Staying organized?

[lorijohnhill]

How do you stay organized when planning a Disney trip? There is so much great advice here! How do you remember everything when you step into the magic?

My brain is Swiss cheese as it is and I'm sure I will forget everything upon first sight of the gates!

So, what are the best organizational strategies out there?

 

[corinne76]

Good question!
Right now I have a Word doc of notes. things I packed the last trip (like foldale cooler and reusable bags), notes like places we stayed. and I also add tips I find on here and elsewhere. I'm going to print out the tips section and bring it with me.

No other great organizational wisdom but that's my method .. until I find something better

 

[Escape2Disney]

I am weirdly organized when it comes to travel. Each trip has a binder (half size so it fits in my purse). There are dividers for each category (dining, travel, lodging, budget, daily schedule, etc.).

I started doing this because it makes the entire trip a lot more relaxing! I don't have to think - I just grab the schedule for the day, check the budget so I know what I can spend, and go!

I don't schedule everything down to the minute, but I do list our must-do items so we don't forget. This solved the problem of getting home and saying "how did we NOT do that??"

 

[Aladora]

I figure that as long as I have my wallet and don't leave my son in the hotel room, everything else is just a bonus!

 

[tarheelalum]

Just learn as much as you can on this website and then go to DL with a rough idea of what you want to do. Then just go with the flow and have a good time. I read people trying to plan their vacation to DL like its a military operation. That is not very fun. Just figure out what you really want to do the most and do those things first. Then just do what comes and have a great time.

 

[Karin1984]

I mainly use Excel.
- Starting with the budget, how much do the plane tickets, hotel, park tickets, food, additional costs etc.
- Plus a list with 1. what do I really want to see/do/where to eat, 2. what would be nice to see/do, but not completely necessary, 3. things to see/do if
I have time left.
- One sheet with tips & tricks from the Dis. Favorite snacks, good spots for fireworks/Fantasmic/WoC etc.

I do use Touring Plans, but mainly for fun. When I'm at Disney I just go with the flow, checking in the hotel the evening before or in the morning to make sure I did do the things I want to do. In the park I rarely check my sheets, unless it's for confirmation numbers for lunch/dinner reservations.

 

[krispin41]

I use Evernote. It's an app on your computer and phone, so anything you put in one, updates on the other. I use it for all sorts of things, lists (like what DVDs I have, etc.)

The other cool thing about it, is you can copy web pages and pictures and e-mails to it as well.

evernote.com

 

[ehrawn]

For our last trip, I jotted notes on my iCloud account and events on my Calendar: syncs to DW & my iPhone, home computer, iPad, etc. By the time we got to the park, though, the critical stuff got edited down to 2 screens worth. Things that I wasn't familar with, like DCA rides, WOC, and some special events were the only things I needed to reference on the go. Everything else, like the Hydroguy tips, i just bookmarked and reviewed on the computer as needed.

 

[Communicore1991]

Type everything, save the documents in a folder on your computer, print the documents out, punch holes in them, and place it in a binder. Make a document listing all the items you need to bring with you. Make another document with all of your dining reservations including confirmation #s and name on the reservation.

It's a lot of legwork and you will look like a nut to anyone else, but you will be glad when you can just enjoy the park rather than fumbling through crumpled up papers, emails, and notes on your phone.

 

[lorijohnhill]

These are some great ideas!

Keep them coming! And thanks!

 

[PigletSeeker]

We have done many visits to DLR, and most have been 1-2 day trips. We don't overplan...for the most part we just let the magic happen. At the beginning of every trip, we have everyone name their #1 thing they don't want to miss. We make sure we do those 5 things, and just decide on the spot what else to do. Every trip is a blast, and we don't dwell on the things we didn't do, but just enjoy what we do get to do. Read all the advice on this board, but don't overthink. The most important thing is to get to the parks early each day. It can be very overwhelming if you arrive around 11 or 12 and their are crowds everywhere already and it makes it harder to think But getting there at opening and getting a few rides under your belt makes the day go better.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I do lists, and each week i seem to make a new document up on word. It has how much i have set aside for each thing and once i've pre paid things off its off my list. like my pickets, photo pass and pins are now all off my list.

Now I am making a daily plan with what to do when, what we must do on what day. What day we want the tour and what day we will eat at the few big places we have paid off with gift cards.

The rides are mostly a go on as we want list. We have favs and must do's those get simi planed. The rest is a wow walk on, or wow that 45 mins wait do we really want or need to ride it?
That is what we do.,

 

[Midnightred]

I keep a little plastic pocket folder with brads and print out hotel reservations, airline reservations, and other receipts. I purchase my Park Hopper Tickets and ART shuttle tickets ahead of time and keep them in a coupon holder. I have that small coupon holder separated by days. For each day I have a Disney Gift Card I have placed in the coupon holder with a value of $150-$200 (for our family of 4). I try to stick to a budget that way. I also try and plan which nights we want to see WOC and Fantasmic or the fireworks, and work our schedule around that. I try not to have the shows 2 days in a row, but rather have a break in between. I also try not to stay out too late before a Magic Morning. Hope this helps!

Midnightred

 

[princessmocha]

I make a binder for the trip, with all the pertinent info like hotel and other reservations. That will stay in the room. For the park each day I made a must be at list. It was just a half size cardstock piece of papaer. In WDW it included our Park Open/Close times, ADRs and FastPass+ info. Since it has been sooooo long since I have been and the first time for DH and the kids, the ones for DL will most likely include in park hours, any priority seating meal arrangements we make and rides that we definitely don't want to miss, so I can mark them off as we go. At least that is my plan for the moment!

I have been toying with the idea our getting a touring plan since we will be there at a very busy time, but I am not sure I want to be that regimented in my vacation. I just don't know when or even if we will get back there . . . (although I know I will want to go back!)

 

[Mouseketeers4]

I put all of our daily information on index cards, laminated them, punched a hole in one corner and put them on a small keyring. I had one card for each day that had park hours, entertainment times, ride closures, dining reservation times and confirmation numbers, etc. I also had cards listing which rides had FP and/or single rider, souvenirs I wanted to buy, places I wanted to eat, etc.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I also have a folder with all the papers i needed to print up and all that jazz too.

 

[lalasmama]

For me, it all depends on the number of trips I've been on, the number of days on the trip, and who is joining me on the trip. For instance, my trip with my BFF for 3 days was a lot less planned than, say, my 5-day honeymoon.

Generally, I have a small notebook, and have pages divided like this:

Page 1: Trip Specifics, with reservation codes as appropriate: Dates, hotel accommodations, air travel details, ground transportation, any meal reservations

Page 3: Hotel Comparisons: Hotel name, price for the whole trip including taxes, rooms available (ie, 2 queens, 1 king, 2 queens w/ bunk, etc), and any code for the rate (such as my corporate discount). Generally, I take all the hotels I'm willing to stay at, and hop online to check prices, and list them all on one page with all the possible information needed. Once reservation is made, it is entered on page 1.

Page 5: Air travel: Airline, airport code, price of flight each way. Once flight is paid for, information is entered on page 1.

Page 7: Ground transportation: Estimated cost of taxi, shuttle, and any other possible transportation ideas. Once decided, information is entered on page 1.

Page 9: Meal ideas, or other must do items. Any reservations made will be entered on page 1.

Page 11: Any special needs re: the trip (ie, specific clothes for Disbounding, etc).

 

[GatorChris]

I like to determine what park I'll be at one day, and then make notes on what I want/need to do. I'll go over it the night before or the morning of so that I can remember. Then I head to the park, remember what I can, and don't sweat it if I don't get that special thing done. It just means I did something else that was just as special.

 

[lorijohnhill]

whew! I just finished putting my binder together. Wow, that was a lot of work! But, I think it will be totally worth it for peace of mind alone! Now I just have to fill in the details and we will be good to go.

thanks to everyone for all your great suggestions!

 

[dedesmith32]

TOTALLY love these ideas! I think I am definitely going with the half size binder! Can't wait to put mine together!