Now That the Planning is Done

[GoingtoDisBig]

Any tips on what everyone does when they're "done" planning? We are about 30 days out, have all our dining reservations and dessert parties booked, have touring plans complete and got all the FP+ we wanted. I feel like I'm going to go crazy waiting 30 days now that all the planning is done!

 

[mrd7896]

isn't it kind of sad when you're done with everything and just have to wait it out!!
I go crazy still looking at FP+ to see if any small changes can be made-but it sounds like you're content with yours which is great!

1. I start (read: continue) my wardrobe shopping and planning
2. make a list of anything i'll need beforehand like snacks, toiletries, things i may forget about when packing
3. i wait for my magic bands to arrive because that makes everything more real-should be happening very soon for you?! Even at that point i log onto MDE every day to see if they have shipped or not
4. i still buy Birnbaum for the current year that i am travelling (yes i am one of THOSE people) and whoever i am travelling with we sit down, read through it, circle our must-dos, read about new things, and get excited over and over again-this works for my DBF who hasn't been to Disney as much as i have and often forgets attractions and shows until we sit down and look through the book.
5. i read these boards every day to live vicariously through posters
6. similar to reading the boards, i read up on parties that i may be doing and others' experiences!

aka every day is spent reading disney content and somhow preparing

 

[GoingtoDisBig]

I've actually never heard of 4 on your list! I'll have to check that out.

 

[GoingtoDisBig]

isn't it kind of sad when you're done with everything and just have to wait it out!!
I go crazy still looking at FP+ to see if any small changes can be made-but it sounds like you're content with yours which is great!

1. I start (read: continue) my wardrobe shopping and planning
2. make a list of anything i'll need beforehand like snacks, toiletries, things i may forget about when packing
3. i wait for my magic bands to arrive because that makes everything more real-should be happening very soon for you?! Even at that point i log onto MDE every day to see if they have shipped or not
4. i still buy Birnbaum for the current year that i am travelling (yes i am one of THOSE people) and whoever i am travelling with we sit down, read through it, circle our must-dos, read about new things, and get excited over and over again-this works for my DBF who hasn't been to Disney as much as i have and often forgets attractions and shows until we sit down and look through the book.
5. i read these boards every day to live vicariously through posters
6. similar to reading the boards, i read up on parties that i may be doing and others' experiences!

aka every day is spent reading disney content and somhow preparing

I forgot to mention that we already got our magic bands so I don't have that to look forward to any more.

 

[mrd7896]

I've actually never heard of 4 on your list! I'll have to check that out.

For someone on these boards you probably know most of what is in the book. the first few pages go through best times to travel, crowd levels, monthly temperatures and the 'pre-planning' bit like what to pack. Then it goes through all the parks, has a snippet of all the rides, attractions, shows, shows a park map, etc. if you have a local barnes and nobles i would stop by and flip through it before buying it as i know some of my fellow dis-ers like it for anything that is new at disney...but the other information is what you may already know.

honestly, it is just a tradition in my family and we have one for every year we went to disney which is just fun to look back on!

 

[Spencer Wright]

It also provides a last stretch of time to get in shape for Disney, whether its walking, running, or something else!

 

[MaidMarian444]

I'm starting a diet! We also have about a little over a month to go.

 

[disneyinthespringtime]

1) packing list
2) spreadsheet of times for all the non-park stuff. This seemed ridiculously OCD at first when I heard of it but as someone who chronically underestimates how long it will take to get ready, etc I found it super useful to create a spreadsheet that went half hour by half hour each day and used it to back into realistic calculations for when we needed to wake up by and leave the hotel by to get to the park by X time; when to cut the day off and head back by if I wanted the kids in bed by Y; etc. For in the park time I just listed the whole block as MK/ AK/DHS/Epcot since my TP had that part covered.

 

[GoingtoDisBig]

1) packing list
2) spreadsheet of times for all the non-park stuff. This seemed ridiculously OCD at first when I heard of it but as someone who chronically underestimates how long it will take to get ready, etc I found it super useful to create a spreadsheet that went half hour by half hour each day and used it to back into realistic calculations for when we needed to wake up by and leave the hotel by to get to the park by X time; when to cut the day off and head back by if I wanted the kids in bed by Y; etc. For in the park time I just listed the whole block as MK/ AK/DHS/Epcot since my TP had that part covered.

I should definitely do this because I think that's one area my planning is lacking.

 

[tguz]

I love the planning, selecting fastpasses, and booking ADR's. When I am all done with that, I keep checking to see if I can move up any fastpasses to earlier in the day and I like to check wait times (just for the fun of it). We drive from the Midwest, so I also start asking the kids and my Fiancee about what kinds of snacks they would like for the drive and for the room. It doesn't save a bunch of money but within 30 days sometimes I can find the snacks on sale.

 

[GoingtoDisBig]

I love the planning, selecting fastpasses, and booking ADR's. When I am all done with that, I keep checking to see if I can move up any fastpasses to earlier in the day and I like to check wait times (just for the fun of it). We drive from the Midwest, so I also start asking the kids and my Fiancee about what kinds of snacks they would like for the drive and for the room. It doesn't save a bunch of money but within 30 days sometimes I can find the snacks on sale.

We have a long drive too, so I'm going to start looking for snacks and things to do in the car with the kids. Checking wait times also sounds fun!

 

[NH-to-FL]

Here's a fun thing to do to help ease your Disney anticipation. Go to Google Maps street view and "walk" through the parks. Most of the park pathways have been captured. It is surprisingly real. I actually saw someone with the 360 degree camera walking through HS once.

 

[Rach3975]

In the last month or so I:

• start making packing lists and shopping for anything we need
• look over restaurant menus to see if we're still happy with our ADRs (ie, if they've changed)
• choose QS restaurants
• make a list of snacks/Epcot Festival booth snacks
• Revise Touring Plans to use the most up to date wait time predictions
• Think about any unique photos I hope to get
• Check weather forecasts (less than 1 week out)
• Confirm all plans obsessively (and try not to doubt them all!)