How to keep it all together

[erinlees_mommie]

Ok...I am a organizer in my mind and on paper but right now I am totally overwhelmed!!
I don't usually plan around dining or anything but now that we have discovered the DP we are hooked.

We are going for 5 nights in Oct and I want to get as much out of it as we can with the DP and everything else that is going on.

Are there any easy ways to do this...LOL
I have tried opening word but I need a calander too and a million pieces of paper and early hours and late hours etc...


HHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP

We have been a million times but never with DP those have only been 2 night trips...LOL So many more options when you have 5 nights

[Tisha_PA]

I use the passporter to keep all my stuff organized. I also have several excel sheets with all my info that I print off and stick in my passporter.

[erinlees_mommie]

Originally Posted by Tisha_PA

I use the passporter to keep all my stuff organized. I also have several excel sheets with all my info that I print off and stick in my passporter.

Is there a excel sheet for it that you have found on here or is it one you made up yourself?

thanks

[Tisha_PA]

My main spreadsheet I got from TGM.

[lpizzuro123]

I use Excel sheets also. Unfortunately I no longer have this program on my laptop so I can't send you what I used but I would just create a new spreadsheet and make 9 columns. The first I would do Park, the next seven would be the days of the week and the last would be Misc.

Then going down I would make a list like this:
MK
Park Hours
Parade
Wishes
Spectro
Meals

If it was an EMH for that specific day I would color code he heading of that column, make MK EMH AM in yellow and make EMH PM in blue - etc.

I would get all the hours off the Disney websits. Have fun with it. I used to love working on it.

Linda

[raider97]

I just re-created a good one I saw on the December hours thread... look a couple of pages back from the end. I loved it!! I also made another one for parade, firework, etc. times.

Stephanie

[Maddie's Nana]

Originally Posted by erinlees_mommie

Ok...I am a organizer in my mind and on paper but right now I am totally overwhelmed!!
I don't usually plan around dining or anything but now that we have discovered the DP we are hooked.

We are going for 5 nights in Oct and I want to get as much out of it as we can with the DP and everything else that is going on.

Are there any easy ways to do this...LOL
I have tried opening word but I need a calander too and a million pieces of paper and early hours and late hours etc...


HHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP

We have been a million times but never with DP those have only been 2 night trips...LOL So many more options when you have 5 nights

There are a couple of sites with planners:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2180797

http://www.disboards.com/showthread....t=packing+list

I also found a great excel form which automatically calculated dinners used - you put in day, date, place, and amount used. It keeps track of how many you have left. I have searched for it but can't find it. It is called MYM-dinner-planner. I will keep searching and will post if I find it.

Found it: http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS...ng-Planner.xls or
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS...ng-Planner.xls



Hope this helps

[kwitcherkicken99]

I keep a small notebook (about 4x8) and write everything down, sometimes 2-3 times as I'm gathering info. Then I take 1-2 nights (depending on how much time my kids let me have...) and then organize everything in my choice program (sometimes word, sometimes excel, just depends) BY PARK!!! I'll have a separate sheet printed out of park hours and schedule from the Disney website.

Before I leave, I shove all of those papers in my Passporter (or guide book of choice) and keep them with me. I've also heard of folks writing ressie numbers down on a small card (wallet-sized) to keep with your ID and such so it's on hand at any time.

Good luck!

[lpizzuro123]

I like having everything laid out on one piece of paper (8 1/2 x 11). Right now we have AP but usually we have hoppers and this way if we are wating to see Fantasmic and something happens (either rain or some other reason we can't go that night) we can just check out the spreadsheet to see what night it will be showing again.

Linda

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I began to create itineraries when I was a Travel Agent. Now that I am in sales and travel often, I have them to tuck into the suitcase (in case it is lost), leave with family and a copy stays in the office.

Basically -- I keep it to one page. Complicated ones for Disney can sometimes stray onto the back of the page.

Day - by - day, I list all reservations, confirmation numbers, telephone numbers, flights, rental cars, etc.

Everything is listed in the order it will happen.

On days we have reservations at Disney I list, for example, the restaurant name, time, confirmation number.

Once I was sitting on one of the comfy chairs at the base of the escelator - baggage claim area - at the Orlando airport. I was meeting a friend....we were spending 3 days at the Wildie then off to FLL to pickup Royal Cairbbean's Radiance of the Seas.....air reservations, hotel, dinner reservations, car rental, cruise....it was a packed itinerary -- plus all the confirmations, etc.

My friend showed up.....my late luggage showed up on the belt and we were off to the Wildie. I had left my booklet on the chair.

My cell phone rang about 2 hours later. Lost and found had the booklet, found my number and called me.


A few years ago we traveled to WDW with a group of 16. I was basically a border collie for 5 days....but everyone had a copy of the intinerary so we knew where to meet and when.

[LilGMom]

That is the spreadsheet that I made & use for park hours and dining. When it is trip time I print it at half scale to keep in DH's wallet and in the backpack.

[lpizzuro123]

Mine looks like that but my parks go down the side and my days across the top (color coded and everything). Love doing all that planning.

Linda

[dormouse72]

I'm planning a group trip with about 16 people, so it's INSANE. I've found that it's easier for me to write everything down in a notebook (everyone's flight info, res. #, dining res. #, park opening times, EMH, etc) so I have it to flip through.

We're only 5 weeks out so I am now typing everything into my Outlook calendar, which syncs to my PDA phone - so as things come up they just automatically scroll-up on my calendar. I'm so used to it reminding me where to be for work and my kids schedule, it will be easier for my Disney-overloaded brain to have the phone "remember" for me while I have fun!

I have alerts set for all the EMH parks, 90 min prior to my dining reservations and DD#3's Bibbity Bobbity Boutique appointment (to remind me to get moving). I also put everyone's "top 5 things to do" in the memo section, so I'll remember that my Mom really wants to do Kilimanjaro safari in AK, DD#1 wants to hit American Idol, and character locations for my friend (it's his first ever trip).

I'll still bring my notebook with me for back-up....just in case

[erinlees_mommie]

OMG!! Thanks so much for all of the help!! This is going too help me out so much! I appreciate everything and the links!!