Commando Meets Reality

[tiggerrr]

After much internal debate, I decided to try out doing a TR for our next trip to WDW. I've been to the World a few times, but this will be my first time since I joined the DISboards. Bear with me, since I have never really done this before.

Our next trip is in 30 days I have been planning this trip, since our last trip May 2007. The brief overview of our trip is April 29 to May 8, 2008. It will be me, DW, DS17, DS15, DWBFF, DM, DF. It was also going to include DB and DSiL, but they just backed out a few days ago (for a good reason - no hard feelings).

As you may have guessed from the title, I have a tendency to be the obsessive planner and a commando in the parks. This softened last year when DW and I bought into DVC. I took some solace in the fact that we would now be returning every year and maybe I didn't need to squeeze in "one more attraction."

Unfortunately, that hasn't changed my approach to trip planning. It's going to be DS17 and DS15's first trip to WDW, and my parents have not done a lot of things at WDW despite having been there a couple times. It actually amazes me how many times I talk to someone whose been here a couple of times and gives me a blank stare when I talk about an attraction that they've never heard of (or even Fastpass). My DM didn't have any idea about how ADR's worked and couldn't figure out why it took them 3 hours to get a table at Jiko's the last time they were there. It was then that I really realized I'm a commando planner as well.

So, with that in mind, I have been spending the last 6 months compiling a coil-bound guidebook for everyone. The guidebook includes our itinerary, general info on WDW concepts like Fastpass and EMH, a list of all discounts available to us (DVC, AP, DDE), resort information. It has a section for each park with a map, live entertainment schedules and a summary of all attractions and dining locations. Finally, I have a section with touring plans, pressed penny locations and hidden Mickeys. If that isn't enough, I have a pocket sized version to take with you to the park with schedules, touring plans, dining locations, etc. The main guide is about 70 pages (9" x 7") and the pocket version is about 50 pages (3.5" x 6").

Naturally, this means that I have put much effort into what we are doing on what day in order for everyone to get the most out of the trip. Last year, when we went, our friends who went with us joked about the fact that I didn't schedule the bathroom breaks in. I got much better last year at going with the flow and modifying on the fly. This year I have put more effort into planning breaks and "open" times where we can do whatever strikes us. I certainly enjoyed being spontaneous last year, but only in small doses. I hope to be a little more spontaneous this time. I have read about those who can go to WDW and simply take the first bus that arrives in the morning to whatever park it is going to. Maybe one day...in the distant future.

The reality of life that has hit me is that with 7 people, no schedule is going to survive. My goal is to keep on track as much as possible and then use the knowledge I have gained from planning to keep the spontaneous decisions on the best track possible (like not sleeping in and deciding to go to the morning EMH park at 11:00).

We shall see how it unfolds. NEXT UP: The Plan and the Players.

A couple of pics of the guidebook (1 - cover, 2 - General Info, 3 - MK map, 4 - EPCOT schedule, 5 - touring plans and attraction cheat sheet, 6 - pocket version)

 

[tiggerrr]

Let's start with who is going:

Me, Damon, 35 - You probably got a lot from the previous post, but let me just add that I am a Disney freak. I love the parks and most of their entertainment. I love reading Disney history, corporate culture and the approach to park design. Disney appeals to my need for attention to detail and to immerse myself in a total experience. This "freakishness" is tempered with reality. I understand they are a for-profit company and not here to do everything the exact way I want it. I try to evaluate each thing they do as to whether I personally like it or not, and you won't hear me say things like "Walt would not approve." No disrespect to those who would say that - it's just not how I evaluate their choices.

DW, Reesa, 42 - We have been married for 2 years and I know I will never meet a kinder, more generous person than her. She has two DS from a previous marriage. She was a quick convert to loving Disney. When we went last May, it was her first trip to any Disney Park, and she fell in love. You should have seen her face one day when she came out of the bathroom excited because the CM cleaning the bathroom had stopped to take the time to ask how her day was going and to tell her what characters were out in the park right now. She also cried during WIshes, both at how beautiful it was and sad that her boys weren't there to share it with. The next day we bought DVC and now we're all going back.

Here is us on last year's trip:

DS17, Keith - At the age where it isn't cool to like what your parents like, but I've seen the glimmer in his eye when we've talked about the trip. He's not a real thrill ride person, but has the personality to appreciate the fun of WDW.

DS15, Taylor - He's getting really excited about the trip. He is more of a thrill ride person, so ToT, M:S (Orange), RnR are all on his list to do. He's also the member of the family that teases me most mercilessly about my uptight planning. Of course, his curiousity is getting the better of him, because he admitted he's trying to not want to read my guidebook, but he's sure he'll break down and read it.

DW BFF, Deb - My DW friend is joining us on this trip. She has been to WDW a few times, but is most looking forward to going with our boys, who she has known all their lives. As fun-loving and good-natured of a person as can be, she is very capable of going with the flow and just having a good time. A great travel partner.

DF - Frank - I've inherited a few traits from my DF including the need to plan things out. My DM says that he's actually glad someone else has planned every part of this trip instead of him this time. Planning doesn't get him excited like it does me, but his nature compels him to make sure it is done. He really enjoys Disney. By the way, my DF and DM have a different room. That's a good thing for sanity's sake.

DM - Margaret - I haven't travelled with my DM since our family trip to Disneyland when I was 17. She is one that does expect things to go without a hitch and won't hesitate to say something when it doesn't. She is really looking forward to the trip to watch our boys experience WDW for the first time. My DM has worked really hard to try to make my wife's sons feel like they are part of our family, too.


Now that you know who is going, here's the plan:

Resort: Old Key West, a 2 bedroom villa and a studio
Transportation: Renting a car for the duration
Parks: The 4 Disney parks, one Water Park, Seaworld
Tickets: Me/DW/DWBFF/DF - Annual Passes; DS17/DS15 - 10 Day Hopper w/ Water Park Fun & More; DM - Not sure yet (Yes, that's killing me)

Tue, Apr 29 - We're taking the Red Eye to Toronto and then onto Orlando that morning, arriving around 1:00pm. This evening is open. We'll likely go to bed early given that we fly all night. I might take people on a driving tour of the World, and perhaps a stop and DTD.

Wed, Apr 30 - EPCOT - A morning tour of Future World, leaving in early afternoon to return for a nap/swim/lunch. Returning around 5pm for an evening tour of the World Showcase and Illuminations. This is also where we will be doing the first part of our "Around the World" tour, where we enjoy a drink and/or dessert from each country. I've compiled a list of beers, wines, specialty drinks and desserts. We'll spread this over more that one day.

Thu, May 1 - AK - An all day tour of the Animal Kingdom, with lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. AK closes at 6pm and the evening will be used for resting.

Fri, May 2 - MK - We have ADR's for breakfast at Crystal Palace for 8:10 am, before the park opens. My DW is so excited that her boys' first view of the castle will be with a nearly empty park. We'll stay until mid-afternoon. We then have an afternoon and evening of shopping at the Premium Outlet Mall. DS15 is a little bit of a clothes horse and can't miss the opportunity for some real deals. He's been saving for months. (He might be as excited about this as anything.)

Sat, May 3 - BB/Other - The boys are headed to Blizzard Beach for the day. DW and DWBFF have not decided if they are going or not. My DF and I have a tee time at Magnolia that morning. That evening DW and I have "received permission" to have an evening for ourselves. I haven't told her but I have ADR's for Artist Point for dinner and then we will decide whether to go over and watch Wishes by ourselves or maybe head down to PI for a drink or two at the Adventurers' Club.

Sun, May 4 - Sleep In/MK - After several days on the go, we have scheduled a sleep in morning for today. After that we will head to the MK, which, with the evening EMH will be open until 2am. We'll see Wishes and Spectromagic. We're going to do our best to stay until then.

Mon, May 5 - Sleep In/DHS - Of course we'll need to sleep in after the night before. We'll go DHS for the afternoon and evening, seeing Fantasmic and taking advantage of an evening EMH.

Tue, May 6 - Seaworld - We'll spend the day at Seaworld followed by dinner reservations at Bergamo's, a restaurant on International Drive where the wait staff sing throughout the evening.

Wed, May 7 - Open Day - This day can be used to return to any park to see things we've missed, with the day ending at EPCOT. We have ADR's for Akershus for dinner. We may also continue our "Around the World" tour.

Thu, May 8 - Going Home - Flights leave around noon.

NEXT TIME: Getting ready to go. The 30 day clock is running.

 

[OhMari]

That has to be the best itinerary book, I have ever seen. You need to work for TGM.
I am so looking forward to hearing how your Trip went and to see if anyone went anarchy on you.

 

[fernoppi]

Wow that is an awesome guide book! Care to share? I am working on a similar one, but i don't think mine will look nearly as good as yours!!! What program did you use?

 

[stagemomx3]

Ok the guide books are impressive, but the pocket size one just blows me away! I can't wait to find out how your trip with two teens goes!

 

[tiggerrr]

Wow that is an awesome guide book! Care to share? I am working on a similar one, but i don't think mine will look nearly as good as yours!!! What program did you use?

I currently use Visio because it gives me the most flexibility in moving things around and seeing how it looks. Once I get it completely finished, I might convert it to something a little more universal like Powerpoint. I'll may also convert it to PDF.

The secret to getting it looking good was a lot of playing with format. I can tell you that this thing has had four of five major reformats (changing paper sizes, reorganizing, content, etc.)

My only reservation on sharing is that I put a lot of copyrighted material into the guidebook because I didn't invent some of it, so there is stuff from Unofficial Guide, allears.net, etc. So while it's fine for personal use, I'm not sure yet. I will think about it, though, because I do believe in sharing this kind of thing.

What I will commit to in this pre-trip report is to publish an entire table of contents along with where the source material is from (book or website) so that if you want to duplicate certain sections, you can at least locate where it is from.

 

[fernoppi]

Hi Tiggerrr -- Cool I started working on my book and I decided to do VISIO too. The only thing I'm concerned about, kind of like what you mentioned is the whole formatting thing. Printers can print differently with margins and when you center it, it might not print exactly centered.

That would be cool to see a table of contents, just for more ideas of what information may be valuable to include. That is so nice of you to share pics and other information. I hope I didn't seem rude when I asked if you cared to share. =) I can imagine how much time, and effort it took to make your book! I was just joking...and half hoping.

But anyway, looking forward to hearing more about your pre-trip report!

 

[tiggerrr]

Hi Tiggerrr -- Cool I started working on my book and I decided to do VISIO too. The only thing I'm concerned about, kind of like what you mentioned is the whole formatting thing. Printers can print differently with margins and when you center it, it might not print exactly centered.

That would be cool to see a table of contents, just for more ideas of what information may be valuable to include. That is so nice of you to share pics and other information. I hope I didn't seem rude when I asked if you cared to share. =) I can imagine how much time, and effort it took to make your book! I was just joking...and half hoping.

But anyway, looking forward to hearing more about your pre-trip report!

I absolutely did NOT think it was rude to ask. I do the planning the guidebook for the fun of it, and I'm happy to share. So in the interest of sharing here is the Table of Contents.

Page 1 - Cover
Page 2 - Travel Info - A recap of confirmation numbers and times for flights, car rental, hotel, tickets numbers from the back of the ticket, and ADR's
Page 2 - Packing List
Page 3 - Trip Plan - Includes a day by day view of what parks to go to at what times, what shows or ADR's we are doing, a listing of best and worst days to go to each park so we can adjust our plans (thanks to Unofficial Guides website) and a list of other "off the beaten path" things to do (gathered from the Disboards)
Page 4 - Key Numbers - list of numbers for Disney, the resort, emergency contacts, insurance providers, travel providers, etc.
Page 4 - Annual Pass Discounts - a list of all discounts for AP holders (from WDW official site
Page 5 - Disney Dining Experience - We also have a DDE card so I've listed all participating restaurants (from WDW official site)
Page 5 - DVC Discounts - We also have a DVC ownership so I've listed those discounts
Page 6 - 12 Tips to Having Fun at WDW - From a couple of threads on the Disboards I have pieced together what I think is the best advice for going to WDW (I'll share those in a later post).
Page 6 - Behind the Scenes Tours - a list of all tours Disney offers just in case we want to try one (from allears.net)
Page 7 - Extra Magic Hours - an explanation of how EMH works for the newbies (from allears.net) plus a list of what rides are open in the am and pm (from WDW Official site)
Page 7 - FASTPASS - an explanation of how FASTPASS works (from allears.net) and a list of attraction (from allears.net)
Page 8 - Photopass - an explanation of how Photopass works (from official Photopass site)
Page 8 - Advance Dining Reservations - an explanation of how ADR's work (From allears.net)
Pages 9-11 - Old Key West - We're staying here so I've included information on the resort including travel times to the parks (from UG), activities and dining (from allears), room descriptions (from DVC site) and a map (courtesy of wdwinfo.com)
Pages 12-13 - Magic Kingdom - a map of MK (originally from wdwinfo.com and then cropped and modified to show just the park) plus a listing of key locations like first aid, ATM, Lost and Found (from allears)
Page 14 - Magic Kingdom Times - Park Hours (from WDW official site, and times for all shows, live entertainment and character greetings(from Steve Soares entertainment site)
Page 15-17 - Magic Kingdom Attractions - a listing of all MK attractions, and a brief description (from the UG)
Page 17 - MK Snack Service - a list of all snack service locations in MK and what they serve (from allears)
Page 18 - MK Counter Service - a list of all counter service locations in MK and what they serve (from allears) plus their quality and value rating (from UG)
Page 18 - MK Table Service - a list of all table service locations in MK, plus a sample of what they serve (from allears) plus their quality and value rating (from UG)
Page 19 - Did You Know? - a collection of facts about the Magic Kingdom that I like (from allears' Anita Answer, UG, The Imagineers Guide to the Magic Kingdom)
Pages 20-27 - EPCOT - an exact repeat of the above for EPCOT
Pages 28-33 - DHS - an exact repeat of the above for Disney's Hollywood Studios
Pages 34-39 - AK - an exact repeat of the above for Disney's Animal Kingdom
Pages 40-44 - Seaworld - an repeat of the above for Seaworld
Pages 45-48 - Downtown Disney - maps, hours and descriptions of all dining, entertainment and shopping locations at DTD
Page 49 - Typhoon Lagoon - a map of TL (from wdwinfo.com)
Pages 50-51 - Blizzard Beach - a map of BB (from wdwinfo.com)
Pages 52-53 - Disney Resorts - a listing of all WDW resorts with a brief descpription of size, theming and location
Page 54 - Other WDW Activities - a list of the golf courses, mini golf courses, Wide World of Sports, Speedway with descriptions and prices
Pages 55-56 - Touring Plans - Touring plans for the four parks (from Unofficial Guidebook)
Page 57-58 - Cheat Sheets - quick reference on what times to go or avoid attractions at all parks (from UG's website)
Page 59 - Photos - a list of all attractions, etc that we have not taken a picture of yet.
Page 60-63 - Pressed Pennies - a list of all pressed penny machines at WDW (from presscoins.com)
Page 64-72 - Hidden Mickeys - a retyped list from the Hidden Mickey's book by Steve Barrett
Page 73 - Directions - Directions to and from the airport, the nearest Walmart, ABC Liquor, Seaworld, Universal, the Premium Outlet Mall, several of our favorite offsite restaurants.

Deep breath....

I'll give you a Table of Contents for the mini-guide in a future post. That one is considerably smaller, and assumes you picked up a park map for the park.