Disney slowly losing some of what made it special.

[Jon81uk]

And actually IMO your last line explains it "get the most out of it". What does that mean? If you don't do Flight of Pandora, the trip is a bust? No other place do we do this with.

I am a Londoner, so USA trips are as if you were coming to London.

But if I had gone to San Francisco for the first time and hadn't visited Alcatraz island, yes I would not have felt like I was getting the most out of the trip.
Many people come to London and feel they have to see Buckingham Palace or Trafalgar Square and if they don't then yes their trip is ruined in their eyes.

My last Disneyworld/Florida trip was 2016 so I haven't done Pandora, the next time I will go Star Wars will also be new.
If I don't do the new SW:GE rides and visit Pandora then yes the trip is a bust. Same as last trip I HAD to visit Gringotts and ride the Hogwarts Express. Everything else I had done before on previous trips and therefore I knew what would make or break the current trip.

 

[Willmark]

Agreed but I do wish folks kept an even keel. There is such an "expectation" put on Disney vacations. I do think it's way more than any other vacation.

For example, When we went to London, we didn't feel as if we had to be in perpetual motion, doing some thing every single nano second of the day but at Disney it's almost de rigueur. Like the moment you step off of one ride, you're on your smart phone trying to figure out what to do next.

While I agree somewhat, a trip to a major city is not the same thing as an amusement park, especially with a city as massive as London.

Its not like there is a Fast Pass line at the Tower of London. Disney suffers from a problem of capacity and a limit to attractions. London, using this example does not unless all million + tourists (making up a number here) decend on said Tower all at the same time. On top of that since its not a ride there really isnt a line per se once you get in aside from viewing the Crown Jewels.[/QUOTE]

The same with ADR's. one of the best trips we have ever had was one where we absolutely did not make any adr's. We woke up each morning and called disney dining and there was plenty to choose from. How did the "myth" start that if you go without adr's you'll starve or that eating at BOG HAD to happen in order to have a great trip. now personally there isn't a restaurant at Disney that is so great that it cannot be missed IMO

Starve? Aside from that hyperbole, the likelihood of eating at the time one might want is definitely lower than those who do have ADRs.

I get what you're saying to a degree, but Disney planning is a necessary evil, because Disney rations the entertainment and dining (i.e there is only so much to go around) at the peak times.

In a way, one is not competing against Disney in all this, it just occured me: park goers are really competing against each other ( i.e the other Disney guests) for resources. Disney really has made WDW a Lord of the Flies situation when one really thinks about it.

 

[Jon81uk]

While I agree somewhat, a trip to a major city is not the same thing as an amusement park, especially with a city as massive as London.

Its not like there is a Fast Pass line at the Tower of London. Disney suffers from a problem of capacity and a limit to attractions. London, using this example does not unless all million + tourists (making up a number here) decend on said Tower all at the same time. On top of that since its not a ride there really isnt a line per se once you get in aside from viewing the Crown Jewels

But there are tourist attractions that sell out.

When we went to Berlin, if you wanted to visit the dome on top of their parliament building (Reichestag) then you need to book in advance, but no more than a month before and some time slots at peak season were taken very very quickly. If you turned up in Berlin hoping to visit then its a several hour line for the small amount of day tickets.

In fact in terms of planning to sight see all the major attractions, Disneyworld is quite comparable to a capital city or major city such as New York, Berlin, San Francisco, London.

I'm sure tickets to Liberty Island in New York also sell out quick and if you decide to try and do it once in New York it could be impossible.

 

[Willmark]

But there are tourist attractions that sell out.

When we went to Berlin, if you wanted to visit the dome on top of their parliament building (Reichestag) then you need to book in advance, but no more than a month before and some time slots at peak season were taken very very quickly. If you turned up in Berlin hoping to visit then its a several hour line for the small amount of day tickets.

In fact in terms of planning to sight see all the major attractions, Disneyworld is quite comparable to a capital city or major city such as New York, Berlin, San Francisco, London.

I'm sure tickets to Liberty Island in New York also sell out quick and if you decide to try and do it once in New York it could be impossible.

Not saying there aren't. My point is capacity. Add to the fact that there are plenty of other rides "i.e. attractions" to partake in London as you well know. Its an order of magnitude larger compared to the relatively finite capacity of say MK.

BTW- loved London, the Tower was a dream come true. Then ate lunch on a grassy hill right beside Tower Bridge.

 

[geekza]

What a lot of folks forget is that for many, many people, a WDW vacation these days is either a once-in-a-lifetime trip or a once-in-a-blue-moon trip. Not only that, but it's a crazy-expensive trip.

I can only use myself as an example, but I don't feel like my situation is unusual. I haven't been to WDW in 12 years. I have found myself in a situation this year whereby I can finally afford to take my wife and I down for a week. I absolutely want to make the most of the time I have and the money I have already spent and will spend while I'm there. Why? There is a very real possibility that I will never be able to afford to go back, plus this will be the first and possibly only visit to WDW that my wife will have. Twenty years ago, aside from hotel, tickets and transportation, I would not have had to worry too much about making sure things were planned. Now, if I want to experience popular attractions without waiting for up to two hours in line, I have to make sure I book FastPasses two months in advance. If I want to eat in a particular restaurant and it's a popular one, I have to book a reservation six months in advance. Both of those things also mean that I have to plan exactly which park I will be in on a particular day and where I will be within the park on a given day. If I want to lessen the amount of time I have to spend in line for things, I have to use a tool like Touring Plans that predicts wait times based upon historical data and lots of other arcane points. It's a huge difference from the past.

I'm not saying that I believe that things can return to the way they were twenty years ago. They can't. Times have changed and the parks are more crowded. With that said, the current situation isn't ideal and there are definitely current necessary aspects of planning a WDW vacation that could and should be addressed by Disney in order to either improve or replace them.

 

[Jon81uk]

If I want to eat in a particular restaurant and it's a popular one, I have to book a reservation six months in advance

This has been true for the super-popular restaurants for many years, I can remember back in the early 2000s having to phone up six months in advance to try and book Cinderella's Royal Table.
The dining plan has increased the number of people dining on site (even though the DDP doesn't offer as good value as it used to) and not all restaurants are hard to get reservations, but CRT and a couple of others have always been difficult to book.

 

[Phil12]

Some people are just obsessive compulsive about planning. A trip to WDW is like a dream come true for them just for the opportunity they're given to plan things. Let them have their fun and the pride in pumping up their ego as they prove to the world what perfect plans they have made. I always go during slow times so advanced planning is not needed (except to know when the slow times are).

 

[DfromATX]

Here's another way to look at it. Disney might not be losing what makes it special, it might just be that you are old (as in terms of visiting the parks) and don't like the new stuff that the mouse is putting in. just a hypothesis.

sorry you feel that Disney is losing something. Great thing is there is a whole big wide world out there to discover.

My opinion is that is the case with most of the complaints on here.

 

[geekza]

Or it could be that experience is the best teacher and we've seen what Disney World can be when it is at its best and expect that level of service and experience to be upheld by the company, especially when the cost of going to Disney World has risen exponentially.

I'm happy for folks who are 100% happy with the current state of WDW. With that said, those who immediately poo-poo the opinions of those who know more about the quality of WDW because we have firsthand experience across the decades are simply showing their ignorance. Nobody is saying you have to agree with us, but unless you are basing your opinions on personal experience or documented facts, your dismissal is without value.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That is all spot on and is where the problem is. I think the vast majority don't want to plan plan plan, so they do get frustrated and it leaves a bad taste. Everyone knows you need to plan for any vacation. But there is planning, and then there’s DISNEY planning.

There is way too much emphasis on making ADR's and FP's the first day. People must come here and get all anxious reading the posts like they're not going to get to do anything.

I live 3 hours away. Most of my trips are short and relatively last minute (maybe planned a month or two in advance.) Sometimes they're even more last minute than that. Rarely do we get to plan a year in advance because of our work schedules.

I've done everything I wanted to do and more.

There are expectations, and then there are expectations.

There is always a very good place to eat, even at the last minute, including sit-down restaurants, including when the app shows there are no tables available.

You just walk up and ask if they have a table. Most of the time they do unless your party is a "push two tables together" party.

Some flexibility is required. Have some backup choices. You don't have to go to every restaurant on this trip. "Leave them wanting more."

There are very few restaurants you can't get a reservation for, and there are very few attractions you can't get a FP for, and that's mainly because they are new-ish.

We have walked in to Be Our Guest more than once. It was a pleasant surprise. If we didn't get in, the trip wouldn't be ruined. I'd take responsibility for not planning ahead enough, and eat at another perfectly wonderful restaurant.

We got a reservation for California Grill about two hours before dinner one day. It was right about the time Wishes was being switched out for HEA, and we wanted to watch it from the restaurant (which we had never done before.) Still, this was not dire. It would be great if we could do it, but I was never despondent in the hours prior to getting that reservation. I had great back ups in mind. There are so many good places to eat. You don't have to get the one right then and there.

We have stood outside Rose & Crown and saw nothing available on the app. We walked up to the podium, and were seated in 10 minutes.

Hint: they know they need to save room for walk-ups somewhere!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...aw27nFDmMkAD_YJBE-rsBOMa&ust=1535228049859814

I got a FoP FP at 1PM instead of 6AM on the day I was eligible to get them (not long after the attraction opened.)

I understand for those for whom it is a one time experience, you want to do all you can. The first time I went, I thought it would be the only time. We did almost every single thing, open to close, with the old paper fastpasses.

I have never not gotten a FP for something I really wanted to do. I had to have some flexibility to take the last minute FP for Frozen or SDMT (back then) or RoL, but we did them all. Never missed something important, even on a 2 day trip. It's all in my trip reports.

And if I did miss something, I didn't notice because I am at Disney World, making my own great time, and whatever else I did was fantastic.

The one thing I remember missing was the Chef's Table at Victoria & Albert's. We sat in the room with four tables instead. How could I be upset about that?

And the next day began a week of no power at home because Irma hit. Grateful for what I get to do, and that my house wasn't damaged.

So people have to just be realistic, prioritize, be glad you can afford to go at all, and most of all ignore all the warnings and predictions of doom if you don't get something at the 180 or 60 or 30 day mark. You do not quit then. You keep trying every once in awhile, and things pop up. You book what you can and then change it when what you really wanted comes open. So much comes open the night before and the day of your visit! Forget "I need an ADR" and just walk up to the restaurant and ask. It can't hurt. Often they can take care of you.

Use the app while you're in line for something else or on a break. No, you don't have to be obsessed or glued to your phone or take hours and hours. Just be strategic. Things get canceled, added, reserved and released later.

Except that's exaggeration and that level of planning isn't entirely necessary. I'm sick of people on forums who make others panic and think every last moment needs to be like that by scaremongering and giving incorrect information. Rant over.

Agreed!

 

[erasure fan1]

ignore all the warnings and predictions of doom if you don't get something at the 180 or 60 or 30 day mark. You do not quit then. You keep trying every once in awhile, and things pop up. You book what you can and then change it when what you really wanted comes open. So much comes open the night before and the day of your visit! Forget "I need an ADR" and just walk up to the restaurant and ask. It can't hurt. Often they can take care of you.

Here is where I disagree. The argument is about too much planning and your response is don't worry just keep trying? That is the kind of extra planning people are talking about. And it's easy for a person who has been there multiple times to roll with things. But for every you there is someone with the opposite outcome. When my sister went about a month ago, guess how many ADRs they could get the day before? One, Trex, not what they wanted. I can't blame them, the 2 times we went it was meh. I did my inlaws fastpasses on this last trip and the day the window opened, a lot of the usual rides weren't there. It's easy to tell people don't worry about it, just keep an open mind. But if you spend that much money, and you really want to do/see something, you are forced to plan plan plan to make it happen. And I don't know why, it won't ruin your trip, keeps coming up. Of course it won't ruin it, but getting what you want, it can sure make the trip.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I did my inlaws fastpasses on this last trip and the day the window opened, a lot of the usual rides weren't there.

And it’s a myth that you won’t get anything after that moment.

While you’re chatting here on a random day, open a WDW tab and refresh it once in awhile. Whoa, heavy extra planning.

If you want the stuff, that’s what you have to do, or don’t complain about it because you tried on day 60 and for some reason think thousands of other people aren’t doing the same at that moment. Do it when they aren’t. It’s kind of fun, actually.

Retrain the brain. It’s not 60 days or nothing.

Make the FP’s for what’s available, keep your schedule slightly flexible, try to change them the night before your trip, or while on property. It’s not hard or time consuming.

 

[erasure fan1]

And it’s a myth that you won’t get anything after that moment.

Agreed. But unless I missed it, I haven't read anyone say you can never get anything after. The issue was the amount of planning. To you logging on everyday might be fun. Oh it only takes a few minutes... And to some, that's annoying, to each their own. I've been going to Disney for over 35yrs, and there is a lot more planning now than just 10yrs ago. Discounting the planning because it doesn't bother you, isn't really fair.

 

[geekza]

The point is that you didn't have to plan as much or as far out in the past as you do now. Yes, that is partly because of the increased crowds, but much of it is due to Disney's policies and procedures.

 

[erasure fan1]

The point is that you didn't have to plan as much or as far out in the past as you do now. Yes, that is partly because of the increased crowds, but much of it is due to Disney's policies and procedures.

And mostly because of the lack of expansion for so long. Attendance kept/keeps increasing but yet in some cases we lost capacity due to ride closures with nothing replacing. Looking at new fantasyland. It was billed as needed extra capacity for MK. But in reality the only extra capacity was be our guest. The mine train replaced snow white and technically, mermaid replaced 20k since it was shut down and never replaced. So really you gave yourself the same capacity as when 20k was open. That doesnt help the situation.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

In the time you've spent posting about your fastpass troubles, you could have gone onto the site and checked for more, just saying...

 

[erasure fan1]

In the time you've spent posting about your fastpass troubles, you could have gone onto the site and checked for more, just saying...

That's a strange comment as it really adds nothing. So you are saying I can check fastpasses now for a trip that was 6 months ago? And how does me posting on wdw magic effect my sister making fastpasses? Gotta love the pixie dust!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

In the time you've spent posting about your fastpass troubles, you could have gone onto the site and checked for more, just saying...

Thank you!

 

[wdisney9000]

Retrain the brain. It’s not 60 days or nothing.

That is basically what I had to do. Not that I was disgruntled with inability to get certain FP's. I just dont care much to plan out every day and every meal, but my wife does and it can be helpful to have a few of those FP's booked that are not as easy to get on day of. Opening the MDE app and refreshing it takes about 15 seconds. There is more than enough time during the day to check it multiple times and usually you can find what you need.

I think for some people, they check MDE for a FP, its not available, they get frustrated and that frustration births the concept (in their mind) of having to "constantly" check MDE which then feels daunting. They trick themselves into thinking it will be a pain, but in reality it is not as difficult or time consuming as their brain led them to believe. But in all fairness, I can understand that frustration since Disney does require much more planning than a typical vacation and for a person (or family) who does not visit often or even first timers, I can imagine it can get a bit overwhelming dealing with "tiers" and planning FP's around meal times and such.

 

[erasure fan1]

, I can understand that frustration since Disney does require much more planning than a typical vacation and for a person (or family) who does not visit often or even first timers, I can imagine it can get a bit overwhelming dealing with "tiers" and planning FP's around meal times and such

Thank you, that is the main point. Not everyone is a Disney nut and wants to remember to open the app and check the stuff. Some also just liked the freedom the old ways used to give them.