Family not in love with all my planning?!

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

Ahh yesss....My family thinks I am a complete Disney nerd. I ALWAYS plan WAY ahead. This trip-slightly over a year.
BUT, thanks to my planning ahead, I snagged our tickets (4 plus 1 day free) before the price increase, and during Ebates/Orbitz 20%cashback=$200.00 in savings. That impressed DH.
I have my sample touring plans all printed for each park that I made thru TP. I've asked the kids who wants to see what I have planned...no bites.
I am trying to plan this trip, so that it doesn't feel planned. I want it to go smooth and less rushing to stay on a schedule, even though we will be...in my mind...

I LOVE planning vacations, but planning for Disney is my favorite planning!

 

[nharding20]

I have to say, I am really grateful for this post and to read that other families are just like mine. I was under the delusion that everyone who posts on here has an army of family backing them up and partnering in on every decision!

Just the nature of being on these boards makes me rethink my plans and feel like there are so many tid-bits yet to learn, and I'm so naive to fast-pass, etc. It can get overwhelming.

And I never realized most people on these boards are probably just like myself trying to plan by themselves for an entire family's magical experience.

What a relief...

 

[bumbershoot]

I know they are frustrated with the feeling that ADRs FP+ and touring plans make it all seem so structured and more like a workday than a vacation. HOWEVER, I also know they'll be darn glad I did all this planning when we go and have a great time!

They will be glad.

So when you're in the parks, just keep coming up with ideas. If you see a map come out, have a sudden idea. If the question "what should we do next?" comes up, have a sudden idea. Over and over.

Of course some of those ideas will be "bathroom break?" and "ooh, lunch, hey there's that cool table service restaurant I happened to get a reservation at, let's go eat there at this perfect time when we've all just realized we should eat" and "wow, let's sit on this bench". Others will be "oh cool, I have a FP+ for Space Mountain and we just happen to be right here!" etc etc.


Just talk here, don't talk at home, and have fun at the parks.

 

[Canuckbiggs]

LMAO at this thread.

We should all compare spreadsheets!

I am just inside the 180 window of our 3rd trip. First 2 were just with my wife and 2 young kids. She is used to and somewhat accepting of my OCD disability when it comes to planning! LOL.

She is much less interested, but will pay attention long enough to offer an opinion and thankfully openly admits she and the kids benefit from my sickness. What more can I ask for in a woman?

This trip is with a long time friend, his wife and 3 kids. He has zero interest and his wife is a fireball red head. So far we have worked well together. I booked a throwaway campsite for the 9 of us and went ahead and booked the CTR Res for her family with the 180+10 rule, because she was worried about getting it. She was very appreciative and supportive.

When we get down to booking FP+s and daily touring plans I don't intend to be glued at the hip with them all day everyday. We can all go our own way at times.

So far so good on the planning.

 

[boltfan]

I went with my husband and 3 kids, my mother and my sister, her fiance and son, back in 2004 and I am a Disney Plan-aholic. (I feel like I should be in a meeting saying that...) Anyway, my husband, mother and sister were very clear that they didn't like the rigid plans I had, and it only lasted the first 2 days. Then everyone went their separate ways. My kids stayed with me and we did EVERYTHING we wanted, while the others just floated around and my nephew missed out on a lot. Luckily, he was only 3 and doesn't remember it.

A woman I work with who went refused to plan and her kids (who were 8 and 15 at the time) ended up hating Disney. I know, that doesn't seem possible, but they went in August with the heat and humidity, and had no plan. They showed up around 10 every day and only were able to ride a few rides before giving up and going back to the hotel. They also didn't stay on-site, so they also had to deal with the commute also. You must plan to really get to do everything you want in the time you have.

I am a Disney Plan-aholic, and proud of it.

 

[think-like-tink]

OH I am am planner too. I can spend HOURS happily "researching" tour plans happily.

My DH is a I don't want to know until we leave kind of guy. He won't look at pics. because it makes him mad he's not there. Odd. He stays far away.

Funny, when we get there he is all "give me the plan". I do ALL the work for him to take lead. LOL. At the end of the day I get sweet kisses from him and our kids in thanks for all the planning I do.

 

[Mikie]

Just talk here, don't talk at home, and have fun at the parks.

I'm literally LOL and confusing the 3yo I'm babysitting. . . My BIG deep-dark, dirty little secret! Is it alcoholism? No. Drugs? No. Gambling? No. . . I'm a a Disney Over-planner! So glad I can come here for help (and coDependency and enablers)

 

[kmv]

This thread reminds me why DH and I have decided there are no more extended family trips. We were always waiting for someone, something and doing things that weren't on our priority list.
For the few trips we have gone with just our immediate family and my planning works out great. We are going at the end of May and my sister just informed me that she looked up flights, hotels, etc.... to join us, I almost puked! Luckily it wasn't in her budget! Sounds awful, I know, but here 14 and 11 year old DDs don't ride ANY thrill rides and my 9 yr old DD LOVES them!

 

[Asnell]

I started training my family early in the superior ways of the planner! When my kids were 4 and 6, I wasn't sure if they would be able to walk past cool rides, but I'd say, "Yes, we will do that. It's on the plan, but if we ride it now we will wait, and later we will not." They got to know the drill --"Mom, I want to ride that, is it on the plan for later to not wait?"

My hisband's moment of conversion was when we walked up to a restaurant at 1pm and we were hearing other people being told it was a 2-3 hour wait. I gave them our name, and they said, "Right this way, Mrs. X, we have your table ready!"

On an extended trip with my in-laws, they thought I was nuts for asking everyone to be up at 6am, but my husband told his parents to have faith. By 9am, my FIL told me we'd done more so far that morning than they'd done in their entire multi-day trip when their kids were little.

My now-teenaged son is going to DL soon with a school trip, and asked if could plan his itinerary for him so he won't have to wait in lines.

They believe in me...but I don't bore them with details other than a quick request a few days before the trip to let me know what things they really care about. I've usually planned correctly, but that gives me time to shift things if I've overlooked something important to them.

My advice, if you want it, is to go ahead and plan to your heart'scontent (and their benefit!) but if you can, try not to talk about it in font of them. They'll *feel* like it's less planned and be more willing to trust you on where to go when the time comes. Really, a single day of relaxed touring (with a judicious comment or two pointing out that there's now a two-hour wait for an attraction that you walked on to) is usually enough to convert most people -- as long a you don't say, "I told you so!"

 

[Spacepest]

My husband didn't want to do any planning, or care that I did any of it...until we actually got to Disneyworld and he saw the ultra long stand by lines for Candlelight Procession, Fantasmic, completely booked table service restaurants, even a long line to meet Mickey himself! And this was in the off season. (And I'm also not as hardcore a planner as some people...I don't think I've booked anything 180 days out.).

I inherited this Disney trip planning gene from my mother, she used to plan Disney trips for us as children and teenagers. The woman must have had the patience of a saint...because this planning was done pre-internet days...scouring travel books, and she spent many very early mornings, before the was even up, reserving things over the phone.

 

[agavegirl1]

The grand total input from DBF:

We have to stay on site again but Beach Club was a waste of money.
He doesn't want to rent a car, loves WDW transportation.
He has to ride Mission Space numerous times.
He has to eat a Napoleon in Epcot.
He wants to try the German Restaurant and Monsieur Paul.
He wants to see what was going on behind all those construction walls (Fantasy Land Expansion)
We need to waste time at the pool bar occasionally

Think I can manage that in 9 days.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I used to share my plans with my family. But they aren't interested and get frustrated with me. They don't even want to choose restaurants for ADR's so I just do it.

So when it's all done and everything is booked, I'll email my plans to myself and save them on my phone.

That way I've got them handy if I need them. And if there is any standing around wondering what to do next type questions, I can consult the plan discretely and off we go.

sometimes stuff comes up that I've not planned for (Ie: husband friend inviting himself along on our Epcot day) but I'm working really hard at trying to go with the flow on that one (with the exception of not giving him access to our MDE that he keeps pestering my husband for which means I get pestered for. Not happening buddy.)

Planning trips with the family reminds me why I love my solo trips so much.

 

[asmit4]

The grand total input from DBF:

We have to stay on site again but Beach Club was a waste of money.
He doesn't want to rent a car, loves WDW transportation.
He has to ride Mission Space numerous times.
He has to eat a Napoleon in Epcot.
He wants to try the German Restaurant and Monsieur Paul.
He wants to see what was going on behind all those construction walls (Fantasy Land Expansion)
We need to waste time at the pool bar occasionally

Think I can manage that in 9 days.

I complain about my 'non planner' family but honestly- I think sometimes it's better that way. That way we do what I want to do! Can you imagine having 2 planners in the family

 

[Asnell]

Once my adult cousin joined us for a day at DL (he's local and we're not). I told him, "Hey, I'm a bit of a crazy planner, are you willing to roll with that for a bit?" After 5-6 rides he told me the only other time he'd gone, he and a friend had arrived in the afternoon, stood in line for two hours to ride a headliner, then just walked around the park looking at things. He didn't realize there was a different way to go. He asked if we could find a way to fit in Roger Rabbit before he had to leave for work ... Or course we did! He was all grins.

 

[TreeSapp]

What?! Not everyone in the world loves to scour DISboards, read tip guides, subscribe to every Disney blog out there, talk about strategies with total strangers 7+ months in advance?

I'm going in October with extended family vs. our usual immediate-family-only trip. My Dad and I are all about DIsney planning, little-known "nuggets" and researching. Some of the others can get interested in the conversation for a bit, and a few including my DH, mom and 6yo son! are already tired of hearing it!

Despite not being asked to DO one single bit of planning, they are tired of even being in the room when the topic comes up (and it ALWAYS comes up!

I know they are frustrated with the feeling that ADRs FP+ and touring plans make it all seem so structured and more like a workday than a vacation. HOWEVER, I also know they'll be darn glad I did all this planning when we go and have a great time!

I'm going to need tips on how to use a touring plan without letting them KNOW I'm using a touring plan, or they'll revolt. THey'll totally "go with the flow" if they think I've just come up with an idea on the spot, but probably rip a plan out of my hands if I bring a printed one

Maybe I'll have it printed in miniature on the backs of my sunglass lenses

Anyone else travel with family who's not *quite* as invested as you are?

We took my in-laws in October last year. I couldn't get ONE answer out of them pre-trip. Not how long they thought they'd stay in the parks, what times they might want to eat, restaurants they'd liked in the past, favorite rides? NOTHING.

So I had like 1/2doz plans in mind that I could shuffle around as needed. They were so overwhelmed when we arrived, that they just followed my husband and I around like baby ducklings... Whined for food at PRECISELY 11:30am each day and (my favorite) asked could we eat at a VERY SPECIFIC in-park Restaurant each evening at 6:00 after we were already back to the hotel and they were already hungry. Uhhhh no? We can't get a reservation at this hour and standby could be over an hour, plus the commute back over there.

In the end they were really impressed how much we got done - 15-20 attractions per day, always done by 3:30.
But disappointed that they didn't get to eat at 'the restaurant with the fish tanks', 'the really nice Italian place in MGM' & 'that one with the characters'.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably lay into them harder about the whole ADR thing, especially now that I know they are hungry at THE EXACT SAME TIME everyday

 

[sb682]

I love planning for ANY vacation, but I really love planning for Disney. I almost drove DH insane before our first two trips last year (we bought APs) but learned to keep the obsessiveness to the DIS and leave him out of it as much as possible. Two weeks before our third trip, we had a "come to Jesus" (come to Mickey? ) meeting and I asked him and my sister what they wanted to get out of our vacation. We all agreed on trying a new TS restaurant and having down time at the pool at least a few days on our trip, as well as NOT riding the same rides over and over again. We discussed where we'd like to eat and which parks were recommended according to EasyWDW, I made the ADRs as appropriate, and we had a very good time.

 

[brielise]

DH doesn't like advanced planning at all. With our wedding or honeymoon. Like he likes that it's done but seems to not want to be bothered in advance. He can only think of the very immediate future.

I still ask him about what he wants to do but he seems irritated. His mom usually just plans everything and hands us the itinerary the day we get there. The last time I asked to be included a little more and it really bothered her. But DH gets mad when she chooses restaurants we don't like. Soooo... he's irritated that I ask him now but will be happy when we're in WDW and everything is planned. Plus I also scored great FP+ and ADRs thanks to these boards!!!

 

[epsmith921]

I'm so laughing at this thread since my entire family basically tries to keep me away from talking Disney! Thank goodness for my awesome husband who now loves rope drop and wants me to make sure he doesn't have to eat at the electric umbrella ever again. However we get there, he's on board. Oh and he refuses to stay anywhere except a deluxe resort so that's a little rough for the budget but at least I find the discounts and send him spreadsheets to decide which room/view we're willing to spring for!

 

[Mikie]

I'm not sure why it seems so many non-planners not only don't want to be involved but get frustrated just by knowing what we're up to? I don't have to get it, I just have to roll with it!

Going to take some tips from you folks and try to keep my mouth shut around family except to ask for everyone's "top 3" (5?, 10?) and then try to basically have a morning plan and "let it go" for he 2nd half of the day.

 

[SpringSprite]

Going with my hubby, grandmas and two littles and fortunately they are happy I am doing the planning, since no one wants "what are we going to do now? I don't know, what does everyone else want to do" confusion while we are in the parks.

My mother is all "I don't want to hear about it", though....so when we get there and she has an issue with not wanting to do something, of course my response will be "I don't want to hear about it"!