Just How Much "PLANNING" Do You Do?

[BradyBz12]

Definitely easier to "wing it" when you have more time. Also easier during the slower times at WDW - which is when we were there too.

We had my aunt and uncle with us for our first week, and because they had limited time, I did a bit more planning for that week - mapping out which parks/times each day in more detail to make sure we didn't miss certain things and still kept them in lines minimally (they're in their 70s).

There were also some dining things I wanted to be sure to work in with them - DTD for Fish & Chips and BREAD PUDDING, and a Cal. Grill fireworks meal (SO great). Plus I knew they wanted to do some shopping, so we built in a morning to go to Mouse Surplus, the Character Premier outlet and WoD downtown.

I did have to tweak things as the week went on. That's where at least having all the pertinent info. with me was a big help. Quick glance at my calendar with all the park hours/notes on it
and I was able to drum up a Plan B easily.

We've done shorter trips too, and I definitely agree with Shan-man that if you're on a tighter schedule and have a good bit of stuff you're trying to pack in (and really don't want to miss), some advanced planning can really go a long way. If nothing else, it helps significantly reduce the stress of getting it all done, since you have a solid plan to go by and aren't constantly scrambling to figure things out as you go.

 

[sapdaddy]

The only planning we do is go to whatever park has morning EMH and start there. If it is too crowded then we hop out to someplace different. We usually ask the kids what they want to do and go with that.
For meals we have a really big breakfast at the site and snack during the day. Supper is usually at the site but we have been known to have a sit down meal at whatever restaurant has room when we are hungry.

My wife is a teacher and I work in an engineering company and our whole day is nothing but planned schedules. When I am on vacation I want to go by a wing and a prayer, lots of prayer!!

 

[Skyw]

Hi
We have stayed at the cabin a few times with my DS. He was 3 and then 4. We only stayed 5 days each time and we didn't many any ADR's. My DS was not that interested in the Characters yet...so we didn't do character meals. On the one night we went out just adults we wanted to hit the park instead. So we did. We did buy a lot of "fun" food for the cabin. Ice cream, Popsicle, chips etc. That kept my DS happy.

But my greatest advise with the ages that your kids are........be flexible. Because they will ruin any good plan that you may have. It is so overwhelming and exhausting to a little one. For example, the golf cart ride to the boat launch was really fun, then the ride on the boat was extremely fun......and finally making it to MK. OMgoodness. He was on cloud nine before we even hit one ride!!!! So three hours later, he was tired and we headed back to the cabin.

Every night, I would plan what park we would go to...then pick the rides that we wanted to hit and finally read my "unofficial guide to Disney" book to see which one to hit first. I only planned on us hitting a few each morning and if we got more..it was a bonus. My son has no idea what other rides are out there. I didn't even know he missed anything.

Now having said that...going back to your cabin/RV/Tent to nap or rest is great. My DH would go fishing. I would sit on the deck and enjoy the warm air. Sometimes we would make it back to the parks and others we did not. There is so much to do at the Fort that you really don't need to...

All right I babbled enough.
Have fun.

 

[BradyBz12]

PP raises a good point and I think no matter where on the planning continuum you fall, you really have to be prepared to chuck your plans to the wind if the situation dictates, and be flexible. I don't think there's anything worse than feeling like you MUST do something, even if you're at the point where you (or the kids) really truly don't feel like it. Not fun.

I was going to drag DH to HS before rope drop to get one more ride in on TSM. We'd gotten on just once in our 3 weeks by getting there right after park open (we don't enjoy waiting an hour+ for anything).

It was "the plan" for a particular day, but as the day approached we decided we just didn't feel like shifting the dogs' schedule up 3 hours and needing to get up at the crack of dawn, forgoing our very enjoyable mornings at the camper and hang time with the pups, to go jump in line for a ride.

So I guess our 2nd ride on TSM will be sometime in Nov 2009.

 

[stacktester]

Even though my waistline doesn't actually show it I have gotten to where I can't eat every meal at Disney. The food is just too much IMO to eat every single day especially on a long trip. I usually go over to the Meadows with my refillable mug and get coffee with a banana and a yogurt before heading out to the parks and we also bring those things plus cereal, bread, lunch meat and easy to fix stuff so every meal isn't at a resort or park. Taking things like tuna and other easy to whip up foods can save a lot of money as well.

 

[Tigger1966]

I agree taking things to eat with you like snacks, single powdered drink mix and protein bars will save a lot of money on food in the parks. We also have a Britta filtered sports bottle that is great for the yucky water. Atleast it is yucky when you get there but after a week you don't notice the taste.

 

[mjmoon]

Thanks everyone!

I can't wait! We're going to have so much fun.. Is it February yet??

 

[TheFlame]

On our first few family trips(whole family...grandparents & aunts, uncles & cousins) I planned like a crazy person because we had so much to get in, in such a few days. I really recommend planning your trip as much as you can especially if you are on a budget and don't go very often. I love Birnbaum's guide books and the web is full of great help, especially this website.

Now that we go more often and it is just us four, I just look up special events, hours, EMH and what rides will be opened or closed for refurb. I have a picky eater so I also try to print off a few menus for each park for lunch so I know where we can all eat without walking ourselves to death. We eat breakfast and dinner at the camper to save money and I plan & prep all of these meals before we leave home. We usually go with the crowd levels or how we feel for that day, but some days are planned based on EMH or park hours for that day. Some days we might go to two or three parks just for a certain meal or for specific rides we might have missed the days before. We really like to go to one park in the morning, hang out at the campground during the day and go to the campfire & movie or go to MK just for the fireworks.

The EMH days are great except for maybe at AK. Not much to do there at night for evening EMH. One thing I would recommend if you are doing a char. breakfast is Crystal Palace. Get ressies on a day that they don't open early. Make them as early as possible(8am or so) and when they let you in for your reservation, you will have Main Street to yourself! You can snap pictures of your family in front of the castle or main street with no one around! It is wonderful! Have a great trip and have fun planning(or not...)

BTW-I just noticed we will be there at the same time! (Feb.7-21)...CAN'T WAIT!!!

 

[mjmoon]

How cool! I'll be doing trip reports from the Fort.. maybe we'll be neighbors and get to say, "Hello".

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Also, my wife is not one for the rides, so the dinning and shows are the highlights of our vacations.

Shannon, your wife sounds like my kind of person! While I love Disney World, I'm not a big fan of the rides. I get sick on some of the milder ones...like Soarin'! We do at least one trip per year where we bring our grown kids along so that my husband has someone to go on rides with. Our other trips are more laid back, doing the shows, watching the fireworks, eating at the nice restaurants, etc. That's my kind of trip!

 

[paxetbonum]

I hate to sound catty, but yeah, if you are happy with Marrakesh (always wide open) and turkey legs, then yeah, fly by the seat of your pants. We have done Marrakesh and it was passable, and yes, I like snacking on turkey legs, but that is not the kind of thing that we travel to Disney for. We love the hallmark dining experiences like Chefs De France, or Narcoosee's, or Le Cellier, and you are not (generally) going to walk in to these on a whim. And planning is not just for hoity-toity restaurants: one of my favorite experiences at WDW is the Hoop-Dee-Doo, and you better be planning if you want to do that show! That said, I don't do the dining plan because it is too much planning for me, LOL!

Seriously, you can't be going to Disney for the food? While I have had some really good meals there (V&A's and Artist Point are my favorites) most of the dining is rather unexceptional if you take it out of the context of being a Disney experience. I do like the HDDR but could do without the bucket of chicken. On one of our recent trips we did get walk up reservations for HDDR early seating and it was a great table near the middle of the floor. And this was during a busy time, we always go during busy times that is when my kids are out of school.

pax

 

[Shan-man]

Shannon, your wife sounds like my kind of person! While I love Disney World, I'm not a big fan of the rides. I get sick on some of the milder ones...like Soarin'! We do at least one trip per year where we bring our grown kids along so that my husband has someone to go on rides with. Our other trips are more laid back, doing the shows, watching the fireworks, eating at the nice restaurants, etc. That's my kind of trip!

Well, thank goodness SOMEONE understands the priorities of an older couple, sans kids, doing the World! I usually plan one day at the parks alone to run park to park and hit the thrill rides I couldn't do while with DW. I hope one day to hit Universal, but that seems a distant dream! LOL

 

[Shan-man]

Seriously, you can't be going to Disney for the food? While I have had some really good meals there (V&A's and Artist Point are my favorites) most of the dining is rather unexceptional if you take it out of the context of being a Disney experience. I do like the HDDR but could do without the bucket of chicken. On one of our recent trips we did get walk up reservations for HDDR early seating and it was a great table near the middle of the floor. And this was during a busy time, we always go during busy times that is when my kids are out of school.

Yeah, seriously, the dining is essentially the highlight of our trips. (see my trip report!!!) My wife is a rather matter-of-fact kinda gal who doesn't glow when characters are near, she doesn't do thrill rides, and shopping for souvenirs is hardly her cup of tea! Is there no decent dining closer to home? Hardly, we have plenty of places to drop three bills for a night out! But we don't indulge ourselves like that at home. Somehow it seems more reasonable to do it when we are far from home. As if it means we won't be tempted to indulge our baser instincts when at home! BTW, we love Artists Pointe, too. But we also love the bucket of chicken... though not as much as the plate of ribs! The only disappointment for me re: HDDR... I don't really like the strawberry shortcake, which is supposed to be the best part. I disagree. Bring me more ribs in a to-go container. That would be a REAL finale!

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Well, thank goodness SOMEONE understands the priorities of an older couple, sans kids, doing the World! I usually plan one day at the parks alone to run park to park and hit the thrill rides I couldn't do while with DW. I hope one day to hit Universal, but that seems a distant dream! LOL

Oh yes, I definitely understand. Disney World means different things to different people. It isn't just about the rides. There is so much more to it.
BTW-We've been to WDW over 40 times, but have never been to Universal. Neither of us has any interest in going there.

 

[paxetbonum]

Yeah, seriously, the dining is essentially the highlight of our trips. (see my trip report!!!) My wife is a rather matter-of-fact kinda gal who doesn't glow when characters are near, she doesn't do thrill rides, and shopping for souvenirs is hardly her cup of tea! Is there no decent dining closer to home? Hardly, we have plenty of places to drop three bills for a night out! But we don't indulge ourselves like that at home. Somehow it seems more reasonable to do it when we are far from home. As if it means we won't be tempted to indulge our baser instincts when at home! BTW, we love Artists Pointe, too. But we also love the bucket of chicken... though not as much as the plate of ribs! The only disappointment for me re: HDDR... I don't really like the strawberry shortcake, which is supposed to be the best part. I disagree. Bring me more ribs in a to-go container. That would be a REAL finale!

The dining is a very important part of our trip as well. It's just that it is the quality of the experience rather than the quality of the food that makes it great. Don't get me wrong, I like the food at Disney and it wouldn't be a quality experience if the food was bad. It's just that we don't go to any of the restaurants at Disney because it is the best chicken, ribs, salmon, steak, or whatever but rather because we know it will be good or in some cases very good and the experience will be great.

I think we can definitely agree that the dessert at HDDR is a bit of a disappointment.

Hopefully some day in the future we will both be at The Fort at the same time and we can share a meal together. It won't matter where it is, I am sure we will have a great time.

pax

 

[TinkerKim]

We are also fly by the seaters, lol. We just go, ride what we want, see shows we want to see and eat when we are hungry. Nothing planned for us at all. We just roll with it, lol.

 

[MJ's Guy]

I'm curious what kind of planning goes into your trips. Do you plan out every second of every day? Plan exactly what and when you are going to see the different attractions at each park? Have every meal planned when and where each day?

I'm not a big scheduler and have made reservations for three table service/character meals for our trip. I'm planning on doing one meal at camp (per day) and the rest out since we have the meal plan. I don't want to plan, plan, plan because with small children you can't keep a strict itinerary. We have 10 days in the parks other than planning what parks we may go to (and still may hop daily) each morning and knowing what we want to ride and see in each park.. I'm not doing a whole lot of planning/scheduling. Does this sound like an OK approach? Should I be planning better?

What does "planning" your trip mean to you? Entail?

We will plan every last moment in order to make this the most magical vacation ever, understand?

 

[FlaFortCampster]

There are so many factors that go into how to plan and how much to plan:
Kids, ages and how many
Budget
Length of stay
How many times do you go to WDW
Likes and dislikes...Food, thrill rides, characters, favorite rides, long lines, crowds, noise, expensive meals, etc.
The next trip coming up, I don't think the parks are even going to be part of the laid back plan. This is because being so close to WDW affords one the opportunity to be so selective. For those who can only visit one or two times a year or every few years, I'd try to do as much as possible.
That's why this forum is so interesting as it provides so many different points of views, loves and adventures.

 

[jadedjojo]

There are so many factors that go into how to plan and how much to plan:
Kids, ages and how many
Budget
Length of stay
How many times do you go to WDW
Likes and dislikes...Food, thrill rides, characters, favorite rides, long lines, crowds, noise, expensive meals, etc.
The next trip coming up, I don't think the parks are even going to be part of the laid back plan. This is because being so close to WDW affords one the opportunity to be so selective. For those who can only visit one or two times a year or every few years, I'd try to do as much as possible.
That's why this forum is so interesting as it provides so many different points of views, loves and adventures.

I agree with you! I am a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl as well, but then again, I don't have children (but I do have a husband, does that count?? ).

We have annual passes and we go about once a week, so going to the parks is not always a priority. We love the rides, but since we do have the passes, if we miss something it's not a big deal. I can't even remember what it's like to do a park all day! I feel for those that do it, because I'm exhausted just going on three rides.

We don't eat out very much while staying at Disney, even if we are staying at a hotel; we normally have one night of a nice dinner, then the rest of the time we eat stuff we've brought (we always bring our own drinks, even to the hotels). Being cheap with the food enables us to take more vacations!

And we never plan. We used to. I was so uptight about doing things on certain days, in a certain order, that it ruined my day because I was constantly looking at my watch and thinking about what we needed to do next. Now we only plan on what time to arrive to the resort! The rest is whatever we feel like at that moment.

 

[FlaFortCampster]

Yup, Florida residents are so LUCKY! Went with a friend in December and we did the park thing for 2 days and not much at the Fort at all. Very tiring.
So in a few weeks, ahhhhh, just a relaxing trip. Take pictures, look for that elusive yeti/big foot, check pool area, look for deer, take a nap, eat Mickey Waffles, try out the new cable, life is good!