Followed the plans on here and no Elsa FP

[SaintsManiac]

Yes I can see how you would feel that way. My disappointment is coming from a lot of angles. I think fastpass is great. I am all for not waiting in line. My disappointment is in the crazy (to me at least) beforehand planning. The planning of what I want to eat 6 months in advance. The high cost of everything. Getting a ressie and then finding out I can't use it. For me...and this is just me...so don't take it personal please, but my vacation is stressing me out.

I didn't take it personally. It makes me sad that someone isn't looking forward to Disney is all. I read your other posts and it seems like you need this vacation.

Look, everyone is different. I love to plan things and while I do get a little stressed and change things every other week I've still enjoyed the anticipation.

I lost my mother in January after a very long illness. I've had a ton of stress at work. But you know what's helped me? Planning my December trip to Disney. It's given me something to look forward to and the planning has been therapeutic at times.

I hope you have a good time. Everyone deserves some fun.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Yes I can see how you would feel that way. My disappointment is coming from a lot of angles. I think fastpass is great. I am all for not waiting in line. My disappointment is in the crazy (to me at least) beforehand planning. The planning of what I want to eat 6 months in advance. The high cost of everything. Getting a ressie and then finding out I can't use it. For me...and this is just me...so don't take it personal please, but my vacation is stressing me out.

BTDT so we tried DCL and have not looked back. Have we visited again? Sure we love our park time! We reserve wdw for the rides and then for our meet n greets/fancy meals reserved for a time when I am sailing out on the water. A place where I received a M&G time walked out of my room down the stairs to meet Elsa and Anna and waited 10 minutes. 5 minutes later I was up on the pool deck relaxing in the hot tub.

After reading your initial post and noticing the anxiety in it, I thought if they only want to see Elsa cancel and book DCL!! The only part of your post it does not help with is the $.

 

[magicmomms]

I didn't take it personally. It makes me sad that someone isn't looking forward to Disney is all. I read your other posts and it seems like you need this vacation.

Look, everyone is different. I love to plan things and while I do get a little stressed and change things every other week I've still enjoyed the anticipation.

I lost my mother in January after a very long illness. I've had a ton of stress at work. But you know what's helped me? Planning my December trip to Disney. It's given me something to look forward to and the planning has been therapeutic at times.

I hope you have a good time. Everyone deserves some fun.

I am very sorry to hear about your mother. Please accept my condolences. I am glad you are able to be positive after a stressful year.

I was looking forward to my trip as well! And you are right- we need some fun. We have never had a family vacation before. We were all really pumped for this with high expectations, because I learned all about how to plan for Disney. Wow that was a lot of reading! But things just kept chipping away at it. Now I am trying to preserve some of those expectations. I cannot bear to see my daughters face fall. It's been too much this year.

 

[magicmomms]

BTDT so we tried DCL and have not looked back.

Sorry. What does this mean?

 

[aprincessatlast]

Sorry. What does this mean?

Been there done that.

(Meaning I totally get your frustration)

AKL is super nice you will have a great time!

 

[magicmomms]

O ok thanks!

 

[grimley1968]

Yes I can see how you would feel that way. My disappointment is coming from a lot of angles. I think fastpass is great. I am all for not waiting in line. My disappointment is in the crazy (to me at least) beforehand planning. The planning of what I want to eat 6 months in advance. The high cost of everything. Getting a ressie and then finding out I can't use it. For me...and this is just me...so don't take it personal please, but my vacation is stressing me out.

I completely understand your frustrations. I find all the pre-planning to be ridiculous at this point and, frankly, a bit silly. But it's what Disney now encourages and you did everything you were supposed to do.

I've not had the setbacks you've had in the last few months and it's still a ridiculous amount of pre planning to get the most out of a WDW vacation, and a little stressful. Add in some of the extra stress you've had, and you can bet I'd be upset.

With some notable exceptions there has been some great advice and information to salvage some magic for your trip. That 45-day out tip may be great for you or you could try A&E at rope drop. Since it's paid for, it's non-refundable, and you could probably use a vacation about now, enjoy it!

Good luck!

 

[nicdu]

Yeah now that I think about it, if I were in your shoes, and I could, I would book a DCL. They are amazing, and the customer service is like how WDW used to be. The ratio of people on the ship to cast members is just so much better. I actually really don't like going to the parks anymore. It's too much planning, rules, crowds, bad food, and kind of crappy inconsistent service from cast members that are way too stressed out already. And we're AP holders, so we do go a fair amount, but only b/c we live about an hour away. We're doing a week long stay there soon, but how I wish we were going on a DCL cruise!

 

[magicmomms]

I completely understand your frustrations. I find all the pre-planning to be ridiculous at this point and, frankly, a bit silly. But it's what Disney now encourages and you did everything you were supposed to do.

I've not had the setbacks you've had in the last few months and it's still a ridiculous amount of pre planning to get the most out of a WDW vacation, and a little stressful. Add in some of the extra stress you've had, and you can bet I'd be upset.

With some notable exceptions there has been some great advice and information to salvage some magic for your trip. That 45-day out tip may be great for you or you could try A&E at rope drop. Since it's paid for, it's non-refundable, and you could probably use a vacation about now, enjoy it!

Good luck!

Yes! I am going to keep checking for fastpass/ressie around 45 days, and if that fails around 2 days before, and then the day before. But it is too stressful for my liking. My husband and I were talking about this and we both said if we ever get another vacation...we are going to a tropical beach and there will be NO planning! (because after all it is a vacation from work!)

 

[magicmomms]

I can't get my money back, but thank you for your advice!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Yes! I am going to keep checking for fastpass/ressie around 45 days, and if that fails around 2 days before, and then the day before. But it is too stressful for my liking. My husband and I were talking about this and we both said if we ever get another vacation...we are going to a tropical beach and there will be NO planning! (because after all it is a vacation from work!)

I agree! I think many people on here have been to WDW multiple times (yes, I know I'm making an assumption) and we forget what a big deal it is to get these hard-to-get reservations - BOG, A&E, 7DMT, CRT, BBB, etc. - and how stressful it is when you can't get them and they are a big part of the reason you are taking the trip. Yes, keep checking for FP+, but if you don't get it, don't fret. You will see A&E. And if you want a hard-to-get ADR, try Disney Dining Buddy or WDW Tools to set up an alert. It costs $8, but these sites do the checking for you and text you when a reservation is available for the time period you are looking for. I've used Disney Dining Buddy with great success and I didn't have to keep checking myself. It just took some of the stress off my plate.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

OP, I really hope you are able to make things work. I think I remember reading that you were spacing the days to the MK apart so the rest of the days don't seem as boring. There are other things to do that are fun and won't cost you more money. My family has been many times and last time we went, our first night there we just rode the monorail because we weren't going into the park. My 3 year old granddaughter was excited just to do that, keep in mind she didn't know that there were rides to go on so I don't know if that will work in your situation. You can check out the other resorts as well. You can watch the water parade on 7 Seas Lagoon, maybe while splitting a Dole Whip that you can get at the Poly. Fort Wilderness is fun to explore too. My family enjoyed seeing the horses and checking out the barn. There is also Chip and Dale's Campfire sing a long at FW. It is free, and you can bring your own stuff to make the smores with. Just a few suggestions to help. I hope everything works out and maybe others will have suggestions too. AKL is a great hotel you will enjoy your time there.

 

[magicmomms]

I think you missed a lot of the posts, and jumped to conclusions. But that's alright, you won't get me down.

 

[Leelee1980]

I have a adr for bog, pre park opening and hoping to get the e&a. If not, oh well. There's lots of other princesses.

 

[TexasPete]

You've gotten some really good suggestions. We couldn't get FP for them either last October, so we stayed near the front at rope drop, piggy-backed DD instead of having her walk, moved as quickly as we could with the rope drop pack and went right into line. From the minute we entered the line until we were walking out after the m&g was 42 minutes. I hope you will be able to see them either with FP or a not-too-long wait and that you have a wonderful and relaxing trip.

 

[cgattis]

I also missed the part about 7 nights. Ok, here's something--and I may get blasted for it, but....what about taking the DVC tour/pitch one day? Dont they give out a park ticket for that?? I may get blasted for saying you should go with no intention of buying, but....

But there really is a ton to do at AKL, plus lots of activities (other than the pools) at other resorts. I'm sure you can check the other resort threads and ask for recent activity sheets to get an idea of things going on.

 

[epcotty]

My suggestion is if you can't get a FP don't worry about it and just skip it (although as others have said you could try rope drop). Don't wait an excessive amount of time though. It's not the be all and end all of everything, if you use a lot of your time for it that will make your trip a lot worse than if you were doing attractions during that time (Including ones you could get FP for).

 

[Nancyg56]

Who here suggested running at RD? Or going around the CMs? All people did was suggest being there for RD (and getting there early enough to be at the front of the RD crowd). What is wrong with that?

I think that people have shared the RD procedure. OP if you cannot secure your FP, make sure that you are at the gates at least 30 minutes before RD. Earlier if possible.

Yes, but in the case of A&E, Disney could easily add capacity, i.e. another Anna and Elsa in another park ... or a character meal. This one seems easy to solve.

I wonder if they like the frenzy over A&E. Kind of takes the focus away from the lack of new stuff in the parks.

I think they are just cheap.

(since it's expensive to eat there) Sorry got cut off!

I know they have a small kitchen in the DVC room- but no oven I think. Not sure How I could cook meals for the fam like that. I tried all the other days but none. I keep checking the app...thanks for that! Didn't know the app could do fast pass. And it does work more smoothly. So if we stay for 5 days out of our 7- I don't want top park days (MK day and MNSSHP) to be back to back. I'd rather spread it out so the other days don't seem so boring.

OKay. Breathe! You are staying in a gorgeous resort, you got a good price, and you all need a break in my opinion. I would not cut the trip short. You do have access to a kitchen so evein if there is no oven, you have resources to help defray the costs of dining. Since you are driving, you can pack non peishables that are less expensive at home. You are on vacation! No need for complete meals! I remember when I used to take the famiy to the beach for 2 weeks. My sister and I would plan meals, and the kids all wanted sandwiches. LOL!


I don't remember what park tix you have, but spend the time you are not in teh parks at your resort. AKL is my favorite resort with so much to do and see. FOr a family that has had so much stress, I think your resort choice is perfect. It is the one resort that I believe is a waste if you do nto build resort time in, and you have the perfect circumstance for doing so.

I have been in your shoes before, and I know that evey penny spent seems to be painful, but I cannot see any benefit for cutting this trip short. It is paid for, and you must eat where you are, so why not eat in your resort and know that you have not thrown money away in the effort to save money? You do not need to plan expansive meals or expensive treats. Plan ahead what can be prepurchased, and what you can buy close by. You have a car. If you all choose to eat out, we can help you to stetch your food dollar and still have a blast.

OP, I've stayed at Kidani Village and I absolutely loved it! I know that meals are an issue for you because of expense, but you've already paid for the room so you might want to check into finding some inexpensive ways to eat. The studios have a refrigerator and a microwave. If you are driving, you could stop for a few groceries like bread, lunch meat, some microwavable meals, and things like that. If you're flying the options aren't as great. But you could pack some snacks and breakfast bars in your luggage which could help cut down on the cost. The gift shop does have some food items which tend to be expensive, but are still cheaper than eating every meal in the park or at a restaurant. A couple of nights, I just got a single microwavable pizza to heat in the microwave.

You've already gotten plenty of good advice about options for seeing A&E so I hope one of the strategies works out for you.

This!

 

[crostorfer]

This thread is raptly entertaining.

I can't believe I'm about to say this, because it goes against every WDW principle that I hold dear, but..........*swallow* *cough* *swallow*..................

...................................................*dramatic pause*...............................................................

..........................................................An hour in standby never killed anyone. (Well, not anyone in relatively good health anyway.)

I just about killed me to type that. Honestly, if that is the ONE thing your kid wants to do, in all of WDW, then an hour in standby is worth it.

On a side note OP, trying to chase the ideal of a "perfect trip" will do nothing but exhaust and disappoint you. The higher you put the trip on a pedestal, the farther it will crash. I understand you've had a bad year, (I didn't read all of the replies, but that is what I'm picking up here), and that you and your family really need this vacation, but the more you plan and tweak, and re-plan, and obsess, quite frankly, the further into chaos you will plummet. A couple of days into your trip you will turn into that bloodshot eyed, crazy haired Mom who is screaming at their family that if they don't get moving in 5 minutes they'll miss (*insert whatever here*), and you've paid $*)*#)*@)*@ for this trip and it can't be missed! Then you will burst into tears when you discover that, really, all your kids want to do is swim in the AKL pool. (That was my biggest letdown, honestly. All my daughter wanted to do was spend all day at the pool, despite everything else to do, and see, at WDW.

You are going to be you, you are going to do what you want to do and that is fine, I'm just offering up some friendly advice that trying to plan that "perfect trip" is kind of like chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Disney is a little stressful, but it doesn't have to make you miserable. Be flexible, understand that it may pour rain 5 out of 7 days, know that you may not make it to every ADR, the fastpasses you want may not ever be available, and whatever ride you have a FP for and are really looking forward to may break and be down for the next few days, right before you board it. Life happens, even at WDW.

 

[MammerJammer]

What we ended up doing was joining a facebook group from this site. Someone posted that they were going to drop two FPs for A+E. I coordinated with them to pick them up.

then, the day after that, I was able to get 3 more!!! by doing 1 and 2 at a time.