Do people over plan things on a cruse?

[Mrs Green]

It's funny, I'll read all of the Unofficial Guide to WDW, but I actually plan very little. We like to "wing it" there, too.

Really?! Do you make your ADR or fp+? I have little kids that want to do some of the most popular things so I feel like I at least have to do that.

 

[C6PT7]

I think it may help if the dcl website listed some current navigators for pax to see what may be offered.
No doubt they would not be updated regularly thou.

The dcl website really is a poor introduction to cruising, and or with them.

 

[undertheradar]

We're you also this way as a first time cruiser?

No! I first sailed with Mickey on the Big Red Boat. Planning has gotten extreme and there is no real reason for it.

 

[C6PT7]

Overplanning becomes wrong IMO when it becomes obsessive and leads to meltdowns for adults when the plan doesn't work out.
Those with dietary needs I totally get. But when you need to know everything about every service down to the silly stuff. You need to step away because most likely it will not plan out how you think it might.

 

[emilyann415]

If one is spending time on this board... you already are....

So true!!!! I definitely over plan....but I find my plan always goes out the window the minute we board the ship! Planning helps me kill time while waiting for our cruise to get here...it's almost like I take the cruise twice.

 

[MelSpees]

Really?! Do you make your ADR or fp+? I have little kids that want to do some of the most popular things so I feel like I at least have to do that.

We haven't been since FP+ started and don't have little kids, so that does make a difference. We also go off-season, so that makes a difference too. I guess if we had little ones and went at peak times we would have to plan more.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

No! I first sailed with Mickey on the Big Red Boat. Planning has gotten extreme and there is no real reason for it.

I don't go back that far my first cruise was in 2006 but other then excursions I planed nothing, same with my second. My third one I decided to do linked dinning with some friends which led to some interesting experiences. Also as I said in the first post I picked a date for Polo I liked and figured if I wanted to I could change it later in the cruise, actually when I was there they even offered me the opportunity to make more reservations if I wanted to.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Yes, I've seen this question asked before. DH laughs himself silly because I can't even remember which is which and he has to say "pointy end" and "blunt end" because half the time I can't remember whether aft is back or front (admittedly I do that sometimes now just to annoy him). So which side of the ship I should get my cabin on so that I can get the best views when coming into port at what is probably a time that I'm only ever awake if I haven't been to sleep is so waaaay overplanning for me.

Agree

I think this is a reasonable discussion for the Alaska cruise.

agree port might have a slight advantage but over all both sides get terrific views.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I think it may help if the dcl website listed some current navigators for pax to see what may be offered.
No doubt they would not be updated regularly thou.

The dcl website really is a poor introduction to cruising, and or with them.

Agree this would be a great improvement if they could add them then there is no need for third party sites to repeat them.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

It's funny how we're all so different. Some of the things you put in the "planning" list are over-planning to many, eg. who your servers are and shows. Some of the things you put in "over-planning" I can see people really wanting to know eg. "WDW to port coach times" can be very important. You need to know that so you can plan to be ready, get PTA etc.

I enjoy reading a lot on the DIS boards. That doesn't mean I take it all as gospel, or expect special things. I take it as it comes on the ship, but knowing what to expect can be fun--anticipation! So we all have our own way of preparing and planning. What seems ridiculous to me may seem a necessity to others. (Of course, my way is the best way.)

To me WDW coach departure times is over planning as if it's important to you to get there fast then the only option is private transfer or a rental car, and whilst you get responses here it seems day by day cruise by cruise it's different so you can't plan it. It depends on numbers so a low booking week for transfers a lot of pick ups and a high demand week more direct services. So if you try to guess it you are over planning.

Just take it into your own hands and book your own private one and stop it being random.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Posting the above made me think of another over planning issue and that's going around a number of third party websites " fan sites" or blogs .

You do not need that detail, it's a spoiler, it can ruin any surprises, you need to be surprised.

The first DCL cruisers who had their names read out on entry had a fantastic welcome, we all expect it now, do it move on production line.

It can be far more enjoyable to be surprised, see characters you didn't expect on, see a new meal you haven't seen before. We can soak up to much information , what is great is a nice surprise.

Too many websites telling you this or that will happen can be a terrible spoiler.

 

[Cruise-n-2015]

I don't think for me it is as much planning every moment of my cruise as it is just becoming knowledgable on things I would have had no idea about since it is my first cruise. Like ordering the coffee from room service before you go to bed and those Mickey ears in room service!talking to my kids (mostly my youngest) about not buying all his new friends arcade tokens and drinks of the day on his KTTW card.
Just little tips to making our families first cruise seamless and enjoyable.

 

[Dug720]

No! I first sailed with Mickey on the Big Red Boat. Planning has gotten extreme and there is no real reason for it.

My initial reaction was - yes, probably because most people who are going on DCL are also Disney people and dear lord that planning gets out of control for some (spreadsheets for vacation? really?), so it just carries over to the cruise but...

I've been on a couple of other non-Disney forums on cruise critic, and it can be just as crazy there. So I'm thinking it's a societal thing more than just a Disney thing.

I like to plan a couple of things - I make a rotation request because I like being in AP on Pirate Night...that's just me, and I have my reservation marked "do not upgrade" when I select a cabin, and I will investigate some excursions - but that's about it. I'd rather let things happen.

 

[Flossbolna]

I think some of the questions about what is available on the ship etc. is not so much for "planning" or "over-planning" purposes, but just plain curiosity. Especially for new cruisers, the idea of being confined to a relatively small space and not be able to leave in order to get whatever they don't offer on the ship, might be scary to some people. That's why they want to know in advance what to expect. It takes away a little of that insecurity about embarking on something that is very unfamiliar to them.

 

[Angie789]

I've been on a couple of other non-Disney forums on cruise critic, and it can be just as crazy there. So I'm thinking it's a societal thing more than just a Disney thing.

I don't think it is a "society as a whole" thing - the DIS, Cruise Critic, etc. are a self-selected group of people who are information seekers and planners. The folks that hang out on vacation-oriented sites are not representative of the general population.

I read this thread and noticed that most of the voices that say "people plan too much" are folks that cruise frequently. It's well and good to say "relax and chill out" when you know you will be on another cruise in 6 months to catch anything you missed. But for people who don't have that luxury, I can understand the need to plan in detail. DCL is very expensive, and families want to maximize their experience because they are paying a lot to be there. Hopefully, once they are on board, people can find the balance between checking important things off their list and relaxing and enjoying the moment.

 

[Four Swampers]

Enjoying reading this thread while I wait for midnight. At midnight, my 60 day FP+ reservation window opens. I'm going to go to the 3rd day of our trip first, so that we can get 7 Dwarves Mine Ride. I chose that day for Magic Kingdom because the Orlando Crowd Calendar suggests it will be a better day than the other days. Anyhow, then I'll go back to the first day and grab Animal Kingdom FP+, and then fill in the rest of the vacation. What was this thread about, again?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Enjoying reading this thread while I wait for midnight. At midnight, my 60 day FP+ reservation window opens. I'm going to go to the 3rd day of our trip first, so that we can get 7 Dwarves Mine Ride. I chose that day for Magic Kingdom because the Orlando Crowd Calendar suggests it will be a better day than the other days. Anyhow, then I'll go back to the first day and grab Animal Kingdom FP+, and then fill in the rest of the vacation. What was this thread about, again?

And the sad thing is, I'm reading this thinking "that sounds like a good strategy" and not "talk about overplanning."

 

[Aby]

I spend lots of time reading these boards, trip reports, and doing searches on various topics that I want to learn more about. I find it a very enjoyable part of my vacation planning experience and it actually helps me get through the dreaded months of work before I'm finally off! I mostly want to make sure I don't miss out on anything really important, but I concentrate more on general things than specifics. Honestly, no matter how much you read and plan, there will still be many fun surprises when you get on the cruise!

I don't think you need to do any planning beyond the basic stuff you need to book your cruise and transportation/lodging, but to each there own - I'm sure many feel less stressed the more knowledge they have going in, so plan away!

Aby

 

[cschaaf]

I love the planning part - I often joke that I enjoy the planning more than the actual vacation.

My dad was a 'down to the minute' vacation planner - as in, "I know we've seen everything in this museum, but we have to stay for 17 more minutes or it throws off the schedule".

I'm (usually) not that detailed, but I certainly do make spreadsheets for vacations. You can pry my vacation spreadsheets from my cold, dead hands!

The level of detail depends on the vacation -

• Cruise
  • The only thing that is planned out is the excursions. I suppose some do that on the fly, but I definitely feel more comfortable locking those down early.
  • I'm not concerned about the dining rotation order because we haven't been on a Disney cruise yet. We do our first in 30 days! Who knows, we may end up with a favorite or one we don't like as much and will plan that out next time.
  • I've looked at Navigators and made some notes about other things we'd like to do, but nothing is really set in stone.
• WDW
  • I do get into planning these trips like Four Swamper's post above. Choose parks based on crowd calendars, choose ride order to try to reduce waits as much as possible, etc.
  • FastPass+ almost forces you to pre-plan to get the most out of it.
  • We don't do much 'unplanned' in WDW, but if someone says, "Hey, that was fun, let's ride it again" I'm happy to set the schedule aside and do that.

I just want to make sure we get as much out of the vacation as we can - I'd hate to return from a vacation and read about something that we totally missed out on because we didn't read about it before we left. I'm shocked that people drop a few thousand dollars on a WDW trip, then spend the first 12 minutes in the park reading the map to see what rides are there. (Overheard in DHS on our last visit: "Toy Story Mania is the exact same ride as Buzz Lightyear, so we can skip that. They just wanted to put the ride in both parks.") But if that works for them, more power to them - and it gets me on TSM a little faster.

I'm sure many feel less stressed the more knowledge they have going in, so plan away!

Aby

I totally agree - I'd be way more stressed on an un(or under)-planned trip. Everyone should plan to the level that they are most comfortable with and not worry about what planning others do (or don't do).

 

[Wenawen]

Firstly sorry again the system this morning was slow and I thought was locking me out and then it reposted me a number of times.

There is planning and over planning as many have said here.


Planning.


MDR rotation, some logic to avoid missing AP shows and schedule Remy/Palo.
Port adventures.
Places to go in ports.
Private shore trips.
Shows and what to go to.
Stateroom location and size.
Activities.
Servers, I have never asked before but we had great ones last year do asked this year first time.
Medical needs.
Main or late dinner.
Tipping.

Over planning.

If they serve chicken tenders.
What flavour of ice cream, served.
What soda fountain drinks.
If they serve Cranberry juice.
If the port side or starboard gets a better view.
Which Cabana is best.
Port arrival times.
WDW to port coach times.
Mixology.
Seeing characters getting tickets.
If you get Mickey bars on room service.
If you get Mickey bars in Europe.
Laundry locations ( there are signs).
What Cabanas serves at night.
Packing cubes.

A cruise is better with surprises and spontaneous experience, to be honest go with the flow, spoilers lead to less enjoyment, and a sense of entitlement, they got it do I should have it.

I have not said all the services we got in concierge as it would lead to people expecting it and if they didn't get it annoyance and dissatisfaction.

Yes it's good to be in control, but these board actually suck the life out of spontaneity and the Magic and you can nearly ruin a cruise by knowing too much, and when as things occur DCL change things you say, well XYZ on the Dis said I could get my new car signed by all the characters in the car parking lot!

Before I ask a question on these boards-I will search for it so I don't ask the same questions that has been asked hundreds of times. It's called research. Do it.