To Plan or not to plan

[PeachPrincess]

We will be making our second trip to WDW spring 2014 and I am already starting to make plans for our trip. What I am wondering is how much planning do I need to do when we visit the parks? The first time I went was with someone who goes to WDW often and had a full itinerary mapped out. I hardly remember anything about the parks because we spent the whole day rushing from one attraction to another each day, making sure we didn't miss a single show. I didn't get to really enjoy being there. I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I felt so rushed all the time and felt like I didn't get to enjoy much of the magic. The kids had a blast regardless...but they don't remember much either. I want a memory that will last. I thought of going and just enjoying the day and do whatever comes up. Not be real leisurely but also not worrying about what we might miss. We do plan to eat breakfast in the room, visit a park each day, go back to the room for lunch and a nap and/or pool time and then go back to the park, dinner at the park but as of right now we won't have any adr. We also won't be doing PH. Other than that I don't plan to have a plan...lol. Is there any logic to that? Would we be crazy to go without some sort of plan? If so what would be a good plan that would not involve us rushing everywhere? I just want to be able to take in all the sights and sounds of WDW fully and let my kids just awe at the magic! (myself too )

 

[W.E.D.]

You can be as intense with the planning as you want to be. Sounds like you need a really basic plan. We usually know what park on what day, and make our ADRs around that schedule. That's about it. We just go with the flow otherwise. If you want some TS meals you should really make ADRs as that is the norm anymore with the dining plans, etc.

You might consider Park Hoppers, if you want to see one park in the morning and maybe grab an ADR at a restaurant in another park later in the day. We swear by them, but others don't find them necessary.

 

[rwdavis2]

The most planning we do is choose which park each day and make any ADRs we may want in that park. Once we pick a park we decide which, if any, show we may want to see and then work the rest of the day around that. If we miss something we're not going to stress it.

Getting there at rope drop makes everything easier. It sounds like you have the right idea already. I think trying to plan out a day ride by ride in order is crazy.

 

[minnie mum]

This is the typical WDW dilemma- to plan out each day in detail or to just go with what grabs you at that moment. I'm one of those who believe in the old saying that "failing to plan is planning to fail". The minimum amount of planning that I am comfortable with is to plan which park each day and our ADRs based on crowd predictions (I use easywdw.com for that).

I also use touring plans (used to use the ones in the Unofficial Guide, now I use touringplans.com). However we don't use them as a cast iron battle plan. Nor do we try to follow any rigid timetable. But they give you a very handy sequence to follow to maximize touring efficiency. We just follow the guide at our own pace, stopping for a snack, a short rest, or whatever, whenever we feel like it. We've found that this works well for us. But we never travel during the busiest times of the year.

I think that some type of plan, even the most casual ones that lay out your park priorities for the day, are essential for those guests who aren't park veterans. Helps avoid the age old "What do you want to do next?" - "I don't know, what do YOU want to do next?". And can also help you avoid some of the longest standby queues on rides that may be a high priority for your family.

 

[JimmyV]

I just want to be able to take in all the sights and sounds of WDW fully and let my kids just awe at the magic! (myself too )

It depends a bit on when you are going. A "plan" can be no more complicated than making it to the park at Rope Drop (opening). So many problems can be solved by that one "trick". But if you are going at a really crowded time of the year, be careful. Sometimes the "sights and sounds of WDW" can become screaming parents, cranky kids, and the visual of 100,000 people all crushing their way through the park. There is no way to "stop and smell the roses" under these circumstances if you do not have a plan. If you are going at a peak time and want to have a nice sit-down dinner, you really do need to make an ADR or two in advance. No harm in doing so. You can always cancel if you change your mind. And if you go when it is crowded, you do need to follow a "basic strategy" of visiting the most popular attractions early in the day. You can't march into DHS on a busy day and decide to get into the Toy Story Mania line "later in the day when the line gets shorter" because it won't. Do you need to plan out your day minute by minute? No. But employing a simple strategy of hitting the major attractions before 11:00 will allow you to enjoy the sights and sounds of WDW a whole lot more.

 

[jcraig]

I am planning a lot in order to be flexible. We have plan B and C for just about anything that might pop up. We have park hoppers and we don't do many ADRs, so we are ready to go!

 

[DaniMoon]

I am having the same dilemma for October of this year. We are going for 10 days, I plan 4 or 5 character breakfasts and that will be it for ADRs. I do plan to use easywdw and touring plans to decide which parks are best for each day. I also have at least one down day, and I don't know when that will be, that will depend on how well my kids (who will be 5&6 at the time of the trip). I am hoping for RP every morning, but my youngest likes to sleep late, so if we have a cranky kid after a couple early mornings, that may change. I'm planning to be fluid, I know what I want to get done and with 9 days in the park I think I can do it.

What is really getting me anxious is the FastPass+ and scheduling FastPass before we go. I keep waiting to see how that is being implemented as we get closer to October.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

We plan park and ADR for each day other than that we are very flexible with our plans. We do park hop and we like it. If we do decide we do not want a certain park that day but we have an ADR at that park for dinner we are able to change our plans and still go to our desired dinner reservation.

This system has worked for us for 7 trips and we will so the same for our upcoming 8th trip.

I think what ever you want to do will be best. Only you know your family and your vacation style.

 

[PeachPrincess]

It depends a bit on when you are going. A "plan" can be no more complicated than making it to the park at Rope Drop (opening). So many problems can be solved by that one "trick". But if you are going at a really crowded time of the year, be careful. Sometimes the "sights and sounds of WDW" can become screaming parents, cranky kids, and the visual of 100,000 people all crushing their way through the park. There is no way to "stop and smell the roses" under these circumstances if you do not have a plan. If you are going at a peak time and want to have a nice sit-down dinner, you really do need to make an ADR or two in advance. No harm in doing so. You can always cancel if you change your mind. And if you go when it is crowded, you do need to follow a "basic strategy" of visiting the most popular attractions early in the day. You can't march into DHS on a busy day and decide to get into the Toy Story Mania line "later in the day when the line gets shorter" because it won't. Do you need to plan out your day minute by minute? No. But employing a simple strategy of hitting the major attractions before 11:00 will allow you to enjoy the sights and sounds of WDW a whole lot more.

Unfortunately we are going in May because it's the only time my dd's family can go. I wanted to go in October of this year but we just found out my dd is expecting and due at the end of Oct. So we made it for the following May, the baby will be about 7 months by then. But our school system lets in mid May where most other places is June. So I am hoping it won't be too bad. We are leaving the weekend that school lets out for the summer.
We most likely will not do a TS meal because my youngest ds is autistic and does not do well with sit down meals in public, which is the main reason we will do breakfast and lunch at the room. Gives him a break and and gets us out of the heat. Not to mention cheaper..lol. My oldest dd would like to go to Cinderella's Table (?) but I figured dd1 (23) and dd2 (13) can do a big sis lil sis thing together. But yeah I see your point in having some sort of plan laid out.

 

[jgh]

I think you're perfectly fine doing as much or as little planning as you want.

Personally, the only planning we do is based on Extra Magic Hours...we go to whichever park opens earliest usually. Sometimes if it's a busy time of the year we go off crowd calendars but we've never had too much luck with them being right.

Other than that, we totally wing our whole trips. We like it that way. We don't do ADR, we don't plan which rides we want to do and what order we want to do them. Really we're just like, "Hey, I let's go ride ___" or "Let's go to another park now!". The freedom of doing what we want is great.

 

[toddinboston]

The most planning we do is choose which park each day and make any ADRs we may want in that park. Once we pick a park we decide which, if any, show we may want to see and then work the rest of the day around that. If we miss something we're not going to stress it.

Getting there at rope drop makes everything easier. It sounds like you have the right idea already. I think trying to plan out a day ride by ride in order is crazy.

This sums it up nicely...

 

[JimmyV]

Unfortunately we are going in May .

May is actually not terrible as long as you can avoid Memorial Day.

 

[PeachPrincess]

May is actually not terrible as long as you can avoid Memorial Day.

We will be going home Sunday May 25, next day is Memorial Day.

 

[msmama]

I certainly don't think you need a plan, BUT you need to know strategies for getting to do what you want.

For instance, if you want to do Enchanted Tales with Belle, but don't want to wait hours in the sun, you're going to want to race there at Rope Drop (apparently).

My "plan" consists of knowing the 5 (or 3 if I'm going during a busier time or 1 per person, or whatever works best for you) most important things to do every day (could be rides, attractions, characters, etc). We don't necessarily do those things first, but I have it planned out in my head how to accomplish those things.

 

[bagsmom]

Unfortunately we are going in May because it's the only time my dd's family can go. I wanted to go in October of this year but we just found out my dd is expecting and due at the end of Oct. So we made it for the following May, the baby will be about 7 months by then. But our school system lets in mid May where most other places is June. So I am hoping it won't be too bad. We are leaving the weekend that school lets out for the summer.
We most likely will not do a TS meal because my youngest ds is autistic and does not do well with sit down meals in public, which is the main reason we will do breakfast and lunch at the room. Gives him a break and and gets us out of the heat. Not to mention cheaper..lol. My oldest dd would like to go to Cinderella's Table (?) but I figured dd1 (23) and dd2 (13) can do a big sis lil sis thing together. But yeah I see your point in having some sort of plan laid out.

Just wanted to hop on here and say that we went in May of 2009 when our GA schools got out! It was great! There was definitely a nice difference in crowd levels between May and June!

 

[danceintherain]

I think that some type of plan, even the most casual ones that lay out your park priorities for the day, are essential for those guests who aren't park veterans. Helps avoid the age old "What do you want to do next?" - "I don't know, what do YOU want to do next?". And can also help you avoid some of the longest standby queues on rides that may be a high priority for your family.

It depends a bit on when you are going. A "plan" can be no more complicated than making it to the park at Rope Drop (opening). So many problems can be solved by that one "trick". But if you are going at a really crowded time of the year, be careful. Sometimes the "sights and sounds of WDW" can become screaming parents, cranky kids, and the visual of 100,000 people all crushing their way through the park. There is no way to "stop and smell the roses" under these circumstances if you do not have a plan. If you are going at a peak time and want to have a nice sit-down dinner, you really do need to make an ADR or two in advance. No harm in doing so. You can always cancel if you change your mind. And if you go when it is crowded, you do need to follow a "basic strategy" of visiting the most popular attractions early in the day. You can't march into DHS on a busy day and decide to get into the Toy Story Mania line "later in the day when the line gets shorter" because it won't. Do you need to plan out your day minute by minute? No. But employing a simple strategy of hitting the major attractions before 11:00 will allow you to enjoy the sights and sounds of WDW a whole lot more.

I certainly don't think you need a plan, BUT you need to know strategies for getting to do what you want.

For instance, if you want to do Enchanted Tales with Belle, but don't want to wait hours in the sun, you're going to want to race there at Rope Drop (apparently).

My "plan" consists of knowing the 5 (or 3 if I'm going during a busier time or 1 per person, or whatever works best for you) most important things to do every day (could be rides, attractions, characters, etc). We don't necessarily do those things first, but I have it planned out in my head how to accomplish those things.

I suggest familiarizing yourself with the parks before you go, and try to make a list of your must do attractions. That way you will at least have a general idea of where to go once you get to the parks.
EasyWDW has some good tips that will help guide you in the right direction.

In general, I tend to plan out my mornings fairly detailed, but leave the afternoons and evenings more open. That way we get to do most of what we want, but we also have some time to relax a little and enjoy the ambiance.

What is really getting me anxious is the FastPass+ and scheduling FastPass before we go. I keep waiting to see how that is being implemented as we get closer to October.

Try having a trip planned for April. I have a feeling I'm going to get stuck in the middle of the switchover.

 

[Mike2023]

The only thing you can really do wrong when it comes to planning is booking your vacation and then just showing up. You have already done more then that so its all good.

I would take a few things into account. How long is your trip? When do you plan on being back? Would you be upset or disappointed if you did not get to do everything you wanted to do? Those questions will go along way to helping you decide.

If everything is a must, then the more planning the better. I think touring plans are crazy when it comes to each day in the park, but you can't argue there effectiveness when it comes to getting the most "attraction time" for your buck.

When it comes to my family we tend to go for 14 - 19 nights in any given trip and we go once each year, or maybe every other year. Point is, we know we will be back and we know we have lots of time so no need for us to rush. We Plan our ADRs, and then work our park days around them. We always start with MK and end with MK as thats the park we enjoy most. But really thats all we do. We normally his the parks early, back to the hotel around 1 or 2 for a swim or nap, then back out for dinner and shut the parks down.

My only real advice for you is that the less planning you do will require you to be more flexible while on your vacation. IMO Park Hoppers are a must for those that don't plan. You want to be able to get out of a park if it just ends up being really busy.

 

[Gamegrl1]

My plan is fairly basic and the only structure is:
- know which park on which day (to avoid morning EMH as we're not hopping)
- schedule 4 ADRs (over 5 days)
- Pick our "A-list" and "B-list" rides, attractions and shows and try to do at least the A-list ones...anything other than A & B is gravy.

Other than that I'm studying the DISboards, getting tips from a friend who's a frequent WDW visitor, familiarizing myself with what each ride/attraction and show is like and shortly before the trip I'll be studying the park maps in detail to get a good idea of the layout of the place.

Then we try to arrive before park opening with an idea of the "biggies" and know when the shows are and do those first. (And restrain ourselves from going commando!) A certain level of playing by ear is needed because sometimes rides break down. Another goal is to have more CM & character interaction because that's one of the things I remember most about our trips to Disneyland.

 

[DisNikki]

You've gotten some great advice already! I'd just like to echo the "familiarize yourself with the parks and attractions" tip. There's nothing worse than arriving at the park and spending 20 minutes studying the map trying to figure out where to go and what you might see when you get there. Staring at a map won't help you take in the sights, sounds and smells

I understand not wanting to go commando with every minute planned out. Like someone else said, get to know the strategies: knowing that Toy Story Mania HAS a Fastpass option but that it usually runs out before noon will help you understand that you either need to get there early to get a FP if it's a must do OR be prepared to wait for 60+ min in standby OR just skip it. Any of those options is good...whatever works for you that day. But at least you won't walk up at 5 pm and be shocked that there isn't a FP available and the wait is super long

We tend to super plan the mornings because we can get everything done that is a "must do" in that time. Then in the afternoon or evening we can repeat what we liked or people watch or whatever.

As for ADRs, I don't think it hurts to familiarize yourself with the options. If you find that none of the character meals or other table service restaurants appeals to you, then no worries on the reservations. If you have any picky eaters or allergies then you might want to look through menus beforehand to get an idea of the places you might like to eat, even if it's counter service. That way you don't walk up to whatever you're closest to when you're hungry and find that they don't have anything you like. This can also help with budgeting...

Basically I think planning is very different from being prepared. Writing out a minute by minute schedule is very different from knowing the park layout, which rides your shortest child can and can't go on (saw you had a 4 year old step grand son - might not be tall enough for everything?), and a few ideas of places to eat.

Hope that helps!

 

[JustAKid]

I have only 2 cents, so here they are...

I have never been to WDW, but I joined these boards when I was wanting to visit Disneyland for the first time in my adult life. It was really hard, initially, for me not to get caught up in what everyone else said, how they did it, etc. I mean, SO MANY people were saying the same thing, how could they be wrong? In a way, I kind of felt as if I didn't do what everyone else was, that I was doing it wrong.

I got my head from out of places it shouldn't be and went with who my family is, what we like to do, and my best guess as to what would be the best for us.

We just aren't the planning type. We're too chaotic, and we take forever to do the simplest things, and a plan would have gone into the pooper. HOWEVER!!! I could not imagine going into Disneyland without a rough plan. I knew which days would be spent where, what restaurants were available to us, how long we were looking to stand in the lines for the attractions we most wanted to do, etc. I used it as a compass, and to gently steer my family into things that we'd have more fun doing. Why wait in a 45 minute line for one thing, when we could ride this other thing 4 times, and come back to the one thing later and not wait at all? Disneyland is a drop in the bucket of WDW's pool. Take it from a NON-planning family - if you can't plan, EDUCATE!

As long as you go into the parks making educated decisions, you can't go wrong. If you KNOW you will be standing in line for 45 minutes to do the one thing when you could be doing 4 other things, but standing in that 45 minute line is what is best for you and yours, who is anyone to tell you that how you do it is wrong?! Do what you want, what they want, and remember, the whole thing started with a dream, and a mouse. If that ain't magic, I don't know what is.