Head spinning!!!!!

[WendyMichaelJohn]

I just purchased access to two online itinerary planners. It is causing me more stress than I had before.

For example, not arriving at Dumbo first thing seems to be sacrilege. But my child doesn't want to do Dumbo first. I can only imagine what would happen if we started out our trip with me telling her, "No, you can't talk to that character, we have to get to Dumbo. No, you can't ride that ride, we have to get to Dumbo. No, we can't browse the Winnie the Pooh gift shop, we have to get to Peter Pan."

We're going at a moderate time of year (late nov/early dec.)

My feeling was to do things sort of by "land" at MK. We'll arrive early, do our best to move straight back to Fantasyland, but we didn't really want to start the day insisting, well, insisting ANYTHING. We do that all day long here at home and out and about. This is a vacation and I feel like we'd be setting ourselves up for a fight later if the day starts off with a million no's.

Why do I feel like these plans are just setting me up for fights and battles? And why are they making me feel like if we don't get to Dumbo first, all is lost?

Why can't I convince my children not to do the carousel first? (I'm not pushing the subject though. I want them to be excited.)

Anyway, one of the planners stresses a precise order for the rides first thing. It says that if you see a character, tell your kids you can see them later. But the truth is, from what I've read, that may not actually happen. They may NOT see them again later. And it appears to me that it would be not allowing magic to happen naturally, kwim?

Are we going to be alright just picking the right parks to go to, following itinerary advice loosely, and not stopping "magic" when it just happens?

Aaaaaah!

Shel

 

[Sally Skellington]

I agree with you. I think the touring plans are overrated and nervous-making. Then, I am a seat-of-my-pants kind of girl.

It helped that I have only boys, but we spent a single day at MK (kind of to see if we liked it for a future visits) and had time to see everything we wanted to.

The touring plans seem designed to make sure you see and do EVERYTHING there. We didn't want to do everything, we wanted to have fun. I made a list (mentally, didn't even write it down) of five things I thought my kids would like. We managed to hit all five in one day, plus a lot more. And we had time to relax, people watch, eat, the kids napped in the stroller. It was great.

I really think it's so much nicer to just go and explore. So what if you don't ride every ride? If your kids like the carousel and dont' care about Dumbo, then don't ride Dumbo and let them do the carousel twice. It's your vacation. Do what you want. It's not a marathon. Disney will be there forever, odds are good you can go back later on and do different things, right?

Have fun and let your kids have fun too. That's what vacation is all about.

 

[Leota]

ITA with Sally. It's vacation. It's meant to be fun. The Magic is in the little unplanned things for us -

The first couple trips, we never even planned what Park ahead of time - we just went where we felt like it that day. We did the rides that we thought we'd like when we arrived at them. Granted, one time DH & DS waited 45 min. for Dumbo, but it was all good. Good enough that we are going back for our 14th trip.

Now I do plan what Parks on what days, but mostly as a guide for making my dining plans. I do knock out the "big" attractions early in the day. But if something comes up & changes our minds, we just go with the whim.

IMHO, those Touring Plans are Stress Inducing wastes of money & energy. I know they work for some people. But not for me, I like the spontaneous bits of Magic that you run into when you least expect it. Not just running from attraction to attraction & checking it of a list.

 

[ShariVT]

Dumbo is one of the Icon rides. I would make sure I did first or make sure my child didn't mind missing it. There are so many other fun things to do there is no way I am spending an hour in line waiting for Dumbo. Just ask your child if they want to ride Dumbo if they do tell them they must go there first and avoid the problem before you go. I am not a fan of any touring plans just had 4 year old twins to deal with and for us Dumbo first or not at all. Oh and the girls turn 18 yesterday.

 

[babar41]

Each person is different. Some go to the grocery store without a list and are able to get everything they need. If my DH goes to the grocery store without a list it's a guarantee we will end up with "surprises" and missing important things, i.e. the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner... but that's another story

I understand your desire to experience WDW as it happens, I also understand the need (in some cases) to have a plan! I always have an itenary but it's not cast in stone. My schedule is made almost to the minute, but if we decided to chuck the schedule for awhile or even the whole day the world doesn't come to an end and we still have a great time.

The idea of the touring plan is so you don't end up wasting precious time and energy running from one side of the park to another or standing in lines forever. Most people have limited time to spend at Disney. The plans are to guarantee that you see and experience everything YOU want to see and experience. If you don't want to ride Dumbo, don't ride Dumbo. If you do want to ride Dumbo and don't want to wait in a long line, then go first thing. If you don't want to go first thing then realize you may have to stand in a long line to ride Dumbo or may decide because of that long line not to ride Dumbo at all.

Ultimately the choice is always yours. The touring plans can be a great help, but if they are causing you stress then chuck them. JMHO

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Everyone has his own way of touring.

In my case having everything written down, in order, prevents squabbles. This is the plan and I'm not wasting 20 minutes trying to get a consensus. We don't race from attraction to attraction, but we just move from one to another without a thought of "What next?" To us, preplanning relieves the stress of worrying about our plans for the day.

That won't work for everyone. My family is a go with the flow and they just expect me to take them where we need to go next and if I'm all set, then that is just one less thing I need to think about while I'm standing there enjoying myself. Just look down at my list and that's that.

 

[kmkja1]

I think those touring plans are most useful when you use them as general guide lines. Use them to help pick out some things that you think you will want to do and the best ways to do them. If it is your first time it makes it tough to know what you will want to do. We went our first time in July and I am busy planning another trip for May 06. My head has never stoped spinning. We did not see & do everything we wanted but we still had a great time. Disney has soooo much that if you worry about the things you are not doing you will never have a good time. Relax and enjoy, the planning should be an enjoyable part of your adventure as well. Good luck!

 

[Cinderella]

The one good thing is that you're visiting over a quiet time - apart from maybe 3 days over Thanksgiving the parks will be quiet.

We have done it both ways - plan and not plan. Plan was better! But you don't have to stick stringently to it. The best favour you can do your family is getting to MK at opening time. It is a good idea to do Dumbo first - but if you don't do it first, maybe do it second - you won't have to wait too long. But leave it any later and it will get crowded - the problem is Dumbo is a v slow loading ride.

What we usually try to do is to get the bottlenecks out of the way first - then choose what we feel like doing next after that. It is great for kids to spend time with the characters - but we usually find that this is better done at one of the Character meals.

Good luck planning - i know how hard it is. I used to be pretty expert at it but haven't visited for a few years and everything has changed with all these magic hours and things.

Don't stress too much and do get to the parks early - that way you will get at least an hours jump on the majority of the crowds - and do take a break in the middle of the day to nap and swim. That way you will all enjoy it more.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Is this your first trip to WDW? So many first-timers are consumed with the "I gotta see it all" attitude that they miss the *magic* along the way. Most of those itinerary planners are for them. What they don't know is that in 10+ trips, I still have not "seen and done it all". And I'm a reformed commando-style park guest!

Yes, if you want to ride Dumbo and you don't want to wait in a long line, you pretty much have to get there at opening. If riding Dumbo is essential to the success and happiness of your visit to the MK, then by all means, follow the "Dumbo or Die" advise in the Unofficial Guide. However, if you prefer to live in the moment, you'll find that the *magic* finds its way to you.

Some of our best-loved memories are from those little treasure that you'd miss if you were in a hurry to get from point 'A' to point 'B'. My advise would be to slow down and tell yourself that you "will be back". I do this on every trip and it helps tremendously when that urge creeps in to revert back to my commando ways. On the trip home, begin planning your next WDW vacation.

 

[mickeysaver]

Touring plans have their place, but for me, I just do what comes naturally, which is to go the way that everyone else is not. lol We like to shop and enjoy soaking up atmosphere. I love the rides too, but I also want to go at my pace and not stress. Oh, and by God, if there is a character that I want to get a hug from and a photo with, even though I am getting dangerously close to 40 and have no kids, I stop and do it!

If you use the Best Days Guide and get to the parks at opening, you would be amazed at what you can accomplish without stressing out! Don't forget to breathe, this is a vacation afterall. Maggie

 

[Brian Noble]

If you dig a little deeper, you will probably find that most sources of "touring plan" advice (either written or online) are completely open to the idea that you might customize the plan for your own use. For example, both of the ones I use have "ready-made" plans, but they also include "but, if you'd rather do X than Y, here's how to do it advice" for the most common deviations. And, they also have "best times" for attractions and give some info about which queues fill first in the day, so you can plot it out yourself.

To get to the point that you are comfortable going "off script", though, you *do* have to invest some time. I go to my home park at least once a month in-season, so I've learned the ebbs and flows of crowds there pretty well, and can wing it and still avoid horrendous lines. I only go to WDW once per year, though, so I find the time invested well worth it. Plus, I like learning about how the parks "work" in a geeky sort of way, so I consider it a hobby.

 

[Brian Noble]

(Oh, and I'm all about skipping Dumbo. It may be an icon, but it's just a gussied-up version of a kiddie ride, and my home park has two of 'em. I prefer to focus on things I just can't do anywhere else. We've never been on Indy Speedway for the same reason.)

 

[luvsTink]

I have an aversion to waiting in line...especially with children. Nothing can squash the magic faster then having your children melting down because they have to stand in a line for 30+ minutes. So, we loosley follow touring plans. We always plan character meals to make sure we see the characters everyone in our party wants to see. AND even with planning, "magic" still happens! We were following a touring plan that suggested being at toontown at opening. Well, we were there and didn't know we would be greated by characters that would take our kids by the hand and walk them in (see the pic in my signature).

Clearly, everyone has there own style and you have to do what you are comfortable with, but SOME planning can save you from the dreaded "standing on the sidewalk, staring at the map, arguing with your spouse about what to do next" moments. As long as you are prepared enough to not be overwhelmed go with what works best for your family. Have a GREAT time (I know you will!)

Anne

 

[Skroops]

I also subscribe to a tour guide site, but I did so to get advice on what they suggest. I make my own itinerary with advice I find all over the place. I find the advice very useful to know where to go and when with the least amount of crowds. With a toddler, our time is limited and we prefer to get on the rides with less wait time. As a couple before we had our baby, we didn't make any plans. We just hit the rides that we wanted to see regardless of wait time it was no big deal. Now, we are working towards no "toddler breakdowns"! So planning is more crucial to our overall experience now.
Don't stress out about planning. The sites are meant to be used as a tool. I use many different tools and put them together to form my own plan. I am a planner, and I enjoy it. If you have older kids, or no kids and go at a time where it is not peak, I think you'll be fine with little or no plans. (IMO)
Relax! Enjoy! This is vacation!

 

[tinkerbella1]

We have older and younger kids in our party so sometimes it's rough trying to make everyone go on Dumbo when they don't want to go on Dumbo, and then I yell, "It's part of the magic! Your going on Dumbo!"

But the younger kids don't like the "big-kid-rides" so I think sometimes it's good to have a plan especially when you have a group with lots of ages of adults and children. But I think it "squashes the magic" when youu just go around checking rides off your list.

 

[ReggieB]

I can't get enough info! I buy so many guidebooks, and also use TourGuideMike. However I have to say that I generally don't follow any specific touring plans. I make mistakes with the planning, but generally I think I manage to maximize our time. That's how I use the info. My DS5 still loves all the rides in Fantasyland, but we try and pick a few must sees, and then some maybe laters! We haven't ever been on Dumbo, terrible huh? DS5 absolute favorite ride is Splash Mountain, so as long as we have been on that several times he is usually pretty happy to miss a few things. He loves the Speedway thing, which all the guidebooks will tell you is a slow loading ride and get there early and all that, or better yet miss it completely...my DS says no way. That would probably be the ride we have queued for the longest. A lot of the plans have a next best time to visit, so instead of seeing Dumbo first thing, for example, see if the next best time is more suitable.

It's great that there is so much info out there, and a lot of it is invaluable. Just don't forget that it is a vacation, relax, deep breaths. Plus you can't plan for the 5 year old that suddenly announces that he absolutely must find Mickey to say hi, NOW, and that he really doesn't care for Mummy's schedule...he just wants a hug from his pal.