Thank you to this board, but our upcoming group trip will be one and done!

[eeyoreandtink]

you don't have to do it this way. We don't. In fact, we JUST booked our upcoming trip this week. Dining reservations have been open for a week. I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to do anything.

We make some some dining reservations. We make some fast pass selections, but they don't define our vacation by any means. It sounds to me like you are going in expecting the worst and expecting to hate it.

1. Standby lines are not the end of the world. It's OK to wait in one. In fact, if I am going to a theme park, I would EXPECT to have to wait in line for rides. We never wait more than 3-40 min in line for rides, with very few exceptions. We get to the park early and pay attention to traffic pattern, riding while others are doing parades or fireworks. By and large, the lines are pretty well done and entertaining.

2. You don't have to have a single dining reservation. You won't starve if you don't. You can actually make table service reservations day of if you want. You may not get the most popular places, but you can certainly eat well.

3. You are only tied to a rigid schedule if YOU want to be. You can choose to be more flexible and still have a awesome time, if you go in with the right attitude about things. Yes, you will wait in line. It's a theme park. NO, you aren't going to eating the castle without a reservation, but you can get good food in multiple places without one. Yes, sometimes things won't go your way. That's true with every trip. You can make yourself miserable about it, or roll with the punches and enjoy yourself. Only your attitude can determine how you react.

4. Universal express pass doesn't always eliminate waits completely, just shortens them. You will wait for popular rides at peak times. You should still have a plan or you may end up disappointed.

 

[apdismom]

when we travel with a group each adult writes down IN ORDER their top 3 things they want to do.... not everything they want, just top 3. our attitude is that if we accomplish 3 things every day that at least one person wanted to do then that's great, everything else is gravy on top. we also split up. my aunt traveled with us 3 years ago. I made reservations more than once for her and 1 or 2 other people in our group, because they would rather do one dinner vs another. understanding that a week vacation is a lot of time together is important. being able/willing to separate and regroup can be great as far as keeping fighting and bickering at bay due to someone not getting what they want. ( we used to do trips of 15+) when my cousins were younger even before the planning it is now and it took my dad 14 years to be willing to return with us due to the fighting and bickering that a large group usually encounters...I understand already having tried to get reservations but if there are a few out there that people in your group are looking for ask them about their preferences. Its admirable going in wanting to do everything together because you are paying to be together, but it may help people enjoy things more if they get the break, even if they don't think they will need it.

 

[JakeAZ]

when we travel with a group each adult writes down IN ORDER their top 3 things they want to do.... not everything they want, just top 3. our attitude is that if we accomplish 3 things every day that at least one person wanted to do then that's great, everything else is gravy on top. we also split up. my aunt traveled with us 3 years ago. I made reservations more than once for her and 1 or 2 other people in our group, because they would rather do one dinner vs another. understanding that a week vacation is a lot of time together is important. being able/willing to separate and regroup can be great as far as keeping fighting and bickering at bay due to someone not getting what they want. ( we used to do trips of 15+) when my cousins were younger even before the planning it is now and it took my dad 14 years to be willing to return with us due to the fighting and bickering that a large group usually encounters...I understand already having tried to get reservations but if there are a few out there that people in your group are looking for ask them about their preferences. Its admirable going in wanting to do everything together because you are paying to be together, but it may help people enjoy things more if they get the break, even if they don't think they will need it.

Ya the 12 of us won't be touring together. I will help with their FPs and of course we'll end up doing some rides / shows together, but the only thing "set" for the group is one meal per day. Other than that, each family is in control of their schedule.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I think many people, not just the OP, put far too much emphasis on planning the PERFECT trip. No such thing exists! Disney introduced things like FP's and ADR's because a lot of people complained that they didn't like waiting in line. OK, but if you don't get the FP, you can STILL wait in line - just like in the "good old days". Granted the lines move slower than they did before FP's but they do move and you will get on the ride. Take advantage of rope drop and the time towards the end of the day when crowds are thinner, FP's are not returning, and it's not so dang hot - you'll be fine.

 

[JakeAZ]

you don't have to do it this way. We don't. In fact, we JUST booked our upcoming trip this week. Dining reservations have been open for a week. I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to do anything.

We make some some dining reservations. We make some fast pass selections, but they don't define our vacation by any means. It sounds to me like you are going in expecting the worst and expecting to hate it.

1. Standby lines are not the end of the world. It's OK to wait in one. In fact, if I am going to a theme park, I would EXPECT to have to wait in line for rides. We never wait more than 3-40 min in line for rides, with very few exceptions. We get to the park early and pay attention to traffic pattern, riding while others are doing parades or fireworks. By and large, the lines are pretty well done and entertaining.

2. You don't have to have a single dining reservation. You won't starve if you don't. You can actually make table service reservations day of if you want. You may not get the most popular places, but you can certainly eat well.

3. You are only tied to a rigid schedule if YOU want to be. You can choose to be more flexible and still have a awesome time, if you go in with the right attitude about things. Yes, you will wait in line. It's a theme park. NO, you aren't going to eating the castle without a reservation, but you can get good food in multiple places without one. Yes, sometimes things won't go your way. That's true with every trip. You can make yourself miserable about it, or roll with the punches and enjoy yourself. Only your attitude can determine how you react.

4. Universal express pass doesn't always eliminate waits completely, just shortens them. You will wait for popular rides at peak times. You should still have a plan or you may end up disappointed.

Of course I know we will be waiting in lines. I'm not looking to FP everything. I just believe the system should be more flexible. If I have a FOP FP on Wednesday, but we wake up that day and really want to do MK, it's hard to believe I'll be able to swap the FOP FP for later in the trip (without having tocheck my phone incessantly).

We have a group of 12. Yes we need advanced reservations (especially for what we wanted). Nobody will convince me otherwise of this. I'm not strolling into BOG with 7 adults and 5 kids at 5pm with my fingers crossed. Sure, there might be something else available on day of, but it could be on the opposite side of the property, or a different park from where we have our FPs booked...again not flexible.

I'll take my chances with Express Pass. I have younger kids so they can't get on everything anyway. Aside from Hagrid's ride (which we'll decide day of if we'll wait or not), I'm pretty confident with an EP we can get our fill of the Harry Potter universe (our main reason for going) and a few other rides at a leisurely pace.

 

[JakeAZ]

Take advantage of rope drop and the time towards the end of the day when crowds are thinner, FP's are not returning, and it's not so dang hot - you'll be fine.

Yes, thank you we will be using these strategies. I am by no means looking for the perfect trip. I am just pointing out, and I believe I'm not alone, that DW is not user friendly to those of us who have not spent years, via multiple visits, learning the ins and outs of the current system. Or those of us who tend to vacation in new / different places and won't be back right away to catch up on things we may have missed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What I meant was, we were having this conversation on Christmas 2018, and he was talking about March 2019.

I wouldn't have said anything of the sort.

1) ADRs if you want them begin at 180 days in advance. Are you prohibited from booking if you're at 179days and under? Nope. So your friend was ok there. Plus that's only if you want to eat at places that take reservations. A person needs to know in that respects is that generally speaking sit down places require a reservation and you can begin getting those up to 180 days in advance. With 3 months to go they could have been looking if they wanted a sit down place.

2) FPs don't even start until 60 days in advance and only if you're onsite (with exception to CL FP Pilot program which is 90 days in advance) as offsite is 30 days in advance. With 3 months to go they had time.

'Bout the only thing I can think of you meaning is a hotel to stay at and well that just sorta depends on a lot of factors between price point, where you want to say (onsite, on property but not Disney owned and offsite). With 3 months to go plenty of options to be had though their preferene for where they want to stay may be limiting. Availability is always up in the air no matter where you go on vacation.

Respectfully this is why sometimes the Boards overhypes things. I just can't imagine telling my friend you need a year to plan a trip to Disney and warning them away from it and telling them they'll ruin their family vacation.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Of course I know we will be waiting in lines. I'm not looking to FP everything. I just believe the system should be more flexible. If I have a FOP FP on Wednesday, but we wake up that day and really want to do MK, it's hard to believe I'll be able to swap the FOP FP for later in the trip (without having tocheck my phone incessantly).

We have a group of 12. Yes we need advanced reservations (especially for what we wanted). Nobody will convince me otherwise of this. I'm not strolling into BOG with 7 adults and 5 kids at 5pm with my fingers crossed. Sure, there might be something else available on day of, but it could be on the opposite side of the property, or a different park from where we have our FPs booked...again not flexible.

I'll take my chances with Express Pass. I have younger kids so they can't get on everything anyway. Aside from Hagrid's ride (which we'll decide day of if we'll wait or not), I'm pretty confident with an EP we can get our fill of the Harry Potter universe (our main reason for going) and a few other rides at a leisurely pace.

That’s the thing, you have to adjust your expectations to be flexible. If you want what you want with no compromise then you have to stick to a plan. If you are willing to be more flexible, then you can. That’s true everywhere though, not just Disney. No way could I walk into a restaurant at pretty much any vacation destining high season with 12 for dinner and expect to be seated without waiting at least a couple hours, possibly not at all. As far as fast passes, you can abandon the plan, but you have to be willing to stand in line. If you change days, the you rope drop FoP so you don’t have to stand in line. We have done it.

 

[Spunky946]

What I meant was, we were having this conversation on Christmas 2018, and he was talking about March 2019.

That would have still been plenty of time. That’s outside the 60 days for fast passes and still plenty of time to make dining reservations. I joke all the time about let’s go to the airport and jump on the next flight. Our schedule never allows it, but if it did it would still be a blast.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Yes, thank you we will be using these strategies. I am by no means looking for the perfect trip. I am just pointing out, and I believe I'm not alone, that DW is not user friendly to those of us who have not spent years, via multiple visits, learning the ins and outs of the current system. Or those of us who tend to vacation in new / different places and won't be back right away to catch up on things we may have missed.

We vacation a lot of different places, and each of those require a different amount of planning and planning lead time. I always research before committing and stay on top of it no matter where we go. Some require a LOT more advance planning than Disney.

 

[JakeAZ]

No way could I walk into a restaurant at pretty much any vacation destining high season with 12 for dinner and expect to be seated

Very true. Which is why I said I need a reservation and will not buy into the "something will be open the day of" philosophy.

My beef is I have to pick our parks around dining reservations and then work FPs around this reservation I booked at 180 days, while not knowing finalized park hours or what FPs will / wont be available or what hard ticket events might be announced, which will then also affect park hours.

I've planned much more elaborate trips, with way less confusion.

I'm not here to change anyone's mind. I'm just sharing my thoughts.

 

[LSUmiss]

nope. Imo, they're not.

And why should they YET b/c ppl are still filing in the place like there is no tomorrow. But I think eventually that luck will run out.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

12 people I think is hard no matter where you go on vacation.

As far as ADRs well you'll run into that anywhere. Having tables that seat 12 is usually pretty limited. Heck when I go out with my local DISers we have 8 people (used to have 9 but one move to Orlando and now works for Disney) and we even find issues sometimes depending on the place. Breaking up groups will likely mean not sitting together at the restaurant unless they can move the tables together but you kinda encounter that with places in general. One thing I will note--have you looked into QS options to see if any of those appeal to your travelling party? That def. takes the pre-planning aspect away. You'll still run into the same issue in terms of tables fitting that many people though.

Props to you for going with that many people though. It can get stressful anytime you've got enough people with enough agendas for the day and personal preferences.

When you're looking at FPs keep in mind # of people you're looking for can impact availability. There is some flexibility in the sense that you have 1hr for the FP block of time. You can try to search for a lower X amount of people for a given FP. For example look for 4 people for a FP for 1pm to 2pm then try and see if there is availability for another 4 people for 1:15pm-2:15pm and so on. So long as your FP window is still valid you can all enter together. So if you could only get all 12 people and the FP time for the last group of people didn't start until say 1:45pm then all people enter at 1:45pm together so long as the first group of people's FP time is still valid for that time period. Anyways just play around with the numbers and time.

VIP tours are expensive..and for a reason. It's a product designed for those looking for a specific type of experience where money def. takes a backseat. People who actually do the VIP tours aren't normally the people putting pen to paper trying to figure out the cost per wait time. Same can be said for CL in all honesty. VIP tours aren't really something I criticize Disney for. They are for a target audience for which I'm totally ok with.

Regarding if your kids want to go back to another park well if you've got Park Hopper you can of course go back and forth. If you pre-plan everything and leave no room for any flexibility in your plans you kinda become a self-fulfilling prophecy and as with just about everything something probably will not go to to plan (has for me every trip). Book FPs for morning or afternoon and then if you want to go back to a specific park then pick the block of time where you don't have FPs.

I believe you said you did 1 ADR per day. If you want flexibility there in terms of going to another park I would probably plan the ADR to be in line with the FPs. For example you book morning FPs well then book a lunch ADR (if possible) which then leaves your afternoon free. If you book early afternoon/evening FPs well then book a dinner ADR (if possible) which then leaves your morning and up to lunch time free. IDK just an idea.

Generally speaking mornings are lower wait times for most rides but when you book your FPs completely depends on you. Have you checked out this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/ ? It def. helped me out. It totally looks confusing at first but when you break it down by sections it's better. There's a section in there about booking FPs in the morning vs. afternoon/evening.

In terms of Universal yup it def. has a lot less planning involved than Disney. I do like the laid back feel of it. In terms of EP it functions differently than FP. 1) It normally costs quite a bit 2) two versions--unlimited and once through 3) booking 3 of Universal's resorts will come with the unlimited version however that's reflected in some way in the room rate. However, Universal's price point is way different than Disney's price point so def. more helpful there.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

And why should they YET b/c ppl are still filing in the place like there is no tomorrow. But I think eventually that luck will run out.

I'm doubting that luck will run out anytime soon in all honesty--at least to the point where Disney will do something positive for guests other than some discounts thrown out there. As of the last few years their answer to situations not panning out normallly turns out to be a negative to guests like cut hours, cut entertainment, scaled back attractions/land,etc etc.

I do think if Rise gets roughly the same lackluster opinions in the media and from guests as Smuggler's Run then it might be a tad different. But the way it's been looking Rise will probably have a better reception than Smuggler's Run.

 

[LSUmiss]

Ya, I'll never understand how these party ideas caught on.

Disney: "Let's charge full price for half a day to two separate groups. They pay the same for half the time and we make twice as much!"
Someone else at Disney: "There is no way people will go for that"
Everyone: "Awesome, where do we get our tickets?"

Well they started off at like $50 & it was limited capacity with special fireworks & the parade etc. But now tickets have more than doubled as has the tickets sold.

 

[JakeAZ]

12 people I think is hard no matter where you go on vacation.

As far as ADRs well you'll run into that anywhere. Having tables that seat 12 is usually pretty limited. Heck when I go out with my local DISers we have 8 people (used to have 9 but one move to Orlando and now works for Disney) and we even find issues sometimes depending on the place. Breaking up groups will likely mean not sitting together at the restaurant unless they can move the tables together but you kinda encounter that with places in general. One thing I will note--have you looked into QS options to see if any of those appeal to your travelling party? That def. takes the pre-planning aspect away. You'll still run into the same issue in terms of tables fitting that many people though.

Props to you for going with that many people though. It can get stressful anytime you've got enough people with enough agendas for the day and personal preferences.

When you're looking at FPs keep in mind # of people you're looking for can impact availability. There is some flexibility in the sense that you have 1hr for the FP block of time. You can try to search for a lower X amount of people for a given FP. For example look for 4 people for a FP for 1pm to 2pm then try and see if there is availability for another 4 people for 1:15pm-2:15pm and so on. So long as your FP window is still valid you can all enter together. So if you could only get all 12 people and the FP time for the last group of people didn't start until say 1:45pm then all people enter at 1:45pm together so long as the first group of people's FP time is still valid for that time period. Anyways just play around with the numbers and time.

VIP tours are expensive..and for a reason. It's a product designed for those looking for a specific type of experience where money def. takes a backseat. People who actually do the VIP tours aren't normally the people putting pen to paper trying to figure out the cost per wait time. Same can be said for CL in all honesty. VIP tours aren't really something I criticize Disney for. They are for a target audience for which I'm totally ok with.

Regarding if your kids want to go back to another park well if you've got Park Hopper you can of course go back and forth. If you pre-plan everything and leave no room for any flexibility in your plans you kinda become a self-fulfilling prophecy and as with just about everything something probably will not go to to plan (has for me every trip). Book FPs for morning or afternoon and then if you want to go back to a specific park then pick the block of time where you don't have FPs.

I believe you said you did 1 ADR per day. If you want flexibility there in terms of going to another park I would probably plan the ADR to be in line with the FPs. For example you book morning FPs well then book a lunch ADR (if possible) which then leaves your afternoon free. If you book early afternoon/evening FPs well then book a dinner ADR (if possible) which then leaves your morning and up to lunch time free. IDK just an idea.

Generally speaking mornings are lower wait times for most rides but when you book your FPs completely depends on you. Have you checked out this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/ ? It def. helped me out. It totally looks confusing at first but when you break it down by sections it's better. There's a section in there about booking FPs in the morning vs. afternoon/evening.

In terms of Universal yup it def. has a lot less planning involved than Disney. I do like the laid back feel of it. In terms of EP it functions differently than FP. 1) It normally costs quite a bit 2) two versions--unlimited and once through 3) booking 3 of Universal's resorts will come with the unlimited version however that's reflected in some way in the room rate. However, Universal's price point is way different than Disney's price point so def. more helpful there.

All great info, thanks!

We have the dining plan, so that’s the reason for the table service meals. This trip is for my mom’s 70th birthday, so sit down meals, once a day, is something she’d enjoy.
We do understand some of the reservations had to be 6 and 6 and we might not sit together, but we can mix the groups of 6 up.

My plan is to arrive at the parks early for standby lines, use some FPs as the parks start to get crowded and then head back to the hotel. Then move to whatever park our meal is in and hope to land more fastpasses.

The only exception to the early FPs will be if we can only find later ones for SDMT, FOP, etc

 

[tinkerjo]

We used to decide what park we were going to the night before. I miss those days and the old FP system. We don’t make but a couple ADRs that are important to us and wing the rest. ( we stay at the fort so we cook a lot of our own meals) I am usually the planner of the group and I enjoy it..... to a point. DS12 and I just went to DL with DD26 and Extended family that live out there. I LOVE their system and gladly pay the $15 a ticket for max pass. It was a stress free trip that could be spontaneous. We got on everything we wanted SEVERAL times and our only wait was smugglers run (35 min). You still have to use your phone for the FP but it was not near as bad as at WDW. I felt like I was attached to it trying to find rides and it just wasn’t worth it. We have a trip planned may 2020 and it will be a small group, me ,DH, DS12, DD26 and her DH so it should be more manageable. I have no idea how any first timer could possibly navigate the system and enjoy themselves.
ETA- we find rope dropping headliners fun and also the best way to avoid lines. (I know others will argue this) we usually hit more in the first 2 hours than most people do all day, then we slow it down, watch some shows, eat, and go back for an afternoon swim and may or may not go back to the park. If we do, it is for a ride or 2 and maybe a show but since we get up early, we don’t want to stay in the park late. We have never been unsatisfied with this plan

 

[leahgoogle]

It can definitely be overwhelming with all the planning especially on your first trip. DH and I went to Disney in the late 90's/early 2000's four times before we had kids. When FP was paper tickets. Fast forward to 2014 when we took our kids for the first time. We planned and planned and had an itinerary for each day. After the first day, that went into the garbage...lol. We kept our rough outline for FP and Dining reservations each day, but we took a more relaxed approach to each day especially with three kids. I think for us (and it may end up being this way for you) the joy we feel during the vacation outweighs the work needed to plan. No, it's not all rainbows and unicorns with the crowds and heat and exhaustion, but the many moments of joy and seeing the joy on my kids' faces makes it something that keeps us coming back. Each time you plan, it becomes easier. You know likes and must-dos. We have been a total of three times with our kids and I can't wait to visit again. Another family I know went for the first time last year and felt the same way (totally overwhelmed and frustrated). Well, they are planning another trip for next year. I hope that your trip turns out well and that all of you have an amazing time!

 

[NYEmomma]

Our next trip is going to be a group of 11. My family, my parents, my brother's family. The kids will be 1, 3, 8 and 12. Typically when I've planned group trips for us we've stayed together as a family the entire time. This time we're going to do a FP together on a ride we all can ride and one or two planned meals a day and letting everyone do their own thing other than that. I've got older kids that like the "thrill" rides and can do late nights. My brother was younger kids that will be focused on the younger rides and will be doing early mornings and early evenings. We're all staying at different places - my parents will be camping, my brother will be in a value and we'll be renting points for a deluxe. I think having flexibility will just suit us better this time.

The only thing that's going to be troublesome is ADRs for 11, as you have experienced, I'm sure. It might be that our planned family meals are QS and we split up to do what we want for TS meals.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I like your points, what works for one doesnt work for everyone.
We like having dinner planned out, we are a family of 7 sometimes hard for everyone to decide where to go so i make the choice even if its over 4 months out. I do not plan lunches but we have a pretty good idea where we are going. When you have credits its nice to know what and where everything is. In life we are not planners we do most things last minute, i have found when it comes to Disney this does not work all i got was disappointment, we spent way to much money for that. I like knowing that monday we are going to MK. I know it gets hard, the weather doesnt always go the way you want.