Making an itinerary

[MAJ RN]

How do you do write your itinerary? Do you go all out and schedule every moment or do a general schedule and work with it when you get to the parks? I have 12 days at WDW during a peak season and I don't know if I should schedule down to the last detail or just go with the flow. I know most of you are experts at traveling to WDW, so I would love to hear any suggestions or do's and don'ts!!!



Thanks,
Melissa

 

[kimwim8]

No matter how much you "schedule", just be sure to be flexible, in case something doesn't go quite as planned.

For our trip in October, we are creating a little "cheatsheet" of fastpass rides for each park - small enough to fit in my fanny pack.

We have certain parks planned for certain days, and as our trip gets closer we will come up with an idea of which direction we will head in each park. We will also have an idea of where we'd like to eat (mostly counter service).

For 12 days, I would think you can plan some days, and some days just wing it. We will only be in WDW for 5 days, so I feel the need to really plan!

Have a great time

 

[LuvTigger]

Hi Melissa!

On my first trip to WDW, I tried to plan almost every little detail (I am one of those type-A planner-type people!). However, I have learned that at least for us, there is such a thing as TOO much planning, at least in terms of scheduling. Our first trip, we scheduled a lot of PS's, and we ended up cancelling a few because we decided we wanted to do something else and couldn't get there, or we ended up not feeling like eating whatever it was we were scheduled for.

What I've done for my upcoming October trip (2 days at Universal, 5 at Disney), I've just decided which park(s) I'm going to on which days, and scheduled only the priority seatings for the restaurants I REALLY want to go to and those associated with an event like MNSSHP (you could book at LTT before the 90 day window with a ticket), and the Fantasmic! package. I've only scheduled dinner PS's this trip, we're going to wing it for lunch, especially since we plan to split parks. That way, if we feel like it, we can even go to one of the resorts for lunch -- which don't seem to be very crowded.

For the Disney parks, for some reason I find that splitting a day into 2 parks works better for us and we're not so tired, so on my itinerary, I just have "AM-MK, PM-EPCOT," etc.

Because you're going during peak season, you might need to plan a little more, and it depends on the size of your party too. If there's only 2 of you, it'll be easier to get into restaurants, esp. if you go early or later than others. We even got a group of 7 into 50's Prime Time in MGM in the middle of July without a PS, but we probably had to wait about 15-20 minutes.

Because you're there for 12 days, I would also schedule 1-2 "free days" where you can just get up when you get up, and lounge around or go shopping or something different. It'll help keep you refreshed the rest of your stay.

So I would say at least have a general idea of what park you want to do on what day, the "don't miss" attractions, and PS for the places you really want to eat (or if you like to eat at the same time everyone else does). And, make sure everyone in your group understands that your itnerary is just a guideline and won't mind being flexible and going off the original plan.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I was also going to ask a question about planning, but this is what I have so far:

I have our resort ressies and tix of course
We have 1 PS each day
I know what park we're going to be in each day, at least at the time of our PS
I have a list of what rides/shows we definitely don't want to miss
I have MNSSHP tix
I know that all plans are subject to change due to potty breaks, naps, whiny kids, whiny DH, and weather.

Good luck!

 

[Micca]

Is it your first trip? For people who are going for the first time/first in a long time trip, I think it makes sense to have a comprehensive itenerary. That means , step-by-step, day-by-day.
There is just too much going on that keeping track of everything is easier if it is commited to paper or your PDA. That doesn't mean you have to comply with each step, but at least you'll know how you are coming along on your desired objectives. If you are going at a slow time of year, this is less important.

 

[orvilleair]

I agree with LuvTigger on starting out with your priority seatings. For example, during my 4 day visit in April this year, I only had one opening day for a Fantasmic dinner package. CRT and the Princess Storybook character meals were already booked, so I couldn't get into those. Once you have those it should fall into place. Book your PS 90 days prior to your visit.

Also agree on splitting up the parks into half days. I think you need at least a list of attractions/rides you want to hit based upon the makeup of your group (height requirements etc...).

Plan a couple of days where you can just relax at your hotel with no schedules at all. Have fun.

 

[cindy_k]

I use a spreadsheet program to make up a chart with each Park and their hours of operation for each day we will be there.

I also add Early Entry information and any PS's we have made.

Usually I draw up a plan for which parks we are going to on what days and leave it at that. What we do in a park is decide when we get there.

Have a fun trip!
Cindy in NY

 

[DonnaDuck]

Our last trip to WDW was 2 years ago...my oldest child was 3. We had planned everything to the detail. Dh got sick and on a day or two...my 3 year old was tired and sleepy...so we kind of ended up going with the flow. LOL

This time...the oldest is 5 and our newest son is 1. This will be his first trip. Everyone in the family has agreed on what they want to do. So we kinda know what we want to do at each park. But as far as planning down to the detail like last time...we learned that with children...it is hard to do that.

Best Wishes!!

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

I think having a general plan saves a lot of time. You don't keep talking about where to go and what to see each day. Decide which parks on which days and schedule your PSs to fit that. Remember that things may go more slowly than expected so leave some flexibility (expecially for exactly what time you switch parks). With 12 days to work with I would also leave a few days "open" (except maybe go ahead and make a dinner PS) so that you can hit your favorite spots again, etc.

I wish I was going for 12 days. Have a blast!!!

 

[dave21]

when we went for the first time in 2002, we had plans on what to do and where to go and it really helped. when we went back in 2004, we wanted to make things really special for the kids, so we planned (over-planned?) all sorts of character meals. it got to the point that the kids were getting kind of bored with seeing the characters, it became kinda expensive, and it really limited where we wee going and when. my advice would be similar to some of the others - make a general plan to help decide where/when to go to the parks, but don't over-plan and keep to a rigid itinerary. leave room for adjustment and have fun - you're on vacation

 

[GeorgeG]

For our first 5 or 6 trips I planned everything down to where we ate every meal on every day. It worked mostly because we were on what used to be called the "World Adventure Vacation Plan," or more commonly called the "Gold Key Plan." We needed to PS just about every meal.

Any more, we just go and wing it, especially when it's just the two of us. We might make a few PS, but we've also just walked out and gotten on the first bus that comes along, no matter which park it was going to. We stopped dragging cameras around years ago, too.