So one of my "best" girlfriends just got back...

[BAST]

I am the obsessive planner in the family - my DW simply goes along for the ride. During our first two trips to WDW with the kids - now DD4 and DD6 - she joked to me that all my planning was unnecessary because of all of the spontaneous events we saw. She did not know (until I told her), that it was my planning that had us in from of the Castle to see Cinderella's celebration, in a location to see Devine in the AK, and a whole slew of shows in Epcot, right as they started.

After that, she stopped joking about my planning and realized it helped make our trips even better. She also came to realize how much money I have saved through discount codes/ annual passes, vouchers, etc.

Of course, I have also become the official family, neighborhood and work WDW freak - people ask me lots of questions, I write up short to do/ and when to do them itineraries, etc.

 

[robinb]

I guess I'd think you were under-organized, lol.

Ah! But I have it all up here (**tapping the side of my head**). Now ... if I could only find my keys ...

I'm aggravated that she went on and on laughing about how much time I'd wasted, and how planning was not needed. Clearly, if I spent 50% less money, and did 90% more stuff, my planning wasn't wasted.

And hell will freeze over before before I help her again! No matter how much she gets on her knees and begs!

It looks pretty cold outside my window .

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Ah! But I have it all up here (**tapping the side of my head**).

Man! I wish I had your memory!

It looks pretty cold outside my window

Well, it's a sunny 78 degrees here!

 

[robinb]

Man! I wish I had your memory!

I'm just kidding you . I also plan quite a bit, but I only have one small folder that things go into. Oh ... and a small zippered pouch that holds all the "important papers" like APs, car reservations, airline eTickets, etc. Heck, I'm a DVC member and I already booked my OKW Grand Villa for next January .

If you are a mega-planner, think about joining Tour Guide Mike. It has more planning forms than you can shake a colorful flip-out stick at. My favorite is the chart with day-by-day suggestions of which park is best for day and night. There is one chart if you're using the EMH and another if you're not. Very handy to have in your folder!

 

[disneygoof]

I thought you were going to say she borrowed your binder and left it in Disney.

Note to self to back up documents folder...

 

[3gr8kids]

I'm with you Ariel Wanna be - - I'm such a planner, my DH thinks I need a 12-step program LOL. But, for all the jokes I hear about it, it's nice to know that I'm the one that all (and I really mean ALL) my family (34 immediate family alone!)and friends come to whenever they need a vacation planned!
p.s. did I mention - 9 more days? and yes, my index cards and lime green mickey heads are laminated and my binder is all set to go? LOL

 

[disneyohbear]

I had the same thing happen to me involving a Disney Cruise. My brother and his wife and daughter had gone on a 3 day Disney Cruise and loved it. So we started planning a trip for the rest of the family to join them. We ended up with 7 Adults and 3 kids going on that trip.

After we booked the cruise I found this board. I learned soooo much about the cruise and would mention something I had learned and they had no idea about it. I was beginning to wonder if we were talking about the same cruise. So I went with all the wonderful info gathered here and a passporter. We saw tons of stuff they had missed, had a wonderful relaxing vacation and they had to admit my obsession with planning came in handy. I also learned a valuable lesson on that trip.....never trust them to know all the details of a vacation. They just don't get researching and planning. I do.

Now I plan and plan and plan all our trips to WDW and any little vacations on the side. I've even done research for an upcoming cruise my brother, his family and my parents are taking. Just so they know what is available.

Does it all get used. I wish. I don't even use all the plans I make. But I know I have them and I've enjoyed the hours and hours spent on this board and others doing the research.

 

[PamNC]

Very funny.

So she had just as good a time as you do, huh? I don't think so!

She missed everything and ended up with multiple complaints that could have been avoided had she at least skimmed through your binder. Or at least asked you some key questions. On the other hand, not everyone is a planner. I'm not as big a planner as you seem to be, you might be a 10 on a scale of 1-10. I'm probably an 8. She's a 0. Oh well, to each his or her own.

I've given advice to friends too, and they've ignored me. For instance, my best friend wanted to take her husband for a short trip for his birthday and I strongly advised her to stay on-site. She didn't. And boy did she regret it. At least she admitted it.

PamNC

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

If you are a mega-planner, think about joining Tour Guide Mike. It has more planning forms than you can shake a colorful flip-out stick at. My favorite is the chart with day-by-day suggestions of which park is best for day and night. There is one chart if you're using the EMH and another if you're not. Very handy to have in your folder.

Oh, believe me, I know TGM! For our first trip, I was on that site so much I should have paid him rent!

 

[NYDisneyMom]

Now I plan and plan and plan all our trips to WDW and any little vacations on the side. I've even done research for an upcoming cruise my brother, his family and my parents are taking. Just so they know what is available.

I'm a planner, too. My friend and I took a cruise in January with the kids (no guys). It was a 10 day cruise and very island intensive, so it took lots of research and planning. I found which excursions would be best to do on our own, which to do through the ship, which islands to just do nothing but sit on a beach, etc. I even had all the details on the ship and what we should or shouldn't do onboard. Plus I made all the arrangements for our flights, transfers, etc.

Now my friend tells everyone that asks her it was the best vacation she's ever been on...mostly because *I* made it so easy for us by planning ahead!

 

[travelingtwin]

I have a binder exactly like yours, I am an overplanning.When we went to disney the first time, we had no PS seating and never ate a decent meal the whole time we were there. We missed half the parades and shows. we spent way to much time in lines for rides that were not suited for our family.
My husband jokes that I tell him when he can use the bathroom.
I am planning a trip for eleven in May of this year. When you spent 5000. on a vacation, I dont want to worry that I am missing something.

 

[DisMN]

And then this is basically how our conversation went:

Me: Wasn't Fantasmic wonderful?

Her: Didn't see it, we got there ten minutes before it started, all the seats were taken.

Me: Did your DD enjoy It's a Small World?

Her: We didn't ride anything in that part of Disney World...all the lines were 2 hours long and we weren't paying extra for those Fastpass things.

Me: Oh, well did y'all do any character breakfasts?

Her: Any what?

Me: Well, did you have dinner in the castle?

Her: You can't eat in the castle.

Me: Did y'all see A Bug's Life? Wasn't the Tree of Life beautiful?

Her: We were NOT climbing all those stairs.

PLEASE...I'd love to hear more of your conversation!!! Really!

 

[ReggieB]

I thought you were going to say she borrowed your binder and left it in Disney.

That's so funny, it's exactly what I was thinking too! That would be far worse!

 

[GoofyDisney]

But who among us would EVER loan out the holy binders?

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

PLEASE...I'd love to hear more of your conversation!!! Really!

Well, here are a couple of my favorites:

Me: Did y'all see any parades?

Her: No, because they never tell you when they're going to happen, so by the time we figured out what was going on, all the seats were taken.

Me: Did you get to ride in the front of the monorail?

Her: No, we saw no reason to pay for the monorail when the busses were free.

Me: Did your DD get lots of autographs?

Her: Oh yes, but do you know that the animals (she meant characters) will NOT talk to you?! All they do is sign language.

But they had a great time!

 

[BostonRob]

Very funny.

So she had just as good a time as you do, huh? I don't think so!

PamNC

But it is possible that she had as good a time as he planner friend. Not everybody needs to ride every ride or experience every meal to have a good time. I know its hard for us to accept because we obsess over the little detail, but a lot of people just don't care.

Case in point - I'm almost as into Disney as anybody (almost, not quite). I've been 11 or 12 times. I've never eaten in Cinderella's Castle. It's crowded and I've heard the food isn't great. I'm just not interested. I'm sure when my little princess is a bit older, I'll feel differently, but that's beside the point.

You can't possibly do EVERYTHING in Disney world on one trip - it would take nearly a month. So you have a good time with what you do. And for some people, that is less than others. And thats OK.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

But it is possible that she had as good a time as he planner friend. Not everybody needs to ride every ride or experience every meal to have a good time. I know its hard for us to accept because we obsess over the little detail, but a lot of people just don't care.

Case in point - I'm almost as into Disney as anybody (almost, not quite). I've been 11 or 12 times. I've never eaten in Cinderella's Castle. It's crowded and I've heard the food isn't great. I'm just not interested. I'm sure when my little princess is a bit older, I'll feel differently, but that's beside the point.

You can't possibly do EVERYTHING in Disney world on one trip - it would take nearly a month. So you have a good time with what you do. And for some people, that is less than others. And thats OK.

The point is not "how dare she say she had a good time when she didn't even eat in the castle." As I said before, if people can have a great time by riding one thing their whole trip, more power to them!

The point is that while she was bragging about her wonderful trip, she was insulting me for planning. I did not do the same to her for not planning.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I only read a few posts.

So she had just as good a time as you do, huh? I don't think so!

But it is possible that she had as good a time as he planner friend. Not everybody needs to ride every ride or experience every meal to have a good time. I know its hard for us to accept because we obsess over the little detail, but a lot of people just don't care.

Case in point - I'm almost as into Disney as anybody (almost, not quite). I've been 11 or 12 times. I've never eaten in Cinderella's Castle. It's crowded and I've heard the food isn't great. I'm just not interested. I'm sure when my little princess is a bit older, I'll feel differently, but that's beside the point.

You can't possibly do EVERYTHING in Disney world on one trip - it would take nearly a month. So you have a good time with what you do. And for some people, that is less than others. And thats OK.

It's possible... We never ate at Cindy's. We never seen Fantasmic! We don't always do character meals. We don't ride all the kiddie rides. We hardly ride the monorail~ no need to. We don't see the parades. We hardly watch the fireworks. But guess what... We always have a wonderful time!! We enjoy every bit of our time at WDW.

What we do may seem boring and not worth going... but to us...it is more than enough! So... Maybe your friend and her family did enjoy and had a wonderful time.. it's just her way of enjoying is different from yours.

 

[*Fantasia*]

The point is that while she was bragging about her wonderful trip, she was insulting me for planning. I did not do the same to her for not planning.

Then just tell her "shud up, you're insulting me." Hopefully she will realize that she is hurting your feelings.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

I only read a few posts.





It's possible... We never ate at Cindy's. We never seen Fantasmic! We don't always do character meals. We don't ride all the kiddie rides. We hardly ride the monorail~ no need to. We don't see the parades. We hardly watch the fireworks. But guess what... We always have a wonderful time!! We enjoy every bit of our time at WDW.

What we do may seem boring and not worth going... but to us...it is more than enough! So... Maybe your friend and her family did enjoy and had a wonderful time.. it's just her way of enjoying is different from yours.

Again, I'm not saying that she couldn't have had a good time! That was not the point of my post!

I never said her trip was "boring and not worth going." What I did say was that she completely annoyed me by saying I was wasting time planning because they had done just as much as us!