Winging it - no plan at all?

[DM4Life3]

After a few trips, you don't need to plan.

But I still find I learn something new whenever I read the boards.

 

[nkereina]

We plan out which parks on which days for the purpose of making ADRs, but we don't plan the order of rides. We play that by ear and since we usually visit each park twice during a trip, we use the second day to catch whatever we missed.

 

[Nancyg56]

I do the same thing that you did. I plan which park on which day, make out ADR's from that and then go for it! I do make a list of the show times and I have an idea what I want to see but no running from attraction to attraction for me. Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

 

[Girlfriday17]

I am a planner by nature and DH could care less as long as I make sure he gets to do his faves. A good friend is coming with us and she likes to use the touring plans. Since we have been there so much we are building in some wing it times. If it was the first time going I wouldnt do it but if you know what you like I say go for it!

 

[cmpeter]

We were there the first week of August. I have two teens with no patience for waiting in lines. I also knew that at each park there were about 4-6 must dos for us. So, I used a plan for the morning at each park. Arrive before rope drop and scheduled our must do attractions. We were done with them by lunch time. Then we winged it from there. Some days we went back to the resort for a swim/nap. Some days we pulled some more fast passes and caught a show or two.

I was happy with our approach. My kids were amazed that we never had long line waits and liked being able to call the shots after lunch. I didn't want either of them getting so tired and burnt out that they were going to be pills the next day.

 

[Wills Mom]

The first time we ever went to WDW we went with my in laws and they were the ones who had been there before so it was assumed they would know best - which was not the case. They totally.winged it, spent an hour each morning deciding which park to hit - even hit Blizzard Beach while it was closed for refurb!!! I swore that would never happen again, so while I'm not a commando IN the parks per se, I'm most definitely a commando planner! We pick which park on which day, make a list of key attractions and ADRs and base our day around that. No running from attraction to attraction required because I have it planned that we don't need to! We always find time to appreciate the new and unexpected while still finding time to fall in love with the old familiars all over again Enjoy your trip - do what is right for you!

 

[jenrose66]

DH knows I've been haunting the DIS, and checking out all things Disney online. I mentioned I had found a touring plan site, that can give you a schedule/order of sorts to hit the parks.

His idea? NO plan - he's excited to just be there, be in the park, to hell with it if we wait in lines, grab a fastpass when we see them and can, but to just go with the flow through the parks.

Like a few other recent posters, I fear I will become that screeching commando Mom, and suck the fun out of it for everybody, if I have a tour plan in my hand.

Those of you who just go with the flow and wing it - does this work well for you?

We wing it and it works just fine. Me and DH winged it for two years in a row during 4th of July week, we winged it for September trips...in short, I've never followed a touring plan.

Before we leave I usually write down what park I'd like to do each day, but honestly, even that isn't set in stone.

DH doesn't like to be on schedule while on vacation so we kind of just do what we do and we always have fun!

 

[MedicBill]

The only things that are planned are what park on what day and our ADRs. Everything thing else is done totally on the fly. We've always had a blast!

I do the same thing and its always been great! Just get a general idea on what you want to do for the day and wing it from there.

 

[maxaroni]

So if you google my user name you'll find my sorid tale of being a commando mom on my families first trip. LOL. So we are professional wingers.

That being said here are a few tips.

1) summer time is ridiculously packed in the parks. If you are going when the parks are going to be 10, I would say rope drop is a must.

2) Walk ups inside the parks are kinda hit or miss. If you are staying on site when you wake up in themorning, phone disney dining and see what's available in the park or a resort near the park you are going to be in. Now yo have a place to eat if you want to without the stress over trying to pick a restaurant 180 days out.

Other than that. ENJOY!! I did get a birnbaums guide book, my family and I read it and we picked the rides we really wanted to do.

We always stroll, we sit on benches, we meander through out the stores. we love it. we sleep in, we spend hours at the pool. love

Southern NJ here too! This will be our first trip to do it more relaxed. As I posted earlier, we never really made any plans except ADRs. This trip it's QSDP and totally relaxing, smelling the roses and enjoy

 

[BarbieGal457]

I actually never have much of a plan. Sure, I know what days I'd like to do which parks, and have a few meals set up, but that's it. I never follow a schedule so tight that I must do rides in a certain order, etc. I honestly have always had an amazing time.

However, I totally understand that isn't for everyone! Maybe have a plan set aside for back-up in case the "winging it" idea totally backfires? That way it's like you have a park safety net!

 

[hakepb]

Make sure you make a list of everyone's 1 or 2 rides they most want to do, then wander as you like (making sure you try to hit those favorites). Otherwise the wandering may wind up making everyone mad.


Wait time apps are a big help. Now you can watch Splash FP times so you can get an afternoon time when it's hot or be aware of a FP that will "sell out" first so you don't waste time with a FP for a walk on ride..

 

[Maleficent53]

Being addicted to planning does not mean you have to be a commando in the parks.

I scour the threads here to have all the up-to-date information I will need when I get there...... so we can make informed decisions on the fly.

Here's how our park plans go:

Day 1 - MK. Try to hit the headliners. Catch Castle Lighting Ceremony. Maybe lunch at Pecos Bills

Day 2 - AK. 8 AM lunch at Tusker House. Do Safari then EE. Walk some trails. Leave by 12. MVMCP that night.

Day 3 - Epcot. Late-ish start after party. Get Soarin FP as soon as we get there. Eat lunch at Coral Reef.

Day 4 - DHS. TSMM first. Then BATB and RnR. Stay through for Osborne lights.

Day 5 - MK. Merida meet & greet first.

I'm a commando researcher, but not really a commando at park plans. I subscribe to touringplans but only for the crowd calendar and Lines app. If you can put yourself in the right park on the right day, you won't NEED to be a commando.

There's a happy medium for everyone. Your challenge is to figure out a plan that works for you AND your husband. You can have a plan in your head without being fully committed to it and drive everyone crazy with it.

What I woudn't do is just walk in the park without having done my homework in advance.

This is the way we do it, too! If there is something special we want to do in a park we make note of it...and we pick parks by crowd predictions...but other than that we just get into the park and see where our feet take us!

 

[mag73]

For many years I used to plan everything in advance, every TS meal for every day, pick which park on what day, and do it all usually 6 months in advance. I did enjoy planing it but it was very stressful, and I think it made our vacations stressful as well since we always had to stick to MY PLAN. For the past 2 years we decided just to wing it, and its wonderful!!! I do make dinner reservations for every night at our hotel for just in case, but we never feel like we have to change what we are doing just to keep it, sometimes we just cancel it. It is so much easier to decide where you want to go based on how you feel , and what the weather is each day than to have it all pre planned. Over the years we have dined at every restaurant, been on every ride so there is no more pressure. Everyone picks their favorites each day and we try to do it, if we don't it's not a big deal. Maybe we would feel different it it was our first trip, or if we did not go every year. For now we say JUST WING IT!!

 

[Disney_Princess83]

We are somewhere in the middle. For most days we make an ADR so we know what park we are going to be in. Our last trip we had a dinner reservation at EPCOT but felt like hitting MK in the morning so we did and then hopped. We only make reservations for breakfast or dinner for this reason.

We leave somedays with no reservations. We don't care if we just do counter service but we like total freedom those days. We have a few unplanned days toward the end of the trip and decide as we go.

 

[sydsmom1997]

The extent of my planning is which parks which days based on ADR's and EMH. Other than that the only other thing we plan ahead is hitting the must dos first thing upon arrival. Other than that I try not to get too die hard with the trip. I find that it sucks the fun right out of the experience.

 

[Bonnie151]

My plan consists of:

Decide which park for which day
Make ADRs in advance
Never be without a FP in hand.

That's pretty much it! Never failed to work yet!

 

[sydsmom1997]

My plan consists of:

Decide which park for which day
Make ADRs in advance
Never be without a FP in hand.

That's pretty much it! Never failed to work yet!

 

[mjallemand]

Last trip was winging it and we had fun.

There's a bit more planning involved this time, mainly around ADRs and evening shows (Wishes, Illuminations, Fantastmic) but even then it's not a hard, set-in-stone schedule. We can mix it up as we go along if necessary.

 

[Julie711]

The only things that are planned are what park on what day and our ADRs. Everything thing else is done totally on the fly. We've always had a blast!

Same here, we plan which park for each day around EMH & ADR's. Once we are in the park its whatever, we dont plan which rides to go on first, we just go with the flow!

 

[HappyDaisy]

I had one trip where I'd planned everything out, including dining. It was so stressful that I swore I'd never do it again, and I haven't.

WE always get park hoppers. That way, we can go to another park if our first choice is too crowded. We usually end up at Epcot, if that's the case. It just feels roomier.

If we get the dining plan, we stick with quick service. If we want table service, we can usually just walk up and wait a little while or make a reservation for a later time. We take it at our pace. Of course, we don't have tired, hungry children with us either. Although, DH can act like one sometimes! LOL! It is more difficult with little ones and would require a bit more planning.

The only things we plan are each of our absolute favorite must-do's in each park. I don't even want to wait for Disney transportation! We either drive down in our own car or fly and drive. I really like doing everything when I want, the way I want.

I'm excited that I have two trips coming up this year. One is the first week of October and the next is during the first week of November! The first trip will be with DH, the second with my youngest adult son. He's single and loves Disney, so he's agreed to go with dear old mom. We'll be taking it at our own pace for both trips. DS has surprised me with tickets to the last Halloween party and the first Christmas party! That trip is going to be a blast!