Am I crazy not to plan?

[Sara*s_Mommie]

I just decided to take my DD to WDW in September for a week - just me and her. She'll be 2 and half then and she's tiny so I doubt she'll make any of the rides that have a height restriction (perfectly fine by me). I'm planning on just one day in each park - possibly 2 in Epcot (I love that place). I'm not feeling much like planning - I'm thinking of just going with the flow - no ADR's, no agenda...just wander aimlessly and take in whatever comes my way. Is this crazy? I planned, planned, planned for my first trip (Dec 08, DD was 10 mos) and quite frankly, it was stressful and not everything went as planned. Am I wrong in not expecting huge crowds Sept 15-21? I like getting to the parks early, early - like being in the first 100, so I know I can get a lot done in the mornings. I go to Disneyland quite often so I'm not short on the Disney experience.

We are staying off site at my sister's vacation home - I plan on having 2 or 3 off days (maybe take in a water park), just to swim and relax. Part of me says I'm gonna miss stuff and to get a 7 day ticket, make ADR's, etc. I do have the 2010 Unofficial Guide coming in the mail....I know I'll be spending the next 5 mos pouring over it.

 

[la79al]

Seriously, with a 2.5 year old, you will have more fun letting her take the lead. Maybe make one or 2 ADRs for character meals but then don't be shocked when she sleeps through them . I would probably plan 2 days in MK and only one in Epcot. While you may love that park, I don't know that there will be enough there to entertain a 2 year old for 2 days (no flames please anyone, I'm just thinking til you take out everything that is height restricted or too scary or boring for a 2 year old), whereas at toddler pace, you will be lucky to see 75% of the MK in 2 days. If you don't want to pay for the water parks, you could always head to DTD to let your DD explore. There are statues to pose with, fountains to play in and a lego area to check out, not to mention a huge fish tank in Rainforest Cafe. I took DD to DW in December with my mom and my sister, who are not planners at all. I had great ADRs set up, parks planned for each day, etc. We ended up following DDs lead, missed 90% of our ADRs, only went to one planned park and had the best time. Saturday we leave again and I am a little concerned that DH will be more about following my plans and we may all end up miserable. I can see him rolling his eyes now as we have to stand in line for yet another character. Yes dear, I know we will be seeing Mickey for dinner in an hour but she wants to go stand in line to see him now....

 

[phillmolly]

I think you have the right idea going alone with two year old. We plan on taking my son for his third birthday and we already have talked about taking it very, very easy! I would also say spend two days at the MK instead of Epcot, even I think Epcot is the most "boring" of all the parks. If you can I would also say go to one of the water parks, Typhoon Lagoon is very child friendly!, I know when we took my niece and nephew that was one of the most fun days for everyone!

 

[imthatgirl]

You know, I think back to the days before I found the Disboards...before I knew what touring plans were...before ADRs....
And those were really fun days. I kind of miss the days of just showing up at the parks, unprepared and ready to take on "the World".
As much as I love the Disboards and the planning....it does take a little of the magic and spontinaity out of WDW.
Have a magical time

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

Thanks all....I guess what I need to do now is go through my UG and find all the things I missed my first trip and make those a priority - then I won't feel like I'm missing out (maybe!!). Come to think of it - on my last trip, I had 4 days of just me and her (and then the rest showed up)...those 4 days were actually very fun. The dynamics change the more you have in your group - especially when you add in baby swap... None of that this time. I'm sure we will have a very magical time

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that you don't want to over-plan, but a loose framework is probably still a good idea. Take a look at the park schedules and decide in advance which are the best days to hit which parks, and book one or two special things if you think that there is any chance that you might want to do them - unless it's CRT, you can always cancel with no problem.

I find that I have a lot more fun if these really basic decisions are a done deal before I go, because I'll kick myself if I find out about something special AFTER I've missed it.

 

[Ava]

I think that you don't want to over-plan, but a loose framework is probably still a good idea. Take a look at the park schedules and decide in advance which are the best days to hit which parks, and book one or two special things if you think that there is any chance that you might want to do them - unless it's CRT, you can always cancel with no problem.

This is what we plan to do when we take DD next year. She'll be just 2, so we're not going to go crazy with the ADRs & running for FPs, etc. I want to try a character meal with her so we'll make ADR for that, and maybe 1 other meal. I want to have a loose idea of what we'll do - which park to hit on which day, and a few things in each park that we think she'd like, but other than that we'll just let her lead. I'm also not counting on seeing any of the nighttime shows/fireworks, unless my parents watch her for one night so DP & I get to spend an evening alone in the park. Hopefully this way we'll avoid any meltdowns & all have a good time.

 

[msmama]

We leave in 23 days and that's what I plan to do with my 2 year old.

I know I want to get his hair cut at the main street barber shop (finally has enough hair to cut it)! and that's about all I have planned. I think I'll take him straight to Toontown (after the hair cut) and it wouldn't really surprise me if we stayed there all day.

Maybe I'd feel differently if this were my first trip, OR if it were a once in a lifetime trip, but...I've been before and I'll go again.

Oh, and we're only doing 2 Disney days and we're doing Epcot and MK. We went when DS was 10 mos and he LOVED Epcot!

 

[Honeymooner04]

We are leaving in a few days and are planned to not plan! We have no ADRs, no agenda but to have fun. I know my daughter wants to hit the pool so we'll do that and just ride whatever suits us at the time. I remember when we took our Honeymoon we had not planned it either and it was a blast. We didn't even have a way to get from the airport to the resort! And that trip is to this day the gold standard of Disney trips for us. Sometimes planning is good and fun and other times it's better to do just go! Have a great trip!

 

[chrisw127]

Your daughter might surprise you and like Epcot a lot. We took our twins in December when they were 34 months and it was probably their favorite park because it was less crowded and they could run around, something they could do very little of in the MK. The thing I discovered about Epcot is that it's the most (unintentionally)( babyproofed place in America--there are gates and everywhere that you probably don't notice until your kid gets away and is stopped by one.

Plus, the character meet and greets are a lot less busy.

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

We leave in 23 days and that's what I plan to do with my 2 year old.

I know I want to get his hair cut at the main street barber shop (finally has enough hair to cut it)! and that's about all I have planned. I think I'll take him straight to Toontown (after the hair cut) and it wouldn't really surprise me if we stayed there all day.

Maybe I'd feel differently if this were my first trip, OR if it were a once in a lifetime trip, but...I've been before and I'll go again.

Oh, and we're only doing 2 Disney days and we're doing Epcot and MK. We went when DS was 10 mos and he LOVED Epcot!

I got my DD hair cut there at 10 mos...I lost my camera though and all the first haircut pics with it I was thinking of doing it again - her hair hasn't been cut since and it was just a few strands then. I think I'll just call it her first hair cut . What I did was get a first seating for Crystal Palace, then ran back to barber - we were 3rd in line, worked out just great (until I lost my camera).

Like you, I've been there before (once) and will go again (hopefully many times). I'm going to take in more of the sights this time, sit on a bench more often, let DD run a bit, watch more parades. I'm not feeling the need to cram as many rides in as possible. As for the ADR's - I'm going to wait. She's always been petrified of the characters. No sense in paying that kind of $ just to rush out.

So far, my DD hasn't had any melt downs at Disney. We go first thing and last until well into the evening and I don't go back for a nap. She just sleeps in her stroller and is good to go again.

OK....I'm starting to get excited and the planning bug is about to bite me!!

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

This is what we plan to do when we take DD next year. She'll be just 2, so we're not going to go crazy with the ADRs & running for FPs, etc. I want to try a character meal with her so we'll make ADR for that, and maybe 1 other meal. I want to have a loose idea of what we'll do - which park to hit on which day, and a few things in each park that we think she'd like, but other than that we'll just let her lead. I'm also not counting on seeing any of the nighttime shows/fireworks, unless my parents watch her for one night so DP & I get to spend an evening alone in the park. Hopefully this way we'll avoid any meltdowns & all have a good time.

If I were you, I'd see how your DD likes the characters (like try a meet/greet first). My DD has been to about 8 character meals and cries every time they approach her - even the princesses. I've decided to give them up until she's no longer afraid of them.