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

[Franky4fingers]

Me and my family have never planned anything out with great detail. At most we may decide that yes we all want to do x new attraction but that is the most planning we do. We decide in the morning where we want to go, then we go. We rarely even PS anything in fact I can't think of anytime we have done it since I was a little kid. If we see a place we like to eat at that is were we eat at. Of course, we usually don't eat at places that require PS since those places tend to be expensive and I, a picky eater who only eats chicken tenders, would rather eat at a counter service place rather than some fancy dive.

Like this trip coming up next week. I have no idea what I want to do yet. Ride the Wild maus type ride at AK is all I want really want to do.

 

[crusin'minnie]

For my family's first trip in '93 I read the unofficial guide cover to cover. DH thought I was nuts and teased me mercilessly. We got to WDW followed my plan pretty close including a nap everyday (best advice ever!!). We got to see so many attractions and still stopped for character greetings, bathroom breaks etc...

On the way home DH (without any fishing on my part) thanked me for planning our trip. He was very impressed at how we manuevered in the park and avoided lines that later became extremely long. He said that if it was not for my planning we would have missed half of what we saw and probably gotten very frustrated trying to decide where to go and what to do. But- he says- I still think you're a little crazy.

To this day that is the best compliment he has ever given me.

This past Thanksgiving my Aunt asked me, my mom and 3 DD's to join her family at WDW. This was 3 days before the trip. We went but I had no time to plan. And since we were invited on her trip I did not want them to think me the Disney Nazi herding everyone around. So we tried to do what everyone wanted to do and ended up missing lots of attractions. We still had a great time after all it is WDW, but I know that I don't want to be caught without a plan ever again. And when we go with our friends in May I have already told them- I have a plan for the trip, it is flexible but if at any time you want to go and do your own thing that is fine.


Cindy

 

[MinniMama]

I must plan each trip we go so often I like to lay out the possiblities. What I do is create a table for each trip and across the top I put
Day Parks/Act. Possible Alt. Possible Meals Must Do Act Pos Act

I list the day and a roughed out am and pm park then an alternative in column two if first park is crowded or we missed something we want to go back for. I list PS under possible meals and also counter service choice sif we decide to cancel PS. I list the must do's for each park am and pm and then other possible activities I'd like to get. We leave the last day open to get what we missed or re-do our favorites. This has worked well- we always make chages but usually it works out as a nice skelton plan and everyone goes home with their must-dos accomplished. I have learned to give up the dumbo or die mentality and the plan lets me think I will get it all but allows me to stray from plan to catch something magical!!

 

[cinmell]

There are certain meals we plan in advance because of availability or difficulty of obtaining PS. We have an idea of what days we would like to go to each park but it's not set in stone. We do what we feel like when we get there. Also, when we get to the park, we don't have a plan of which attraction or ride to go to first. We just go on how we feel when we get there.

 

[boardwalkbusker]

We only plan the night before we go there. We don't plan out the rides or restrauants, we just go into whatever we pass by that looks interesting. We Just plan the park(s) the night before and we sometimes dont even follow our plan, but if you're flexible, you dont need a big plan really. But if you love to be organized a plan would be good.

 

[Ms. WDW]

But what about for the time the parks are really crowded; like the summer.

If you don't plan, your chances of hitting all your favorite rides is drecreased. Sure there are those of us who can and do return yearly. But don't you feel as if you've "missed" something if you don't do your favorite things??

Yes I'm still agonizing over this planning issue!!

 

[boardwalkbusker]

You can go to the Early Park Openings. Each day a park opens early, only to WDW resort guests. The lines aren't as long as they are in regular hours. If your ride isn't open during early opening, you could stand by the enterance and be one of the first people on.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

Last year, I had a general plan sketched out. We were staying off-site and we would have 3 days in the parks. The original plan was MK, then AK, then back to MK. We were also planning on hitting the parks when they opened, then going back to the condo for nap, then back to the parks.

The first change occurred when WDW changed (reduced) park hours the week we were going. So there was no mid-day break although DDthen3 really needed one. The second major change occurred when DD was terrified of the characters and didn't like many rides. So after day 2 in AK, DH and I decided that we would go to Epcot (our favorite park) on Day 3 rather than back to MK. Turns out DD LOVED Epcot!

So this year, I plan to get a few PS (DD wants to have breakfast with Cindy and promises not to be scared of the characters), and I'll figure out which park on which day based on PS and park hours/EE when we will be there. Other than that, I know I will be back to WDW so DDs (4 and <2) will set the pace for us. What we don't see on this trip, we will see on a later trip. Fortunately younger DD is very adventurous, so we don't think ride/character fear will be an issue with her. But we could be wrong!

 

[princess lovers mom]

My DH always thought that I was a little crazy in the amount of research and planning that I do prior to our trips. We do not plan our ride order or anything extreme like that, but planning which days in which parks, and the PS for character meals for my 2 DD (7 and 3), knowing when parades, fireworks, show etc are make things actually less stressful for us. He now agrees that this is a benefit since we have had 2 families that we know go recently who had no idea what they were in for that they missed out on things that a little planning would have help them with such as making ressies for CRT for dinner so their DD's "could eat with Cinderella", well the little girls were crushed when they learned that she doesn't do dinner...and they didn't see parades, fireworks that they thought would run every night

so, the more i can learn and plan is less stress for me!!

 

[Ms. WDW]

I am planning what parks based on EE. I am soooo happy they brought that back! And then I'll work the PS arrangements we want around the parks! But I get into this "frenzy" when it comes to planning and it makes me nuts!! Not to say what it does to my family!!