Anyone feel like a good chuckle...

[planitdad]

Disregard my post above , our friends purchased the dining plan and will give making ADR's their best shot . Thanks , I guess I shouldn' t really ask questions on someone else's post anyway. I hope they can get some ADR's!

 

[kadesha]

Wow!! Those people are in for a rude awakening when they get there!!!

I hate it when I try to tell people this stuff and they think I'm just some crazy over planner!! But I love getting to say "I told ya so!"

 

[dsnymomx2]

I don't over plan. I just like to know what I want to see in each park and having our restaurants already booked made our vacation so stress free. rotfl2:

ditto

 

[Tinkfan10]

My family has had over 20 years to learn....now that I am planning my Honeymoon I have become a better planner then my parents...so much so that when they were there earlier this month I did most of the planning, they even called while down there to ask me to look up things on disboard . Everyone that knows us, if planning a trip comes to us for advice and help...they know that we know our disney info. I understand why people don't think to plan for Disney, but I do feel sorry for them. When I am down in Disney, for that matter anyone from my family, and we see the obvious frustrated people who went with no clue what they were getting into we try our best to help them. Funny though even we didn't know about free dining until I joined this site in February, told me mom and she lost it

 

[simonkodousek]

On our first WDW trip in 2004, we made no ADR's and basically had no prior knowledge of what there was to see and do. Of course that was in 2004 when you could still easily get a walk-up reservation, but nonetheless we were shocked at how much there was to WDW!

 

[PrincessAli]

I'm a AAA Travel Consultant and one of the VERY first things I ask my clients --do they have access to a computer and then I give them this site information and tell them to enjoy!!!!

 

[Aliceacc]

Just a word on behalf of those of us who haven't been to WDW in a decade or two (or ever)....


The fact that someone is ignorant of all that WDW entails doesn't automatically imply that they aren't willing to learn. Some simply don't realize how different WDW is from a typical 6 Flags park.

I'm a psychotic planner, so of course I found the DIS and have spent a year planning this trip. And both my sister and my friend, who are taking their families for the first time this summer, have benefitted from all my research. (My sister showed me her color coded spreadsheet for her trip... I was so proud!)

But, realistically, my sister decided to go, looked at the Reservations site, called and made her plans. She thought she was all set to go until she mentioned it to me. What? PIN codes and AAA discounts??? ADRs??? Pin Trading and fanny packs and spray fans????

Some people simply don't know. It isn't a sign of a character flaw or laziness, they simply don't realize that this is something that needs to be researched. They think they can book a package (you know,the way you would for any other vacation) and handle the rest once they get the lay of the land.


edited to add: another example.

Again, I'm a psychotic planner. When we went to London in 1991 (before we had a computer or internet access) I did my planning via the guide books-- Birnbaum and whatever else was out there. I found out about the Ceremony of the Keys-- the nightly lock up of the Tower of London. It's free, and absolutely amazing, but you have to book it in advance.

No one I've ever met who has been to London has seen it. They have all done their research, but somehow have missed one of the highlights of our trip.

 

[wdwtheplacetobe]

It's true that SOME people don't understand that planning is needed and part of the fun!

However.....I have (and everybody here) helped someone else in planning their Disney Vacation and they have loved it because of the planning.

Even the skeptical guys that don't think they want to go to Disney, come back ready for the next trip!

Right as we speak (well, type), I have a friend taking his family to Disney next week. I gave him this site and allears and turned him loose. He is getting all sorts of great info. (Thanks to ROBO for his wonderful maps) He knew very little and has learned gobs from the boards. If you see mv1175, wish him and his family a great trip....they are doing it right!

At the same time, an acquaintance had a trip coming up and wanted NO advice! Hope she survives!

 

[dgaston]

Heck, I now plan every trip like it was a Disney trip. Las Vegas, Hawaii, Alaska - every trip has each day planned out, reservations made accordingly... and my DH truly appreciates how smoothly our vacations go!

This is key for me. If I'm, spending over $1000 on anything from an appliance to a vacation to a car, I want to learn about it. A few years ago we cruised Hawaii on the Pride of Hawaii, and I knew all about booking special restaurants from cruisecritic and other sources. We researched excursions, rental cars and had a fabulous 35th anniversary trip. Yet we met people everywhere who didn't understand FreeStyle cruising, or figure out how to get into the specialty restaurants and were decidedly unhappy. WDW is no different, and I am amazed at the number of families spending $1000s who don't invest in a guide book or spend the $20 on TourGuideMike. I try to spread the gospel according to WDW, and now both people at my DH's HS, and my college touch base with me for info before WDW. Some listen, others don't.