A Whole New World

So this morning my house was filled with the unhappy crescendo of "No!!! NOOOOOO!!!!" NOOOOOO!!!" Followed by much swearing and other things that shouldn't be repeated. What was the cause of this crisis? I had received my "Introducing MyMagic+" pamphlet from Walt Disney World, and was being shoved into A Whole New World, like an unwillingly genie into a new yucky bottle.

The arrival of this pamphlet caused much discontent.

For those of you who aren't up on Disney news, MyMagic+ is the new streamlined ticket/payment/FastPass system that uses RFID wristbands to govern your park experience. It allows Disney to track traffic patterns, adjust their staffing to accommodate the load, and generally create a more seamless experience.

Except.

Mental NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! echoing in my head...

This is my new planning nightmare because of the FastPass+ system. Instead of going into a park on the day of and collecting tickets that take you to the front of the line, you now get to book them 60 days in advance. Now, it's I'm a self-confessed OCD planner. Ninety percent of the arguments in my house happen because I think January is a perfectly reasonable time to book hotels and buy flights for Christmas because that's when you have the most options. Get a jump on the crowds. Grab those tickets before they're gone. The reservation system is open, and people like me get the most out of it while the slackers lose out. SUCKERS!!! Countries have been invaded with less planning than I put into my trips. I am a Planner. 

It seems like I should love that FastPass+ will let me grab FASTPASSes a whole two months ahead. So what's missing here?

Planners (at least, planners like me) don't plan because we want to. We plan because we feel like we have to. Not planning will put you behind all the other people who got their act together early, sat down, and figured out what they wanted. The fact that FASTPASS planning wasn't possible until the day of the park relieved me of one of the burdens of planning. OCD planners like me get to enjoy very little spontaneity, and the Disney vacation was one of them. Now they are taking it away, and I am very, very sad.

There's also a certain joy in the anticipation that builds the morning before a day at the park. You sit at breakfast with your family talking about the rides you want to do that day. You stand at rope drop making plans - "I'll run for the California Screamin' rope drop while you make a beeline for Toy Story Mania." All of this builds a sense of excitement for the day, and is part of the park experience. 

I have a hard time imagining getting that excited sitting down with my family 60 days before our visit planning what we're going to do. I have a hard time imagining that I can get my family to even participate in this conversation. Two whole months before the visit is not when anyone knows what time they want to ride Space Mountain. 

SO. Here we are now in this Whole New World. I'm not closed to the possibility that it will be wonderful. Some people online say that they love sleeping in knowing that they can still get on rides because they don't have to get their FASTPASS before it's gone. I'm sure my husband will love that. (The sleeping in, not the planning 60 days early.) But it is a game changer with some pros and what I think are many cons. There are a ton of bugs to be worked out.

Of course, this means that it's a whole new research project for me. New technology challenges, new behaviors, new systems of crazy-fan behavior, different constituencies all trying to grapple with this behemoth of a system to figure out how to make it work for them. Time for me to plan my Disney World research run.