imagine planning a trip without the internet?

[sherilaine]

Just a thought for today: Imagine planning this trip if the internet went on vacation?

This board, is a wealth of information - I know more about Disneyland than my DH thinks is healthy and I have only been there once.

I do remember the days before the internet, when you flipped through brochures in the travel agents office and took your chances on hold with the airlines - but I can't imagine planning like that today.

We sure are lucky to have all this information at our eyelashes - talk about taking away any stress!

Thanks to all of you who have offered all the advice and suggestions to all my threads so far. Much appreciated.

 

[bjscheel]

No kidding, I don't know how people did it. I am a real planner and love to find out info online and ways to save money on travel too.

For our upcoming trip, I found out on the *Disboards* that SW had a bonus offer with their credit cards. Our flights to CA are practically free. Then I went to check out flights *online* and could compare prices flying SW from 3 different airports on all different days and picked flights on days that had good airfare. When I went *online* to book a San Diego hotel, I found out that June 1 had sky high rates, and the hotel was having Get the 3rd Night Free- but June 1 was blocked out. I went back to the *Disboards* to whine and found out there is a huge marathon in SD and it was going to be right in our way.

So, I went *online* to SW and checked out airfare for flipping my trip to do Anaheim first and SD second. Since I booked with points, I did the change (with help from someone on the *Disboards*) and the excess points went right back in my account. Back to the hotel website and book the new dates with the free night. Saved $400 and 2400 SW points, avoided a marathon, and grad nights.

I've gone on Googlemaps and determined how to walk to the beach from our hotel. I've learned which hotels on Harbor serve breakfast, and read reviews on both of our hotels by the hundreds. I've checked out the Amtrak schedule to go between cities. I know to go "wide right" at DCA!

How would I have managed all this if not for the internet???

 

[Avery's mom]

My very first trip to WDW was when I was 19 and all I had at my disposal were the Birnbaum's WDW guidebooks. I think I studied that book much more than my school books as I prepped for that trip!

However, it was a great eye-opener as to how fabulous a trip could be when you researched and planned ahead! I had those books memorized so well that once we were in Orlando, it was like I'd been there a dozen times before!

I have many photos of that first trip and see that we ate in many sit-down restaurants (without massive planning!). We would go to the phones in the park and make a same-day reservation for where we wanted to dine. Imagine that now!

We stayed on International Drive and drove to the parks without benefit of GPS! We had a map! We didn't have an app with wait times - heck - we didn't have any cell phones at all. Forget about reservations kept on smartphones - I had a 3 ring binder with every detail typed out!

Have my Disney trips been enhanced by all our new technology? Sure! I love how we can plan everything ahead of time ( and get a 360 view of our hotel room) and use technology once we're in the parks to keep in touch, check wait times, keep track of reservations, find out exactly how many steps it is from my hotel to the Esplanade, etc...but the magic of Disney is what it is with or without any fancy bells and whistles or technology.

I know that My Magic + is coming and I never could have imagined that when I went to WDW 21 years ago. If things can change so much in the span of 20 years, who knows what the future of Disney planning will be when I start to take my grandchildren? I can't wait!

 

[PoohsFan1]

We would go to the phones in the park and make a same-day reservation for where we wanted to dine. Imagine that now!

I miss being able to do that. The first trip to WDW with our kids (in 2005) we went to Epcot and decided that morning that we wanted to eat in one of the Countries in WS (Le Chef's De France). We went to Guest Services (across from Spaceship Earth) and told them where we wanted to eat and gave them our timeframe. They were able to reserve a table for 7 right then and there for around 5pm. Nowadays, we have to reserve the restaurants 180 days before our trip just to eat at a decent place and at a decent time.

Don't get me wrong I love to plan and am the main planner for all of our trips (I do get some help from my DDs and DH), but I am the one that is on the computer trying to figure out where to eat, and what to do, and when to do it. I have been on the computer more for our upcoming trip because this will be our first time going to DLR and before I started my hardcore searching, I knew nothing about the West Coast parks. I have learned so much from everyone here on the DIS (Thank you ) and from going to other DLR sites. My DDs both decided that they needed to buy me the Disneyland version of BirnBaum's guide for my birthday so that we can carry that around in the parks.

OP, I do remember not having to worry about getting on the internet to plan out our vacations, and I remember that it wasn't as stressful as it can be now. However, the internet is something I cannot live without now that I use it on a daily basis. If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't have found the DISboards and be able to talk about Disney as much as I do with my fellow Disney lovers/obsessors .

 

[sherilaine]

The thing now though is if the internet went down, the old way of doing things no longer exists. We have made ourselves dependent on it.

If everyone decided to call rather than book online, can you imagine the wait times?

 

[carisa81]

Totally agree with the OP. I don't know what I would do without the internet! I love planning, too. It's half the fun of the trip. I'm always online trying to save money, as well. I found a 20% off savings online after I booked my GC trip, so I called and got that extra 20% off. I remember the days of brochures. I kind of miss the old brochures, though. Sigh.

 

[wiigirl]

The thing now though is if the internet went down, the old way of doing things no longer exists. We have made ourselves dependent on it.

If everyone decided to call rather than book online, can you imagine the wait times?

lol...I don't want to think about it.

 

[PoohsFan1]

The thing now though is if the internet went down, the old way of doing things no longer exists. We have made ourselves dependent on it.

If everyone decided to call rather than book online, can you imagine the wait times?

 

[mamaCta]

My mom booked our trip 10 years ago. She used a travel agent to book a package through Sun Fun vacations. Once we got to the park we walked in completely blind. I have learned since about how much stuff we didn't see on that trip because we had no idea what to expect.

 

[MommyLove]

Pre-internet, we just had to worry about accommodations so it meant lots of phone calls. But having the internet to plan makes it all soooooooooo much easier. Our experience are WAY richer now too because of all the info online. I love the internet!

Thanks to all of you who have offered all the advice and suggestions to all my threads so far. Much appreciated.

Ditto! I love the DIS!

 

[beachdreamr1229]

Agreed. I love DIS. After years of planning trips, I've only just discovered it this year and it's amazing.

The only thing I miss about pre-internet Disney planning was the element of surprise, like having no clue when we went for the 40th anniversary how cool their special "40 Years of Adventure" show would be, or back at Mickey's 60th birthday, just happening to show up on his birthday to see a huge celebration. It's nice to know ahead of time what to expect, but there was something to be said for the old days, too.

 

[BUDDHALUV]

remember it well, first trip in 96 I used the birmbaum, the next year discovered the unofficial guide, used the heck out of these until the information super highway showed up

 

[Amommy21]

We went to DLR for years and years without reading anything and always had a fabulous time. In fact we consider ourselves " in the know" just from going annually. The great things about DL unlike WDW is that you really can show up arrive at opening and have a great time.

The next steps are to know about baby swap or fast passes.

We actually find that non Disney goers who ask us for advice get so bogged down in details that we have stopped giving details. We give them some basics based around choices they have already made and let them explore and find they have a better trip.

It is nice to have access to opening and closing times. Rides closures. Specials, etc. but really I think most of us are just escaping our day to day life to dream about our next trip or relive a past trip.

We have done spur of the moment trips more recently that didn't allow time for planning and really they are so great! It's nice not to have to stress about details.

 

[undertheseas]

I agree, I love the DIS boards! I've learned so much and that helps us get the most out of trip. So thanks to all of you who have helped answer questions and provide answers, given out your favorite fireworks spots and spotted Hidden Mickeys!

 

[helenb]

I went every year or two to WDW over Christmas with my family, when I was a kid. My parents had no idea about planning. They booked a hotel and that was it. We walked up to the front gate and bought tickets as we were going into the park. We were going at the busiest time of year and just accepted that unless we were there for rope drop or late at night, every ride had a 1-2 hour line. It was the way life was. And still, we must have gone 10 times during my childhood, through university age.

Move along to 1995, when my boyfriend and I decide to go to WDW as part of a trip to Florida. Suddenly my parents aren't there anymore and I'm the planner. I came across a copy of the Unofficial Guide and it was a huge eye-opener! We went on that trip and followed the touring plan and it worked like a charm! We actually did 3 parks in 2 days (it was before AK was open) and got on all the big rides easily. No internet, but an awesome guidebook helped me out. Even though all of that information is now on the internet, I still like to pick up the latest version of the Unofficial Guide each year and read through it.

LOL, we took my parents to WDW (with the grandkids) a few years ago, and they kept asking me why we were walking so much. "Why don't we go to that ride It's right there? Why are we going back over there? We were just there!" But they had to admit that we spent almost no time in line and got to ride everything we wanted before lunch!

That being said, I miss those wonderful 'in between' days, where I had the knowledge and most people did not. It was the easiest time: you had all the tips and tricks, and only the other people who had worked their butts off to research did as well. Now with the information coming so easily, more people are informed, and it makes things a little more difficult/stressful.

Yeah, I'm selfish like that.

 

[sunny45]

I love the Disboards-I have never gone to WDW (except 1976 but I was only 16 and just tagging along) and now my first trip to DL w/o using them. Very valuable information and I am totally addicted.

I love all the info on the internet for all the other vacations I have planned that were not to Disney as well.

However, I also miss brochures and and the way I used to plan our vacations. It wasn't as obsessive as it is now. Things always worked out great before the internet.

Now I think it is more stressful. Too much information sometimes. But I couldn't live without it.