Obsessing about waiting

[Networth]

Just an observation that it seems many people on these boards obsess about waiting in line. Does anybody just relax and go with the flow?

Get the FP+ that you can and not stress about having to wait stand by. So much less stress.

 

[gap2368]

My disability will not let me not stress about waiting in line wish I could

 

[BrianL]

Just an observation that it seems many people on these boards obsess about waiting in line. Does anybody just relax and go with the flow?

Get the FP+ that you can and not stress about having to wait stand by. So much less stress.

This is what I do for the most part, but the 3 hour plus line for Flight of Passage is something I am NOT going to do, so it was imperative to get an FP for it or do the Rope Drop mess. It was worth it.

 

[LadyCerri]

I am taking four excited small children. I really prefer to avoid waiting with four excited small children whenever possible. I love the four excited small children but my patience will start to wear thin on Day One. Thus hubby has planned our trip out with Touring Plans to minimize just that so I can just enjoy Disney with four excited small children.

 

[nursejackie]

I guess the reason I don't like to wait in long lines is I keep thinking about all the other exciting things I could be seeing and doing in the park. We utilise early morning EMH and arrive at RD to ride all the popular rides early on. It works for us but fear that may not be true for FOP this year. We have fastpasses so have to be content with one ride on FOP per AK day.

 

[Harlaxton]

I see it as an exercise in efficiency. There are only so many hours in a day - while proper planning can ensure you spend more of those hours experiencing what DW has to offer, as opposed to standing in endless queues.

 

[No.1000]

I make my FP (and refresh to get what I want), I add fastpasses day of, and I rope drop. I also wait in line sometimes. Being a FL resident and AP, I am lucky enough to have the freedom to make line decisions on the fly. Sometimes we decide it is not worth it and sometimes we decide it is. Some of my favorite Disney memories are waiting in line with my 16 year old. I did early morning RD on Pandora opening day to ride FOP. I also waited 90 minutes at close one night with my GD. I would probably feel differently if I only got to go once or once in a while, but I love just deciding in the moment about the line.

 

[hllb]

What you call obsessing, others consider fun I enjoy planning. I love a good spreadsheet. I like having a plan. I dislike waiting in line. It's not that it would ruin our trip, but I would rather obsess now than wait in line later. I am not a patient person in general.

 

[Klayfish]

I stress over it endlessly, and as a result, I am now bald. My lawyer is preparing my case...

Seriously, I don't "stress" over it, but very much like Harlaxton said above, it's about efficiency for me. It's funny that word is mentioned, we truly call our touring style "relaxed efficiency". We try to do as much as we can, but we wing it and do what we want, when we want, at our own pace. We don't like to wait in line because we don't have to. FP+ will allow us to avoid the lines, so why wait? Sometime if the line is short, we just do standby and that's perfectly cool.

 

[ScrampShopper]

The only reason I try to avoid long lines is because for 6 or 7 days out of 10 day trips is just me with my two kids (7 & 3 on our upcoming trip). The 7 year old is ADHD, but usually not a problem alone, but when with the 3 year old, she can be difficult to keep calm. The 3 year old is a total troublemaker, always looking to see what naughty thing he can do to get laughs. Together they can drive me insane with their constant activity and bickering/fighting so I avoid long lines as much as possible. I bring little things to keep them occupied, but sometimes that doesn't work, and I don't want them disturbing other people, so I try to use FP's as much as possible. Stressing a little before the trip can keep me from stressing a lot during the trip!! That doesn't mean we are strictly structured on our trip. We have ditched plans to spend the whole day at the pool or switched fastpasses when the we decide to do something else. Besides the 3 planned FP's, we go with the flow, and add additional FP's as we feel like it. I don't plan more than 3 ADR's per 10 day trip because that causes more stress than necessary to keep an appointment and work around it for everything else.

 

[Spencer Wright]

It is frankly obsessing, however with planning excessive waiting can be avoided. I really have gone only during peak times in late June to late August.

(Whether there are peak and low times anymore is a whole other long series of obsessive discussions!!!)

With planning FP and getting to the park early you can certainly enjoy most every main attraction you want and avoid long lines. With the exception of ride breakdowns, I have never waited more than 30 minutes for anything.

The planning is part of the fun!!

 

[Happy_2_B]

Just an observation that it seems many people on these boards obsess about waiting in line. Does anybody just relax and go with the flow?

Get the FP+ that you can and not stress about having to wait stand by. So much less stress.

We have a resident AP- and were there dozens of times before we moved here as well. Wouldn't say we 'obsess'- but 'going with the flow' at WDW only happens on down days where we know we are just going to wander around. We still plan, use crowd calendars, and go to the parks that are least crowded- and often do RD as well. On days we go to experience attractions, we don't wait in line more than 5-10 minutes- we will leave the waiting to people like...well...you Don't get me wrong- this isn't a criticism- as we LOVE the people that 'go with the flow'. They ensure we never wait in a line

 

[Anabelletoronto]

My disability will not let me not stress about waiting in line wish I could

There are options for you - go to the disAbilities board.

 

[LizGirl]

I'm like OP and pretty much go with the flow after our first FP+ selections are exhausted. I check wait times and we decide what to experience based on which line is shortest.

But that is a luxury for us because we are incredibly fortunate to be AP holders and have family that lives in the Orlando area. We are and will be (as long as the paycheck holds out!) repeat customers. For those that are not in the same situation, you must maximize each precious park day. I totally get why it is necessary.

I do think that FP+ and the dining plan have completely changed the Disney game. It is way more important to plan ahead now.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We don’t overplan. We book FP for 3 rides that we feel we must do.

Mega planners would think we are rookies because at rope drop at MK we always do IASW and the Mad Tea Party first. Just a tradition. Sure, we could have gotten on a more popular ride at rope drop and that would be more strategic, but we always start MK that way and won’t change.

We don’t get in certain lines if they’re too long (I have a 1 & 2.5yo.) but pre-kids (and when I was a kid) I didn’t mind waiting. When my kids are a little older, I will make them wait for some things. It’s a good way to instill patience.

Our trips right now are very focused on what the kids can do - DH and I are skipping anything they can’t go on until one of them can ride it. So, that simplifies things for us significantly! We don’t have to be TOO strategic to avoid lines. (And the biggest winner on our last trip was the Country Bear Jamboree !

We also aren’t obsessed with getting on a certain number of rides or maximizing rides. There is so much more to WDW for us. I just like being there. If my kid wants to watch an entertainer on Main Street or run around the gardens at the UK pavilion or whatever and we miss a ride, I don’t care. We are DVC so we know we’ll be back every year or year and a half.

I actually have lots of fond memories from waiting in Disney lines as a kid pre-FP. Our family always had a good time. There was such a buildup of anticipation - especially when FP didn’t exist and you just waited for everything.

 

[hllb]

We don’t overplan. We book FP for 3 rides that we feel we must do.

Mega planners would think we are rookies because at rope drop at MK we always do IASW and the Mad Tea Party first. Just a tradition. Sure, we could have gotten on a more popular ride at rope drop and that would be more strategic, but we always start MK that way and won’t change.

We don’t get in certain lines if they’re too long (I have a 1 & 2.5yo.) but pre-kids (and when I was a kid) I didn’t mind waiting. When my kids are a little older, I will make them wait for some things. It’s a good way to instill patience.

Our trips right now are very focused on what the kids can do - DH and I are skipping anything they can’t go on until one of them can ride it. So, that simplifies things for us significantly! We don’t have to be TOO strategic to avoid lines. (And the biggest winner on our last trip was the Country Bear Jamboree !

We also aren’t obsessed with getting on a certain number of rides or maximizing rides. There is so much more to WDW for us. I just like being there. If my kid wants to watch an entertainer on Main Street or run around the gardens at the UK pavilion or whatever and we miss a ride, I don’t care. We are DVC so we know we’ll be back every year or year and a half.

I actually have lots of fond memories from waiting in Disney lines as a kid pre-FP. Our family always had a good time. There was such a buildup of anticipation - especially when FP didn’t exist and you just waited for everything.

It's definitely different if you go frequently. But for those of us who don't, it absolutely is about getting in as much as possible. The last time I was there was 5 years ago (well, with my family - took a quick trip for a race with a friend). We will likely only take 1 more family trip here (and that's even a maybe, this could be our last time!). So, for me, planning is very important. I want to ride all the things I find fun, and all the things that are new since we've been there last (hey, is there a list of that anywhere?!). No matter how much planning, there will still be waits in line, but waiting in lines longer than 30 minutes takes too much time away from other things. So, if I can minimize those waits by planning, I will. If we were going to be back a year later, you're right, it would be far less important to get everything in.

 

[Dakota731]

I make my FP (and refresh to get what I want)

What does this mean?

 

[quandrea]

Not waiting in line helps me avoid stress. I just book my three and fill in with same day fast passes as available. It's not hard. Waiting in line would stress out my whole group. We are not a patient bunch.

 

[buzznina]

We

Just an observation that it seems many people on these boards obsess about waiting in line. Does anybody just relax and go with the flow?

Get the FP+ that you can and not stress about having to wait stand by. So much less stress.

We do and I can tell you that when we get back we do not feel like we need a vacation from our vacation, like so many other parents do. Do I like lines? No, but I try to not let stuff that I cannot control bug me while at WDW, i.e. lines, transportation being late etc. I will say people will start to get under my nerves When we are in a long line, we start playing the Disney version of Heads Up or Disney trivia games. So even in line we are still doing stuff as a family. I no longer do any touring plans and do not really find crowd calendars very accurate We also hardly do any RD anymore and much rather close the parks.

 

[SaintsManiac]

It's Disney. I expect lines and crowds.