How much planning is necessary?

[mom23boyz]

We are spending 7 full days (with park hopping) from the 7th-15th of January. Will it really be necessary to plan most of our movements? I was prepared to do it, but with EMH seeming to be unstable and light crowds expected then (hopefully), can we maybe just let the chips fall where they may? Am I being unrealistic and wish I had a firm plan?

 

[bubba's mom]

I don't think you need a FIRM plan, but you may want to have your PSing in place and a general idea of what you are going to do what day. It IS a good idea to know which parks are opening early on which days so you can plan to go to them or avoid them. When you are going, I don't think you need something detailed as far as plans, but have a general idea. Have a good time!

 

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

Hello !

Planning is always good at WDW, but if you make PS for the restaurants you want to eat in, that's always a good thing...and using FastPasses are also a good thing; as for a 'firm plan' read the boards and get ideas and have fun!

 

[Gluman11]

We've found that our January trips were so much more enjoyable as we did much less planning than our other trips..........You do have to have some idea of what you would like to do and when you might like to do it...........ie, if you have a restaurant you want to eat at, make the PS a day ahead of time or at the worst, the morning that you may want to go there.........it helps.....but We've "just winged it" with regard to which parks and/or attractions we've hit during January trips.........crowds are much lighter and it gives you the leeway (sp?) to do less planning...........

 

[texnmickey]

We just returned and although there were no crowds at all (we walked on to every ride and show) I still used the tour guide plans found in the Unofficial Guide Book 2004. These allowed us to see everything, stay ahead of the minimal crowds, and still work in things extra, like 2 viewing of WWTBAMPI at MGM. We also had iteneraries for each day. Just b/c we are organizational freaks. But I would make PS times now for any and all restraunts you want to eat at. It's nice to be able to walk in and have no wait, while they turn others away. If I could make a suggestion eat at the Prime Time Cafe. It was so much fun, and try to eat in the Castle if you get a chance. It is pricey but worth every penny. Have a great time.

 

[lovethattink]

It's fun to "just wing it" at least once. The only downside to this is that you may not be able to get PS waiting 'til the last minute. We use to plan a firm itinerary. For the last 4 years, we've been "winging it".

 

[luvsTink]

If you have not been before or in awhile, I find an itinitary very helpful as it avoids those frequent moments of staring at a map and each other trying to decide what to do next. For our family that also helped lessen the number of arguments about where to go when and what we were going to do. I also think it is important to choose a park based on emh: both if you want to take advantage of emh or if you want to avoid it.

Have a great time!

Anne

 

[WaltD4Me]

Slow times are great! Much less planning is needed, but I still would have a general plan. Just something loose so you don't miss anything you really want to see.

We want one year in early October and there were almost no crowds, we walked on almost every ride and show, but because we didn't do any planning, we missed a few things just because in the excitemement of being at Disney we forgot we wanted to see them!

Lisa

 

[Mymatisse]

That time of year is really dead. We really didn't find it necessary to plan and just kind of went with whatever we felt like doing for that day. You may want to call a day or two prior to any PS you'd like to make. Although if you decide you want a last minute PS calling the same day would be fine too. Like I said before, the time of year you're going is DEAD.


Have fun! Wish I was going

 

[EmptyNester]

We mostly wing it We usually decide which park we're going to when we get up in the morning. Sometimes we'll make a PS (but usually it's the day of). There are just two of us. If we had kids along, we might do it differently

- Sharon

 

[blanq]

mom23boyz, I note that this is your first trip to WDW. It is true that the timing of your visit means you will be visiting when it is less busy than other times of the year. Regardless, my advice to you is have a rough plan of what parks you want to do what days, with some sense of what you want to accomplish each day. One of the things that struck me, when I went to WDW for the first time, was just how honkin huge the place is! If you have a good sense of the park layouts, and have some kind of strategy, you will be better off, IMHO, and you will likely see and do more than if you don't have a plan. Now, I am not suggesting you "plan most of your movements"...a commando approach to park touring is not needed in mid-January. So, how about a bit of a compromise? I really think your stay will be more enjoyable. I personally think that once you have a couple of trips under your belt, and can navigate all of the parks without pulling out a park map, winging it can work terrifically well.

 

[WWTBAMFAN]

One hint is that if you want to attend a normal showing of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-Play It, you need to do at the first of your trip. They are filming the syndicated version of the show for most of the time you will be there and the attraction will be shut down except for shows that will require tickets that you need to get in advance.

You could try to go online and order tickets. I did this a while back and have not heard anything. I assume that the shows are full but I could be wrong. It would be fun to watch a taping of the show if you could get tickets.

Otherwise, read up and have fun. I normally have a rough schedule of things to do but we have been so many times that we know where to go and what our favorite attractions are.

WWTBAM-PI is my favorite attraction and there is more exciting than getting onto the hot seat.

 

[Madi100]

We went last January, and it was the busiest it has ever been in our trips (others were February and September). We went the week following you. I am definitely not a huge planner. I make my PS's, and know what things I absolutely have to do and then wing it from there. We had planned on going to one park one day, and it was so busy that we left and went to another. No big deal. The more planning you do the more let down you are if the plans don't happen, I think.

 

[aec]

We went last January, and it was the busiest it has ever been in our trips (others were February and September). We went the week following you.

Madi100 - Were you there over the MLK holiday weekend? I've heard that can be a busy time. We are arriving on the Thursday after MLK day. I'm hoping by then that the crowds will head home. I am trying to plan what park we wil be in on what day, but I have not made any PS yet.

 

[crisi]

Here is the way we plan..

We decide where we will be each morning /afternoon/evening

We pick a restaurant based on our afternoon evening plans and make a PS for dinner.

We write down two or three attractions we MUST do for each time slot. And maybe several others we'd like to do.

We get far more done than our two or three. But this makes sure everyone's musts get on the list and done - and we don't spend a lot of time on Small World which isn't on any one's list when we haven't gotten through Buzz on everyone's list.