Non Planner Needs Help

[bshawcrew]

We have been going to Disney 1-2 x a year for 15 years. We had our vacationing style down. That style was relaxed and spur of the moment. Our last trip in May taught us our way of vacationing has come and gone. We had decided to give up on Disney, at least for awhile. However, we love it. We are actually planning another trip Jan 19-25 2015 during our kids winter break. I have made the decision to try to become a planner to see if it can save our Disney vacations. But I haven't a clue where to begin. We will be staying at POFQ. Thats about all I know. I know we can make ADRs 180 days out, but are there best days and times to choose certain restaurants? Which crowd calculator is most reliable? And most importantly, how do I make it not feel like our entire vacation was NOT planned? I have images of running around with excel spreadsheets from park to park and thats the LAST thing I want. Thanks in advance!

 

[tinkerbesh]

MLK can bring in some crowds, but nothing extreme- I think overall you picked a good time to visit.

I would read through anything Josh had to say on easywdw.com - the Jan 2015 calendar isn't up yet, but it will be by 6 months out. And you can always look at what he posted for this past Jan. But then don't feel like you have to plan it down to the minute- it's a vacation, right?

I think you can get by with making dining reservations that suit your family's convenience, make your 3 FP+ reservations for mid to late afternoon, and leave the rest up to change! Heck, you don't even have to stick with those 3 if you change your mind. You can change them up with a smartphone or by visiting a kiosk when you're there. Or if you get involved doing other stuff, so what- you skipped a FP+. You are still busy having fun, right?

I usually make a spreadsheet for the basics (what park to visit which day, mask reservations, and now FP+), but I usually - and even on our trip last week - find myself abandoning it pretty quickly and just dob what feels right on any given day. I'm a planner for WDW, but even I get swept away by the magic and just go with the flow much of the time, and this past trip was no exception.

 

[tinkerbesh]

One more thought- I found this last trip allowed for more spontaneity because of FP+, if you can believe it. We used to spend so much time and energy trying to plan who was going to run across the park to pick up which paper FP when. Now that you can reserve them ahead of time, you can use that extra time to soak up more magic!

 

[4under4]

I understand where you are coming from, but only on an intellectual basis... I'm a planner! For me, half the fun is playing with my plans, tweaking them a little here and there, and watching the calendar creep ever closer to our return to WDW

Where to start? I use Undercover Tourist for crowd calendars. Pick which park(s) I want for each day (or down days as appropriate!). That's my starting point.

After that I decide if this is going to be a trip with a lot of TS meals, or just a few, and prioritize what I really want. I also know that some of our favorites (The Wave, Restaurant Marrakesh, Turf Club, etc.) are not hard ADRs to get so I don't stress about changing plans that involve those ADRs.

I'm sure you have a few "must do's" so just focus on getting those ADRs first. After that, fill in and then play around with "possible" based on your family's touring style.

As for FP+... well we're all still on a learning curve for that. But after so many trips, I'm sure you know what you're family wants, and how you tour. In some respect I'm liking this. We plan to do MK for a few hours one day, then pop over to do WS mid afternoon. In the past we would have ignored Soarin & TT because the possibility of getting FPs was slim to none. BUT now with the new system we will forego FPs in MK and save them for when we hop. We will still concentrate on WS, but it will be fun to ride on Soarin' before we head over! There are plenty of things I don't like about FP+, and I could work the old system like nobody's business, but it's not all bad

Yesterday, my DD came to me while I was working on my computer and asked if I had made any changes. When I said no, she gave a big, dramatic sigh and told me that this was the hardest part of going to Disney... when all the plans are set, and there's nothing to do but wait.

Good luck, and DON'T give up on Disney. The mouse would miss you