How do you keep from going insane? Im Ovewhelmed!

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

And I was patting myself on the back when our flights jumped just $70 per person! (AFTER I'd booked, thank goodness) I totally understand your mom's reaction!

Yep - glazed eyes. Dinner around here has been strangely silent. I'm trying to control my Disney fanaticism. But apparently, no one else talks!

This year, I'm going to stick my list of park items inside my park bag - laminated and attached somehow. I hated having to dig the list out twice a day last time.

I thought of another thing I do - later in the process usually. Once I have most of my details hashed out, I make multiple copies of flight numbers, car rental confirmation #'s, hotel confirmation #'s, ADR confirmations #'s - everything! One copy goes into my daily itineraries (in the front of my Tip Book). One copy goes on index cards in my coupon file (separate index cards to correspond to the file tabs - car, hotel, dining, etc.). The last copy goes in my phone's calendar. That way - NO MATTER WHAT - I know I have my confirmation numbers with me. There is NO WAY I would be without at least one of those 3 items! And yes, the phone should be enough - but what if I lose it/break it/get it wet??!!!

And it's funny - for all my compulsive planning, I'm not a commando park-goer. We take it pretty easy. 'Cause I KNOW I've got it under control. Hakuna Matata, right?

I often have to be the calm one with my mom. She only had two people's flights to worry about! I have 7! I can't afford $7,000 for flights just to get from Ohio to Florida! I can buy a used van for that and drive! However, as I do NOT want to spend 17 hours cooped up in a vehicle with 9 people, I remained calm and knew it would work out. I immediately found another flight that was cheaper than the original as a backup. We like flying Continental b/c of the nonstop flight being only 2 hrs, but I had Southwest lined up as my backup plan (the bonus being the free checked bags.). It ended up working out though, and we booked as soon as the flight cost normalized two days later. I think it was a system error!

I'm the talker in my house too! I am very focused too, so all I want to talk about it Disney! It is my focus right now! Plus it's my happy place, and who doesn't want to talk about their happy place? Our dinners usually end up being a different version of the same conversation: "What restaurant are you looking forward to going to most?" or "What are your top two favorite rides?"...

I may have said this already, I don't know... I do the same thing with ADR's and such. I have it all in a hardcopy of a calendar, my itinerary sheets, and my phone (which is a smartphone, and I am stoked about my notes ap I got b/c I entered EVERYTHING into that, including the dining number in case we need to adjust an ADR. That happened in October, and we couldn't find the number.) I also have in my binder a separate manilla folder for each day. In said folder is a copy of my reservation sheet, a menu for the restaurants we will be at, and anything else I will need for that day. Every day I just have to unclip my binder, pull out that day's folder, and toss it into the stroller net. Good to go!

I also am not a commando. My parents however, are. They about killed me last year. They paid for the kids though, so we were at their mercy. This trip is ours, so they are at our mercy. HAHAHAHAHAHA (Evil cackle)... I am not rushing! That's why we are paying out the wazoo for ten days...You are right...Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase.

We may have successfully confused Disneygma11!

 

[jpkkld]

We may have successfully confused Disneygma11!

Oh no!

Disneygma11, you'll be fine. You have oh so much time to learn all you need to know. Take it in little bites. Reread the planning guide you bought - but only read 1 chapter a day! Spend some time at easyWDW.com (great site!). Lay off the DIS when you're feeling overwhelmed. It's a powerful addiction, and it's hard to break!

And remember that most people really love WDW, even though they know almost nothing about the place. They stand in a 45-minute line congratulating themselves because they skipped over a 60-minute line. They're glad to get ANY table at a CS restaurant (not knowing they could have had their pick 45 minutes earlier). They think the crush after the fireworks is normal and that "everybody" is in it. That was dh and I for years! We loved Disney. Now we plan and we just love it even more.

My point is, plan a little or plan a lot, you'll have a great trip. Good luck!

 

[ajchambers1]

If you have an iphone, there are tons of fabulous apps for planning your trip! Regarding transportation, TWIZ is my favorite. You plug in your starting point and your destination and it tells you the fastest way to get there. (Boat, monorail, bus, car, etc.) Sometimes the most obvious route is not the fastest. Undercover Tourist is another good one. If the other people in your group have iPhones, you can "ping" each other so you know where everyone is. And I like the WDW Dining. Once you have a reservation you can program it in your app and then you'll know when you are eating where and what the reservation number is.

 

[DaniB]

That sounds wonderful. Can you please please send it to me??
tricia4huckabee@gmail.com

DaniB
If you see this post would you mind sending me a copy of that spreadsheet you were talking about? Thanks
msdurling at hotmail dot com

Sending! Sorry, I did not see this earlier.

 

[LoveKermit]

So, I glazed over just reading everyone's planning ideas.....

First, someone else said it.....take a few days off. You have time.

Second, I find that people who overplan (and it's easy to do when you're on the DIS) can set you up for complete disappointment should something not go as planned--ride closed, someone gets sick, buses break down, who knows.

Third, consider how many more times or when you might visit again after this. If there is a next time (and I can pretty much guarantee there will be), do not feel like you have to do it all this time.

We are there relatively often and just discovered some new favorite treats this last year.

Stay off the DIS for a few days. Have a general plan, but nothing in concrete (except ADRs) and work around those. It will be fine.

 

[seadd67]

For Our Sept trip frist thing I book was our room,I got the late summer rate. But If you could I would get the air fare asap. Two weeks ago I passed on airfare looking at next week, so far Its costed me 50.00 per ticket i am just hopeing it holds on till next friday

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Oh no!

Disneygma11, you'll be fine. You have oh so much time to learn all you need to know. Take it in little bites. Reread the planning guide you bought - but only read 1 chapter a day! Spend some time at easyWDW.com (great site!). Lay off the DIS when you're feeling overwhelmed. It's a powerful addiction, and it's hard to break!

And remember that most people really love WDW, even though they know almost nothing about the place. They stand in a 45-minute line congratulating themselves because they skipped over a 60-minute line. They're glad to get ANY table at a CS restaurant (not knowing they could have had their pick 45 minutes earlier). They think the crush after the fireworks is normal and that "everybody" is in it. That was dh and I for years! We loved Disney. Now we plan and we just love it even more.

My point is, plan a little or plan a lot, you'll have a great trip. Good luck!

I agree! My first trip I only planned the ADR's. My mom did the booking, and I just planned our days in the parks based off of our ADR's. There was no major planning for months in advance b/c I didn't have months to plan. I plan my trip daily now b/c I truly enjoy it. I love wrapping myself up in a little Disney time when I can't actually be there. No matter which way you do your trip: with very little planning, or a lot of planning, it will be magical. Though I plan a lot of details, I leave a lot of the in between stuff open to interpretation. I have a tentative plan for everything but my ADR's which are set in stone. That way I'm not upset if something doesn't go as planned. I have to be that way b/c I have five kids, and inevitably, something will go differently than I planned! I like to give myself some days that I call "Open Schedule" days. These are days where I plan no ADR's, but I still have park tickets. I make up the dining credits on other days by booking two restaurants in one day or booking something that takes two credits. That way I have a couple days that we will plan on eating counter service for the whole day so we can go where we want, when we want. If I feel I need an extra day at Epcot I can go. If I want to go to Downtown Disney, I can go and not feel rushed. No matter what you decide, you will have a blast.

 

[LoveKermit]

I agree! My first trip I only planned the ADR's. My mom did the booking, and I just planned our days in the parks based off of our ADR's. There was no major planning for months in advance b/c I didn't have months to plan. I plan my trip daily now b/c I truly enjoy it. I love wrapping myself up in a little Disney time when I can't actually be there. No matter which way you do your trip: with very little planning, or a lot of planning, it will be magical. Though I plan a lot of details, I leave a lot of the in between stuff open to interpretation. I have a tentative plan for everything but my ADR's which are set in stone. That way I'm not upset if something doesn't go as planned. I have to be that way b/c I have five kids, and inevitably, something will go differently than I planned! I like to give myself some days that I call "Open Schedule" days. These are days where I plan no ADR's, but I still have park tickets. I make up the dining credits on other days by booking two restaurants in one day or booking something that takes two credits. That way I have a couple days that we will plan on eating counter service for the whole day so we can go where we want, when we want. If I feel I need an extra day at Epcot I can go. If I want to go to Downtown Disney, I can go and not feel rushed. No matter what you decide, you will have a blast.

Exactly what I was trying to say above and we only have one kid and never do the dining plan. But we are willing to change things around (except those pesky ADRs.

 

[blakrose9999]

I agree passporter is a great book. The 2011 one is not released yet should be out soon but you can pre-order it from amazon, borders, or barnes and noble.
This year will be my second trip as an adult and staying on property. Last time I was so obsessed and spent months planning (though if you ask DH I'm not any better now). I am currently not so patiently waiting for the park hours to come out for when I will be there. I will then plot out the hours including EMH so I can plan where I want to be each day. I am one to park hop but no more than 2 parks on one day (mostly caz I like to pop back to the hotel during the day). Once I figure out my parks for the days I'm there I will then plan where I want to eat to coordinate with where I am. Then I will make my ADRs. As I am currently waiting for the park hours I am making my list of restaurants I want to eat at. I have it seperated into my must have that I will make ADRs for and then my it would be nice that I will try and fit in.
Best advice plan your ADRs around where you plan on being so you are not traveling too much. When we went 2 years ago my sister in law planned a whole bunch of great meals with ADRs but never really thought about where they wanted to go each day and by the end of the week they were cancelling reservations because they were feeling like all they were doing was running to eat and not enjoying the parks.

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

This:

If I had the chance, I would have told the young me the following:
Book the travel and the hotel early.
Get the park tickets you need in advance (unless they're part of a package with your hotel).
Pick just 5 must sees (in a day) for each park you plan to visit.
Travel light.
Allow yourself the pleasure of exploring and discovering. Don't learn it all in advance.
Accept imperfection - in yourself and others.


Honestly, It doesnt need to be planned to the minute... That will take most of the joy out of it and you will probably just get upset if you want to be spontanteous or something just takes longer than planned...

Just do it like any other vacation you do....

 

[housetomouse]

I am not the most experienced Dis'er for sure, but the way I do it is book the resort & airfare first. Then I decide what the must-do things are for each park. Then I plan to be at the park early to do the (busiest) must-do things first, and then for the most part let the rest of the day unfold as it will. I'll sometimes have an ADR for lunch or dinner, but other than that, we play it by ear. I go in with the view that we aren't going to be able to do everything, and when I remember that, the pressure is off.

I keep a few running files on my computer too, but nothing too organized. When I read a great tip on the boards, I jot it down in my files. I'll print those and take them with me (then I'll probably forget to look at them ).

 

[seadd67]

I am not the most experienced Dis'er for sure, but the way I do it is book the resort & airfare first. Then I decide what the must-do things are for each park. Then I plan to be at the park early to do the (busiest) must-do things first, and then for the most part let the rest of the day unfold as it will. I'll sometimes have an ADR for lunch or dinner, but other than that, we play it by ear. I go in with the view that we aren't going to be able to do everything, and when I remember that, the pressure is off.

I keep a few running files on my computer too, but nothing too organized. When I read a great tip on the boards, I jot it down in my files. I'll print those and take them with me (then I'll probably forget to look at them ).

I plan the same way,then we get there and throw It all out the window,except the ADR's(most of the time LOL). Thats ok , its so much fun planning. It keeps me in the loop of whats going on at WDW,and hearing all the tips and reports from dis'ers here i am tweking daily(is tweaking a word??) on my trip from where we are going each day to listing top 5 and 10 places i want to eat. Have fun with it,make the most out of your trip even the plannin g stages

 

[pad406]

Hi and Welcome.

I think that everybody who land here the frist time when planning a trip becomes quickly overwhelemd, but don't worry they are a great bunch here and full of helpful advice and tips, we did our first trip over Christmas/New Year and had a fantastic time, a lot of which was down to the planning and advice that we got here.

Once we head decided on the hotels the next thing we decided to do was subscribe to TourGuideMike to get the least crowded days park. We still had a lot of time before theses were released so I used some of this to research the restaurants, I made up a spreadsheet with each one and links to the menus and reviews, so that when the park hours came out for our dates, I then planned ADRs around which park we'd be in which day using the spreadsheet to decide on where to eat. On TourGuideMike I'd have to recommend him highly, even though we were there at Christmas, we never felt over-crowded in any park. I can't comment on touringplans etc as we didn't use them but Mike was great for us.

Not sure what you have done for hotels as you ask abot on/off site at the end of your post, but at the start you said that you had resorts/tickets booked. If there are any kids involved (actually even if there are no kids) I'd go on-site again in a heartbeat. Off-site is soo much cheaper, but off-site I think you're visiting a park for the day, on-site, you're in Disney the whole time. I never once thought about work, home, the dog, anything while we were there. On-site is also great for naps/breaks. We did one every single park day and for us it worked really well. The kids were well up for late evenings, no crankiness. We had collected fastpasses in the morning and used them in the evening (BTW good use of fastpass is essential IMHO) so there was no long waits when we got back to the park. Hoppers are great too, just give us the option if you want to change your mind.

We had a rental car and used it quite a bit, it's very easy to get around Disney and handy for any shopping trips (yes, there were a few!!!). We also used the car on days when we were park hopping from say AK to anywhere, just so much easier than using disney transport (though they were great most of the time).

But the absolute most important thing....


Have fun

You will love it, it's like nowhere else on earth

If you'd like any of our spreasheets to get you going, just drop me a PM and have a great holiday, I'm so jealous, we'd be back in a heartbeat if we could!

paul

 

[catra121]

I have not read all the replies...but I assume someone has mentioned the Passporter Guide book thingy? My mom bought this for our trip to Disney this past September...unfortunately she really didn't use it for much and it is HUGE...so I wouldn't really recommend this myself. What did I use? A small notebook (smaller than a regular notebook but not pocket size). It has pockets that I could put things in like print outs or the magic your way stuff that Disney sends before the trip. Then I had seperate pages for each of the following: Airline/Taxi reservation and confirmation numbers, Resort Reservation numbers and info (including room requests), Advance Dining Reservations and Confirmation #s, List of places we might want to eat including what I would choose to order, "must do" things, park hours and the dates/times of night shows inlcuding extra magic hour info, travel times between different parks based on different modes of transportation, possible itineraries based on park hours and what we wanted to see each day, and then once we got there I had pages where I made notes about what happened each day. Having all these things seperate meant that I could refer back to things to make final decisions about what the final plan would be.

Mom and I went on a mother/daughter only trip this past September so it required a lot of planning...all of which actually fell on me because mom gets excited but a little lazy when it comes to planning. It IS overwhelming when you look at everything there is and I at least had the benefit of 20+ Disney trip experiences under my belt to help with the planning. But this was a whole new world for me...a totally different trip than before.

You said you already got the resort and tickets so that's good. That was a big discussion between mom and me and I made the final say because I was the one actually planning. We decided to go with a value (pop) so that we could spend the extra money on deluxe dining...which after LOTS of research we (I) decided this was the right way for us to go.

Then mom and I talked over what we "really" wanted to do that we have NEVER done before. We wanted to eat in the castle at Cinderella's Royal table, so we called and booked that reservation because it fills up quickly. Same would go for signature dining restautants that fill up quickly...so we made our reservation for Jiko at the same time we made the reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table. So those were the two things set in stone.

Then I looked at the night shows. We never want to miss these when we go so it's important that I make sure we get to see them all. That tells me where I want to be on certain nights. Whether or not we spend the whole day at those parks is another story completely...but I make sure we don't miss them no matter where we spend he rest of our days.

The rest is more a matter of opinion on how you want to tour the parks. I don't mind hopping...but I don't want to do it 3 times a day. We also use our first and last days to play with getting in some of our favorites right away or just before we leave. I always recommend early arrival and late departure so that you are free to use the first and last days to do this.

I kept all this info in my notebook, which was much more compact than the Passporter and it was all mine. Once I decided which parks we would be at each day I then made the advance dining reservations based on where we would be (if you plan to eat TS you MUST make ADR because walk up availability is litereally non existant anymore at the best places). I looked up menus on allears.net and used that to decide where we wanted to eat. That's when I went back to the page in my notebook and notated all the reservation numbers and times for each ADR.

As a first timer there are probablly rides and stuff you don't want to miss...so make a list of those. We used to have this silly thing at work called a VIO planner...which stood for vital, important,and optional. Make a similar list to decide what you don't want to miss at WDW. And make your plans accordingly. USE the FASTPASS system...read up on that a lot so you know how it works because it WILL free up a lot of your time to either relax, eat, or get more rides in.

But calm down and don't be so overwhelmed. There is a lot of info...and boards like this don't always help because we all have such different approached to Disney. But as far as organization I like having a notebook to write in because it's so easy to just flip pages and refer back to stuff or make notes as opposed to having everything on the computer on different spreadsheets. Plus...the notebook is something you CAN take to the parks with you. And making notes in it throughout the trip was great because we had lots of great memories.

And while your family may be sick of you talking about it...once you get there and have everything planned (in a non-militant way I hope) they will be so amazed at how smooth the trip goes.Planning should be fun...not frustrating. And just think that once you get there everything is ready to go and you've already made all the important decisions so you can just enjoy the time with your family. You run the show and then they have no cares in the world.

It will be a GREAT trip! Planning should be just as fun as the trip so if you have any questions...don't fret...just ask. Tons of people to give you their opinions.

 

[amym2]

You have a long time, so first of all, remember that you don't have to do it all right away.

First figure out resort and transportation. Where you are staying will determine if you need a car.

At 180 days you need to have your ADRs ready. I keep a list of restaurants and just jot down notes about menus and suggestions people give.

In order to do your ADRs you need to know which park you'll be in which days. We always do the park hopper so we have flexibility with this. Otherwise you are stuck going to the park that you have the ADR in. Until Disney publishes the park schedule, you can't really do much with this (I'm waiting on it for our Sept. trip). Once they do, you might consider using one of the various websites (I use touringplans.com) to find crowd expectations and suggested parks. This can make a huge difference in your trip.

Since this is your first trip, I would plan to hit each park first before repeating a park. And definitely schedule in some down time. You will be tired, guaranteed.

Even for those of us who obsess over Disney and have been there many times can get overwhelmed (I know I can). I have piles and piles of paper that I plan to organize. Remember that there's no way you can do everything in one trip. And that just means you'll have to go back again someday!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

I have not read all the replies...but I assume someone has mentioned the Passporter Guide book thingy? My mom bought this for our trip to Disney this past September...unfortunately she really didn't use it for much and it is HUGE...so I wouldn't really recommend this myself. What did I use? A small notebook (smaller than a regular notebook but not pocket size). It has pockets that I could put things in like print outs or the magic your way stuff that Disney sends before the trip. Then I had seperate pages for each of the following: Airline/Taxi reservation and confirmation numbers, Resort Reservation numbers and info (including room requests), Advance Dining Reservations and Confirmation #s, List of places we might want to eat including what I would choose to order, "must do" things, park hours and the dates/times of night shows inlcuding extra magic hour info, travel times between different parks based on different modes of transportation, possible itineraries based on park hours and what we wanted to see each day, and then once we got there I had pages where I made notes about what happened each day. Having all these things seperate meant that I could refer back to things to make final decisions about what the final plan would be.

Mom and I went on a mother/daughter only trip this past September so it required a lot of planning...all of which actually fell on me because mom gets excited but a little lazy when it comes to planning. It IS overwhelming when you look at everything there is and I at least had the benefit of 20+ Disney trip experiences under my belt to help with the planning. But this was a whole new world for me...a totally different trip than before.

You said you already got the resort and tickets so that's good. That was a big discussion between mom and me and I made the final say because I was the one actually planning. We decided to go with a value (pop) so that we could spend the extra money on deluxe dining...which after LOTS of research we (I) decided this was the right way for us to go.

Then mom and I talked over what we "really" wanted to do that we have NEVER done before. We wanted to eat in the castle at Cinderella's Royal table, so we called and booked that reservation because it fills up quickly. Same would go for signature dining restautants that fill up quickly...so we made our reservation for Jiko at the same time we made the reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table. So those were the two things set in stone.

Then I looked at the night shows. We never want to miss these when we go so it's important that I make sure we get to see them all. That tells me where I want to be on certain nights. Whether or not we spend the whole day at those parks is another story completely...but I make sure we don't miss them no matter where we spend he rest of our days.

The rest is more a matter of opinion on how you want to tour the parks. I don't mind hopping...but I don't want to do it 3 times a day. We also use our first and last days to play with getting in some of our favorites right away or just before we leave. I always recommend early arrival and late departure so that you are free to use the first and last days to do this.

I kept all this info in my notebook, which was much more compact than the Passporter and it was all mine. Once I decided which parks we would be at each day I then made the advance dining reservations based on where we would be (if you plan to eat TS you MUST make ADR because walk up availability is litereally non existant anymore at the best places). I looked up menus on allears.net and used that to decide where we wanted to eat. That's when I went back to the page in my notebook and notated all the reservation numbers and times for each ADR.

As a first timer there are probablly rides and stuff you don't want to miss...so make a list of those. We used to have this silly thing at work called a VIO planner...which stood for vital, important,and optional. Make a similar list to decide what you don't want to miss at WDW. And make your plans accordingly. USE the FASTPASS system...read up on that a lot so you know how it works because it WILL free up a lot of your time to either relax, eat, or get more rides in.

But calm down and don't be so overwhelmed. There is a lot of info...and boards like this don't always help because we all have such different approached to Disney. But as far as organization I like having a notebook to write in because it's so easy to just flip pages and refer back to stuff or make notes as opposed to having everything on the computer on different spreadsheets. Plus...the notebook is something you CAN take to the parks with you. And making notes in it throughout the trip was great because we had lots of great memories.

And while your family may be sick of you talking about it...once you get there and have everything planned (in a non-militant way I hope) they will be so amazed at how smooth the trip goes.Planning should be fun...not frustrating. And just think that once you get there everything is ready to go and you've already made all the important decisions so you can just enjoy the time with your family. You run the show and then they have no cares in the world.

It will be a GREAT trip! Planning should be just as fun as the trip so if you have any questions...don't fret...just ask. Tons of people to give you their opinions.

I do the notebook thing too. I started out with a binder that grew too big, so I reorganized. I tossed all of the extra stuff I didn't need, threw stuff I may need for another trip into a folder and stored it, took all the most important items and put it into a smaller binder that expands b/c it has a cloth side within the rings, and put my daily folders back into the old binder. In my new binder I have my DISigns in that are ready to be used, my resort info, itinerary, ADR confirmation sheets, flight info, and stuff I may need at any given time at the parks so I can take it with me. It's very lightweight and organized. I typed everything up first so it is very neat. In my old binder, I have the daily folders I will pull out each day and take into the parks, which contain my menus, and touring plan. I will pack that in my bag I check if I decide to check one! Everything is very neat and organized, but lightweight, and all mine. People make fun of my Disney obsession, but I have fun planning it, and it will be magical. I like to know what I'm doing, but I don't flip if things change, because they will. Flexibility is key.

 

[mickey50]

Hello disney friend!

First things first take a deep breath. There is sum much to do at DW you could never run aout of things to do. Look at each park and decide what is a must do for your family. Then decide where you would like to eat and make you reservations. Even if you don't make it to all your reservations at least you'll have them. I hope you find your first trip to be magical.

 

[Dismom55]

Here is what I do:

1 - Book my Stay At Disney, this include tickets, Dining Plan.

Book My ADR's When the time comes

2 - If renting a car to drive to Disney I start ASAP, we never fly. I keep searching over and over again until about a month before we leave for better rates on the car rental, I have saved big by doing this, just do not forget to cancel he higher cost rental.

3 - While waiting for the time to come to book my ADR's I talk with kids/hubby to find out where they want to eat and what are thier must dos.

I make a list, then I edit the list and have 1st and 2nd choice ready.

4 - I make a packing list

5 - Since we drive I make reservations at the appropriate hotels to and from Disney and research eating places around those hotels

6 - Since I am a planner I tend to start buying seasonal items as they go on clearance this year for our trip next year if possible. I put them in a suitcase immediately upon getting them home so they are already packed and do not get lost in a closet. IE Sun Lotion

7 - Based on the ADR List or maybe I make the ADR list Based on Park choices I make a Calendar of what park what day. I make an index card of the Must SEEs 2 per person for each park, based on each persons wants.

8 - If we decide we want to do Mini Golf I try to schedule that on a day away from the parks or AK day since AK closes early.

9 - I go to sites like Disboards for ideas and answers.

10 - I make a binder for each trip with all the information gathered. I have copies of everything in my binder, copies of all my reservations, copies of all my ADR numbers, Addresses and telephone numbers of people back home as well as numbers I might need at Disney. Since we drive I have my Map
Quest directions in the binder, I have a map of my resort, I have a map of each of te parks as well as an over view of WDW.

I also have address, directions and phone numbers to business's outside WDW like walmart, publix, albertson's, walgreens etc.

I have a page on how to get to .... from ... inside WDW.


Lastly we do NOT move our car once at WDW to go to the parks or to go to any ADR's at any of the resorts. Only if we need to do any shopping off Disney. First reason, Disney is to confusing for me, I get lost easily and do not care to spend my predicious Disney time trying to find something. Second, I usually find using Disney transportion I am able to enjoy Disney scenery that I otherwise would not see as I would be far to busy reading the roads.

The main thing is to set yourself a plan and stick to it, don't be so rigid you miss something, but don't get so lost in the details you forget that planning can and is part of the fun.

On our first trip to Disney we showed up, bought the tickets at the gate, did not research a thing and had a blast, on subsequent trips we did more and more research and each trip we had a blast. The difference is the fun we had before our trip started.

Good Luck and have the Blast of a Lifetime.

 

[vek239]

I too have been busy planning our trip next month ever since we became DVC members last April. Passporter books were very helpful and I like Unofficial Guide as well; LOTS of info- and one tidbit of info that keeps me grounded is that "almost 60% of preschoolers said the thing they liked best about their Disney vacation was the hotel swimming pool!" (page 299). We're traveling with our older daughter's family and their sons, age 2 and 5 so I'm trying not to over-plan and be prepared to go with the flow.

I tell people I feel like I've been working on my Disney PhD; I really knew very little about it before. We took our kids twice, in 86 and 92 and just showed up at the parks with NO plan and as others have said, still had a good time!

But now, I have the time and planning is a huge part of the fun! I'm also in early plan mode for an after Thanksgiving trip with our younger daughter's family and just this morning bought the DGGs6&3 and DGS4 Santa Mickey Ears on sale from disney.com for their mom and dad to have when they surprise them with this trip!

And last....this board has been a HUGE resource of info for me! Picked up two more tips just reading this thread!

 

[snipe523]

I would say for your first time there don't worry about renting a car. The Disney transportation system is excellent and very convenient. The only need to rent a Vehicle is really for doing things off site, and being your first trip I would concentrate on taking in all the Disney has to offer. There are some fun spots outside of Disney along with some very good restaurants but being your first time I would just save them for next time. There is so much to take in at Disney that you could be there for a month and not really see it all.