Advance planning neurosis! Must be a newbie thing.

[Jen D]

Ahhh, life as a DVC wannabe was so simple. I made my plans for my cash paid Disney reservations, planned one vacation at a time. If I was planning 2004 I wasn't thinking about 2005.

Even when I planned using the points for my hypothetical DVC ownership it was so simple, mapping out the possibilities, banking and borrowing imaginary points. Nothing at stake, no banking deadlines looming.

Now have 48 years of vacations staring me in the face, and all I can do is stress!

When to go next? August is too soon. Thanksgiving borderline but plane tickets are already expensive. And if we do go Thanksgiving then we really blew it not upgrading to APs our last trip. President's Week would be great but points are high and I hated the weather this past February. Okay, well, let's settle on President's Week just the same. We have to use the banked points by July and February works the best. OK, Settled!

But what about all the new points coming in August 2007? Dying to go to Hilton Head while the kids are the right age. And have to figure out how to fit in that Disney Cruise. Need to wait until my son is comfortably potty trained but daughter isn't too old to be into a Disney cruise. And then there is that Grand Villa we're getting with my sister's family... but 2008 is so far away. If we're cruising in 2008 we'd better do the Grand Villa in 2009. Better make that 2010, we'll have to take a year off to bank points. And my dd will be 13-- a teenager. Suddenly I am faced with the reality of my own mortality and vacation planning goes out the window. I think I need a drink.

Anyone else feel overwhelmed by all the planning? I think I must be hormonal or something.

Let me clarify... the planning itself is not hard. What is hard for me is sitting here in 2006 rationally trying to think about what I'll be doing in 2009!

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I can relate completely to your post.

 

[DanenRox]

Listen, I can overplan a trip to the bathroom. I hear life will be easier with DVC, but I've yet to feel the "ease". Of course, I've yet to actually own a DVC, as we are still waiting for closing documents to arrive. Being unable to make reservations for our September vacation, not knowing exactly when or where we'll be staying, it's all kind of killing me. I feel like I've given up a bit of control, which is not something I'm used to abandoning. I'm trying though to find enjoyment in the unknown...

 

[jenelope]

I have yet to actually take my first DVC vacation (53 days! Yahoo!), but I've already got the second and third definitely planned and am thinking about number four. I keep telling myself to chill out because I've got 48 years to plan, but the little gears in my brain labeled "Disney Vacation" just refuse to slow down.

 

[conciergekelly]

Your post is . I do the same thing. My hubby thinks I am . I can sit at the computer and play around on the Casbill planner for hours. I looked at my account on line and I can't believe how many times I have changed my miind. So few points so many places to go!

 

[jdvm]

Don't know that I would qualify as an old pro but I can say that as you begin to make multiple trips to your new "second home" you may slowly find yourself shifting out of commando mode toward relax mode. Things like a quite morning drinking coffee on your balcony, a sunset cruise to Downtown Disney or a couple of hours chilling out in your jacuzzi become more important. Just keep repeating relax, relax, relax....the parks will still be there....relax

 

[canda]

it is not just a DVC thing. Or maybe DVC has trained me for all trips to plan.
I was telling my spouse to decide if we are going to go to the conference at WDW in DEC. It would be at CSR. I told her to decide now because it would only give me 8 months to plan.

 

[LisaS]

I can relate. I used to plan WDW trips about 5 months out. At that time I would book a room and plane reservations and the only other deadline I needed to think about was when I could start making ADRs.

Now that we've joined DVC, we have also switched to Southwest as our preferred airline (less expensive, avoids flying out of Boston). So now I'm booking rooms at 11 months, possibly switching resorts at 7 months, booking ADRs at 6 months and booking airfare at 4 months. Doing that for one trip is confusing enough but I have 3 trips booked in the next 12 months so keeping track of the various deadlines for each one of those is a bit overwhelming! I'm afraid I'm going to forget something really important, like making flight reservations for one of those trips -- I'll have everything arranged: accommodations, meals, rental car -- but no way to get to Orlando!

Throw in point banking deadlines and I'm just about over the edge here!

 

[Jen D]

Glad I'm not alone.

Hmm, maybe I'll pretend I just bought an add-on of 120 points or so and see how that changes my five year plan... interesting....

 

[Deemarch]

Right now we have the vacations below planned...So I'm stressing about getting an AP in October & go to WDW in May 2007 or just go for MYW Tix for the 8 days in Oct. & go to Disneyland in May 2007 instead (not using points but my TA benefits). Since DH really doesn't like to fly, I'm leaning towards WDW but I just don't know...AUGH!!!