Obsessed with Planning?

[ljv1975]

My DH has started telling me that all I ever talk about is our upcoming trip to Disney. He thinks I am becoming rather obsessed by the whole thing! He is excited to be going, but he's the "take things as they come" kind of guy and I want to know about everyhting there is to do and see ahead of time. So I spend my free time every day reading guidebooks, searching the internet and asking him a million questions about what he thinks of everything I find out.
Does anyone else out there seem to think about their vacation all the time? I just can't help it, I'm so excited!!

[SBETigg]

I think you will find that most of us are the same, obsessive about Disney, or we wouldn't be here. And my husband is like yours, so INTERCOT is a great relief for me. I can get out all my Disney excitement and not bother him as much (as much- I can't help talking about it).

[Speedy1998]

While reading about all there is to do, is a good thing, I would be careful about planning too much. For example my plans when going to Disney are usually limited to on this day we are going to this park, because we have ADRs at this restaurant. Otherwise, we tend to take things as they come. Some of the best things at WDW are the little things that are not listed as attractions, take time to smell the roses (in some cases I mean this literally).

I have also discovered some of my favorite attractions over the years this way, as I will be walking by something and say "gee that does not have a line right now, let's check it out".

[E-OR]

It is the same in our family, but I am also bouncing things off my kids as well. Their comment are always the same, "The don't care where we eat, stay, or when we do what." Probably because once we get to Disney most of my planning goes out the window and we wing it. We do make ADR's now and pretty much stick to them because of how hard it is to get into restaurants. I am a list person with OCD and it is my nature to organize and plan, plus I love reading and thinking of WDW it gets me through each day of work knowing that I will be heading there in a few months. We should start a support group...I guess that's what these boards are for. Enjoy and keep planning!

[Darbylew]

I start counting down to my next trip as soon
as I get back from one. I think about it every
day. I love DISNEY I don't do any real
planning for our trips as we go so much that
it just falls into place when we are there.

[Tygger7]

I think you will find that most of us are the same, obsessive about Disney, or we wouldn't be here. And my husband is like yours, so INTERCOT is a great relief for me. I can get out all my Disney excitement and not bother him as much (as much- I can't help talking about it).

I'm with you 1000% on this! I've been bouncing off the walls about our May 2008 trip for over a year now, and without Intercot, I think I would have gone crazy. However, my DD is Disney-obsessed like me...and now that we're finally getting close, my DH is starting to get excited too. Yeah!!! In the meantime, we watch reruns of all the WDW shows from the Travel Channel to keep the magic.

ONLY 104 days to go!!!!!

[mickey&missy]

I think you will find that most of us are the same, obsessive about Disney, or we wouldn't be here. And my husband is like yours, so INTERCOT is a great relief for me. I can get out all my Disney excitement and not bother him as much (as much- I can't help talking about it).

Sherri's right. I think all of us here are the same. I too spend a lot of time reading books, looking online, tweaking our plans and watching videos on YouTube and Google Video.

My DH enjoys our trips. He's a closet Disney Freak But, he's the kind of guy were all he wants is for me to tell him where to go and when and he'll be there. He doesn't really want any part of the planning. He thinks I'm obessed too! I have to stop myself from bringing it up too often. He'll just at me. He told me once he wished I was this obessed with something that didn't cost so much money!

[sorarail]

I'm back here on the Intercot site, obsessing, after a 4 1/2 year absence.
We have planned this upcoming November trip for 5 years. We decided to wait that long between trips so that everything would seem new to us. That and we can build up more Disney Rewards points. But now that I've booked the room, I can't stay off this site. I want to know what's happening presently, where the good places are to eat now, and what else is going on. It's actually quite fun.

[special k]

I think I just coined a new mental illness term. Yeah, I'm the same way. My friends make fun of me cause the biggest book I have ever read was an 846 page book on how to not screw up a trip to Disneyworld lol. I plan constantly and find that the anticipation is 50% of the fun. Am I sick?

[Mickey 101]

If you're obsessed, you've found the right website!

[Hair_Razor]

If you are sick then I am too! I love the planning I think it's part of the fun and honestly I learned so much here that I would have missed had i not done all this legwork. The family appreciates all the info once we get there.

[ljv1975]

I'm glad to see others are as Disney crazy as I am! I thought that I was just overly excited because it's our first trip, but I guess I've just been bitten by the bug.
I realized it for myself when I started thinking about where we should stay on our next trip, and we haven't even gone on this one yet!

[Spartan_Jeff]

My name is Jeff and I have OCDD. We haven't even taken our Feb. trip yet and I am already planning a trip in the fall. My family thinks I am crazy , yet they always come along the trips with no complaints.

[cruellalvr]

You know, its funny. I am OBSESSED too! I am in charge of planning my magical gathering(oh darn) this June for the 10 of us in my family (DM, DF, DH, DD, 2DB, DSIL, AND 2DN). I am not finding it hard to stay totally pumped 24/7 for months now, but I am having a VERY hard time getting anyone other than my DD8 even excited. I find myself watching youtube videos and sending them to everyone via email, ordering the free dvd planning guide to their homes, letting them borrow the old versions of my passporters (I HAD to get a new one for this trip ), letting them borrow the video footage of our last trip, putting the music to all of the disney nighttime shows on my myspace, etc. Nothing is working so far. I find it frustrating. Thank goodness you all are here or I might be in some real trouble. Is there a place called DA (instead of AA). Although I am not sure I would want to go, even if there was...hehehe

[Polynesian Dweller]

After all these years, I find that there is lots of planning that needs to be done especially ADRs and how you are going to get to them (which park, timings, when do you have to leave a park). But then I don't over plan either.

I like to keep as much flexibility as possible to keep some spontaneity in the trip. The dining plan really has added a layer of planning that does sometimes get in the way. But then, the planning feeds my Disney obsession throughout the year.

[Janmac]

The way I look at it is that it's easier to be flexible if you know what your options are. In our family group I'm the obsessive one and almost everyone else is the "just tell me where to be when" kind of person. No matter how much advance planning you do, there are always surprises when you get there - ride broke down, weather deteriorated, something. With the advance planning, you're able to adapt easily, keeping the vacation fun.

The very first time we ever went to WDW it was only MK, being January 1974. It was over 80 degrees and at that time, who ever heard of doing your homework? I don't think I even knew park maps existed before we walked through the turnstyles.

My only memory, aside from the heat, is of standing in the middle of MK, trying to figure out which way was up on the map while three kids jumped up and down, telling loudly, where they have to go next -they'd all been there before, thanks to a generous great-aunt. Of course they each had a different place in mind. I think we criss-crossed the park between every attraction.

With a memory like that, who wouldn't become OCDD?!?!

Jan

[TheMartellFamily]

I have always been the one to plan, plan, plan bt this year I am giving up the job to DH and brother since we have a large group of 17 people going. It is just wearing me out to listen to converstions from what one bunch wants to the next. Basically I for once just wnat to go n vacation not be a tour guide like I have in the past.

[Donald A]

While reading about all there is to do, is a good thing, I would be careful about planning too much. For example my plans when going to Disney are usually limited to on this day we are going to this park, because we have ADRs at this restaurant. Otherwise, we tend to take things as they come. Some of the best things at WDW are the little things that are not listed as attractions, take time to smell the roses (in some cases I mean this literally).

I have also discovered some of my favorite attractions over the years this way, as I will be walking by something and say "gee that does not have a line right now, let's check it out".

This is how my wife and I do Disney. ADRs are a necessary evil and do sorta make the need for some planning. However, you never know how crowded something will be or if you will feel like hopping over to another park for EMHs. Therefore, I like to just go with the flow.

[tinksmom02]

I think I just coined a new mental illness term. Yeah, I'm the same way. My friends make fun of me cause the biggest book I have ever read was an 846 page book on how to not screw up a trip to Disneyworld lol. I plan constantly and find that the anticipation is 50% of the fun. Am I sick?

I just ordered a copy of the Complete Guide to WDW, AND I pre-ordered my 2008 Passporter months before they went on sale, AND I visit this site daily...


and I have NO trips on the horizon! (MAYBE a Sept 2009 trip, but who knows?)

So yeah, I have the disease, as well

[tigmickey]

I have talked to many people that have gone to WDW and said that they will never go back. When we have the conversion as to why, it always boils down to the fact that they "went with the flow" and didn't see everything that they wanted to see, couldn't get into the restraunts that they wanted to eat at or spent too much time in one park and didn't see enough of another.

I think that a basic outline plan that helps spread out the parks, to make sure that you spend enough time in each one, works the best. After that it is easy to plug in ADR's. If you can't get an ADR for the day at least you know you can adjsut your outline.