On second thought ...

[j2k]

I've been planning this trip for a few months now and our plans have changed so many times. We went from staying offsite to staying at a value, to staying at a moderate. We also Booked several must-do ADRs but then cancelled all and only kept the princess breakfast at Akershus on the last morning as a great ending to our trip because we don't want to be tied to ADRs.
I still have a couple months to read and research and I hope I don't see anything else that makes me change my mind. For your trips, when did you know your plans were good enough?

[micky95]

never.things are constantly changing on both ends,at home & at disney.my dw & i usually have a general plan(adr's.which park which day...) but pretty much wing it when were there. :mickey:

[mgmnut]

never.things are constantly changing on both ends,at home & at disney.my dw & i usually have a general plan(adr's.which park which day...) but pretty much wing it when were there. :mickey:

Ditto
We only plan down to what park on what day and if there are any special event / activities we are going to participate in. We have even cut back on the number of ADR's so the trips are more spontaneous.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

:ditto:

We make our "base plans" far in advance, which resort, the "must-have" ADRs, etc. We plan out parks, etc, but that often changes as we get closer.

Despite all of the planning, there is still some changing and "going with the flow" once we're there.

[coloradowendyl]

Absolutely everyone has a different way of planning and touring the parks. I always tell people to do things they way they will feel most comfortable, but to remember with a mini mouseketeer, the best laid plans of mice and moms lol, go straight out the window once your child hits the parks! 9 out of 10 times the things you are sure that your child will be the most interested in end up being the one thing they do not want to do and instead they are fascinated by something you never thought about! (case in point, at age 4, my son rode Goofy's Barnstormer 17 times in 2 days!)

Sometimes the best trips end up being the ones where you throw the plans out the window and go with the flow! Seeing the parks through the eyes of a child can be a new way to tour!

wendy

[DisneyDINK]

It is kind of a trade-off. Most plans will be "good enough" when it comes right down to it. You're going to Disney World. How bad can it be?

I am faced with 2 competing urges before and during a Disney vacation: 1.) Planning is fun! 2.) On a vacation I want to relax and not be too structured.

I enjoy the whole planning process, reading & posting, researching the weather, flights, booking ADRs, etc. I think If I just decided to go to WDW today, got on a plane and did it all on the fly that I would be denying myself the fun of putting the trip together.

On the other hand, once I get the trip all set-up and I arrive at WDW I just want to relax. I want a few ADRs, but not every meal, not even every day. I want to be spontaneous, too. One park is crowded? Hit the pool. Restaurant's full. Go to another one. I don't let anything worry me once I'm there. It's vacation and I'm going to have fun!

[Imalismom]

My plans are constantly evolving...

My last trip, I changed my dinner plans the day the dinner was planned - I was so looking forward to Liberty Tree Tavern, and well, DD decided the last place on earth she wanted to eat dinner was Liberty Tree Tavern, so we switched to a place in Epcot. Once we got to Epcot, she decided she and her friend wanted to go off, and NOT have dinner with me, so I changed the place once again (no, not back to Liberty Tree Tavern, but I should have LOL!), and changed the time. Once I got to Le Cellier, sat down and looked at the menu (which I have seen many times), all of a sudden, I was not hungry and just had appetizers and a kids dessert (the kids moose)..

So, don't stress. Get the reservations you know you can't live without, and you know will NOT be available if you wait until the last minute (i.e. Royal Castle), or the ones where seating depends on the date you made your reservation (i.e. hoop-dee-do revue) and then go from there.

[cuteduck223]

I'm totally a planner because i want to relax once we get there and not have to worry too much once im there. :) Plus, my 80 year old grandma is coming and hasn't been in 15 years, so i want this to be a special trip for her.

I'm going with my family this fall (7 of us) and i did all my ADR's right at 180, then panicked and redid half of them about 2 weeks ago.

No matter what, when we get there it will be fun.

[#1donaldfan]

I know my plans were great on the ride home. I can reflect back on a great time, and instantly begin the process of planning another trip !!! :cool: