Why dont people plan?

[danc18]

Disney is definitely unique. I have been at least 5 times but not in several years. I'm a planner by nature but it does shock me that I have to plan dinner 6 months ahead, plan rides months ahead, pay nearly $1000/night for a room that will allow us to get to MK in less than a hour etc. This is especially hard with young kids who don't keep to plans all that well. But here we go, war will love it and forget that it's costing a crazy amount of money to fight the masses. I actually looked at alternate vacations for kids and couldn't come up with anywhere spectacular. I think I am disappointed that disney hasn't done more to handle capacity though.

 

[capegirl]

Me too. I miss old FP. I don't love being locked into a park months out. I'm worried maybe we will have bad weather the day we have tons of plans and then our off day will be nice. In the past it wasn't as big of a deal to flip days around once you got there.

FP+ combined with ADRs is Disney planning on steriods. As much as I love Disney, I do not enjoy being locked into my plans, and this stresses me out on vacation. In fact, our family dislikes FP+ so much that we are contemplating touring 'old school' on our upcoming trip; doing RD, and just winging it. Personally, I think a vacation is when you should abandon schedules, and be spontaneous.

 

[linskypens]

This is actually a troubling sign to me about Disney....the fact that one needs to pre plan every aspect of a Disney vacation is something that is a creation really of the past decade and frankly, not an encouraging one.

When we first bought into DVC over 16 years ago, and going back to the trips we made from our honeymoon on 21 years ago....one could go to Disney and do SOME pre planning, but we could eat in the places we wanted to eat. We could change a reservation on the same day. when fast passes where introduced, you could walk up to a kiosk and get a reasonable hour. You could walk over to where a parade was and get a decent spot to watch. You could watch fireworks from just about any spot without needing a fastpass for a "premium" spot.

You could also decide at a spur of the moment to plan a 3 day trip, and be able to do the things tyou wanted to do....you could even...GASP...walk up to a restaurant and wait for a table.

The problem now is that a family who doesn't understand the things we understand, and doesn't do the massive amount of research necessary, walks into a buzzsaw of things they can access...It is easy for us to wag our finger and say they should have known better, but I have a great deal of sympathy for these folks, because i remember a better time when it wasn't like it is today

I hear what you are saying, but let me ask you this. If you were going any other place on the planet, and you were spending 5000 or more for a week long vacation, wouldn't you at least look into it before you went? The fact that so may people spend that kind of cash, and have no clue when there are more resources than ever, including the dozen emails Disney sends out each trip, is astounding to me.

 

[linskypens]

FP+ combined with ADRs is Disney planning on steriods. As much as I love Disney, I do not enjoy being locked into my plans, and this stresses me out on vacation. In fact, our family dislikes FP+ so much that we are contemplating touring 'old school' on our upcoming trip; doing RD, and just winging it. Personally, I think a vacation is when you should abandon schedules, and be spontaneous.

If you are eating quick service and can do rope drop, you dont have to plan much. we still have a couple park days we just wing. But if you are a first timer, it is still astounding you would spend that much cash and not plan. Everyone knows someone who knows something about Disney. Any one who approaches me, gets the YOU NEED TO START PLANING NOW lecture.

 

[frisbeego]

(Important caveat - no battle plan ever survives intact. Every plan I've ever made, has had to be adapted on the fly. But being prepared, and knowing what's going on, makes being flexible and spontaneous SO much easier. )

I agree with all of your post, but particularly this. I take international adventure trips (e.g., canyoning, ice hiking, sky diving, etc.) every other year. I plan extensively so I'm ready in case something comes up. For example, heavy rain might cancel my canyoning plans. I want to know what's available so I can make informed decisions quickly.

 

[nkereina]

I think a lot of first visitors see this as they're going to a theme park. They'll do MK on Monday, Epcot on Tuesday, etc. They think "what else is there to know". They figure they'll walk around and go on the rides like you do at Six Flags. They don't realize things like ADRs and FPs even exist.

The flipside to this is that why wouldn't you familiarize yourself with the place you are spending thousands of dollars to visit. But some people don't operate that way, think they know it all, are too preoccupied with life, or have a bad travel agent.

I think there's another kind of visitor that is visiting Florida and decides to pop into WDW for the day. I can understand why these kinds of visitors wouldn't know anything. They don't realize it's not that easy.

 

[TiffanyA]

The problem now is that a family who doesn't understand the things we understand, and doesn't do the massive amount of research necessary, walks into a buzzsaw of things they can access...It is easy for us to wag our finger and say they should have known better, but I have a great deal of sympathy for these folks, because i remember a better time when it wasn't like it is today

I have not read the entire thread but THIS. I was lucky enough to start going before all this pre-planning became necessary and I have VERY fond memories of those times.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I have not read the entire thread but THIS. I was lucky enough to start going before all this pre-planning became necessary and I have VERY fond memories of those times.

Me too...

MG

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

I got lucky... my first trip to Disney was in 2005 and I picked up The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and read it cover to cover before we got there. Why? Because when I was a kid I used to go into travel agencies and lie, telling them we were planning a Disney trip and my mum had asked me to pick up some brochures. I always got the BEST books that way (bit fat ones intended for serious trip planning), and I used to read them cover to cover, knowing perfectly well that we were never going to go to Disney. So, the 2005 trip was the fulfillment of a childhood wish, and I just wanted to spend some time before the trip dreaming again, like I used to when I was a kid.

Naturally, we followed the touring plans in the back of the book and had a terrific time. And since then, it's just been a matter of adapting to the changes as they come along (though I no longer buy UnOfficial Guides).

And I think I got especially lucky with regards to the way Disney World has trained me to plan all my other, non-Disney vacations.

First Universal trip? I planned it like a Disney trip! In retrospect, I overplanned, but hey - a little overplanning never hurt anyone. And even though the Wizarding World had just opened, we were still able to see and do everything we wanted and dodge almost all the crowds, too.

First trip overseas (to London)? I planned it like a Disney trip! No standing around asking each other, "What do we do now?" No confusion over the subways. No crowds. We knew where we were going and when we should be there, and how to get there, too. Tickets and accommodation all purchased in advance. My daughter had been once before with her grandma and her one request was, "Can we see Madame Tussaud's?" Because when they'd tried to go, the line to get tickets had been all the way to the end of the block and Grandma wasn't having any of that. I did some research, figured out the lowest crowd days and how to get there for opening. We had a terrific time!

Basically, Disney has taught me how to plan a successful vacation. I think my whole family has benefited because of it. No matter where we go, I'll plan it like a Disney trip.

(Important caveat - no battle plan ever survives intact. Every plan I've ever made, has had to be adapted on the fly. But being prepared, and knowing what's going on, makes being flexible and spontaneous SO much easier. )

This. About 10 years ago, myself, DH and 2 friends traveled to 4 cities in Europe. Each of us was "assigned" a city. 3 of us researched our cities (London, Paris, and Vienna) well and we had a great time! We saw landmarks and touristy things in each city, had dinners at unique restaurants, visited museums... One of our friends flaked and did not plan for his city (Venice) and we didn't see squat. I'm not saying we had a bad time, but the only landmark we saw was St. Marks square. There were so many things we missed all because of poor/no planning.

My point is that you have to plan for ANY vacation, regardless of where it is. I do realize that Disney is unique, but the "I don't know" excuse doesn't really fly with me. Disney provides enough information when you book. And we live in the age of the internet....... information is at your fingertips. How hard is it to search for "Disney World trip planning"?


Also agree that any plan for anywhere needs to have some flexibility.....But that is all part of being prepared...

 

[Davey Jones II]

We got a dinner reservation for Rainforest Cafe for the same day. Maybe that's because it's not actually in the theme park? On the other hand, it is a popular place.

 

[disneyseniors]

You can also plan your vacation through a travel agent that will fill you in on all that you need to know while others will simply make the travel and accomodation reservations.

If a travel agent is making reservations then the traveler may think the trip is all in their hands and that they personally don't have anything else to think about or plan.

Yes, Yes, Yes! A good Disney certified travel agent is worth their weight in gold! They will explain it all in detail and without "scaring" you off! They can help with arrangements and steer you in the right direction. Our TA doesn't make adr's but we want to do that any way. I guess some TA's will make your adr's if you ask. They are so knowledgable about all things Disney that they are totally worth it. They get paid by Disney, so there is no cost to you to see them.
We have been once a year for several years, and still go to our certified Disney TA to set things up; she's become like an old friend and always looks for the resort, time frame, that we use before we ask for it. I'm glad you brought this up. They must be "Disney certified" though.

 

[21stamps]

I hear what you are saying, but let me ask you this. If you were going any other place on the planet, and you were spending 5000 or more for a week long vacation, wouldn't you at least look into it before you went? The fact that so may people spend that kind of cash, and have no clue when there are more resources than ever, including the dozen emails Disney sends out each trip, is astounding to me.

But how many people do you think actually do that?

I'd think it would be a very minuscule number.

I leave for a southern Caribbean cruise next month, I know what excursions I'm doing and places I want to see, I booked that trip 2 months ago.

I've traveled to several countries on land vacations- always knew what I wanted to see.

I have done last minute "awesome deal", meaning within 2 weeks or less, trips, I'll spend a few nights googling the area and make a list.

Everyone I know is a pretty avid traveler, WDW and several other destinations, and they all have some kind of plan.

As far as theme parks- no they don't require the same strategy as WDW, but most have an app that shows wait times, show times, and how to get from a to b, and most offer a fast pass at a high price, so you can still maximize your time- or if not- you could spend an entire day and only ride a few attractions bc you are running from one side of the park to the other and finding 90 minute wait times.

 

[bbjunkie]

Disney is definitely unique. I have been at least 5 times but not in several years. I'm a planner by nature but it does shock me that I have to plan dinner 6 months ahead, plan rides months ahead, pay nearly $1000/night for a room that will allow us to get to MK in less than a hour etc. This is especially hard with young kids who don't keep to plans all that well. But here we go, war will love it and forget that it's costing a crazy amount of money to fight the masses. I actually looked at alternate vacations for kids and couldn't come up with anywhere spectacular. I think I am disappointed that disney hasn't done more to handle capacity though.

"$1000 a night for a room that will get you to MK in less than an hour?" Is this a typo or are you serious? There are plenty of places on property that are a fraction of that cost and all will have you at MK in less than an hour. Heck, I have a reservation that I just haven't pulled the trigger on for the Pop from July 11-16 for $134/night. And having stayed at the Pop previously, I know that the max time that it will take me to get to the parks is 45 minutes. Heck, if worse come to worse. I could drive, or even take a taxi for less than $20 to any of the parks and that would still be less than $1000 a night to be there in 20 minutes. Yep, there is a lot at Disney that is expensive, but if you don't want to pay deluxe rates for a hotel room, you don't have to, AT ALL.

 

[Skywise]

He then went ahead and booked Poly Club level and has used the concierge service to do everything else - lazy bum.

Y'know I've done that a coupla times and NEVER let them plan for me... I'm too much of a planning addict now.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

(Important caveat - no battle plan ever survives intact. Every plan I've ever made, has had to be adapted on the fly. But being prepared, and knowing what's going on, makes being flexible and spontaneous SO much easier. )

Quite right. This is the true essence of planning. It's not about having everything scheduled out. It's knowing options and understanding how to adjust.

As for those who don't educate themselves, I thank the good lord above for them every time we go. Still, if I meet someone who seems lost I do whatever I can to help.

The ones I really don't understand are those who know some education and preparation are needed for certain experiences but try to operate on stale information. I can't be sure it was an example of this, but on Tuesday I saw a family with grade school kids in Star Wars shirts rush into the old Sounds Dangerous building at about 9:15 looking for the JTA sign up area. A CM directed them to the right spot.

 

[joannamet]

You really cant....unless your willing to have dinner at 4pm or 8pm

I'm not local but I've heard the Dis Unplugged team talk about this occasionally. According to them you can get always get same day ADRs for good restaurants, just not BOG or the other most popular ones. You can get same day FPs for lots of rides. The Dis Unplugged team is in the parks every week although I've heard someone mention that she hadn't ridden 7DMT since it opened because of the lines.

You can have a great WDW vacation without planning but it certainly helps to know how things work. It is surprising that people spend so much money and just show up.

 

[kniquy]

It is sad to see those families who have spent thousands and are not able to get the full experience, but those are probably the ones who are also clueless in life as well and go by the seat of their pants for everything. To make the most of any vacation you do need to plan a little and research the area you are visiting. Disney is a different beast.

We were able to scramble and plan a NYE trip (my first trip, husband had been numerous times before) in October (2 months out) -- I had to do tons of reading, planning and stalking dining reservations in order to have a successful trip. Thank goodness for this board!!!! I didn't realize that you had to be an extreme planner for Disney, some people either don't care, don't know or can't put the effort into the planning. My co-worker had a trip w/ kids and grand kid. i tried to give her tips on things, but she was insistent on having the travel agent set her dining reservations. I couldn't imagine doing that.

Part of the fun and excitement of a disney trip is the months of planning ahead of time. i think that helps add to the build up of the excitement for the trip. I already can't wait to book my next trip (in a year)

 

[Klayfish]

Haven't had time to read the entire thread, but I see it all the time where people are walking around and not knowing what to do. See lots of people studying maps, asking CMs lots of questions that will lead to answers they don't like, because they didn't plan. Maybe Disney veterans have a certain look to them, but we get asked questions fairly often by newbies. We often will try to point things out if we see people obviously struggling. The worst I ever saw was my family was in City Hall getting our Magic Bands straightened (they assigned the wrong one to the wrong person). The husband of the family next to me was practically screaming at the poor CM behind the counter. He said "We've been here 4 hours and haven't gotten to ride much of anything. Nobody told us there would be lines!!!" He also said he had never heard of FP+, and was insisting on all of his money back and they were just going to leave. I felt so bad for not only the CM, but the family too.

However, it truly is a "you don't know what you don't know" if you've never been before. No matter what anyone tells you and no matter how many books you read, you can't be prepared for the size, variety, crowds, and "ins and outs" of WDW. You just can't. Yes, planning will help a lot, but you'll still be lost and overwhelmed (in the best way possible).

On our trips, we've come to find a balance. We've got a super long trip to WDW coming in just 20 days...woohoo!!! We're using FP+ as much as we can...can I say again how frustrating the 7 days of FP+ for AP off property guests is...but at the same time we're building in plenty of time to just wing it and "freestyle" as we call it. The advantage we have is that being veterans, we know how to freestyle effectively.

So next time you see a WDW newbie, remember your first time and try to help them. No rookie hazing!!!

 

[21stamps]

"$1000 a night for a room that will get you to MK in less than an hour?" Is this a typo or are you serious? There are plenty of places on property that are a fraction of that cost and all will have you at MK in less than an hour. Heck, I have a reservation that I just haven't pulled the trigger on for the Pop from July 11-16 for $134/night. And having stayed at the Pop previously, I know that the max time that it will take me to get to the parks is 45 minutes. Heck, if worse come to worse. I could drive, or even take a taxi for less than $20 to any of the parks and that would still be less than $1000 a night to be there in 20 minutes. Yep, there is a lot at Disney that is expensive, but if you don't want to pay deluxe rates for a hotel room, you don't have to, AT ALL.

Club level suites can be over than amount. Normal rooms are not. Actually at Poly standard view and lagoon view club level rooms are less expensive than non club level tpv. I never understood this, but oh well. I'll stick to my non club tpv rooms.lol

 

[ellie05]

To be honest I don't get it at all. Disney even send emails reminding you to make ADR and FP+ reservations!!! Seriously how do you miss that?!? I guess if you are not staying on site.

I find it ridiculous that people usually do some sort of research when buying any product these days (aka go check reviews and prices online). Yet they spend thousands of dollars in a vacation and they don't bother to research or plan at all .

I can't tell you how many times people have ask just plain stupid questions last minute. Last December I had my dad contact me and ask me the park hours for the following week because one of his employees was taking his family. This was for Christmas week!!! I asked if they made their FP reservations he said they had bought vip passes and they didn't need those. I was floored there are not such things as vip passes ( I know they didn't book the tour !). I told him there is is not such thing and that they really should go research and get the stuff together now because chances are they just wasted their money and that if they don't get the at RD they might not even get in the parks.

Fast forward two weeks I asked how their vacation went. Well turns out they decide to show up at the MK at noon and were not staying onsite surprise surprise they weren't let in ... Park was filled to capacity. Sorry not sorry. I also love when people ask my advice they don't follow it and then they come back and say things like I don't know why you like Disney so much we waited in line forever. I laugh and say because I plan my vacations and unlike you we didn't wait more than 30 min for anything!They usually follow with you must have not gone on TT or 7DMT their face when I said no I went on all of those will you like to see the pictures ? priceless.

I always do research for all our vacations not just Disney. I read 2 different guide books before or first trip money well spent.