Shock Horror Question

[Groovee]

Does anyone NOT plan their trip to WDW. Do you just get up and decide which park to do that day or the night before decide?

 

[finnster77]

Planning and looking forward to it is at least half the fun for me.

 

[Demosthenes]

With the popularity of the DDP, it is difficult to be spontaneous about where and when you eat. When you set up ADRs, it pretty much sets your schedule.

 

[Robo]

Does anyone NOT plan their trip to WDW. Do you just get up and decide which park to do that day or the night before decide?

Sure. Likely 70-85 percent of every guest at the parks (maybe more in the Summer) don't know ANYTHING in advance.

You see them standing in long lines at attractions (no FP's), not getting to eat at the best restaurants, missing the best shows and fireworks (and likely complaining bitterly about WDW during and long after the trip.)

But if WDW is just a place to kill some time on a trip once or twice, I guess it doesn't matter.

There are many folks HERE who don't plan, but many know the place so well, they can "wing it" and still do what they want to.

I could do that, but, like was said, the PLANNING is a really enjoyable way the make the vacation "start early" as I can envision the fun in advance, and make the whole trip run smoothly.

 

[pumba]

sometimes we go to Disney and go with the flow. We get up ....eat and then hmmmmmmmm which park will we go to today. We often look at emh and then go to another park. Late night hour we will probably stay away too from that one. We had a bad experience with the MK late night in May .....so many people we could not move. I mean literally we were boxed in and could not move. If someone had needed a emt or something no one could of moved to get to you. Several people reported it to the management that evening WHEN they could move.
We are going in December and only one night at MVMCP and then one night we plan on dinner in Epcot....other then those two items we will go where we feel like going when we get up

 

[Flanigan]

Me & DW only had 2 ADRs for our last week long WDW Trip. So we had 1 morning and 1 evening planned. Other than that though, we went with the flow and decided often the night before what we wanted to do. We had no trouble getting into the Restaurants we wanted to try. It was a really fun trip. This time though we do have it a little more planned out, since we have more ADRs.

 

[patsal]

It is one thing to wing it if you are familiar with the layout, dining times if you dont' have ADR's, etc. but to be the first time and do no planning, and boy did we see a ton of that this July, it seems like a significant waste of money. I know my parents are like that and it drives me bananas--complain about fastpass lines making the regular lines longer but don't use fast pass, no ADR's, just wing it. Even at Christmas they missed all the storytellers becasue they don't like an itenerary and I made one so to "show me" that they didn't follow schedules they missed it all. It used to bother me, but I don't care anymore. It is their money and if they want to be stubborn then so be it. I'm going to follow my plan and know my kids got to see what the wanted to see, were fed appropriately and slept in a decent hotel.

 

[MickiMouth]

We use to be the "go with the flow" type. After going to the parks many times and knowing about fastpass and choosing to never go to EMH we were always fine. This year with the dining plan I have ADR's for everyday but one and that's our AK day. So, we know exactly what park we will be at everyday and night this year.

 

[jellydisney]

I usually make a loose plan based on what are the the best parks to go to each day, make some ADRs for places I really want to go to, and then sometimes the plan changes on a whim when we're there. But we're talking about 30+ visits to WDW--if it's your first, second, or third time there, you would be missing a lot without a detailed plan.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

With the popularity of the DDP, it is difficult to be spontaneous about where and when you eat. When you set up ADRs, it pretty much sets your schedule.

I was suprised how untrue this was on our recent trip (Late July/Early August) when we got there we changed our mind about how we wanted to tour and I was able to get the following reservations while there:

1) Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package
2) Lunch at Le Cellier
3) Cape May Breakfast
4) Flying Fish dinner

All of them were 1 or 2 days out, or same day and except for MM were for exactly the time we wanted -- at MM we had our choice of several times. We also saw them taking walk ins for Rose and Crown to watch the fireworks (we kept our reservation there), and last year we got a Crystal Palace lunch with 1 day notice, again for our 1st choice time.

I had heard so much about how it's "impossible" to eat sit down if you don't plan in advance so I was pleasantly suprised to be able to move stuff around.

 

[MareSINY]

We're really not planners. Until a few trips ago we never even made ADRs. We're planning a family trip this December and we've only made one reservation, for CRT, which we knew my nieces would love and knew from reading the boards here fills up quickly. We also planned MVMCP for our first day there, but other than that we are fly by the seat of our pants type people. We never know how the kids are going be, who is going to feel like doing what, etc.

 

[taximomfor4]

Instead of writing down which park to do each day, I write down which parks to AVOID each day. Then, every evening, we look at the list and choose a park to attend the next day. I join TGM, and have learned enough to plan on the fly, pretty much.

Of course this year, we didn't want to shell out the $240 extra for park hopping option, and are on Free Dining, so had to pick a park for each day in order to schedule our TS meals. That's a bit uncomfortable for me!!

Now that the ticket prices went up on Sunday, I think we would have to pay $270 to add the ph option now. Eww. Gonna have to REALLY want to hop!

 

[MdmMim]

I sometimes plan the night before. And other times, I'll head to the bus stop, getting on whichever bus comes first! I'm frequently solo, so I have the freedom to do whatever!

 

[Ragnrok23]

Don't plan too much. We'll do a couple of ADR's before we leave. Other than that we usually just go to park that doesn't have the extra magic hours. of course I went in late August last year, this year I am going in late June, so I will probably do a little more planning than the last time

 

[kathyseb]

The only thing we plan is Day 1 we start at EPCOT, Day 2, MGM and Day 3 MK.

And we have tickets to MVMCP.

Other than that, we wing it.

But it is only DH and myself and we know our way around the parks inside and out, other than AK.

 

[JRawkSteady]

If I want to eat really crappy meals I wouldn't plan, but since I love my food, I have to make sure I know where I am so I can make my ADRs.

Plus, I always want to go to the park with the least crowds...that's just "smarticle."

 

[shyjade]

Funny, I've never been to Disney with a "plan" before. Then again, I never ate at TS restaurants either.

This trip is the absolute opposite...I've spent months on the DIS and have planned every tiny detail for our short 4 day trip. I've also learned TONS of things I never knew about before, mostly because I had never been prepared. Were the other trips fun? Yes! But this time we will be sure we do/see what is most important in the limited time we will be there.

 

[PrincessV]

I live less than 2 hours away, so pre-child, my ex and I used to take spontaneous day trips to the World all the time. The only "planning" involved a discussion of what rides we absolutely had to do on the drive over. Sometimes, we'd find the lines so long we didn't ride anything and spent the day people-watching instead.
That all ended after A. I discovered the Unofficial Guide, and B. I had a baby. The ex and I actually tried the UG touring plans pre-child and were amazed at how much more we were able to see/do with minimal effort. After that, we planned out any multi-day trips we took. And, now with a child along, planning for minimal waits in line is imperative. Plus, as others have already said, I LOVE the planning part of any vacation!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Past several trips have just used TGM, primarily so as to know what parks, what days, staying away from EMH, etc. If anything special, like MVMCP, a tour, etc, I would have that planned. Generally meeting up with folks from the boards here also, knowing who, when and where. Other than that, pretty loose.

 

[Melwood23]

Though I am a solo WDW vacationer, I do love the planning parts. Most times I do stick to the schedule, but sometimes I do get up in the morning, see the long lines at the bus stop for a planned park and just end up going to the shorter line , one good thing about being a solo, can be spontaneous. I don't do the DDP, usually will make maybe 2 ADR per trip, one being the HDDR. As of right now I can't plan my days since I have 14 months to go, and not sure if the EMH change from year to year, so don't want to plan my days, then by the time the EMH for Oct 2007 are out, have to change things around.