How much planning is too much?

J

johnvree

Member
Original Poster
Hello, my name is John and I am plan-aholic.

For me, planning the trip is half the fun. I do a fairly detailed itinerary for each day. Each day is broken up into blocks - morning, afternoon and evening (which is recommended by some). Within each block, I list the attractions that we hope to experience and the restaurants we will stop at. I make sure that there is enough time in each block to not only see what is listed but also to do anything else that might come up (characters, 2nd rides, breaks ect.).

A typical block might look something like this: MK

Morning (9:00-1:00):
-breakfast at Crystal Plaza (ps 9:10)
-get Jungle Cruise FP
-Magic Carpets of Aladdin
-Jungle Cruise
-get a FP for Splash Mountain
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Splash Mountain
-take WDW Railroad to exit.
-go back to resort

Now I wasn't always so flexible. :lol: Last time we went, November 2002, I went a bit overboard. I did my best to prove that each park could be completed in one day each. The first day we did AK on a 95 degree day. We did everything. Next day was MGM and again almost every attraction was seen. Keep in mind, my kids were 2 and 4. The third day was MK. By 1:00 we had done every attraction in Tomorrowland (except AE) and Fantasyland. It was at that point that my wife pulled rank (she was holding the money) and threw out my itineraries and made it quite clear that the only way that pace was going to continue was if I was doing it by myself. I was suspended from WDW for 2 years. :eek:

With good behavior, I have gotten off early. We are going in May, but I will be on a short leash.

Anyway, now that I am a changed man :lookaroun "I am going to be very flexible", "I am going to be very flexible", "I am going to be very flexible", "I am going to be very flexible", "I am going to be very flexible". Sorry, that's one of the conditions of my parole.

I am interested if anyone has somehow struck a happy medium in the planning area. Any suggestions (besides medication)?
 
barnum42

barnum42

New Member
My planning consists of checking if certain parades / attractions / entertainers I wish to see only play on certain days then I will go to that park on that day. Also there I some rides I know will develop long queues within and hour, so I’ll ride them first.

Other than that, I take it easy, stroll around a park and see how the day develops. I spend too much of the working life living by a schedule to carry it over to leisure time.
 
W

Wendymom65

New Member
I wouldn't call myself a planaholic but was a research professional....I started research in June (when we sold our house) for a trip in Sept. due to THIS SITE and a couple others I was able to plan every meal with a p.s. (we were on a package) including both princess breakfasts. I bought the unofficial guide book......once we were down at WDW we ended up changing a few things, plus since we had 3 meals a day we didn't end up killing ourselves on the other things (spendt alot of time getting to each meal) but we had a 2 and 5 year old so that was okay. My DH is a big baby so thought he would stroke out if he didn't get to ride his big boy rides but he did wonderfully (only disappointment was Haunted Mansion was closed). He even missed Space and Splash Mountain. SO I think planning in advance is the BEST thing to do, but then realize that once you are down there you can change. We were able to see a lot of characters just by walking around. ALSO we found the last day a wonderful restaurant at the Yacht Club (the steakhouse) and I called and cancelled our ps at another restaurant and got one 2 hours before for that one! SO DON"T BEAT YOURSELF UP, just chill a little once you are down there!!!!
 
Yellow Shoes

Yellow Shoes

Well-Known Member
"Too much Planning" is such a judgment call.

For some people, it is too much planning to buy park tickets in advance.

The pithiest answer is: It is too much planning when you start to annoy your travel companions. (Oops--you've already done that)

The least amount of planning that I will do is:
--PS
--decide which park on which day (often determined by the PS--or vice-versa. These 2 items are linked)
--check parade and show schedules and plan your wandering accordingly.

You have young children, so down time at the hotel is a must.

Good luck with your "condition".

Your support group is ready to help when you feel your old ways creeping up on you..........
 
Djali999

Djali999

Active Member
Originally posted by barnum42
The key word for me there is "wandering". The best way to enjoy WDW.
Click to expand...

I'll second that motion. WDW can actually accomidate for the quiet epiphany if you let it. one of my favorite places in the resort is Morocco at World Showcase. take a half hour and stroll around there for a change of pace.
 
PixyDust

PixyDust

Member
I'm gonna side with Yellow Shoes on this one.

Pick the things that are on a "if you miss this show, there ain't another one today" schedule such as parades and fireworks, and plan which you want to see when.

Match days with parks. Know which days are early entry days and historically the busiest days for each park and avoid them. Don't get caught at the wrong park on the wrong day due to a whim - "hey, lets just take the next bus that comes along..."

Make meal PS's before getting to the world.

Other than that, have fun!
 
figmentmom

figmentmom

Well-Known Member
The first time we took our kids to WDW way back in '88, I was a total idiot and ignored all the guidebooks. Result: we wasted HOURS wandering around without a plan, and no one had a good time. The following year, I went completely in the other direction, and planned everything down to the nanosecond. Result: I marched everyone from attraction to attraction whether they wanted to go or not, and no one had a good time. What have I learned from this? Relax, get fastpasses for the things you REALLY want to do, get PS for the restaurants you REALLY want to visit, and then relax and enjoy the parks according to your mood, your family's mood, the weather, etc. YOU'RE ON VACATION! Have fun!:)
 
BRER STITCH

BRER STITCH

Well-Known Member
Something I like to do, and would be an easy start for anyone, is to leave one complete day of your week absolutely free for everyone to roam and explore when and where they want to. That includes No scheduled activities, No Priority Seatings, etc...

It's a great chance for other members of your party to go back and do what they liked best....it also encourages them to try something new!
Some will go shopping...some will go back to a favorite park...some will sleep in and relax around the resorts....some will go to the water parks.....some will sit by the pool, etc...

Successful past trip planning consisted of selecting which park/activity on which day, and one scheduled meal per day. The rest was left up to our party as we explored WDW.

One thing to stay away from is planning too many meals. Not everyone will be hungry or want to eat every meal at the same time.

HAVE FUN!....and good luck in "rehab"! :lol: :lol:
 
G

grandmere63

New Member
I also plan ahead, but only to a certain extent. I began planning after a couple of trips to Disneyland that resulted in long waits and not too many rides. After I wised up, I took my Dad, a California resident who had been to DL many times, for a day doing it my way. He couldn't believe the difference. My theory is "At these prices, I want the best bang for the buck!" I check ahead for closures, busiest days and early entry days. (We stay offsite. Did I mention I'm cheap?) We make PS reservations for our favorite places that need them. Although, often, we just go to the restaurant in the morning to make a lunch reservation, etc.
We arrive before opening, hit the "big" attractions early in the morning, usually doing our favorites two or three times, then do the less popular things later in the day. No complaints from my husband. We've been to WDW at least 7 times that I can remember.

Contrarily, my dear son-in-law whom I love, calls me "The Obenfurher." (Sp?) He wants no schedule at all when he's on vacation. Last year we rented a house and two cars. Sometimes we went our way (and took granddaughter with us) and they went theirs and sometimes we hooked up for dinner, etc. They treated us to a wonderful anniversary dinner. Anyway, it worked out.
 
mkt

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
as long as you don't plan your bathroom breaks, you'll be OK
 
figmentmom

figmentmom

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by mkt
as long as you don't plan your bathroom breaks, you'll be OK
Click to expand...

If you're going with kids, you're going to visit every single bathroom in every single park - get used to it in advance!:lol:
 
tigsmom

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by mkt
as long as you don't plan your bathroom breaks, you'll be OK
Click to expand...

Sorry Rob, but these need to be planned very carefully...especially if you have kids. We have a motto:

Never pass up the chance to p**.
 
mkt

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
I mean as in an itinerary

10:30- Pooh Ride

11:00- Poo

11:30- Tiki Room

12:00- ______


like that
 

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