This probably is the wrong group to ask....BUT...

[PSUGuy]

My late mother treated the whole family to 4 days at WDW staying off site in 1997. We didn't know crap about planning or what to expect, first day we got to MK late morning, waited 90 minutes for Space Mtn and thought that this was just how it was. We had a great time, I got hooked on Disney on the ferry ride to MK that day and I started yearly WDW trips in 1999. That year I discovered this site and since then we've received more enjoyment and value due to stuff learned here. When the kids were all along I rode herd as Commando Dad but since 2005 wifey and I are more relaxed. We still plan every day but adjust to circumstances and Smell the Roses more but unless we lived in Fl and could drop in any time, we'll still plan. The planning is part of the fun.

Bill From PA

 

[DSLRuser]

I have to be in central florida for work the Tuesday after memorial. I decided to go down a day early by myself. Booked the Dolphin on points....got a few FP+...got an ADR....but for the most part...just gonna wing it all day. I may go to epcot, or I may hang by the pool.....just not sure.

 

[Randomsoulshine]

Many years ago our only planning was let's hit Fantasyland at opening. Now we book FP's and we know some restaurants we love like Sci-fi book up so we reserve them. I have fun thinking about what rides we want to do the most. But we don't plan ride order and certainly not minute by minute planning. Some people who plan have to stick to it. Others of us love the planning because it lets us think about Disney but are totally flexible once in the park. I loved the paper fast passes. I'm good with how it is now and will use it to our advantage. Saving time in line or wondering around trying to find an open restaurant gives us more flexibility the other times of the day. So sometimes decent planning can lead to more flex time. If that makes sense. I realize it sounds like a contradiction. Truly whatever works for each family. Whatever brings them their own magical experience is the way to do it.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I am guessing op misses the fun of Disney. Planning Disney is part of the fun, experience and sheer excitement of WDW. I love it. It builds the experience to a new level. Or maybe I am missing the point.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Like others, I've been a planner since I had to do it on paper with only the Unofficial Guide and the Birnbaum books to help me. I love the planning: it extend the magic of my trips throughout the year. Disney is a serious addiction for me, and that's how I get my fix.

I absolutely understand, though, that different people like to travel in different ways and have different levels of obsession/revulsion when it comes to Disney and planning. To each her own!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I pick three fast passed and just kind of wing it now.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I am guessing op misses the fun of Disney. Planning Disney is part of the fun, experience and sheer excitement of WDW. I love it. It builds the experience to a new level. Or maybe I am missing the point.

I am like you @Jadyreen1282, but maybe OP is more of a live in the moment type of person, who while at home stays focused on what's going on in the here and now, instead of planning for a trip. I admire that type of person too!

 

[OneinThree]

I don't think what you see here on the DIS forum is representative of most people who vacation in WDW. Even here, planning ranges from just those seeking a bit of advice to the downright neurotic. We try to be balanced with it as much as possible. Everyday life can be so pressured and stressful, that we want our vacations to be as free and spontaneous as we can get them. That said, we understand the current necessity of booking ADR's in advance for places difficult to get into on a walk-up basis. The crowd calendars however -these are ridiculous. There's just no avoiding them anymore, and I'd rather go when I want to go rather than to be dictated to by often faulty metrics.

 

[Klayfish]

I am guessing op misses the fun of Disney. Planning Disney is part of the fun, experience and sheer excitement of WDW. I love it. It builds the experience to a new level. Or maybe I am missing the point.

Guess we're kind of talking in circles, but again, the above is fun for you. I would say that not planning Disney is part of the fun, experience and sheet excitement of WDW. Not planning makes it even more exciting for us because we never know what the day will bring...and that is the point.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Although I have a plan, I do sometimes make changes while there. There can be a balance between planning and spontaneity. It doesn't have to be all one way or all the other way. Some of the best experiences can be the totally unexpected.

 

[djc9699]

We usually go for 12-14 days and plan about 8 of them (just to ensure favorite restaurants and rides). We don't plan the whole day out. We just hit the part at rope drop and know which direction we are headed. Start FP at 10:30ish and do them in succession. Have a lunch or dinner reserved and just look for what is available the rest of the day. On the days we don't plan, we do not make any reservations or FP and generally just pick which park we want to go to the day before or the morning of and look for FP then. We often choose our evening park based on if their is a FP available for RNR or Everest or whatever we are in the mood for and will head to that park. We NEVER stay a whole day out of a park though, except this year we are also going to Discovery Cove and Sea World.

 

[GirlDreamer]

I don't plan. We don't even like doing a lot of TS meals as that would tie us down to a schedule. We only have a handfull of TS reservations for our next trip, but even then, we might not stay in the park the reservation is in for the day. We'll just wing it and do what we feel like. It's pretty much what we've done on previous trips as well, we either decide the evening before or same morning what we're doing that day, and then book FP's if we're hitting a park. I do book some FP's in advance for rides with a long wait, but we might end up cancelling them if we choose not to go to that park that day. It would be way too stressful for me to have the entire day planned, having to be places all the time and if something goes wrong, it could mess up the whole day.

 

[amiskell28]

Planning keeps me busy and helps with other stresses in life until we go on our trip. Once we are there we usually do a good bit of winging it.

THIS! I'm finding the planning that I'm doing gives me so much enjoyment and relaxation from the rigors of life. And yet, I know darn well that we'll be doing alot of winging it, too!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

It would be way too stressful for me to have the entire day planned, having to be places all the time and if something goes wrong, it could mess up the whole day.

Kind of depends what goes wrong. Yes, if someone in your party gets sick or injured, that could mess up the whole day. But if everyone is fine and just ran into an unexpected situation, going with the flow and enjoying the new path doesn't have to mess up the day.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

does anyone ever just go to WDW anymore?

Has the internet caused a glut of over-planners who have too much knowledge (as compared to the old days) and make hard and firm plans for their days as opposed to when I first went (having read the brochures) and just enjoyed myself with minimal time-crunch stress...

I'm just an old guy being washed over by nostalgia.........

Yes, if we just do a quick trip like 1-2 days we don't plan anything besides where we're staying and which parks/which days. We do of course still get FP+ but we don't make any ADRs. We have a general touring plan in mind but nothing concrete but we've been enough to know what we're doing. I will say, I've talked with a handful of people that have never been to WDW and some of them had no plans at all when they went. Some did some research but some really had done NONE. They had no idea what FP+ was, they didn't know about the MB, the app, zilch so yes there are non planners out there and they just go.

When I was little and we'd visit disney my family didn't plan anything but you didn't have to do any advance planning besides the hotel. We just went. My dad would walk up to CP and say "hey we want to eat dinner got anything around 7pm?" and they'd pencil us in. It was easier to go and just wing it but times have changed! I enjoy our disney trip planning, it's a part of our longer trips that I LOVE. But winging it has it's place too!!

 

[epcotobsessed]

As some others have said here, the planning can be a big part of the appeal. I personally love planning my Disney trips - FP+s, ADRs, which hotel we're going to choose this time, etc etc etc. For me the key is to be flexible in spite of the plans, i.e. not feeling like we HAVE to adhere to a strict schedule while we're there. Some days we do everything as planned and others we don't - I like having the option of having the plans in place, but other than being sure to cancel ADRs more than 24 hours in advance, there are no consequences for deciding at the last minute not to stick to your plans.

 

[Thiago Acquaviva]

I LOVE to plan and I plan hard, but It's just part of the fun for me.
It makes my countdown to be more soft without suffering that much of the anxiety lol
but sometimes I do think I overplan lots of stuff, because internet can be messy with so much different information about the same thing.
but overall I think it's very useful, specially for us international visitors

 

[wcw57]

I am guessing op misses the fun of Disney. Planning Disney is part of the fun, experience and sheer excitement of WDW. I love it. It builds the experience to a new level. Or maybe I am missing the point.

No, you're wrong. I am and always have been a planner....the planner for the family as well. But I dislike having to make ride appointments and worrying about being on the phone first thing in the morning to book a restaurant, ride, etc...

I knew more about WDW (back in the day) than anyone I knew....over-informed.

But there IS something lost with having an itinerary and knowing just what the rides are like thanks to youtube...the sense of wonder can be buried in having to be somewhere in a rush. Kinda like the people in NYC who never appreciate the grandeur of the buildings or the throb of the city itself..............they're too busy getting to work, or a play, or a reservation......

just old and cranky, I guess.

(btw, I'm here planning our Feb 2019 trip......have been for a while).....

 

[SquashBanana]

I'm a down to the minute planner. I spent about a year planning our 5 day trip in 2016. During that 5 day stint, the longest line we waited in was a 45 minute wait at the Buzz/Woody M&G at HS. We were very lucky and were not affected by weather or ride downtime but had a contingency in place just in case. We didn't do everything on the schedule, but we did everything we wanted to do. This would not have happened without a detailed plan. Aside from a one-night MNSSHP trip this fall, our next trip will likely be Summer 2020. Since we only go every 4 years or so, I want to get as much out of this trip as possible so I will start planning Summer 2019. I know it's not for everyone, but I've heard too many horror stories about people spending their day spending hours in line only to ride 1-2 major attractions.

 

[SG131]

Last year was my first time back after way too long. At first I was kind of cranky about having to make dinner plans so far in advance, but what really changed my mind about the whole thing was the fast passes. I love knowing that I’ll be able to go on splash mountain without standing in line for over an hour. I remember seeing those lines as a kid and sometimes having to skip splash which is one of my favorites cause others didn’t want to wait. Even in the day of paper fast passes, I can’t say I miss the sprint across the park to get that coveted piece of paper!