Planning VS Commando?

[smallfri1112]

I plan the trip to get myself through the months of waiting. Once I get there, all my planning goes out the door! I guess the good part of planning is getting you familiar with all of the things going on in the parks, and what you can expect when you get there. I mean, who actually follows a real schedule??

 

[eliza61]

I plan the trip to get myself through the months of waiting. Once I get there, all my planning goes out the door! I guess the good part of planning is getting you familiar with all of the things going on in the parks, and what you can expect when you get there. I mean, who actually follows a real schedule?? :confused:

You would be surprised. I was there this past May and a Dad was literally forcing a kid to go on Haunted Mansion. I mean the poor kid was screaming & crying because he was scared. All dad kept saying was "we have to ride it now because this is the only time we have in our schedule". The poor mom looked like she wanted to shove the schedule down his throat.

 

[eugeniuss]

I go commando at park open, cause you can simply get TONS of stuff done... after 11 or so, when we have experienced all that we want, and some multiple times, its then time to freewill it, and do what comes our way....

best of both worlds...

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I go commando at park open, cause you can simply get TONS of stuff done... after 11 or so, when we have experienced all that we want, and some multiple times, its then time to freewill it, and do what comes our way....

best of both worlds...

Right this is my strategy as well.

We hit the parks hard in the morning, then the afternoon is more play it by ear.

 

[mrs_noopie]

I see planning as the only option to limit frustration.

My main concern is making a magical trip for DD3 - she delights at character interaction, she's too short for a bunch of rides, and she can't take a lot of waiting around. There are certain things I really want her to be able to see/experience, and certain things I want to see/experience. And, I can only take CS food in low doses.

I totally embrace spontaneity as we encounter new fun along the way but... I know ahead of time which parks we're going to on which days, they are carefully selected based on crowd expectations and to ensure we do get to everywhere we really want to go. I feel we must arrive at rope drop, since we take a long break during the day thanks to DD still napping. I have a general plan-of-attack for getting to really-wanna-see rides and events, but I do not plan every minute of the day and I don't bum out when we miss some things. I have to make ADRs so I don't get stuck eating CS more than I'd care to, and of course so DD can hang with the characters.

No doubt, when DD is older and has more patience for waiting around, when she's taller than 40" so has more ride options, and when she doesn't need to stick to a specific sleep schedule... once we have the experience of a few more trips to enjoy all that WDW has to offer... I may be totally willing to go commando.

Maybe.

 

[mickeyholic]

The only planning that I do is figuring out which park for what days, other than that, we do whatever once we get there. Works great!

 

[Lisa06468]

The most of my "planning" thus far is try and figure out which park to do on which day -- which can all change based on the weather. I made 1 reservation at RFC because thats the one place I wanted to go to. The rest of the meals we will wing it. Only other "must do" is KSC because our tickets are for a specific day. Other than that, we're goin' with the flow. I cant see planning too much and telling everyone we have to be here, there, and everywhere at a certain time. Everyone will go thru the ride lists and pick out their must-do's and I'll figure out where they are, if we need fast passes, etc. Everything else will come as it may I suppose.

 

[epcot.girl]

We plan, but not properly plan - here's what I do for our trips:

- Make some ADR's (I think we've made 7 this year, but that's over a 16 night trip and really only because of free DDP - probably would have been just one or two FDPs if we didn't have free DDP)

- Get MNSSHP tickets in advance (all tickets in advance really - WDW, US/IOA, etc.)

- Get 'Best Days' info from TGM and write them down to take with us and refer to each morning before we leave

- Make very small 'Best Times' lists for attractions we are likely to visit and laminate so I can carry around in my pocket without them getting mangled

That's pretty much it. No further planning apart from that. We can see what parks are likely to be least crowded that day before we leave, and we have a list of best times for each attraction (and if it's unexpectedly quiet at an attraction that's supposed to be busy, we just go ahead and ride it). We get FP's when/where necessary.

So we have a loose plan of sorts I guess - we know where will be least crowded and what times but there's no plan as such (which would be more; go on this ride first, then that, then make sure we're over there by 10am for this character meet 'n' greet, etc.).

 

[marmar]

My family was concerned about my obsessive compulsive tendancies, Which means my husband's fear was that I would be having fun riding rides and doing "things" if we were winging it, and he would not get fed. So he forced us into a plan. As soon as we make the room & air ressies, we put together a list of desired restaurants at a family meeting. Then I call for ADR's. Based on what I get in ADR's we plan what parks on what days. Then I put together my color coded spread sheet with Park hours, parade & fireworks times in a table. The spread sheet schedule has ADR times and #'s and what park we will do in the morning and what park in the evening. We have been known to throw out the plan and cancel ADR's if we would rather do something else.

To me Commando means gathering up the troops, and storming the park.... going from ride to ride as if you had to conquer everything in the park in a specified time. For my family that is what happens when we don't have a plan. If you know that you are coming back to a park for dinner the next day, you aren't as crazy at trying to squeeze everything in.

Of course it helps if you know you will be coming back next year, or sometime in the future. You can be much more relax, knowing you can see Fantasmic on the next trip if you miss it this time. If you are trying to do the "the only DisneyWorld trip we will ever do" you will either put together a commando plan, or be one of the clueless masses.

 

[Mick West]

We love to make a plan, wether we stick to it is another question! Actually planning is part of the fun for our visits. we enjoy going on line and seeing which parks open early/stay open late - look at menu's, see what groups events are there - you get the picture!

 

[jnzimm]

We go commando every time. To us planning brings expectations that ususally can't be met. Adrs are not in our vocabulary as the food has never impressed. We figure we have restaurants around home that have better food and service. We never have made food a focal point of Disney.

 

[kimmar067]

You would be surprised. I was there this past May and a Dad was literally forcing a kid to go on Haunted Mansion. I mean the poor kid was screaming & crying because he was scared. All dad kept saying was "we have to ride it now because this is the only time we have in our schedule". The poor mom looked like she wanted to shove the schedule down his throat.

 

[smallfri1112]

You would be surprised. I was there this past May and a Dad was literally forcing a kid to go on Haunted Mansion. I mean the poor kid was screaming & crying because he was scared. All dad kept saying was "we have to ride it now because this is the only time we have in our schedule". The poor mom looked like she wanted to shove the schedule down his throat.

LOL... I guess people can get crazy with the planning! Poor kid!!

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

We are not going commando this year. But we are planning our days, just at a slower pace, we have ADRs , and more days at the parks. We do plan on doing rope drops, breaks, and then evening EMHs. I want to let my son go at his own pace and let mornings be "his" time and do things he can do. In the evenings at EMH will be my daughter's time , while my son is swimming at hotel with grandma.

22 Days Till DISNEY WORLD!!!

 

[lvanleer]

When we went last year my DH and I made a couple ADRs for specific meals however the rest of the trip we just hopped on whatever bus we felt like getting on for the parks.....we didn't use fastpasses at all and managed to hit all the attractions we wanted to including Soarin, Test Track and Mission Space(of course for the last two we used the single rider lines which helped)....the only attraction we didn't get to experience was Expeditiion Everest because it broke down while we were in AK.....so when we go next year for our 25th anniversary we'll make a couple ADRs and play it by ear.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I have a somewhat commando plan, but that works for me. If I went with my family, I wouldn't be able to do that.