Does anyone else get burnt out on planning?

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

We leave for Disney a week from Friday. I'm just so tired of planning all the ADR's and everything. I guess it's a good thing that for the most part we have our ADR's because I'm just burnt out on trying to plan everything and just want to go and have some fun.
I'm sure this sounds awful, and as much as I just paid DVC member services for our dining plan I do want to make sure we get to eat places we want to eat and places we like to eat but I'm just tired of thinking about it. And it's not that I don't enjoy going to Disney World, I think DH and I might even enjoy it more then our 8 and 11 year olds do.
Anyone else every get this way?

 

[FireDancer]

I have found that many people here over plan. I could not imagine planning a trip around meals. I pick one or two restaurants I know I want to eat at and make an ADR and the rest of the trip I just grab something when I'm hungry. I don't pre plan which days I will be in which parks so trying to pre-determine when I'll be hungry, where I'll be when I am hungry, and if I even will be hungry 90 or 180 days in advance makes no sense to me.

 

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

I remember the first time I was at Disney, it was in 2006, and my husband hadn't been there in years. We weren't aware you had to have ADR's and we couldn't get in ANYWHERE we tried but Kona Cafe. I think maybe that's in the back of my head. It would be nice if we could just decide when we wanted to eat when we're there but we're there during a free dining promotion and I'm thinking that it would be harder than usual to just be a walk up. Looks like that's what we'll be doing with 3 of our table service meals though

 

[Ms.Mouse]

Take it from "the planning queen" of our group/groups. I've been planning Disney vacations at least once a year for 20+ years for groups of 2-10 people.... I think it's very important to plan. I do plan around the ADR's because I think that one sit down meal is important each day...and I usually plan it at the supper hour so we can "wind down" for the evening and have family time around the table and discuss the thoughts of the day.
I have a great time planning our vacations. I ask each person going who has been there before what restaurant they would like to go to and be sure that is included, unless we can't get in...and even then, I just don't say anything and find another place to eat and they never notice anyway...

I've found that planning a Disney vacation is alot like planning a wedding. You make the plans and realize that if something doesn't go as planned, it's going to go forward anyway, so you may as well RELAX, and no one will know or care about it because they are having such a great time...and in the end, you will wonder why you were so stressed out also...

Have a great time on your vacation...

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I agree with planning, 100%. Especially if you have kids, which I do. Sure, going with the flow is great if you're touring solo or as adults only. But with young kids, they get hungry and when they get hungry they get cranky. Case in point...this summer we went to Disneyland with family (5 kids, 4 adults) without planning a thing. So what do you think happened? The kids (and adults actually) were all starving but had no idea where to eat. We spent at least an hour traipsing from counter service to restaurant, etc. looking at menus and asking for availability. Talk about not fun! And it was hot outside.

So yes, I plan our meals while at Disneyworld. I like knowing that there's a set time with set place where we can be guaranteed a table to relax and eat. Happy, fed children makes for happy parents!

 

[Bradsdadg]

Yes. There is only so much you can plan and dream about. After a while it becomes put up or shut up, so to speak. Then it's vacation time!!

 

[lucyem]

There is planning and then there is DisBoard planning

We certainly makes plans but they are all flexible. We do not get the dining plan partly for this reason. I do make some ADR's but when my 5 yr old decides to have a meltdown an hour before the ADR we can skip it, get CS and go back to the room. I do know which CS is our favorite in each park. I do know which park we will be in each day. But thats about it.

 

[AlixaLock]

YES!!! I absolutely love planning and we have TONS of ADRs, but I have to take a break and forget about it every once in a while when the burn out sets in! I plan and then put it away, and then pick it up again in a couple weeks and it all feels new again.

 

[JCMHutch]

I don't think you can ever over plan a Disney vacation. DH & I list out the restaurants we want to go back to and which new ones we want to try (we always try to do 50/50). We look at the park attendance history and figure out which days we are going to what parks, then I book the ADRs around that.

DH humors me and lets me plan like crazy, make adjustments prior to leaving, etc. He appreciates it though because he always has a great time when we are down there.

 

[eliza61]

We leave for Disney a week from Friday. I'm just so tired of planning all the ADR's and everything. I guess it's a good thing that for the most part we have our ADR's because I'm just burnt out on trying to plan everything and just want to go and have some fun.
I'm sure this sounds awful, and as much as I just paid DVC member services for our dining plan I do want to make sure we get to eat places we want to eat and places we like to eat but I'm just tired of thinking about it. And it's not that I don't enjoy going to Disney World, I think DH and I might even enjoy it more then our 8 and 11 year olds do.
Anyone else every get this way?

I stopped planning a long time ago. The problem is twofold, first the stress from overplanning and 2nd the stress from trying to do every thing on the plan. I actually saw a mom seriously bullying her kids to go onto the HM even though the kids were scared to death. She was yelling at them "this is the only MK day we have planned so we have to do every thing" Yeah, scare two preschoolers half to death because you have to follow the plan to the letter.

anyway,
now I make a few adr's (maybe 2 or 3 for a 10 day trip) if we make them, it's all good, if we don't make them no skin off our backs.

Vacations for me, should not rival the preparation for the Allied invansion of France on D-day.

I've had great vacations without a single plan and since you are going next week, you will have no trouble getting a TS meal. simply call disney dining when you wake up and they will give you tons of places to eat

 

[blanq]

I never thought I would say this, but I am right with you, OP and yes I am burnt out on planning. Our first 11 trips, I planned like a mad woman. I don't regret it because we had great trips and it was especially helpful when I was a newbie, didn't know the layout of things, etc. Next month will be #12, and I just booked on a whim last week. I literally threw together a loose plan and it took me all of about an hour. I did pick which park on which day, and booked 1 ADR for each day. We may cancel some of those and just go with the flow. We have no itinerary plan, and are just going to do what we want. It is the most freeing feeling in the world!

 

[pigletto]

Another person here who can relate.
I planned like crazy for the last two trips.
I don't seem to have it in me for this one. I'll make my reservations (most are made) but I won't fret if I don't get my "must haves". I don't even have "must haves".
I got an O"Hana at dh's request, and Tutto, Le Cellier and a Cape May breakfast so far.

I'll tell you though, I am more excited for less planned/regimented vacation than our last. Who knows.. I might even sleep in once or twice.

 

[Mom B]

I hear ya! We're leaving the same day as you, and I'm finding it hard to go back to my itinerary and recheck the plans 'one more time' to make sure I didn't miss anything. I think at this point we will take it as it comes and hope our plans come out somewhere close to what we want. We have to be flexible, after all, especially with a 2 yr old DGD on board! I think I worry more about getting to all our favorite restaurants these days more than I think about getting on our favorite rides...but that's okay. We know we'll be back next year so it will all work out in the long run. Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[luvdisney00]

OP, yes I do get burnt out from planning and get a little tired of it, but I find that planning things out to the letter (allowing for flexibility w/ changing circumstances of course) makes it a little stressful during the planning time instead of during the vacation. I make all of the plans, all of the ADRs, the reservations etc... and the rest of the family just goes along. Sometimes I get mad at DH because I have to do all of the "work" but in reality I love it and wouldn't want anyone to take it over for me. Confusing right?

I put a lot of time in planning out every minute of our time, but do accept that things can change. We have had several very smooth trips thanks to a lot of planning, so here I go again planning Aug 11.

OP, relax, finish your plans and just go and enjoy your trip.

 

[GailT]

I do, I just got back, when I made the ADRS and times 180 days out it looked perfect to me untill I actually got there and cound't change the times, felt rushed for all table settings didn't eat half of my food, I am going back, no more DDP, no more table setting Just gonna eat whatever when I am hungry. Despite all this I had the best vacation ever, my favorite was Ohana breakfast on Cristmas morning before I flew home, that will be a must do for every trip, love the food, the characters, the wait staff, I bonded with stitch and I never liked him but now I am in love. LOL

 

[Coconuts]

I get a little burnt out at times. I was planning, checking, double checking full force before Christmas, but then had to take a break for the last week. We had too much stuff to do for Christmas and I realized I did need the break from the planning!

 

[Forever Fairy]

Maybe I should go into reservations because no matter what - I have never gotten tired of planning my trips.

That being said, I do agree with FireDancer. We usually pick 1 or 2 places we really want to try, and make ADR's for those. And we always leave a day off in between. That way, we can be a little flexible with what park we visit for the day.

Then if we want to try something new, we call Disney dining while there. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't, we just move on and do a counter service. By not over planning, we can actually not feel rushed and really enjoy.

 

[BLTLDZ]

I spent SO much time overplanning our two week honeymoon that I ended up neglecting wedding planning And feeling burnt! It felt like a job.

Having said that, having ADR's in place for the biggies is a great idea, other than that, I am taking it easy from now on....too much pressure!
I ended up switching everything around last minute anyhow!

December 2011 we are taking my parents down with us for a week....I am going to sit down and go over "the must sees" for them, and the extras....
Then I will have somewhat of a plan...but I will not stress myself out....Yeah right!!

 

[photobob]

I totally understand. My planning has been scaled back to as basic as possible, we too are DVC members which has helped me get a little more laidback with our trips. I study up on the days I think will be the best to go to each park and make lunch ADR's for those days and that is it. Sometimes we go and change our minds when we are there and drop an ADR or two, I always call and cancel reservations that we do not plan to keep in hopes that it will help someone else.

I do not over-plan anymore, but I do try to go fully prepared. I will study up so that I know about parade schedules, extra magic hours etc. If someone says what do you want to do now I can present all our options. I think being educated and knowing the lay of the land is more important than planning everyday. I am always the one everyone looks to when questions arise so I try to be ready for any possibility.

 

[Kim1964]

2011 will be our 10th trip, and I am not stressing at all about planning. We are only making two ADRs because Disney food doesn't do much for us, and we've found lots of offsite places that we enjoy. The two ADRs we want (CM and Boma) aren't even in parks, so I don't have to plan them around which park we are going to be at that day. I use the TourGuideMike least crowded park charts to plan which park on which day, and I will continue to do that as it has never let me down. I don't really have to plan park itineraries anymore....we've done it so many times that the whole family knows the plan without my saying a word.

We are going to Universal for the first time so I will read about that before we go, but we are staying onsite to get the FOTL passes so I'm not worried about that either.

I've had moments on previous trips where I let the huge cost of the trip and the many hours of planning that I put in affect how I tried to make my family behave. Having seen a lot of adults melting down toward their children in the parks, I know I never want to be that person and I've learned that getting our money's worth is about having fun, which does not necessarily mean hitting every attraction in every park.