When I go to Disney....

[bjmzl]

We have actually decided that this year we are just doing the quick service so that we can't just take our time, not worry about reservations. The last time we went we slept in and went to the parks later in the evening and we enjoyed that.

 

[Katems]

Different strokes!

I ADORE the planning. It's VERY fun for me. And it makes for a very enjoyable vacation as well as everything runs smoothly. I get sad and bored when I've made all the ADRs and planned the days out, as well as the alternate days if something pops up or Disney changes their schedule on me. Planning is as much fun for me as the actual parks are.

I get that you enjoy NOT planning. But do you get that others actually DO enjoy the planning?

 

[tristansmiles]

I am one of the planners. I LOVE IT! It just gets me more excited...

 

[RalphinSC]

I love the planning too. To me, that's half the fun. But I completely understand why not everyone wants to go through it. My wife hates planning but doesn't mind the doing part. Now maybe if we get several trips under our belts and we have seen and done it all before, we'll just take it really slow. But for my taste and maximum enjoyment, I love nothing more than to think of exactly how my Disney days are going to go and then go out and have fun making those dreams come true.

And even if plans fall through, the worst that happens is that we are in Disney having a good time.

 

[nellyru]

Hey whatever works for you!!!!

Personally, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the planning. It is half of the fun for me. I also LOVE all of you that do not make RD a priority..... just means shorter lines for me.

Ditto!!

 

[ChrystalUnicorn]

Hey whatever works for you!!!!

Personally, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the planning. It is half of the fun for me. I also LOVE all of you that do not make RD a priority..... just means shorter lines for me.

I agree totally!

 

[Nicoleclaw]

Sorry, but some of us enjoy the planning. As another poster said, for those of us who are naturally planners, the idea of vacationing the way you prefer sounds miserable. Different personalities require different things from a vacation. One way is not superior to the other.

That sums it up for me. For some of us, NOT having a plan is misery! To each his own!

 

[katla33]

Planning is half the fun!
We play it by ear when it comes to rides and I don't think we've ever made it to rope drop (although this year we're going to have to if my girls want to meet Rapunzel). But I enjoy planning which park we are going to visit each day and where we are going to eat. I even get really crazy and plan what outfits my kids are going to wear.
I think our family has a good balance of planning and playing it by ear.

 

[LilyWDW]

My philosophy is Be Prepared, followed closely by Be Flexible. Learned that as a Girl Scout leader!

I love the dreaming and planning. When I start to WORRY about stuff like will the buses be fast enough, or will I have enough time/money, or will my cab driver be decent, I know I need to step back and take a break!

This post is perfect for me... though I always worry if I have enough money!

I have OCD and one of my "things" is planning. I can't "wing it". I personally need to have an idea about times and plans. It is who I am and there is nothing wrong with that.

That said, I have learned to build in some flexibility. We have our ADRs, we know what our plans are for each day (which park, what special events, ect), and we do rope drop at least once for each park. Otherwise, I don't plan much more. I know what rides are best to get to first, what to fastpass, and what attractions are best for the busiest parts of the day.

But I don't do an actual touring plan (as in step 1, step 2, ect) because you never know what could happen... and those are the sorts of things that could throw ME off and into an OCD panic. So, I don't put myself into those sorts of positions.

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

I don't plan too much, like exactly what route to take through the parks or anything. We might make rope drop, might be a little late, but we do plan on getting up and out early. My DD is an early riser anyway so we're usually up by 7. I plan the WDW vacation the same way I do most vacations. Research things to do, make a list, if we get to it then great; if not, no biggie. I do make some reservations for meals we really want to do, I do plan which park to do which days.

 

[k5thbeatle]

This thread and the responses just goes to show that some people like to free wheel it and others like it all planned out to the last detail and everything inbetween...but whatever, all seem to be equally content!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Most of my trips are solo, but I always meet up with lots of folks from the DIS. I myself plan as to visiting the low crowd park/s each day/night, and whom I am meeting up with, when and where. Bit then those meeting plans are subject to some fluctuation for sure, cell phones cover that. if any of the folks want to plan a dining reservation, then they do that. Also, most every trip I do a tour, so that is booked ahead of time also, but following the low crowd philosophy.

 

[marielynn724]

to the OP: how refreshing! tons of disneyphiles (myself included) can get caught up in trying to see and do everything, and it's nice to be reminded to stop and smell the roses sometimes. that's what disney is all about - just experiencing the magic

 

[my3sons77]

WHOA!

Some of you are taking my post WAY too seriously!!! It is not a slam against those of you who like to plan and enjoy it all. I am not that kind of person and would NEVER say that what you are doing is wrong and you should change! If you enjoy it you do what you love. Goodness gracious.

My post was just another idea of doing Disney. The Disboards is filled with planning planning planning and more planning. Someone new comes here and they think that every single thing must be done correctly or you will miss out on everything. Which is completely not true.

Please calm down. Again if planning is your thing, then it is just your thing.

Me oh my. I've been gone all day and come back to people thinking that I am telling them how they should vacation. Please don't think that way.

 

[my3sons77]

I asked for this thread to be closed.

It turned into something I did not intend for it to turn into. I want nothing to do with people thinking that I am trying to tell them what to do and them putting me down in the process.

My thread was meant to be lighthearted. My apologies for those who thought I was trying to tell them how to do their vacations.

 

[teach22180]

OP, I don't think people are disagreeing with you. I thought people were just agreeing that we are all different and that it is okay. I actually thought things were going much better than I expected with such a hot button topic!

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

Everyone has their own style and way of doing things...and that is cool...Hope your next trip is SOON and everything you wnat it to be!

 

[LilyWDW]

OP, I don't think people are disagreeing with you. I thought people were just agreeing that we are all different and that it is okay. I actually thought things were going much better than I expected with such a hot button topic!

That is how I took it. My other post was simply explaining why I do the things I do because I feel it gives others a new way to look at things. I actually hope it does NOT get closed because there is no reason it should be closed.

I think it is interesting to see how different people take a Disney trip and I think this can be informative to all planners to see. This way they will know that there is no ONE single way to do things.

 

[Disney_Jill]

This post is perfect for me... though I always worry if I have enough money!

I have OCD and one of my "things" is planning. I can't "wing it". I personally need to have an idea about times and plans. It is who I am and there is nothing wrong with that.

That said, I have learned to build in some flexibility. We have our ADRs, we know what our plans are for each day (which park, what special events, ect), and we do rope drop at least once for each park. Otherwise, I don't plan much more. I know what rides are best to get to first, what to fastpass, and what attractions are best for the busiest parts of the day.

But I don't do an actual touring plan (as in step 1, step 2, ect) because you never know what could happen... and those are the sorts of things that could throw ME off and into an OCD panic. So, I don't put myself into those sorts of positions.

This is EXACTLY how I am. I like to have a general plan, as in what parks to go to, etc. I don't plan ride by ride or anything. If I don't have some sort of game plan I would panic! I allow enough wiggle room in my plans to be flexible in case something comes up (I do this so I don't freak out if plans have to change). I always say I have a plan A, B, C, all the way to Z!
As for rope drop, I am up every day no later than 7, vacation or not. Shoot, we did the 3 am EMH at MK and I was still up around 8:30 am.

OP, don't worry about it. Like you said, don't like the little things rattle you. I think part of the problem is that you lumped ALL planners together, regardless of the severity of planning. I am a planner and did not feel any ill will toward your post.

 

[pdxJolene]

I read through all of this thread and was really surprised to see the OP feeling that people had taken this wrong like that. It seemed to me everyone was just sharing how they plan their trips, and everyone seems to agree different strokes for different folks. Hopefully it doesn't get closed, I found it very interesting and helpful!

Anyway, I am planning which park to go to each day based on ADR's. Being from the west coast rope drop probably won't be happening, but then again who knows... We tend to get extra excited on vacation and wake up way too early no matter what! Lol as far as in the park plans, because this is our first trip were going to make a list of all the "must do" attractions and shows so we don't forget about something. It would suck to get home and remember we really wanted to see that show! I'm also going to bring a few touring plans from TP with me. I doubt we will use them, I'd rather just decide what to do as we go but if it is really busy I could see us using them just to make sure we get stuff done! In my opinion its better to have a plan and not use it than to not have one and wish you did. I know we won't see it all, and I'm not going to aim for that. I would however like to make the best of our time and see as much as we can without long lines!