twodogs
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2012
We had the Flex Pass pre-COVID, which required park reservations, had block out dates and "good to go" dates (where you didn't need a park reservation), and had a limited number of days you could have reserved at a time (I think it was 2 because we do 4 day trips, and I would try to pick at least one "good to go" day in there so that I would minimize the risk of not being able to get a reservation on the last day after using the park reservation for the first day of the trip). You didn't pick a starting park back then because park hopping was allowed all day long, as I recall. As folks who live in Texas, it worked well for us because it was very inexpensive compared to the APs of that time and also compared to multiple day tickets. I didn't mind making a reservation because we had to plan hotels and flights in advance anyway.
Separately, I thought one of the reasons the parks have kept the reservations system is to help them save money on staffing. This way they know how many people to expect and staff up or down accordingly. Maybe that is not the reason, but I try to remember that every decision Disney (or frankly most any public company) makes should be looked at through the lens of economic interest of the company. Then decisions usually make sense (not that I always agree with them!).
Separately, I thought one of the reasons the parks have kept the reservations system is to help them save money on staffing. This way they know how many people to expect and staff up or down accordingly. Maybe that is not the reason, but I try to remember that every decision Disney (or frankly most any public company) makes should be looked at through the lens of economic interest of the company. Then decisions usually make sense (not that I always agree with them!).