Was Excited to Plan WDW Spring Trip…Until I Came Here and Remembered all the New Rules.

[DisneyOma]

Looking back at the OP, the new rules would actually help them. Outside of park reservations, if people in the party are truly buying their tickets when they get to the parks, they will now be able to access Genie+ at the same time as everyone else and get the big new rides. In the Fastpass + days, those rides would have been completely booked 5 months out and there would have been almost 0 chance of getting a fastpass day of for most headliners.

Except you can't get park reservations without a ticket - so they don't have a guarantee about even getting into the park they first choose if they wait until that day to buy a ticket.

 

[HopperFan]

Saw a few Disney commercials on TV, getting out my Disney holiday decorations and started thinking , hmmmm, we need to get back there. So I come back to the trip planning forum to get excited and unfortunately remembered how it is now.

Instead of making reservations at a resort and dining for whenever we can go, I need to research park availability for all 18 people in my group, some of who will end up arriving on different days and staying for various lengths of time. Then, rather than let folks buy their tickets at the gate when they arrive, nothing at all can happen until tickets are purchased months/year in advance.

Ah for the days of reserving a room, restaurant and showing up for the fun! Just getting fast passes, instead staring at your phone all day hoping your service is good and you get chosen for various rides, etc.

Does anyone here think these is ANY CHANCE they will stop this madness?

Madness gone by a spring trip? No.

Group of 18 = nightmare if you are trying to do it yourself. Don't take it on in full. I would consider a TA and let each group work direct with them after you give them the overall plan.

I would have a family meeting if in same location, if not I'd start a family group on facebook or somewhere to share info on hotels and any other pertinent info. Stress all the important things that must be done. Settle on range of dates.

I suggest every group book their own hotel directly for their dates, and arrange all transportation to that hotel. You could do legwork on best options and prices at each level.

I would have a discussion on overlapping days on parks you'd all like to be in together and then stress - BUY TICKETS & MAKE PARK RESERVATIONS ASAP. The actual act of buying those tickets will test a groups commitment to actually go.

ADR for 18 will be tough, maybe that is where you need to study the most and possibly have to make the phone call. Hoop Dee Doo might be a good option, Biergarten, direct calls to Disney Springs restaurants. But I would focus on park time together, splitting up for dining or choosing a quick serve with lots of tables off hours.

One thing we have loved to do with our large family groups is a water park day. Get there at opening and find an area with plenty of room and just have a great day together.

Our best big group trips has been PLANNED with flexibility. Everyone knew, it's okay to do your own thing sometimes:

- Staying at whatever hotel was in our budget and comfort, gave us private family time too.
- We never tried to meet at park opening. No pressure on folks getting up early, rushing a breakfast etc. We always set up a meeting time mid-morning. No one is waiting around either.
- Try to meet up for stuff like Fantasmic, Parade, Fireworks etc. Pick an early time and place. Fun to sit with all and visit/snack while waiting. Great way to end your day.
- Be okay if some want to take afternoon breaks at pool or nap. We had a trip where I guess they didn't want to tell us they wanted to leave so there was this sudden "kids need to go" as we stood there feeling quite awkward (we thought we were heading to an early QS dinner). They could have just told us their plans and allowed us to make other plans - if we knew we would have booked an ADR.

I've lost money helping so my rule is now I will not put out any cash, any deposit, any credit card hold etc because it never fails folks, for whatever reason, change their mind. Too often they don't get the restrictions that come with it, and the money Iost. Let everyone handle their own money transactions.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Saw a few Disney commercials on TV, getting out my Disney holiday decorations and started thinking , hmmmm, we need to get back there. So I come back to the trip planning forum to get excited and unfortunately remembered how it is now.

Instead of making reservations at a resort and dining for whenever we can go, I need to research park availability for all 18 people in my group, some of who will end up arriving on different days and staying for various lengths of time. Then, rather than let folks buy their tickets at the gate when they arrive, nothing at all can happen until tickets are purchased months/year in advance.

Ah for the days of reserving a room, restaurant and showing up for the fun! Just getting fast passes, instead staring at your phone all day hoping your service is good and you get chosen for various rides, etc.

Does anyone here think these is ANY CHANCE they will stop this madness?

Absolutely not. The execs literally rave about the park pass system on earnings calls. Disney parks are making money hand over fist.

I would back away from planning a trip for 18 people to WDW while you still can though, tell them you didn’t realize how much everything changed or something. Under the new system that sounds like a nightmare, not a vacation!

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Except you can't get park reservations without a ticket - so they don't have a guarantee about even getting into the park they first choose if they wait until that day to buy a ticket.

And you couldn’t book Fastpass+ without a ticket either, so had to wait to see what was available when you showed up.

 

[WALTSAGOD]

Planning a trip for 18 is MADNESS,……most will be upset at the Planner for doing a bad job

 

[lugnut33]

An idea popped in my head (because of HopperFan's post), an agent from the Dreams Unlimited team should reach out to the original poster to offer to help book the trip. It's a huge amount of money sitting out there.

 

[Bullseye]

Then it seems like you are in the Universal style approach where you will pay a significant fee per day that includes express pass. USO/IOA allows you to prebook express pass.

The Universal approach is just too much of surcharge on top of ticket price which is why we just wait in line since it started. I'd actually rather do it the WDW way as long as the per ride prices don't get crazy. But I'd like it with some ability to pre-book even if it was just the day before.

 

[Boardwalk III]

Madness gone by a spring trip? No.

Group of 18 = nightmare if you are trying to do it yourself. Don't take it on in full. I would consider a TA and let each group work direct with them after you give them the overall plan.

I would have a family meeting if in same location, if not I'd start a family group on facebook or somewhere to share info on hotels and any other pertinent info. Stress all the important things that must be done. Settle on range of dates.

I suggest every group book their own hotel directly for their dates, and arrange all transportation to that hotel. You could do legwork on best options and prices at each level.

I would have a discussion on overlapping days on parks you'd all like to be in together and then stress - BUY TICKETS & MAKE PARK RESERVATIONS ASAP. The actual act of buying those tickets will test a groups commitment to actually go.

ADR for 18 will be tough, maybe that is where you need to study the most and possibly have to make the phone call. Hoop Dee Doo might be a good option, Biergarten, direct calls to Disney Springs restaurants. But I would focus on park time together, splitting up for dining or choosing a quick serve with lots of tables off hours.

One thing we have loved to do with our large family groups is a water park day. Get there at opening and find an area with plenty of room and just have a great day together.

Our best big group trips has been PLANNED with flexibility. Everyone knew, it's okay to do your own thing sometimes:

- Staying at whatever hotel was in our budget and comfort, gave us private family time too.
- We never tried to meet at park opening. No pressure on folks getting up early, rushing a breakfast etc. We always set up a meeting time mid-morning. No one is waiting around either.
- Try to meet up for stuff like Fantasmic, Parade, Fireworks etc. Pick an early time and place. Fun to sit with all and visit/snack while waiting. Great way to end your day.
- Be okay if some want to take afternoon breaks at pool or nap. We had a trip where I guess they didn't want to tell us they wanted to leave so there was this sudden "kids need to go" as we stood there feeling quite awkward (we thought we were heading to an early QS dinner). They could have just told us their plans and allowed us to make other plans - if we knew we would have booked an ADR.

I've lost money helping so my rule is now I will not put out any cash, any deposit, any credit card hold etc because it never fails folks, for whatever reason, change their mind. Too often they don't get the restrictions that come with it, and the money Iost. Let everyone handle their own money transactions.

Having planned several large family trips in the past these suggestions are spot-on! No matter how many advance planning meetings you have, there will inevitably be folks who change their minds (even while at the park) about what they want to do. With that said, with good communication and some flexibility it can be a good time.

I will say I would never take on a large trip at this point and offer to book people’s daily attractions or manage their Genie+. Much too complex. They’ll need to do that on their own. I’d focus on trying to coordinate meals for those who are interested, resort time together if you’re at the same resort, and special park attractions like fireworks, parades and shows that you might want to do together
Good luck!

 

[fireflyer]

The idea that you have to spend all day staring at your phone is an exaggeration. It isn't necessary to buy G+ for every park if you do some research and planning.

It’s not an exaggeration, it’s the truth. We visited this last March. Two of us had to get up before 7am (4am our time zone) to log into the app and start working the phones. With some adjustments, we were able to get some rides reserved, including the ones we had to pay $ILL for. Because the times were chosen for us and out of our control, we spent a lot of time crisscrossing back-&-forth around the park, so couldn’t fit NEARLY as much in as in previous visits (where we used Touring Plans schedule to plan routes/max rides/minimize waits). We couldn’t make any ADR‘s because of the fact that we had zero control over our schedule until the morning of. We missed one of our $ILLs because we got stuck in a 220-min-line for a diff ride – – it had broken down and they kept saying it would resume shortly. Then we had to go find an IT booth to adjust that previously purchased ILL. Then, another $ILL we had purchased for evening at another park broke down as we got in that queue. So we had to go find another IT booth and get that refunded. And in between those things, we had to continually be looking at Genie to figure out where we could go and if we could fit anything between the times of genie-scheduled rides & limited showtimes. It was overall a bad experience. We did cover a lot of mileage that day. So there’s that.

We did have to carry 2 phone-power-packs with us to keep the phones running, to do the scheduling.

 

[fireflyer]

The Universal approach is just too much of surcharge on top of ticket price which is why we just wait in line since it started. I'd actually rather do it the WDW way as long as the per ride prices don't get crazy.

With a group of 3 or 4, it’s actually much more economical to do Universal, staying at one of their higher hotels that includes Xpress unlimited for free.… than doing Disney tix/hotel & added cost of Genie+ and the $ILLs. At Universal you’re free of scheduling hassles yet have very minimal waits, so you get on everything and can do things multiple times. No phone use required thru day, no I.T refunds needed mid-day, no waking up before you want.

 

[georgina]

It’s not an exaggeration, it’s the truth. We visited this last March. Two of us had to get up before 7am (4am our time zone) to log into the app and start working the phones. With some adjustments, we were able to get some rides reserved, including the ones we had to pay $ILL for. Because the times were chosen for us and out of our control, we spent a lot of time crisscrossing back-&-forth around the park, so couldn’t fit NEARLY as much in as in previous visits (where we used Touring Plans schedule to plan routes/max rides/minimize waits). We couldn’t make any ADR‘s because of the fact that we had zero control over our schedule until the morning of. We missed one of our $ILLs because we got stuck in a 220-min-line for a diff ride – – it had broken down and they kept saying it would resume shortly. Then we had to go find an IT booth to adjust that previously purchased ILL. Then, another $ILL we had purchased for evening at another park broke down as we got in that queue. So we had to go find another IT booth and get that refunded. And in between those things, we had to continually be looking at Genie to figure out where we could go and if we could fit anything between the times of genie-scheduled rides & limited showtimes. It was overall a bad experience. We did cover a lot of mileage that day. So there’s that.

We did have to carry 2 phone-power-packs with us to keep the phones running, to do the scheduling.

And we were there 5 days in May (only went to the parks 4). Your truth is not ours. You chose to spend all day on your phones, it is not necessary for everyone. Bought G+ 2 days - for MK and HS. ILL for Rise. G+ for HS did not work out great, our return times were too spread out. Next time I would not rope drop HS I would just stack a few LL for later in the day. Did not use our phones in Epcot or AK except to check wait times, certainly not all day. Had 4 dinner ADR's, 3 in DS and one at Narcoossee's. Was not an issue for us. Also spent time at our hotel pool and went to a movie in DS. Good relaxing trip. Came home with Covid but it didn't hit until we got home!

 

[_19disnA]

I would never volunteer to plan a Disney trip for 18 people. Let each family group plan their own vacation. It would be a huge mistake to think you can get 18 people to all want to do the same rides/shows at any Disney park. Some may like one park better then another. Some may want to shop/eat/walk around while others do rides. Everyone may not have the same budget to work with and choose to stay at different hotels. Does everyone get up/go to bed at the same time? Some may be early park goers, others not. Some may want to buy some of those Genie options, others not.

I would suggest a few times when the group could get together for a dinner or something like that but the rest of the time everyone is on their own. If they have never been to Disney, let everyone know they need to have park reservations ahead of time. Other then that, I would let them do their own planning or you will end up being the bad guy when they realize they have to do/see/experience Disney the way you want do it.

If they are new to Disney I would tell them to expect the parks to be crowded and ride lines long for the most popular rides. No amount of advance planning will make the parks any less crowded.

 

[bloomcruisers]

Doesn't Disney have a department who will handle Group reservations for tickets and dining? You would have to make your own arrangements for whatever attraction options you choose, G+ and ILL, but group sales should be able to help with tickets and dining I think. Or is this service no longer offered?

 

[bloomcruisers]

Doesn't Disney have a department who will handle Group reservations for tickets and dining? You would have to make your own arrangements for whatever attraction options you choose, G+ and ILL, but group sales should be able to help with tickets and dining I think. Or is this service no longer offered?

Nevermind. I just checked and you need 31 people for the group services.

 

[_19disnA]

Even if the group was large enough for Disney to make hotel/dinner reservations I don't see that as solving the planning issue for what you would do all day long, which parks you want to visit and what rides/shows you would prefer. I doubt any large group wants to always do exactly the same things on any vacation.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Remember folks, no sleeping remotely in on these vacations anymore since you gotta be up before 7am everyday to actually enjoy your day and get LL and Genie.

That is the most ridiculous thing IMO. Let us sleep a little bit. Damn

 

[Scalemaster34]

Remember folks, no sleeping remotely in on these vacations anymore since you gotta be up before 7am everyday to actually enjoy your day and get LL and Genie.

That is the most ridiculous thing IMO. Let us sleep a little bit. Damn

Yeah wife and I did a little get away.... no kids, no grandkids. Worst part was still needing to be up at 7AM, even if we weren't going to a park till much later. Especially after a late night doing Extra Hours till 1AM.

Next worst is trying to come up with how to Park Hop... doesn't work to well at say Epcot of DHS where attractions sell out way to fast and at 7:00:01 you get a 6PM for Slinky, Rise, Remy or Guardians.

 

[Boardwalk III]

Yeah wife and I did a little get away.... no kids, no grandkids. Worst part was still needing to be up at 7AM, even if we weren't going to a park till much later. Especially after a late night doing Extra Hours till 1AM.

Next worst is trying to come up with how to Park Hop... doesn't work to well at say Epcot of DHS where attractions sell out way to fast and at 7:00:01 you get a 6PM for Slinky, Rise, Remy or Guardians.

Remember folks, no sleeping remotely in on these vacations anymore since you gotta be up before 7am everyday to actually enjoy your day and get LL and Genie.

That is the most ridiculous thing IMO. Let us sleep a little bit. Damn

Totally agree, I’m a huge planner. I prefer to plan ahead but wouldn’t mind Genie+ so much if I didn’t have to be up at 6:45 every morning (when trying to get headliner rides for friends & family I’m traveling with). Hate it.

 

[fireflyer]

You chose to spend all day on your phones, it is not necessary for everyone.

Actually we did NOT choose to spend all day on our phones, it was a necessity. We “chose” our dates (1.5 days during spring break because of time constraints). We “chose” park-hop tix and we “chose” to maximize rides/attractions.

If you had 4 ADR’s on your agenda, then your relaxing trip in May was MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG AS OURS, at least, and a different crowd calendar. So that’s an apples to oranges comparison.

With my particular party, this is the 4th spring break we have done this itinerary. So I can truly compare apples to apples. On this visit it was absolutely necessary to be on our phones before rides, after rides, and sometimes while walking between rides, in order to reduce line time… yet we still achieved fewer attractions than our 3 prior spring breaks. But what we did accomplish DID REQUIRE heavy phone use, and would not have happened otherwise.

Genie, $ILL and multiple ride breakdowns led to the negative experience. And it was obvious that others were having similar negative experiences, gauging by the number of I.T booths around the parks and the number of people waiting at them for assistance. We didn’t “choose” that, Disney chose it. I know it for a fact, by comparing to our 3 prior springs-breaks, pre-Genie.

 

[Figvention]

Madness is volunteering to plan a Disney trip for 18 people!!

Doing it for 9 people made me hate my life choices, and I can’t imagine 18.

After the 9, I officially handed off being the Disney planner to the next generation.