Is Spontaneity at WDW in Danger of Extinction?

[steve2wdw]

With the Dining Plan pretty much eliminating the chance for day of, walk up reservations, and now talk of advance Fastpasses, is spontaneity almost a thing of the past at WDW? Back in 2006, we booked our 12 day WDW trip with the DDP. 90 days out, we booked all our reservations and got everything we wanted. When our trip rolled around, we found that while we loved all the food we ate, we hated the fact that our dining was so regimented, dictating what seemed like every move we made. Some times we ended up in a park on a rainy day that we never would have gone to, due to our dining reservation. With Disney doing surveys about advance Fastpasses, I feel that a Disney trip in the future is just going to be like one big scheduled day at work. While some advance planning can be fun, I don't want to have to decide whether or not I want to go on Killamenjaro Safari in November for a day in February. It's hard enough deciding what to do the morning of any given day. All these reservations are just s__________g any spontaneity, still remaining, out of the Disney experience. What do ya'll think?

Longing for the WDW of the mid-seventies.....

 

[powlessfamily4]

Times change.... I make the best of it. We made our ADRs 180 days out and still were unable to get some of the ones we wanted. My attitude is oh well... I am at Disney and that in itself will make my week amazing.

 

[jaques21]

yes and no. i never make reservations ahead of time until the day of my trip and sometimes im lucky and sometimes im not either way i end up having fun! Buy i can see how this is very convenient for families.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

i just hope it does not end up like the vip ticket lines at events like halloween horror nights at universal studios. they charge as much or more for the vip ticket so your initial "ticket" costs double and if you don't buy one you stand in line so long you never see the light of day. i think the current system is about as fair as it could be given the circumstances. i hope they don't make this move. to many people double book dining reservations as it is, imagine what it would be like trying to get on a ride.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I hope not, but I think so.

 

[captainkidd]

It's been dying for a while. If the advanced FP idea takes effect, it's dead.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

I feel your pain and understand your feelings on this!! I remember the days when you could walk up to a ride and just ride, or ask to be seated at a restaurant without ever hearing of it before your trip and you were seated. Boy have things changed!

Visiting WDW has become such as huge part of many families lives throughout the world, making more crowds which has made it become so planned and mechanical. You can be spontaneous at Disney, but that may mean missing out on a lot.

With that said, I think your ability to be spontaneous or not really depends on the time of year you go. For example, we used to go in January and at one time, maybe two years ago, we were able to walk up to a place like San Angel Inn with no ADR and were seated immediately. I remember on one rainy day we rode RnRC literally 13 times back to back as there was zero line. But the marathon has made crowds so unpredictable and unmanageable, not to mention shifty weather, that we're done going at that time.
On our last trip this past first week of May, when EVERYONE (and I seriously mean everyone) told us there would be extremely low crowds, it was one of the busiest times I've ever been (and Ive been around all major holidays except Halloween) which left absolutely zero room for spontaneity.

When you go is a huge decision. All of us would LOVE to go when the weather is level, the crowds are low, and there is some kind of money saving deal offered. Unfortunately, many folks have picked on the fact that those are the best times which makes one wonder if there is even a 'best' time to go anymore. I began a thread asking about what its like at WDW around the 2nd or 3rd week of October, avoiding Columbus Day, and so far I have yet to hear anything but 'amazing' and 'perfect' with 'low crowds'. But once everyone catches onto that, it'll be just like Christmas. We will see!!

Disney is such a commodity-use spontaneity with caution. At least we have our memories!!

 

[WeLoveTheMouse]

The early ADR thing has never really bothered me. I guess our park schedule is dictated by our ADRs, but I can't think of once where it has messed up our daily plans. Plus a little of dining locations lend themselves to easy travel to another park if need be. (Eating at Epcot but then travelling to MK or DHS is something that happens on occasion.)

As for the early Fastpasses, I'm on the fence. I guess I need to learn more about it.

 

[olinecoach61]

It's evolution, things change over time.

 

[wm49rs]

If you want to make an ADR, do so.

You want to reserve a room on-site or off, ditto.

But no one is forcing you to do either.

And while there has been discussions about the XPass (or whatever they're calling the program), nothing has been put into place yet.

So whatever spontaneity you want to make with your vacation is still very much in your own hands.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Having to make ADR's never bothered me.

However, this idea of having to "schedule" when I wanted to ride certain attractions 6 months ahead of time...is a little ridiculous.

If I book my vacation for February (about 6 months from now) tomorrow, if this system were in place, does that mean I would have to decide not only what park I would be in, but that I would want to ride Space Mountain at 2:30 PM, followed by Peter Pan's Flight at 3:15? I mean, really. That's taking planning to a whole different extreme.

 

[bgraham34]

Making advanced ADR's may stink if you book a trip less than 6 months out but there are still plenty of places to eat at least. The advanced fastpass times has me more disturbed. I dont want to have to plan my trip to the exact minute and this plan would force me to do so or at least changed how often i go to the world.

 

[captainkidd]

If you want to make an ADR, do so.

You want to reserve a room on-site or off, ditto.

But no one is forcing you to do either.

And while there has been discussions about the XPass (or whatever they're calling the program), nothing has been put into place yet.

So whatever spontaneity you want to make with your vacation is still very much in your own hands.

Life is all about choices. But this is is more black and white than even that. It comes down to "If you want to enjoy your WDW vacation, be ready to plan just about everything."

No one is dumping on WDW because of this. It's just a fact of life. WDW has become so crowded, this is just the way it is. The real question is do you want to continue to vacation there, or do you want a bit more peace and relaxation?

 

[addcogulf]

I agree that the spontaneity is very much out of the Disney vacation. I have been going to Disney every year since 1985. It has hugely changed. With the popularity of the dining plan, it is impossible to have a nice sit down dinner without advanced reservations. Years ago, with three or four children in tow, you could walk into any resturant and sit down within a half-hour. A lot of planning must go into a Disney vacation these days if you want to eat nice dinners, and eat with the characters. What shocks me the most is that on top of all these dining problems, Disney did away with a lot of their character resturants, such as Liberty Travern. Years ago, there were more, like a Winnie the Pooh in Key West and one in Wilderness Lodge. Less chances of getting a Character meal now and more people wanting them. Sure makes less sense to me. So in todays Disney, you must stick to an ittinerary and not change your daily route or you cannot eat. And traveling between parks takes up so much time that you lose vacation time on rides, just to eat. I have complianed about this to my family often. But we like to sit and relax and cool off with a nice meal, so we stick to our reservations also. But there are tremendous differences between to WDW of today and the one of the past whem my children were little. Now I travel to Disney every year with my Grandchildren, and I still love it and look very forward to my Disney Vacation, but there is alot of planning involved. Going to Disney without the sit down dinner is not an option to me because the fast food deal just gets very old. How many hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken fingers can you eat in seven to ten days?:slurp:

 

[captainkidd]

So in todays Disney, you must stick to an itinerary and not change your daily route or you cannot eat. Going to Disney without the sit down dinner is not an option to me because the fast food deal just gets very old. How many hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken fingers can you eat in seven to ten days?:slurp:

This is the EXACT problem, especially with the decline of their fast food.

 

[wm49rs]

Life is all about choices. But this is is more black and white than even that. It comes down to "If you want to enjoy your WDW vacation, be ready to plan just about everything."

No one is dumping on WDW because of this. It's just a fact of life. WDW has become so crowded, this is just the way it is. The real question is do you want to continue to vacation there, or do you want a bit more peace and relaxation?

Well, "s#cking the spontaneity" out of everything isn't exactly laying on the praise...

And if anyone spends thousands of dollars on a WDW (or anywhere else) vacation, then some planning becomes a necessity. And if you don't want to make your ADR, then don't. Call, go by, and cancel them. There's your choice, there's your desperate need for spontaneity fulfilled. But at the same time don't turn around and complain how there were no tables available for walk-ups or that counter-service meals weren't an option. It's no better than a p&m thread about the prices at Disney on items you wouldn't purchase in the first place.

Oh wait, never mind.......:brick:

 

[Hakunamatata]

This is the EXACT problem, especially with the decline of their fast food.

A declining Disney burger, hotdog, or chicken nugget is 1000 times better than a fast-food burger, hotdog, or nugget at any chain store with a drive through, excluding Chic-fil-a of course.

 

[ScoutN]

And if you don't want to make your ADR, then don't. Call, go by, and cancel them.

We go to a park. Got to a dining kiosk. Ask who has availability. Make reservations. Spontaneity profit?

 

[wm49rs]

We go to a park. Got to a dining kiosk. Ask who has availability. Make reservations. Spontaneity profit?

If it was a stock, you'd be retired.....:lol:

 

[dmatt87]

I agree with the ADRs even if it can be hard to get into some restaurants.

However, I think they should stop giving the Dining Plan with some deal packages. Too many people end up getting a free meal plan and they are the ones who are jamming up the restaurants.

As for the advance FPs, I think it's an horrible idea! You can plan meals in advance but not rides you're gonna do 3 months in advance.

This will ruin the experience and will be a huge disabilities for people who are spontaneous or first time visitors!