Am I the only one

[retiredfigment]

I love reading all the posts on Intercot, but I am beginning to think I am the only one who goes to Disney without an excel spreadsheet of what we are going to do every minute of every day that we are there. Grant you with it being only my daughter and I, it is easier to get last minute dining. Is there anyone else who likes to go to DW to get away from schedules?

[Fangorn]

I am beginning to think I am the only one who goes to Disney without an excel spreadsheet

You are not alone. Our schedule is always very fluid. We usually have a general idea of what park we're going to on a given day based on EMH and any special events going on on a specific day, or if we have ADRs someplace. Other than that, nothing is fixed. And even those are only cast in Jell-O. We often change our park plans as we're driving there.

We use FastPass if/when it's convenient for US. We often get FPs only to give them away because we've decided to leave the park. (It's a kick to give away Soarin' FPs that open in 10 minutes to folks just walking into the park:thumbsup:)


Now, that doesn't mean we don't do our due diligence to know park hours, fireworks times etc., but we don't plan every moment of everyday.


So no, you are not alone.

Steve

[disneydeb]

YEP! :mickey:





Jusst kidding..... I plan to the hilt, but wing it when the crowds are unbearable, just sticking to the dining ressies we have made.

[AllDisney]

We might stay at a particular park because of our ADR's but that's why we get the park hopper. I LOVE being surrounded by all the magic Disney has to offer:thumbsup:

[Itchy]

Most of my planning is done before we leave for WDW. After that it is just winging it other that having our ADR's set.

When we get there in 17 days we do not know what we are going to do other than dinner. We may go to the MK since we are having dinner at the Poly.

I think a cool drink and sitting by the pool would be a good start after a 17 hr straight drive.

Happy planning, or not..:mickey:

[GAN]

I use to go mad with the planning, so I understand where they are coming from. That being said, I enjoy just going with the flow now -my girls are teenagers and we do what they want. And it feels great!

[Kenny1113]

Not alone!

My WDW plans are similar to Steve's.

[retiredfigment]

So glad I am not alone. The saddest thing I ever see at Disney is when a parent is dragging the child away from something they want to look at, yelling at them to hurry up because they were going to miss something. :confused:

[tazlikesrobots]

Not alone a all. All we plan is what park to visit on what day (based on EMH) and the rest we swing on the fly. There have been occasions where we have ADRs but even at that we do not plan more than one or two ADRs a trip.

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Right there with you! We talk about which parks we'll visit on which day and make a few ADR's but that's about it.

[azcavalier]

I love reading all the posts on Intercot, but I am beginning to think I am the only one who goes to Disney without an excel spreadsheet of what we are going to do every minute of every day that we are there. Grant you with it being only my daughter and I, it is easier to get last minute dining. Is there anyone else who likes to go to DW to get away from schedules?

We don't use an excel spreadsheet. We use a Google Calendar. ;)

Well, obviously if you want to do some nice TS dining, there have to be some schedules involved. So that helps plan some of it for us. And, since we stay on property, it makes sense to take advantage of EMHs. However, we tend to only use those in the mornings, as our dinner ressies dictate where we go at night. So, our vacations are half-planned. But I feel we still have a lot of freedom. Many times, we through the EMH schedule out-the-window and just go with whatever we want to do. Just because you start with a plan doesn't mean that it's unalterable.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We typically have somewhat of a plan. We often visit with DH's sister and her family. We try to plan our ADRs together so with a party of 9 people we feel the need to have ADRs made. Therefor we stick to certain parks on certain days based on those ADRs.

When it's just the 4 of us we do a bit less planning, but still have a basic plan in place. We don't follow any touring plans or anything like that, mainly just know which parks we'll be in on which day, mostly based on ADRs we've made.

Most times than not, some of our "plans" go out the window once we arrive. We refuse to live completey by a schedule when on vacation, and things come up, we change our minds, and just let the vacation happen. We've been known to cancel ADRs simply because the kids were having too much fun at the pool to pull them out to go to dinner.

My mom and I are taking my boys in July and don't have any solid plans. We have Ohana's booked for our first night, and then Chef Mickey's booked for breakfast on the day we switch resorts. We didn't book any other ADRs. If we can't get anything once there, then no big deal, we know of plenty of great CS locations that are just fine for us. The only thing I have somewhat planned is that we will probably wait to do Epcot and DHS until we are at the Yacht Club. We probably won't have hoppers so it'll make more sense to do those parks when we are at YC.

[minnie04]

You are definitely not alone on this one!! We have never made a plan to do WDW. Yes we woke up early to be there and yes we made sure we saw a lot when the kids were small, BUT never on a schedule. I can’t function on a must be here or there at this or that time. I have learned over the years that since we travel in large groups for almost everything that there is NO WAY of keeping any kind of time sheet. We always go with the flow. Now that being said, I think the spread sheet type people... lol. Are the ones that maybe come down once in a life time (or two).The people that only have certain amount of time to get everything in so their children can have the most amazing memories. For those people I say hey go for it and make your time sheets and schedule as many things in a week that you can. :mickey:

We have never been the type to eat at the restaurants on property. ( I know we are missing out), but we always go somewhere off property to eat the kids like that. They like the hurry up and eat dinner so we can get back to the resort to hang out. When they were little we did one or two character dinners or breakfast, but now nope they aren’t interested in sitting with characters they just want to hang out...

[Wolf]

I don't plan out everything but me and my Mom can't afford to go terribly often so we try to maximize out time as best we can, and we want to eat good while on vacay so we do plan out dinners. It makes me happy to plan because it makes it where instead of my trip lasting X days, it lasts X months because I can keep it on my mind and tweak it to make it better for us.

[DVC2004]

No you're not the only one. We plan very little these days and even book our trips shorter in advance. Usually we will make at least 1 ADR, sometimes 2, if we know it's a place we want to eat it. It's just so hard now to be spontaneous when it comes to sit down dining.
About all I do is write down the park hours and EMH hours and we take it from there.

Having gove every year since 2001 and often 2 times per year or more, I just don't care to schedule much. We like to sleep in and stay out later now that the kids are teens, and they enjoy going to a beach at least 1- 2 days.

[dizneydeb22]

The only thing we schedule is our dining. We love the TS dining and are usually a group of 6 or more, therefore ADRs are a must. Other than that, our schedule depends on our son, who has ADHD and Autism. If something catches his eye or he takes interest in it, we let him lead us. We've had too many situations that require redirection and therefore become proficient at winging it! We get his input on dining, so there isn't usually an issue making an ADR.:thumbsup:

[tjstrike]

The only schedule we keep is to either go or stay away from EMH and maybe avoid certain parks on certain days when they're historically busy. We did away with ADRs and go straight QS so our food options don't dictate which park we have to go to and if someone's hot or sick and wants/needs to leave, we can.

[Lizzie]

When it was just my husband and I we didn't. But I went with a group of sixteen and we had a couple of reservations and we were staying off site. So we made a plan of what parks to avoid on what days with those that had extra magic hours and so we wouldn't have to have a discussion every day of where to go.

And the last time we went it was easier to have a plan our kids were so little it was easier to work with our sheet to know what park we were going to and where we were eating.

[Disney Doll]

Not alone! We make a general plan for which park on which day based on EMH and any other special events. We generally make one or two ADRs maybe for a character meal we know we want or one restaurant that we know would be hard to get last minute. Otherwise we wing it largely based on how our kids are doing. If they are cranky we head back for a nap, if they are up late we sleep in, if they are ready to eat early we stop for food. If we planned everything we'd have two very unhappy toddlers and two stressed parents. We love the Mobile Magic app for last minute ADRs.

[brownie]

I have a general plan and a list of must-do's. I'll plan around ADR's but that can change, too. I can always cancel an ADR and do something different.

On my last trip, I saw a woman with her family. She had a binder with her trip plans in it! That's too much for me.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

For my first trip with a child my plans would not fit in a 2" binder so I had to use a 3" binder instead. :blush:

Six months later we went again with a few notes handwritten on a 3x5 index card for each day. This trip was super magical, the first trip was a near-complete disaster from start to finish.

I do believe that if you immerse yourself in knowing so much about Disney (from Intercot) then it is very plausible to wing it without a plan (other than a few select ADRs, if that).

[texas211]

Go to WDW without a plan? I don't feel I can understand this concept? Please explain :)

[MargaretMessler]

I love reading all the posts on Intercot, but I am beginning to think I am the only one who goes to Disney without an excel spreadsheet of what we are going to do every minute of every day that we are there. Grant you with it being only my daughter and I, it is easier to get last minute dining. Is there anyone else who likes to go to DW to get away from schedules?

Definitely you're not alone. I take all kinds of information, because I like to be informed heading out...but I refuse to rigidly schedule my every waking moment on vacation. The most I will do is plan the night before where we want to eat dinner the next night, and even then only if it's someplace that would REQUIRE a reservation.

[stephicakes]

Same with this fam - VERY LITTLE planning! Our daily lives are run on schedules so when on vaca I want no part of it! We do the same as everyone else - check out EMH, grab FP, but that is about it. We may do 1 ADR or see Cirque. Both DD and I are vegetarians so we never feel the need to go to a restaurant for that "must try" steak, seafood, etc. LOL! Waking up with no plan is one of the best ways I feel relaxed and really feel on vacation. If I am really enjoying something in WS the last thing I want to do is feel rushed to head out to grab a bus to another park. We love just taking it easy... and taking it all in :thumbsup:

steph

[ledudes]

For me, the planning is half the fun. I always book my meals ahead and then plan my days around them, but I also plan my meals around where I want to be each day. It helps ensure that I see the parades etc. that I want to see. I think for some people who have never been or don't go often, they don't plan and feel they can wing it, but from what I've seen, they end up missing a lot. For example, if there are limited showings of the electrical parade, someone who didn't plan ahead might find themselves at the wrong park on the nights that is is happening. I think whether you plan or don't plan, you will have a great time, but I just like to be sure I can cover everything I want to do. Plus with 3 kids it is important becasue it is hard to drag them around everywhere.

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

Planning - um....ADRs are it. From there we just notate which parks have which EMHs and we wing it - this is why we always get hopper passes and just go with the flow.

[Patricia]

I never plan a thing except the special events, such as MNSSHP or Icot meet things.
I've only ever made a few ADR's and I actually cancelled one of them... in the Castle! :jaw:

I like to let things happen.. I don't like having to be somewhere when I'm supposed to be relaxing.

[MissMaryPoppins]

Absolutely! All of our vacations have just been us winging it. We never made dining reservations before we left home and if we were on vacation during a birthday, Mother's day, Father's day, we'd make a reservation once we arrived and never had a problem getting a table for 4. We all had hectic work and school schedules and our week or so at Disney World was so we didn't have to rush around trying to keep up with a schedule. As my brother and I got older we spent most of our vacation time enjoying our resort and going to the parks at night, sometimes. I personally don't see a vacation scheduled and planned to the second being fun.

[Terra]

Your not the only one for sure! Though living close and just being able to go whenever is a big factor. However when we stayed for our week vacation back in March, we still didn't do the spreadsheet thing.

We knew the parks we'd be at each day. And the ADRs we needed to be at. Beyond that, we just flew by the seat of our pants :) Whatever works for you is good!

I do remember being in line at the Jungle Cruise and on dad had a map and taking copious notes on the map! Like paragraphs and I thought that was pretty hardcore. He was series about vacation now :mickey:

[disneydeb]

Planning is part of MY FUN! We really only stick to the ADR's though.:mickey:

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

Plans - um we make ADRs because our favorite restaurants are harder to get into without them. But from there - we do hoppers for a reason - we wing it when we are there. I'm not a super planner when it comes to vacations.

[LudwigVonDrake]

I make two or three ADRS and the rest of the time I make it up as I go along. Much easier to enjoy yourself when you 're not held to a structured schedule :mickey:

[spoiledraf]

I tried to go free lance this time because everyone was making fun of my binder! But about a month ago my wife got on me because I wasn't preparing as well as usual. So I got some info together, printed some menus of the ADR's, got all the travel and reservation printouts organized, got on the computer and started generating a plan, the wife didn't like it, revised it, my daughter didn't like it, revised it, my daughter in law didn't like it, revised it, revised it..... Well you get the picture. Now it's down to make sure you are at your ADR's on time because we never follow my plans anyway!.

it's really gotten a bit easier to go. Once you know how things work, have a general idea what you want to accomplish, and how long it takes to get from point A to point B, things go smoother.
Must do's, Space Mountain, Legend of the Lion King, Expedition Everest, RnR and dinner at Narcoossees. if I do that it's a successful trip:number1:

[DizNee143]

I don't know how people enjoy themselves with being over planned!?!
The only thing I ever plan in advance for our family trips are which parks we are going to each day and if we actually plan a few meals that need adrs..
Otherwise when we get to a park we know our favorites and what we'd like to ride so we go with the flow and do what we can..
We just went in the beginning of May and it was our 2 yr olds first trip then..we had a blast going at her speed and doing what we can..:mickey: