Disney Organization Help Needed

[Becca]

I am absolutely overwhelmed with all the information I need to plan my trip. I have no idea on how to organize everything,does anyone have ideas or a spreadsheet they could share with me to make this process easier? I would so very much appreciate any help you could give me.

Thank you in advance
Becca
:confused::confused::confused:

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Becca,

I am OCD about organizing everything for my trip. I'm not quite sure what you are looking for but I hope this helps.

What I usually do is print out a list of park hours including EMHs and any events that I want to attend. For there I decide what park to attend each day. I type up a spreadsheet with the date, park and their hours. Then I plan the restaurants. Once I make reservations I put those into a spreadsheet. Date, restaurant and ADR#. I make a small copy to take with me on the trip that will fit into a wallet so that I have my ADR#s with me in case I need them.

[biodtl]

I used the Intercot ADR spreadsheet - it helped me keep track of my ADRs and confirmation numbers. I created my own spreadsheet with EMHs, etc.

[Becca]

Thank you BelleloveBeast for your reply. How do I go about making a spread sheet? I have never done one.

Thank you again
Becca

[BronxTigger]

Here are the basic categories of information that you need to have:

1. Travel
-this includes to and from Orlando (plane? train?)
-to WDW and back from the airport (DME? car?)
-within WDW (Disney bus/boat/monorail?)

2. Hotel
-to and from WDW (if you are driving and staying overnight along the way)
-during WDW

3. Dining
-ADR confirmation numbers, reservation times, party size
-possible CS places/snacks you would like to eat (that you don't need/can't make ADRs for)

4. Park Visiting
-type of park ticket you will have (base/park hopper/number of days/water park options/etc)
-park hours (including EMH hours if you are staying onsite)
-Special events (P&PParty/MNSSHP/MVMCP/etc)

Here's what I do:
I keep ONE folder for each trip that I take. On the left side are trip "ideas" like rides I want to do, places I may want to eat at, things I want to buy, possible daily plans, etc. Basically, anything that is tentative goes on the left side. In the right pocket, I keep all my confirmations such as a print out of my plane e-ticket, my hotel reservation information, rental car information (if I get one...I've only rented a car once when staying on site at Disney...and I always stay onsite at WDW).

To make a spreadsheet, I use Excel. (Although a table in Word can also be an option.) For each day, I have a column where I put the day of the week and the date at the top. Next in the column is a list of all 4 parks and their hours (including EMH). I follow this with a spot to put dining choices for the day. If there are ADRs, I include the conf number, time, and party size. Under this information, I the rest of the column is for plans for the date. I make sure that travel times are included. I also tend to color code things that are very important (like flights) and things that are specific times (such as hard ticket events).

Hopefully this helps! If you PM me with your email I can send you one of my old itineraries.

[Texas Tinkerbell Too]

Becca,

I am OCD about organizing everything for my trip. I'm not quite sure what you are looking for but I hope this helps.

What I usually do is print out a list of park hours including EMHs and any events that I want to attend. For there I decide what park to attend each day. I type up a spreadsheet with the date, park and their hours. Then I plan the restaurants. Once I make reservations I put those into a spreadsheet. Date, restaurant and ADR#. I make a small copy to take with me on the trip that will fit into a wallet so that I have my ADR#s with me in case I need them.

How funny. I do the exact same thing. Yes, must be the OCD in us. Actually, the planning part is one of the things I enjoy most about our trips. Yes, I can also send you a copy of our schedule from last year. Just let me know if you are interested.

[Becca]

Hi Texas Tinkerbell Too,

You wrote "I can also send you a copy of our schedule from last year. Just let me know if you are interested.".. Yes I am very interested. Thank you so much.

[KAT1811]

I too do an Excel spreadsheet. I get a little carried away, colorcoding the parks with their own specific color so I hknow where we are on each day. In the spreadsheet I have:


Flight information (including flight numbers and arrival times)
Car service information (company name, phone number, and reservation number)
Resort information (including conformation number & phone number)
Each day has the park we are going to visits, operating times, parade times, fireworks times)
Then I include our ADR information (restaurant name, ADR time, and confirmation number)


I too would be happy to share my spreadsheet with you, let me know if you are interested. I'd even be happy to compile a sample for you using your dates if you would like. I then make multiple copies (one for my luggage, purse, and a copy for our family at home in case they need to find us all of our information is right there).

Have a great trip. The planning is one of the best parts.

[Young@Heart]

The intercot spreadsheets are great.

I also find I can't do WDW w/out picking of a copy of Passporter at my local book store. It goes everywhere w/ me for months as I plan our trip. :thumbsup:

[HndrdPrcnt]

Becca -

Sounds like you may be set with a lot of our friends here offering to send you their spreadsheets from trip past to help you get started. The offer stands for me as well. I organized a Grand Gathering for my family in '06 and we had the most amazing trip ever. I am so glad that I planned it out as much as I did. Oh sure, people made fun of me. However, I found almost as much joy in planning and the anticipation of the trip as I did in actually being there!!

Send me a PM if you would like to see my spreadsheet. I would be happy to share it with you.:thumbsup:

[playdead88]

what i do is 1st get a passporter then break my days up into a.m and p.m - check the websites for EMHs and go from there - breaking up each day into two parts seems to make things easier and not so overwhelming - i know just how you feel - the passporter book also helps keep track of confirmation #s and has a pocket in the back for each day - good luck in planning :mickey:

[KAT1811]

Oh sure, people made fun of me. However, I found almost as much joy in planning and the anticipation of the trip as I did in actually being there!!


:ditto: Everyone makes fun of me too but when they are all looking for our ADR info or wondering what we have planned for the next day they do not find them so funny!

DH just told me how much he enjoyed planning our trip together this year, and how much more he is looking forward to it as a result. I guess he won't be laughing at my spreadsheet anymore, especially since he helped create it this year!!!

[katzctkpt]

The 1st thing we do is make our reservations for the dates we're going. Then we look for the EMH's so, we can decide on our ADR's. We can't book any ADR's until July so, we've been looking at all the restaurants and trying to decide where we want to eat. We try different restaurants each yr but this go around we may be doing some repeats. We used the intercot spreadsheet :thumbsup:

[Becca]

I would just like to thank everyone for all the wonderful ideas that you have given me. Your tips & suggestions have been truly helpful

Thanks again
Becca:party::party: