I think this advice is absurd

[ColoradoLime]

From the Disney website: "Obtain the latest schedule of events when you enter the Park, and plan your day so you don't miss a thing."

What?! Wait to plan my day until I'm already there!! I'm an obsessive compulsive list maker. I just booked our trip one week ago and I've already made three lists. lol

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

to the Disboards.

I think the majority of the people who go do it the way Disney recommends which makes it easier for the rest of us to go around them.

I do always pick up a new times guide every morning in case show times change, otherwise I've got my plans made before we hit the parks.

So I agree with you, I'd never wait until we are in the parks to make plans. But I really enjoy doing it and have fun with it.

I've also been known to toss my plans in the garbage can at the park if we decide to change them up. The first time I did that, the kids just gasped. It was worth doing just to watch their faces.

 

[koolaidmoms]

I am a middle of the road planner. After our ADR debauchle last year (we ended up spending 2 1/2 to 3 hours every time we had a TS meal - traveling to the park or hotel we needed to be at, checking in early, getting seated, ordering, eating and cashing out - it was too much for us. I know now to plan which parks we will be in on which days and to make reservations in that park or the closest hotel.

But, as far as what we will be doing in the parks? That is left to when we get there. How the kids are feeling, what they want to do and the crowds. It has always worked for us.

We have been many times and can't wait to go back in April!

 

[crisi]

You want to follow this advice....why? Show schedules change. When we started planning a trip, Fantasmic was scheduled for every night - when we arrived it was running twice a week. Park hours can change on no notice.

Its a good idea to do some pre-planning, but its a bad idea to not have any room in your plans for changes in plans - yours or the ones Disney decides to impose on you by changing park hours or events - or ones Mother Nature decides to create for you.

 

[ms_missy66]

I just got back last Saturday and I had seriously planned out a lot of details and *most* were as they appeared on the online calendar, but there were a few changes that I found on the daily pamphlet when we entered the park. Crazy enough, there were a few additions! So plan to the best of your ability, but know you may walk in that day and have to adjust accordingly. Have fun!

 

[tr-ray]

I think the PP is right about how a majority of people say, "Disney vacation, great!" and just kind of go on a whim with no real plans. That's why we have the advantage here!

But, as PP's mentioned, I always grab a map & times guide just so I know the most up to date info.

 

[HelenePA]

The only plans we made it our dinning plans.. even some of our sit down meals we didn't make til the morning of... We dont like plans.. Worked out great for us!

 

[RobinFabulous]

I think the PP is right about how a majority of people say, "Disney vacation, great!" and just kind of go on a whim with no real plans. That's why we have the advantage here!

But, as PP's mentioned, I always grab a map & times guide just so I know the most up to date info.

My cousin plans MONTHS out, but my ex-sil just announced "We may take the girls to Disney in May....I'll know by April" I wanted to pick my jaw up off the floor..... Then she asked if I thought she could get in to eat lunch with Cinderella at the last minute.......

 

[PrincessMama605]

I am also an obsessive planner and am working on the plan for our Sept trip right now. That being said, when we were there last weekend, I scrapped my entire plan for Sat at MK except for our CP ressie. We rode the rides in whatever order we felt like, waited 90+ mins to see Tinkerbell (worth it for the expression on dd's face) and ate at non-DIS recommended CS restaurants. We even watched the parades and Wishes from spots other than Main St! We had a blast, did everything on our list and even some things that weren't. But we were there within minutes of opening until almost closing.

My point is as long as you get there early, you don't have to plan every little thing. We are going to get hoppers next trip so we can go with the flow even more.

 

[XYSRUS]

The only thing I plan is what park on what day. We always wing it after we look at the maps etc, just like they say to. So far, no problems. You know about the " best laid plans of mice and men..." So I'm pretty easy going. My DH on the other hand is a different story.

 

[crisi]

The only plans we made it our dinning plans.. even some of our sit down meals we didn't make til the morning of... We dont like plans.. Worked out great for us!

After - however many trips we've taken now - we make dining plans and sketch out a "which park which day" schedule - that changes. We do a little more if we are travelling with others.

And I make the kids identify which attractions they NEED to see - so we make sure not to end up with the last day "I NEVER GOT TO RIDE........" whine.

I suspect a lot of first timers underplan. And I equally suspect that a lot of second timers "overplan." And I suspect a lot of regulars go with a few ADRs and the intent to see Spectro on Saturday night.

 

[Stacerita]

I always pick up a schedule. Even if I was there the day before and it says that it is good through the weekend or whatever. I would hate to miss out on something if it changed. Or things can be added. Plus I like to be able to refer to things in my hand and make notes sometimes. Also, they work as decent fans when needed.

 

[lisajl]

Hello..my name is Lisa and I am an obsessive planner!
I, too, like to know what I am doing, where I am going and where I am eating.
Of course, I have a son with a peanut allergy, so we HAVE to plan ahead for him. But, we do check schedules when we get there to make sure nothing is shut down for maintenance or Wishes is not planned for that night, etc.

I can't imagine not having ressies somewhere or some idea of what I am doing before I get there.

We are going in Oct 2009 and yes, I am already planning it.

 

[momof1princess]

i am a compulsive planner...i must know where we're going on what day, where we're going to eat and what we're going to do. but i don't schedule it to the minute. i make a list of the things we want to do and we just do them throughout the day. DH gets a map and schedule when we enter the park, so we can be sure we don't miss anything we might have forgotten to write down or that was rescheduled.

 

[HelenePA]

After - however many trips we've taken now - we make dining plans and sketch out a "which park which day" schedule - that changes. We do a little more if we are traveling with others.

And I make the kids identify which attractions they NEED to see - so we make sure not to end up with the last day "I NEVER GOT TO RIDE........" whine.

I suspect a lot of first timers underplan. And I equally suspect that a lot of second timers "overplan." And I suspect a lot of regulars go with a few ADRs and the intent to see Spectro on Saturday night.

I have only been there twice.. once is 1988 and then in 2007 We saw everything we wanted to see, ate everywhere we wanted to eat (wish I could go back and change some of those after eating at some of the places even with the reviews and menus ) we had a great time.. its a vacation. We dont like to over plan stuff. We are spur of the moment people. Works for some not for others. We like to relax on vacation. If we didn't see it the first time around.. guess that means we'll just have to go back to see it next time

 

[kaytieeldr]

Hey, if it didn't make it appear they were playing favorites, Disney could purchase advertising right HERE on www.wdwinfo.com / www.disboards.com stating "You obsessive planners, you obtain the latest schedule of events the second we post it on the official Walt Disney World website, and plan your trip so you don't miss a thing."!

 

[CTtwins]

A lot of the fun of the trip is getting ready! It keeps it in your mind, it's exciting to think about... Yes, we're all crazy planners - but it's fun!!

We usually plan out which day will be at which park... we know of a few things we have to do... and the rest is just "go where the day takes you!"

Sometimes the things we have to do are character greets/parades etc... they are on those "schedules" the WDW site talks about

I'll post a link to a site... it has the entertainment schedules for each week. The schedules do not come out too far in advance, but they are pretty accurate in the "spread" of the timing of events.. (hope that makes sense!)

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/

There are schedules for each park.

I start hitting this site pretty hard about a month or two before we go...!

 

[pjzkent]

From the Disney website: "Obtain the latest schedule of events when you enter the Park, and plan your day so you don't miss a thing."

What?! Wait to plan my day until I'm already there!! I'm an obsessive compulsive list maker. I just booked our trip one week ago and I've already made three lists. lol

Hi!!!!We are also in Parker!!! Our last trip we booked in April, and weren't going til October, and I had most of our plans made by May.....

anyway, keep in mind that your 6 yo travelling companion may throw a wrench or two in even the best laid plans. Think riding It's a Small World over and over again, or in our case, going on the Tommorowland Raceway 10 times in a row, and Buzz Lightyear just as many times (in total spending over half of our MK day just in Tomorrowland). Of course, kids outnumber adults in our family and we have found that yielding to the kids wishes make a much more pleasant trip than trying to stick to the plan

I kept a master list of all the park hours and parade/firworks times in my fanny pack and used that to refer to when trying to convince kids to do stuff besides rides. I also downloaded some packing lists that I found I think at Allears and then got a plastic storage box with a lid to throw my Disney stuff in to keep it together for our trip.

Keep readin on the Dis and have a great time!

 

[ColoradoLime]

Hi pjzkent - It really IS a small world after all!!!

I know for sure DD will want to ride some things over and over. I couldn't pull her away from the scrambler at Heritage Square. But that I don't mind, this is her birthday trip and she's in charge!

 

[ksumn1]

I'm an obsessive planner. I started planning last year for a "possible" trip for Oct 2009 that now is not happening. DD's and I have a list of must sees by park along with a master dinining plan. Which TS are a must do and what CS we want to do. The only thing we would actually have to do when we do book a trip os to check out the park schedule, pick which park which day and we're basically set.

That being said, we compromised last trip.We had our dining worked out and 4 or 5 must do rides per park. After these rides/shows were accomplished we reevaluated. If DH or kids wanted to go swimming...we went back to the resort and went swimming. We took afternoon naps or went to the game rooms and some days we stayed in the park after the parade and tried to ride more rides or hopped over to another park for lunch. It made me the uber planner feel accomplished and DH and the kids felt that they could still relax, take it easy and be spur of the moment too.

Next trip though DH has requested 1 or 2 suprise days. I'll do it as long as I have my blankie planning as a backup.