How Many Of You REALLY Plan Out Your Trip To WDW???

[Ms. WDW]

I've been to WDW more times than I can honestly remember. But every time I go, I have this seriously thought out itenery right down to what park on what day with which restaurant.

This year I'm seriously considering NOT planning. I'm thinking that maybe we don't have to get up everyday before the sun rises. And maybe we don't have to be the first at the gate every morning. And just maybe we can pick the park we want to be at as we are walking out of the hotel!! Ok...I would make PS's for meals.

Please convince me I'm doing the right thing!! I still worry that I'm going to miss something or not be able to get on my favorite ride!!

 

[BRERALEX]

I always plan the day and sometimes the rides and used to do the places to eat but it became to constraining for me.

I go so often it's not like missing lots of attractions will kill me so I dont plan anymore. I go with what feels right, and what im in the mood for.

I notice when i do alot of p.s.'s it messes up my whole day. somethings need p.s.'s of course like cindys and some character breakfasts but it ruins my day all i do is think all day i have to get to my p.s.

I think if it's a 1st trip or a trip in a long tim then you HAVE to plan but if you go twice a year or even once a year you dont have to.

I wak up and just ask the woman......"magic kingdom, Epcot, AK , MGM?, waterpark?" and go with the flow.

 

[daannzzz]

I am going on my 8th trip to WDW soon and I still plan out what park I am going to on what day and then get a PS at the appropriate restaurants. I often leave unplanned days as well. I will always get up and be at the park at opening because you can enjoy some of the pretty areas without any crowds.
I will be going in May and expect it to not be very busy this time and could probably do without any itinerary but planning extends the trip and makes the year pass by with less withdrawl.

 

[ivanova]

this is my 3rd trip to WDW ... the first two I started planning 12-18 months in advance ... this time I've only had 6 weeks to plan. Anyway, I've planned what park, what day. And I'm working on the priority seating arrangements (just to make sure we don't miss out on anything we really want). But as for what rides at what time on what days, naw, I'm just going to "wing it" this time (3 of the 6 days I'll be a "convention widow" )

 

[bunnyfoo]

I planned a couple of days and made some priority seatings ... I left our weekends open. I try not to plan too much ... but I don't want to miss anything

 

[grinningghost]

Our last trip, I had the park days planned out, the PS's made, all of it. DH got very sick and our plans flew right out the window. We had to do what he felt he was up to (which wasn't much). This time, I'm flying blind. I feel I know WDW enough now that I can do that. But if I was a first time visitor, I'd prepare better.

 

[mom_rules]

I'm terrible-I have Breaky, Lunch, Dinner PS's, recreation reserved,
what parks what days, which days we go to Belz, everything
for 4 of us for 10 days. My family just goes with my flow.

 

[walt's assistant]

When WDW used to be a lot smaller, it was easier to go without planning. After all, there were a very limited number of options.

Today, WDW is a BIG place with A LOT of options. Without a plan, you'd just be wasting time deciding what to do, where to go and how to get there.

You don't have to be overly detailed, especially for someone like you who has been to WDW a lot. But have some sense as to what you are going to do.

Good luck!

WA

 

[daannzzz]

P.S. My first trip I bought the Unofficial Guide and read it over a few times. I had each day planned to to the minute.
8:00 Enter Epcot, go to Spaceship Earth
8:47 Go to the Land and ride Living with the Land
9:08 Go to Journey into Imagination...
I had all the restaurant reservations and everything. By the time we arrived I had it memorized!!!
Everyone made fun of me but it worked great. Still we didn;t follow it all. We got tired at Epcot and left one day and went over to look at the All Star resort. We canceled restaurant reservations because we weren't ready to eat.
I think it is fun to plan it all and use it if you need but you can still be flexible or drop it all together.

 

[kdibattista]

If it's gonna drive you crazy.... plan away!!

We will be going for the 8th time and we would always, always, always plan. Now we figure we have seen everything, done everything and if we miss something, well... there is always next year. We know what our favorites are and we make them. I do make PS though. Hey... I can't go cold turkey

 

[nativetxn]

I haven't planned very much for my last few trips. I go with an idea of which park on which day but I'm very flexible. Usually, I will end up meeting another DISer somewhere and changing my plan to have dinner with them or see Fantasmic again, with them.

I love just being flexible at WDW. It helps that I have multiple trips each year, because there is always that next trip to do something I might have missed.

Katholyn

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

I've done it both ways.

I can tell you I enjoy planning. It helps pass the time. Now that we've been there so often tho, I think we can get by just going with the flow, but I'd only do that in a off time of year.

We made the mistake of trying to wing it last year in June and it was a mad house there. We faced huge lines, hot weather and wandered around trying to decide on what to do. Luckily I had made one PS for the CP and that saved one of our vacation days. But I had no books, advice or anything and so I couldn't fix it when we were already there.

This year I'm doing sort of a combo thing, which I did in 1999 and it worked great for us. I planned out which days we'd do which parks. Like MK Mon. morning and Epcot Mon. evening. Then I planned out my PS places. Usually a nice breakfast and a nice dinner. That way if we wanted to go there we already had a PS, no worries and if we got up and decided to do something else I just cancelled the PS or changed it to something else.

After last year I think the combo is the best for us. We're not early birds, usually sleep in until 8 or 9, go get a nice breakfast and then hit the park of choice. I just skip whatever park has EE that day. We stay until 1 or 2 and then head to the hotel for a nap or swim, then usually end up at Epcot in the evening.

But we've been there so much if we missed something it wouldn't be a big deal. We don't do the dumbo or die trips anymore.

I say if you enjoy planning go nuts and if you get there and decide to wing it toss the plans aside, but if you need them, at least they're there.

Pammy

 

[tracycd2]

HALF THE FUN IS IN THE PLANNING!!!!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think the more you go the less you plan. You don't feel that need to cram in so much, as you start ruling out what thrills you and what doesn't. You start setting your priorities more and relaxing.

 

[aunties]

We usually plan and not plan each trip. We find out if there are any special events while we are there (Power of the Blast 08/01 and MNSSHP 10/02) as well as one PS for V&A. Other than that, we go with the flow and just have fun. We usually plan what park for what day, but that is all. We have stumbled on things that would be hard to plan such as some of the performances in EPCOT (like the statutes or DB taken from the crowd to dance - priceless pictures).

I have been on a trip with a group and had one person treat it like a business trip. Everything had to be planned to the minute. She didn't plan character hugs or pin trading. If the line was too long - tough luck - not doing it, we don't have the time. After one day of this, we all rebelled and let her storm ahead as we headed for character pictures, peeks at some of the topiaries, and all the other little things that you just can't plan for.

 

[Horizons16]

you are doing the right thing... you will know when you get therer that you are.

 

[Mskanga]

I used to plan...not anymore!
This last time the only thing I took was a schedule with the park hours and the EE days and parks. We went to whatever park was having EE and then in the afternoon go to another one, depending on our moods and it worked out great.
The kids have done so many breakfast and meals with the characters that the only one we did ( spur of the moment actually ) was Hollywood and Vine. We really enjoyed spending a lot of time in the world showcase and all the little things and shows you can find there, my kids love Epcot now.
Ask my 6 year old, she LOVED the Biergarten, she spent the night dancing on the dance floor , LOL.
We went with the flow this time and it was much more relaxing and enjoyable for us.

 

[MrsPiglet]

Both of our trips I have planned which parks, which meals had ps's, and then we dropped all plans while we were there. We only hit a couple of the ps's even changed a couple for a different day.

But the planning is half the fun, so plan away, and remember is can be changed.

 

[gonga]

The only thing that I plan are dinners. We will be going in May and all our ps are planned around events - Calif grill for FW, Chefs before Illuminations, V&A's before fireworks cruise, but that's it. We let the day plan for us! We discuss where we're going to start the day over breakfast, and go from there. We have been to WDW over 40X and the best times we have had is when the day is not planned. Let the day lead you, you are in the happiest place on earth, so what can be bad? I find its best to be spontaneous at WDW, when the days are "planned" its more like work and not fun. We do plan a little, when we are on the plane we say, What's first? It's always the same - HM! Let the day unfold and you will see the difference!

 

[jeleebeene]

I find that I make PS's for where we want to eat, but we didn't really decide which parks we were going to on what day until we were there. Mostly, we went to one park in the morning, hit our PS for lunch/dinner, and then went to another park, or stayed in the park our PS was in.

My DH HATES having every detail planned out. He just wants to be able to get up one morning, decide on a park and go - and that is what we are doing this year. No planning ahead, other than our PS's which won't matter, since we can always just stay in that park, or go back to the park we were at. Almost like what we did last year, except not planning which park on which day beforehand.

I LOVE planning, and try to plan on seeing certain things in the parks, but won't be deciding which parks, which days and which attractions in what order we are gonna do that day.

I am hoping that since we are going in September rather than July as we have in the past, we won't be so consumed with the commando race to the attractions.

And this will be the 1st time in over 5 years we have gone to WDW by ourselves, so it should be an experience!