how many know before you go.....

[carone0318]

I usually plan on EMH, we stay on site. My main concern is MK. With little ones MK has some very important rides for us. I usually never deviate from my plan, but if something were to come up, it doesn't mean I won't. As I said, I plan (1) PS a day, based on a park we will be in, but we are big park hoppers. If I have a plan for a late lunch/early dinner at Epcot I might start the day at MK or vise versa. Holidays factor in too, I will not be in MK on Labor Day guaranteed. PSs are not written in stone and can be cancelled or changed if needed. PPSSTT, last tip I changed our PS for Donald's breakfastosaurus because we had just done MK e-night the night before and there was no way that we were going to make it to a 8 something PS, so before we went to e-night, I just called and asked if they had a later time, which they did, but if they didn't we would of just gotten something at the Boardwalk bakery or ate in our room. Although I am a commando styled very planned person, I am open to change and am willing to change when called for. But to answer your question directly, I usually stick to my plan unless I know that it will not work once we are using it day-to-day like my ex/ of the enight followed by an early PS for breakfast.

 

[disney4us2002]

Originally posted by disneysteve
So here's another question from a non-planner to you planners. How do you decide in advance what park you will do each day? I know that EMH comes into play if you are staying onsite. But other than that, how do you decide?

If you plan out each day in advance, do you usually stick with that plan or do you find yourself changing the plan as you go during your trip?

If I tell you how I decide which park which day, you might decide I need to go to the loony bin, lol. I have nearly every guide written, I also subscribed to Tourguide Mike and I read opinions here all the time. My family just won't do EMH (at least for the mornings) and they really don't even like to get up at 7:45 on vacation but they do it for a few days then we take a break day then start over. We usually travel at peak times (we're going Christmas week this year and that definitely impacts on planning).

Most often we can stick with my plans because I include breaks and even 2nd choice options. Last trip the water parks were dropped because there was just too darn much rain and thunderstorms but since we had uph, we opted for DQ instead. I don't think we're rigid with our plans, but it definitely works better for us to know what is scheduled. Our last day in the World is always "Kid's choice" so I won't plan any PS's that day and we end up snacking most of the day. One unhealthy day won't kill anyone!

Your point about how often you go is quite valid. If I knew we would return at least yearly, I wouldn't worry about missing out on certain restaurants. We typically visit every 3 or more years however and my hubby threatens every trip is his last.

 

[BCV23]

I always plan our am park so that it doesn't coincide with EMH with very rare exceptions. I don't like the extra crowds it always seems to bring or the change in patterns within the parks. I plan our am days so we get the best mix for our family. Then I plan breakfasts and lunch around that. Plan dinners mostly just for the sake of dinner...so many great choices.

We are flexible though and change as needed. We don't plan rides at all although we have certain patterns that seem to work best for our crew.

We go off season as well as more crowded times and we all like having our meals planned.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Originally posted by disneysteve

Certainly, if pre-planning works for you and your family, go for it. But just realize that it doesn't work for everyone. Some of us prefer to go without PS's in advance and we still manage to eat quite well at some of Disney's best.

I guess I'm missing the point, at no time did I say that I thought anyone (including you) should follow my touring plan, simply replying to the original poster and having a laugh with disney4us2002 about how alike our families are.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by k&a&c'smom
at no time did I say that I thought anyone (including you) should follow my touring plan

Nope, you didn't. I didn't mean to imply that you had. I've just read a lot of posts here at DIS about how people plan their trips and I was making a general comment - not directed at you or anyone else particular. I'm genuinely curious how people manage to plan every meal and every day of their trips in advance. I can't imagine doing that. Different strokes for different folks. No offense intended to the planners among you.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

disneysteve - thanks for the reply, I just misunderstood. No offense taken.