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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Gooooooood Morning All. So are you a regimental planner when you arrive inside the magic bubble.? Example..I do a 14 day/night timetable ( laminated ) of early hours/ Shows / ADRS / late hours / etc...Tho it takes gentle persuasion to get my DW & DS into action.When that alarm goes off at 06.30am I'am up like a mad man possessed..( I even used the wake up call from Stitch this year ) Once I round up the party,it's a power walk to our nearest bus depot for that rope drop.So I was wondering,does anyone else do " attack the mouse " or do you just go with the flow.?:oops:
 
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Sparkle81

Sparkle81

Well-Known Member
I did think I was a ridiculously regimented planner, but you've outdone me with the laminating ;) I've always printed out an itinerary though.
However this time, I'll be travelling with a 2 year old, so I think I'm going to have to learn to be a little less rigid on this trip.... I'm still going to make all the ADRs I want though, and hope for the best ;)
 
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brifraz

brifraz

Marching along...
Premium Member
Very extensive planner. I wouldn't say regimented because we often vary from the plans once in the park. We have a pretty detailed process.

As soon as EMH are published, we plan ADRs and parks for each day. Then we start making day plans - very large spread sheets with sections for each hour or two with any particular must-dos, what section of the park to be in, how to avoid crowds, where to get FPs and where to rush toward the lines, which days we expect to need a nap, and which days to relax and hang out at the pool, etc. That is developed and edited and re-edited. Then about 3 months out, DW and I totally separately start from scratch again and develop plans separately. Compare and then integrate into the initial plans. Then any time we have a long drive, we all discuss the plans in the car and add and subtract things as we see fit. That's where we are right now with our trip in July. And, DD9 is currently making a Powerpoint presentation for her friends of her plans!!

The thing is, once we are in the parks, if we see an unexpected line or something we really want to do that wasn't on the plans, we adjust. Since we all have things pretty much memorized, it is easy to change things on the fly - we know what shows are about to happen and where we can still get and FP, etc.

Tough thing with this trip, is still not knowing whether FP+ will be happening! We have lots of footnotes in the plans as to how things might change with FP+.

Insane, yes. Fun, yes. And, much to everyone's surprise, very relaxed and loose.
 
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brifraz

brifraz

Marching along...
Premium Member
real mad hatter said:
Example..I do a 14 day/night timetable ( laminated ) of early hours/ Shows / ADRS / late hours / etc...
Click to expand...

We have a laminated folder, but the pages are not laminated because we actually track exactly what we end up doing so we have a record (and also so my trip reports can be crazy detailed!). Hmmm....laminated pages with wet erase markers....hmmm.....
 
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zurgandfriend

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
I love to plan our trips and I am also an early riser, so in the past I would get the family up and out early. Now however my DS is a teen and likes to sleep a little later and my DW will throw a pillow at me and say “I’m on vacation let me sleep a little.” So I use the early morning time as “my Time.” I have my coffee, read the paper in the lobby of our resort, tour around our and the other monorail resorts. I can shop in peace and maybe take in the rope drop at Magic Kingdom before my phone rings and my DW says “We’re ready, where are you?” As for my planning, my DW used to compare it to the invasion of Normandy, now I’m less detailed, we plan which parks on which days and make our ADRs around that.
 
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Jo DeVil

Jo DeVil

Well-Known Member
I think am a planner! I have a formula spreadsheet that I use different pages for different planning first it is a price breakdown, price of tickets, price of flights. It has about 14 pages and converts things to dollars exchange rate of the day.

I have a plan for days with operating hours, EMH, parade and firework time, dining reservations numbers and time, and it also works out dining credits.
I have a A4 laminated version, a A5 laminated bag size version, and a laminated pocket version. This time II will also have a version on my Tablet or phone!!!
So I think I am a planner but not to sure. LOL
 
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LuLaSue

LuLaSue

Well-Known Member
@real mad hatter I am a super planner, also. My Father-In-Law may he rest in peace used to say, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Preformance. So I plan and let Disney preform! Disney requires much planning but, if you plan well the trip is easy breezy and you really feel relaxed and able to enjoy everything.

I map each day out on an index card. Park times, shows, ADR's...all the esentials. I use the bigger size, I can fit more information yet it still slips into my small purse.
 
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D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
I used to do Disney commando style when my son was little. Not anymore LOL. We plan our ADRs and that's about it. We normally visit in the Fall and usually let the weather decide what we will do during our vacation. For example, during the week, if it's hot and sunny, I like having the option of hitting one of the water parks. If not, we hit Epcot or MK. We also do a pool day, then visit the parks at night. We never know which day, will be our pool day, so just go with the flow :)
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LuLaSue said:
@real mad hatter I am a super planner, also. My Father-In-Law may he rest in peace used to say, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Preformance. So I plan and let Disney preform! Disney requires much planning but, when planning well the trip is easy breezy and you really feel relaxed and able to enjoy everything.

I map each day out on an index card. Park times, shows, ADR's...all the esentials. I use the bigger size, I can fit more information yet it still slips into my small purse.
Click to expand...
I love that quote. " Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance " So the next time I'am in the parks and I hear a kid yelling out to his parents " P P P P P .. I know it's not the toilet..LOL.;)
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DisneyDebNJ said:
I used to do Disney commando style when my son was little. Not anymore LOL. We plan our ADRs and that's about it. We normally visit in the Fall and usually let the weather decide what we will do during our vacation. For example, during the week, if it's hot and sunny, I like having the option of hitting one of the water parks. If not, we hit Epcot or MK. We also do a pool day, then visit the parks at night. We never know which day, will be our pool day, so just go with the flow :)
Click to expand...
Heres me thinking of yourself's with a laminated pineapple going 3 steps forward and 1 step back..I can just see @figmentfan423 with the wee flag of a Grey Goose shouting " This way folks,keep in line,left,right,left,right." LOL;)
 
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S

Susan Savia

Well-Known Member
Definitely go with the flow for us! I believe in slowing down some and enjoying and not having every moment mapped and timed out to be somewhere and doing something. Last few years we completely skipped doing ADRs because of the amount of time they cost us and found it freed us up even more. One large meal a day is enough for us. But now days we might plan one or two for our 2 week vacation and wing it the rest of the time.

We know we'll go to Epcot our first day and our last day (and many inbetween) and we know we are always going to be at rope drop no matter which park we choose. The only thing I look at is if a park as EMHs then we avoid it that morning. We do a lot of hopping particularly on the days we go to AK and HS and we make time for DTD at least twice.
 
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Jessica Meier

Jessica Meier

Well-Known Member
Definitely a planner. Have our ADRs planned, which day are we going to which park. From that point though we just play it by ear. I have a list of things everyone wants to do so we don't forget something in the chaos of the day. But other than that we just go with the flow. Do we go left or right? Just depends on the flow of the crowds. Bus or drive? Whatever the hubby feels like. Like a little flexibility and structure all rolled into one fun trip!
 
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