recent decision made by Metro because of the incidents of smoke in the tunnels in the last year. The # of trains running on certain lines I decreasing, some lines will be single tracking every day, and I believe Metro ceases running at midnight every night...and I know there's more to it too, just can't remember it all. It's a massive issue, and is going to cause all kinds of other issues with traffic and other public transportation as well. Check out wmata's website to see how the "Safetrack" closures may affect you.

True!!! Worst words for the red line... "SINGLE TRACKING"!

Might be a good time for Uber!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Indeed I'm all for calling ahead a day or two for a ressie, but my whole point is..... Six months?? Waking up at 0600 to get on the site???
Not for me.
That said, I think I'm beating a dead horse here restating my opinion. In fact, IMO, this entire thread has become repetitive.

MG

180 days is crazy far ahead.

BUT the process and results weren't any better when they had it at 90 days.

It wouldn't be better if they made it 30 days or 7 days. I'd argue it would be worse. People aren't going to stop wanting to dine in the castle or with Mickey. You'd just push it all off until later and have more people competing for ADRs.

Talk about eliminating any benefit of being on DIS for all this advanced planning info!

 

[JimmyV]

It wouldn't be better if they made it 30 days

At 30 days, people would have a much better idea of park hours and what special events are taking place and can better plan their days. One of the biggest complaints that people are expressing here is how operational changes cause them to want to alter their schedules, but how locked in ADRs and the inability to find comparable substitutes closer to their arrival date hamstring their ability to pivot nimbly. These concerns get minimized when the posting of final hours, the announcement of special events, the window for FPs and the opening up of ADRs all coincide or are compressed more than they are now. It is unrealistic to think that hours can be set in stone 180 days out. But 60 or 45 is certainly doable. So I would submit that this timeframe would be ideal for FPs and ADRs. And it would more closely align restaurant reservations with the rest of the world. As you stated above, 180 days is crazy far ahead.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I can't speak to that, as I rarely try to get ADRs that late!! I am just saying that the experience at 180 days is the same for me since about 2005. Used to be Le Cellier, now it's BOG -- but the process and difficulty of getting the more popular places is the same at 180 days.

Ah, at the 180 mark I would agree that there's little difference between now and when it the 180 day window was introduced in 2009. The window opening wasn't at 180 days when we went in 2007.

 

[Angel Ariel]

At 30 days, people would have a much better idea of park hours and what special events are taking place and can better plan their days. One of the biggest complaints that people are expressing here is how operational changes cause them to want to alter their schedules, but how locked in ADRs and the inability to find comparable substitutes closer to their arrival date hamstring their ability to pivot nimbly. These concerns get minimized when the posting of final hours, the announcement of special events, the window for FPs and the opening up of ADRs all coincide or are compressed more than they are now. It is unrealistic to think that hours can be set in stone 180 days out. But 60 or 45 is certainly doable. So I would submit that this timeframe would be ideal for FPs and ADRs. And it would more closely align restaurant reservations with the rest of the world. As you stated above, 180 days is crazy far ahead.

I also think that less double booking ("I want to go to BOG. but I'm not sure what day we will be ablessed to get fp for SDMT, so let's book multiple BOG ADRS and we'll just cancel what we don't need later" bookings ) would be less likely to happen if you the fp booking and adr booking were more closely aligned.

 

[maxiesmom]

At 30 days, people would have a much better idea of park hours and what special events are taking place and can better plan their days. One of the biggest complaints that people are expressing here is how operational changes cause them to want to alter their schedules, but how locked in ADRs and the inability to find comparable substitutes closer to their arrival date hamstring their ability to pivot nimbly. These concerns get minimized when the posting of final hours, the announcement of special events, the window for FPs and the opening up of ADRs all coincide or are compressed more than they are now. It is unrealistic to think that hours can be set in stone 180 days out. But 60 or 45 is certainly doable. So I would submit that this timeframe would be ideal for FPs and ADRs. And it would more closely align restaurant reservations with the rest of the world. As you stated above, 180 days is crazy far ahead.

I think people would get even more upset then if Disney changed things at the last minute. I've had park hours change on me while on my trip! I think pushing everything to a smaller time frame would make it that more intense, and that much more frustrating if you didn't get what you wanted right off of the bat.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We have also adapted the philosophy, "We'll be back". If we don't get that perfect ADR, or decide not to wait for SM to finally get fixed, no biggie. We'll catch it next time. We mainly hit the high points for the kids (as I stated before, princesses, playgrounds and pool time) and it's all good. Going back solo in September and I currently have 4 ADRs. I have an 8 am Akershus for FEA, Tiffins because I want to try it, Skippers, because they just went 180 day ressies (darn it!) and Monsieur Paul, because we like it. (We'll also be there during Illuminations - a wonderful experience).
First/One timers don't have that luxury, nor do they know what we know about the workings of WDW.

 

[Hikergirl]

Just a piece of totally unsolicited advice, if Disboards is making you worry and feeling like it's taking the fun out of anticipation, you should take a break for a couple of weeks. I've gone on very last minute trips (3 days out) and my husband and I are considering even taking a trip down for July 4th that he's surprise not on duty for and we have NO PART of that planned. Even planning 3 days out, you still get to EAT and have a hotel room and ride a ton of rides and see parades (MSEP 6 times in 4 days; that's the fun you can't plan for) and fireworks.

All advice welcome
The only reason I feel the need to plan this one more than the others is because its a first time trip without the kids. I really want to do WDW in a different way than we have before and as silly as it sounds have no idea how to do a WDW vacation without them. I've found a few things that dh are definitely doing and some things we'd like to do, but I'm perfectly happy lounging by the pool with some cocktails. I'm super excited and truth is if any of my plans don't work or have to change we are totally OK with that.
I've also stopped "planning" for now. Just waiting for F&W stuff to be announced.

 

[21stamps]

All advice welcome
The only reason I feel the need to plan this one more than the others is because its a first time trip without the kids. I really want to do WDW in a different way than we have before and as silly as it sounds have no idea how to do a WDW vacation without them. I've found a few things that dh are definitely doing and some things we'd like to do, but I'm perfectly happy lounging by the pool with some cocktails. I'm super excited and truth is if any of my plans don't work or have to change we are totally OK with that.
I've also stopped "planning" for now. Just waiting for F&W stuff to be announced.

You will have a wonderful time!!!! WDW is SOOOOOOOO different sans kids. So much more relaxed, you can drink, walk, talk, just enjoy at a slower pace. I absolutely loved F&W time with my husband and friends.

I never knew about disboards, I never planned far in advance. We booked an Epcot resort, spent time at F&W, went to Maguc Kingdom for a bit to hit our favorite rides and wishes. Didn't do any shows, and spent evenings at Downtown Disney.

Going as a mother was a much different experience. I'm going to do better this time around since I realize now that it is such a different trip. Not that I didn't realize this before, just that I wasn't fully prepared for the reality of it. Before that trip I took my niece and nephew for 4 days, during the summer, and that was by far the most stressful, crowded, different trip than I was used to- I knew from that experience that I would have to plan better with my own child. Unfortunately, I completely over planned that trip.