Do the Un-Planning sorts blow your mind?

[scott.campbell]

We do not plan our trip with exception of maybe 1 or 2 specialities. We definently do not do any route planning for our trips to the parks - an occassion we went on a trip with compulsive planners nearlly drove both parties mad. Reason being I refuse to have my day planned out like they wished during my holiday!

So never planned or should I say overplanned our trips and I've never had a bad visit or felt like I had been missing anything. When we are on holiday we are there to relax - chill out - and have fun. We would get too stressed with a detailed plan.

But each to their own.

 

[lenshanem]

Ya, for the millenuim NYE trip both my family and in-laws went. (Like that wodul EVER happen aggain! LOL) I planned thsi extensive itenerary and it was a bust. Total waste of my time. In-lsaw didn't show up to several PSs I had made.
If I go back with them I won't plan a darn thing.
But, when I go with my family they want me to plan it all out.
a nice in between wodul be good.
In July my brother is coming along. I'm giving him a book and just letting him pick out all the PSs.

 

[DeDixie]

I think there is a big difference between a WDW veteran winging it as they go, and a first timer not having a clue. Now that we are DVC members, and have gone on 7 trips in 6 years we do tour differently than we did our first couple of trips. We have a nice balance between the parks, pools, dinners out, sleeping in, enjoying the "little things", sitting on a bench, etc. We plan on coming every year, at least once, for a long time. We are not going to do this trip the same way that a once or twice in a lifetimer will want to do WDW. Let's face it, we don't even need a map, just an updated time sheet.

Whenever I hear anyone I know say they are going to Disney, I get all excited and tell them we have to have a "talk". Telling them they need to start to study, and plan, plan ,plan.

 

[lenshanem]

The bad thing is I too get excited when i hear soemoen say they are planning a trip to WDW. I think I must get this look in my face and they are like OH NO!!! LOL It seems many don't wnat any advice?!? After a couple suggestions if they look uninterested I just let it go...
Weird, cause if I was going somewhere like a new city I wodul love to hear any tips or suggestions.

 

[JR]

Let's hear it for the non-planners, leave them be. The lines and waits are long enough with us planners in them. Let the non-planners wander around figuring out where to go and what to do!


JR

 

[dcfromva]

This reminds me of our most recent trip over NYE... I was meeting a friend (and her new DH) from Germany. I don't think she had any idea as to how crowded it would be. I kept asking her about their plans and would they like us to make dining ressies for them, et'c...
I never did get their itinerary before we left, so I only made ressies for NYE..
We met up on NYE about 10am in the morning and I think they were really shocked at the crowd levels! The first thing we did was lead them up to a Fast Pass machine and my friend was really surprised by that. She said her Aunt had been to WDW in July and didn't mention anything about FPes (and her Aunt said the lines were really long, et'c ) We just ushered them around the whole day--they saw most of the major attractions and the most they waited for anything was 20-25mins (but most of the time 5-10mins). As a comparision, the standby lines for TT were 260mins at around noontime..
( Oh course, we were exhausted at 10:30pm and had to leave them on their own because we are out of condition for proper comando style park going. )

-DC

 

[Nana Sue]

Guess there's something to be said for not having to get up at 6:45 AM every morning for ten straight days to rush to the phone and dial the same number fifty times until you get through.

 

[WEDway2002]

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your post and this thread!! I can so totally relate it's a little scary! I laughed out loud at your reactions to the casual WDW vistors. Don't get me wrong ... we are at a point where we take it a bit easy, BUT we always plan for the special meals, events, etc. We have also visited with friends and family and helped "guide" them in the right direction. I am sort of the "go to" guy at school (I teach) for anyone planning a trip to WDW. It is soooo hard to bite my tongue when dealing with those who are just planning on "winging it".
Anyway, I think planning is half the fun ... everytime you discuss it, etc. - it's like you're almost there!


Dave (soon to be working on our planning sheet for our summer trip!)

 

[Disney Enthusiast]

DeDixie - You are so right! I've been to WDW over 25 times and the more and more I go, the less I have to plan because it is all in my head. I still have the spreadsheets for the park hours, parades and FW and PS's.

Lenshanem - I had the same problems w/ my BIL's family, but I was trying to get the whole family together (8 of us) at least once a day. Why bother going down together, if we never see each other? And I couldn't imagine walking in a restaurant and getting a table for 8 w/in minutes w/o a PS. Plus I tried to schedule dinners the whole family could enjoy. I think it was just a "man" thing. He didn't want his SIL telling him where to eat. And now they are contemplating staying off WDW next time. I can't imagine staying elsewhere! I am spoiled, yes, but I just love the themed resorts!

gopherit - Just too funny! I keep wondering which princess my little Caroline will love the most. I will try to not persuade her and will allow her to decide for herself. I keep thinking that if her brother keeps watching Buzz Lightyear so much, she'll want to be Mira (the princess space ranger) who hasn't hit the stores much yet. She'll be one of those hard to find characters. Great! Also my little Caroline is the only girl in a longggg line of boys. My husband has 2 brothers, his brother, has 3 boys, and his father has 3 brothers. She is the 5th grandchild on that side..... only girl. She'll either be spoiled or tormented....haven't figured out which yet. Her grandma still says he and him, cuz she is so used to having all boys in her life. It's funny! Well, yours is a doll and I hope mine will look just as cute in her Princess outfit someday!!

WedWay2002 - I too enjoy the planning stages sooo much! My PIL and Parents say I should have been a travel agent for Disney or write a book. I just love it so. And it gives me that little piece of Disney up her in PA every time I think about it or make plans or PS's. I just have to keep myself in check because I worry I might enjoy the planning more than the actual vacation...... and that is just wrong. So far, every time I go, I do enjoy the real thing more, but you never know w/ this disease. Ha Ha!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I admit to being a planner.
2) We used to plan obsessively and do commando-style.
3) We now take more leisurely trips and "just tour" the parks.
4) However, we still plan!
5) We divide the days into thirds, and decide where to be.
6) We make a few PS-Ressies and coordinate them to the plan.
7) Other than this, we "go with the flow" and are flexible.

8) Regardless of the trip, planning is still important. If you don't stick with the plan, great. However, we feel WDW planning is like a road-map - you have a path and route, but can divert anytime.

 

[WolfpackFan]

About the extent of my planning is to get PS's for a couple of restaurants and that's about it. We know we'll usually do two parks a day; one in the morning, then back to the resort for a swim and time for DW and DD24 to catch favorite soaps then back to a second park around 4:00. I usually try to avoid EE days at parks. Other than that, we just head to whichever park we have the urge to go to and then decide the later park when we go. At times, we've even gone out to the bus with no idea which park we're heading to and just get on the first bus that comes up. Plus we always have a non-park day where we justs lay around the pool and resort hop. This year though we've discussed going to Sea World on that day. Now one thing we did last trip I really loved was one morning I went off on my own to MK and left DW and DD sleeping. I had the best time right by myself. It was a very light crowd day and I rode Haunted Mansion 4 times in a row by myself. I've already told them I want to do that again this year. Plus they both hate Pleasure Island (neither drink nor do they like the perceived party atmosphere); but I really like the Adventurers Club. So I've told them one evening I'm going to take off on my own to go to Adventurers Club. Other than that, that's about the extent of our planning. Way I figure if we don't see something or do something this time, we'll catch it next time. That's the great thing about DVC - you will be going back on a regular basis.

 

[tfc3rid]

Planning drives my GF crazy. We just got back from our Thursday to Monday trip and made no PS before leaving. We didnt get PS's at some restaurants we wanted so we showed up and waited. We have been there so many times that we can just enjoy!

 

[wilderness01]

I am a inbetween planner. We go to the park that will be the "least crowded" per the different opinions and then if it is crowded we leave to find another park to go to that is less so. However, I make ps when they are supposed to be made. I almost flipped just yesterday when my girlfriend said she really wanted to take her two daughters to one of the princess breakfasts and hasn't made the ps yet. She is leaving next week! I was on the phone for her before she could finish her story of how her girls would just "love" the princesses! Of course there was not a ps to be had and I told her to call to see if there were any cancellations when she was down there. She is so funny, you have to love her! She probably will also get the breakfast!!!! I hope so anyways......

I made my ps for my daughter at exactly 90 days out and will do the same for next December. It is important to my little to go and eat with the

 

[rocketriter]

Of course, the planning and non-planning stories go way past DVC and WDW. My favorite is when our in-laws took a driving trip east with the grandparents. First they arrived in Pennsylvania's Amish country on a Sunday and were surprised that the stores were closed and there was nobody to show them around. (Hmm, Amish country on a Sunday.) Then they got to Williamsburg, Virginia without having cracked a guidebook. They walked up and down the main street once, left the grounds, and reported to the rest of the family that "there's nothing much to see in Williamsburg." We're still giggling about that one.

Different people require different amounts of planning to be comfortable. But doing no homework at all can lead to failure, especially in a complex location like WDW.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Put me in the group with Shan and others who plan less and less each trip. Actually, I guess I still plan, but I've relaxed the level of detail. Of course, as Dean said, the 11/7 planning is a given, and I do look at point costs for the time of year. I still keep track of EMH parks - and avoid them, I note when Spectro, parades, etc. are offered, particularly in off-season, and I keep an eye on rehab schedules. But we don't have every meal locked down with a PS and we certainly have done away with the "unofficial commando park zig-zag"!

But we're just two empty nesters who have been to WDW (and will continue to go, thanks to SSR) enough times so that we can be more flexible about what we see and when we see it. And we have changed; 10 years ago I would have laughed at someone who'd suggest that we'd spend a day at WDW and NOT go to at least one park - now I can't wait for a laid-back, leisurely and downright lazy day at SSR!

And another sorta.on.topic comment: DW and just got back from our first cruise (not Disney - Carnival) and for the first time, she did all the planning. (Note: she's a very bright project.manager Franklin.Planner type, but I'm just the one who usually does all the research and planning). Well, I can tell you it was a GREAT feeling to let go, unclench and have someone else tell me where to go, where we had to be and when we had to be there!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

My name is doubletrouble and I'm a reformed planner.

I used to plan everything down to the last detail until it hit me that a compromise between planned and unplanned makes a better vacation. It's easiest to do at Disney because I've done so much planning in the past but I apply the same balance to new destinations.

That said...

For those of you with big family get togethers (aka Magical Gatherings?) you might want to write to your relatives and give them a touring guide. Make sure they understand it would take 4 days of commando style touring to see the major draws in the parks. Make an offer to assist...in writing. Provide your own touring plan to them as an aid for them to make their touring plan align with yours. And make it clear your plan is non-negotiable.

People who have never been don't have a clue and if they don't travel much they will be seriously clueless. I remember my first trip to Disney was for ONE DAY during 4th of July Week to EPCOT. Ouch...

 

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

I am the planner in our family. My DH says to just tell him when to load the car. That said, I plan less than I used to. Partly because we go at least once a year. So we know if we miss something this trip, we'll catch it the next time.

I also have my excel spreadsheet with our budget, operating hours, parade times, etc. I make PS for the meals we really don't want to miss. We also ask each person what they really want to do see or do.

I think the time of year also dictates how much planning is needed. If it's really crowded, then you really need to have a good plan.

Plus it can be really fun having planning meetings. We are going in July with my mom and my brother and his family. So we put on the Millennium cd, fix a disney dinner (Cooking with Mickey) and plan the night away.

 

[sgtdisney]

You can count me in the 'minority' of non-planners. I have been going to Disney World just about every year now since 1981, sometimes twice in a year. After all these years, I find I don't plan nearly as much as I used to. We tend to decide to go about 6 months out and have yet to have a problem getting a reservation. Now that I am married and have kids I will usually make a PS or two for a character meal, but that's about it. Everything else we either call the day we need the PS or (gasp) just walk in and wait. We do have a short list of must-dos before we go and a general idea of how we will accomplish the list, but we have been known to alter plans on a moments notice and have even cancelled PS's when we decide to do something else. We do plan a little more when we take people down who either have never gone to Disney World before or haven't gone in many years to make sure that they see the high points based on what they find interesting. But when we travel just with the family, we know we have another 38 years to come back and if we miss it this time, we can try again next time.

I think part of this may also be my wife is the ultimate non-planner. She thinks that excessive planning takes the fun and spontaneity out of the trip and makes it seem more like a list of chores than just relaxation. That was how her parents vacationed when she was a kid, no plans at all, going at the last moment, etc. They still do it and that part still drives me nuts.. So some of my planning activity was curtailed when I got married a number of years back.

I do think it is essential for the first time visitor or someone who goes very infrequently to have some kind of plan because there is so much to miss if it isn't thought out in advance.

 

[bub]

This thread is great. My husband and I are reformed commandos - in the 1980s, before kids (and when the parks had really long summer hours) we were known to log 15-hour days. Now with the kids we try to plan around their needs and interests, and it has mellowed us considerably. (Maybe due to the time our then 2 1/2 year-old daughter had a meltdown on a bus leaving Epcot at 3 p.m. - we had arrived early in the day - some people just have to learn the hard way!)

Everyone is correct in saying that it is fine to plan less if you go more often (and if you know the parks inside and out). The ones who miss out (but who usually think all the planning is crazy) are the ones who are going for the first time. They definitely end up spending more money, and enjoying themselves less as a result. My SIL fits into that category - she called us for advice as she was packing her suitcase to leave in an hour, and then after the trip had horror stories about crowds, prices and food.

For those of you going with other family members, it's sometimes better to just plan one joint activity per day. And everyone should be able to bail out of an activity if it's not their thing or if their kids can't handle it. We went last fall with about 13 total people from 4 families. We did character meals in smaller groups, making it less hectic and easier to reserve. We usually started out together in the morning and then went our separate ways as the day progressed. It was not necessary to all be together all of the time to have a great vacation and nice memories. Better to separate and still all like each other. We did manage to get a picture of everyone at AK.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

delete me