FastPass+: The end of spontaneity at Disney World?

Disney veterans know there are some restaurants where you simply must make your reservations 180 days in advance. Fair enough; we can live with that.

Now comes word that you'll soon be able to commit to rides 60 days in advance.

As the MyMagic+ system gets closer to launch late this year, it seems clear the next step is planning your FastPasses before you leave your room -- and maybe even before you leave home.

A recent report from WDWMagic details how the program will work. In a nutshell: Two months in advance of the day you arrive, you can decide which park you want to visit on which day, and whether you want to get there early, mid-day, late or stay all day. You pick three preferred experiences at the park and get your assigned one-hour FastPass windows.

All of this may be fine for compulsive planners, but what about everyone else?

That's where a lot of my questions about how FastPass+ will work: Will the best times go fast? Will you get stuck with lunchtime and dinnertime FastPasses if you wait until the day before your visit to book times? What if you wait until getting to the park? What if the time the system spits out conflicts with your dining reservation?

I'm sure the Imagineers have thought all this through, but I'm not wild about the idea of planning which park I'll be at on which day -- two months in advance. And I'm a compulsive planner. I think vacation planning is half the fun of the trip. What will this mean for people who don't make spreadsheets for their vacations?

It won't be sad to see the end of the morning rush for Toy Story Mania FastPasses. But it would be sad if this meant the death of spontaneity at Disney World.

As much as I am a planner, there are some spur-of-the-moment things I love to do at Disney World. Here are a few of them:

Bus roulette: When we don't have plans, we'll head to the bus stop and take the first park bus that comes along, leading to a whole day of spontaneity.

Afternoon by the pool: Sometimes a perfect pool day comes along and you just can't pass it up. And you certainly can't plan for it two months in advance. But what if you have to weigh it against those coveted Toy Story Mania FastPasses?

Cocktails and a snack: There comes a time in every Disney trip when you think, "I'm hungry, I should eat, but I can't bear the idea of another sitdown meal." You can't really plan ahead when that's going to hit. But when it does, you can head to any number of lounges that serve good food. Or order a pizza and eat it on your room's balcony.

Fireworks from the beach: One of our favorite ways to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom is from the beach at the Polynesian resort. No need to plan any further ahead than the time it will take you to get there. Take a towel and sit on the beach, or get there early and snag a hammock.