The Big Plan! Where To Start.

[real mad hatter]

Heres another question I get asked at my Disney parties.Mostly from first timers..How do you go about planning a Disney vacation..How much money should we bring? Where do we eat ? What parks do we hit for early magic hours? What we do is compile a matrix with our 14 days in a timetable highlighting restaurants,ADRS,extra hours,what must do things,shopping list,etc.Get the kids involved also,planning shouldn't be a headache,it should be part of the fun of a WDW vacation.I think the more you plan things out,the more fun You'll have when you enter the magic bubble.Our Matrix has been a godsend for many a trip.Anyway,how do you folk go about starting to plan or do you just wing it.?.

 

[s&k'smom]

I get asked that alot too, I point folks to the direction of a few forums like here or allears.net, and mousesavers. Also to a few books, it's amazing that people think well I'll just hop on the plane and see what happens, I usually try to get them to do a little research if only because the complex is so big. I also love the planning of a trip and tell about how I keep a semi schedule but leave room for surprises. I always emphasis taking an afternoon break and I get a lot of questions from other families with kids with special needs so I talk alot about what we do to keep "the man" calm!

 

[zurgandfriend]

I get asked that just about every Sunday at my dear wifes church after services during coffee hour, so much so that I cobbled together a little "Visiting Walt Disney World FAQ". In it I try to answer the common questions; when to go, what to see, where to stay and of course, how much. I also direct them to the local book store and suggest some guide books and some of the websites such as WDW Magic and Allearsnet.

 

[real mad hatter]

I get asked that just about every Sunday at my dear wifes church after services during coffee hour, so much so that I cobbled together a little "Visiting Walt Disney World FAQ". In it I try to answer the common questions; when to go, what to see, where to stay and of course, how much. I also direct them to the local book store and suggest some guide books and some of the websites such as WDW Magic and Allearsnet.

Well there you go. The Lord does move in the strangest ways.

 

[Susan Savia]

We decide when we want to go (which is either January or February) and where we want to stay (which is always our favorite offsite). We know that our first day is always Epcot as well as our last day. Dining - we wing it. We do not like scheduling meals. We dont know months ahead what park we'll be in or what we'll feel like eating. Other then that, we check the park times for who has EMH and skip it and go to a park without them. We don't believe in planning every single minute of the day, but rather enter our chosen park and enjoy it.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

I get asked that just about every Sunday at my dear wifes church after services during coffee hour, so much so that I cobbled together a little "Visiting Walt Disney World FAQ". In it I try to answer the common questions; when to go, what to see, where to stay and of course, how much. I also direct them to the local book store and suggest some guide books and some of the websites such as WDW Magic and Allearsnet.

I have a 'Mad Ravings of a Disney Loon' that I've given to friends and the hubby has given to a co-worker.

Dining - we wing it. We do not like scheduling meals. We dont know months ahead what park we'll be in or what we'll feel like eating.

Do you eat at many TS restaurants or do you make reservations once you're there?

 

[HunnyPot]

We first decide when we're going and where we want to stay. Then we start thinking about where we're going to eat. We like to try one new restaurant each trip if we can. We make ADRs, but we don't worry too much about planning out where we'll be months in advance. We usually take a break in the afternoon and have park hopper tickets, so we can travel to a different park if needed.

 

[Sharired]

We also do a sort of chart to keep track of days events/EMH/regular hours and also include our confirmation numbers for ADRs and such. I know I can find this stuff already made, but it's more fun when I do it myself!

 

[emma c]

Well my first time this year and so far I have planned first few days and made the few adrs we want. To plan so far I got the passporter book and recommendations on here and used web sites and spoke to friends. All part of the fun!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After they've set a budget, I always tell people to start with the "when" and "where." I usually arm them with a handful of websites and reference book options. I also suggest a Disney travel agent if they're first timers or seem really clueless. Still- You can make a lot fall into place pretty easily if you know how much you are willing to spend, when you want to go, and where you want to stay. The when becomes the tricky point...and I try and get this out of them before going too far since a smaller planning window creates a greater urgency to get things in place. If they're outside the 180 day window, we can focus on lodging first and getting something booked...then start putting together a wishlist for dining, goals as far as parks go, and just pretty much sit back and wait on the calendar to solidify these plans. If they're inside the 180 day window...we tend to focus on dining first since we'll have the calendar to work with and top options usually dwindle day by day. Many of these people have kids and there is simply no good way - at least if you don't want upset kids - to play it by ear when it comes to character meals and other special experiences. Once all of this is in place...we might talk about finer points...like touring plans, ride preferences, other fun activities and add ons...and if they're anything like me, addressing changes of heart with dining and start stalking the site to address any of this if need be. Around 1-2 months out, I give them a list of last minute things...everything from reminder about first aid kit (which I forgot on my last trip! ), ponchos, hydration, packing tips, etc.

 

[DfromATX]

Planning the trip is part of the fun!

 

[PUSH]

Book our resort first. That makes the vacation official. Then we have no order for the rest.

 

[Figgy1]

I get asked that alot too, I point folks to the direction of a few forums like here or allears.net, and mousesavers. Also to a few books, it's amazing that people think well I'll just hop on the plane and see what happens, I usually try to get them to do a little research if only because the complex is so big. I also love the planning of a trip and tell about how I keep a semi schedule but leave room for surprises. I always emphasis taking an afternoon break and I get a lot of questions from other families with kids with special needs so I talk alot about what we do to keep "the man" calm!

can't agree more and I also tell people to plan as early as possible a year or so out is not too early especially for a first trip.

 

[s&k'smom]

Your absolutely right figment, especially if they want a specific ADR like the castle or something. If nothing else a good pair of walking shoes!

 

[Figgy1]

Your absolutely right figment, especially if they want a specific ADR like the castle or something. If nothing else a good pair of walking shoes!

BROKEN IN WALKING SHOES!!

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

First, is pick a resort, then, make ADRs. I actually use our ADRs as a guide to what park we spend our days or nights in. Then I peruse WDWMAGIC for new experiences and ideas. All answers to any Disney questions I may have, can be found here. Everything else, we wing it, pretty much. We do our *traditional* things (Ohana for first night's dinner, Illuminations, first night, etc etc)

 

[Britt]

The first thing we do is set our ADRs, check crowd calendars for the days we're there and that's it. I dot bother with the rest of it.

This past time, I made a packing list, which helped packing not feel overwhelming (packed 5 people in one suitcase).

 

[jlsHouston]

I love the planning part almost as much as I love being in the magic bubble!. This last trip I waited til 2 weeks prior to our departure to start booking the resort and the ADR's and it was a little tense and stressful...or maybe I should say challenging since we are big on character dining and waiting that long to get ressies I really had to work it..Also I was determined to eat at a restaurant on Thanksgiving day that was serving some traditional fare and it took up until we were actually at the World to get a ressie for our party at Biergarten, which was a fabulous buffet. I love planning what parks we do which day to coincide with ADR's, I love trying to set aside time to resort hop...gosh I am so ready to start planning my next trip now, I gotta get off this forum!

 

[jlsHouston]

The first thing we do is set our ADRs, check crowd calendars for the days we're there and that's it. I dot bother with the rest of it.

This past time, I made a packing list, which helped packing not feel overwhelming (packed 5 people in one suitcase).

I want a picture of the size of that suitcase!

 

[Britt]

I want a picture of the size of that suitcase!

Haha!!! I'm too cheap to pay for 2 checked bags, so we use those bags where you roll the air out! And then we all pack 2 days of clothes in our carry ons (hotel the night before the airport airport clothes and Jammie's) and whatever toiletries we have go in my carry on