How do I plan a laid-back trip when I usually go commando?

[Missyrose]

On my last trip I went all out with the planning (touringplans.com for crowd calendars, Ridemax plans for each park). We followed the Ridemax plans and ended up going pretty commando through the parks, getting a lot done in the process.

Well, my BF and I are going back to WDW from Oct. 30-Nov. 4 with two other couples. And while my BF is okay with my commando tendencies, my friends will want a much more laid-back Disney experience.

I plan to still pick my days/parks using touringplans.com, but I need your help with the rest. If I don't make specific touring plans for each day, what do we have to do to avoid long lines and still see everything you want to see?

So all you laid-back DISers, give me your best tips for touring the parks! Thanks so much for all your help

 

[garneska]

The best suggestion I have is to find out a few must do rides your party wants to do. This way you can plan accordingly. Don't panick to see everything but if they really want to see Soarin then you know on your Epcot day that as soon as you get to the park (even if it is not rope drop) you go get a fastpass. This way you see all the must dos and everything else is gravy.

Kris

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

My best tip: Stay off the Dis! Cammando-ing can be contagious. I would not plan for anything really, just check park hours and refurbs and that would be it. When you check in ask the other couples what they want to do tomorrow, look at the current hours and decide.

Use basic good judgement like arrive early do the e-ticket attractions first and use FP wisely and you should be fone.

(whispering............. I use TP.com predictions too I would not say a word to the other travelers about your magical powers and just highly suggest ____ best park for for day no one will ever know )

 

[disney_bob]

Take a look at the hours for each park and get a general idea of which "one" park you might like to be at that day. Take a look at ride closures.

We do this with the knowledge we won't be there the whole day and will have plenty of free time to do whatever we want. Of course, we do more planning than I just said -- such as ADRs and hitting the one or two rides we know we want to ride early -- but you get the idea I hope.

"Planning" to be laid-back doesn't sound right. Don't go overboard

 

[snykymom]

If I don't make specific touring plans for each day, what do we have to do to avoid long lines and still see everything you want to see?

You don't. You have a general plan, you stroll, you get fastpasses if you wish, and whatever you miss, you miss. That's what it means to be laid back - you take it as it comes! And you look around and see all there is to see when you just stop and look and smell and listen. You'll see and hear and smell things you never knew you would.

It's not just a different pace, so that you're saying, "OK, this is what I have to see, so I'll just cut out X,Y, & Z, and that's laid back." It's a different mindset. It's "Let's see what the day will bring."

That being said, do I know what are "must do" and "must see"? Sure. I "plan" around those, but if I don't get to those, it's OK, too. I don't do the DDP, so if I miss an ADR - no big deal. Relax and take it as it comes.

 

[brerrabbit]

I know there has been a lot of discussion about Hopper's vs Non Hopper's but have to say as a more laid back kind of tourer that Laid Back almost requires the hopper. It gives you a lot of flexibility. Given that I would make my ADR's if any and then play it by ear. Get FP's for the must do's and be willing to jump parks at a moments notice. My DW and I went in July and found that if you hang out later at MK and ride rides while everyone else is doing the parade and fireworks, you can knock out a lot of rides. We started at HM, hit Pooh, Dumbo, the Tea Cups, Snow White, and IASW in under two hours.

The other thing is really make sure what the must see's are. While everyone is crazy for TSM we would get to DS after rope drop, stroll to TSM get a FP for about 4:00 return and then go standby at RNRC or ToT. By the time we got off we could get a FP for something else. Laid back means you may miss a few things but since we were there seven days we wound up doing everything we wanted to. I would still avoid EMH parks and would really recommend hanging out later in some parks when you can as the crowds thin out in the evenings a lot of the time.

Other than that, have fun and remember Epcot in the evening is assume strolling around the lake with a beer in hand.

 

[Missyrose]

Thanks for all the great advice! You guys are the best.

Yes, taking a step back from feeling like I need to know when we're going to do everything is going to take some getting used to, but I think I can do it

Keep the tips comin'

Thanks!

 

[JarrothsMom]

WOW...good luck!
Im sure you can do it. It would be hard for me too. However we almost went with my aunt this year and I would have had to do the same thing. They like to do stuff like Victoria & Alberts...I am like...NNOOO we dont have the time. I wanna do and see it all. I dont get to go that often so when I do...I DO! However we have been blessed and get to go again this year

 

[The Hendies]

I WANT to try laid back, but I can't seem to shed my commando style! I think our trips when we stay off site are more laid back than when we are on-site. Off site, we plan at least 3 non-park days. Sometimes I even have a "Non-Disney; Disney Day", Meaning we take boats, buses and monorails to visit resorts, DTD and such. But if I'm on-site, I feel like I want to spend as much time in the parks as possible.

 

[kirby428]

Plan more visit days per park. Limit the goals for hitting the rides per day. Try to arrive early as recommended so often. This is wise whether laid-back or commando. Hit the big ones first then relax, stroll around slowly, shop, eat and admire the long lines that you are not in at the time. Once in awhile take out the park map and show the non-commandos where they are and time how long it takes for them to decide what to do next: great fun.

 

[DVC-Don]

It's easy. Book two ADR's for dinner, sleep late and hop the first bus that comes along. Relax.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

If you're trying to plan laid back, you have already failed.

With 6 adults, I would recommend some offsite time, so rent a car and designate drivers.

If you plan to eat at a park restaurant, go ahead and make some ADR's.

Use your experience to make suggestions, but don't stress them or go nuts making them happen. If you can get it, do it, if not, ask what else is available. I've gone to TS restaurants on standby.

Rope drop is a group choice. Fly by the seat of your pants and decide each evening what time the group will meet up in the morning, the evening's debauchery should serve as a guide to what time everyone is waking up. Don't be afraid to catch up with each other later, sometimes couples want some alone time.

As adults without kids at that time of year, you could do MK end to end in 8 hours or less. Don't plan to see every single detail and use the time to stroll from attraction to attraction enjoying some conversation and treats. You'll see more that way and have a much fuller experience.

Enjoy your laid back vacation, you might actually get some R&R out of it. Think about it this way, you spent all that money to get away, have some fun, and relax, not work.

 

[oldbay]

My advice, just don't talk to much about the plans - it will make you seem over eager. Have your plan - just don't let the other couples know there is a plan. Have in your head the best way to do Epcot, for example and when Epcot day comes up just make a suggestion or two about the best rides/attractions to see early to avoid the long lines. After a day or two of the trip, if all goes well, I think your friends will be very happy to have little wait they will let you keep suggesting relaxed plans. It may help to have park hoppers or multiple dining reservations in this case. I think you can be relaxed and still have a general plan of what day to do each park, etc... Also, let it go a little and realize you may not cover as much ground on this trip and that is ok - you will just have to revisit later!

 

[KellyNY]

Check the thread in my signature. You will find some ideas on how to do it without plan there.

 

[geenerbell]

It's easy. Book two ADR's for dinner, sleep late and hop the first bus that comes along. Relax.

I've always wanted to hop on the first bus that comes along in the morning but I haven't. I think that would be totally laid back.

 

[Missyrose]

Check the thread in my signature. You will find some ideas on how to do it without plan there.

Thanks Kelly, that thread was exactly the kind of inspiration I needed. It makes not planning sound downright heavenly!

The last time we went I hadn't been to WDW in almost a decade and my BF had never been, so I felt like we needed to see EVERYTHING to get the most out of the World. This time we can pick and choose what we want to do and if something has too long a wait then we come back later or skip it altogether.

See, I'm learning!

 

[KellyNY]

Thanks Kelly, that thread was exactly the kind of inspiration I needed. It makes not planning sound downright heavenly!

The last time we went I hadn't been to WDW in almost a decade and my BF had never been, so I felt like we needed to see EVERYTHING to get the most out of the World. This time we can pick and choose what we want to do and if something has too long a wait then we come back later or skip it altogether.

See, I'm learning!

That's a Spirit!
I also started as a commando in my early trips and then needed 2 days after my vacations to rest. Now, I finally learned to relax DURING vacation, it is absolutely great, you will enjoy.

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

I too am a planner, who has an upcoming trip with my partner and three other adults in a couple of months, so I understand entirely where you're coming from. What I did was sort of a compromise between my style and the style of the least plan-oriented of our group.

We're only doing the first couple of days together, then going our separate ways for the rest of the vacation. For the days we'll be together, we've decided which parks we'll do on which days and I've made ADRs for dinner. We're not going to try to make rope drop, however, and we're going to start with a specific, high-traffic attraction in each park, do that first, and then walk clockwise or counter-clockwise to see everything else.

Will we miss stuff? Probably, but I don't want to make my friends unhappy by forcing them to follow a touring plan they're not comfortable with. At the same time, I know how frustrated I get with inefficiency, so I'm not going to force myself to not have any sort of plan at all. That would ruin my enjoyment of the vacation.

The truth is, it's not that planner-types need to learn to relax, or that non-planners need to learn to get their heads out of the clouds--these are two distinctly different personality types and trying to force them to take on one-another's role isn't going to make anyone happy in the long run. Meeting in the middle is the best way to compromise.

 

[snykymom]

I've always wanted to hop on the first bus that comes along in the morning but I haven't. I think that would be totally laid back.

My laid-back daughter suggested that for our check-in day, and it was great! We ended up at AK, then hopped to DHS for our dinner ADR and to meet friends, and then headed to MK for EMH! Despite it sounding like commando, it was really relaxing because we just hung out waiting for buses, and whatever happened, happened. We ended up doing a lot of what we wanted to do, but had significantly less stress over it!

It's kind of like driving. You can get angry and stressed out over the traffic and idiot drivers, or you can breathe and let it go. Most of the time, getting stressed won't get you there any faster. And even if it does, did it really matter? That doesn't mean that you don't have an alternate route for getting around traffic; it just means you don't stress over it.

 

[JasonDVC]

You don't. You have a general plan, you stroll, you get fastpasses if you wish, and whatever you miss, you miss. That's what it means to be laid back - you take it as it comes! And you look around and see all there is to see when you just stop and look and smell and listen. You'll see and hear and smell things you never knew you would.

It's not just a different pace, so that you're saying, "OK, this is what I have to see, so I'll just cut out X,Y, & Z, and that's laid back." It's a different mindset. It's "Let's see what the day will bring."

That being said, do I know what are "must do" and "must see"? Sure. I "plan" around those, but if I don't get to those, it's OK, too. I don't do the DDP, so if I miss an ADR - no big deal. Relax and take it as it comes.

This is great advice. My sentiments are the same.

I would only add that if you know, in your mind, that you will be coming back to WDW someday soon, it makes it easier to have the mindset described above!

Also, read the DIS for ideas on the small things that are often overlooked at the resorts & parks and enjoy those things as they come.