OMG, I'm finally going!

[dolcezena]

After years of being a DIS lurker, I finally have the chance to go to The World... I'm going with a casual friend, who wants to go to celebrate her 50th b-day. Here's my issue..I've obsessively followed the DIS for years & I don't want to drown her in "rules" about how to maximize the trip. How do I tactfully point out the need for trip planning when going to WDW & how do I give any advice about the trip without sounding like an irritating know-it-all? I have told her that my home page is the DIS, but I'm not quite sure how to explain the scope of this site....

 

[Disney_Jill]

First, awesome that you get to go to WDW!! Second, I love the pictures of your dogs.
Ok, planning, as you know, is crucial if you are going during a busier period. I would just ask her if you can be in charge of the planning to make this trip easier on both of you. She knows you love WDW and frequent dis boards. Some people hear planning and think you plan every single second, which we know is not true. I would consult the crowd calenders and just plan what days to go where and discuss with her if you want to eat at any TS. I would just get a general idea of what she expects out of the trip and what you expect out of the trip and try to make the expectations meet. You can offer to plan without sounding like a know it all. Its your trip too, so I would plan and just give her the finalized general plan (which park, which days, TS reservations)
I am going with my dd (8), ds (16) and his best friend (16), his mom, and little brother (8) in May. The mom went once or twice when the oldest ds was a baby but the little boy has never been and is dying to go. Thankfully she told me to plan my heart out to make this trip magical. And that I am doing! She is so funny, she actually asked me which park they should go to! I said, "All of them!"

 

[catra121]

Congrats on the trip!!

As far as planning with your friend goes...I wouldn't talk to her about rules and obsessive planning. I would approach it from a very excited perspective, getting her excited about it and what you're going to do while you are there and things you want to try. Lead the planning and find out if there is anything special she wants to do so that you can work it in. She may want you to just take care of things, or she may want to be very involved. Once you find out how involved she wants to be then you can go from there. But I would definitely approach it like you are excited (which I am sure you are) and focus on what you are looking forward to when you talk to her at first and determine how involved she wants to be in the planning. Does that make sense?

That's sort of what I did with my mom when we went on a trip together. We talked about the things that we wanted to do and then I was in charge of putting all the plans and reservations together. Once we were there we just followed the plan and it went smoothly. I'm a very loose planner...just figure out which park we want to go to on which day and then play it by ear once we are in the park.

You're going to have a great trip. Don't get stresed by the planning...let it be part of the fun of the trip. Have a wonderful time!!

 

[DCTooTall]

Honestly.... depending on your trip length, and what you expect to get out of it, You may be able to get by with a VERY rudimentary plan instead of going "rule and plan crazy".

with only 2 people...and both adults... you have a lot more freedom that if you have a small group, or need to worry about kids.

If you've been lurking the DIS, then you probably have knowledge from here about the little things in the parks, or good general rules of thumb (like possibly avoiding EMH parks because of the large number of on-site people who will crowd those parks that day). With that, you can create a very simple plan of which parks to hit which day..... and a generalized plan of attack once in the park. (enter the park... turn left. )

Beyond that, the biggest thing I'd check would be to see what kind of food your friend wants..... do they want to do table service restaurants, and what kind of food/experience do they want from it? Then you can make the ADRs as needed. You do also gain the advantage of being small party and probably having a bit more flexibility in your meal times, so you may even be able to manage last minute reservations at some restaurants once there.


Ultimately.... if you are going in a busy time, you obviously will need to do some planning to survive.... but if you are going off-peak since you aren't as limited by school breaks, You really can get away with just winging it. I've actually done that for the most part my past couple trips, often not even deciding which park I'm going to until i wake up.

 

[Taja]

Congratulations!

Since you'll be traveling with a casual friend, determine in advance:

If you're both morning or night people. Or not.

Touring style. Do you both like to be on the go or be more relaxed?

As a PP mentioned, food preferences.

Budget, and how expenses will be shared/paid.

What really interests her about visiting WDW.

That covers the basics.

What about giving her one of the gentler planning guides? Something with substance, but not so much information it will overwhelm her.

Many of my WDW visits are with my BFF (California resident), and our touring styles are very different. So are our food preferences, although hers have become a bit less spicy and I'm a tad more open to experimenting-occasionally--than I used to be! *LOL* We've been best friends all of our lives, so we covered costs and internal schedules many years ago.

When we visited WDW in 2003, it was her first visit, and my first visit in 22 years! She did not want to plan at all, but I joined The Dis and a couple of other sites and quickly learned that at least a little planning was necessary. We didn't follow the plan exactly--the weather had a bit to say about that one day!, but we did all of the things we really wanted to do. She hasn't wanted to plan at all for subsequent visits, but I put my foot down on a few things, and she goes along with it. We wing a lot of our WDW holiday time, but we visit for 10 to 12 nights each trip and have a little extra time to relax.

You already know that some planning is essential. So at least check park hours and events on the days of your visit, and keep the information with you so you can share it. Tell her about ADRs if she is interested in TS dining and let her know that it may not be possible to walk into a restaurant or even make reservations after you arrive. Plan attractions both of you will enjoy, with some in her favour, others in yours.

My BFF loves to shop, and I barely tolerate it. She can be lost in a gift shop for hours, so I'll go outside and wander a bit, look at other things, chat with other people, etc. She is respectful of some of my physical limitations. We just use common courtesy, and sometimes split up for several hours, or even a day. It depends.

There are so many variables to factor into a WDW visit, besides the parks and resorts. The weather, each person's physical condition, interests. If one person doesn't mind being drenched, but the other worries about hair and make-up, that has to be considered.

You get the idea. Figure out the common denominator and work from there!

And have a fabulous WDW holiday!

 

[My Grandpa]

Congrats .... we're all jealous. Here is what worked (by accident) for a woman I work with. She was going for the first time with another workmate who had been to the World several times with her former husband and with her kids - so this was a lady's vaca. So first co-worker was interested but could not imagine how they would spend 2 days and stay busy?!?!?!

We had just returned from a family trip and after giving her a few great suggestions (three ways to do Soaring in one day) her eyes glazed over. I realized she really did not have a sense of what was in store. So the next day I brought in park maps and gave her a brief intro to each, along with DTD for shopping and night life. And the penny dropped.

So similar to Taja's suggestion of a guide book soft intro .... the maps are fun and graphic and convey the excitement and themes visually. I think you can still order free 'customized' park maps from WDW on-line ... but you gotta hunt for them. Then all of a sudden she is saying .... "I'm not a fan of rollercoasters but this Terror Tower sounds like fun." (Right.)

And my co-workers trip? They blew off almost all their other Orlando plans and spent most of their week in the parks.

Relax and Enjoy!!!!