What type of planner are you?

[ANG]

Are you more:

a super planner (180 day ADRs, parks days planned by EMH/weather/hours of operation)

or

a go with the flow (no ADRs, deciding which park each day when you get there)


Also, if you have young kids, do you think this influences the type of planner you are?

[faline]

I'm somewhere in between and, it depends on the trip. There are some trips I've planned out in more detail - such as when we've traveled with others who have not gone to Disney a lot. Other trips, I've planned very little in advance and have gone with the flow.

I don't have young children. When I did, Disney was a very different place and the sort of planning that happens now just wasn't needed.

When our traveling party has included a little one, I can say we've done more planning than might be typical when we don't.

[LauraF]

I'm a little of both.

We make our dining reservations in advance, but go the parks as we see fit, not based on our ADRs. It's not uncommon for my husband and I to look at each other and decide to go to a different park, just because.

Also in the no kids camp, so I can't advise there.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I am a super planner. I would like to be more spontaneous about touring the parks though, so I'm trying to learn to be flexible.

[caryrae]

We are go with the flow people. I think in all the times we have been to WDW I think we made ADR's twice. Sometimes we may decide which parks to go on which day ahead of time but usually we decide the night before each night what we want to do the next day. For us it's more relaxing to just do what we feel like when we are there then make all these plans and try to stick with them.

[BuddyL4]

I feel more recently like I'm being pushed to be the super planner or what I call the stress planner. Like the stress of not getting the dinner Res I want if I don't do it at 180 days out. Knowing what park we will be in each day and the schedule so we don't miss our favorite activities. Now I have to think about FP+ for our trip and if I don't get that done will we get our favorite attractions in and their times as to not overlap a dinner Res and other stuff. OK I'm done now, time to think of my happy place and calm down wait, that's Disney World.

[DisneyDINK]

I'm a super planner. Planning begins 9-10 months out. Color coded spreadsheet with ADRs, Park Hours, EHM info, pool time, nap time, flight info, estimated cost, transportation options, nighttime entertainment, packing list. Retentive, retentive, retentive! I'm not super strict about following the schedule, I will change some things on the fly based on weather and crowds. I don't actually plan each ride during the day, but I do have a plan of attach for the early mornings and getting fast passes.

It sounds a bit over-the-top, but if I just booked a last minute trip I'd be denying myself the fun of the planning. It might not sound like it, but it is fun and relaxing just killing some time planning the trip from time to time.

62 days until my first solo trip!

[DonaldDuckUSA]

I agree that it depends on what kind of trip you're having. We go a few times a year and so we don't try to cram everything in on one trip. We used to be SUPER crazy stressed planners with our ADRs and spreadsheets, but learned that, for us, that did not make for a fun trip AND that we didn't need to plan that way. We stopped being detailed and started getting smart!

We've adapted to doing our own level of planning which involves loose scheduling AROUND everyone else.

For meals, we either eat during less busy times, we find restaurants where you can order food from the bar, or we snack.

So if its busy, and we want a trip with good food, we'll PLAN on EPCOT (snacking around the world)! Or we'll plan being in HS around lunch time so we can sit at the bar at Prime Time, regardless of how busy it is we typically don't have to wait very long to sit. We usually have a car so we eat dinner off site at least one night.

We stay off site, so we plan on going to parks that don't have EMH. But part of our park planning is based around the way we're feeling. If we're feeling high energy we'll do MK. If we're wanting a relaxing day we'll do AK.

So it's our own version of planning, which is low stress for us. It's planning that goes with the flow.

We don't have kids, so I can't address that. I imagine some of our planning would not work with children. Like its easy two seats at the Prime Time bar, but three seats makes it a little more complicated. I'd be interested on reading how people with kids plan (for when I'm a planning mom!)

[brownie]

I'll make Advance Dining Reservations as soon as I'm able to, so I'll have a general idea of what park(s) we'll be going to on each day of our trip at about the 180 day mark. I don't start checking the weather until 5-7 days out.

[Disney4us2]

I usually have all our ADR's booked in advance. This time since I will be off and on site, I only have two meals booked. My DD's favorite Tokyo Dining and a new one for us Les Chefs. This time I am winging the meals. As far as the parks this trip. We will get some park time mixed in with house hunting.

[Patricia]

Our trips have been so much easier as it's only two adults now. I only plan our resort (sometimes it's DTD resorts) and how many days we will spend in the parks to purchase passes and if we will attend a party such as MVSHP or MVMCP.

That's it.

We eat whenever we want, wherever we can and grab a fastpass if one is available.

I'm sure that will all change again in a couple of years when I start bringing grandchildren.

[Dewdrop034]

I'm a bit of both. I like to plan right down to what to eat when we get off the magical express, but it usually all goes out the window when I get there and we go where our feet take us.

[Kenny1113]

I'm another who is somewhere in between.

As my kids have gotten older I have found it easier to make ADRs in advance. I don't need a crystal ball to predict what their schedule/mood is going to be like on a particular day.