Yup. I've finally lost it.

[mickiecake]

Just when I thought my planning for our first trip was going so well...

I have degenerated to chasing my DH around, notebook in hand, barraging him with questions like "Do you REALLY think we'll get up early enough for morning EMH?" and "Okay, where do you want to eat on Feb. 6th??". He has learned alot of his acronyms like a good boy. He even seems to have learned how to tune me out without getting that glazed look in his eyes or yawning!!

My Mom & my sister are both ready to choke me, and it's gotten to the point that I am getting on my OWN nerves!!!! DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY!! My bedroom is strewn with no less that 4 guidebooks, a dedicated 3 ring binder, spiral notebook, and 1/2 of the bulliten board! I have written notes in crayon. I have already canceled & rescheduled one whole set of ADRs. I HAVE LOST MY MIND.

Now, I've posted this stupid quiz called "WDW Entrance Exam" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1641824and now I wanna trash my whole itinerary!!! No P&PP on the day you arrive?? DO use morning EMH?!? Take a break, but maybe not?!?

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

So now what the heck do I do?
Do I rewrite my intineray, remake all of my ADRS?? Again?

Or do I say screw it, and keep things the way they are? Or maybe I could just rewrite the whole thing anyway, instead this time just arrange our days according to park fun-ness instead of by EMH? Since we are on the Deluxe Dining Plan, and want to eat mostly Table Service meals, I HAVE to know where we are going to be playing each day. I don't care if it IS February, I ain't goin nowhere without my ADR #'s!! My widdle tummy shrivels at the thought... .

So. I ask you, my DIS friends. My kind, experienced, and patient reader.. to HELP me with my sickness. HELP me figure out an itinerary, so I can put this monster to sleep. We have never been to Walt Disney World!! (well.. I went as a tee-nynee kid.. but that doesn't count!) How in the heck do I know if I will drag my bahooky outta bed at 6 AM for an 8 AM Rope Drop? Is 5 hours enough time between TS meals?? I DON'T KNOW!! Here is what we have now...
Feb 2-9, 2008


SAT - fly in (arrive Orlando 9:30 AM)/Check into AKL (leave luggage)/Go to MK/Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, 5 PM/Pirate and Princess Party 7 PM

SUN - Back to MK (PM EMH). Crystal Palace at 9 AM/Flying Fish at 5:30 PM/Back to MK- closes at mindnight. I am thinking 2 AM, in bed, asleep. (the boys are 8)

MON - MGM (no EMH) 11 AM 50s Prime Time/5 PM Sci-Fi, park open till 7

TUES - Epcot (AM EMH) Garden Grill 1 PM/Coral Reef 6:30 PM, park open til 9.

WED - Animal Kingdom (PM EMH) 9 AM Rainforest Cafe/8 PM Yachtsman Steakhouse/ Park open til 8. (dinner during EMH!)

THURS - Downtown Disney, resorts. 8:30 AM/ Chef Mickey's at CR/1 PM Whispering Canyon at WL/7:15 'Ohana at Poly (EMH that day is AM at MK AND PM at MGM)

FRI - Epcot PM EMH/ 2 PM Biergarten/8:10 PM Boma (at AKL)/park closes at 10 PM (once again,,, during EMH)

SAT - Checkout by 11 AM. Then off to Universal, SeaWorld, and the Kennedy Space Center!!

OK.. now my main issue right now is that MOST people said they would not go to a Pirate & Princess Party their first night on their first trip ever to WDW. Maybe a wee bit overwhelming.. for the boys AND us after being on the go since 4:30 AM that morning.

SO ... what now?

SAT- check in, enjoy our resort, eat dinner at Boma, and rest?
WED - Pirate and Princess Party at MK (less crowded anyway).. What now?

Should I schedule around EMH, or what I think we would enjoy the most? Is a 7 PM closure giving us anough time at MGM? All the Guides, and people say "Just do what YOU think is right for your family"... but how in the WORLD am I sposed to know how my family will react to our first vacation. Ever. ?? We usually like to sleep til bout 7 - 8 AM. Will we be so excited that we'll want to get up, get fed and watered, and to a park by 8 AM? I don't know!!

See what I mean? CANNOT COMPUTE. ERROR. My brain is showing me the

BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH . I am stuck. I just cannot decide. The only thing that I have decided to decide on was, that I had to have my plan DONE, no switching, twitching or b****ing by Sunday night, to call WDW DINE on Monday. And then that's IT. No more DISNEY! DISNEY! DISNEY! til after Christmas. I SWEAR.

So,, if you have any suggestions.. let em fly. If you think I'm one straw short of a broomstick, you can let that fly, too. I'm inclined to agree with ya, myself...

 

[Colleen27]

I have degenerated to chasing my DH around, notebook in hand, barraging him with questions like "Do you REALLY think we'll get up early enough for morning EMH?" and "Okay, where do you want to eat on Feb. 6th??". He has learned alot of his acronyms like a good boy. He even seems to have learned how to tune me out without getting that glazed look in his eyes or yawning!!

My Mom & my sister are both ready to choke me, and it's gotten to the point that I am getting on my OWN nerves!!!! DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY!! My bedroom is strewn with no less that 4 guidebooks, a dedicated 3 ring binder, spiral notebook, and 1/2 of the bulliten board! I have written notes in crayon. I have already canceled & rescheduled one whole set of ADRs. I HAVE LOST MY MIND.

Now, I've posted this stupid quiz called "WDW Entrance Exam" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1641824and now I wanna trash my whole itinerary!!! No P&PP on the day you arrive?? DO use morning EMH?!? Take a break, but maybe not?!?


So. I ask you, my DIS friends. My kind, experienced, and patient reader.. to HELP me with my sickness. HELP me figure out an itinerary, so I can put this monster to sleep. We have never been to Walt Disney World!! (well.. I went as a tee-nynee kid.. but that doesn't count!) How in the heck do I know if I will drag my bahooky outta bed at 6 AM for an 8 AM Rope Drop? Is 5 hours enough time between TS meals?? I DON'T KNOW!! Here is what we have now...
Feb 2-9, 2008


SAT - fly in (arrive Orlando 9:30 AM)/Check into AKL (leave luggage)/Go to MK/Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, 5 PM/Pirate and Princess Party 7 PM

SUN - Back to MK (PM EMH). Crystal Palace at 9 AM/Flying Fish at 5:30 PM/Back to MK- closes at mindnight. I am thinking 2 AM, in bed, asleep. (the boys are 8)

MON - MGM (no EMH) 11 AM 50s Prime Time/5 PM Sci-Fi, park open till 7

TUES - Epcot (AM EMH) Garden Grill 1 PM/Coral Reef 6:30 PM, park open til 9.

WED - Animal Kingdom (PM EMH) 9 AM Rainforest Cafe/8 PM Yachtsman Steakhouse/ Park open til 8. (dinner during EMH!)

THURS - Downtown Disney, resorts. 8:30 AM/ Chef Mickey's at CR/1 PM Whispering Canyon at WL/7:15 'Ohana at Poly (EMH that day is AM at MK AND PM at MGM)

FRI - Epcot PM EMH/ 2 PM Biergarten/8:10 PM Boma (at AKL)/park closes at 10 PM (once again,,, during EMH)

SAT - Checkout by 11 AM. Then off to Universal, SeaWorld, and the Kennedy Space Center!!

OK.. now my main issue right now is that MOST people said they would not go to a Pirate & Princess Party their first night on their first trip ever to WDW. Maybe a wee bit overwhelming.. for the boys AND us after being on the go since 4:30 AM that morning.

SO ... what now?

SAT- check in, enjoy our resort, eat dinner at Boma, and rest?
WED - Pirate and Princess Party at MK (less crowded anyway).. What now?

Should I schedule around EMH, or what I think we would enjoy the most? Is a 7 PM closure giving us anough time at MGM? All the Guides, and people say "Just do what YOU think is right for your family"... but how in the WORLD am I sposed to know how my family will react to our first vacation. Ever. ?? We usually like to sleep til bout 7 - 8 AM. Will we be so excited that we'll want to get up, get fed and watered, and to a park by 8 AM? I don't know!!

BTDT!

I scrapped all my plans early on and set back down to rewrite them with my actual family, rather than expert touring advice, in mind. See, my family would revolt if I tried to get them out of bed for morning EMH. Heck, even rope drop is pushing it! So my new plan uses more evening EMHs and after-park-closing dinners to make the most of the time when we're actually happy to be awake.

My best advice for a first trip is to leave some flexibility in your day and adapt as you go. We planned our first trip totally by the book, only to discover on our first full day that afternoon breaks were a disaster for us! Pouting over leaving the fun, long bus ride back to POR, kids that wanted to swim rather than rest, and then whining about getting out of the pool to go back to the parks. Now we just use our sitdown meals and air conditioned shows as mini-breaks in the parks, and skip the recommended afternoon rest time!

I do think the P&PP on your arrival day is a bit ambitious. I personally don't plan anything pre-paid on the first day, just in case travel delays or our mood lend themselves to a more restful start to the vacation.

Good luck with the planning and don't let it stress you out! It doesn't have to be perfect to be magic. After all, no matter how you plan the details, you'll be at Disney!

 

[eyenjeff]

We just returned from Disney (Nov6-11). We stayed at ASMu. We too, got up at 3:30am to shower and get to the airport for a 6:30am flight to Orlando. Arrived MCO, took a limo to ASMu and checked in. Our room was ready, we went to room, luggage and groceries and frig from swap arrived, packed up our stuff and headed to MK. We were at MK til after 8:30pm because we wanted to see Wishes at 8pm. We have been to WDW before, so we knew our way around and believe me, by the time we made it back to the bus to go back to the hotel we were "silly tired"! The special parties at MK are awesome and so much fun. I would reccommend attending the party on a different day. When we go to the parties we usually use the daytime for easy stuff, like swim time, renting boats on the lagoon, resort hopping on the monorail, etc... the we go to MK around 4pm, eat counter service or make an early ADR, then by that time, you can get your bracelet for the "party" and go on your way to enjoying the park while most others are leaving. You are then able to wander the park and start riding the attractions you want, and then enjoy the party. If you read on DIs boards, they will tell you what "lands" are open, but as long as you have the braclet on, I have never had trouble staying in any part of the park.

The party nights are so worth it because the lines for the rides are short, the pathways aren't crowded so it is easy to get from one place to another. Then they have the special theme shows and of course special parades and fireworks.

Well worth the price of the ticket!!!!

This next trip we are Not going to a park on our first day, which is very hard for me, as I love to start the first day with a walk down Main Street. We are going to NOT take the early flight, take one at a normal time like 10:00am, and check in, relax and enjoy the resort. Maybe swim, take a monorail ride, shop etc... IT is really a hard day, that first day, and EXHAUSTNG! Your kids will thank you for not making them stay up so late that first night, and will in the end have a Much better time.


In the end, it is what you think your family can handle. The best advice I can give, is to make a plan, but to be flexible in your plan. You never know how your day will go until it happens. There is alot of factors that may affect your plan, like weather, illness, level of exhaustion, wait times for rides and shows, etc...

Another tip I have, and have used, is to carry my cell phone, because we have changed ADR's a couple of times by calling disney dining. You would be surprised that on the day of...they sometimes have openings or you are able to change your time to earlier or later depending on their availablity. I have also used the guest services office at the front of all the parks to help me with a last minute reservation. They have a computer and can pull up all available openings for any given time. Very Helpful!!!

Well, I have rambled on long enough, just remember to have fun, and don't stress about the small stuff, and stay as flexible as you can!!!!

 

[themilesfamily]

I have degenerated to chasing my DH around, notebook in hand, barraging him with questions

Ah, a woman after my own heart! My DH gets a pained look on his face every time I utter the phrases, "What do you think?" and "Disney." He does thoroughly enjoy our vacations, though, and I always get a thank you for my planning in the end!

My bedroom is strewn with no less than 4 guidebooks, a dedicated 3 ring binder, spiral notebook, and 1/2 of the bulliten board!

Isn't this half the fun of the trip? It is for me!

Okay, here is my two-cents on your itinerary.

I like your idea of relaxing at the hotel your first day and doing the PPP on Wednesday instead -- especially if you've been up and at 'em since 4:30 a.m.!! Give the kids a day to swim (the pool is heated), explore the lodge, watch the animals, and do some of the great kids activities they have at the AKL. If the kids want to ride some rides the first day, zip over to a park for a little bit -- (AK is only 5 min. from AKL) -- but keep that to a couple of hours max -- they will be doing plenty of walking on this trip and it's best not to burn out too soon!

As for the rest of the trip, my only recommendation is that if you're doing EMH or are there at rope drop, don't expect to close the place down that night. No matter how fit you are, the amount of walking you do at WDW is a shock to the system. We're park commandos, but we also know that if you have massive blisters by day two, the rest of your trip is going to SUCK!

With young kids, I wouldn't plan to be at the parks longer than 5-6 hours each day -- with a day or so break sometime during the week. Anything more can be extremely exhausting. (Just an example, I think your Sunday plan is WAY too long -- a morning at MK and then back to MK until Midnight with the kids in bed by 2 a.m. -- and then back up again for MGM in the morning with a lunch ressie at 11 a.m.? I sure wouldn't attempt that! And then to throw PPP into the mix on Saturday night? No way!)

I guess what I'm saying is you can't burn the candle on both ends. If you're out late, plan to sleep in the next morning. If you're up early, plan a relaxing evening.

I say do the early mornings -- be there at rope drop or do some EMH's -- we love them to avoid the crowds -- and the kids will certainly be excited enough to get up early to do the rides -- but build in a day or two to sleep in, as well. And lots of breaks.

Good luck!!! Let us know how your planning is coming along! We'll listen when DH isn't in the mood.

p.s. Kudos to you for picking the first week in February -- that's the week we've always gone in the past and we have found virtually no lines. We've walked right on and ridden Test Track twice in a row, BTMR twice in a row, were the ONLY people in a showing of The Making of Me (back when it was open) -- things like that made us feel like we had the parks to ourselves! Due to the short lines, you will be surprised how much you get done during the day -- you'll be able to fit everything in without feeling like you have to stay until park closing.

 

[palmickey2005]

I'm not sure if you already paid for the Pirate and Princess Party for that day but if you can't change this to another day then I would suggest resting before going to the party at MK because of being up really early that day. The great thing about the party is you can go on many rides without too much waiting time.

If you plan to go with your other option of after checking in, just enjoy the resort and then here is where I would say after resting and seeing the resort and maybe enjoying the pools go to the Flying Fish instead of going there on Sunday (the day you are planning to be at MK). The Flying Fish is located at the Boardwalk and travelling from parks to the resorts and back to the parks takes some time from your day because and you have to factor in waiting for buses (don't know if you'll be driving) After dinner you can take a boat (very relaxing) to MGM and EPCOT to catch the AK bus back to the hotel to rest for the next day.

I know how all the planning can be very overwhelming. I'm also walking around the house with a binder and a notebook and a disney brochure that shows the map for each park and the whole WDW property. I've circled the rides we want to go on...and wrote in the fireworks and parade times on the park maps...example: Wishes time on MK's page / Illuminations time on Epcot's map...and so on.

We are also going in Feb. and my cousin and her familiy are joining us. It's their first time so I'm doing all the planning for all of us. This has become a challenge for me .

Believe me..this will be our 3rd trip and WDW is really big and there is so much to do and see that you cant's possibly do everything in 1 or 2 trips. I had read and took someones advise from the Disboards that said...pick 10 attractions for each park for that day and do those, if you get to do and see more than that's great.

Don't stress too much. As the previous poster said, leave some time for flexibility. Also have the kids pick some rides that they would like to go on. Some rides you should get fastpasses for.

Also are you going to all 3 places on Saturday or are you staying after the 9th offsite ?

I haven't been to Universal, SeaWorld or Kennedy Space Center but I'm imagining it may be a little too much for one day ? On our first trip to Disney in 2005 we came back home on a Saturday and it took all of Sunday to recover before heading back to work on Monday.

The great thing you are doing is getting your ADR's before going...on our 1st trip I didn't because I thought that we wouldn't have a problem getting in to any restaurant and boy did I learn

Have a great time and enjoy the planning. It is part of the whole adventure!

 

[mommylicious]

OK, deep breath in and out....here's the secret...you are going to have a fantastic vacation no matter which options you choose.

We were at WDW 2/1 - 2/6 this year. I will tell you that in something like 15 trips this was the least crowded we have ever seen it. We walked on to just about everything. Normally we are a family that avoids EMH (with the possible exception of one morning EMH at the MK) but we are typically there at park opening for the regular hours. This trip we had a 3.5 month old with us so we didn't see park opening any day we were there. We still walked on to almost every attraction all week. Fast pass machines were often covered up and not in use. At most we waited 10 minutes for something but let me tell you, 75% or more of the time we only had to wait for one ride cycle to finish. My point...the first week in February, it really doesn't matter.

My personal opinion for that week would be scrap the morning EMHs and enjoy an extra hour of sleep. I generally avoid the evening EMHs too just because they are more crowded. As in the evening EMH park is more crowded all day long and it seems to get more crowded around the time the other parks close. Not such a big deal in early Feb but unless you are planning a real sleep in day the next day, it's not worth pooping completely out over to stay there till midnight. (again, this is IMHO)

I would agree with the suggestion of going to a midweek P&P party. They are the least crowded and you are bound to be exhausted late on your arrival date. Also, keep in mind that is Mardi Gras weekend so you will have a lot of "escapees" from Louisana there so that party may be more crowded than it typically would be. We attended the one on Thursday, 2/1 (but our flight left at like 11 am) and we hit every attraction we wanted to with a few doubles and the longest wait we had was 5 minutes for Peter Pan. The kids enjoyed a few pirate activities and the fireworks were, IMHO, the best we've seen at WDW.

If I were you I'd plan something like this...


SAT - fly in (arrive Orlando 9:30 AM)/Check into AKL. I know my kids are always itching to get to a park, especially with an early arrival so I would suggest Epcot. Epcot is easy to do some afternoon touring while still avoiding long lines especially in off peak season. Dinner at Garden Grill --- start your trip off with characters w/o waiting in line. Don't stay for Illuminations but rather head back before it starts so you can get a good night's sleep. Getting too worn out too quickly will really put a damper on your trip.

SUN (this is superbowl sunday if that matters to your sons or DH)- I'd stick with MK here b/c my kids are always anxious to get to the MK. I wouldn't plan on being there till midnight. From our experience last year, during Superbowl Game Time the parks are dead so you can get lots of evening park fun in during the game without having to be up late late late. I would try to do brunch at CP around 10:30. That gives you time to do a few things and collect some fast passes if you are there at rope drop then take a break. After brunch back into the park, use your fast passes and have some fun then take mid day break back to AKL. Dinner @ Flying Fish (since that was your choice earlier) but try for 5:00, then head to the MK but again, not staying till midnight.

MON - Epcot lunch @ Biergarten, dinner @ Coral Reef, stay for Illuminations

TUES - MK for the day and stay for P&P tonight. breakfast or brunch @ Chef Mickey's then dinner @ Liberty Tree

WED - Disney Studios, Prime Time / Sci - Fi

THURS - Downtown Disney, resorts. 8:30 AM/ Chef Mickey's at CR/1 PM Whispering Canyon at WL/7:15 'Ohana at Poly (EMH that day is AM at MK AND PM at MGM)

FRI - Animal Kingdom - Rainforest / Yachtsman

SAT - Checkout by 11 AM.


Actually I would do AK on Thursday and MK again on Friday b/c I know my kids would want to do another MK day before we left but you had a resort day built in so I left it. We usually just plan for a half day or two rather than one whole day out of the parks...but that's a matter of personal preference.

I still say, bottom line, no matter what you do you are still going to have a great time!

 

[dzorn]

My first thought is take a break. Don't look or think about Disney for 24-36 hours. Realize that you will not see or do everything (excuse for planning another trip). Everything will turn out fine.

I would probably keep P&P the first day, but I would eat lunch or early dinner at AKL and hang around the pool and relax until closer to party time (usually can get into park at 4 with party ticket) so you would not need an regular ticket that day. If you are lucky you can get into your room early and rest. I would not plan on dropping the bags first thing and heading to the park and expect to be anything but very tired (and miserable) for the party if you keep it the first night.

TS meals are great but you can also have good counter service. I could never have that many TS scheduled. The kids would rise up in protest if we had to keep stopping for TS. I try to limit it to one per day at most two only occasionally. If I had two ADR's to I would make it breakfast and dinner, use counter service for lunch. Between getting to ADR's at least 15 minutes early and the time some of the meals take 1+ hours it's just too much time eating for us. Not to mention being really full can make some rides just not as enjoyable. You may want to schedule some TS park breakfast for as late as possible, this way if you get to rope drop great, if everyone is tired you can sleep in a bit.

Think of the plans as guidelines. Be flexible when at the parks. Remember the plans were made for your enjoyment, if you are not enjoying them at the time scrap them and go with the flow. (Just cancel and ADR's you know you are not going to make to be considerate of others)

My DH does not want to help planning other than what days does he need off work. I only ask him is there anyplace special he want to eat at or try. (He does expect at least one breakfast from MK bakery along with a few others places on occasion). Other than that doesn't want to talk about it.

It will be alright.

Denise in MI

 

[MsDisney23]

Did you try Tour Guide Mike, that will keep you out of touble!

 

[mdurette]

oooh it is so easy to fall into the planning trap - I think all the info out there is great.....but I also think that having all the info out there can become an obsession! (from personal experience).

Here is my 4 step plan for planning!!!
1. Determine what parks will have EMH and make the which park which day plan based on that info.
2. Look at the schedule of parades/shows for those days.
3. Make your ADRs around that schedule.
4. Make special ressies like BBB and PPP
DONE!

IMO the important thing about planning is making sure you get to see what you want to see and eat what you want to eat. Everything after that will fall into place. Heck who knows if 3 months from now you want to get up an hour early for EMH! With the above plan at least you have the option - but nothing is going to fall out of place if you decide to sleep in that morning.

Your itenerary is full with late hours - you know your kids best - but they might be just ready to head to bed at 8 after a busy day. Go with their flow to determine how late you will stay in the parks cuz a cranky kid is well.....just not all that fun!

 

[ducknturtle]

"Okay, where do you want to eat on Feb. 6th??"

We will be at the Kona Cafe with 7:10 PM Adr's. Your welcome to join us!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Seems to me you're putting way to much effort and thought into this. Even without a plan you can do Disney, mostly all you need is a basic knowledge of the parks. Thats it. Eating, we eat when hungry not by the clock with an ADR. Meals are huge and you do not eat in Disney like you do at home. We used to structure our vacations 30 years ago but that has gone out the window. Easiest way to do WDW is by staying longer and seeing it at a slow pace. No plans needed, it never moves and all the attractions are in the same place. I read of too many guests getting flustrated in their planning, doing spread sheets, time slots and then chucking the whole mess once on property. Once you step foot in WDW, everything changes, you see other stuff and nothing is worse as dragging around a guide sheet and watch trying to be in a certain place at a cetain time. Its okay to plan but be more flexible is throwing it away when you arrive.

 

[amery]

I woudl say that you well on your way to having the most legendary case of Mouseitus ever recorded.

And it's a dran good thing that there will NEVER be a cure for it.

Good for you and keep on planning. Ears to you!!

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I have a few tips for you:

1. Try not to overexert yourself the first day there. I know it is tough and you are excited, but our first year we got up at 4:30, flew down, was in Epcot by 1:00 and stayed there till about 11:00 didnt get to sleep till 12:30. It was something that definitely threw us off for a few days because we were so tired.

2. Morning EMH can be great because tthe crowds are not very big till around noon, so that gives you the whole morning to collect fastpasses for the major attractions and walk on to the middle of the road rides. However, you must plan around them making sure you are done early in the parks the day before. We especailly like the EMH at AK but that also still alows us to get to bed early that night because iut closes early.

3. Relax, you are not going to see adn do everything as I am sure you already know. vacation is supposed to be relaxing and fun. Its not the end of the world if you miss something. It just gives you more reason to go again.

 

[mattsdragon]

Make the vacation your own. People on here have advice, some of it's good, some isn't. It all depends on what the person posting has experienced and what their preferences are. A vacation is most importanly a time to relax and spend with your family. You are not going to see everything, nor should you try, that's why you are allowed to make more than one trip to WDW in a lifetime.

Just go and have a magical time. Look on here for clues and small bits of advice, but then file them all away accordingly.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I read of too many guests getting flustrated in their planning, doing spread sheets, time slots and then chucking the whole mess once on property. Once you step foot in WDW, everything changes, you see other stuff and nothing is worse as dragging around a guide sheet and watch trying to be in a certain place at a cetain time. Its okay to plan but be more flexible is throwing it away when you arrive.

We learned this our first time. We now do a list, and break the day up into sections around mealtimes. We then write a list of must attractions to do during that time period, and some others we want to do if we have time. We also identify rides that are potential fastpass canidates and are making sure we always pick those up whenever our window is open to do so. This helps us to not miss the things we dont want to miss, but still gives us flexability. During each break, rope drop, meal etc, we come up with a plan for how we are going to go about each section. I feel this is especially important in the morning where lines are short and you can accomplish a lot more. Usually by mid afternoon we have acomplished every major thing we wanted to and just fly by the seat of our pants. It is up to you what you do, because different things work for everyone, that is just how we approach it.

 

[ajleone]

My bedroom is strewn with no less than 4 guidebooks, a dedicated 3 ring binder, spiral notebook, and 1/2 of the bulliten board!

Isn't this half the fun of the trip? It is for me!

Not at all! I hate itinerary's. My planning consists of "Hey we're going to WDW where do you want to stay and are there any ADR's I should make?"
At the very least listen to the Colleen27 who said to leave some flexibility in your schedule. I think you'll be very happy for it. Also if you must have an itinerary don't be afraid to completely change it on the fly.

 

[Disneydaddycanada]

I am on the side of planning.. but with flexablity. In your shoes I think you need your families input or I can see alot of fights. Concerning the P&PP I would make it another day maybe in the middle of the vacation. Our upcoming trip to DWD will be our 3rd in 3 years. Every year we went we either explored the hotel, or went down to DTD on the day we arrived. We would make it an early night and start the next day. This year I am giving my wife one day of shopping and that will be the 2nd day (renting a car). I want to get it over with so we can enjoy our Christmas Vacation.
I follow the some of the advise from the books, but not all of it. I like this site the best as it's DWD people sharing their experiences and ideas.

For this trip it will be different as we will be bringing our 1 year old son. We have to follow his lead. That ok with me. My wife says this all the time, "look at this way if we end up missing something them we will have to just come back and do it again on our next trip".

I tend to agree!

Good luck, take a deep breath, and get your family on the same page. Especially with the adr's, they go fast so at least book them around a basic itenary.

 

[mickiecake]

Thanks to everyone for replying to my 1 AM, caffeine fueled planning panic rant! I took today off from DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY! and relaxed. I know I am wayyy overthinking everything, but that's just how I roll.

I can say, that with the help everyone has given me, I have decided to do the following things:

1. Use our first day in Orlando to relax at the hotel, enjoy the children's activites, maybe the pool, and have dinner at Boma. If we *MUST* check out a park, we can just hop over for a few hours, and come back early for dinner.

2. Go to the P&PP on Wednesday, not the day we arrive. And since we haven't bought the tickets yet, that's no problem.

3. Use only the PM EMH at the parks during our stay (if we want to). I just can't see up up, ready, and out the door by 7 AM for 8 AM EMH. Nope.

4. I AM going to decide what parks we will be at with evening EMH in mind, other than that, just go to the most fun parks (for us) first.

5. Most importantly, I have decided to CHILL OUT!! I guess this is just such a big trip for us, I want everything to be PERFECT!

Someone asked about our plans for SeaWorld, etc. No, we are not seeing them all on the same day. We'll be moving to another hotel (probably at Universal), and spending 4 days exploring Universal, IOA, and SeaWorld. Then, we're heading too the Kennedy Space Center to watch the Feb 14th

SHUTTLE LAUNCH!!!

Forgive my angst, everyone! This vacation is a dream come true for us. We have been married 8 years, and have never been on any vacation, much less a WDW vacation! We probably will not be able to come back for many years, so I want to experience and much magic as is humanly possible!!

Thanks for all your monster itinerary help!!

 

[Jmee]

Glad to hear you've gotten some perspective and calmness! I too feel your pain. We are planning a mid January trip, and I am driving myself and hubby crazy trying to learn everything and plan what is practical. We've only ever been for the day before, and this time will be there a whole week, and as this is probably the only chance we'll ever have I want to make it as fun as possible!

So I am planning the big christmas surprise for the kids (their gift from us!), making tshirts, got ADRs and ressie's for BBB, planned what day where, got tickets for P&P party in hand (yahooo!!!), and am already starting packing lists! DH groans and rolls his eyes everytime I get near the computer, and is sick of "Look at this!"

He swears I will burn out before we get there, but I am enjoying the anticipation! So what if I dream about the Poly checkin and dinner at Le Cellier at night - compulsively!!! I want to avoid the "what do you want to do? I dunno, what do you want to do? " argument and yet leave some flexibility! We are on the DxDP, so like you, we need to have some idea what parks we will be in each day for ADRs, but it cracks him up when he catches me looking at the boards here of pictures of filet mignon and birthday cakes for our son! He's just happy to let me do it so he won't have to think about it, and happy at the money I have saved with research and planning.

OK, all done venting now! Sorry for hijacking your thread - just thought you should know that you are not alone!! Have a magical trip with sanity intact!!

 

[TXTurtles]

We probably will not be able to come back for many years, so I want to experience and much magic as is humanly possible!!

That's what my family said on our first trip ... and we went back within the year. I hope it can be the same for you!

So glad to hear it's going better! Can I add in just three tips? Take or leave as you wish.

1. Even if you don't have active plans to come back, I seriously advise that a family's first trip be considered, on some level, a 'scouting' mission. It's SO overwhelming to try and do and see it all because "this is our only chance." Even if you never do go back, not feeling like you have to do EVERYTHING really makes the trip far less stressful.

2. Unless your boys are nothing like I was at that age (or even now!), they'll love counter service just as much as table service. Yes, you loose atmosphere but you gain in speed - and honestly, at that age, I was far more interested in getting back to doing things than sitting around waiting for food to arrive or such. Even now one TS per day is all I can handle. And I'm not a park commando!

3. Almost all the fairy dust moments I've had in the World came about nearly by chance as we were just taking things easy. Singing with the CMs as we waited for Mission:Space to get fixed, sitting with my mom in the English Garden as Illuminations was happening and having a fireworks rocket shoot off right above our heads, talking with a cast member who'd worked there for decades, watching the woman on Main Street embroider my mickey ears, discovering the singing in the rain umbrella, catching various street acts in Animal Kingdom, rocking along with Off Kilter as they gave a show dedicated to an older gentleman sitting in the front row who'd just turned 100... those are the magic moments that stick, more than any ride. And I LOVE rides! And all happened because we were going slow or willing to wait or just taking a break. So go, enjoy, but keep yourself open to unexpected magic. That's the best tip I can possibly give, hope it works as well for you as it has for me!

And have a WONDERFUL trip!!!