okay, how do you do it all?

[corinne76]

I love the DIS. I've learned so many tips and tricks that will help make our next trip even better.

But, I realized how many things we missed. I've never had a corn dog. Never dined at a TS restaurant. I honestly only remember eating at Hungry bear and flos. And a lot of churros, and one random turkey leg. We missed tarzans treehouse and that wilderness explorer thing at DCA, 2 things i really want to try. Thats only a short list of things i haven't done.

Our only trip was 2013. We're going in October and honestly not sure when the next trip will be. 2016 at the earliest. Which makes me want to squeeze EVERYTHING in. But omg it's overwhelming. Cause there's so much i want to do!!

So, how do you do it all? We will do 5 (well 4.75) days.

 

[Pucka1378]

I don't think you can do it all. I think 5 days is a good start!! We have AP's and we grew up in So CA and there is always something I am doing for the first time. I rode the horse drawn trolley for the first time a month ago! I have a lot of DLR trips under my belt. My first corn dog was just over a year ago.. how I missed these for all these years I have no clue.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

Do it all...Is it possible?

When my kids were younger we went for 5 or 6 days. We started each day in a different land and did everything we wanted to do in that land before we went on to do other favorite things ( some days we did 2 lands). We checked things off on the map as we went so we could see if we were missing things. It was one of our favorite trips! We also bought a book on what to see in DL so I had a good idea on everything in the lands that might not have been on their maps and entertainment schedules.

 

[coaches24]

Yea I have made 5 trips in the last 10 years (ranging from 1 day to 5 days, but usually 3) and there are still things I realize I have never done that I want to try. Sometimes I plan to do them and then something changes the plan, sometimes I forget about it until we have left and then go "dang it, I forgot to do that". Each trip I do end up doing something new (planned or not, it happens).

 

[meggles]

My advice would be DON'T try to do it all. You just can't, even if you are there several days, and you just set yourself up for stress and failure.
There's some magic to not doing everything and saving things for future trips. Especially if you're going with kids. Different things will interest them at different ages and it is fun to experience new things with them as they get older and can appreciate certain aspects of rides or shows.
Pick a manageable number of things that are MUST dos and prioritize a couple of things each day you are there. Like, make sure you do Tarzan and a table service meal one day, then a couple of other things the next. If you schedule too much you'll just end up running all over the place and wearing yourself out without enjoying the magical atmosphere and all the tiny little things.

 

[corinne76]

Thanks everyone. I guess doing it all isn't possible.

What about doing the things you WANT to do. That still seems unattainable. We're skipping MHP and character meals. Probably won't do a TS meal but there are some CS places i want to try. Plus, look out for pressed penny machines. Gah! So much i want to do this time!!

 

[jammyjam25]

No matter how much you plan, there's never a way to "do it all" in just one trip! For me, my BFF and I make what we feel like is an attainable "must do/see/try/eat" list for our trip, and anything else we manage to do on top of that is just a bonus!

From my experience setting your "must do" list too high only causes disappointment. I know it's hard to resist the urge to do everything every time you're there, but having a smaller experience where you truly get to enjoy the things you ARE able to do is just as, if not more, satisfying than if you were able to do it all.

I'll be there in October this year as well, can't wait to see Halloween and the 60th stuff. Enjoy your trip!

 

[corinne76]

No matter how much you plan, there's never a way to "do it all" in just one trip! For me, my BFF and I make what we feel like is an attainable "must do/see/try/eat" list for our trip, and anything else we manage to do on top of that is just a bonus!

From my experience setting your "must do" list too high only causes disappointment. I know it's hard to resist the urge to do everything every time you're there, but having a smaller experience where you truly get to enjoy the things you ARE able to do is just as, if not more, satisfying than if you were able to do it all.

I'll be there in October this year as well, can't wait to see Halloween and the 60th stuff. Enjoy your trip!

I like this idea of making a list. I think what has got me overwhelmed is that DS is now 4. Last time he was 2 and didn't really "want" to do anything specific. now he's 4 and there are some things we should definitely hit (like all of Cars Land LOL) because he will love it. So it adds one more person to try and please, does that make sense?

I'll have the kids help me make a list. Luckily DH is pretty laid back about it all. he's not that much into Disney so he's a go with the flow person when we get there.

 

[jammyjam25]

I like this idea of making a list. I think what has got me overwhelmed is that DS is now 4. Last time he was 2 and didn't really "want" to do anything specific. now he's 4 and there are some things we should definitely hit (like all of Cars Land LOL) because he will love it. So it adds one more person to try and please, does that make sense?

I'll have the kids help me make a list. Luckily DH is pretty laid back about it all. he's not that much into Disney so he's a go with the flow person when we get there.

I'm not sure if this is overkill, but I've also made a spreadsheet in the past where I've loosely mapped out each day w/ what park we want to start in and what shows we might want to see each day, as well as any TS reservations we might have. Doing it that way helps me to see if I've got one day too booked or too open as we always try to spread shows and parades evenly throughout or trip and also helps me see how much time we have to dedicate to rides and other experiences. Again, this is probably overkill for some but for me it's helpful to see it all laid out that way.

And what you're saying makes total sense! I think having the kids help you make your list is a great idea for that very reason! I don't have kids of my own and have only ever gone with other adults so I'm sure the planning experience and how you want to experience the park is a bit different than an adults-only trip.

 

[corinne76]

Not overkill at all! I'm a total planner I do have a subscription to Touring Plans but mapping everything we want to do on a spreadsheet sounds like it will help me see what I want to do before plugging it in to TP.

I'm the opposite -- never done an adult trip. My last trip before taking the kids 2 yrs ago was when I was 15. Sad, I know.

Also, this time we're bringing a single stroller as DD is now 7.5. So we're stuck walking at her pace this time. No more speed walking pushing the kids in a double stroller this time. I think it will slow things down just a little

Now the problem with having the kids help, especially my daughter, is that she will say she wants to do everything!

 

[Susie63]

Well...you can do it all... but it takes a conscious effort. I have done everything with the exception of BTMRR..it has never been open, The Lily Belle and Club 33. However we take 10 day trips and never leave the parks ...unless I need something at Walmart. Lots of people don't understand how we can stay so long... but there are always things to fill our days.

 

[tiffjoy]

Oh, you can't do it all! We've been so many times, and there are still things we haven't done. We still have never rode Roger Rabbit, for example. Or Mickey's Wheel of Death (lol). We still haven't been to Carthay Circle, which I really want to do, and we still haven't seen the DCA parade from start to finish.

One thing I do is plan my days on my iphone notepad app. I make a rough schedule for each day that includes rides we want to go on, characters we want to meet, entertainment we want to see, and where we should eat. I stick to the plan for the first couple morning hours since those are key to getting certain things done with minimal wait. Then I allow flexibility and my kids to decide after those first few hours. I then keep track of what we do and adjust my notes accordingly. Missed the parade this afternoon because the kids wanted to play in the water in the Bugs Land area for longer, for example. I move that to another day, then. And maybe we still don't do it. But I get the majority of what we wanted to accomplish done, as long as I have a general plan.

So many people ask us how we can enjoy vacations with our kids so much, especially Disney. Honestly, my biggest "secret" is that I purposely set out with the understanding that we will not see and do it all, and that sometimes, we will be doing things that seem like a waste. Like going to the Animation Academy and drawing for 3 hours for my DD5 or meeting Minnie 17 times for my DD3. I don't get hung up on getting things accomplished and checking off a list- I let myself enjoy the experience and encourage my children to do what makes them happy. That in turn makes my and DH happy and we enjoy ourselves. (Also prevents meltdowns!)

 

[corinne76]

Oh, you can't do it all! We've been so many times, and there are still things we haven't done. We still have never rode Roger Rabbit, for example. Or Mickey's Wheel of Death (lol). We still haven't been to Carthay Circle, which I really want to do, and we still haven't seen the DCA parade from start to finish.

One thing I do is plan my days on my iphone notepad app. I make a rough schedule for each day that includes rides we want to go on, characters we want to meet, entertainment we want to see, and where we should eat. I stick to the plan for the first couple morning hours since those are key to getting certain things done with minimal wait. Then I allow flexibility and my kids to decide after those first few hours. I then keep track of what we do and adjust my notes accordingly. Missed the parade this afternoon because the kids wanted to play in the water in the Bugs Land area for longer, for example. I move that to another day, then. And maybe we still don't do it. But I get the majority of what we wanted to accomplish done, as long as I have a general plan.

So many people ask us how we can enjoy vacations with our kids so much, especially Disney. Honestly, my biggest "secret" is that I purposely set out with the understanding that we will not see and do it all, and that sometimes, we will be doing things that seem like a waste. Like going to the Animation Academy and drawing for 3 hours for my DD5 or meeting Minnie 17 times for my DD3. I don't get hung up on getting things accomplished and checking off a list- I let myself enjoy the experience and encourage my children to do what makes them happy. That in turn makes my and DH happy and we enjoy ourselves. (Also prevents meltdowns!)

I totally see what you're saying. And yes, I definitely won't be upset if plans change, especially if my kids are having fun. That is the most important thing after all.

There's just so much I'd like to do, that we completely missed last time, some from lack of knowledge.

 

[LALA8971]

So, how do you do it all?

Unfortunately, you don't.....and I'm a CRAZY over-planner.....
We have taken our DD twice now and still haven't seen everything (total of 6 park days). We are heading down again in December and are hoping to get some things done that we have ignored or missed the last 2 times.
What my plan is:
I have a list with all of the DL and DCA attractions
Scratched off everything we have seen
Had my son decide on 3 things to make a priority for our next trip (which he thinks is happening in 2016......)
Added IASW to his list, because he thinks it'll be torture....(and I now it will)
We will prioritize to make sure our personal favorites are also done
The rest we get accomplished is a bonus! (only a 2 day trip this time)
I know we cannot possibly get everything done and that is the most important attitude to have.
Have fun!

 

[Tasscrapper]

I've done the list thing before on my phone. When we get something done I can cross it off and it moves to the bottom so all the undone things are at the top. Having something that is an easy, quick reference can help. I find when we are there we kind of go by the seat of our pants and forget things we've talked about wanting to do. If you have a list on your phone (prioritze it) you can take a quick look a couple times a day to help remind you of things you really want to do. If there is certain food you want to try make sure you are familiar with where they so that when you are hungry you can have and idea of what to get. The corn dogs for instance . . . I originally thought they were only sold at the Red Wagon but they are also sold at the Stage Door Cafe which is tucked just to the right of the Golden Horseshoe. They are also sold at the The Corn Dog Castle in DCA. We generally go for 4 and a half days at a time and never seem to fit everything in but do get some things done multiple times. Just prioritize and let the days fill in around your priorities.

One other thing . . . it's strange but I have found myself going on rides just because they are the 'popular' rides that get talked about a lot here on the boards and not because they are ones I particularly enjoy. Don't be afraid to skip something if you've been there and done that and it was just eh for you. Move on to the unknowns and enjoy the surprises you can find.

 

[Imdboss]

That's the best part about going back to DL, there is always something new to experience! We always go for 5 days, do several rides more than once...Buzz 10 times last trip lol, but my kids rather repeat rides than watch the fireworks or F! I love coming onto the boards to see what's new to experience and what food I've been missing out on. Somehow I've completely missed a place in DCA so I'm really excited to try it out. Last trip we did our first TS and loved it but otherwise it's always QS for us, might go to Goofy's this time if my kids want to see characters. They mostly care about rides and pin trading though, which I love to watch them do that and interact with people. Have fun planning!

 

[agamble]

We still haven't seen Turtle Talk with Crush, and it's been on our need to do list for a few years. On our upcoming trip we're going straight to DCA when we arrive (probably 1pm). Hoping to grab a FP for the Sing-Along (haven't done either) and get our Visa Photo. Then we're going to head to Turtle Talk, so it'll be our first attraction of the trip. This way we know we won't miss it.

"Everything" is such a broad word. I suppose you could ride all the rides and see all the big shows, but there are so many other experiences to have. Sometimes the kids just have to ride Splash Mountain (insert any ride here) three times in a row because they're having a blast. You might run across Mickey and Minnie at the entrance when you were hoping to race to Indiana Jones before the crowds got there. The Disneyland band suddenly marches down Main Street with Mickey in the lead, etc. Disneyland vacations, especially with kids, are unpredictable.

And some of the attractions are more like experiences too. Tarzan's Tree House, the Wilderness playground, and Tom Sawyer's Island are some examples. If you want to go on Peter Pan you know it'll take so many minutes in the queue and then about 3 minutes to ride. But how long does it take to explore Tom Sawyer's Island? There's not definite time.

I agree with others to make plans on what you must do and then once you've tackled those things, enjoy the parks. I have a tentative itinerary for our upcoming trip. It doesn't designate which ride at which time, but it tells us what park we're starting in and what lands we're trying to accomplish that day. The last few days of the trip are for catching up on the things we didn't get to do and re-riding favorite rides.

 

[tiffjoy]

If you have a list on your phone (prioritze it) you can take a quick look a couple times a day to help remind you of things you really want to do. If there is certain food you want to try make sure you are familiar with where they so that when you are hungry you can have and idea of what to get. The corn dogs for instance . . . I originally thought they were only sold at the Red Wagon but they are also sold at the Stage Door Cafe which is tucked just to the right of the Golden Horseshoe. They are also sold at the The Corn Dog Castle in DCA. We generally go for 4 and a half days at a time and never seem to fit everything in but do get some things done multiple times. Just prioritize and let the days fill in around your priorities.

I have a couple lists in my iphone app: the schedule (and I have all my old schedules still for reference), list of reservations (which I also include in my schedule), DLR tips (like how there is an Alice musical chair game at the Coke Corner every day at 2pm), restaurant list with recommended menu items, and list of snacks, organized by park and listing location (both these last two I constantly build on from the DisneyFoodBlog as well as this board).

I totally see what you're saying. And yes, I definitely won't be upset if plans change, especially if my kids are having fun. That is the most important thing after all.

There's just so much I'd like to do, that we completely missed last time, some from lack of knowledge.

I totally understand! I would recommend the list idea to try to help. I plan like crazy, but then I go with the flow. Having my lists and having done all my research, though, helps when we change those plans since I know what our options are.

 

[corinne76]

thanks all! I think I'll start with my list, I actually have one of all the rides. I'll add attractions and shows and cross off the ones I know we don't really have to hit.

I know Turtle Talk is out for one. As one poster mentioned, my kids would rather go on more rides that see the night time shows, but with the 60th stuff, we may have to catch the parade and fireworks. The parade especially for that oversized Mack. No one is really interested in F! (sorry Fantasmic fans!) so if we make time for it we do, if not, eh...

there's so much foooooood I want to eat too!!

 

[Indiana Scott]

We don't do it all and our trips are 5 days long. The thing is, I don't want or need to do everything.
I actually enjoy saving something for the next trip - which might be two years in the future.
Last time we missed all of Toon Town and TSI. Next time!