YIKES. It’s (3/12) So busy! Planning and FP are so important.

[WhitneyMB]

This is honestly how I feel at this point and I probably won't be renewing my AP after having been an AP holder for about 9 years consecutively. I popped over Monday 3/11 to MK with my grandson (10 mos) and we rode 2 rides 6 hours. The days of deciding day of or even a couple of days out to take a day trip are long gone. It's actually really tarnished the Disney experience for me.
I am an uber planner myself. Up until last year I always took my family to WDW for 2 weeks over the July 4th holiday and then again for 2 weeks Xmas/New Years (stayed onsite) so Im use to doing alot of planning, but even I, the woman who has binders and spreadsheets saved from past trips, feel like the amount of planning nes. now is completely ridiculous. WDW trips border on having to do as much if not more planning than I've ever done for even international trips.

I just wanted to mention that I know some people are unhappy about all the separate pay events, such as Disney After Hours. However DAH is a great thing for locals or others who want to be able to come over for just a day and not worry about booking FPs--as long as the event doesn't sell out ahead of time! They're also helpful for people trying to avoid the craziness of parks getting busier and busier.

 

[michelepa]

Is it raining tonight because I checked wait times at all four parks and was surprised they were not too bad and of course test track is not working but it’s normally not working so not sure if it’s rain that closed TT and is keeping wait times down or it’s just not as crowded as I thought it would be

 

[glocon]

Is it raining tonight because I checked wait times at all four parks and was surprised they were not too bad and of course test track is not working but it’s normally not working so not sure if it’s rain that closed TT and is keeping wait times down or it’s just not as crowded as I thought it would be

Amazing! I just had to look after reading this. Lucky people there tonight!!! Have lots of fun

 

[lcc2]

Is it raining tonight because I checked wait times at all four parks and was surprised they were not too bad and of course test track is not working but it’s normally not working so not sure if it’s rain that closed TT and is keeping wait times down or it’s just not as crowded as I thought it would be

It was definitely raining! And not just some drizzle. Was thankful we were done for the day lol

 

[yulilin3]

This is a very interesting thread and I have been lurking to some degree and is accurately describes our one day visit to MK on Monday 3/11. The set up story is we just finished our 3 day cruise on the Disney Dream and had planned a day stay in Orlando to assure us a smooth next day flyout back to Ohio so we had some time to blow. We decided to drive to Orlando and meet our Orlando family at the MK. We spent $122.00 pp and logged on to the App once our tickets were purchased and found a handful of fast passes that included Mansion, Pirates and Small World and we stood by for the mine ride which ended up to be about 2.5 hours. All in all it was a productive day, we had fun but will never return during spring break, we sorta knew perhaps what we were getting ourselves into but it is sad that a family cannot simply decide to go to MK one day. I would expect that in the 21st century the imaginers could come up with a process that could facilitate all who desire to ride the most popular rides without waiting 2.5 hours unless that is the absolute lowest wait a person can expect with the numbers of visitors allowed.

The discussion I had with our Orlando living family suggested Disney has become less interested in the in-state season ticket holders because they are unable to obtain FP and cannot compete with families staying at the resorts....I don't live there so cannot comment one way or the other but they were bound to the same FP process we were as one day visitors.

I've been a Orlando resident AP holder for the past 20 years and while it is true that AP holders can only book fps 30 days out I can still get to most of the attractions, minus FoP, SDD and 7DMT. I lived here through years where there wasn't a fp system and the lines back then were about an hour or more long for the headliners, which people tend to forget.
All in all Disney is most definitely losing money on me.I visit the parks 3 times a week I rarely eat at the parks, don't buy merchandise, don't pay for parking, at $45 a month, for me, it is still affordable and better, money wise to renew my pass and continue to get Disney in my life. But it is not for everyone that's for sure. As a local you also know when to avoid the parks so I feel for everyone going through the Spring Break season

 

[michelepa]

It was definitely raining! And not just some drizzle. Was thankful we were done for the day lol

Glad you were done for the day before the storms

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

So I was there 03/09-03/16 and I didn't think it was too bad at all for Spring Break crowds. I've seen worse for sure. With FP's and a little line waiting we did everything we wanted to do. We went to Epcot Tues & Thurs and were even able to get real tables for our festival food lol, not just a trash can. My only disappointment was that they sold out of orange bird sippers. I was able to change times for SDMT FP's day of, able to get a TSM FP day of as a 4th FP. Now is a bit easier when there's only 2 of you for sure. I will say we've been enough times that we don't need to ride every single ride. We don't go to the parks until after noon either. Had a wonderful time only rained the one day, Sat but it was late in the day and we were heading out anyway.

 

[DWFamilyof6]

MOBILE order for Dole Whip? Even if it doesn't always work, the possibility that it could...well, you've just changed my MK LIFE!!!! lol

MK LIFE Changer! What a thing that would be... It could definitely be a trip "life" changer if it worked. Worked meaning saved time. The Mobile order line was basically as long as the regular line so I'm not sure it saved any time at all. Especially during the parade, seems as though Aloha Isle is crazy busy. We couldn't figure out why so many were using the Mobile order line incorrectly on this day or was it always this crazy. Every other Mobile order experience was perfect. Walked right up and got our food by passing tons of people in the regular line. We probably used Mobile order 10 times or more this trip.

 

[Hummingbird]

I hear what you're saying and agree to a point. The things that you listed as planning...learning how things work, typical times and distances, managing expectations, etc...to me are more "research" than planning. So perhaps there's some semantics getting in the way here. I agree that the things you list can be important, especially for a first or second time visitor. You should absolutely have a basic understanding of how things work, where things generally are and have realistic expectations. If you walk into WDW (or any other tourist place) having done zero research whatsoever and no concept of anything, then you may leave frustrated and disappointed. At the same time, I don't feel it requires months of research, just the basics will work.

When I was talking about planning, I'm referring to setting a structure to your day. For example, at 9:10am we're on ride A, then we walk at a moderate pace and arrive at ride B at 9:40am, then ride C at 10:15am, then a bathroom break, then this, then that....have color coded spreadsheets for each day. Things like that. You can plan that way if you like, but it's not necessary. The PP, and I'm not picking on them just using an example, mentioned that she/he is a 9 year AP holder, so they definitely aren't new visitors. Yet they said that the days of making a last minute trip are long gone and that it takes a ridiculous amount of planning. That's a sentiment shared by many here. I disagree with that.

I'm that poster. Your experience doesn't negate mine. And that's all I'm going to say on the topic anymore.

 

[samsonjs]

So I was there 03/09-03/16 and I didn't think it was too bad at all for Spring Break crowds. I've seen worse for sure. With FP's and a little line waiting we did everything we wanted to do. We went to Epcot Tues & Thurs and were even able to get real tables for our festival food lol, not just a trash can. My only disappointment was that they sold out of orange bird sippers. I was able to change times for SDMT FP's day of, able to get a TSM FP day of as a 4th FP. Now is a bit easier when there's only 2 of you for sure. I will say we've been enough times that we don't need to ride every single ride. We don't go to the parks until after noon either. Had a wonderful time only rained the one day, Sat but it was late in the day and we were heading out anyway.

They already sold out? Do they do an allotment for the day or for the entire fest?

 

[yulilin3]

They already sold out? Do they do an allotment for the day or for the entire fest?

The entire festival. There might be an additional shipment but usually these things sell out very quickly

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

They already sold out? Do they do an allotment for the day or for the entire fest?

Yes completely sold out, so aggravating. I guess at the beginning they were letting people buy up to 10, then they realized they were selling out so they limited it to 1 per transaction. We were there last Tuesday and they were gone already. I did get to try the drink and it was good, like a orange push up pop in liquid form.

Supposedly, per Anna the CM - they will be getting a new shipment in 2 weeks or so. I'm hoping they will still be there when I go back. Poor Anna said people were cussing her out for being the bearer of bad news, so crazy what people do for an orange bird sipper.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

Regarding the Orange bird sippers, you can get them for $40 on eBay right now. For people in the parks, that's not ideal considering they were $14 but not terrible. You avoid having to bring them home (sippers aren't bad but the popcorn buckets require serious space in luggage). They will be considerably less expensive in a few weeks.

 

[samsonjs]

Regarding the Orange bird sippers, you can get them for $40 on eBay right now. For people in the parks, that's not ideal considering they were $14 but not terrible. You avoid having to bring them home (sippers aren't bad but the popcorn buckets require serious space in luggage). They will be considerably less expensive in a few weeks.

Thanks! My trips not until May. I thought this would be a cute souvenir for my daughter but now I guess it’s one less thing to buy at Disney.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Is it raining tonight because I checked wait times at all four parks and was surprised they were not too bad and of course test track is not working but it’s normally not working so not sure if it’s rain that closed TT and is keeping wait times down or it’s just not as crowded as I thought it would be

Last time we were there we had a pretty good downpour and were able to practically walk on all of TSL. Only 15 minute wait for SDD. So nice we canceled our TSL EMM for the next day!

 

[Captainkidd76]

Nothing can compare with Disney. It's just a fact. However, we started spending more vacations at Universal. The parks are both wonderfully themed and just as clean as Disney's. Express Passes if you stay Deluxe allows you to get through parks with little waits, do your favorites over again, spend time at the pool, take a nap, go back to park, then City Walk. Universal has created a relaxing yet fun theme park vacation where no planning is necessary. With Disney, it's simply no longer possible.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Now that this ‘Here Now’ thread is outdated, closing.