On a whim, our family of 9 decided to do WDW. Got the tickets. But now that I’m doing some research, I discovered there are no FastPasses so waits for most attractions are 30+ minutes! Last time we went, the touring plans were so amazing (with the FastPasses)that we almost never rode anything that took longer than a 10-minute wait. So now I’m having buyer’s remorse and thinking this is going to be the vacation from hell instead of “the happiest place on Earth”. I’m normally an optimist but between reading that Epcot is super-outdated (and could arguably be skipped if staying 4 days or less) and looking at these big double-digit wait times for almost every ride in each of my Lines touring plans, I’m feeling like I should’ve saved my WDW money for some time later when they bring FP (or something like it) back. Ack!
For those of you who have done WDW in this non-FP time, am I overreacting? Or is it really as bad as I suspect it will be? Is anyone able to legitimately talk me off the ledge or are my fears going to be realized?
There have been a lot of trip reports in the last couple of weeks, I’d suggest reading some of those to get a feel for what it’s like to be in the parks now. I haven’t been since pre covid and personally wouldn’t go now since we only go every few years (from the UK) and it’s super expensive for us - I want things to be back to normal. But when I read the trip reports I still want to be there.
The wait time data doesn’t look bad too me, especially with a good touring plan. And the general consensus from experienced Liners are that they currently prefer no FP+. There are numerous reasons and I’m sure others will chime in.
Keep researching other aspects to get a feel for current conditions. There is so much info on this forum. I would suggest to search for the topics/questions that you have and sorting to “Latest Post”. Whether it be rope drop, reservations, etc.
Back in November the worst park for me with no FP was HS. In fact, I’m only doing arrival day there on my next trip if FP doesn’t return. The other parks were fine, or I should say not horrible. HS was a mess.
When is your trip? Things are changing literally every day. I’m a FP+ fan, but no FP+ isn’t necessarily a bad thing. it all depends on the capacity in the parks and the capacity of the rides/attractions. With a good touring plan and strategy you can get a lot done. The part that may slow you down is the dynamics of your own party. While @Jeff_AZ recently went with a large group and killed it, his family it turns out, is staright from a fairy tale. My family of 7 spends a lot of time not listening to me and as a result, waits in line, or skips the ride because the line is too long. YMMV.
I LOVE the fact Fastpasses are gone, and I hope they never return. The advantage they offer to an overwhelming majority of folks is in perception only, not actual overall reduced wait times. The flexibility of not having to plan your day around FPPs is so nice, and actually helps with having a strong touring plan.
Ditto everything said. The timing of your trip matters. But we went three weeks ago and our longest wait was 20 minutes for the PeopleMover about a week after it reopened. (Should caveat to say my immediate family didn’t do many of the thrill rides, but my sisters did things like SDD in the middle of the day and only waited 30 minutes. In the FP era, waiting standby for SDD in the middle of the day meant 55+ minutes.). Make a good touring plan, get to the parks before published opening, take a break in the middle of the day, and head back in the evening. You’ll be fine.
You’re gonna have some waits that are longer than what you would have had if you were super great with RDing a few headliners and FP+ the rest but the longest and worst offenders will never reach their previous wait time maxes off 2-3 hours. The most you’ll ever wait is a little over an hour and usually 30 min for one or two big attractions a day if you plan well and get up early. We’re having a great time and I think Epcot is a four day park. I absolutely love what and how much it has to offer which isn’t tons of rides, but food, live performances, shopping and intricate detailed exploring.
I agree with everything being said here. Make a good plan, get there an hour before park open. You might wait 30 mins for a few of the headliners but you’re going to wait much less than that for most everything else. Also agree with looking through the recent trip reports and seeing their strategies and tips.
I would definitely not have a “trip from hell” attitude from the start or you’re likely to actually experience that.
Read some recent trip reports. Things are different, but not a lot (anymore). People are having wonderful vacations and making beautiful memories. Take the trip. Bring a good touring plan. Read how others have done it to see what works and what doesn’t. And remain open to a new experience!
We just returned late last night. The first half of our trip was fantastic! Short waits for everything (under 20 minutes). The last couple of days became more challenging, especially yesterday. I could tell that capacity is being increased. In Hollywood Studios yesterday, we were only able to really walk on one ride at rope drop. On our earlier days, we could walk on the first 2-3 with being first at the taps. We also saw the most plaids yesterday (probably at least 10 large groups). It will be interesting to see what WDW with the increasing capacity and limited shows (aka crowd eaters) in the coming weeks. I was happy that we didn’t have waits like yesterday for our entire trip as I don’t think my family would have had as much fun.
Well… good luck.
I’m spending what feels like an obscene amount of money to stay as close to the parks as possible for two weeks next May.
And hoping crowds will have subsided on at least some of those days…
But ultimately trying to mentally prepare for just simply missing some headliners.
I’m hoping that it’ll work out for everyone in my party.
I’m the only one who remembers going before and who knows when we’ll go again.
But it’s Disney and I’m sure my youngest will be thrilled to be doing something, maybe anything there.
Sorry. That’s all I got.
No hacks or tips, just blind hope.
And I hope it works out for you guys.
I’m going middle of this July. Good idea to read others’ recent trip reports…I’ll do that, thanks.
Also, no parades or fireworks kinda seems sad to me. Paying similar prices for less things seems kinda like price gouging to me. Last time we went (a decade ago), the parades and firework shows were a big part of the fun experience.
couple more questions:
For those who have tried to get Rise of the Resistance at HS, how many have actually gotten it? Is it truly lottery-like? I know we have to get up before 7am and are planning to do the Unofficial tip of having the whole family try to get in, and try again at 1pm if we miss it at 7am. Just concerned that if odds are indeed like winning the lottery, we’ll likely come up empty, which would be a downer (HS is the last day of our trip).
In my group, we have a high schooler, a middle schooler, a grade schooler, and a 7-year-old. My skepticism with Epcot after reading Unofficial Guide 2020 (pre-covid) was that parts of the park are closed, outdated or break frequently…and the rest that are open (dining, architectural aspects of The World, cultural performing acts, etc) are more boring to non-adults. Basically, it seems that it’s just three fun-for-kid things to do at Epcot: Soarin’, Test Track and Frozen Ever After… which is why I’m toying with the idea of doing a second day at AK instead (HS and MK are not open for reservations on our Epcot day). Thoughts?
Depending on your kids, there are some cool scavenger hunts that typically accompany the festivals. The one at flower and garden engaged my five year old long enough that we were able to circle the entire showcase without much complaint. And she got a prize at the end.
ETA: you can also consider getting park hoppers and just doing a few evenings at Epcot.
Yeah…we liked the calvacades much more than the parades. It was fun to just happen upon them throughout the day rather than have to plan around a single event, which would also block entire flow of the park for those who didn’t want to watch the parade.
Regarding EPCOT…it is true that it is going through growing pains at the moment. It is my favorite park, but also the one I am currently most likely to recommend people skip if they have to. Having said that, we never seem to have enough time to do everything in EPCOT…meaning World Showcase. Even with two days, we rushed through a lot of it.
As far as what kids will like…does it really matter? There is enough mixture of experiences that if my kids are going to complain about it, considering we will spend plenty of time In MK, HS, and AK, that they need to suck it up. Even in EP FutureWorld, you have The Land, the Seas, Mission:Space, Spaceship Earth at the minimum, plus Test Track and Figment. (Truth is, TT isn’t all that fun except the brief run outside.). Then there is the food, and ambiance, and shows in WS that I have enjoyed since I was a kid (some updated). So it isn’t as fun for the kids. Shrug.
