And yet people do it, year after year. Maybe a new person who wants to know what their going to do once they get there. What infuriates my mind is when regular visitors start planning out every second of their trip. Go to the Trip Planning threads and see for yourself. It is absolutely happening.
It is. And just because someone wouldn't spend that much on a trip to a Six Flags or Busch Gardens park, doesn't mean it's any different that spending it on a Disney amusement park trip. We super-fans have deluded themselves into thinking it's more than a theme park. But it's not. It's just fancier.
I can't believe it actually infuriates your mind that people are doing something they love. It really is not something that should be a blip on your radar to be honest. My vacation is my vacation, and I will plan it how I want to plan it. You cannot tell me that you would be able to just wing it with 14 people on 4 different reservations and dining plan with table service meals almost every day for 10 days. It just doesn't happen. Please don't trouble yourself over my vacation plans.
P.S. If I wanted to go to an amusement park, I'd head on over to Cedar Point or Geauga Lake. Fact is, I like the overall experience...relaxing at the resorts, boating to DTD, shopping, rides, meals, characters, fireworks, parades, etc... I will get none of that at my local amusement parks.
Why do you care how much other people are planning? I make extremely detailed touring plans because I enjoy doing it. It's like working a puzzle for me. We don't always follow them exactly as written, but I like having them. For us, it helps eliminate the whole "What do you want to do?" "I don't know. What do you want to do?" routine, which I hate.
Different people plan to different degrees. Some people like to plan every detail, some people hate the idea of any kind of plan at all. Most people fall somewhere between the two extremes. There's no right or wrong way to do it.
I can't understand why it infuriates you that other people don't vacation exactly the way you do.
Speak it sister! I don't understand it either. If someone else wants to pay for my trip, then they can plan or not plan my vacation however they want to. Since I am paying for it, I will plan until I feel the details are all taken care of.
Like you, I too am a Disney "veteran", though it's clear to see which of the two camps you fall into. Otherwise it wouldn't have struck such a nerve.
I'll be at Disney World from Dec 11-15. Here's my well-though out agenda:
Dec 11 - Land, concert at the Amway Arena 3pm, maybe Mickey's Christmas Party
Dec 12 - Maybe visit some resorts, then visit the outlets and who knows what else.
Dec 13 - Walk from Villas at Wilderness Lodge over to TTC, monotrail to Epcot for the morning, Character breakfast at 10:30 at Magic Kingdom, then Animal Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios
Dec 14 - Universal Studios, then maybe Christmas party if I'm in the mood and didn't feel like going on Sunday
Dec 15 - Walk over to DTD from Saratoga Springs, then maybe resorts or shop in Orlando until I drive back to the airport for my 9:30 flight
Honestly, that's it. Five days, one single ADR, and that is the crux of my touring plan. If anyone out there actually BUYS touring plans, I am willing to sell this one for 13-cents. Though please take note that, by that time, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra ticket from Sunday will have already been used.
Point is, once you've been there once, maybe twice, is there a need to plan out every single move you're making? On Tuesday, I know I'll be seeing all four parks. Not sure what time I'll be at each park, outside of needing to be at MK in time for breakfast, and truthfully it doesn't matter. I'm not sure which day, if any, I will be at the Christmas party, so I haven't purchased a ticket. One ADR and only the loosest of agendas. And I arrive in less than a month. Should I be concerned? Of course not. Am I going to have any less of an enjoyable time than those who feel the need to chart and graph their entire trip, beginning to end, and they've been there nine times so far? I don't think so.
Oy! It sounds to me like you are taking exactly no kids with you. I am taking 8 kids and 6 adults who go to Disney to act like kids. I would NEVER do 4 parks in one day! What????

Now I am in the planning stages right now, so I don't have exact times for my meals yet, but will have them nailed down in a couple months. Here's what mine looks like:
10/18/12: Either fly in on this date or drive in on the day before, not sure yet. Hollywood Studios, Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose 3 reservations split into groups of 5,4,and 5, Fantasmic at 7:30 (hopefully)
10/19: Magic Kingdom, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for 6 girls, Cinderella's Royal Table reservation for 14, and
MNSSHP
10/20:Animal Kingdom, boat to DTD for dinner at T-REX, reservation for 14
10/21: EPCOT, Akershus Princess Story Hour Breakfast reservation for 14, Open schedule the rest of the day, but still at EPCOT
10/22: Magic Kingdom EMH (as predicted by Touring plans), O'Hana at the Polynesian reservation for 14
10/23: Hollywood Studios, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater 3 reservations split into 4,5, and 5
10/24:Open schedule, whatever park we want, and possibly Chip and Dale's campfire at Wilderness: extended family leaving the 7 of us to go elsewhere.
10/25:Hollywood Studios: 50's Prime Time reservation for 7
10/26: EPCOT: Le Cellier (we hope)
10/27:MK with no reservations
10/28: Epcot: Teppan Edo
I don't think that's an overly planned schedule b/c there are a lot of places that we can do whatever we want. We just know where we are going, and where we are eating at a certain time. It is a necessary thing for us seeing as we have table service (which we love) nearly every day. There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe I am just less judgemental b/c I don't care how you plan your vacation b/c it's yours. Just back up off of how I plan mine. I have a large family that I enjoy spending time with. You may not enjoy making t-shirts with your family, but I do. My kids look forward to it, so I do it.
To further prove my point, there is a thread in this (
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2137278) section where someone was asking for a template to be used on index cards to help them plan/organize their trip. There are 33 pages (not RESPONSES, PAGES) of people following that post with "Can I have that too?" Am I expected to be believe that every single one of those people in the 33 posts is going for their very first time? C'mon. At what point is it really necessary to dip into your pocket, pull out a stack of index cards, and figure out what hour, minute, and second you were scheduled to be arriving at Animal Kingdom?
Why do they only get to use index cards on their first trip? Is this a rule you've made up? I made a set (I didn't use a template) for my last trip that just told me what our reservations were, the confirmation numbers, and who had to sit in what group b/c of the entitlements being split onto 4 different reservations. It was important for me to be able to say: "ok, you have two adults and two kids on your KTTW, so pick any two kids to sit with you." It had to be done that way b/c of the different ages and dining entitlements. I took all the confusion out of the process by doing this, and it was, in fact, very helpful to pull out my LAMINATED (ooh I knew you'd love that.) index cards and see how we needed to be split. Out of our 8 kids going, this year all but two will be considered on the adult plan, so it makes a difference who they sit with. If you don't use the dining plan, which I see you don't, you wouldn't know what it takes to sort it out. So yes, I do use my index cards, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE laminating them and putting them on a keyring!!!
Right, but what you're not getting is the fact that some people enjoy doing that. They aren't doing it because it's necessary, they're doing it because they want to. They feel that it improves their vacation. I understand that not everyone wants to plan their trips to the extent that I do. I also understand that there are people who plan even more obsessively than I do. There's no wrong or right way to do it. Why do you fell that everyone should vacation exactly the way you do?
And, to answer your last question, I don't think most people follow their touring plans to the minute. It's more like a safety net. It helps you organize your thoughts and see what you need to skip if you do find yourself taking longer than you anticipated. Some people are just wired that way. We like to be able to see a plan in writing. I find going without a plan just as stressful as you would find going with a plan. We're just wired differently.
I certainly wouldn't say that my way is better than yours. What works for me works for me, and what works for you works for you. Why do you keep insisting that your way is better than mine?
You are very, very right. My way may not work for someone else, but their way won't work for me either. That doesn't make it wrong.
I never said my way was any better or worse than anyone else's. Just far less looney. Guess we can just agree to disagree.
How can you call other people looney? Just because we don't see it your way we are looney? I think you have no concept of what it takes to tour with a group. I see no mention of other people going with you, so you can pick up and do what you want. I'm sure I could do that too, but I take other people's feelings into consideration b/c it is their vacation too. I consider 4 parks in one day looney, but I never would've said that to you. How can you treat people like that and think it's okay?
REALLY....
LOONEY????
Come on....given that there are so many people wanting that index card system, why would you consider it looney. Obviosuly those that plan more than you are not looney just use a different part of our brain than others who dont. We see things differently than you or others like you. There are many reasons that we all do what we do.
Some of the reasons we as planners may think it is important to plan are wide ranged from, not wanting to waste a minute of our precious time, to saving money, to feeling like this is the way we can as parents or siblings or children..... show others the best time possible with all the knowledge we have about our favorite place on earth.
Others who don't plan, and feel planning is not for them or LOONEY, give to others and themselves in different ways.
NONE if it is wrong...although i think you must be LOONEY for not planning
( no i really don't, that's a joke) Its just what makes the world go round.
I can't believe he said that! Why even be on the Disboards if all you want to do is trash other people? I for one enjoy hearing how other people do things to see if I can draw from their experiences or maybe help them draw from mine. I must be looney b/c I don't judge other people.