Going back after a long Disney break... need some calming

DaniellePoppins · Jan 13, 2017

Hello All!

Thought I'd post after just reading for a while. I'm officially booked for a trip to Disney World in September. We're a group of 4, all adults, doing a family trip. At the time of my trip it will be just short of 11 years since I've been to the world. Previously I had been there 6 times. We're staying at the Beach Club Villas from 9/12 - 9/17 and Universal Portofino from 9/17 - 9/20. I am really looking forward to MNSSHP. I have done the MVMCP before and I've heard this is better. I am also excited for the Food and Wine. Last time we were there was during a much busier time and the very last weekend.

But I need someone to calm me down about this. Any tips anyone can give me would be very helpful. I've heard from a couple of people who went down recently how terrible a time they had because of being stressed over FastPass, crowds and wait times and dining reservations. I tend to take that with a grain of salt though when I consider the people I heard it from. One is a major complainer, whining about everything in life. The other is under the impression she's a special little snowflake and is the kind of person who thinks she should get special privilege and never have to wait on line with her own special snowflakes in their 3 days there so they could see everything.

In general though I keep hearing how much more crowded things have become since I was last there and how much more work planning is. Its making me very anxious about this trip. I love planning and had no trouble doing it on my own for our previous trips many moons ago, but I did decide to get an agent to do the heavy lifting for me this time around. I'm waiting for the calendar for the dates we're going to be there so that I know what days we should be doing what.

What are everyone's thoughts on the differences between going now and going 10+ years ago and my chances of still being able to do and see and enjoy without needed Xanax?

~Danielle

Newsies · Jan 13, 2017

Hey there! Welcome to the DIS! :disrocks:

Things are for sure gonna be a whole lot different now than they were the last time you went, but they're not gonna be unbearable! Here's some advice off the bat for you...

I've frequently visited WDW in July and August and this past year, I worked there from August up until last week. I hope it calms you a little to know that you're gonna be visiting at a pretty lowkey time! September is a great time to visit the parks, the weather is still gonna be in the 80s-90s but the crowds aren't awful. World Showcase is gonna be a little crowded because of the Food and Wine Festival, but the lines go by super quick. Also, the MNSSHP blows MVMCP totally out of the ballpark, so you're gonna have a blast there!
FastPass+ is a lot different than our legacy FastPass system. Basically, you can make 3 selections for everybody in your party for every day that you have a park ticket.
Definitely lurk around the boards or go to websites like AllEars, KennythePirate and DisneyFoodBlog for everything you need to know about dining reservations, the FP+ system, and wait times. You can find a question to everything you needed to know and more here on the DIS and on all of the great resources that are found on the online Disney World fan community!

I always find the Disney vacation planning process to be a super fun time for me. It's kind of like a game- planning which restaurants to eat at and what FP+ to make and how everything is going to fit in with each other. It's an exciting time to be at the parks for sure and I'm glad you're coming back after 10 years!

DaniellePoppins · Jan 13, 2017

Thanks Newsies for the reply! And thanks for the reassurance about the time of year. We picked that time specifically because none of our party has kids and we're not tied to any schedules with our work that would make it necessary to go during school break which would bump up crowds. Since we've all been there several times before what we're looking for with this trip is to be able to do our favorites without being on lines for half the day. Personally I love the real classic attractions such as Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise. I think our goal is to be in the park early, stay till lunch and then break in the worst heat, and then return to the park as it cools for dinner. Looking at the projected schedule I have I might even drop park hopper on my tickets because we may only use it one day. I'll definitely read all I can about the FastPass. I have time for that thank goodness.

Rusty2rules · Jan 19, 2017

I feel your pain! We're going next January (2018). The last time were there was 2008. I've heard it's changed a ton, too. I'm doing as much research as I can now. I can't wait to actually book my stay and start making all the dining reservations!

DaniellePoppins · Jan 20, 2017

Welcome to my boat Rusty!! I envy your time of year for the cooler weather. I'm waiting for the calendar to be released for September now. I have an idea of where to go for dining, just the dates of when need to be worked out. I plan on doing the Halloween party so a lot of my timing is going to be based on that.

Rusty2rules · Jan 20, 2017

I'm waiting for the calendar to be released for September now.

I'm told pricing for January 2018 won't be released until June sometime. Ugh! Waiting that long to book is going to just about kill me! LOL At least I know I'm going. And I won't have to wait very long to my dining reservations.

I've gone in December a couple of times and January once. The weather was awesome and crowds were next to nothing. I lived in Florida 2011-2013. I refuse to go in the summertime. I loved living in Florida, but the summer was like living on the sun.

ToddyLu · Jan 21, 2017

I always look at the calendar's on Josh's site, Easy WDW.com. he has just gotten back to doing them regularly but you should be able to get a lot of info from the Sept 2016 calendar. He is who I start with each trip and then just kinda change my times as needed. He is pretty good about picking parks for certain days and I find it is generally accurate.

bubblebrown · Jan 22, 2017

Rusty2rules said:
I'm told pricing for January 2018 won't be released until June sometime. Ugh! Waiting that long to book is going to just about kill me! LOL At least I know I'm going. And I won't have to wait very long to my dining reservations.

If you know where you want to stay, you can call already to make a reservation.

bubblebrown · Jan 22, 2017

DaniellePoppins said:
Any tips anyone can give me would be very helpful. I've heard from a couple of people who went down recently how terrible a time they had because of being stressed over FastPass, crowds and wait times and dining reservations.

I'd start jotting down some restaurants that look interesting, for ADRs (some fill up quickly like Be Our Guest MK), and what fast passes are at the top of your list. Also keep an eye on when you can make your ADRs (180 days out) and FPs (60 days out +10? if staying on site or 30 days out) and do them that morning to have the best luck securing them. I would recommend rope drop to get some top rides done with lower crowds and then save FP for later morning/early afternoon. After you use your first 3, then you can add another one at a time throughout the day. You're already ahead of the game. Was there a week ago and it was shocking how many times I heard people ask what a fastpass was and how they could get one.

Cruisinskier · Jan 27, 2017

We last visited 3 years ago before our recent New Year's trip a few weeks ago. And lots of stuff had changed in that time. Part of the fun is learning about the changes and planning for success. We just went at the busiest time of the year and due to planning we had a great time. Fantastic resources are available on this site and some others mentioned above. Mostly, relax and make the most of it....the fact you are planning 8 months out already means you are on the right track!! Enjoy and happy planning!
Jerry

perditax · Jan 27, 2017

Remember this is a forum of Disney fans, so you might get some rose-colored responses.

I went to the parks extensively through the 90s and early 2000 (FL resident), then didn't go back till 2015. It's a whole new ballgame. There is no more off-season. The parks aren't as clean or well-staffed, nor are the resorts. Little things like room service dishes being outside doors in the Club area of AKL for a whole weekend. Every thing feels crowded and rushed and full of lines. It is what it is, everyone wants to go there now and the country's population numbers have increased mightily as well. I assume we're also in the middle of a baby boom.

We had some good times the weekend we were there, but it was mostly because the MK crowds thinned a bit during some very cold rain. (Did i mention this trip was in Feb?) But I didn't enjoy having to make an appointment with Space Mountain, or the broken animatronics in POTC, or the intensely rushed atmosphere in Be Our Guest (I got sucked into that hype even though I should have known better).

(So why am I even on the forums? I did love WDW back in the 90s and had the PAP's. I enjoy travel and I like reading about what's going on with Disney and DCL, and I'm going to Universal instead in a few weeks so I read the Universal board. I guess I keep hoping that WDW will somehow get ahead of the crowding issue, but I don't think they can build fast enough.)

Matoskah Poodle · Feb 3, 2017

In the late 80's I was posted in Orlando for the Navy and worked evening. I would get off at 7 am, grab a bite to eat and hoping the car to head to WDW. I spent most mornings and afternoons at the 2 parks. LOL So fast forward 30 years and the DH and I decided to honeymoon at WDW. I researched and read everything I could find but no amount of research could have prepared me for the change. It did allow me to have a great time though. Yes I was stressed until we got there. The planning paid off and everything fell into place. Stress gone! Do your homework and quit worrying. Have a great trip! :sunny:

mbee3600 · Feb 4, 2017

I was sooo stressed about my trip 5 years ago so understand your feelings. I planned & scheduled (and put up with my husband's eye rolling) and it all turned out ok. But I was so worried about getting from A to B by xxx time each day that I didn't have much fun along the way. Your plan for this trip sounds perfect. I'm trying to be more relaxed about planning this time around too. I'm still planning on my "must do" rides and restaurants but am also purposely leaving lots of gaps in each day. We leave in a week and I'm feeling very zen about things this time around!

Good luck to you!

DaniellePoppins · Feb 6, 2017

Thanks everyone for the tips. I talked with someone who was just down and we're going to do lunch tomorrow and she's going to give me some tips too. I think I've got my dinners planned out. Or at least the choices of places we want to go. One night will be the Halloween Party, so nothing specific that night, and we'll probably take advantage of the Food and Wine offerings another night. I'm on pins and needles waiting for that schedule though. If things are going the way I think, I'm actually considering dropping Park Hopper. I look at the pace we want to go at, what we want to see as adults with no kids traveling and there's only one day where we would make use of it, and that would have only been for dinner at Epcot. There's plenty of other choices we could go for dinner without hopping so that would be a money save. Just more money I can put towards souvenirs.

jaychis · Feb 12, 2017

I think people who have a terrible experience are the people that overplan. Get fastpasses for the busier rides you have to do. We don't mind being in reasonable length lines. You appreciate all of the details Disney puts into the waiting areas.
There is so much to see and do outside of the main attractions. Don't get worked up or upset if everything doesn't work out as you planned. It's a vacation to get away from it all. Appreciate it and don't stress!

DaniellePoppins · Feb 15, 2017

I think the problem is there's little balance. Those who plan too much end up disappointed that things aren't perfect. Those that don't plan at all, think they're just going to walk into restaurants and eat or on to busy rides without fastpass.

cruiser21 · Feb 15, 2017

perditax said:
Remember this is a forum of Disney fans, so you might get some rose-colored responses. I went to the parks extensively through the 90s and early 2000 (FL resident), then didn't go back till 2015. It's a whole new ballgame. There is no more off-season. The parks aren't as clean or well-staffed, nor are the resorts. Little things like room service dishes being outside doors in the Club area of AKL for a whole weekend. Every thing feels crowded and rushed and full of lines. It is what it is, everyone wants to go there now and the country's population numbers have increased mightily as well. I assume we're also in the middle of a baby boom.

We had some good times the weekend we were there, but it was mostly because the MK crowds thinned a bit during some very cold rain. (Did i mention this trip was in Feb?) But I didn't enjoy having to make an appointment with Space Mountain, or the broken animatronics in POTC, or the intensely rushed atmosphere in Be Our Guest (I got sucked into that hype even though I should have known better).

(So why am I even on the forums? I did love WDW back in the 90s and had the PAP's. I enjoy travel and I like reading about what's going on with Disney and DCL, and I'm going to Universal instead in a few weeks so I read the Universal board. I guess I keep hoping that WDW will somehow get ahead of the crowding issue, but I don't think they can build fast enough.)

We haven't been since 2012 and are heading back this year. I know I'm probably in for a shock and I have very low expectations. The cost of the trip already has me irritated. I'm only doing this for my 12 year old who wants to go again. I really don't like having to make reservations for rides or restaurants that have mediocre overpriced food. I would much rather be going on a cruise or to Universal with the express passes. We are staying at the Wilderness lodge and Beach club. Five years ago I would have been really excited about this. I do love the deluxe resorts, but not at today's prices. Who knows though maybe I'll come back feeling like it was all worth it.

kar0319 · Feb 27, 2017

After visiting WDW eight times from 2000-2008, we (me, my husband, and 28-year-old daughter) finally went back in May for six days at POFQ after an eight-year break (college tuition!). We had hoped to return much sooner than we did, and in fact had cancelled and rescheduled trips several times in the interim, but it never worked out. As a result, though, we have always very much kept up with new developments both good and not so good. Plus, we are planners and researchers and have never flown by the seat of our pants - so we weren't terribly worried that we would be unprepared. Where we did fall down on the job a little bit, though, was in booking our FastPass+ times as our trip came together pretty much at the last minute, so we didn't have a lot of choices. We are going back in three weeks for eight days at AKL (where we have most often stayed in the past), this time with both "kids" (our 29-year-old son had just started a new job in March and couldn't go). We are much better prepared this time as we booked in September and made all our dining and Fast Pass+ plans at the earliest possible moment. But I do think having a general plan of where you are going to be, what you want to accomplish (and some vague order), and where and when you want to eat is essential to having a good time at today's Disney - unless you truly don't care how much you get done, or where or when or what you eat. We also found that doing "research" by reading blogs and websites such as this one and watching Disney YouTube videos from Dis Unplugged (and a couple of other professional and semi-professional vloggers) was not just fun but also extremely helpful in planning and refreshing ourselves on many things we had forgotten or that had changed since 2008.

Shellyred8 · Mar 1, 2017

I went to F&W last year and found it to be much less busy during the week days and earlier in the day. I noticed that it started getting busier around the World Showcase after 4pm when the locals started getting off work. So, if you go earlier in the day on the week-days, the crowds should be less. But the weekends are a bit crazy.

Dashzap · Mar 1, 2017

I, too, did most of my Disney trips in the 90s and 00s. My more recent trips I decided to skip table service restaurants. For the most part, I don't go to Disney for the food, so it eases the planning to not juggle my ADRs. We went where whim took us.

Going back after a long Disney break... need some calming

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