To all the long-term planners out there... Do you get frustrated sometimes?

[Memorymakerfor4]

I am a long term planner in a family of last minute people. I already have plans for 2023 swirling in my head. Before I started intervening, holiday plans were almost never made until a few weeks before and I'd predictably lose my mind.

It took a few DVC trips for my husband to get on board with long term planning. He'd tell me "I just can't think that far ahead yet," when I'd ask for his preference on something. I learned to just ask for basics then drop it until the trip was closer. It helps that he's easy going.

I'll never forget a family member calling us on vacation and letting it slip that they were frustrated and scrambling to find something on Thanksgiving day. We were on the balcony at CC relaxing, and my husband turned to me and said "I'm so glad I married you!" Then we got up and went to our ADR I'd made 6 months ago lol.

 

[Disneytrippin']

We fly Delta as well, almost exclusively. May not always be the best price, but the service is always better. I dislike American so much that I have 75,000 miles sitting in my AAdvantage account from some forced travel (had to fly American under duress due to reduced flight schedules) in 2020 that I have no desire to use.

The difference in the lower price with American can be made up with free checked bag when you're a skymiles member. That always factors in and why I choose Delta.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I have 75,000 miles sitting in my AAdvantage account from some forced travel (had to fly American under duress due to reduced flight schedules) in 2020 that I have no desire to use.

I'd suggest using them on a partner airline. Alaska has decent leftcoast coverage and is a partner.

 

[princesscinderella]

I’m a big planner. I have a grand villa booked at OKW for memorial weekend and have two of my daughters’ friends families to stay with us. She’s graduating from 8th grade and we did a similar trip with our son but we were much closer to his friends parents. (We are in FL) I don’t want her to be disappointed but it’s been pulling teeth to get any straight answer as to if they are planning on joining us. I let them know my plans in October. At this point I’d rather just take her friends up and not have the rest of their family come. Other moms have organized a universal trip in a few weeks where the whole class has been invited to go up as a skip day as the official school one was canceled. We are going for that too along with the ones I’ve invited for memorial weekend and I have a feeling they are going to say that the February trip was enough for them. it works out for my daughter as we all know Disney memories are awesome and with her friends there it will make it special for her.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I'd suggest using them on a partner airline. Alaska has decent leftcoast coverage and is a partner.

I will, eventually. Probably on a flight to Hawaii. They have a boatload of flights from LAX to HNL.

 

[DonnerB]

I understand your pain! My favorite example of this was when my sister and I convinced everyone else to book a Merrytime cruise in 2018, booked it well over a year in advance...then crickets. I pored over reviews to pick a hotel in San Juan and planned to arrive several nights before embarkation to explore, found restaurants and tours, etc. Same for our port days. Couldn't even get an email response on what people would prefer to do amongst the choices given them. I got everything finalized and 3.5 years later, they all still rave about that trip. My parents even recommended the private excursion we did in Tortola to friends, and they loved her just as much as we did.

On our most recent WDW trip, a close friend of mine joined us the final few days. He had never been to Animal Kingdom, and hadn't seen several of the newer rides in other parks. It was my first time using Genie+ and I was stressed out to the max trying to figure out the best way for us to experience all of these things together in a limited time. After we all rode Remy using the ILL$ late one night, my dad turned to my friend and said "you can trust that if Danielle is planning your trip, you will have a great time."

It's annoying in the moment certainly, but knowing they all actually appreciate my efforts makes it all worth while!

 

[DVCKev]

I can relate! I have been planning our Disney vacations for 15 years and know by heart the 180 day mark for our vacations. I am so sad with this new 60 day rule for almost all food/activity reservations. I am literally thinking that in June when my window comes up I will be able to reserve nothing, unless I am up at 5am the day of, and still may end up with nothing. I think Chapek sucks and the new way things are being done are are horrible. I will adapt and overcome don't worry, but the fact that I have to and this company really doesn't give a care makes me so sad and angry. #end-rant

 

[drjackal31]

That is me 100%, i actually have an outline of hopeful trips till 2025. We are planning on going December with my mom and at least one sister and her boyfriend. I've been bothering the other sister, I gave her till April to give me a definitive answer and if she can't I'm going to say they can find their own hotel.

Honestly people really don't understand what goes into planning this stuff. My husband just lets me plan and he goes along with things lol

 

[Bruggok]

I tell people “if you want to come along, you have to plan way ahead and cannot drop out last minute. It’s expensive like a trip to Europe or Asia. If that’s not gonna work for you, I totally understand.”

My first and last time taking relatives to WDW was so miserable that my wife and I never offered or agreed again. They didn’t want to commit to ADRs, then in the parks they’d hem and haw or reject every QS we offered. Cosmic Rays burgers were the only non-weird food they could handle. Every day we had to waste time to leave the parks to go eat at Olive Garden, etc, because every place they don’t recognize was weird. My experience tells me if I ever take people along again, I am going to talk to them about expectations first and agree on rules. Hang in there! Don’t put up with bs!