Disney Travelers That Don't Plan...Come Forth!!

[LivFreeorDisney]

All right everyone, I've been looking around the forums and I'm seeing a lot of insane planning. People are going on 7 day trips with 10 plus ADRs. I just don't know why you would want to tie yourself down like that. I can see if you're just two adults but I'd never want to put my kids through a schedule like that.
Don't get me wrong, I like to plan the events that lead up to going to Disney World (Hotel, ME, Limo to airport), but once I'm there I like to just let things happen. I also don't want to make it look like I never do ADRs because I do but its normally 1 or 2 if that at all. I just don't want that feeling of, "I really don't feel like going to Epcot today but I guess I'll go because I'm suppose to eat at XYZ".

I'm sure I'll get mixed messages and that's what makes this forum so great.

 

[Californian Elitist]

IMO, planning takes the fun away. Just let day plan itself out. I definitely don't want to plan which rides I'll be on at specific times. What the...?

Once the date is planned, I'm excited.

 

[olinecoach61]

I understand what your saying but I'm always worried about being stuck at a quick serve all the time. Last trip we actually canceled a few ADRs we had planned because we didn't like the pace of having to be at a certain place at a certain time.

 

[LivFreeorDisney]

I understand what your saying but I'm always worried about being stuck at a quick serve all the time. Last trip we actually canceled a few ADRs we had planned because we didn't like the pace of having to be at a certain place at a certain time.

I hear ya about getting stuck at the quick serves. We are DVCers so we eat what we (Thanks to Garden Grocer)at the room and just hit the parks for the rides. I know that DW has some great restaurants and I've been to a bunch of them but I don't want to make eating the center point of my trip. You end up just going from point A to point B just to eat instead of enjoying the parks.

 

[luv]

Everyone decides where they will stay, where and when they'll eat, and which rides they will do, in which order.

Some people do this ahead of time. Some do it while they're on vacation.

But everyone, at some point, makes the decisions.

Like eating a Reese's, there is no wrong way to do it!

 

[WannaBWendy]

I HATE making ADR's but the year before, I didn't make any, we were stuck waiting forever or getting so tired of waiting, we ate quick serve. I ended up calling 2 or 3 days in and getting some reservations for the rest of the trip. This year, I made ADR's for all of our sit down meals and was happy with when and where we ate.

 

[lilclerk]

I like to plan when I'm at home, leading up to the trip. But once I'm there, it's like those plans never existed. But I've also been enough that I don't feel like I have to run around and do everything in that one trip. My trips are more relaxing. Unless we get the free dining plan, I only make 2-3 dinner reservations, then try to do walk ups the rest of the time.

 

[smw]

I *much* preferred it when you could get into a restaurant the day of, but it is what it is now. i'll make a few ADRs for the trip so we have a few definites, but aside from that it's all day-to-day. park-hoppers are a must for me/us so we can change plans at any time. there's something comforting to me, during the last day or two, in knowing that I can go back to a certain park/ride/whatever again if I choose. we did the "super-plan" thing once, and it made me a bit sad knowing i'd already said bye to certain places.

 

[Freshee61]

No planners here. Our plans are just gettng there and when can we go back.

 

[disneygirl76]

The great thing about ADR's - you can cancel them. We have planned a day and then canceled or changed them b/c we didn't want to go to where we were "supposed" to go. I plan like crazy until we get there. Then once there, we must go with the flow and do what we want.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It's interesting you note not wanting to put kids on a schedule like that. I know every child is different, but with the level of structure my girls get at school...structure during the vacay = sanity. I don't plan every second of the days and we sometimes drop our touring plan b/c our interests change, but the ADRs are the anchor points for our days. The days and times where we do more "winging it" are the days where we tend to have more meltdowns. Like I said- every child is different, but since ours get structure most days when not on vacay...structure on vacay works well for us.

Of course, I also don't mind making dining reservations at WDW since making reservatinos prior to travel is something I do for a lot of destinations. i.e. whenever I'm in Vegas or NYC, there are always at least a few reservations I make before travel to ensure we get into the places we want to dine...even if it means that day must be structured a certain way in advance to allow for said reservation to work.

This is also probably why I go stir crazy on "relaxing" beach vacations.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I too do not plan. I think the reservations being made so far out is a huge negative. The parks at Walt Disney World have lost a lot of their park-like qualities. They shouldn't be places for schedules, that isn't recreation. Maybe if people felt they were getting a better value they wouldn't feel the need to cram every second with Magic.

 

[kirstenoel]

I'm just gonna wing it! No planning for me if I get hungry, I suppose I'll have to eat - I don't mind where - I'm just looking forward to some sunshine

 

[Hannah1284]

We have a plan, but it's been so long since we've been there and I'm not sure when we'll go back so I want to be sure to hit up the things that I want to do. I have my ADR's - booked based on park hours for the time we'll be there. And then we have blocks of time to spend in certain areas of the parks with a list of rides I want to be sure to ride. Its just my husband and I so he'll just tag along and do what I want regardless of whether I had planned or not. I am so excited that the planning is helping to keep me sane!

 

[sgtmgd]

You can have SPONTANEITY and plan ADR's...whether you are an all adult party or a family with kids...we generally go for a week family vactation..and will do an ADR for dinner most nights..the parks dictate where Im going to be according to extra magic hours...and I make my ADr's accordingly..as disneygirl mentioned you can cancel if your plans change...but I prefer one good meal a day...somewhere to sit down for 90 minutes and relax, recharge..Im going to hit all areas of the park Im in that day so hitting the area my ADR is in at that time is no big deal..or requires any adjustments...or if at the MK...where there is no TS place that I enjoy..its a very nice monorail ride to POLY of GF for dinner...and then head back to MK...once again I get to relax have good food and enjoy a break. THis also works out if you have teenagers..you can cut them loose to meander on their on and link back up with them for dinner...I certainly dont and wont try to plan every second of the day...but haveing an ADR to me isnt a bad thing

 

[polynesiangirl]

I barely plan. This upcoming trip, I have 2 ADRs (although as a disclaimer, it is not a very long trip.) I often don't even book until just over a month before we leave (and we're not locals.)

I do miss the days of walking up to places like Le Cellier and getting a table in relatively short order. I just have a hard time trying to decide weeks in advance about what I'll want for lunch, or even which park we'll want to be in, and I hate getting there and then feeling boxed in by my plans. I do usually make a very basic day plan for each day but it frequently says things like "whichever park we feel like."

 

[LuLaSue]

I enjoy the entire planning process. I am probably guilty of overplanning but, I want to have a firm base to start. But, once we arrive in the World, we just go with the Magical Flow. Moods change.... ideas happen....and we adjust. We just try and stay in the moment when we are there.

 

[wiigirl]

No planners here. Our plans are just gettng there and when can we go back.

Same here....once we get to the parks...anarchy

 

[Alison1975]

IMO, planning takes the fun away. Just let day plan itself out. I definitely don't want to plan which rides I'll be on at specific times. What the...?

Once the date is planned, I'm excited.

Once I am AT the parks we don't plan anything but our ADR's... my kids live for character meals and I live for the down time a sit down meal provides... but aside from what meal and what park I plan nothing else really.

 

[fosse76]

All right everyone, I've been looking around the forums and I'm seeing a lot of insane planning. People are going on 7 day trips with 10 plus ADRs. I just don't know why you would want to tie yourself down like that. I can see if you're just two adults but I'd never want to put my kids through a schedule like that.
Don't get me wrong, I like to plan the events that lead up to going to Disney World (Hotel, ME, Limo to airport), but once I'm there I like to just let things happen. I also don't want to make it look like I never do ADRs because I do but its normally 1 or 2 if that at all. I just don't want that feeling of, "I really don't feel like going to Epcot today but I guess I'll go because I'm suppose to eat at XYZ".

I'm sure I'll get mixed messages and that's what makes this forum so great.

I never plan, which is one of things that really annoys me about the FP+ coming soon. I barely plan the trip as it is! Once I'm there, I really do let my mood decide what I do. One time, maybe a year ago, I woke up and took a bus to MK, but once I got off the bus I decided I really didn't want to go to MK, so I decided to head over to Epcot. For whatever reason I took the ferry, only to discover a massive line for the monorail, Not wanting to stand in line for over an hour to get to Epcot, I headed over to the bus pick-up area for DHS. If that doesn't scream "no planning" nothing does!