Calling All Obsessive Planners Playing The Waiting Game: Now what do we do?

[Castillo Mom]

I've been perusing these boards since late 2002 and finally made my resort reservations last December. I've purchased our plane tickets, made reservations for transportation and rental car, bought new luggage, etc., etc. I've even made out a basic itinerary. I've read my guide books several times over, and have read all of the articles on TourGuide Mike. So now I'm just twiddling my thumbs until it's time to make our priority seatings. And I'm still over 280 days away from our vacation! Please don't tell me I'm the only one who's planned pretty much everything and is just playing the waiting game! I check the boards every day and have run out of things to post about. So someone please tell me, is there anything left to do?

 

[Harambe]

Isn't it awful!!!!!!! LOL!! I'd say take a little break and enjoy the upcoming holidays, if you can.

Also, subscribe to the Disney Magazine! You only get four a year, but when it comes I read it from cover to cover!

Also did you order the planning video? I order one each time they come out, as they add the newer resorts/rides. They are offering a brand new one on the Disney Website.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Go to the Trip Report forum and read Parts 1 through 47 of Delswife's latest trip to WDW.

"Love ya, Mean it" will come alive for you. After reading this series, you will probably want to come to WDW before this year is finished.

 

[lisa raino]

I have the same problem. I mostly occupy myself with reading just about every post on this site, re-reading my guidebooks, shuffling my priority seating reservations, bringing my photo album of my last (first) trip to Disney to work and making all my coworkers look at it ( there are almost 1000 employees where I work, so there is always someone who mistakenly admits to not having seen it previously), and talking incessantly to my DH about every single itsy bitsy detail about Disney until he is about ready to kill me. My DD's 7 & 15 just roll their eyes at me.

I asked my DD15 yesterday why she does not get excited about Disney. She replied that she does - but not until about a week before we leave, not a year or two.

The first step towards recovery is to admit that we have a problem. Then we would have to want to fix it. I don't want to fix it - I am having too much fun!

 

[WhispyPixie]

I recommend playing the Parks Game on this board....it is a great way to meet new people who are just as excited as you are and you learn tons of cool new things that you can put into action when you take your vacation!!

 

[jeankeri]

Castillo Mom- Believe me, the planning is NEVER over! Just when you think you have a great itineary planned, they add a Spectro, close an attraction, change hours, you find out your DS8 CAN swim at Shark Reef if he's with you.....! I thought I had read/done/planned it all, then everything changed. So, take a break from it, a few weeks from the Dis, and come back. You'll find a whole lot more to do!!!

 

[Cindymere]

What's funny is go to the technical board where everyone checks out to see if their countdowns are working and see if you can find the longest one...

I saw one that was 560 days lol....

 

[AZKathy]

Originally posted by Cindymere
What's funny is go to the technical board where everyone checks out to see if their countdowns are working and see if you can find the longest one...

I saw one that was 560 days lol....

Mine is close to that 560 days!! HAHA!!!

Just keep coming to the boards and watch the vacation planning videos, tune into the Travel Channel for their specials on WDW, and the time will fly by! Pretty soon, you will be planning another trip and watching the days slowly go by again!!!!

 

[kessieann]

I waited so long for my counter to get under the 100 day mark and when it did my dh thought I flipped my lid. He just "doesn't get it" LOL! I am not as worried about the lack of pre-planning left as I am worried about the depression I am sure to have when all the planning is over and we are back home and I am doing all the dirty laundry. Then what will I obsess about?

This is a once in a lifetime trip for us so I won't even be able to start planning the next time we go

That is why I am soooo happy I found this board because who else but an obsessed group of Disney fans could possibly understand what I go through?

I did make a trip to Home Depot last week since that was still on my list. Of course I stood debating between the Alien Green and the Sonic Boom green and eventually grabbed both. Do you think Home Depots across the country wonder why their supplies of those chips are so low? LOL!

One thing I am doing now to keep myself occupied is that I am making my dd's character autograph book. I went to the craft store and got all sorts of stickers, patches, ribbons, glitter etc. It is going to be the most expensive darn autograph book that any character has ever signed but for now it is keeping me occupied.

See how long my message is? I just can't get enough. AAAACCCCKKK!

 

[twinx4]

If you think the wait is something....just wait until you get there. From day one you're amazed and then you start to think about the countdown to your last day. And you try and push back the hands of time.

Then on the airplane ride home, you're ALREADY planning for the next trip. Thinking about things you forgot to see, things you definately have to see again, things you could have done better, how to be more economic for example you begin to think (did I really need to spend close to $30 dollars for the Mickey Ice cream bars ) Disney is great, wonderful and unbelievable but a reality check the FOOD IS EXPENSIVE!!!!! YIKES!!!!!

However, the character dining is out of this world, definately make sure you go to one. B/c I have a sometimes pickey eater DD we often dine at the buffet style character restaurants. We try and add a new one every year.

Oh my countdown feels like its right around the corner and I'm starting to put the finishing touches on my planning....but then again, I sit down and try to finish the finishing touches..IT NEVER ENDS AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT MAGICAL

 

[KdawnLily's Mom]

I'm almost done waiting... now that I am less than 36 hours away it feels like I'm back to when I started..over 200 days....
I have used this board like you are..check every day..rearrange things because of an experience I read about here...I have packed (a month ago) repacked (3 weeks) repacked again (2 weeks) packed again ( a week ago) and then just to be different I thought I would take everything out of my suitcase and pack them all again, yesterday.
I found reading the trip reports, like delswife's(like WDWisTheBest posted) and others, have helped alot. You will make it through....
Have a great time rearranging all your plans and planning lots more!!!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Okay, look at my counter.... have you regained conciousness yet?? Now you tell me what I'm supposed to do for the next 900 some days until I even get close to reservation time??!! I mean holy shinikes!! (not sure how to spell that word!) It's driving me batty that I can't even book right now. I mean I can, me and my Dreams agent already discussed it, but I feel more comfortable booking about a year or so out. I've got most of the restaurants picked out that I want to eat at, but what good does that do 900+ days out????

So anyway, you have fun planning with what little planning you have left. I'll just be happy when that counter says something other than 900 some days....899 is looking REALLY good right now!

 

[cworld]

I'm putting together a Powerpoint presentation for our group that has pictures of all of the rides, shows and attractions. As of today it has 190 slides and about 900 pictures. It's a lot of work, but it keeps me involved in planning what we are going to do.

 

[lisa raino]

Kessieann, you only think that it is the trip of a lifetime. We said the same two years ago for our first trip. My husband was adament that we would never spend this much money again - ever. Halfway through our week there, he was down to agreeing to a trip every 5 years. We are returning in December, almost exactly 2 years from our first trip!

 

[castlegazer]

Originally posted by cworld
I'm putting together a Powerpoint presentation for our group that has pictures of all of the rides, shows and attractions. As of today it has 190 slides and about 900 pictures. It's a lot of work, but it keeps me involved in planning what we are going to do.

You all are sooo funny - it is great to find people as obsessed as I am! cworld - you are sooo funny. I feel like you just took the quizila test to see who is the most like castlegazer! So... last trip I put together this HUGE scheduler and then tried to share to share it with everyone going - I think I shut down my server here at work with it - I had graphics, clipart of all the rides and lands, graphics for when the kiddies went to sleep, when we would be dining in/dining out...... on and on it went.

I've got to tell you though this board teaches me new things every day, regardless of whether I am obsessively planning or not - but I am obessessively planning right now - just ask DH how many times I have asked him, "well, what do you think....." He doesn't roll his eyes as much anymore because of how invaluable the stuff I had learned was on our last trip.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

I know how you feel.. we are months and months away from our honeymoon. One way that I kept myself from giong crazy before our last trip (mar 03) was to re-watch the disney films. We rented them one by one and re-visited Cinderella, Snow White and some that I hadnt seen since early childhood. Disney really has made some great stuff... Watch the OLD versions of shaggy D A and the absent minded proffessor. Fred Macmurray was pure genuis in those old films. Blackbeards Ghost was one that my kids watched 3 or 4 times.

Also find and read some biographies of Walt himself. I found these very interesting and made my time go faster.

Also we shopped for Disney bagains to entertain the kids.

good luck!!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Originally posted by Harambe
Isn't it awful!!!!!!! LOL!! I'd say take a little break and enjoy the upcoming holidays, if you can.

Also, subscribe to the Disney Magazine! You only get four a year, but when it comes I read it from cover to cover!

Also did you order the planning video? I order one each time they come out, as they add the newer resorts/rides. They are offering a brand new one on the Disney Website.

Yes, and we've watched it over and over. I just ordered the current planning video which should arrive any day now.

 

[Castillo Mom]

You're all great! That's why I hang around here so much. Actually, since I first posted this thread a couple of interesting things have happened that has me back to planning. My sister-in-law has made the final decision to join us for the last few days of our trip. She went to WDW several years ago as a child but has no idea how much things have changed and has no clue with regards to planning. I've never been but I think I know about the place more than she does in some aspects. Anyway, now I'm helping her plan. Also, one of my coworkers mentioned to her husband about our trip and he wants me to help them plan their first WDW vacation with their one and only grandchild which they've been dreaming about since he was born. Woohoo! Of course I said I'd love to help them out. My coworker says she trusts me more than a travel agent even though I've never been because she knows how much research I've done and all of the great advised I've gotten here. I don't go anywhere without my Passporter and I'm the boards every day. Can't wait to introduce her to the Dis! As far as my own vacation is concerned, I guess I could start researching scrapbooking since I've never done one before and I definitely want to try my hand at it. Keep the ideas coming!