It's A Vacation..Not A Challenge..

Oops..That should be 12 nights..13 days...silly me..

A Disney trip is a LOT of work - especially for folks who don't go all of the time. There is a lot of pre-planning that just has to be done if you want to make sure that you are able to do the things that are most important to you. I always tend to think that the people who say that they've been to Disney but didn't have a good time are really just went on trips subject to poor planning. Without a plan (in my opinion) it's easy to become overwhelmed and miss some of the best things.

I personally don't think that you've over-planned at all. I've been using a spreadsheet for years, I would be lost without it.

I don't know that FastPass+ will change the way that I tour. It might, simply because I didn't often use FastPass before and now I probably will.

We never really used to plan untill 2012 when we actually started researching the place we were going to and then we realised how much we were missing out on that we didn't know existed!!!

now we have a lot of planning involved but if I'm being honest most of this planning is done because A) I cant physically wait to get my Disney fix and the more planning I do the closer I feel to being there and B) I have a very boring job with access to a computer (need I say more????)

so we do more planning now than ever before but not because of changes in Disney - more that I have the opportunity to do it!

also I love the idea of planning my FP+ in advance!!!!

Your Majesty, you're not overplanning at all. There's so very much to do inside the bubble that even with your meticulously detailed schedule you won't get to do everything you'd like to do.

I have a similar "problem" to yours - we have two 1-week trips coming up, in total about as much time as you'll have at WDW, and I keep looking at my schedule tables and thinking, "Where am I going to fit X, Y, and Z in?" It's a wonderful problem to have, I'm not complaining, but without the detailed schedules I would miss a lot more than just X, Y, and Z.

My answer is always the same. I get crap from people because I'm always a planner, no matter what the vacation...they are always, "Seriously, you need to learn it's a vacation and just let things come along and stop planning and researching so much." This is the same people, that after we get back from a cruise and they see our pictures go, "OH WOW! Where is that? We went there and didn't see that!"

My answer to them is, "A place I found while doing my research and planning!"

VelcroPooh...that is so true...It isn't like planning takes up your life 24/7 (granted I do to a lot of planning) but when I go it is so nice as I know where am going and what I need to do and the rest is 'as we go' and I always have some downtime..whether am seating or watching people or having a drink and I make sure I get to do something unique that I haven't ever done before and our friends that went to Disney with us last year (a rare treat to have my Husband go) said they would never, ever go without me or me planning their trip (with them of course). So I say to everyone plan away and like my daughter-in-law says (she is also a big planner) planning is half the fun.

I think it looks spot on,

If the other couple saw my spreadsheet they may cry. lol

In 2 weeks we do end up taking 1 day off and seeing something different, but other than that WDW makes me happy. We actually did a transport day with monorails, boats and busses. so awesome.

In my own life, I find that the people who criticize us for our Disney planning and vacations, are the same people that feel they have the right to criticize other people for any choices they make in their lives. I am ALWAYS planning several different mini vacations to WDW, and some people are very vocal about how "weird" they think it is that we go to Disney so much.There are some very critical and judgmental people in this world, I choice to ignore them and plan, Plan, PLAN.

Ours is just color coded on a spreadsheet on the computer because DH thinks it's easier to transfer. Once it's in place I put it on my phone with Cozi and print it out for everyone in the party. confirmations, everything is on it. FP will join as soon as July 18 comes along.

I am a planner, but that means when we get there, we can relax as you call it, under the bubble, no worries....It's just smoother feeling.

I am an anal retentive control freak - planning IS how I relax...

That's me. Once it's all planned, I'm set to relax. And I'm more relaxed knowing the places/things we are doing have good reviews, getting lowest prices, etc.

These are the same people that gripe because they end up paying twice as much as I do

I couldn't have said it better myself

What Scott said.

Hubby had better never surprise me with a last-minute, we're-going-today type of trip because I would have a nervous breakdown. "But I have no checklists, nothing planned, nothing ready, ARRRGHHH!"

Here here

Hey me too...

I had a fantastic time on my first/only trip, and planning was close to non-existent just because of the circumstances. We had a good idea of which parks we were going to do on what days, but that was about it. It was an absolute whirlwind of a trip, though, at only 3 nights/4 days, so I feel like for that, especially having two first-timers there, not planning much worked. We were able to just flock to what interested us more, and we didn't feel rushed because we had no idea what we may have been missing.

But in general it's very weird for me to not have well-laid plans, and now that I've immersed myself more into all things WDW, I love the planning aspect of it. Of course with Disney you have to be open to whims, but I love having a general idea of what my day will entail.

I love the planning aspect and I think your spreadsheets look great! Once I have everything in place, I have a tendency to go back and fine tune what we want to do. The thing about a vacation is, that even if we have it all planned, if we change our minds and we find something else we would rather do while we are there....we do it! On our next trip I have built in an "open" day. We are starting early in the morning with a fishing excursion and we have an ADR at Hollywood and Vine that night, but other than that we have no major plans....so if we missed something one day we can go back....or we may take the day and travel to all the resorts and sample cupcakes! or drinks! So King, I think you are good...those other guys are just fuddy duddies trying to spoil your fun

Any sort of trip no matter where you go does require a great deal of planning. Doesn't matter if it's a weekend getaway to the mountains or a 14 day cruise in the middle of the Mediterranean. I'll make this short and sweet: Better than to overplan than make no plans at all.

Exactly. Yes, to some it will seem over the top and OCD - but if you are thorough, you'll have a great outline to follow. You can always change things and be spontaneous, but having done the research and planning allows you to know what spontaneous choices are better than others.
Not only for Disney, but for all our travels we spend hours researching and planning. Of course we've been to WDW often enough that the planning isn't quite as intense, but we still have to look for new adventures in parks, dining, entertainment, etc. this past year we were in Europe for five weeks. We had a "can't miss" list mapped for the journey along with the" if we have time" list. We learned to do that from the WDW trips!

I LOVE planning my Disney trips! I've been there about 13 times and still haven't seen/done everything. It's amazing how much there is to see and do and without planning and research, you're going to miss things. To keep our trips feeling like a vacation, I schedule in naps or sleep in days

Thanks for that...

I try not to over plan our holidays down to the nth degree but am totally understanding of those who do.Both me and DW do a lot of research into our holiday but it isn't a very structured one past the first week (oh look its's an AK bus so that is where we are headed today).
I do think that the whole magicband thing dopes present it's own problems for us lower planners though

My answer is here:

http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/forum/its-ultimate-trip-planning-vacation-world

Hmmm...

Ha ha! You know, I have talked about what a planner I am, but I have planned NOTHING for Disneyland!

We already had the cruise booked when this trip fell into my lap. They are six weeks apart. I have been planning and researching for my cruise, because they are all new ports and a new ship for us, and have not done anything about Disneyland.

I think it's because we are not staying onsite and only doing two days. For whatever reason, I'm literally just like, whatever we do, we do in those two days. Ha!

I plan what performances or shows I want to see, and build my days around those! Also, what snacks I might want. I will walk 2 miles to Writers Stop. Just sayin.

We are planners too. In fact, DH made a color coded calendar which he has on his phone. We also entered everything into My Disney Experience so we can just scroll through and see our day easily. Oh, and I subscribed to Touring Plans and have been having fun building my personalized plans. Yeah, I like to plan just about as much as I like to take the actual vacation!

Are you gonna say you don't want to go then? I am dying for the day I can do that to scrappy and just say "Honey, we're leaving for Disney as soon as you can get a bag packed!" I would have to duck because crap would be flying through the air into that suitcase.

No, I can't say I wouldn't go. Of course I would go. But I would drive him batcrap crazy trying to get several days' worth of prep and planning work done in whatever time we had left before departing. And he would have to do a boatload of it, which normally doesn't happen, and that would end up stressing us both out big time. And I'd be nagging him with, "Did you call the cat sitters?" "Did you stock up on cat food, litter, and meds, and did you set everything up for the cat sitters?" "Do we have clean laundry?" "Did you stop the mail?" Etc., etc.

Best case scenario, he secretly consults my prep, planning, and packing lists from the most recent trip and gets most of that stuff done before he surprises me. So then, if he showed me all the planning lists with most items already checked off, and told me the cat sitters were coming that evening, the laundry was all done, the mail was stopped, the ADRs and FP+ reservations had been made, the ME scheduled, etc., etc., and all I had to do was pack, yeah, crap would be flying through the air into that suitcase, also. And if he ever does it THAT way, I will be the happiest wifey in the whole world.

Ha Ha HA! Well yeah, I would have had all that stuff done before hand. Had ADR's booked, room booked at the Poly, House sitter coming for the dog. One of those dreams...............