Does anybody still "wing it"?

[Danno0209]

Just curious if anyone else out there still goes without a set schedule for every day? I see all this stuff about booking FP+ and dining 180 days out...just seems crazy to me to be able to know where you want to be everyday of your trip that far out. I feel if I wanted to be set to such a schedule I'd just stay home and work haha. Sure I may make reservations for dining but it won't be until I'm there and a day or two out. Maybe I'm crazy but just wanted to get some people's opinions and see how everyone else does it.

 

[Danno0209]

agree, make the fastpass plans and if you don't use them, no big deal. I am curious what you are thinking for adr's? Because they take your 10 bucks if you don't cancel Lol. Really though, it seems like you would know what park you are going to the next day and whether or not you need to cancel the next days adr. But that brings you back to pre-planning for both things, which is what you are trying to avoid. See how that sucks!

Lol yes it does keep going back to that! I'm thinking just a few ADR's to places we may want to go. We will know far enough in advance if we will use them or cancel them and avoid the $10 fee. We aren't huge on having many TS meals anyway so most our meals will be QS. Any table service will most likely be dinner at DS.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Since we've been so many times, and since we can go several times a year for 2 to 3 days at a time, we will often skip the big new things with long lines because the lines will be down by the next time we go.

We don't like to over plan, and will mostly wing it with the exception of booking a restaurant or two (I get all excited before we go anyway and start reading the site and reviews and etc. so I usually get the idea to book something.

I think it's a big myth, however that you can't just book things the same day or the day before. We have often booked dinners an hour or two before dinner. You just have to realize you're not going to get into Be Our Guest - although the two times we have had dinner there, we went standby and got right in.

I get a little anxious and feel a little bad when I hear people are staying up till midnight 180 days out to book things thinking they really can't have a great time otherwise.

Even when we go for two or three days, I don't want to restrict myself to a certain park on a certain day because I picked my fast passes months ago.

It's definitely possible to wing 80% of the trip and have a fantastic time, as long as you are willing to compromise one or two big events.

 

[Danno0209]

Since we've been so many times, and since we can go several times a year for 2 to 3 days at a time, we will often skip the big new things with long lines because the lines will be down by the next time we go.

We don't like to over plan, and will mostly wing it with the exception of booking a restaurant or two (I get all excited before we go anyway and start reading the site and reviews and etc. so I usually get the idea to book something.

I think it's a big mess, however that you can't just book things the same day or the day before. We have often booked dinners an hour or two before dinner. You just have to realize you're not going to get into Be Our Guest - although the two times we have had dinner there, we went standby and got right in.

I get a little anxious and feel a little bad when I hear people are staying up till midnight 180 days out to book things thinking they really can't have a great time otherwise.

Even when we go for two or three days, I don't want to restrict myself to a certain park on a certain day because I picked my fast passes months ago.

It's definitely possible to wing 80% of the trip and have a fantastic time, as long as you are willing to compromise one or two big events.

My thoughts also. Fortunately we have no need to do the new or big things such as Be Our Guest. Having no kids makes skipping a few of these things a little easier also. We are all very easy going with what we do and don't do and really go to Disney more for the environment more than all the attractions so we will be happy simply being there. Unfortunately I keep having memories of back when we used to go at least once a year as a family. That was when, like you said, you could easily get reservations a hour or two in advance. Or when a ride had a long wait just check back in an hour and you might just walk right up. Sadly those days are gone.

 

[pajammies]

Since we've been so many times, and since we can go several times a year for 2 to 3 days at a time, we will often skip the big new things with long lines because the lines will be down by the next time we go.

We don't like to over plan, and will mostly wing it with the exception of booking a restaurant or two (I get all excited before we go anyway and start reading the site and reviews and etc. so I usually get the idea to book something.

I think it's a big mess, however that you can't just book things the same day or the day before. We have often booked dinners an hour or two before dinner. You just have to realize you're not going to get into Be Our Guest - although the two times we have had dinner there, we went standby and got right in.

I get a little anxious and feel a little bad when I hear people are staying up till midnight 180 days out to book things thinking they really can't have a great time otherwise.

Even when we go for two or three days, I don't want to restrict myself to a certain park on a certain day because I picked my fast passes months ago.

It's definitely possible to wing 80% of the trip and have a fantastic time, as long as you are willing to compromise one or two big events.

You do have the advantage of going more often though. Anyone that has kids is likely to stay up late trying to get their kids that restaurant or ride they really want to go on. I envy you a little, going without plans would be fun!

Lol yes it does keep going back to that! I'm thinking just a few ADR's to places we may want to go. We will know far enough in advance if we will use them or cancel them and avoid the $10 fee. We aren't huge on having many TS meals anyway so most our meals will be QS. Any table service will most likely be dinner at DS.

I just learned this, so I will share... several restaurants in Downtown Disney are available for reservations through Open Table. So if Disney doesn't have open times when you want to go, try them.

 

[Danno0209]

I just learned this, so I will share... several restaurants in Downtown Disney are available for reservations through Open Table. So if Disney doesn't have open times when you want o go, try them

Thank you! Good to know info. Still have 45 days until I can start doing anything if I decide to...a lot of thinking to do

 

[Punky]

We plan dining reservations and a few fast passes, but since my daughter just turned 6 we pretty much did whatever she wanted to do. I'm fortunate enough to have a child that doesn't care about wait times. She'll stand in line and not complain at all.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Just got back from a 5-day trip, and we had only made 3 ADR's (2 dinner, 1 breakfast), no advance FP+.

While at breakfast on Monday, we were able to get same day FP+ for 7DMT (about 10:30am) !

 

[Crazydisneygirl]

I love planning. We went for 8 days last September. Each day we had our 3 FP and a ADR. I even had each day on a recipe card and laminated with the Fast Pass time, reservation time and Park hours. With that being said my children loved Animal Kingdom we went 2 days and I was able to change our fast passes to AK with the 3 big rides.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We're planners from way back so the magic bands, the FP+, ADR's are not that difficult for us to work into our trip planning. Winging it would be easier if the crowd levels are managable when you went. Those times are getting fewer and fewer. Winging it would still work during more chaotic times IF you want to chance having no tables open and waiting in lines for attractions. The crowd situation has gotten worse and more and more reservations are being made in advance, which means there less opportunities to easily wing it. The new system forces you into advance preparations for almost everything. Sure you can still wing it, and have a pleasant trip but it wont be as pleasant if you had the planning in place like everyone else has done.

 

[BOOMitsGeorgia]

Being there for at least 2 weeks, its hard to plan every day! the first 4 days are always planned with FP+ and another random day in the middle of the holiday and also the last half a day before going home. But most of the time we plan what park we're going to the night before so we can see with the weather and how tired we are etc. And then I get the FP then, last week I managed to get a Toy Story Midway Mania FP the night before heading to Hollywood studios! I like to plan but not over plan

 

[MMlvr]

Ah the good ole days of " winging it" on vacation. Now it's plan plan plan so you need a vacation from your vacation. A relaxing trip, I don't think so.....to be carefree again. What a lovely thought.

 

[lostpro9het]

Tried it last week and failed miserably. Disney has mostly manufactured all spontaneity out of a trip unless, of course, you just LOVE multiple trips on CoP and TTA.

 

[Danno0209]

Tried it last week and failed miserably. Disney has mostly manufactured all spontaneity out of a trip unless, of course, you just LOVE multiple trips on CoP and TTA.

That's my worry. I feel from what I've been reading on here, they're making it so you HAVE to plan every minute of your trip ahead of time. I don't like the thought of that but I guess I'll have to come to terms with it. Thinking this trip I'll try minimal planning and see how it goes. Thinking completely winging it is out of the question.

 

[Chernaboggles]

That's my worry. I feel from what I've been reading on here, they're making it so you HAVE to plan every minute of your trip ahead of time. I don't like the thought of that but I guess I'll have to come to terms with it. Thinking this trip I'll try minimal planning and see how it goes. Thinking completely winging it is out of the question.

We wing it. We rarely bother with FastPasses (and never more than 24 hours in advance) and if we get an ADR we do it day of or day before . We usually don't know which park we're going to until we're heading out the door on any given day.

HOWEVER...this trip model only works if the following conditions are met:
1) Travel "off season", when the kids are in school and the parks are less crowded.
2) Be absolutely flexible about what we see when, and not get hung up on any specific restaurant or attraction
3) Either take a very long trip OR just accept from the outset that we may not see everything.
4) No young kids in the party. Young children need a little more structure and don't do a well eating random meals at weird times.

Assuming you've got all that, 10 day park hoppers should let you be pretty laid back about planning. Checking dining reservations regularly morning and evening will let you grab cancellations (helps to be flexible about what time you eat), and FP the night before can ensure that you get some rides. I wouldn't try this in the busy seasons, though. Pretty sure it would be a disaster.

TL, DR: The best way to wing it at WDW is to carefully arrange your trip in order to maximize your chances of winging it successfully!

 

[Danno0209]

We wing it. We rarely bother with FastPasses (and never more than 24 hours in advance) and if we get an ADR we do it day of or day before . We usually don't know which park we're going to until we're heading out the door on any given day.

HOWEVER...this trip model only works if the following conditions are met:
1) Travel "off season", when the kids are in school and the parks are less crowded.
2) Be absolutely flexible about what we see when, and not get hung up on any specific restaurant or attraction
3) Either take a very long trip OR just accept from the outset that we may not see everything.
4) No young kids in the party. Young children need a little more structure and don't do a well eating random meals at weird times.

Assuming you've got all that, 10 day park hoppers should let you be pretty laid back about planning. Checking dining reservations regularly morning and evening will let you grab cancellations (helps to be flexible about what time you eat), and FP the night before can ensure that you get some rides. I wouldn't try this in the busy seasons, though. Pretty sure it would be a disaster.

Thank you! That makes me feel much better! That's basically our trip. No kids, very flexible, and going "off season". At least it used to be off season...begin/mid May...after spring break crowds and before summer break starts.

 

[LAKid53]

It depends on the purpose of the trip and the time of year. If it's a Star Wars weekend over Memorial Day, darn straight I'm planning those FP+ and ADRs.

Slow time of the year (is there such a thing at WDW anymore?!), will make FP+ selections for our favorite rides, but will wing it most of the time. If there's a TS restaurant we want to eat at, will make an ADR. Otherwise there are good TS restaurants in each of the parks (can you say Flame Tree ribs) or we can pick up something at the resort. Trust me, I've had a hot dog at Casey's for lunch AND dinner the same day. Actually, I've gone to the MK from my resort (staying in a monorail/MK resort) just to get a hot dog at Casey's.

 

[Chernaboggles]

Thank you! That makes me feel much better! That's basically our trip. No kids, very flexible, and going "off season". At least it used to be off season...begin/mid May...after spring break crowds and before summer break starts.

I think you'll be fine. We're heading down next month and haven't made any ADRs or FPs yet. For me, part of the fun is seeing what restaurants pop up and what rides have a short wait when we're walking by*. I think we've seen a lot of shows and things we might have otherwise missed by just wandering around and seeing what's available at any given moment. For dining cancellations, always check 3:30-5pm and after 8:30pm. Those are good windows for catching last minute reservations at popular restaurants.

You're going to have a great time!

(*If you love Peter Pan's Flight, Soarin' or 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, definitely do FP those. Even when the parks are otherwise empty, these three always seem to be mobbed.)

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Winging it is part of the fun. My trips usually have a general idea of what we are going to do, but there is a lot of flexibility. I leave in 2 days for 4 nights at the Dolphin and don't have a single ADR. On other trips I have 3.

All I know this trip is that Thursday night I will be at MNSSHP and Friday night will be Food and Wine. Other than that I haven't a clue (which my wife reminds me of on a regular basis). Here's what I do know:

I'm leaving after work on Wednesday. If I can manage to get out of work a bit early I'll get to the Dolphin around 7pm. That being the case DD and Bongo's or maybe Splittsville is a good bet or possibly City Walk if we get the Pat O's bug. If I don't manage to get up there til 9 - then it's probably the Boardwalk and maybe ESPN Club.

Thursday no real plans for the morning but I'm leaning toward DHS at rope drop for RR or ToT or hopefully both. But then again if I didn't hit DD the night before I may be tempted to do that and grab a good lunch before heading to MK for my FP's before MNSSHP.

Friday morning I have no idea. Maybe DD, or DHS, or MK, or maybe even Uni, before hitting F&W at about 3. It depends on what I haven't done up until that point. After F&W maybe a night cap at Riverside with Yeehaw Bob, or a Sundae at Beaches n Cream (doubtful after F&W but who knows), or maybe a trip to Trader Sam's.

Saturday I think I have figured out with AK at rope drop and lunch at Yak and Yeti's and then MK at night for the 2 EMH's (closing at 2 am)....but that's not a certainty.

Sunday is anybody's guess, maybe DD, an early F&W day, or AK if I didn't go Saturday. All I know about Sunday is that I'll be getting in my car somewhere at about 4pm. When I make it home at 6, I'll try to piece it all together using pictures.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

It was mentioned above about Open Table. A good option for some DD restaurants. Also, check out the Landry's Select card. They charge you $25 to join (if I remember correctly), but give you an instant credit for your next meal. It gives you priority seating without a reservation for any Landry's including TRex, both RF, and Yak and Yeti's. You won't be able to just stroll up and walk right in, but it will cut the wait time significantly.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Just curious if anyone else out there still goes without a set schedule for every day? I see all this stuff about booking FP+ and dining 180 days out...just seems crazy to me to be able to know where you want to be everyday of your trip that far out. I feel if I wanted to be set to such a schedule I'd just stay home and work haha. Sure I may make reservations for dining but it won't be until I'm there and a day or two out. Maybe I'm crazy but just wanted to get some people's opinions and see how everyone else does it.

You are right, Danno, it is crazy to book adr's 180 days out and then fp's 60 days out. It doesn't seem to bother some people though.
We have always done the adrs with free dining and last 2 trips booked fp's at 60 days out. On our last trip, I kinda rebelled and told my husband, I'm tired of all this scheduling. So, on our next trip this Nov., we are at WDW for 10 days and I have booked only 3 adr's that we really wanted. I booked fp's for the 4 park days that I have scheduled. All the other days are going to be where we feel like going and when. We are also not doing fd, so will be doing qs for all meal except the 3 scheduled adr's.
I can't tell you how freeing it feels for this trip. Less like I'm organizing a major assault on Grenada!!!!! We will eat when and where we want to. How unique!!!! (a little sarcasm there). We are going to Universal one day. Can't wait for our trip this year!