too much info seems almost toxic sometimes

[Laurabearz]

I like to know all the options becasue at the end of the day (and begining and middle) everyone in my family turns to me and says.... what can we do now??

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Anyone else had this experience?

I haven't personally had that experience, but I've seen it happen many times around here. For instance, people hear about one of the upgrades that magically occur occasionally, and they start tripping about how they too can get upgraded.

Also, I think that these boards cause some people to over plan to the point of obsession, and then when one little thing goes wrong, it ruins the whole trip. People can get so worked up about what other people experienced and what they think SHOULD happen that they can let it ruin their own vacation. Fortunately, that isn't the majority of people, but it does happen.

I also have to admit that when I hear people asking for menus specifically because they want to plan what they are going to eat (mercifully this doesn't happen often, but it HAS happened) I have to laugh at them for weeks.

That being said, I LOVE to read about everyone's trips and their planning! I just think that you need to use these boards for information and then be prepared for anything that happens! I don't think any vacation that I have ever gone on has gone as planned!

Maybe it helps that we went on our first Disney Cruise with absolutely no knowledge of the DISBoards, and we did just fine and had a great time?

 

[shmoogrrrl]

The biggest mistake someone can make is to try to adopt a style that they are not suited for. Someone who is more laid back and take life as it comes sees someone on here who has a minute by minute plan for every second of the their vacation.

OMG! This reminds me of something that happened when we went with my parents on a Seven-Day cruise back in 2001. I love to plan, but not to the point of obsession, and my parents were driving me crazy about our "timeline" for doing things. Well as a joke one day (in a fit of utter boredom at work, I should add) made an Excel spreadsheet listing all the hours in the day and what we would be doing at any given moment in the day (We are talking everything. I included shower blocks, sleep blocks and eating blocks. The only thing I left off were potty breaks). I was shocked when I found out that my parents (Who usually appreciate my sarcastic humor) printed the schedule out and put it in a three ring binder that they planned to put all their info in for the trip!

YIKES!

 

[Laurabearz]

I wanted to add.... that even though *I* know some of the waitstaff does tricks, and millions of other pixie dust moments that could happen, my kids dont.... I never ever spill the beans on something that may or may not happen... And rarely mention doing anything way ahead of time....

If my kids arent disipointed, I am not disapointed.

 

[Rence]

It's been a while since I've seen a post regarding something like this but I have seen it in the past and that is where someone plans their trip for their family based on what another family did. The roughest examples of this have been in the area of surprising someone with a cruise.

We've all seen great posts about someone who surprised their spouse, their kids etc. with a cruise and that the surprise target didn't know about the cruise until they were driving up to the port. These can be special times for a family if the situation is correct.

But I have then seen people try to duplicate the suprise for their family and it turns out to be a disaster. Not everyone likes surprises. Some children are very uncomfortable with the unexpected etc.

This is just one example of where what works for one family may not work for yours. Remember you are planning the trip for YOUR family, your spouse, your children. Don't make the mistake of reading about someone else's wonderful time and just take it for granted that the same plan would work for your family.

 

[lbgraves]

OMG! This reminds me of something that happened when we went with my parents on a Seven-Day cruise back in 2001. I love to plan, but not to the point of obsession, and my parents were driving me crazy about our "timeline" for doing things. Well as a joke one day (in a fit of utter boredom at work, I should add) made an Excel spreadsheet listing all the hours in the day and what we would be doing at any given moment in the day (We are talking everything. I included shower blocks, sleep blocks and eating blocks. The only thing I left off were potty breaks). I was shocked when I found out that my parents (Who usually appreciate my sarcastic humor) printed the schedule out and put it in a three ring binder that they planned to put all their info in for the trip!

YIKES!

OMG! I know that I like to be well informed when we are spending almost 3000 on a vacation but I don't go to that extreme. LOL! I was going to comment on the threads that I have seen on the WDW boards where people actually have spreadsheets for the parks listing when they will be on what ride at any point in the day. I like to relax a little more than that.

 

[eye R.N.]

The DIS is just a tool.

And like any other tool, it works as well or as poorly as the person using it.
I use this tool for research, I have found some great excursions at better prices than DCL offers. I have found some great idea's that have saved me money, time, and hassels. For the Aug repo cruise, wow, the hard work of several folks is saving me a substantial amount on everything from transfers to sovies to excursions.

In my trip reports one tends to find the good, the bad and the ugly. Our side trip to the Cozumel super market to get vanilla, was a life lesson for my kids, they saw how different the country could be three blocks inland. Would I have know about that store is not for the DIS, NO. Similarly I felt honor bound to those that went after me to report that our credit card number stayed in Mexico after we were gone because we made the mistake of using it at a shop not on the disney list.

Dining rotations, servers, room stewards are all the luck of the draw, we have been very happy sometimes, sometimes not, and that is all OK. We have never had a "bad" cruise, but we have had ones that were more fun than othrers. I can totally understand how someone would love to share their good fortune in getting an upgrade with a group that would understand. That does not mean I expect the same treatment. Life happens.

The best part of the DIS for me, is connecting with some folks I'll be traveling with. That is most important this time as it will be just my daughter and I for two weeks on a ship. In the past it was great to go to a show or movie and see someone there that you have gotten to know through the message board. I am still close to last years group, which met up the year before and had so much fun we did it again.

Anyone who has their expectations set in stone should read trip reports from last August, pick a week, any week. There were challenges and changes and a high degree of adapability required. This can and will happen again, those that have information are better prepared to deal with it.

Read it all ,take what you can use, and file the rest

And have the best cruise you can