Feeling frustrated and a bit down :(

[Gurt]

Hi all I guess im just having a bit of a moan really, me, my bf and my mum are returning to the world in September (yey for that) but I have been doing all the planning which don't get me wrong I love doing but the others are making me feel like I am being a pain and getting all short with me, I wanted us to have a planning get together before the 180 ADR mark but got stonewalled because they want to wait till summer when we can sit out in the garden to make plans which is partly fine I am happy to go over and make adjustments but as you guys know if you don't book at 180 it's your own fault is you can't get the ressi you want.

I managed to get them to sit down together when I faked panic over the MNSSHP hours had been released and it completely changed all my plans, I was very dramatic about it but it got their attention and in reality all I had to do was swap an MK day for an Epcot day hehe naughty me.

So we went over my plans which started with objection at the first hurdle, I have our plan as hopefully arriving at Old Key West by about 5pm and I planned to head to Epcot for F&W bearing in mind these plans are not set in stone at all I was met with ‘how will I know how tired I will be’ and ‘I don’t know if I want to go to Epcot the day we arrive’ so we swiftly moved on, get to the 1st MK day and low and behold I get huffed and puffed at because since we are past the 180 mark we can’t get a dinner ADR at BOG.

I won’t bore you with all the details but you get the idea I have managed to secure 5 ADR’s but that is all they are prepared to plan at this stage because they don’t want to be held to time which again I understand but they don’t have a clue. So I guess I am feeling a bit frustrated and want to give them the whole ‘do you know how many hours this has taken me’ speech but hey summer is nearly here so the sun needs to get here so I can get them in the garden to plan.

Now to the feeling down part I come on here nearly every day to keep me going until the trip finally arrives and on top of my family frustration some much of what I am seeing on the boards is so negative it seems like every thread in the general discussion is on how bad Disney is now and how there is no magic left which I appreciate the ticket prices have risen and in terms as updating / upgrading Uni has been smashing it over Disney but I have been waiting for this trip for 3 years since our last and at the moment I feel like I could cry my happy Disney bubble feels deflated, I did think about writing a pre trip report but I have never written one before and I have no clue where to start!

Thanks for reading my moan, rant over now.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I suggest you go ahead and make reservations you think appropriate and then cancel them, if need be, after you finally meet with the others.

 

[J_Krafty24]

I agree with the above comment. Just get the very basic info from the others (maybe the 1 or 2 things they most want to do), plan what you need to ahead of time then adjust later as needed/possible. If you keep pushing them and being overly dramatic about it all now they are going to be sick and tired all things Disney by the time the trip comes. True, you may miss out on that perfect set of peak time hard to get ADRs but you don't want your BF and mom to roll their eyes out of annoyance every time you enter the room for the next 5 months.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Trip with mom and boyfriend. Sounds like fun.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Speaking from experience from a family trip with 4 families - it's next to impossible to plan parks, FP+, and meals for a group, especially when they aren't regular Disney goers. I tried to do the same as you, and it was very frustrating.

Here's what worked for us, to a degree:
- we made plans for 1 shared meal a day; this was before the penalty for missing an ADR was implemented. Of all of our planned meals, we only had full attendance at 1 - and that was because it was Cinderella's Royal Table and they would have lost the most money.
- we tried to plan which park for which day, but even that wasn't a strict rule. Most usually were in that park.
- we made a plan to meet/share 1 event per day - such as watching a parade or fireworks; again, we rarely had full attendance.

That was the extent of the planning. I did prepare some simple info sheets on park hours, use of buses, and Fastpasses, and other tips.

This worked, and it also allowed for some spontaneous meetups like all of us happening to be together one afternoon in the food court and sharing some pizza, swimming in the pool, etc.

In other words - since you are the experienced one, do enough to guide your family, and then let the rest just happen.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Go ahead, make your plans as best you can, and explain to your family when it comes time for your initial "garden summit" that although you've drawn up a "rough draft" itinerary and made reservations accordingly, you're happy to make changes where changes can still be made, and each individual is free to "opt out" of the itinerary as they like. (I've planned for a larger, multi-generational group, and the planning went very smoothly, once everyone understood that I wasn't telling them where they had to be or what they had to do at any given time -- I was making plans that they were free to take or leave as they chose, with the exception of dinner reservations each night, as we had all agreed that we'd at least get together for one sit-down meal every day. Once we arrived however and everybody saw what a difference good planning makes -- "No, that line is too long - oh wait, you say you already made us a Fastpass for it?" almost nobody wanted to deviate from the plan!) They just need to understand that it's better to have a plan and try to change it later, than to have no plan at all and spend your vacation looking at each other saying, "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

Also, please don't be discouraged or downhearted. The recent cuts have made it tougher in the parks somewhat (longer lines, etc.), but it doesn't have to diminish your trip, especially if you know what you're doing, and it sounds like you do.

In fact, my sister and her family are in WDW at this very moment, on day 5 of an 8-day trip. I spoke with her on the phone yesterday, and between choosing the least crowded parks, making good use of rope drop arrivals and Fastpasses, and planning their meals at non-peak times, they've not waited more than 20 minutes for a single attraction or meal, and in most cases, they've been waiting far less...and this is with in-park crowd levels ranging from 7 to 9 out of 10, and many attractions operating at half-capacity! They're also having an absolute ball, and have had some amazing CM interactions and random pixie dust (e.g., yesterday they received a free upgrade at AoA from a Little Mermaid standard room to a Cars family suite for the rest of their stay, all because my brother-in-law and my impossibly adorable 5-year-old nephew swung by the front desk, batted their eyes and asked politely). While the negative reports you are reading are no doubt true, there is still much fun to be had, and many of the current cutbacks will be over with before you travel, or can be avoided through wise planning! Good luck!

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Hi all I guess im just having a bit of a moan really, me, my bf and my mum are returning to the world in September (yey for that) but I have been doing all the planning which don't get me wrong I love doing but the others are making me feel like I am being a pain and getting all short with me, I wanted us to have a planning get together before the 180 ADR mark but got stonewalled because they want to wait till summer when we can sit out in the garden to make plans which is partly fine I am happy to go over and make adjustments but as you guys know if you don't book at 180 it's your own fault is you can't get the ressi you want.

I managed to get them to sit down together when I faked panic over the MNSSHP hours had been released and it completely changed all my plans, I was very dramatic about it but it got their attention and in reality all I had to do was swap an MK day for an Epcot day hehe naughty me.

So we went over my plans which started with objection at the first hurdle, I have our plan as hopefully arriving at Old Key West by about 5pm and I planned to head to Epcot for F&W bearing in mind these plans are not set in stone at all I was met with ‘how will I know how tired I will be’ and ‘I don’t know if I want to go to Epcot the day we arrive’ so we swiftly moved on, get to the 1st MK day and low and behold I get huffed and puffed at because since we are past the 180 mark we can’t get a dinner ADR at BOG.

I won’t bore you with all the details but you get the idea I have managed to secure 5 ADR’s but that is all they are prepared to plan at this stage because they don’t want to be held to time which again I understand but they don’t have a clue. So I guess I am feeling a bit frustrated and want to give them the whole ‘do you know how many hours this has taken me’ speech but hey summer is nearly here so the sun needs to get here so I can get them in the garden to plan.

Now to the feeling down part I come on here nearly every day to keep me going until the trip finally arrives and on top of my family frustration some much of what I am seeing on the boards is so negative it seems like every thread in the general discussion is on how bad Disney is now and how there is no magic left which I appreciate the ticket prices have risen and in terms as updating / upgrading Uni has been smashing it over Disney but I have been waiting for this trip for 3 years since our last and at the moment I feel like I could cry my happy Disney bubble feels deflated, I did think about writing a pre trip report but I have never written one before and I have no clue where to start!

Thanks for reading my moan, rant over now.

I think you already have the start of a Pre Trip report.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

To echo what others have said, you know the importance of scheduling certain things now and should do so. When the time comes and they want to make changes, put it on them. "You want to do dinner at Ohana? Okay, check the website and let me know what times & dates are available."

The fact that you got blamed for a lack of BOG reservation, due to their inaction is ridiculous. Don't put up with that!

Beyond that, make it clear you have suggestions that they are free to follow or ignore as they please. Maybe they'll want to go to F&W on night one, maybe it will just be you. It shouldn't matter. Just say that it's your plan for a first night activity, and they can decide for themselves at the time whether they want to join, or crash in the hotel room.

 

[WDWDarling]

Don't be down or discouraged - you are going to Disney!

I totally understand where you are coming from though, as I dealt with some of that on my last trip. As others have said, make the reservations/FPs that you think everyone will like and once you have your planning session adjust as needed.

Also, don't give up on those hard to get reservations - keep checking the site to see if anything comes open. People make/cancel reservations all the time so you never know what you'll find.

The biggest thing though - attitude is everything. Even if things don't go exactly as planned, just enjoy being at Disney with people you love. I know this is easier said than done (I'm a hard-core OCD planner so I know the struggle) but I promise it makes all the difference!

Chin up buttercup!

 

[Woodywrkr]

Thanks for reading my moan, rant over now.

Don't let the complaints get you down. Read a few trip reports and you will see all kinds of positive posts from people having a great time at the parks. (I'm partial to reports by Tuvalu, myself). I have been visiting the parks since 1981. My family and I still have a great time. I am sure that you will too!

 

[Gurt]

Thank you everyone, I hadn't even thought of making ADR's then cancelling, great suggestion. They are both as super excited as me but it's just too far away for them to plan, my mum mentions it at least once a day and the whole trip was Chris's idea, I think I was just feeling super moany yesterday and because the F&W has been extended I have no idea what the crowds are going to be like, I am hoping for like our last trip is 2013, out of the 7 trips I have done it was by far the least crowded, longest wait 20mins for TSMM awesome

 

[bethymouse]

I am feeling the same way, but I am going soon ( 30 days ) and I eat, sleep, and drink Disney! Take time to enjoy the little things, especially at your Disney Resort!