Shame on you Disney

[markyv]

Just got back from 7 days in WDW and I am extremely disappointed in Disney surrounding the character meet and greet for Anna and Elsa. 3 to 4 hour wait times are not uncommon. DW and DD waited for 3 hrs and 15 minutes to meet them. Only one park has meet and greets, and countless little girls are being disappointed by not being able to meet them. For $100 a person a day, I expect more from Disney than this.

Fast Pass plus is also a major bummer for those people who like to wing it at the parks. Don't expect to get a single fast pass for an e ride attraction if you are a day guest or someone who doesn't like to plan. I feel really sorry for first timers. To me, at least the old fast pass system was fair, now it is not due to non planners and first timers having to wait stand by while others zoom through the fast pass line. At least the old system rewarded guests who arrived early and got the fast passes for the rides they wanted. Better do weeks in advance now or wait.

[markyv]

Eric,

I see what you saying, but I disagree. Dining reservations are totally different than fast passes. If I want to wing it for dining, then you are correct that I shouldn't expect a reservation, by calling the day of my park attendance. However, with a fast pass system that is fair and works, I could absolutely expect to get a fast pass the same day for just about any attraction I wanted. As a matter of fact, I can't remember a single in all my past trips that I wasn't able to get a fast pass for any ride or attraction that I wanted one for.

Say what you will about lines for Anna and Elsa, but Disney is disappointing a lot of small children who are wishing to meet Anna and Elsa. The children who are getting to meet them, have angry and frustrated parents. Again, for $100 per day per guest, I expect more from Disney. Give me value for my money and I will keep coming back. Spending 4 hours in line to meet your princesses is not a value, we only did this to keep our daughter from being disappointed. There are ways to reduce this wait time.

Add extra greetings and eliminating fast passes are a couple that come to mind.

[gerald72]

Gotta say I disagree with you on both points.

I hear there isn't just one Anna and Elsa meet and greet- meaning you might not get the same pair that the people in line behind you get. But they can't have multiple meet and greets for the same two characters in the same park at the same time. It kills the illusion.
You can't fault disney for having an attraction that is extremely popular. That is a good thing.
Do you suggest they build 2 Toy Story Manias or 2 Mine Trains?

Why do you fault fastpass+ for not benefitting the non-planners? Fault the non-planners for not planning. Do you spend thousands of dollars for your vacation and then just show up, without having read a thing about the place? Everybody's gotta do a little research, and if not- great to those that do.

[RunDMV]

Why do you fault fastpass+ for not benefitting the non-planners? Fault the non-planners for not planning. Do you spend thousands of dollars for your vacation and then just show up, without having read a thing about the place? Everybody's gotta do a little research, and if not- great to those that do.

And here is what Disney and you dont get. I plan, schedule, organize, direct all day long at work. I run from one meeting to the next while telling my office manager to schedule more meetings. When I am on vacation, I dont want to do that.

Oh yeah, there is one more thing Disney doesn't get: my money.

[Aurora]

Apparently Disneyland has debuted a Frozen "pre-parade" float that features Anna, Elsa and Olaf, so guests can at least see them in person if they don't want to wait in insane meet lines.

Personally, I figure out other ways for my kids to have a good time if a favorite character or ride becomes unavailable. (And to me, a 3-hour wait means they're unavailable. )

[joonyer]

And here is what Disney and you dont get. I plan, schedule, organize, direct all day long at work. I run from one meeting to the next while telling my office manager to schedule more meetings. When I am on vacation, I dont want to do that.

Me neither, but I don't expect to go on a vacation to any popular destination and be able to find a premium hotel room, or a table at a popular restaurant, or good seats for a Broadway show, without having made reservations in advance. Taking a vacation to any popular place takes lots of planning in advance if you want to enjoy the most popular attractions. Expecting Disney, maybe the most popular vacation destination of all, to be any different is being unrealistic.

[RunDMV]

Me neither, but I don't expect to go on a vacation to any popular destination and be able to find a premium hotel room, or a table at a popular restaurant, or good seats for a Broadway show, without having made reservations in advance. Taking a vacation to any popular place takes lots of planning in advance if you want to enjoy the most popular attractions. Expecting Disney, maybe the most popular vacation destination of all, to be any different is being unrealistic.

That's a silly analogy. No reasonable person thinks you dont have to make some kind off plan. But planning meals 6 months out and trying to plan rides that are blocked out before and after you ADR and then trying to coordinate it family and friends is too much for a lot of people.

[RunDMV]

I, OTOH, WANT to plan. I don't show up at the airport and buy my ticket day of flight, after all.
If I did want to "wing it", I wouldn't have gotten Free Dining plan six months in advance, to have my flights, room and meals all paid and waiting for me when I got there.
I do have to plan, or at least run for buses to keep schedules, and for me a vacation is letting me decide my own activities without the obstacles of the "real" world.
That includes private "appointments" with princesses and thrill rides.

Like we've been saying all along: Planning's a haul, but you reap the rewards.

That's the whole point. One used to not have to plan each meal out 6 months in advance. It got to the point for our family (2-3X a year visitors for 2 plus decades) just gave up on table service. This is just too much planning for us. You like it? Go. Ill pass.

Let's not even get in to the impossibility of meeting family at WDW and trying to coordinate vacations.

There will always be the never-say-die Disney supporters who will go no matter what. I'm not one of them.

[lindique]

Let's not even get in to the impossibility of meeting family at WDW and trying to coordinate vacations.

That was my problem too. On my last trip, I found out that 2 people from 2 other offices in my organization were going to be in Disney World at the same time as me. They live and work in different cities so I don't see them very often.

It was extremely difficult to arrange times to get together. First we had to be in the same park that day. And secondly, we had to find a time that no one had a hard-to-get fastpass.

I am not a fastpass+ hater. But it sure made meeting up with people not in your immediate group very difficult.

[yankeesfan123]

And here is what Disney and you dont get. I plan, schedule, organize, direct all day long at work. I run from one meeting to the next while telling my office manager to schedule more meetings. When I am on vacation, I dont want to do that.

Oh yeah, there is one more thing Disney doesn't get: my money.

Planning a vacation isn't unheard of. Disney World isn't the only vacation destination that you need to plan for.

Maybe a beach or cruise vacation (minus excursions, because that involves planning) will work for types like you?


Visiting Disney is like visiting a major city or another country.

You can't go to NYC, Vegas, London, etc and just show up and be able to eat wherever you want, see any show you want, or visit any museum or historical sites on a whim and plan to make an effective use of your time. You get dining reservations, buy tickets to shows ahead of time, and plan the best times to effectively visit museums/sites ahead of time.

[MNNHFLTX]

My family and I have never been into the character meet and greets, so I'm not up on this stuff, but can't people get a FP+ in advance for the Anna and Elsa M&G? If it is a must-do for a family and the standby lines are that long, why wouldn't folks just use their FP+ option?

I am an ardent planner by nature, but even I don't want to plan that much on my vacations (and if I did, my family probably probably commit mutiny). It appears that there are plenty of people out there who are finding positives in the system and investing in WDW trips, but I'm not one of them at the moment. I haven't been there in 1-1/2 years, which is a long time for me.

You can't go to NYC, Vegas, London, etc and just show up and be able to eat wherever you want, see any show you want, or visit any museum or historical sites on a whim and plan to make an effective use of your time. You get dining reservations, buy tickets to shows ahead of time, and plan the best times to effectively visit museums/sites ahead of time.

I can't speak for Vegas or NYC, but you absolutely can go to London on a whim and see almost everything. Musuems are free and open to anyone (the huge national ones, anyway) and even the other historical sites you can pretty much walk-up and get in right away, especially if you get there early. You can get discounted tickets to some of the most popular theater shows the same day in Leicester Square. As far as the restaurants, the only ones you need reservations for will also be the most expensive; if you can afford to eat there, more power to you!

[mickeyman42]

You seem to be saying the old "First come, first serve" system was better; I don't, for that very reason. Some of us don't come first, and on vacation, some of us don't want to.

I would agree with this. I'd rather book a few fp's 30 days out than race to the parks at 9 and then literally race people to get fp's or else, not ride anything at all, TSM for example. The first come first serve system IMO rewards "craziness" for lack of a better word. it rewards people who are wiling to line up/show up way too early for things in order to be first, or get more fp's. I find the new system to be more fair, than the old system where people would horde fp's all day, collect about 30, then use them later in the day (before the return time was enforced) thats when I felt bad for non-planners and first-timers, because then they didn't know the choice was "show up for rope drop or sacrifice your day in that park."

[JRocker]

I agree, the line for the frozen meet and greet is insane, but really; what is the solution?
Disney won't have more than one meet and greet of the same characters in the same park. As has been mentioned, this would kill the illusion.
Having a frozen meet and greet in all four parks will only result in one thing: A three hour wait at four different parks.

As far as the FP+ destruction of spontaneity argument; I never bought into it. You aren't bound to a schedule by some invisible chain of zip ties. If you want to change plans on a whim, you are capable of changing them. Sure, you may not be able to get a fastpass for Soarin' because you decided alter your plans, but that doesn't mean you can't ride it. It's not FP+'s fault that we refuse to stand in line for over XX minutes.

And don't forget, in most cases, first timers thought you had to pay for the old fast passes. The first timer that fails to plan today is really no different than the first timer who failed to plan two years ago.

[Katzateer]

Since the Frozen characters have proven to be so popular I think Dsney needs to step up and make them more available. A co-worker who is a seasoned WDW visitor waited over 4 hours with her 9 year old sister. It isn't just the little kids that want to see them.

A character meal at Epcot, a meal outside the parks and maybe another meet and greet. Give the fans what they want. For $100 a day park admission it seems WDW could make these characters more available.

As far as FP+ I like the new system. I think they will continue to improve it. While not perfect, I think if you really want to ride or see an attraction, you can. With the old system, I went several trips not being able to get on Toy Story Mania and Peter Pan ( no FP's available ). With the new system, I have gotten on each time.

[Main Street Jim]

I think Dsney needs to step up and make them more available. A co-worker who is a seasoned WDW visitor waited over 4 hours with her 9 year old sister.

From what I have seen and read, the sisters had only been available from 9am - 5pm. Now, they're available all day long, until the park closes. Hopefully, that will relieve some of the long lines.

[Septbride2002]

I would agree with this. I'd rather book a few fp's 30 days out than race to the parks at 9 and then literally race people to get fp's or else, not ride anything at all, TSM for example. The first come first serve system IMO rewards "craziness" for lack of a better word. it rewards people who are wiling to line up/show up way too early for things in order to be first, or get more fp's. I find the new system to be more fair, than the old system where people would horde fp's all day, collect about 30, then use them later in the day (before the return time was enforced) thats when I felt bad for non-planners and first-timers, because then they didn't know the choice was "show up for rope drop or sacrifice your day in that park."

Bolding mine

I have to agree! We are riding Soarin for the first time in several trips because I refuse to race there just to get a shorter wait time for fast pass. Now with the ability to plan a few months in advance I know we will have the chance to ride the ride.

[Bruegge]

I would agree with this. I'd rather book a few fp's 30 days out than race to the parks at 9 and then literally race people to get fp's or else, not ride anything at all, TSM for example. The first come first serve system IMO rewards "craziness" for lack of a better word. it rewards people who are wiling to line up/show up way too early for things in order to be first, or get more fp's. I find the new system to be more fair, than the old system where people would horde fp's all day, collect about 30, then use them later in the day (before the return time was enforced) thats when I felt bad for non-planners and first-timers, because then they didn't know the choice was "show up for rope drop or sacrifice your day in that park."

Totally agree, isn't rope drop just really "One More Line" to wait in....

The stress of getting there on time just to wait, then run and get the fast pass for the ride YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF RIGHT NOW!!! never was fun, good or looked forward to by my family.

[markyv]

Totally agree, isn't rope drop just really "One More Line" to wait in....

The stress of getting there on time just to wait, then run and get the fast pass for the ride YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF RIGHT NOW!!! never was fun, good or looked forward to by my family.

I have never arrived at rope drop, and again, I have never been turned away from getting a fast pass for TSM, Peter Pan, or Soarin. I have found fast passes available for these rides as late as noon......granted they were for late in the day, but still I was able to get them. Some people like me, don't even decide we want to go to to Disney in 60 days advance notice. What does the AP pass holder or Florida resident do? If you live in Orlando, should you have to plan your day trip to Disney well in advance of going.

Also, I never suggested multiple meet and greets in one park, but you can't tell me you can't have 1 line with multiple rooms/sets of characters. You also can't tell me that they can't incorporate Anna and Elsa into a character meal or add another meet and greet in Epcot. This will not just add another 3 hour line. It will give patrons a choice of where to see the characters and will result in shorter wait times.

[SBETigg]

I've heard about the wait times for Anna and Elsa, and I agree with you that it's not good. My kids are older and this doesn't affect me, but I wouldn't want to be the parent that tells a young fan, "no, sorry, the line is too long." I think they need to add Anna and Elsa meet and greets in other parks/locations.

Also, yes, spontaneity is compromised with the new FP system and first time visitors who want to see it all (or as much as possible) should plan ahead. But for return visitors, I feel like I can still have some spontaneity. Your FPs can be changed and it's only the really major rides like Soarin that I might not get on without some planning. But, at this point, I'm okay with not riding everything on every trip. Or with waiting in line occasionally. And first time visitors should probably plan ahead anyway if they want to optimize their time, so... I actually really like the new system. No running here and there to get Fastpasses and then backtracking to ride later. I think once it's really tweaked and optimized, it's going to be great.

[VWL Mom]

The Anna and Elsa lines are insane but they are new too and I think Disney is trying to adjust. They did extend the hours recently and for all we know may be trying to find them an additional home. When they were first introduced I had read that because they are face characters they need to hire for that position. Maybe they just should have waited until they had enough positions filled.

As far as FP, we've used them and like them. Since I have an AP I just went and checked what was still available for a party of 4. There are quite a few still headliners available:

• MK: All 3 Mts, Buzz, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan
• EP: Test Track and Mission Space are gone, Soaring is available
• AK: EE, Dinosaur, Safari
• DHS: TSM gone, RnRc, Tot, StarWars are available

Looking at it I think Epcot would be the only unsuccessful afternoon park for rides.