Disney too expensive (Orlando, Christmas: construction, food, ticket)

[Bellamouse]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

You pretty much are never going to get a fp in advance on the most popular/newest rides unless you are staying at a Disney resort where the window opens up earlier.

Well that's simply not true. We are able to get FP in the 30 day window all the time. We are AP holders and live nearby and have no problems getting on the "good" rides. My spouse has ridden flight of passage probably 10 times already. We have a much harder time with 7 dwarves mine train but have been able to do that too.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Bellamouse

Well that's simply not true. We are able to get FP in the 30 day window all the time. We are AP holders and live nearby and have no problems getting on the "good" rides. My spouse has ridden flight of passage probably 10 times already. We have a much harder time with 7 dwarves mine train but have been able to do that too.

Probably less hard now since those rides have been open for awhile now.

Let me know how it works out for you when the new star wars land and rides open

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Probably less hard now since those rides have been open for awhile now.

Let me know how it works out for you when the new star wars land and rides open

You seem to be diverting now... it went from you can't get any fast passes for any popular rides and you'll be waiting hours per ride on average... to well okay fine, you can get fast passes and not wait hours in line for the average ride... but but when star wars opens!!! lol come on now, so umm yeah... there will only be 1 star wars ride at opening followed by 1 more in December, not a big deal if you don't feel like waiting in line or waiting until the popularity goes down.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

You seem to be diverting now... it went from you can't get any fast passes for any popular rides and you'll be waiting hours per ride on average... to well okay fine, you can get fast passes and not wait hours in line for the average ride... but but when star wars opens!!! lol come on now, so umm yeah... there will only be 1 star wars ride at opening followed by 1 more in December, not a big deal if you don't feel like waiting in line or waiting until the popularity goes down.

I couldn't get fast passes even last year for the avatar flight ride in advance. Takes a few years for interest to die down, even that other poster admitted it was a problem on some rides, like mine train

[bUU]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

It's 1:30 pm and Avatar the most popular ride at Disney World is 145 minutes long mid-day August.

You do realize that many Southern school districts, including the district here in Forsyth County, Georgia, have already been back in session for a week. The biggest summer crowds are already gone. The entirety of August is "Average Crowds" and "Below Avg. Crowds" (and even a touch of "Light Crowds") in that calendar that we're talking about here in this thread.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

There is not a single ride that has a wait time over 240 minutes right now and yet you claim to expect 240+, yes PLUS if you come during peak seasons. Maybe Avatar will get 240+ for a portion of the day on a weekend or when it was new, but that is 1 ride out of how many at Disney World?

You seem to have forgotten what we were talking about. What I said in the message to which you replied was:

Originally Posted by bUU

Just don't let your expectations go off the rails. "Light Crowds" generally means a 45+ minute standby wait for the blockbuster attractions ... that is "light" compared to the 240+ minute standby wait that you can expect during those "Above Avg. Crowds" periods.

Disney guests, especially those who don't visit Disney often, sometimes place extraordinary focus on their experience with specific attractions. They figure that they're going to breeze onto top-tier attractions because they were "smart" and decided to visit the week after Independence Day, and then they're shocked that in order to visit the five or six attractions that they've heard of and therefore "must" visit, they're making an investment of about ten hours waiting in line spread over the too-few days that they've decided to visit. Your comments do not respect that natural tendency.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I'm willing to bet you, you can give me one of these rides and I'll be able to find a a few days I can lock in right now through the app within 5 minutes lol.

Again: The entirety of August is "Average Crowds" and "Below Avg. Crowds" (and even a touch of "Light Crowds") in that calendar that we're talking about here in this thread. Let's do this on September 13, trying to get a FastPass for these attractions during the week of October 12-19, when "Above Avg. Crowds" is set back up for us (specifically on dates when the calendar shows that the park that the attraction is in is colored Orange in the calendar, not Yellow). And then let's try it again on October 12, to reflect the experience of those guests who don't realize that they have to plan everything they want to do far in advance.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I'm not arguing lines are short at Disney

However, you are desperately trying to browbeat away the warnings that should be given to those unfamiliar with the crowds at Disney.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

they aren't but you thinking 45+ average wait during low seasons and 240+ average wait for high season is ridiculous lol.

Except it is the reality for the "blockbuster attractions" when there are "Above Avg. Crowds".

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Or that you can't get fast passes with an annual pass to the rides like soarin, toy story mania, tower, etc is also false.

No, it isn't "false". It is like I implied it is: more difficult:

Originally Posted by bUU

during school holidays

[bUU]

Originally Posted by Bellamouse

We are AP holders and live nearby and have no problems getting on the "good" rides. My spouse has ridden flight of passage probably 10 times already. We have a much harder time with 7 dwarves mine train but have been able to do that too.

And locals really have an advantage in that they can try day after day until they hit on a day where there is an opening 30 days later. Vacationers flying in for a fixed four- or five- day vacation don't have that luxury.

[bmw335xi]

August is considered a peak time and I even chose a Saturday. My gf’s sister and her friend came to visit in July, which actually has black out dates for certain passes and yet we got all the popular rides besides the select big ones I mentioned (actually we got Na’vi even and that was a Saturday and Sunday in July). I’m sorry, but I’ve had an annual pass for the last 4 years straight. Probably go 2-4x per month on average, so I have a feeling just a slight feeling I probably have a better understanding about wait times and fast pass availability than someone who visits once per year or maybe not even that often. And like I said anyone can download the app.

[Bellamouse]

Originally Posted by bUU

And locals really have an advantage in that they can try day after day until they hit on a day where there is an opening 30 days later. Vacationers flying in for a fixed four- or five- day vacation don't have that luxury.

We didn't always live here. And we always stayed off property so didn't get the 60 day window. Getting dining reservations was my bigger problem in those days (we cared more about eating than rides back then). I spent hours checking for open ADRs for my favorite places. I always got them eventually. It is the same with FPs. You just have to spend a ton of time checking over and over and over. Often, you can have the best luck checking the day before or the day of. That's when a lot of people change their plans last minute. I have gotten FPs while checking while walking around the park. But you have to snatch them up because if you don't immediately take them, they're gone.

I dislike the whole system in general - I preferred just going and winging my day in the park. But that's not likely ever coming back so we are stuck with micro-planning/organizing our time in the parks way in advance. And that means LOTS of time spent refreshing and searching for dining reservations and Fast passes.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

August is considered a peak time

No it isn't. Refer to the link provide earlier in the thread. Take a look which months are predominantly red and orange. (Hint: August isn't one of them.)

And if you don't like that resource, find some resource, any resource, other than you own personal opinion, that agrees with you putting August alongside or above July, Christmas, or Easter.


Here's another one for you:

https://wdwprepschool.com/disney-world-crowd-calendar/
-> Heavy crowds primarily during June, July, F&W festival, Christmas/New Years, Easter.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I’m sorry, but I’ve had an annual pass for the last 4 years straight.

And I've been visiting Walt Disney World since the 1980s and follow matters like crowding there closely - clearly more closely than you, at least.

[bmw335xi]

And yet you don’t seem to know anything about wait times. Like I said, how much do you want to wager? I can find fast passes for 3 popular rides at each of the 4 parks in 5 minutes or less. There are only a handful of days in the entire year that will be unavailable for passholders. And as I already said, I already did it on Saturday and Sunday in July (4th if july weekend) and did it a few times before and after that too. You either are lying or don’t know how to use technology, if you’ve been going routinely since the 80s I could give you a Disney planning lesson if you like? It’s never too late to learn how to plan.