What will I miss if I don't plan?

[snowyday]

Hello again,
I am trying to convince DH of the importance of researching and planning a Disney trip but he thinks I am being over zealous. (We are hoping to go in Feb but have yet to do any planning.) Just skimming these boards tells me there is so much I need to learn and so many things I can do ahead of time to make sure we have a great time once we get there. He thinks we download a map of the parks and we are good to go. He asked me what exactly we would be missing out on if we just went there and hit the parks running, but since this is my first time I couldn't answer. I just know that there is so much more to it than that but need concrete things to convince him. I told him that we need to make dinner reservations now and he thought I was crazy.

If anyone can give me one or two experiences we may miss out on by not doing the proper planning I would appreciate it! There is no way I am going without reading, researching and planning all I can before but I need to justify all the computer time!

 

[Creekermom]

Snowyday, we just went on our first trip ever to WDW and let me tell you we booked the trip in July and I planned all the way up until we left.

I was concerned just as you are and you should be.

I first planned my TS meals, as I wanted to get as many character meals as we have a DD who is almost 5.

We kinda had a game plan as to what to do or what not to do since we had DD. We were there for 6 days and we did each park once with the exception of Epcot and MK as we went there twice.

There is sooo much to do that if you don't plan what is important to you and your family, you will be disappointed as we still didn't get to do everything. Time is a major factor.

I just asked my DH and he was as skeptical as anything and I quote he just rolled his eyes every time I said anything. LOL " What was my wife getting into?" Not having any part of the planning.

The trip went smoother than he ever thought, the little things here are so valuable. First time Pins, Fast Passes, times the parks are open,
You DO need to make your reservations now, as they have turned people away when they came up to the reservation station... they were FULL.

You can research the rides and attractions find what appeals to the both of you or your children.
You have to account for time to do whatever it is you want, as it will fly by quickly, and soon the park will close.

Please feel free to pm me I will be glad to give you more info.

BTW, My DH was 'WOW'ED" at my knowledge and was quite impressed as the trip went smooth so smooth that he can't wait to go back next year, and that is funny as when I mentioned it before we went he just said, I don't want to go every year.. yada yada yada... when he came back all he did was talk about the trip!

So next September we are going again and we can't wait!

Let me know if I can help you in anyway!

 

[shewelch]

He will thank you- I promise!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I think the first thing you need to do is figure out how many days you are going to be there! I would allow a minimum of one day per park! Even then you are streaching it, and you will be exausted! DW and I go for at least eight days, hit each park for one dy, a day of rest at the hotel, and then a day of shopping, and then two more parks!

 

[kmbound]

I once read this piece of advice prior to our first trip and we still stick to it after many trips to the world.

There are three types of Disney guests:
1 - Disney Commandos - they plan every second of every day and get frazzled when things don't go as planned. The push the family around the parks trying to squeeze every last drop of fun and in the end - ruin much of the fun and excitement but rushing from place to place.

2 - Disney Slackers - they don't plan anything. They end up deciding what to do at the last second and find out that all the cool things that take reservations are booked and they can't get in. They sleep in too late and go home too early and miss all the good stuff by wandering around aimlessly.

3 - Disney Lovers - they plan just enough and have a purpose for each day. Like one restaurant choice and certain rides to hit. They stop to smell the roses as it were and yet don't get caught up in wasting time gazing at the local landscaping. They find the balance between getting as much in as possible and still relaxing at the same time. It is vacation after all. These people are called disney lovers because if done right - they will love it, their familly will love it and they will be back next year.

Hope this helps - I strongly suggest hitting barnes and noble for some good advice from the "pros" if you have never been. Lots of good material on day to day and even hour to hour planning and ideas for all ages.

 

[ransom]

I advocate the "Disney Lovers" method as defined by kmbound. Plan which park to do on which day, plan to be there at rope drop, and plan your first few rides (the biggies that'll be very busy later). Figure out where you're going to be eating dinner, and make an ADR well in advance. But leave the rest of your day flexible.

That way, you won't miss out on anything major (like a nice dinner or a popular ride), AND you won't miss out on the best and most wonderful thing about Disney parks -- the details. Running from ride to ride all day? You'll miss them. Walking around dazed and confused, or spending an hour or more in each line? You'll miss them.

On our first trip, our most wonderful and memorable day was our last full day, which we had only planned out marginally so we would have time to do whatever we thought we should at that point. We ended up spending time soaking up the magic at the Magic Kingdom in the morning, admiring the theming at Animal Kingdom at mid-day, enjoying the bustle at Downtown Disney in the afternoon, and then had a nice dinner in the evening. If we'd planned to the Nth degree, we would have missed out on that wonderful, mostly-spontaneous experience.

So plan to have fun, and the rest will follow. That's my advice.

 

[Cee]

Since this is your first trip, I would definitely plan along the "Disney Lover"'s
line. You'll be glad you did. After you've gone a few times, you'll know what
is important to you, your favorites and the things you don't ever have to do
again. In time, you may even feel comfortable and confident going without
any planning just because you know yourselves and "The World" so well.
After going to WDW since the 70's, I still discover something new every time
I go and it's not necessarily the newest addition. Just leave some time to
stop and smell those beautiful Disney roses from time to time. A bench, a
beverage, your DH and Disney make for some very entertaining "people watching"! Have a BLAST.

 

[mbc35]

Well, according to the Unofficial Guide, if you do plan, you'll miss four hours of standing in line.

My husband thought I was crazy the first time too, but he agreed to give my way a try for a day. Now he's a believer.

We usually follow the plan faithfully until about lunch time. By then, we've seen the stuff we really care about and we can take the afternoon at a slower pace.

 

[monkey11375]

I definitely think you can have a great trip without planning. I personally enjoy planning because it gives me something to do while I'm waiting for the trip to arrive, and it increases my anticipation and excitement, gets me through the tough work period.

I think the biggest thing you'll miss out on without planning is the the hard to get ADR's like Le Cellier or any of the character meals. You'll be stuck taking whatever restaurants are left, which are probably still good but may not be your first choices. You might also miss out on some hidden gems at the parks or hotels that you'd really enjoy. And unless you're taking a very long trip and riding every ride, you might miss out on some park attractions you'd have loved while waiting on long lines for ones you're less interested in.

 

[LuvIt]

I returned from my first trip to WDW a few days ago. I gotta say, part of the fun for me was the planning part! My husband wasn't interested in that, but I was thrilled to find this DISBoard and a couple other sites that had forums I had fun reading for a couple months before our trip. I don't think you need to be an overzealous planner, but knowledge is good and you will glean a lot just from reading the forum. I learned that IF you are interested in table service meals, you need to get those reservations and I found info on restaurants and even menus online which helped me figure out where to eat. Even if not interested in table service, the menus and other info help identify yummy counter service places so you are not doing "burgers and fries" all the time. I learned to get to the parks when the open and that helped us get on poplular rides without long line waits. Getting fast passes was fabulous. I picked my resort (Port Orleans RIverside) based on this board and really liked it. Plus other tips people had on planning trips, what to bring, etc. I don't think you need to OVERPLAN but knowledge is a good thing to have so keep reading!

 

[GoofyKidd]

My DH thought I was crazy last year planning our first WDW trip. I had my nose in my book every night, taking notes, coming up with a flexible itinerary and making dining reservations. After the trip, he said "Thank goodness you did all of that work. Now I see why you did so much research." I finally felt validated! Despite learning all I did last year, there was still a lot more to learn for our trip this year. I got a different book and studied all it had to say. And we had a fantastic time again. I even found my DH more interested in the planning this time around. Again, it was the most wonderful trip. Bottom line is, you don't have to plan a thing, but I think we'd have missed so many things. I'm not a crazy commando type at the park, but I'm a firm believer in educating yourself before any big undertaking. And with the amount of money you will spend on this trip, do yourself a favor a read this board, ask questions, and get a book. You won't be sorry. ANd remember to have fun-your itinerary is flexible!!

 

[Raenstoirm]

You have to have some sort of plan, if just what park you will be at each day and where you will eat (and make the ADR accordingly). Last trip we had an adr at Rainforest Cafe, but AK was a mess so we left. We ended up in downtown Disney for dinner (since you really don't need adrs, at least when we were there) and had a great dinner. Then we went to Mk for the evening. it would never occur to me to plan the order of rides or anything since that is a spur of the moment feeling, based on wait times and interests of the moment. (Aka I just had a mickey head so perhaps Haunted Mansion would be a better ride than splash mountain to not lose said snack at the moment.)

 

[BigGreen73]

The extent of planning is all dependent on the individual. My DW and I plan, but to a limit. Our planning comes down to deciding what park to visit each day of our vacation and planning one or two character meals. That's it and it works for us just fine. We have been able to get in everything at each park without any problems whatsoever or any long waits. No wasted time here. Plus we get to relax, take in the scenery, and are not pressured but a strict schedule. If we planned like some do, we would go crazy, and it wouldn't be much fun.

But, we are a couple w/o kids. If you have kids, I highly recommend you research what you can, make appropriate ADR's, and plan as needed to provide a better vacation experience for all your family members. How much you plan is up to you. Good Luck

 

[Jrabbit910]

I have went to Disney with and without planning & the end result always ends up the same way... IM HAVING A GREAT TIME EITHER WAY!

Sometimes people plan so much that they get overheated when something interups thier plans & then sometimes people dont plan and get upset that they couldnt do a certain thing... so my suggestion is like some of the pp stated and is balance between the two.

This is your first trip & because it is not booked yet, read & learn about the best times to go... February has some very crowded days and some days that are not so crowded... If you book during the crowded days you are going to want to plan out some things... (also can be less money during the non busy days)

Stay on the boards & check out everything or grab a planning book & Disneys website they can also help you out w/ picking the days.

Oh & last but not least before anything, when doing the research for what days to go decide if your going to book w/ a travel agent or decide if you want to do it yourself). Dreams unlimited will look for any types of discounts that are out there if you cant find them yourself.

Hope this helped & gl w/ everything.

 

[kmbound]

One suggestion on reading for a first or second timer that may be a great help to you in planning.

"The Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation" author is Steven Barrett

He lines out touring plans through each of the worlds that supposedly maximizes our time and allows you to counter the usual flow of traffic in the parks. I have read the book but not employed any of his strategies yet but they sound reasonable.

BTW I would qualify this as guy as a Commando but he may have some good suggestions and ideas for you.

 

[CleveRocks]

I plan NOTHING. NOTHING!!! Well, one or two ADRs for the week and that's it.

I'm a Disney "Scholar." Before my first trip as a parent, I gathered every last little bit of WDW knowledge that I could find, by books, Internet, etc.

So for our first trip with our kids, we had a Hoop Dee Doo reservation and a Crystal Palace dinner ADR. That's it. We had no idea what parks we'd be in on which days. In fact, we let our then-5 year old decide what park we'd go to each morning (or at the very earliest the night before).

Because of my near-encyclopedic knowldege of WDW, I could find myself in any situation and know the most efficient and most fun way to tour that park at that time of day.

It worked out wonderfully. The same for our next trip 18 months later. We had a CRT breakfast reservation and a Chef Mickey's ADR, and that's all we knew we would do. The rest we left up to our 6 and 4 year olds, as far as what parks to go to and when, what fireworks/parades to see, etc.

We had a fabulous fabulous fabulous time, both times.

The key was knowing so much about WDW even though, before that, I hadn't been there in something like 15 years.

 

[bear_mom]

Aside from having ADR's planned, there was nothing planned in our trip, not even park days. We let our kids be the guides.

But, due to the amount of time I spent here, I was able to make that go much smoother! Like I knew the kids wanted to ride BTMRR, so we got fast passes for that and then asked the kids where to go from there. When they wanted to ride Test Track for the third time and the line was 10 minutes, we said fine, when the line was 30 minutes we got fast passes and went and did something else and came back.

It really went against my nature to have every day completely planned out - commando style, but we had a much better time going with the flow.

Emily

 

[princessreilly]

I would definately recommend planning. Don't let DH discourage you. My DH says the same thing to me. If this is your first trip, research so that you know what you want to do before you get there. It will save you a lot of time on your vacation. Make ADRs 180 days in advance. I was turned down on the places I didn't have ADRs for last time. When you make ADRs you go right in!

 

[JenSop]

I'm a planner, but not to the extreme.

Some of it I take for granted, though, since I've been going to WDW since I was 8 years old. (31 now.)

Our basic strategy is to make the ADR's way out and that's it. We plan our park days as we go. We do dinner ADR's, so we'll start out in whatever park we want. Our first thing in the morning strategy is to run and get a fast pass for a popular ride, then get in line for another popular ride. Once we're off the first one, we'll be ready to just walk in with our fast passes for the second one.

Almost every day we go back to the hotel for an afternoon swim and then get ready for our dinner ADR. AFter dinner, we'll just finish with whatever park we feel like - usually one that's open late for EMH.

But we do like to play it by ear. However, I know the parks pretty darn well, so that saves lots of time. I would say to go over a bunch of info to aquaint yourself with the rides, restaurants, and maps so that once you're there, you know where to go when you just want to go with the flow, without being confused.

Enjoy your trip! You will love it!

 

[onelugnut]

each family needs a "commando"
it could be my wife but it cant be both.
i dont rule with an iron hand. but with a guiding one

the commando should at least buy a guide book and read cover to cover
on the way there.

and of course reservations have to be made in advance.

thats the best part