How To Avoid Overscheduling Anxiety

[Angel Ariel]

I hope this answers your question.

It does, thank you. We are open to rethinking how we schedule our days/use park hopping and such if that's what we need to do in this system, so seeing that breakdown helps to better put what was accomplished in context to think about that restructuring.

 

[Alfalfa]

Rope Drop, midday break, FP's in the late afternoon or evening, minimum ADR's. I think your outline is a pretty good basic strategy for someone who's been to the parks before and doesn't have kids with them.

 

[MouseMum]

Thanks for your perspective on this topic! I feel I read it at just the right time! I'm currently making TPs for our August trip and am slowly feeling sucked in by an obsessive need to "make the most" of this trip. This is only our second family trip to WDW and last year, upon reflection, I definitely overplanned.

This year I hoped to do RD when we could, midday breaks when possible, and evenings with FPs. But as I make my plans I can feel the noose of anxiety starting to squeeze. Sprinkle in about 8 ADRs over a span of 10 days and I'd say I'm headed for disaster! Oy!!! I said I wouldn't make the same mistakes but here I go again!

Can someone please give me their perspective on this...? How do you make your decision on when to do RD and when to do late evenings? Honestly, we can't do both! We'll be exhausted! I remember all too well last year. And where oh where do you fit in afternoon breaks without wasting so much time? I'm trying really hard to not overplan, then I think I'm underplanning. I mean, only 8 things to do at AK from 9am to noon? Come on!

The good thing is we'll be staying at the Poly, so convenience of location is a plus. And our kids are 12, 15 and 17. They actually got the monorail/boat by themselves a few times last year when we stayed at the GF.

Can someone shed some (more) Disney wisdom? Much appreciated!

 

[Jennytoon]

I think this is a fundamental difference in approach that a lot of people have.

(re necessity of ADRs)

I couldn't agree more. What makes trouble is when two people of opposite approach are in the same family.

 

[Ambear]

Rope Drop, midday break, FP's in the late afternoon or evening, minimum ADR's. I think your outline is a pretty good basic strategy for someone who's been to the parks before and doesn't have kids with them.

Or people with teenagers.

Great strategy wisblue, thanks for sharing! This is more how I'm intending to vacation this time. I'm trying to take more time and relax so I scheduled fewer adr's and no tours this time. Though the undiscovered future world was amazing haha.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Thanks for your perspective on this topic! I feel I read it at just the right time! I'm currently making TPs for our August trip and am slowly feeling sucked in by an obsessive need to "make the most" of this trip. This is only our second family trip to WDW and last year, upon reflection, I definitely overplanned.

This year I hoped to do RD when we could, midday breaks when possible, and evenings with FPs. But as I make my plans I can feel the noose of anxiety starting to squeeze. Sprinkle in about 8 ADRs over a span of 10 days and I'd say I'm headed for disaster! Oy!!! I said I wouldn't make the same mistakes but here I go again!

Can someone please give me their perspective on this...? How do you make your decision on when to do RD and when to do late evenings? Honestly, we can't do both! We'll be exhausted! I remember all too well last year. And where oh where do you fit in afternoon breaks without wasting so much time? I'm trying really hard to not overplan, then I think I'm underplanning. I mean, only 8 things to do at AK from 9am to noon? Come on!

The good thing is we'll be staying at the Poly, so convenience of location is a plus. And our kids are 12, 15 and 17. They actually got the monorail/boat by themselves a few times last year when we stayed at the GF.

Can someone shed some (more) Disney wisdom? Much appreciated!

I'm also going in August and have two kids ages 15 and 9.

I've been 4 times before. My first two trips were severely underplanned and offsite. My third trip was overly planned. Lots of ADR's and plans plans plans.

Our last trip and fourth trip was very nice. Rope drop, midday pool breaks (no naps) and PM park with PM ADR. My kids were getting annoyed by the ADR's at night since it didn't leave much time to PM touring.

This next trip is 11 days/10 nights and I've mixed up our late nights, early mornings and ADR's. We're mostly doing rope drop, midday pool break and pm park with FP+ at the pm park.

Rope drop for us is arriving about 15 minutes before rope drop so we try to leave the resort by 8-815. Midday breaks are usually us leaving the park around 1230, in the pool by 1ish, out the pool by 4 and back to the park by 5ish.

Wed - Arrival Day by 11 am, MK all day (FP+), Chef Mickey dinner, Wishes/parade

Thurs- Epcot, midday pool break, Ohana dinner 515, MK in the evening (FP+), maybe watch MSEP and Wishes from Poly beach

Fri - 815 BBB, MK, CRT lunch 1205, midday pool break, Epcot PM EMH (FP+)

Sat - sleep in, pool time, get to MK for PM EMH (FP+) around 5, 830 BOG dinner, stay until park close

Sun- rest day, pool time, Cali Grill adult only dinner, room service for the kids

Mon- Leave Poly/Check into BC, BB 10-2, MM F! dining package 440, DHS PM EMH (FP+) until park close

Tue - AK, midday pool break, Epcot (FP+)

Wed - sleep in, rest, pool time, DTD, boardwalk----basically whatever we want to do

Thur - DHS (FP+), midday pool break, Epcot WS

Fri - sleep in, pool time, MK (FP+) by 2, BOG lunch 215, Wishes from TTC, Epcot PM EMH (basically just to walk through to get back to BC)

Sat - Cape May Café 1050, leave to go home


That's how I've split it up to give us down time and park time.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Or people with teenagers.

Great strategy wisblue, thanks for sharing! This is more how I'm intending to vacation this time. I'm trying to take more time and relax so I scheduled fewer adr's and no tours this time. Though the undiscovered future world was amazing haha.

Or with kids. We employ many of the strategies of the OP. Except instead of a break at the hotel, we slow down and do non-attraction things like Sorceror's, for example.

 

[cakebaker]

Rope Drop, midday break, FP's in the late afternoon or evening, minimum ADR's. I think your outline is a pretty good basic strategy for someone who's been to the parks before and doesn't have kids with them.

Actually we follow a nearly identical schedule with a now 3 yr old who has been going since he was 6 months old and it works quite well with him. We consider afternoon breaks a must even moreso now since our all adult trips changed to trips with a little one.

Kids wake up early, don't like sit down meals and need naps - fits perfectly.

 

[Alfalfa]

Little kids aren't tall enough for half the rides the OP listed they did.

 

[cakebaker]

Little kids aren't tall enough for half the rides the OP listed they did.

There are other attractions for shorter kids but our 3 yr old is tall enough to ride nearly all he listed outside of just a few- I don't think you have to duplicate his ride list to follow his method.

 

[Alfalfa]

Character M&G's are very popular with the little ones. Not just in the parks in lieu of rides but at ADR's as well. Those can take a lot of time.

 

[Ambear]

Character M&G's are very popular with the little ones. Not just in the parks in lieu of rides but at ADR's as well. Those can take a lot of time.

This is painful lol. Obviously some kids will do well on this strategy and some won't. Glad we cleared that up.

 

[Alfalfa]

Painful?

I wouldn't want to mislead anyone with kids into thinking they can tour like a veteran retired couple. Different demographics require different touring styles. Waking up before it's light outside, hitting a few headliners before most people arrive in the parks and then taking an extended break during the day to return to the parks later in the day to use FP's will definitely work for some people but not most people (which is why RD is one of the few remaining advantages).

 

[wisblue]

We did our share of character greetings and minor attractions, I just didn't list them because most people are more interested in the headliner attractions.

My daughters' birth certificates may say one thing, but once they pass under the blue arches they become 8 year olds.

I make no claim that our approach is the best way for everyone to do things. Some people like early mornings, some people like late nights, and some people want to go full speed all day. Some people like to eat at table service restaurants once or twice or three times a day and others are only interested in a couple a week. Some people even like to shuttle back and forth between Universal and WDW several times in a week. I'm just offering our experiences as one way to do things for people who may have similar interests to ours.

 

[Ambear]

I wouldn't want to mislead anyone with kids into thinking they can tour like a veteran retired couple.

So you're misleading them into thinking this won't work for them. Even when someone already told you it did.

 

[Alfalfa]

So you're misleading them into thinking this won't work for them. Even when someone already told you it did.

The title of the thread is "How to avoid overscheduling anxiety" yet many sources of that scheduling anxiety are not addressed by OP's touring plan aside from they didn't do it (ADR's) or mention it (M&G). That's why I said it could work for some but it's not for everyone. Beyond that, I have no interest in debating you.

 

[cakebaker]

My daughters' birth certificates may say one thing, but once they pass under the blue arches they become 8 year olds.

Same here- I sometimes wonder on our trips who is the older one- the 3 year old or his mom and aunt.

Even if every detail of your methods don't fit someone, there are tips in your post anyone can use to improve their visits- which is what we all really want isn't it? For everyone to have the best possible time on their trip?

 

[Pucka1378]

I have a plan.. first time going with my kids and we are going with another family that has small kids my plan of attack was FP's before lunch time.. then lunch then break at the hotel for those that need it(teens and adults that don't have to or want to rest can go off and do what they want) and then we all meet back up for our ADR dinners and then go back in the parks. We are going late June/early July. I figure it will be hot and most of us will be ready for a break.

Hopefully this plan works. I figured I would schedule mornings and then dinners and the rest would be unscheduled.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Most little ones wake up before the crack of dawn so rope drop is a great idea. Most need an extended break midday And then Hitting another park in the evening at a slower pace with FP+ Seems to work well.

I think it's a perfect combo for little ones. We did this last trip when my kids were 11 and 5. I had to wake them up for rope drop that trip since by this age they slept in more. But when my older child was under 7 he woke up by 6 am everyday.

 

[Planogirl]

We used to do the odd character meal here and there and those are what really ate up time! That and seeing every parade. Plus DS used to get hooked on a ride and want to ride it several times.

There are no real "one size fits all" strategies. All you can do is try to fit the best advice into your own particular situation.