Do you think it's possible to over-plan for a Disney trip?

[Dramatic Muffin]

Does researching and investigating even the small details take some of the fun out of it? Or do you feel it's part of the fun and is necessary to make sure you don't miss anything?

 

[Aliceacc]

I think that each group needs to find its own sweet spot in terms of planning. What's ideal for my family is way too much for some and not quite enough for others.

We've gotten to the point where the planning I do gets us the Disney vacation we want. We get the ADRs we want, the FP's we want, the resort we want. it works for us. That doesn't make it "just right" for anyone or everyone else.

 

[Alesia]

1. Does researching and investigating even the small details take some of the fun out of it?
2. Or do you feel it's part of the fun and is necessary to make sure you don't miss anything?

1. Nope.
2. Absolutely.

But, different people want different things from their vacations. You'll have to figure out what works best for your family.

 

[minnie mum]

I would go so far as to say that this varies even within any given family. I enjoy the planning process, and researching as much as possible before any trip, whether it's a Disney vacation or another destination. My DH, on the other hand doesn't want to be constantly bombarded with minutiae.

And I think there is a line that can be drawn between researching a trip, and learning about all the details, and over planning. By which I mean over scheduling. Trying to cram in too much and regimenting your daily plan to the minute. I know for our family, doing that would be a recipe for disaster.

 

[beldred]

I love the planning! For me, planning is definitely half the fun of the trip. My DH and DS don't care about planning. They want to show up and have fun. The work I do (which I love) allows them to do what they love. It's a win-win. I do agree with the pp who said over planning and over scheduling are very different. I try very hard not to over schedule. We like to wing things once we are at the parks. If it's a crowded time of year, I research a touring plan and follow it as much as possible without making them aware we're following a plan. And if we have ADR's we make a general park plan to get us to those on time. Otherwise, once we get there, we wing it. My big planning in advance lets us be free and easy on the actual trip. Our trips are so different because we vary the time of year so we can experience different things so it's hard to describe.

 

[scrhsa]

Planning IS the fun part. Of course, when I get to the parks I totally forget what all I planned I remember the main things but all the minor things just fly out the brain.

 

[hiddenl1fe]

I enjoy the planning aspects of the trip, as long as it doesn't get to be too much. I see on here that some people have their days planned down to each ride and how long it should take in line/on the ride. I think that is a little too much. On the other hand, if I'm going with someone who has done disney before and they are taking care of the planning. I'm happy to just go with the flow.

 

[fairy oma]

I enjoy researching and planning each vacation, not just WDW. Many people think I go overboard and others love my research and planning and even ask for my docs for their trips. I say you should do whatever floats your boat! I like to do extensive research and planning so when the vacation rolls around I have the information our group needs and then I can relax and enjoy my WDW vacation also.
I type up my finding for each individual park, for our resort, flights, a spreadsheet with each family's park plans and ADR confirmation #s whether they are all together or separate families. Once I finish all the docs I download all of them to a WDW folder on my phone so I have everyone's info at my fingertips and send copies to my DD & DIL so they can do the same if they wish.
I have been told I am about 15 ticks off center because I am such a control freak but believe it or not friends and family love to travel with me because I handle all of the large and small stuff. When all 3 families go together we have an agreement...1 planned meal together a day; if we run into each other and choose to eat together that's great but we all like to have a bit of freedom to enjoy WDW.

 

[jec6613]

No plan survives contact with the enemy.

I will obsessively learn everything I can for my upcoming trip, and will have an outline of what to do when, but I always leave slop in the plan and some details in the air. I'll plan what lands and when, but not the order of attractions within those lands. The crowd levels and lines, as well as how you're feeling that day and if you have sunburn, a blister, or it's raining and the parks are empty, can be unpredictable and if you have too ridged of a plan, you won't be able to deviate when things go awry or better than expected.

 

[phillymummer]

I feel that planning is important (ADRs, FP+, a general sense of desired attractions and Character M&Gs) but in my experience, if you try to plan out EVERY detail and every hour, it is creates stress and frustration and disappointment when something unexpected occurs (a ride breaks down, it takes longer than expected to get seated at a restaurant, someone gets a nosebleed, there's a thunderstorm, etc) and throws off your plan. I feel like you have to leave some room for flexibility and spontaneity.

 

[davper]

Plan, plan, and plan some more.

Once you have arrived at Disney, go with the flow and use your plan as a reference guide when the flow slows down.

 

[wzwild]

I would go so far as to say that this varies even within any given family. I enjoy the planning process, and researching as much as possible before any trip, whether it's a Disney vacation or another destination. My DH, on the other hand doesn't want to be constantly bombarded with minutiae.

And I think there is a line that can be drawn between researching a trip, and learning about all the details, and over planning. By which I mean over scheduling. Trying to cram in too much and regimenting your daily plan to the minute. I know for our family, doing that would be a recipe for disaster.

This is my family!

 

[Dramatic Muffin]

I enjoy the planning aspects of the trip, as long as it doesn't get to be too much. I see on here that some people have their days planned down to each ride and how long it should take in line/on the ride. I think that is a little too much. On the other hand, if I'm going with someone who has done disney before and they are taking care of the planning. I'm happy to just go with the flow.

Yeah, I've seen that too. I used to do the same thing. I was kind of a drill sergeant on our early WDW trips, getting everyone up early, following a plan, trying to make sure we didn't miss anything. Now I make ADRs and fast passes and then go with the flow. My kids enjoy our trips more now.

 

[Lucius Best]

Planning is necessary, and fun to a certain extent, but it is definitely possible to over-plan. On last trip we had everything planned up through lunch. Then after lunch was a total "wing it", depending on crowds, lines, weather, what FP+ were available, how much we got done in the morning, etc.

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

I enjoy the planning, i really do. But i dislike having to choose what park to do 2 months ahead of time. I've never planned like that before and find it quite jarring to how I've done previously.
I'm finding myself overthinking. 'Do we have enough time allocated to each park/too much' And that to me is not fun!

 

[baldy6060]

I over plan every trip! And I plan on over planning this next trip too. I have been already for 7 months. Only 5 more months of over planning to go! Woo hoo!

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Disney has put you in a position where you have to. ADRs at 120 and FP+ at 60 and then changing ADRs to accommodate FP+ since that doesn't match ADRs.

Sadly for those of us that would prefer to see what the day brings Disney doesn't really fit like it once did.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Yes, I can't stand planning every minute of the trip, but we've gone with people who were those type of vacationers. I guess I'm a lazy vacationer--I take what comes to me and I relish the relaxed feeling that comes with that. No rules, nowhere that we have to be, just do whatever we want at that particular moment with little forethought. We'll plan a couple ADRs maybe (so the kids can meet characters without having to wait in lines), research new or refurbished rides/shows/attractions, and plan out a loose schedule of our park visits, which park we want to go to on what day, based mostly on extra magic hours.

I REFUSE to use an alarm clock on vacation (that includes wake-up calls), we don't set up a plan for the order in which we visit the attractions, and whenever we start to get over stimulated we seek out a refuge of calm, whether that means making a visit to Tom Sawyer island or heading back to the hotel for souvenir shopping or a swim. We don't do parades or fireworks either and if a ride has more than 20 min to half an hour wait time, we move along to something else.

Of course, I haven't visited since before the introduction of magic bands, so I suppose that I will have to figure out fast passes in advance, which seems kind of stressful. But we only go in the off season, so my lack of planning doesn't affect our good time as much as it would for people who go in the summer or on major holidays. Coming from Pennsylvania to Florida in the winter is about as dramatic as Dorothy's transition from Kansas to Oz, it's a big thrill for us to step off the plane in Orlando in the winter and see so much green! And flowers! I never realize how much I love flowers until I see them at the airport. I think I forget flowers over the winter. January in Pennsylvania has 2 colors: white and brownish-grey.

 

[LaurEm378]

I've over-planned the last 3 trips, but for my upcoming trip in Aug/Sept I'm trying to take it easy. I booked late (just last week) but got most of the ADRs and FPs we want.

Normally this is the stage where I'd make hyper-detailed lists of what attractions to do in which order every day, and crazy packing lists and lists for no reason, etc. However, that's always been a waste of time--it's fun for me, sure, but those plans always go out the window once I'm in WDW (and I'm sick of overpacking). I'm going to enjoy my summer here in NJ instead of looking ahead to my week in WDW by making lists and itineraries I won't use.

I'll keep searching for a better price on a rental car, and I'll try here and there for slightly better ADR times. But I'm feeling pretty good about winging it on this trip.

 

[BagOLaughs]

I think you've got to hit a happy medium. I'll usually make a day by day plan for the two weeks. That way I know which days we'll do certain parks because (for example) I want to make sure I'm not in Magic Kingdom if MNSCHP is happening so we would have to leave earlier than usual.

However I won't plan down to the hour. But I love to research! But I will specifically leave certain things out if I don't want spoilers. Another example - I've not looked at the Gringotts ride at all! Because I want everything to be a surprise.