Do the majority of people you know research their trips?

[Skylarr29]

I think the majority of people do not plan. As far as people I know and if they plan or not.... they plan a little. And what I mean by that is that they call and say "hey Melissa I'm going to disney in 2 days where should we stay and what should we do" I just bite my tounge and try to help. I live in Florida and I still plan my trips about a year in advance. WE booked our first DCL cruise for sept 06 and I am freaking that it is 11 months away and I have so much research to do LOL! Also DH just metioned in September that he wanted us to bring his dd 8 to disney for the first time as soon as she gets out of school in may We always go in sept when crowds are pretty non existant and we have never taken a kid so I am panicked that I dont have a hotel ressie yet.

Most people are not as sick as the folks here They think Disney is a one time thing and they dont really count on going back again. Also alot of adults think that Disney is just for kids and I think that is one reason why they dont plan.

I feel so bad for people that we saw being turned away in sept from all the ts restuarants because they didnt have an adr and didnt even know what one was or how to make one.

At least I know my children will experience disney the right way!

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

I remember my DH and I were coaching DH's relatives about their WDW stay.
They did like the Poly. They did go to Epcot, but left in a couple of hours.
I asked " Why did you leave Epcot so soon?" Their reply was:
"There's Nothing There !!!!" Even with all the touring info we gave them, they didn't realize that you had to *go inside* the buildings !!

Gee - I guess they didn't plan anything !

 

[DisneyFan09]

I work at the Disney Store and we sell quite a few tickets and just have people come in to buy things for upcoming trips and it never ceases to amaze me that 9 out of 10 people that come in have done absolutely no planning. I can't count the number of blank stares and "huh's" I get when I ask people about their ADR's and other arrangements. I would bet that the people who go without planning are probably not going to be return visitors. In fact it seems that the people I have encountered who say that once was enough for them did little or no planning before their trip.

Needless to say, I end up directing people to this website and giving them as much advice as I can. I am the only "Diser" at our store so of course everyone points me out as the expert even though I've been to the parks less than most of them have.

 

[DisneyFreq]

Oh how sad! I feel SO bad for people that assume Disney is a Once-in-a-life-time deal (sort of like the trek to Mecca). I'm so lucky that my dad never felt that way...but STILL he was no planner!

I'll never forget one trip my family made with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. It was during the christmas break (back about 15 years ago when people had JUST figured out how great a time a year it is to visit WDW). We met up with the rest of the fam a few days into the trip and my uncle, very smugly, mentioned they'd hardly waited in any lines. He pointed to a book...I could almost SWEAR it was the UG. Anyhow...this was after we'd spent HOURS standing in lines.

Then...a few years after I tied the knot....I discovered the UG and you could almost hear the theme music in the background...lol. However, even with the book.. I only ever planned as far as lunch and then after that we would wing it.

I've become a dedicated planner ever since...but NOTHING compares to what I've done since I discovered the DIS boards. This will be our first trip in five years (thanks to living on the west coast courtesy of the military) and we'll see how it goes. I've made my first ADRS BEFORE leaving (we usually schedule a character breakfast after arrival). I have planned just about every detail and I couldn't be more happy. This will probably be our best trip ever! If it weren't for these boards, I would have never known all the ins and outs I know now and probably would have never been able to manage to score the dining plan!

 

[Harmony]

People think I'm wierd 'cause I plan so much.

I think that planning is the most fun for me. Sure I have fun *at* WDW. At the resort, at the parks...it's all great! But when I plan, it's like I'm visiting WDW for months straight! Make sense to anyone? LOL

 

[DisneyFreq]

I work at the Disney Store and we sell quite a few tickets and just have people come in to buy things for upcoming trips and it never ceases to amaze me that 9 out of 10 people that come in have done absolutely no planning. I am the only "Diser" at our store so of course everyone points me out as the expert even though I've been to the parks less than most of them have.

Isn't that funny? I can't tell you how many CM's I've talked to in the past few months that GOT jobs with Disney JUST b/c they are such big fans..... some of them have heard of DIS....but none of them members. Whats up with that? How can you be a fan and not an obsessive cumpulsive planner?

 

[kab407]

I ran into both ends of the spectrum last week.

* I stood in line at Space Mountain with a woman who had a copy of the Unofficial Guide with her.

* Saw many Tour Guide Mike printouts while walking through the parks.

* I stood in line for Soarin' with a family who had absolutley no idea what the attraction was about. They had no idea that AK existed. I ended up giving them a FastPass 101 lesson.

* Speaking to a family at the pool, they some how managed to score dinner reservation for CRT at the last minute, meaning calling in the morning and getting a 7:30PM spot for 8 that night. I said that they were very lucky. They looked at me and asked why I said that?

* One lady stopped me during the KTTK tour to ask what the thing in my ear was. She had no idea that Disney offered specialized Park tours.

* Witnessed lady was arguing with a CM when he would not allow her daughter enter Test Track because she did not meet the height requirement. (While this does not fall under advance planning, read your Park Guide given out free when you enter!)

 

[ainmama2001]

NOPE. Everyone I know asks me because I'm the freak that plans EVERYTHING!

 

[LaraK]

I agree that most people don't plan. On the other hand, it's like the short cut home...it doesn't bother me a bit if people remain ignorant and leave the best way for me! OK, so I'm a petty person, I admit it

 

[HappyGramma]

DD and I are the only ones I know of that plan ahead, of course we're Disney freaks. Most of our friends and family usually go with little or no plans. When my best friend and her Dh were planning their trip to WDW for last April they didn't do alot of research for their trip. My friend really didn't want to go and was only going because her DH wanted to. DD and I hooked her up with the DisBoard and got her to rent points from a DVC member. They were able to get a studio at the BWV.(My favorite resort.) Then I convinced her into making a tentative itinerary, but when she said that they were planning to go to MK on Sat after they arrived I thought "Oh no"! If she thought that she was going to hate WDW before she even got there, then going to MK on a Sat was sure to seal that fate. To make a long story short, with the help of her son who had lived near WDW we were able to change her plans and to come up with a comfortable itinerary for them. It turned out that she had a wonderful time and wants to go again. Me and my DH along with her and her DH are planning a trip to WDW together for Jan 07.

And yes I have already started making my plans for that trip.

 

[damom2daboyz]

Disney was a big part of my childhood as well as my cousin, Michele's, however, she still has no clue that Disney World emcompasses everything and MK, Epcot, AK, MGM, to me (and all other disers) are seperate entities.
The poor thing is taking her DDs to Disneyland in December (the week before Christmas) and didn't know what to expect. I've told her about these boards, mousesavers, and SWA but she still don't seem to get it. She says she doesn't have time to fool with this. She, however, gets upset if she doesn't get the ressies she wants when she wants or things aren't what she expected. (I told her that on morning that a new code has came out that I as well as several others have been on our land line phones and cell phones trying to get thru for a ressie;that comment got a "Oh my god, you need a life look". )
Everyone also asks how we afford disney so much and time and again I've shown cheap airfare, cheap rooms, etc. and they still don't believe it. They think I'm getting some kind of second hand, run down room or whatever. But I do get several who listen to me and book accordingly. Of course when I say that I drive 4 hours to catch a flight on SWA most laugh hysterically until I tell them yes, I could fly out of an airport 1 1/2 hrs from my house at a cost of (for example) $465pp but I feel that an airfare of $110pp beats that any time.
Other than family and close friends who do ask for my advice, whenever one of the docs ask about prices and things and then roll their eyes after my spiel I just try to remember that apparently they have more money than brains in being conservative.
Long live Disers and planning!!

 

[Lucky4me]

I thought of myself as an obsessive planner until I went to tourplans.com
There I almost had a heart attack looking at all the charts, graphs, downloadable intineraries, etc.
There is no way I'm writing down everything I do, see, eat and spend while I'm on vacation. Then it would be too much like work.

 

[PrincessLindy]

I haven't read the whole thread so I hope this is still on topic. I see that those who research have a better time then those that just go down there and wing it. It may be that those that they are already Disney fans and that is why they reasearch more and have more fun. I really think it is knowing what to do makes the trip. When I don't have a plan we spend more time saying, 'what are we doing next' than anything. Plus when you talk to someone who didn't research and you ask did you see 'this' or do 'that' they usually say 'I didn't know about that.'

 

[missypie]

No. I think that the folks on the DIS and a few other boards represent 99% of the "extreme" planners. Here's why I think that: The year before we went to WDW, the lawyer who is the MOST COMPULSIVE, DETAIL ORIENTED, PLAN EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY OF HER LIFE person in our firm went to WDW with her husband and two small children. Before our trip, I asked her for any advice she had to pass on...even though I had studied and planned for two years, I figured if anyone could tell me something I didn't know, it would be her. Her advice? "If you want to eat a character breakfast, be sure to make advanced reservations." She hadn't made any ADRs at all and was lucky enough to get into a character breakfast right at opening. I couldn't believe that she-of all people-hadn't made any ADRs. I'd just assumed she had eaten at CRT.

 

[DrTomorrow]

IMHO, we are the few, the fanatical - the Disney Planners! A few comments:

1. We are DVC owners (Disney timeshare, for those who don't know) and we hear horror stories, too. DVC owners get X amount of points every year to "spend" at DVC resorts; if you don't use them (or 'bank' them for next year) you lose them. Yet there's always someone who knew a (non-planning-type) DVC owner who didn't plan or keep track and forfeited some points!!!

2. This isn't limited to just Disney, though. Every other year I go to Las Vegas and meet up with a group of guys I went to high school with and, despite my good efforts, we always end up playing the "what do YOU want to do?" game....

3. It certainly seems that those who plan get more out of their trips than those who show up and say "whoa, there's more than just the MK?". However, over-planning (tracking movements in 15-minute increments) and having unrealistic expectations (we'll get room 1234 at the resort, then sit at table 18 by the window at the restaurant and the bus will arrive at the stop at exactly 8:12, etc) can lead to unhappy folks - there is a point of diminishing returns....

 

[tinkermell]

I think the ones who spend alot of time planning are the ones who just love all things Disney and can't get enough of it. Like me! My aunt thinks I'm crazy for doing all the planning and research that I do. But she doesn't understand that for me it's a joy. Planning or thinking about my trip everyday gives me the little Disney fix I need. Of the people that don't plan alot, I'd be curious to know how many are kicking themselves for NOT planning more.

Im right there with you. I love reseaching stuff like this. But I do this for every trip we make anywhere. A year and a half ago my husband and I took our first trip to Europe for the first time. Our daughter was in Spain for a semester, so this was our excuse to go. We were gone for three weeks and I planned the whole trip myself. (On the down side, that while we were in London my husband had a heart attack,so everything got a little crazy after that. THAT IS A WHOLE OTHER STORY!! ) Anyways getting back to the subject, I love Disney. Being a California girl I've only known Disneyland, but when we go, I am the leader who has done all of the research and know exactly how to get in the best day. People that I talk to ask..."Why would I want to spend all day waiting in line?" Would you believe that last year, 2 days after Christmas ( Level 10++) we got on 18 rides and watched Fantasmic and still had time to shop and walk around. We had a blast and the decorations are just spectacular!!! I am so looking forward to this first time WDW trip and I am very thankful to have found out about this site. It has helped me plan everything as best as possible.
PS- I am still clueless compared to many of you!!
PPSS- My husband thinks I'm a little nuts, but I know he'll appreciate everything I've done, especially when we get there and then he's not going nuts. Tee Hee!!

 

[dixiedizfan]

I had gushed so much over our last Disney trip that my neighbors thought they'd try it out. I offered to lend them my WDW vacation planning video, but they declined, saying they didn't need to see it. Here's how much planning they did: They planned two days for Epcot and one day for AK. They said they didn't need to go to MK for the "kiddie rides." They figured they wouldn't care for the "movie stuff" at MGM. When they got back they just raved about what they saw and went on and on about the two parks they went to. I asked when they were going back to see the rest of the World ... they told me "Been there, done that."