Do you *need* a strategy?

[Rienchen]

Hello, for the past 2 weeks or so, I've been reading lots on this Forum as I am currently planning my trip over Easter.
Lots of you seem to have proper schedules, about when to go where....

Do you really need that? I realised, that Easter wasn't the best week to pick, but it's the only week, that I am 'off' this year, so it will have to be, what it will be.
We are visiting the park on 5 Days from Tuesday to Saturday(April 15th, the day before Easter Sunday) and I already found out, that I should avoid Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on the Saturday.....but what else is there to know?

Is it important to be there at Park opening(we're staying offsite, so no EMH)... then get some Fast Passes first? Or ride Dumbo(a must for me) first?
I won't be back there for a long time and really want to do lots of things like a character breakfast(should I get a reservation for a time, that the park isn't officially opened yet?), Dumbo, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder M., Winnie the Pooh Ride, Peter Pan, Toon Town Fair.... lots of the ral popular ones.

So should I have everything planned or should we just walk around(but we don;t want to get stuck waiting in line for more than 45 min-1 hour.

TIA
Marina

 

[reallybadeggs]

At the very least, you need to list the times of the shows and parades that you want to hit and make a timeline.

Something like:

Lights, Motors, Action 10:20
Indiana Jones 2:00
Stars and Motor Cars Parade 3:30
Beauty and the Beast 4:15
Playhouse Disney 5:00
Fantasmic 7:00

And then map out the section of the park you are going to be in to figure out how much time you will have in the section of the park to do what you want to do.

You won't be able to do "everything" in one day.

However, you will waste a lot of time and miss a lot more if you go in without a plan. I promise.

 

[Got Quattro?]

yes...you need a stratagy....but do not need an hour to hour schedule

 

[PKS44]

Sign up for Tourguide Mike you will be stunned at the crowds at MK and have a much more enjoyable vacation if you invest in his advice at a busy time of year like that....

 

[Rienchen]

Sign up for Tourguide Mike you will be stunned at the crowds at MK and have a much more enjoyable vacation if you invest in his advice at a busy time of year like that....

Is that really worth the $22 ?

 

[Pop Daddy]

of course you dont need a stragedy, but then what could we post about

 

[dixipixi]

I think it depends on the person. Are you the kind of person who likes to feel that they have some control over the situation? Or are you the kind of person who can be happy taking things as they come?

The first time I took my DH and kids we had a pretty scheduled trip. Just about everything was planned. The upside was we had a fantastic time and did almost everything we wanted. The downside was that it was an exhausting trip.

All of our trips since then have been more relaxed. We usually plan when we are going to the parks and we try to have plans concerning where we'll eat. We also plan to see any new attractions or things we may have missed in the past. But that's about it. It's much more relaxing to me to know that I have general plans and don't have to deal with "little things" like where to eat. We also plan for lots of time at the pool or just relaxing around the hotel.

I think it is a good thing if at the very least you have some sort of general plan. If it is very important for you to experience everything, then you should definitely have a strategy. If vacation to you is more about relaxing and having a good time, then a general plan should be fine.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

but we don;t want to get stuck waiting in line for more than 45 min-1 hour.

Unfortunately, waits at least this long will be a given at a holiday time.

Your best strategy would be not to go at Easter. If the only time I could visit was when the park would be so crowded, I just wouldn't go.

That said, you definately need a touring plan, but you don't need to pay someone to make one for you.

You need to get to the park before opening so you are ready when they lower the ropes. I would suggest heading straight to Dumbo, since that has to be one of the slowest loading rides in the park and quickly attracts huge lines. Then ride Winnie and Peter Pan and get fast passes for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder (or wait for one and get fast passes for the other).

Bring lots of patience, you'll need it.

 

[JennaTX]

Is that really worth the $22 ?

If you don't find it useful, he offers a money back guarantee, so it can't hurt to try him. I used him last year and I am using him again this year.

I would at leat try to have some ideas about what park you are going to, a general order of the rides you are going to want to do, etc.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Amirah95]

I recommend a good touring plan for Easter...someone mentioned TGM and it's the way to go if you don't know how to make up a plan on your own.

 

[thelionqueen]

YES you need a plan and strategy if you want an enjoyable trip. YES Tourguidemike is worth the $22 (BTW Mousesavers.com has a $4? discount..check it out)

DO plan, DO strategize DO have a BLAST!!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Birnbaum's book was all I used in the early years, now I can forge ahead on my own and paying someone to be a guide is not necessary. The only part of an agenda I use is making my dining places close to or in the same area we're visiting for the day. Jumping from , say, MK to eat at DTD and back to the resort is time wasting. We plot our parks for the trip, we hop, and lay out our places of food interest and juggle the cards to keep us in the general area. We have our down day, no park, water day and shopping and thats it. It isn't all that hard to lay out a visit, without going "commando" and see the World. Disney literature is really great, the video helps alot and Birnbaums, free at the library, is a great start. After your visit, you'll see that WDW isn't that intimidating and future trips will be a breeze, now that you have one under your belt you can pick what you really like to see and do, and not what others say you should see and do. Its your vacation, you should enjoy it your way.

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes have a strategy. At least buy an good guidebook...I like either Passporter or the UnOfficial Guide to WDW. Then, make a list, park by park, of the things you really want to do. Then you will have some idea of your plan of attack.
Yes, book your meals asap. You will find that at this time of year, the restuarants will be crowded. YOu may not get your first choices. If you can snag a character meal, say at Crystal Palace, before MK opens, that's a great idea. It gives you a bit more time.
As far as what parks to be at on which days....I have found that if you aren't/can't do EMH's, then go to the park that had the EMH evening the night before. If there was no park with evening EMHs then head to the one that has morning EMHs that day.
Have a good trip...remember to take some time to just relax and unwind. You are on vacation...you don't have to do it all, see it all. THere is no way you'll be able to do that in any case.

 

[The Sweetness]

IMO, you better stick with being there at opening, (eat breakfast first and you may want to make it a good one). Also, smart thinking to get fps for the most popular things first. Other than that, keep in mind what everyones top priorities are, so that things that get skipped wont break any little hearts. Have fun. In my infinite trips in the 90s, I almost always stayed offsite. Some hotels even offer a real hot breakfast and free shuttles! Last trip I took was to USF/ SW, and we payed $45 per night, with the freebies (room was not fancy, but clean, and all we wanted to do was sleep and shower anyway)

 

[Amirah95]

If you don't want to be stuck in lines for long periods of time you will need a plan and if you don't want to pay for TGM, or a touring plan or a guide book then check out a book at a Local Library or visit www.wdwinfo.com or www.allearsnet.com and try to make up a plan for yourself. I can almost guarantee you, from reading lots of trip reports that by 11am or noon Fantasyland will be packed so you will want to get there at open to take advantage....

What other attractions do you have in mind besides Dumbo? Also, you will need to know where everything is located in order to be efficient. You don't have to go commando like some of us (that is our choice), but don't go out there blind.

Easter is no joke at WDW.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

It depends on what kind of vacation you want. We planned some things out..and I often felt "stressed" throughout the trip b/c of all the crowds and the fact that we were rushing from one thing to the next so quickly that the whole week ended up being a whirlwind.
Alot of people here talk about Tour Guide Mike, you may want to check that out.
But if I had to do it all again, I would just realize that I was going at a REALLY busy time, and understand, i mean really really understand that you weren't going to be able to see everything. And Tour at a leisurly pace. I would reccomend getting up and being at the parks for opening, as you will find shortest lines early in the am. GET YOUR FAST PASSES EARLY for the rides you really really want to ride. (we sent one person from our group out w/everyone's cards to get them while we waited in another line.) As fast passes are often gone early in the day for good rides.

Good Luck and Happy Planning.

 

[drteeth3]

I think your strategy depends most on what sort of personality you have. If one thing (in my opinion) can hinder the enjoyment factor on a Disney trip it is over planning. Some people need that, they need a detailed itinerary. Sure you need some of that. We plan around certain meals because you need to make reservations so early with some of them. We also plan around anything that has a time. So the best advise I can give is prioritize what you want to see the most. You will most likely not be able to see it all so plan what you want to see. And if things change don’t worry just relax, take your time and enjoy. A lot of the fun is being spontaneous.

 

[Mom2tmha]

We don't go with a plan...kinda just go with the flow except we do take advantage of whatever park has the extended night hours. We have a leisurely morning and don't get there at the opening hour. We also find by doing this the buses are much less crowded!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Have a plan.

Get to the parks at opening.

Book ADRs NOW.

Have a great time.

 

[DebIreland]

But if I had to do it all again, I would just realize that I was going at a REALLY busy time, and understand, i mean really really understand that you weren't going to be able to see everything.

Very well said. I think that's a really important piece of advice. We went to WDW last June and I had read on these boards and in guide books that you won't get everything done. Even so, the first couple of days we were getting stressed because we hadn't been on this and that and...... etc. But we had to lose that attitude fast and stay positive. Instead, we ended up listing out what we HAD done and what we DID see at the end of each day and we were very impressed with ourselves We didn't just focus on what attractions we got to, but we happily thought back to the fun we had being in different places and soaking up the atmosphere. I'm sure some people would be appalled at just how few rides we got on some days but man was it hard with 3 kids. Bottom line - we had a blast!!

So, to the OP: listen to ThreeMusketeers advice and really really understand that you won't see everything. I've only been to WDW once but I'd make a list of your "must-see" attractions and then a second list of the "if I have time" attractions. At the end of each day focus on what you DID get done and don't stress about what you missed. Use the Fastpass system. It is AMAZING. Be aware of when you're eligible for a new Fastpass (time will be printed on the ticket) and get one asap. I loved using Fastpasses, it gave me the most satisfying feeling to avoid those long, long lines and walk straight on. Have a great trip.