Is spontaneity really dead?

CP_alum08

CP_alum08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Me and the GF were having dinner the other night and WDW came up, as it does :). This time there was somewhat serious talk about a spontaneous trip. Now, I mean spontaneous like this was Friday night and we were looking at flights for Saturday morning, so less than 12 hours.

I know when all the FF+ and MM+ stuff rolled out a while back everyone ranted and yelled about how it was no longer possible to tour the parks in a spontaneous fashion. We were "locals" a few years ago (have since moved back to MI), but haven't been to the parks in over 2 years now so we have no experience with FP+. Has anyone done a spontaneous trip since these new things have been introduced and how did it work? I know 12 hours is a little extreme so lets say "spontaneous" as anything less than a few weeks or a month, and you locals can chime in too, how is it now for day-of visits? Any FP+ left?

Sadly, we didn't end up pulling the trigger on the trip, but it was close and I fear the next time it comes up we may just actually do it!
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
We have done a couple of trips with zero planning since FP+ launched and my daughter and her husband have done several. Neither of us has had problem one doing everything we wanted to do.

You do of course have to temper your expectations a little.

Getting Frozen meet and greet FP day of is not going to happen, and you time choices will be more limited vs reserving 60 days out, but we have yet to run into a single attraction being 100% booked day of.
 
kap91

kap91

Well-Known Member
As far as I'm concerned it's just about spontaneous as ever. The only exception being restaurants but it's been that way for a while, mm+ certainly didn't cause that.

A few attractions are impossible to get fps for on the day of, but only a few - and if you're like me you didn't get fast passes for them much before anyway. And for the rest of the rides that you CAN get fast passes for day of, I feel that INCREASES spontaneity.

My opinion is the minority among those here though.
 
O

oswaldmickey

Member
Spontaneity as in doing a complete package Disney World Vacation is dead (it's not dead, it DIED).
Spontaneity as in random lets call in sick and go to Disney World will never be dead....
Spontaneity as it is now...as what fits the mold best based off of Today's time...eh probably fits the more seasoned DW traveler who is more interested in niche-y things like 'I always' wanted to try the Pirates game at MK and take the land tour or try to go to all four parks in one day or try these 3 random snacks at these parks kind of thing.
 
Courtney6682

Courtney6682

Well-Known Member
Think of it like this...are there ''MUST DO'S'' for you guys? Like a favorite ride or place to eat?? Book a few things that you CANNOT miss...and leave some days open. Personally, I don't know what I will want for dinner 3 months from now...but I do know that I **HAVE**to get to O'hana one night during this trip. So we are only booking 2 ADR's for our upcomming trip. I also know that my family can't miss ToT..and many of the other most popular rides....so I booked a few days with FP's and few days without..
 
Chef Mickey

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
Even with Fast Pass, dinner reservations, and any other reservation you might make, they will still only be a relatively small portion of your day.

Yes, you can walk in the parks with 3 rides and a lunch/dinner reservation, but your other time is still "free" to do as you please, unplanned.

I don't really like all the planning involved, but it's not as though every minute of every day is planned in advanced. The things you really want to see and do can be planned, but you have plenty of free time to explore and be spontaneous during most o the day and night.
 
F

Fauntleroy147

Member
Sadly, I got a PIN code late last week. That night we sat down and looked at the timeline of being able to schedule the trip and the 180 days to set up a potential meal plan. It just didn't work out. We decided to plan sometime out for 2016 instead.
 
Chef Mickey

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
Fauntleroy147 said:
Sadly, I got a PIN code late last week. That night we sat down and looked at the timeline of being able to schedule the trip and the 180 days to set up a potential meal plan. It just didn't work out. We decided to plan sometime out for 2016 instead.
Click to expand...
You mean it didn't work out because you couldn't get the things you wanted to do planned? I recently got a PIN offer and it wasn't even as good as their normal spring offer.
 
DVCOwner

DVCOwner

A Long Time DVC Member
Is spontaneity really dead - no I do not think so. Just went down to Walt Disney World for a week without any advance FastPass+ bookings. Some days we did some the night before and some days we did them on the fly. One day we book FastPass+ for Hollywood Studios and because our plans changed we changed two of the three on the fly the day of. We also used are smart phone to book dinner reservations just about one hour before we wanted to eat. We where able to be more spontaneous using FastPass+ than we would have using the old FastPass system. The old system would not have allowed a to change to a FastPass once you got it. I would have had to wait until it expired. Now if they would just allow additional FastPass+ to be booked using you smart phone I would be very happy.
 
J_Carioca

J_Carioca

Well-Known Member
Smiddimizer said:
Good luck getting on the Mine Train. Other than that you should be fine, especially in Animal Kingdom.
Click to expand...

I wasn't so lucky in October. I could only get FP+ for Kali and Kilimanjaro Safaris for like 6 or 7 pm. You know, when it’s dark (and you don’t want to get wet) and the animals are asleep.
 
Pacha

Pacha

Active Member
I think it depends on when you visit. The only things planned for our January trip were the dates, flights, hotel and park tickets. Did a total of zero ADR's and FastPasses (or would that be FastPassPluseses?) in advance and still dined at some nicer places, and rode the rides, saw the shows etc. we wanted to. So, I say, no spontaneity isn't dead, just only more likely to work during the slower times there.
 
J_Carioca

J_Carioca

Well-Known Member
Smiddimizer said:
What were the wait time like?
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I think we went to AK on a Monday and waited about an hour for Kali (without FP), only to have the ride close for maintenance when we were on the loading area. I don't think we did standby for KS, just used the FP. I remember being surprised in general at the long wait times at AK.
 
draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
DVCOwner said:
Is spontaneity really dead - no I do not think so. Just went down to Walt Disney World for a week without any advance FastPass+ bookings. Some days we did some the night before and some days we did them on the fly. One day we book FastPass+ for Hollywood Studios and because our plans changed we changed two of the three on the fly the day of. We also used are smart phone to book dinner reservations just about one hour before we wanted to eat. We where able to be more spontaneous using FastPass+ than we would have using the old FastPass system. The old system would not have allowed a to change to a FastPass once you got it. I would have had to wait until it expired. Now if they would just allow additional FastPass+ to be booked using you smart phone I would be very happy.
Click to expand...


Fortunately with the old system, you could get more than enough fastpasses in a day to make up for any stinkers you got stuck with.
 
rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
Spontaneity will never die as long as the human spirit remains alive within. Embrace life beyond Disney structures.

Oh, and have a Kaki-Gori at the Japan pavilion.
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Spontaneity isn't dead -- but Disney is refashioning its offerings to reward those who are wiling to spend months planning their vacations. Nonetheless, if my family were better-off financially (meaning a WDW trip wasn't such a rare and dear commodity for us), I'd opt for spontaneous trips in a heartbeat. The ability to do that is just not a reality for us. (I still dislike the new FP+, though -- we used to at least have the ability to be spontaneous about which park we visited on which day, if we had parkhoppers -- not anymore!)
 
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