How long does it take you to plan your daily itinerary?

[trish1970]

I think I am going insane! I couldn't believe how long it took me to plan my daily itinerary for a 7 night stay! I don't even know exactly how long it took but suffice it to say many many hours (usually late at night)were invested in this!! There is too much to consider -- early opening, restaurant choices, best days to visit certain parks (as suggested by the tons of literature I now have on this vacation) and not to mention scheduling nap/ pool time for 2 yr old DS. It started to be a lot of fun, then at some point it became very stressful..... but I am happy to report that my itinerary is done!!! (at least until I change my mind again The frightening part of it is that I now have to go back and map out the each park strategy (which rides to go to first, second....)

Am I the only one going crazy? (Did I mention that I dream about this at night??) I don't think September will ever come. I never would have survived without this board.... THANK YOU!

 

[StitchGirl88]

when we(MY mom, dad, and I) go we do thing more a less sper of the moment we like um what are we going to do today and just do what ever. We do ps but everything else is sper of the moment it is less stressful then planing everything out and funner then having to stick to something. but every one has there own thing. But i was just answering a question so please don't take this as a bad thing or what ever.

Have you ever been there in Sept. I have never. If you have is it nice?

 

[trish1970]

I guess we would not be planning as much if it weren't for the fact that we will have a toddler with us.

No, I have never been in September and am hoping that it will be less crowded and less hot. ??? Now I am just waiting to find out what the park hours in September are going to be. Thanks

 

[Aryn]

I am going the same time you are!

Would you mind posting your itinerary? I would love to see how others that are going at the same time as we are doing theirs.


I have DD5 and DS2 so our trips might be very similar.
We are staying at ASMo Sept 18-26

WDW 4 days
Universal 2

I think!! I might change everything I still have 7 days before I make PS. plenty of time!!

I have been in Sept and it's a great time to go!! Very few lines not so hot! (I live in GA so the temps are about the same here.)
I am not planning when to ride, just where we are going to be and eat on each day. I think that the lines will be so minimal that we will be able to ride what we want with very little hassle(famous last words)

I guess if i get there and its mobbed I can work out a more extensive schedule then.


Aryn

 

[jcemom]

trish1970 -- I do the exact same thing, all the way down to dreaming intineraries! I've been known to get out of bed in the middle of the night to jot down an idea so that I don't forget it. I've actually had some plans just totally "click" into place in the middle of the night, lol. I enjoy it though. Just keep reminding yourself that planning is part of the FUN! It will all work out just fine. After all the planning I did, we didn't always stick to "the Plan" either. Make sure you're prepared to go "off Plan" if it isn't working out or if you just decide to do something else instead.

At least you only have to wait until September to "test" your plan...I have to wait until December 2005!!!

I have never been in September but have heard that it is very UNcrowded, so no worries there. It is, however, still quite hot. I lived in Orlando for five years and there isn't a significant difference between September weather and that of July or August. It might be a bit less humid.

Aryn, with a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old I would skip Universal and do 6 days at Disney, but that's just me. I'd save Universal until they are old enough to do more there. That "not so hot in September" thing must be all "relative" LOL. You're from Georgia, it's all the same to you, ha ha. Coming from "up North" where it's starting to cool down in September, Florida Septembers are WAY HOT to me, LOL.

I hope you all have fun!

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by trish1970
I guess we would not be planning as much if it weren't for the fact that we will have a toddler with us.

Funny, but once my daughter was born, we did even less planning than before, and we didn't do that much then. When you go with a child of any age, especially a young one, you really need to do the whole trip at the child's pace. Any plans you make in advance can very quickly and easily go out the window if the kid is tired or hungry or cranky or just finds something he or she really enjoys and you decide to spend more time there. Or perhaps you plan a bunch of character meals and discover your kid is terrified of furry oversized creatures.

I think too many folks try to plan out every minute of every day and forget that they are supposed to be on vacation relaxing and having fun. Sketch out some very basic plans if you must - which park you will do each day. Perhaps make a couple of PS's for places on your "must eat at" list. But leave the rest of the trip open. There are many wonderful things to see and do at Disney. Go with the flow. Be open to whatever presents itself. Don't forget - you're on vacation!

 

[marcyinPA]

It takes me several hours and several sheets of paper to get my itinerary down. I have my first one saved to disk and tweak it for each upcoming trip!

It's easier to do it all on the computer...it's much easier to change it that way...And I change it several times before we leave! LOL

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Lets see........I booked our trip in February, and started itinerary planning then.It is now June, and I am finally satisfied with everything. I think

So, that means my itinerary planning took,ummmmm, almost 5 MONTHS!

Like someone else here mentioned,I save a copy on the computer in WordPad, and make several paper copies.Something else new I did for this trip was to put it up on a huge dry erase board I have.Makes for easy changes,and it is really helpful to be able to look at the entire week all at once.
But,I'm not a compulsive planner.......nope not me, not at all

But, I truly have to say, I really enjoy all this planning
After our vacation is over, I almost feel empty.

Chris

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Originally posted by Aryn
I
I have been in Sept and it's a great time to go!! Very few lines not so hot! I live in GA so the temps are about the same here.

Hi Aryn !

I am also in GA, so I wanted to say,howdy neighbor!!

~Chris

 

[trish1970]

I am so happy to hear that you all plan like crazy too! I do realize that I have to be flexible with my DS. I think this is why I feel I need to plan more because I actually have to schedule downtime so that he can rest and swim. I really tried not to overschedule.....

Would you mind posting your itinerary? I would love to see how others that are going at the same time as we are doing theirs.

Okay... you asked for it.... here is my "plan"

Day 1 (Sat.):
Arrive in Orlando and head to Poly (hopefully room is ready)
Go to Epcot around 2:30 and leave Epcot around 6pm
Eat dinner in Germany counter service.
Go to bed early (long day)

Day 2 (Sun.): Magic Kingdom (early opening) 8am - 10am
Go back to Hotel to rest/ swim
Go to Epcot around 2:30 until closing
Garden Grill Ice Cream Social at 3pm
Morocco (Merrakesh) at 7pm
watch Illuminations at 9pm

Day 3 (Mon.) Magic Kingdom 9am - 12:30
Lunch at Whispering Canyon at 1pm
Back to Poly after lunch swim/ nap
Spend evening in Downtown Disney

Day 4 (Tue.) Blizzard Beach (10 - 12)
Back to Poly for nap
Animal Kingdom 2:30- 5pm
Boma for dinner at 6

Day 5 (Wed.) Morning at Poly pool
Magic Kingdom 2pm - closing
Dinner at Crystal Palace at 6pm
Hopefully Wishes will be shown that night!

Day 6 (Thurs) MGM Studios (9am - 2pm)
Lunch at Sci-Fi Restaurant
Back to Poly nap/ swim
Mickeys Backyard BBQ at 6pm (fort wilderness)

Day 7 (Fri.) Free day - nap/ swim/ visit park of choice
Lunch at Kona Cafe at Poly
7:30 PS at Ohana's

Day 8 (Sat.) Go Home

Okay... let me have it. Is this possible?

 

[jcemom]

I think that looks like a great plan! The only potential problem I see may be on your Blizzard Beach day, and that's only because I'm not sure that 2.5 hours is enough to go back to the Poly, change clothes, nap, freshen up and head to AK. (I'm assuming you're driving. If you're taking the WDW buses it's definitely not enough time.) Otherwise, I think that's definitely a "do-able" plan! Have fun!

 

[trish1970]

jcemom - Thank you for your response! Yes we will have a rental car, and I agree that we may be pushing too much with BB and AK. If possible, we may leave BB by 11:30. We will only be visiting the kids area and I really was just curious to check it out as I have never been there before. Your positive feedback has made me more confident that everything will be okay! (this must be what a writer must feel like when submitting a first draft manuscript to an editor! A great fear that those who know better will find that it stinks! LOL!!!) Thanks again!

 

[littlestix]

HI.....I don't have any advice,just wanted to say that I'll be there the same week. We arrive on Sat. too and I plan on going to Downtown Disney the first night. Then start the parks on Sunday. I'm still working on my plans.

 

[maximom]

Originally posted by disneysteve

I think too many folks try to plan out every minute of every day and forget that they are supposed to be on vacation relaxing and having fun. Sketch out some very basic plans if you must - which park you will do each day. Perhaps make a couple of PS's for places on your "must eat at" list. But leave the rest of the trip open. There are many wonderful things to see and do at Disney. Go with the flow. Be open to whatever presents itself. Don't forget - you're on vacation!

When I first started planning this trip, (our first) I wanted to do everything possible in 5 days, realized we couldn't and extended it 2 more days. After much thought of how my dh is more of a "seat of your pants" kinda guy and the realization that "Hey, this IS a vacation!" I scaled the plans back so we had more free time to do fun stuff that isn't planned. We're only doing 3 Disney parks (MK, Epcot, & MGM) and those days are planned very well. However the rest of the week we're gonna go at our own pace. I do want to go to Gatorland and make a day trip to a beach, everyone wants to do the airboat rides but I think we'll have plenty of time to do those and have some rest days too.

Maybe next time we'll do SeaWorld and AK but not this time. Who know though we may get up and decide to one morning!

 

[disneysteve]

Keep in mind that this post is coming from a non-planner. No offense intended to the planners among you. I'm just really curious how you manage it.

For those who make an itinerary along the lines of what trish1970 has posted, do you actually follow it pretty closely or do you just use it as a general guideline and modify as you go along?

Looking at trish1970's itinerary (and I don't mean to pick on you specifically, just using your post as a discussion point), it looks generally ok though I think some of the time allotments are too short for the listed activity. But I can think of a dozen things that could force you to make significant changes, and none of them are things you could plan for in advance.

What if you wake up on Day 5 and its raining when you planned to spend the morning at the pool? What if its hot and humid Tuesday afternoon and when you leave AK you realize you need to shower and change before going to dinner? What if Wishes is not run on Wednesday but is run on Thursday when you plan to be at Ft. Wilderness? What if you're just having a great time at MK on Sunday and don't want to leave just to get to EC for your ice cream social?

trish1970 - In your OP you mention now having to go back and plan out what order to do the rides. How can anyone possibly do that? There is no way to know how long a line will be until you get to the ride. If we show up at Peter Pan, for example, and there is a 30-minute wait, we move on and go somewhere else. If we happen to be passing a ride that has little or no wait, we'll jump on it while we have the chance even if we were heading somewhere else and sometimes even if we've already been on the ride earlier that day.

Maybe its genetic but I just don't get the planning thing. Neither does DW - we were discussing it the other day after I read some posts here. I think its great if it works for you but sometimes I wonder if people make their trip much more stressful than it needs to be by overplanning.

 

[trish1970]

I know what you are saying disneysteve. My DH and I have been to WDW many times without any plan and we were just fine. But again I feel that with my DS I need to make some kind of schedule otherwise I think we won't get the most out of the parks or our vacation. I also remember waiting on horrific lines when DH and I would "wing it". Please don't get me wrong, I do not have any expectations of following any itinerary to the "T", and we certainly will be flexible, but at least it is something to work from. I would suspect that I am not the only one who is making their PS's 90 days in advance and in order to do that it is generally necessary to know what park you plan on being in that specific day. Maybe I am getting caught up in all of this due to the books and my obsession with this board, but it is fun

I am truly looking at this as a vacation regardless of whether my itinerary tells you otherwise. However I would have choosen another kind of vacation if I wanted to relax by the pool/beach 24/7.

BTW -- the Disney books give great importance to "Park Strategy" in order to ensure the least amount of times waiting in lines. Is this a waste of time? The last thing I want to do on this vacation is wait in line for any long period of time with a restless toddler.

 

[momxx5]

I admit planning is half the fun. But I look at is more of "dreaming" than planning a schedule.

We have 5 children(ages 10-2) and when we go I make a general plan - which park we will hit on which day...

Tuesday - MK
Wed - MGM
Thurs - TL
Friday - Epcot
Sat - BB
Sun - AK

Now this is all subject to change. We may return to MK at night for fireworks or some more rides. I only make PSs for the "must do" - Chef Mickeys, Princess Breakfast. There are just too many things that can change the course of the day. I guess I'm with DisneySteve on this one.

Trish -
Your plans look great. You are definately no alone in your planning. I know its easy to get caught up in all the excitement of an upcoming trip. I know you are going to have fun - you'll be at WDW! Dont' forget the camera

 

[tbswilson3]

I love how you planned out your day. I will be there in Sept also! I was wondering how you got the park hours for Sept everywhere I have looked they are not posted yet. How did you find out about the ice cream social? Is there a place to go to get all of the "entertainment, activites" for a scheduled stay? How do you know when the fireworks and the wishes will be scheduled? I would LOVE this information if you can direct me to your source. Thanks a million have a great vacation!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by momxx5
when we go I make a general plan - which park we will hit on which day...

That's just about what we do & the plan can change daily.

My main suggestion would be not to get too caught up in your "plan". Leave room for changes & be okay with any change or "snafoo" that may occur.

I have heard a lot of people come back & say that they were disappointed because they had planned & planned & not everything went according to that plan.

Remember, you can & should relax at WDW. Stop to smell the roses. Sticking to a rigorous plan could cause tension for yourself & the rest of your family members.

I have to agree with some of the points disneysteve said, especially with a little one. He may take a longer nap than you anticipate, he may be having a great time at the pool & not want to leave, the lines may be longer than anticipated in certain parks & you may want to stay longer, it could rain & you may need to alter plans.

I guess my main point is to be flexible with your plan. Have a great time!!!

 

[jcemom]

disneysteve, we had a similar plan and didn't always stick to it, but it was nice to have because the entire family knew I had a "plan" and weren't constantly arguing over where to go next. For the most part we followed my morning plans, but sometimes the afternoon plans changed because we either didn't need as much of a break as I'd allowed for, or we were tired and just didn't feel like doing anything. In my family, asking everyone what they want to do is nothing but trouble because everyone will give a different answer and then not be happy if they don't get what they want, lol. We also had a general plan of what rides in which order, flexible if need be of course. We used TourGuide Mike's touring plans and modified them to suit us--we had no problems, but if a line had been too long we would have just bypassed that and come back to it another time, no big deal!