How do you set out your itinerary/daily plans?

[gems_smiling]

I also posted this thread in the theme park forum because i wasn't sure where to post it.

I keep changing how I'm going to set out my daily plans and how and what to include. At first i had a table showing the whole vacations daily food and park plans but then decided that i wanted to include more information. I would like to include touring plans, clothes, show times, when i need to wake up and get dressed etc, opening/closing times and menus. So my question is how does everyone set out their daily plans/itinerary? Do you use a table, cards etc? Some pictures of your planning would be great too. Thanks in advance.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I've tried a little of everything and this trip I think I've found a system that will work for me.

I have a chart for my travel folder (along with receipts, flight info., etc) that includes each day down the left side, and across the top the categories "EMH Park(s)," "Park Hours" (the 4 main parks), "Daily Itinerary" with very brief info. such as the parks we plan to go to or plans for swimming, "Outfits," and "Meals" with ADR times and confirmation numbers. This is in Landscape view to make the chart print out on one page. I color-coded the names of the parks we planned (red), our flight numbers (blue), room and towncar confirmation numbers (green), and ADRs (red again) to pick them out better from the sea of text on the page! You could also print in black and use a highlighter - I just felt like playing with the color ink, I guess!

For more detailed daily use, I printed index cards with the exact itinerary for each day. For example, Day 2 we will be at MK by 7:30 for EMH; then I numbered each attraction we will see in order - I used the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter touring plans to create an itinerary that addresses my family's priorities. I put in the ADR's at their approximate location in each itinerary, which was easy for most days as we're doing a lot of breakfasts and dinners. My intineraries tend to be commando-style in the mornings and get our priorities done, leaving the afternoons for relaxed, spontaneous touring. I did include times of evening shows such as Fantasmic or Wishes on the nights I'd planned to see them, but did not include times for things like ITTBAB because I don't know the showtimes but have a good general idea of where they fit in the overall itinerary anyway.

Does that answer your question? Man, I feel obsessive-compulsive! But it's all part of the fun, right?! Let me know if I can clarify anything...

 

[PlutoLuvr]

I'm in the legal industry, so yellow legal pads are overflowing at my house.

I take one, turn it sideways so the lines are vertical instead of horizontal.

I set it up like this for any particular day:

Park
Dinner/Nightlife​

The first basis of planning for us is ADRs. This year, we only have one must-do that will require an ADR: Jiko. Other years, we've had ADRs at Epcot or MGM. The day(s) we have an early dinner ADR at Le Cellier, for instance, would be the day we do Epcot. The day we're eating at 50's PTC would be our MGM day, etc.

We also do USO/IOA while in Orlando, and we have a few must-do restaurants over at CityWalk. I basically start with dinners, and figure in the parks accordingly. We drink at Epcot. I wouldn't do Epcot during the day and then head over to O'Brian's for massive hurricanes. The day we go to MK is the better day for us to enjoy O'Brian's at night (I'm just throwing examples out there).

As far as parade times and such, every park seems to have a parade every day, so we just grab the little park guide when we enter a park and plan accordingly once inside. Depending on the time and heat of the year, sometimes the parades aren't our cup of tea, and we hit the rides or shop since everyone's watching the parade.

I also check WDW's website to see about the EMH days. We avoid the parks with the EMHs (way too crowded). This is one reason we started eating at resorts for dinner and just doing CS at the parks for lunch.

Keep in mind, we like to have a little flexibility and enjoy being spontaneous a little on vacation. I can plan for a year, but we often go with other adults/family members who might not want such a rigid schedule. Sometimes folks we go with might want to sleep in a little on vacation, so I don't want to have to be rushing people through the park to make an 1:10 ADR at Tony's. We try to be most flexible with breakfast lunch and just go with the flow there and try and have something firm for dinner/nightlife.

Hope you have a wonderful vacation!

 

[halld6479]

I use a loose leaf notebook and clear sheet protectors, I start one with leaving home I have travel instruction and 1st hotel number,reservation and confirmation number inside the clear packet as we get gas I place the receipt inside that package and any food costs even we complete that day I take it out of the three ring binder and place it in the back of binder back in the three rings, as for the days in the park I take it out of the three ring binder clear plastic folder and carry it with me, doing the same thing at end of the day,I have that parks maps and time break down any diiner plnans. If I am not carring in my hand I drop it down in my backback till I want to check it out again. at end of trip I have all my daily receipts in there and I st down and figure expenses then I mark on binder the year of the trip and place it on shelf for next years planning

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

whew! I wish dh would read these. He thinks I'm OC and only do a fraction of this much planning. I decide what parks we haven't done in a while and just make sure we go to those on a day when they don't have extra hours since that's when most WDW resort guests go and it's usually more crowded those days. I don't make a lot of ADR's since we don't like to feel confined to a schedule. Maybe 1 character breakfast every other trip. I like to try something new each trip.

 

[we3disneygo]

oh boy....I have passporter, a small binder, a lg. binder, I also have used poster board and post it's and planned meals for each day.

 

[DLBDS]

I decided to go with the small 4X6 photo album idea. You just print all of your info out onto 4X6 sized cards (or just plain paper) and slide it into the photo album pages. The albums are small enough to carry around in a bag and the information stays clean and dry and is easy to find. You can color coordinate the info by using different colored card stock or paper. I have a card for each day of our stay including the arrival and departure days as we have ADRs for those days. On the first day I also list the WL address and phone number with driving directions. The last day just has the breakfast ADR as we'll be leaving in the morning. Each card lists ADR's (including the name and phone number of each restaurant, the confirmation #s, and whether I'll get the DDE or AP discount there), what parks we'll be in that day with park hours, any events or activities we'll be experiencing and their times (and confirmation numbers if reserved). At the bottom (or on the back) I list how to get from point A to point B (ie. WL to CR)....'cause we're newbies. I'll also include park itineraries with "best views" information I've gotten from another Disney-goer, Least Crowded Parks Charts for each day (from TGM) and blank paper in the last page for any notes that we want to make while touring. I'll also collect park maps and just tuck them inside the photo album. Good luck!!

 

[gems_smiling]

Thank you to everyone who has shared their ways of setting out their plans. You DISers really have some great ideas.

 

[gems_smiling]

I've tried a little of everything and this trip I think I've found a system that will work for me.

I have a chart for my travel folder (along with receipts, flight info., etc) that includes each day down the left side, and across the top the categories "EMH Park(s)," "Park Hours" (the 4 main parks), "Daily Itinerary" with very brief info. such as the parks we plan to go to or plans for swimming, "Outfits," and "Meals" with ADR times and confirmation numbers. This is in Landscape view to make the chart print out on one page. I color-coded the names of the parks we planned (red), our flight numbers (blue), room and towncar confirmation numbers (green), and ADRs (red again) to pick them out better from the sea of text on the page! You could also print in black and use a highlighter - I just felt like playing with the color ink, I guess!

For more detailed daily use, I printed index cards with the exact itinerary for each day. For example, Day 2 we will be at MK by 7:30 for EMH; then I numbered each attraction we will see in order - I used the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter touring plans to create an itinerary that addresses my family's priorities. I put in the ADR's at their approximate location in each itinerary, which was easy for most days as we're doing a lot of breakfasts and dinners. My intineraries tend to be commando-style in the mornings and get our priorities done, leaving the afternoons for relaxed, spontaneous touring. I did include times of evening shows such as Fantasmic or Wishes on the nights I'd planned to see them, but did not include times for things like ITTBAB because I don't know the showtimes but have a good general idea of where they fit in the overall itinerary anyway.

Does that answer your question? Man, I feel obsessive-compulsive! But it's all part of the fun, right?! Let me know if I can clarify anything...

You are my kind of planner Sounds great. How long is it from the time you get a FP untill the time slot on average (we are going in September)? That way i can finish my touring plans. I have the Unofficial guide 2005 and plan to get the 2007 addition. Are the touring plans in the 2006 addition any different to the 2005 addition? Also are the touring plans the same or very similar to the passporter ones?

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

You are my kind of planner Sounds great. How long is it from the time you get a FP untill the time slot on average (we are going in September)? That way i can finish my touring plans. I have the Unofficial guide 2005 and plan to get the 2007 addition. Are the touring plans in the 2006 addition any different to the 2005 addition? Also are the touring plans the same or very similar to the passporter ones?

Thanks!

The time between obtaining a FP and returning to ride varies depending on the time of day and crowd levels. On slower days, I've seen the FP return time be only half an hour away; OTOH, I've also seen return times that were over three hours later. In general, the FP return "window" increases as the day goes on: plan for a shorter wait in the morning and a longer delay in the afternoon.

Aside from adjusting to add new attractions, I haven't noticed any large-scale changes to the touring plans in the UG. I know there were some differences between the UG and the Passporter because at one point I (yes, still anal) wrote them out side-by-side then used them to write my adapted family plan in a third column! However, the differences were not striking - most attractions were within the same time frame, though not in the exact same order.

 

[fakereadhed]

I made a table in excel. I keep it on my desktop, and when I want to add more info I do. Then I save the changes. Simple.

I made mine in columns with the days on top, and list the plans chronologically underneath. The last box in the column is for misc. info and tentative plans. I plan on printing it pocket sized for the parks.

I also printed touring cards for the parks with our itinerary by making a text box in Word the size I wanted I them to be, and putting the rides in order. That way if we split up, we'll know where to meet next. These will be laminated before the trip when final changes have been made.

DH thinks I am nuts.