Oh, Be Nice; Disney Trip Planning Is Actually Kinda Hard

I think it’s time we stop being so dang hard on Disney newbies.

BY COMPARISON, YOU AND I ARE PLAYING PRO BALL

Do I know everything there is to know about Walt Disney World? No! But after coming up on two decades worth of trips, I’ve got a pretty darned good handle on the ins and outs of the WDW business. While there have been a LOT of changes in how it’s done over the years, I’ve been able to follow them as they dropped in real time and adapt to each individually as they happened.

I said it back in 2021 and it’s only worsened since then: Disney parkgoing has gotten COMPLICATED. Whether it has gotten too complicated is up for debate, but I will say this: I cannot imagine attempting to plan a WDW trip today starting from knowledge scratch.

Except that I have a slightly better idea now, because

PLANNING FOR DISNEYLAND STRESSED ME OUT A LITTLE

I recently spent a single day at Disneyland as part of a work conference trip. Us WDW people do have a definite leg up on the Disney disinterested, but Disneyland is a very different beast from its east coast sister. In addition to tiny-to-massive discrepancies in ride roster and geography, little details about protocol can throw the most seasoned Orlando regular off their game.

I knew this, and so I immediately dove into some furious research. I spent the better part of three evenings obsessively reading over the Disney Tourist Blog Disneyland trip planning posts. By the time I finished I felt like a had a decent handle on things, and I flatter myself that I adapted to the Disneyland terrain rather well for not having been there in over a decade.

But I didn’t do everything right. A few examples off the top of my head: I was out of practice on Lightning Lane slot procurement, didn’t pick the most advantageous ride to start my day where minutes count, and missed my first on-ride photo because I didn’t realize you have to get an app input code.

AND YET I AM PLAYING DISNEY PARKS ON EASY

The above probably doesn’t sound too bad. I’m sure my natural tendency to ratchet up the anxiety on EVERYTHING was an element of my planning stress.

Still, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be coming into Disney almost completely raw. What if you weren’t familiar with the available rides? It’s gonna take awhile to read through every description as you make your shortlist. Ditto for restaurants. Heck, what if you had to figure out what Lightning Lanes even were, let along how to use them? What is PhotoPass and how much is it and wait, hold on – will MultiPass cover that???

Where are you getting all this information, anyway? The official website? One of the eleventy billion Disney parks planning sites littering the web? How do you even know that these are the correct questions to ask?

That’s bad enough without adding kids to the mix…

DISNEY TRIP PLANNING MUST BE EVEN TOUGHER WITH KIDS

Okay, now imagine that, instead of approaching all this as a childless millennial like me, you are planning a family vacation. Now you have to figure out how all this is gonna work for your kids. What height requirements do they meet? What restaurants will have the most cross-generational appeal? Can you rent a stroller? Where? Should you get MultiPass for everyone or just some or even one member of your party? Do you even have three evenings to dedicate to Disney trip planning? I hear you have to, like, raise those kids and stuff when they’re not on vacation. Single Lightning Lanes have entered the chat.

Doesn’t that sound like an awful lot of up front work? I think it does. And if you’re not (yet) a Disney person, it may very well feel like work too. Yay chores. I may find copious Disney research to be a wonderful way to hyperfixate on a hobby, but that’s not the universal experience.

Which is why I say

LET’S STOP BEING SO JUDGMENTAL OF DISNEY NEWBIES

Oh, I’m not accusing you or anyone else of being actively mean to anybody about anything. But there’s definitely a non-zero amount of online discourse surrounding witnessing newbies in the parks making obvious (“obvious”) mistakes.

I know, I know; it can be super painful to watch a Disney tyro committing errors right in front of you. But can’t we cut people a bit of a break? I mean, sure, if they’re behaving badly, that’s one thing. Just because someone is confused doesn’t give them license to break the rules or act rude or violent.

Still, I urge everyone (and myself!) to give the puzzled and flailing a little grace. Disney parks are big and confusing, and leadership adds moving parts what sometimes feels like daily. It can be tough to keep up if you ARE a Disney aficionado.

Not to mention, these Disney trips are getting pretty expensive, which can put undue pressure on people to Have A Good Time Or Else. And vacation mode, especially when traveling to a brand new place with a lot of sensory stimulation, does funny things to the brain. When in doubt, we can be kind to our fellow Disney citizens.

THERE’S ROOM FOR EVERYONE AT UNCLE WALT’S TABLE

I believe you shouldn’t have to be a Disney aficionado to have a nice time at the parks. Management continues to add elements that demand advanced planning to really maximize enjoyment, and that can be frustrating to newbies as well as vets. When we see our compatriots in trouble, let us help them if we see an avenue to do so and our overtures are welcomed. Otherwise let them be.

And if you must tell social media about it – and I have done my fair share of kvetching in my time (yes I am also working on myself 😅) – describe the occurrence factually. No need for undue vitriol. The subject may never see it, but there’s no need to wear your crankypants in our lovely Disney enthusiast communities. It will only encourage others to put on their crankypants, and the next thing we know it’s nothing but harrumphs as far as the eye can see. And there are way too many pretty Disney clothes to stomp around wearing crankypants when you don’t have to!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!