I am stressing

[Rneighh]

We leave for our fifth WDW trip in a few weeks. Our last trip was February of 2002. I only discovered these boards a few weeks before we left last year. So basically on all my past trips I blindly went to the world without the vast knowledge and information these boards have given me. I wandered WDW with no PSs, no discount codes (but I did get some great post card rates), no cheerleader concerns -- I was ignorant. But we always had a wonderful trip.

Now my problem.

Since reading these boards for the past year, planning this trip has become a refined art. I have every detail planned. I am still making revisions to my plan and seem to be double checking everything. Was blind faith better or will my careful planning pay off? Will the World still be that magical place now that I have discovered some of its secrets?

Renee

 

[grinningghost]

That's funny, because I worry about the same thing. In the trips before finding the DIS, I never planned anything. We set the date, booked a room and away we went. After learning all the in and outs, I've found I'm a little jaded. In a good way probably. I feel like I'm getting the most for my money now. The only thing I don't care for, and I stay away from most of it, is knowing how attractions work. I don't have to know everything. I like to let some of it remain a mystery.

 

[jimmiej]

I feel your pain!!!

I did a few trips "blind" also. I saw the light after reading the Unofficial Guide to WDW for the first time. Then I found this website. Now, I start planning a year out & enjoy every minute of it! I'm definitely a type "A". My DW lets me plan away. Each morning at WDW, she asks me, "What are we doing today?" Our last two trips have been planned down to the hour & have gone very smoothly-much better than anything we did before. However, be ready for the unexpected at all times. Have fun!!!

 

[lorilori]

Hi Renee: We're going early early March so I'm also in the 'throes' of planning which I LOOOOVE! To answer your question, I find Disney even more magical since there are so many things I've learned about on the Boards that I didn't know about before. With 3 kids all wanting to ride certain rides, etc. all the planning and schedule re-arranging keeps things much more organized instead of running around the parks like chickens without heads. It makes us able to stay sane in the midst of all the chaos that is Disney. And most importantly for myself, I don't get that 'oh my goodness I'm missing something' feeling!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says................................PLanning can get scary.
We had only been three times but had planned everything so much by trip four the planning was something like this.
Day 1 We get in around 9:00 am. So, what do we do? EPCOT? ok
Showcase? yes. eat around? of course. left or right? Lets' try right. Easy? Duh. What we decided in 30 seconds was:
Lets go to EPCOT and do World Showcase. Rather than planning sitdown meals shall we graze at the many stands open during the Food and Wine Festival. That sounds great. Do we start on the left side or the right side, we usually start left. This time we will start on the right at Canada for some Cheddar Cheese Soup,and the movie "Canada". We usually tour hard, but we just got in on a redeye flight so I ask if we should take it easy. Of course is the answer!

 

[EAP'sDAD]

I have been going down every year for the past 4 years and the first time went blind but didn't care had fun no stress. Then I started reading about WDW and I planned everything from where to eat to what parks ( I didn't go crazy enough to do the order of rides) but what lands had all my PS's. Well everyone was making fun of this calling me Sgt. Disney. Third year I didn't plan a thing, and did I hear the complaints, we didn't see alot of stuff. couldn't get certain PS's my family begged me to plan the next trip and it again went wonderfully. We try to go to a park every other day and relax in between so when were there we don't waste time trying to figure what to do. But the most important thing to plan is any character meals.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

LOL
I don't know why.. but Sgt. Disney cracked me up. So.. so... me!

I didn't have a CLUE what I was doing on the last trip. I tried to research as much as I could online but I only had like 2 nights to do so from the time we decided to go until the time we left! Mega spur of the moment.

But I'm still a type A person and upon arriving at the room and doing WonderWorks/dinner magic show that night- I made sure to have all my booklets and maps/etc all lined up on the table and since I didn't have ALL night to work on it- I just did our plans for each park the night before (yes, I had to figure out what order we'd do the parks- but MK first was a given on our very first trip ever!!! LOL)

I'm ashamed to say I did line up atleast the first few rides we'd ride. *looks around sheepishly* But what I used to judge which ones were which ones had FP near rides we could ride while waiting on the FP because I didn't know which rides we would want to ride! I also based it a lot on what the kids could ride although we did do the parent swap quite a bit with the younger one or two on a lot of rides.

Anywho- I wish I had been MORE prepared. Why do you think I'm going back so soon? Because we simply did NOT do even half of each park (especially Epcot, AK and MK... MGM we managed to get almost everything done in one day!) and I was chomping at the bit to go again, feeling like I'd missed too much stuff.

Have I planned the next trip down to the hour? No. But only because going solo I have the opportunity for ONCE to NOT HAVE to plan things out. I have semi- planned out my days with flexibility with just a few PS's, reservations for LaNouba, and to meet from this board- but on an 8.5 day trip that's really not planning much. I hope to do EE in the parks that have it and then either stay there (I know I won't be able to bring myself to leave MK on it's EE days... too much to do there! LOL) or go to another park that day. This time I plan on seeing DTD/PI (which I didn't see at all last time!) etc etc. But I'm TRYING to make myself not plan too too much where it feels all planned.

But yes, I do have things written down the things I don't want to miss for each park -so whenever I'm at that park I can make sure I don't miss those things AGAIN. LOL

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

OH and to answer your question- I really can't say just yet. But I anticipate having a great time on my next trip! I had a great time last time too- but when I came home I felt like I had just missed way too much. Perhaps our trip was just too short spending only 4 days in the WDW parks on our first trip- I'm sure that's what it was.

But I think it just depends on your personality type. I'm the type that I like to know everything I can know and go in with some knowledge about the place and what others have said are fun to do, what not to miss, etc. For others they might hate that! Just depends...

 

[UKAnnie]

Not sure which category I fall into! IMO if you go to Disneyworld in the quieter periods there's not so much need to plan so you don't miss anything. I visit the Boards year round and about a couple of months before a trip I start to jot down stuff I want to do/see, then just take my list with me! We plan each evening in the hotel as the 'fancy' takes us as to what we want do the next day. As long as I've covered the stuff on my list I'm happy!

I can see however to get the most from your money during peak times you have to be a lot more organised! Don't stress - just enjoy. I've just found out that Little Mermaid will be closed whilst we there - I just think I'll catch it another time (always a good excuse to go again). Maybe something to do with getting older and having less energy to stress!

Have a wonderful time. (Only 13 days to go before we cross the pond to see Mickey - yeah!).

 

[Micca]

I find the more we go, the less planning we do (other than room and some meal ps). We have done many commando trips over the years, but we now find it more fun to take things in stride and actually try to have a vacation. At some point you begin to realize WDW isn't going anywhere, and you will return(sooner rather than later in our case).

 

[welovemickey]

During our last trip in December, the only thing we planned was which park on which day. I found it to be less "stressful" (not having to be anywhere at any given time for PS's, shows, etc.).

On our previous trips, I had EVERYTHING planned ("Mom, is it time to go to the bathroom yet"? "No, it's not on the schedule right now"). LOL. We did have fun on those trips, but the last one was definately the MOST relaxing trip we had.

 

[InstImpres]

I am on the annal list for DIS. Last trip my extended family (who of course stay in my DVC) looked at me when they received my 5 page packet. The cover was the days broken into 3 parts with all shows and parades plotted in as well as PS. That's as far as I go. We usually have short trips, 4-5 days so if you don;t plan the shows, you miss them and there isn't a chance to make it up.

BTW, what are cheerleaders?confused:

Thanks
Sandy:

 

[simonmunro]

I loved this thread!!! I can get a plan detailed the way I want it with hotel, PS, late night entertainment, etc. I take how many full days and divide into three parts like the OP above and be sooo proud of it, just know that it's ideal for us, but something is dreadfully WRONG with my in-park, fastpass, shows schedule, where do we find a seat ahead of time for this parade or that show kind of itinerary. It's like a block, I can't organize the notes or feel like it's do-able or if I even forgot something! YIKES. I read your "Commando" style touring threads but only that you did it or didn't do it but not HOW. HELP... Are there any commando tour itinerarys posted here somewhere? I'd love to print some and then revise them for our family. There's not a real good chance I'll aquire the skill to plan in park itineraries on my own before we want to go again. We got fast pass last time but with a couple hour wait we were way far away by the time it was due???