Please do not allow trip planning to ruin your trip...

[TeddyToo]

This is one of the nicest most positive upbeat threads I've read! Thanks for posting. My (11) and I are going in 21 days and I have done lots of planning. My secret to using the great hints, tips, and reports is to keep in mind that I would never eat Jerked chicken, artichokes, seafood of any form, etc, if I listened to other people and those are the 2 people I live with and love the most. Considering I'm responsible for raising one of them with such bad taste in food I can only imagine there are others like them out there in the world who seem like great people on the surface but truly have no taste Thanks again for such a positive perspective

 

[daisy112878]

100% agree with ya!!!! I always try to remind posters that this is my experience and my tastes, likes, dislikes are totally different then theirs. I think if something sounds good to you and your family then try it.

And I second that vacation experiences have a lot to do with attitude! I always see this over on the disney cruise board. People go to the cruise expecting something above and beyond and some come back disappointed. It's great if you get an upgrade but don't bet your whole vacation on it. Just go looking to relax and enjoy the things around you.

 

[Amyg]

This is SO true!

We ate at one restaurant that had mostly negative feedback, but it was one of our best breakfasts at WDW! We didn't get the river view room we requested because of an error on non-smoking, but in the scheme of things, it just wasn't important enough to ruin our wonderful trip.

Each experience is so different for each person, everything is so subjective.

 

[paladin]

Here's another person chiming in to agree! A positive attitude goes a long way, along with not having unrealistic expectations. Enjoy

 

[Toot Sweet]

Great post, PAW! I used to get so wrapped up in planning and then trying to stick to the plans I made, that I became sort of a drill sergeant when we were actually in Disney. It wasn't much fun for my family and I caused myself a lot of unnecessary stress. Now I do make ADRs, but putting a lot more flexibility into our plans makes it so much more fun. Sometimes you gotta just go with the flow and realize you can't control every aspect of your trip and accept the fact that not everything is going to be perfect.

 

[melomouse]

P&W - I STILL like your style!

It could just be me - and it usually is! - but I am noticing more and more negativity and perhaps pure anxiety on these boards.

I come on and use the boards like mad when I'm planning a trip and seek out the wisdom and reassurance of those who have travelled to WDW many more times than my half dozen trips. Every trip is different - kids grow older, needs shift, finances and available time change.

We just cancelled a week long cruise to instead get to Disney with my kids mid-August. We got a great offer at YC and it's our first time at an Epcot resort.I've been posting lots! I need input and validation that all will go well with my strange little family in a new place.

It bothers me when the "second guessing" occurs, too, but bothers me also when folks get so defensive also about wherever THEY ate or stayed. Sometimes it's as if the resort is actually your home or your family owns the dining venue! A little respect and understanding in responses could help, too - we are all different!

Thank you for the post!
melomouse YC 16 days!!!!!

 

[bytheblood]

Great Post!!!

 

[YCFAN]

Truer words were never spoken!!

I have had some trips turn out better than others but I can't think of one that I don't have a pleasant memory of.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Great post! I was thinking about this the other day as on our last trip was the first time I requested specific buildings/floors at each resort. Looking back I wish I had just left it up to the Disney magic because even though I got what I wanted I think it would have been more special to randomly get something great!

I also love many restaurants that get mostly bad reviews on here as well as resorts. If we all liked the same thing there would only be one of a restaurant just many of the same one around WDW and only one type of resort multiplied. Thank God for different tastes!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Boy, I really have noticed the negativity lately as well. I posted recently on a restaurant thread regarding a particular place and was basically told "you don't know what you are talking about" complete with a little eye roll thingy. What arrogance! Um excuse me, I have eaten there four times and it was good, guess my taste buds forgot to check with yours!

I also love the posters who have one and only one resort that they pretty much just continue to recommend regardless of the makeup of a particular party. We all have our favorites, but sometimes I recommend something that isn't mine because for somebody else it will be much better than my own personal fave.

Thanks for the great thread. I always say, in the end opinions are wonderful and fun to read but they are just that, opinions. And everybody's got one!

 

[honeybee30]

Here! Here!

It's like that old adage, "you can't please everybody all of the time...." Actually, I try not to read overly negative threads. They don't make me feel good, and that's what planning fun trips to WDW is all about!

I think the message here is that it's important to trust your own instincts when it comes to choosing a resort or picking a restaurant. My WDW plan is unique because it reflects our unique interests, and I like that!

 

[CanadianGuy]

I love this thread..

And to add to the theme.. You know the song.. sing-a-long..

---


Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum,
What might be right for you, may not be right for some.
A man is born, he's a man of means.
Then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans.

But they got, Diff'rent Strokes.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

Everybody's got a special kind of story
Everybody finds a way to shine,
It don't matter that you got not alot
So what,
They'll have theirs, and you'll have yours, and I'll have mine.
And together we'll be fine....

Because it takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.
Yes it does.
It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

 

[disneykate28]

THANK YOU! I just started reading the board back in June & it has made me more than a little nuts about my upcoming vacation. My boyfriend has started to think I am crazy because every day when he gets home from work I am on the board, reading about one thing or another, changing our plans, etc. I think I needed to be reminded that Disney is special REGARDLESS of what resort we're staying at, how many Dole Whips we eat and how many times we get on Soarin'. I'm officially throwing out my commando plan & I think he will enjoy his first time at the World regardless.

 

[magicmouse2]

Great point. I used to get really hung up on other peoples opinions. People raved about how great Pop C was. I tried it and didnt like it. Same with Le Cellier. However I also found out that I liked many resorts and restuarants that get a lot of negative reviews -eg CBR resort and ABC commissionary counter service! I still enjoy reading other peoples reviews but dont base my choices on them any more. I go with what I feel will be best for our family. If I think choosing a certain resort and wondering where will they put me will be a problem, I then would book a certain view eg water view (POR). Its not worth the stress of ruining a vacation.

 

[travelmaniac02]

Yes, I agree. Planning the trip is just the tip of the ice berg.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

What a great post! I recently changed from one room at POR for a party of 5 to two rooms at POP and felt like I was being flamed for it. I'm just blessed to be going to Disney and after looking at information myself on POP and seeing the great pictures people have posted, I'm just as excited as I ever was !

 

[Hedy]

Very well said. Thanks, PAW!

 

[Chloe'sMom]

Wonderful post as usual PAW!

I am a planning fanatic and I do tend to spend way to much time on the boards. But after 5 trips I've learned that - the unexpected is what makes the trips the greatest.

When we went for our honeymoon everyone told me to make sure to let everyone know it was our honeymoon as we would get the special extras. I was so disappointed on our first day when we checked in and NOTHING. But then I realized - I can't let this moment control my entire trip. And I wouldn't have even blinked an eye about the "nothing special" until I was expecting it. At that point I lowered my expectations to be more reasonable and then wonderful things happened - roses delivered at the Poly from the management congratulating us on our honeymoon, free dessert at Le Celleirs, a wonderful photographer at AK who took extra pictures and spent extra time with us to get just the right honeymoon photo and so on. it was an amazing trip - and every trip after has been amazing - I'm in Disney - what is there to stress about! I can stay home and stress!

I never got towel animals until I went on the Cruise - never bothered me.

I never received a free upgrade on a room - including booking standard view at AKL and a low grade room on the Disney Cruise Line. - oh well, I still go what I paid for.

I've never paid for a view - and have never had issues.

Sure there have been disappointments - certain resturants I won't return to, but it is more to do with my taste then anything else.

And for those staying off site - good for you! Embrace the magic during the day. I never ever tell anyone to stay onsite vs. offsite - it doesn't matter - you're on vacation! I will advise to not stay far from Disney if you only plan on visiting the parks just to save on travel time.

Everyone - have a happy trip! You make your own magic!

~Amanda

 

[rjeash]

Well said.

Another thing I'd like to add is that you can't see and do it all. Trying to will only stress you out.

Don't plan every minute of every day, leave blocks of time to smell the roses, take a nap, or explore the parks looking for rabbits and squirrels.

Anne

Or gators from what I hear

 

[fla4fun]

I totally agree, especially when it comes to choosing resorts and making resort requests. I usually advise anyone who asks to make a simple list of what their family would like in a vacation resort, whether it's Disney or not. Do you want room service 24 hours, a fitness center, more than one pool, inside or outside corridors, double or queen beds, etc.? Once you know what you want in a resort, then pick the Disney resort that best meets those needs. Each family is different. Some just want a clean and convenient place to crash for a few hours between marathon visits to the parks. Some want a resort that they can relax and play in, and hit the parks every other day. Some people want a theme that takes them miles away from their everyday experience, and some want a theme that makes it feel just like home. I don't have a favorite Disney resort. I pick the one for each trip that will fulfill the needs of that trip best. Have I had a bad experience? Once or twice. Did it keep me from going back to that resort? Nope.

The same thing goes for restaurants. You know what your family likes and doesnt' like. Nine Dragons is a good example. Nine Dragons doesn't prepare their food in the typical way of many Chinese restaurants in America. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad - just different. I happen to prefer it because they don't have as much fried meat in their entrees and the flavors are more subtle. We have a couple off property Chinese restaurants here that prepare their food in a similar manner and I will go out of my way to dine there. But for people who are used to the typical Chinese restaurant (and I like those too, by the way) they can be disappointed when they get something different than what they expected. Sometimes negative reviews are the result. When I read restaurant reviews, especially the negative ones, I look for things more like service, cleanliness and general atmosphere, and take most of it with a grain of salt. After all, the restaurant darling of this summer may be in the doghouse the next.

It's all about what works best for YOU, not everyone else on the DIS. Don't panic and don't second guess your decisions. You'll have a great trip!