To Plan or not to Plan?

[Brother Smith]

We are off next week with our children & nephew for our second Orlando holiday (hooray). Our first trip (in August 2001) wa s great but we thought we could have done & seen more if we had planned better. For this trip, we have spent ages planning our Itinerary using Dis and the Unofficial Guide. However, a colleague at work (who has never been to Disney/Universal) said we will take all the enjoyment & spontaneity out of the trip by planning. Personally, I dont believe you can enjoy a parks holiday without planning? What do you think?

 

[TiffJ]

It is definately better to plan. You will get alot more done in less time if you have an idea of what you want to do when. However, it is also important to be flexible with those plans. Making them too rigid is what would take the fun out.

 

[perpetualplanner]

I agree you need to plan. Some people plan down to the minute and I think that would take the fun out of things. We have our list of must do's, and a list of places to eat/park we'd like to try. We just take it from there and ALWAYS have fun.

 

[Bill From PA]

On our first WDW vacation we didn't think of planning and so we wandered aimlessly from attraction to attraction, not knowing what each involved, didn't think to park hop, didn't arrive until crowds were already large, etc. We still had a great time because we didn't know how our lack of a plan affected the experience. I'm now a fan of Sehlinger's guide, plan each day, not down to the minute, but as to what we want to see and what we'll do when crowds get large. Beyond that, we'll adapt to changing conditions such as rain or extreme heat and we'll also go off-plan if something new and exciting occurs to us.

Bill From PA

 

[andrabell]

Never! And I repeat NEVER listen to Disney advice from a person who has never been!
As anyone on the DisBoards will tell you, planning is half the fun. It makes the countdown time fly by and it will ensure that you get the most Magic from your Disney Holiday.
There is so much to do and see at Walt Disney World, a little planning goes a long way to make sure you take in what's most important to YOU and YOUR family.
And don't forget to schedule in some relaxing times, after all it is a vacation. Enjoy your guidebooks and have a wonderful time!

---Andra
has Disney guidebooks in all the loos in the house!

 

[Lewski709]

I think you CAN go overboard on the planning, but 1/2 of the fun is the planning.

Our spontaneity comes without PS for meals. I just can't do it! Have not had difficulty eating where we want when we go, so we go with the flow.

When you get tired of planning, you will quit doing it.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

I would NEVER go to Disneyworld without planning, like others have said that is half the fun.

Last year when we went (exactly a year ago) the parks were so quiet that we didn't need to follow any strategy for getting round the parks quickly but planning helps you prioritise what you MUST see and what would be nice to see.

I work in travel and anytime I book anyone to Orlando I give them this website address and tell them to buy the Unofficial Guide!

I'm already starting to plan my trip for December 2004

 

[jdads2]

From andrabell:

Never! And I repeat NEVER listen to Disney advice from a person who has never been!

I agree with that, unless they are giving you advice on who to ask about WDW.

I had a coworker insist that he was going to Universal while at WDW. I asked if he was renting a car and he said he wouldn't have to because he could use Disney transport. While saying this he was giving me the "don't you know anything?" look. I let him know that Universal was a competitor of Disney and that he was talking about MGM. "No, we're going to Universal."

OK

Many folks don't understand that WDW is HUGE! They think that you can walk from MK to Epcot or AK(OK, I guess you could if you had a few extra hours).

I didn't think that I would like planning and the only reason I started was because on of the threads I read mentioned the amount of people you see at WDW looking around saying "What do you want to do next?". I was already nervous about spending so much on a vacation so I didn't want to be wasting time.

Turns out I enjoy the planning. I enjoy learning all the neat secrets and making that tough PS. I like it so much that I'd never get a TA to make my plans.

 

[Brother Smith]

Thanks for the reassuring replies. We thought we were sad Disney/Universal geeks planning our trip - glad to see we are not alone!

 

[jann1033]

I don't see how you couldn't plan at least the days you are going to what park and have a general idea where and when for meals..I plan any vacation disney or not, just not as "detail oriented" with non disney trips..but I think in some cases spontaneity is way overrated cause at least for us it usually translates to loosing hours of time trying to find someplace to eat/stay or where to go or how to get there.

 

[rexmundi]

Bill Walsh, former Super-Bowl-winning coach of the San Fraancisco 49ers, used to "script" a set number of plays before each game, like the first 20 or 25. Then, depending on how the game was going, he would adjust his gamplan accordingly. I agree with most here that planning is important and fun, but I think the touring plans in the Unofficial Guide are just a little extreme in their level of detail. I have planned which park on which day, about half the meals, and my kids have given me their "Top 5 Must-do" things for each park. This way, we start out with a strong game-plan, ensure that we do what we really want first, and then "play it by ear."

Look at my countdown clock--yippee!!!!!!!!!

 

[Brother Smith]

Originally posted by rexmundi
Bill Walsh, former Super-Bowl-winning coach of the San Fraancisco 49ers, used to "script" a set number of plays before each game, like the first 20 or 25. Then, depending on how the game was going, he would adjust his gamplan accordingly.

Sounds like a great strategy.

I know nothing about NFL - was Bill Walsh sucessful?

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Brother Smith
Sounds like a great strategy.

I know nothing about NFL - was Bill Walsh sucessful?

I know absolutely nothing about NFL either *except* super bowl win=success!

 

[pewing]

I too, think the planning is 1/2 the fun I also think that you can just 'show up' and have fun (my SIL always does that...doesn't even have a room when she gets there), but if you want the most for your vacation $$...you need to plan (at least some ) to optimize your time. WDW isn't called a 'world' for nothing . The place is HUGE and there is so much to do...and see...and eat. We have an itinerary for every day...but we are also flexible. That way we have a 'plan', but we don't feel trapped by it.

Happy Planning

 

[shelleyz]

I planned and planned for our trip last week. Our plans changed once we got there. We added another day at MK instead of a BB, switched our days around some but at least I knew what we wanted to do at the parks and where to eat at the parks. Plan but be flexible.

 

[pewing]

I don't always plan all of our meals, but I spend a lot of time reading about all of the restaurants and reviewing menus...so I know a bit about them. Then when we get 'rumbly in our tummies'...I can spy around and see what there is...and make a half way educated guess

 

[FloridaCat]

You should at least download the park maps from the WDW site and become familiar with them. It will save a lot of steps, time and your nerves. I wish I had a dime every time I heard It’s this way, no it’s this way.
It also will help you to have an idea of what to see and do. Nothing more disappointing to discover at park closing, you missed an important ride or show.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by shelleyz
Plan but be flexible.

This is excellent advice. I don't think that the planning itself is as important as the knowledge that you acquire while planning.

I, too, have planned ahead for the days that we would visit individual parks, and even set a preferred order for hitting attractions. But be prepared to make adjustments on the fly. Don't go to a water park on a day with a poor forecast just to stick to "The Plan".

 

[ncbyrne]

Our first trip was fun, without any planning. But, in our ignorance, we had no clue what we had missed! WDW is so huge, with so many little things to see and do, even outside the parks, that planning is essential to have the best vacation. When planning our second trip, someone gave me the Unofficial Guide. Reading the book and learning all that we had missed on the first trip was a real eye opener! So now, just like everyone else has posted - planning is half the fun!