unblieveable!

[mrbghd]

That's too bad. She won't get as much out of the trip.

I just don't get this line of thinking. Maybe they don't want to tour the parkslike you or the OP. As long as they get out of the trip what they want they will be happy.

 

[Snape]

It sounds like you were trying to be a good friend but what does it matter to you what her family does?

People can take vacations to Disney and not rush through the parks and enjoy it. It's also not all about eating in restaurants, as there are many other things to do. I just don't get that mentality here. She might be saying the same thing about you (ie. why would a person go to Disney with a binder full of things scheduled)? Different strokes.

 

[mrbghd]

soooo. I have a friend who just decided YESTERDAY to take her family to WDW in TWO WEEKS!!!! I told her that if she insisted on going so soon that I would help her try to get an itinerary hammered out. her response?

"nah.. its a vacation. we'll just wing it"

I just walked off muttering.

Are you going with them? If not, let them go and enjoy their trip in whatever fashion they want. People get so hung up on having to have a plan. We enjoy planning most of our stay but we always leave a few days open. I have to say that the way you come off by saying that "if she insisted on going so soon you would help" was really condescending. Like you are your friends only hope for having a fun trip.

Why do people become so concerned with others vacations?

 

[WheelCEO]

In all of my years going to Disney I have NEVER planned, never even made an ADR. I take spur of the moment trips all of the time (2 1/ hrs away) and have never once had a problem getting in at any restaurant I have wanted to. Some members over plan, it's just not needed.

 

[Snape]

In all of my years going to Disney I have NEVER planned, never even made an ADR. I take spur of the moment trips all of the time (2 1/ hrs away) and have never once had a problem getting in at any restaurant I have wanted to. Some members over plan, it's just not needed.

I actually find it kind of funny when I've seen people whip about a 3 ring binder in front of Peter Pans ride. There is something for everyone, that's just not a vacation to me.

And the zig zagging across the parks to get fastpasses? Nope - will never happen.

 

[fla4fun]

I think some of the replies haven't considered the context - that the OP knows this person's personality and knows what will make them happy or miserable. Based on this info, they came here to vent a little. No big cause for alarm!

OP, if you have any old guide maps, maybe you could share them with your friend to give them an idea of what it's like. No pressure, no talking about WDW, just give them the brochures and step back. Perhaps that will spark an interest in a little more research about all there is to do. I'm totally a "wing it" person when I'm on vacation, but I do research the place I'm visiting before I go so I have the lay of the land.

If they don't catch on when you give them the guide maps, then let it go. There are some people who get it and some people who don't - maybe they'll be some of the ones who don't.

 

[kmk1180]

I actually find it kind of funny when I've seen people whip about a 3 ring binder in front of Peter Pans ride. .

I know isn't that a hilarious sight.
I mean are you on vacation or trying to beat a deadline?
Is working a spreadsheet of a checklist really enjoyable?

Oh well, I enjoy my trip, let them enjoy theirs.

 

[KellyNY]

It's great the you're going over to help her, but I do have to wonder why you didn't offer that at the start? When she said the bit about "Disneyland, the zoo park and California Adventure", why not offer at that point to at least give her the "lay of the land"? I get the concept of waiting for someone to ask and not pushing your own way of travel on someone else, but if you know going in that "she IS the type that will be MISERABLE because her kids wont get to eat with Pooh and friends. She will come home ranting and raving about what a waste of time and money WDW is. She will be shocked at prices,crowds and without a little education will miss out on the magic.", why would you walk away muttering instead of helping?

Not trying to be critical ... just wondering ....

I doubt she even knows about eating with characters. She definitely needs some sort of research.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

I DID offer to help her. thats when she told me they'd just wing it.
We met today and we got a lot accomplished. we went over the lay of the land... I helped her pick a resort, and went over transportation and fastpass a little. I showed her some websites that she can read over and Im sure they will help her get organized. Im sure they will have a great time.

 

[d1gitman]

I DID offer to help her. thats when she told me they'd just wing it.
We met today and we got a lot accomplished. we went over the lay of the land... I helped her pick a resort, and went over transportation and fastpass a little. I showed her some websites that she can read over and Im sure they will help her get organized. Im sure they will have a great time.

great. it's good to hear your friend was open to learning about the World. who knows, you might just turn her into a DISjunkie yet

 

[CocosMeme]

I admit I have not read this whole thread, but I went with my DS and his family on a last minute trip (planned 2 weeks in advance) and we did get nice rooms at CBR and had a pretty good idea of park planning since I have been so may times but our BIG problem was meals. We could only get one ADR at Tony's ( not my favorite) and it was for lunch. It was during free dining and everything was booked solid. We wound up eating fast food all week and it was not fun. My DIL was convinced we would be able to eat walk up or get the concierge to get us a reservation somewhere, but she finally admitted to me that ADR's were important.

 

[Satchmo128]

edit: This thread keeps reminding me of the post I read in another thread, about the guy's coworker who went to Disney World for a week and came back complaining that she and her husband could never find the castle or any of the other classic Disney sights. And then it turned out they'd spent the whole week at Universal Studios.

Seriously? Wow.....

 

[SilverSynchro919]

As a semi-commando planner, I can see where both the OP and her friends are coming from. I've done WDW both ways, and I've enjoyed it both ways. As a family, we don't make too many ADRs, and we have definitely gotten into TS restaurants without waiting too terribly long without them, even in March! Sometimes we don't know what parks we want to do until we wake up the next morning, or we hop from park to park all day long. Other days, we know exactly what we're doing, and we head there with a specific plan. I've only been to one rope drop in my entire life, and that was my most recent trip at DHS to make it onto TSM. I'm sure this family will have a great time, even if it's not the same great time that the OP might have by being a super planner.

 

[bumbershoot]

I cannot imagine sticking to any type of strict schedule on vacation. We do enough of that in our daily lives.

We always have a great time.

But that's not what this thread, the OP's thread, is about at all. This is about someone who didn't totally seem to realize that she was going to Orlando, not Anaheim.

well, all i can say is when you start a thread titled "unbelievable" and criticise a person for how they do something and state that you walked off 'muttering', one could easily jump to the conclusion that you might be a bit overbearing on the planning and possibly butting in to someones vaca.

To me, her actions are the opposite of overbearing.

I'm all for people "winging it", but wing it in the right place! "That Zoo Thing" ... I love it! Now and forever, that's what I'll call Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom will simply be "Where The Castle Is", Epcot will be "Home of the Giant Ball" and HS will be "The Place With The Hat". The two water parks will simply be ... "Those Two Water Parks".

I'm hoping that by the time we get to Orlando, DH will stop calling the MK "Disneyland". Just as embarrassing as my brother (who went to HS in Miami and did WDW for Grad Night) calling Disneyland Park the Magic Kingdom. Stop it, please hubby and brother; call things by their right names, or make up fun nicknames!

She called this afternoon and asked me how much she should budget for "ride tickets. When I gasped and told her the rides were included in the ticket price.. she got quiet and then said "Maybe you could come over tommorow and help me get a little plan going?"

Im so relieved. I love my friend and I want her to see the Magic that we see at WDW. I plan to help her get the basics. Learn about Fastpass, a little bit of orientation and see if I can help her work her schedule around the different shows and parades.

Whew!

I DID offer to help her. thats when she told me they'd just wing it.
We met today and we got a lot accomplished. we went over the lay of the land... I helped her pick a resort, and went over transportation and fastpass a little. I showed her some websites that she can read over and Im sure they will help her get organized. Im sure they will have a great time.

ohana, you told the story just right in your OP. You said that you offered, then she said they'd wing it, then you left. I know you offered b/c that's what you wrote!

Glad you were able to help her out! She must have been shocked at admission costs, if she thought that ride tickets weren't included in that!

 

[TandLMommy28]

Is working a spreadsheet of a checklist really enjoyable?

See now, spreadsheets relax me. I make spreadsheets for everything. it doesn't stress me out, it makes me calm. Some people drink, some people smoke, some people jog.. I make spreadsheets. I don't expect many people to understand that but I know that a few people out there DO. And if I'm looking at a binder in the park, I'm probably looking at a list of air conditioned places to stop and have a snack, double checking how many meal credits we have left or a looking up some cool tip I read on this board that slipped my mind--not trying to make a deadline to be on Peter Pan by 10:02am. My binder is full of ideas, guidelines, tip and info from this board and other places that helps make my trip more relaxing, not more stressful.

OP, I'm so glad that it worked out with your friend. I don't think you did anything wrong. Being concerned about someone you care about having a good vacation is certainly not a terrible thing. You know your friend well enough to know her typical vacation style so even though everyone here said "maybe she'll like that kind of vacation" you are the one who knows her--obviuosly if you were concerned that she wasn't going to have a good time with that kind of vacation, it's because you know your friend. The fact that she is relieved to have more info and to know what she's getting into is proof you knew what you were talking about. I hope she has a great trip!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm a Bear Scout leader ~ my former partner *she recently got moved to the Wolf Scouts* visited WDW with her DH and 2 small children last summer, it was so spur of the moment I didn't know about till they got back and we saw each other weekly! Her DH was there for work so they decided to tag along, I guess they had fun...

 

[kaligal]

I once decided to go and left the same day. Made my hotel reservation while driving to it after landing at MCO.

And I had a fine trip.

It is possible for different people to do the same thing different ways and each have a good time.

Why is it that uber-planners feel that everyone has to have a spreadsheet like they do or else have a terrible vacation? Why do sleeper-inners think those who rise at the crack of dawn and haul around notebooks of notes can't have any fun?

Different strokes, different folks.

 

[Treehorn]

So while on your vacation, you have excellent plans laid out, and then something goes horribly wrong and a ride is off line or your reservation is not ready for an hour, it is going to change your mental state inevitably. It is a proven fact that it will cause pressure, or stress, on your mental capacity. Is that something to look forward to on vacation?

Unfortunately this is one reason we will never go on a cruise....if I am enjoying a stop and the boat leaves at 6 and I am having the time of my life, what do I do? Miss the boat?

 

[Absolutely Disney]

soooo. I have a friend who just decided YESTERDAY to take her family to WDW in TWO WEEKS!!!! I told her that if she insisted on going so soon that I would help her try to get an itinerary hammered out. her response?

"nah.. its a vacation. we'll just wing it"



then she was like " there's what 3 parks. Disneyland, that zoo thing and some california adventure?"



I just walked off muttering.

Good luck to her, but she'll never make it!

 

[WDSearcher]

I DID offer to help her. thats when she told me they'd just wing it.
We met today and we got a lot accomplished. we went over the lay of the land... I helped her pick a resort, and went over transportation and fastpass a little. I showed her some websites that she can read over and Im sure they will help her get organized. Im sure they will have a great time.

Sorry! I clearly misread that part of the OP!

Wondering if your friend was surprised that she was thinking about the parks in a totally different state?