Do you? Besides FP+ and ADRs, we don't. We used to, but have done this enough that we can pretty much wing it.
This is how we roll. We plan our park days and ADRs, and now our FP. But that is it. WE start in one area and just make our way around, and if something better comes up we toss that FP right out of the window. I never worry about what I am missing when I am enjoying what I am doing.
I get it and can relate. Always during planning, I get a little "Fear of Missing Out" when I discover add-ons and don't choose to buy them. I worry that my kids will get a case of the gimme's or a "why aren't we doing. . . ?" when we're there. But what happens every single time is that we enjoy the heck out of what we ARE doing and wear ourselves out doing all the basic stuff, leaving no time to worry about what we AREN'T doing.
As to the Star Wars issue. . . I was worried that Frozen had "taken over EVERYTHING" and since I have little interest in it, I thought I'd get really sick of it. Well, if you don't stand in line to meet the sisters, don't go to the sing-along show, didn't go shopping in Wandering Oaken's shop. . . you'd have no idea it was there. I haven't been since the Star Wars stuff opened, but I bet it's the same - you see lots of info about Star Wars depending on where you do your research, but you won't see Ewoks in Adventureland, Storm Troopers in Animal Kingdom, Darth Vader in World Showcase. . . if you aren't interested, you really won't even have to go out of your way to avoid it.
It can be tempting, can't it? Last year we brought the little girls I care for, and Boy did I want them to have the perfect trip. I waffled back and forth about the new Frozen Cafe thing, and decided against it. They never missed what they did not know existed, and they loved the little things I had no idea were even fun.
As a parent I had always told my kids that there will always be someone who has more than we have. More money, a better car, cooler vacations, bigger homes, and that we have what we have, which is more than others. It's just life. I have no idea why when DH and I are thinking about our DGD and those little girls we forget that the same holds true for them as it did for our kids.
I think that I learn every trip that the kids are way more perceptive of what is important thatn we ever give them credit for. They never missed what we did not do, and the things they loved were the least expensive parts of the trip.
We do travel often. We fly around to different cities to watch UFC fights, we go to the mountains, and we take trips to the beach (Fort Walton, Gulf Shores) so we know what different experiences are like. But our first true love is Disney and like I said it's changing and by the way this thread looks only me and one or to more seem to be affected. Where do I go to Fast Pass our restroom breaks?
I hear this complaint a lot and I just do not get it. For my family, there is no need to be so regimented on vacation, but if that day came when I was so stressed about timing that I felt even my bathroom breaks needed to be built into a schedule, I would go elsewhere.
I don't get why people think a business should make things fair for everyone.
The more money you have, the more you can buy, the more you can do. That is the world we live in, and if people can (and will) pay a certain amount for that stuff then that is exactly how much a business should charge.
I agree. If I think that the cost of any destination is too much for my budget we will go someplace else. If I think that the value of my dollars is not returned at any destination, I go elsewhere. I really do nto care what others ae paying for that I cannot justify for us, but if the day surfaces that I need the "extras" to make a trip magical, I will reconsider the destination. Disney Parks, Cruise vacations, beach vacations and road trips all have additions that can enhance the experience. If the only way to enjoy any one of them costs me out, I'm out.
So your inability to refrain from spending extra money is the fault of corporate greed? I think you might be misplacing that blame.
LOL! My DH would say the same thing!
The Early Morning Extra Hour is going to have an affect on my rope drop and also my pre park opening BOG ADR strategies, because it's going to reduce the number of mornings per week these strategies work. So, I just can't agree with those who say these expensive extras have no affect if you just choose not to purchase them.
Of course they may have an effect, but think about how BOG PPO affected those calm quiet walks down Main Steet for those who were used to booking PPO at CP or CRT. Tht walk went from soup to nuts in a heartbeat. No more empty Main Street that folks were paying for. Wait....they were paying for breakfast and nothing more, The walk down Main Street was a perk that was never promised.
Now we have BOG PPO and the additional "bonus" of the Mine Train ride that folks have been banking on when they plan thei PPO meal. It was never promised.
I am not sure how the new extra magic hours will affect anyone other than they probably will not get a jump start on certain attractions because if Disney sells too many tickets to this event no one will find it a benefit.
Sounds to me like you need to start attending local festivals and fairs if you cannot afford Disney. We all understand that some folks do not make enough money to afford certain vacations and apparently Disney is getting out of your reach. I personally enjoy Disney and no matter what the cost will make arrangements to attend. In my opinion if Disney is fading to you then DONT GO. Just my opinion.
OMG! Our fairs send me to the poor house! By the time we buy entrance tickets, food (and food and food! We eat our way through every fair. I think my DH is the only man alive who was given a frequent flyer discount at the sausage and pepper booth at the Big E!!!) and the rides, the booths and the contests, my wallet is screaming when we leave.
But we go to a few every year. SOmetimes we do skip the "extras" and just visit the animal booths to support our FFA groups, sometimes we do more. I really think that we all have priorities, and for the OP, this may be the time to revisit theirs. I think it is disingenuous to complain that today, Disney is too expensive for them. Disney has always been out of reach for some folks. Just as the Big E was out of my reach until I was 24.
