OP - I'm sorry that your trip was less than magical. I just wanted to provide a counter opinion. We traveled for a quick getaway Sept 14-18 and found the exact opposite. Our first trip ever was back in June 2015, so we never experienced life before FP+ and
MDE and MagicBands. During each of our previous trips (in April and June), we found days when parks were more crowded than others, and afternoons where crowds felt tough to navigate. However, this trip had some of the lowest crowds that I've ever spotted in Disney parks. When we arrived at Epcot on Thursday morning at 10:30am, Frozen Ever After was a walk-on. Some of this was probably due to hurricane hangover and some of this had to do with lower crowds in the fall. With smart time management, our group was able to accomplish every one of our goals that we set for ourselves over the five day trip. We even had one group member arrive late on Saturday morning and over just two days - we got him on each of the major attractions at DAK, Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
I like the newer electronic systems because it allows us to have a plan that guarantees we will be able to accomplish some of the items on our bucket list. If we have a last minute change of plans, I've never encountered problems calling the dining reservation lines and getting cancellation fees waived. I've also never had issues switching fastpasses at the last minute when we decide to visit Epcot instead of Magic Kingdom. Are the hardest-to-get Fastpasses available at the last minute? Usually not - but we still make the best of it with smart touring strategies (like getting there for rope drop).