Who doesn't plan?

It's amazing sometimes the stories I hear. Just coming in to work tonight I had two people tell see my Disney jacket I had on in Wawa and they said they were just down there. Both started telling me that the lines were to long and they couldn't get into restaurants and this was terrible and they couldn't get in to see this and the lines were to long here. I asked them both " didn't you do any planning l did you set up your fast passes, did you make ADR's? They looked at me like I had two heads. They couldn't believe I knew about all that stuff. They didn't know about My Disney Experience, fastpasses or ADR's until they got to WDW they said.

I think it is possibly the most planning intense holiday you can take.Most people don't realise this before they go and once you are there it is WAY too late.
I do remember on our first trip we didn't really know a whole lot about the place or things to do etc but we were very lucky as it was in a time before ADR's were so prevelant and we managed to walk on to everything we saw (including being seated immediatly at La Celier).
Most people who know us locally can't get their heads round how much planning and research we do for our trips even though this will be our 12th trip.We don't do signature dining and have passed the 180 day mark with no meals booked but even just to do a wing it and see holiday requires a huge amount of planning.

The first timers we travelled with didn't plam at all, during the planning they kept saying "it's okay well just go with the flow" the flow found them on a Friday night in the world showcase when they had just "popped" to epcot during, food and wine and an eat to the beat concert to try and get a stand by at Teppan Edo. They gave up by America and ate at the counter serve there.

Iam stunned by people I know who go to WDW for the first time and haven't done any type of planning...It takes me approx 6 months ( minimum) to get the magic ball rolling...

I am always shocked by the people who have no plan of attack when heading to Disney. It happened on our last trip. I was talking to a very nice family on our plane ride down. They were going for their first visit and they had no ADRs or set plan. They did not book fast passes either. I think I looked at her a little shocked. I have a much more relaxing trip when all my ducks are in row.

I fully agree with you, but even if you did not do any planning whatsoever, you can still have a great time by using Disney's reservations resources to get fast passes (after arrival), meal/shows reservations, etc., etc. After all, it's a magical place!

Just being at Disney always makes me smile

Our first adult trip was with Ken's family in 2010. We had ADR's booked every night, but that was thanks to Ken's Mom. Ken had never been before this and my last trip was in 1986. We didn't do any research before that trip, so we were a little overwhelmed. But we did watch the Disney channels in the room at our resort and found out about tours. We booked our first for later in the week - Keys to the Kingdom and then Ken's Dad and brother also joined us. We all thought that was amazing.

Our next trip didn't come until January 2012 and we had done so much more research - mostly online and with buying some "unofficial" guide books. We were definitely more prepared.

Now, we do make some ADR's ahead of time - for places like Cali Grill etc, but we also make some when we are down there once we figure out what we want to do (breakfast at Kona Cafe, dinner at Tokyo Dining). I personally love the new FP+ system. I hated trying to get to DHS in good time in the morning to run to get TSM paper FP's, so the new system is so much easier. We do leave a couple of days open and find that booking FP's using our iPhone so easy once we figure out where we want to go that day. As long as you don't want 7DMT, TSM, Wishes etc, you can pretty much book everything else.

At least a little planning is a must.

I find it shocking when a guest comes to a fastpass+ kiosk in the middle of the day (1pm-4pm) and ask about the fastpass+ system. By that point in the day, almost all of the popular experiences are out of fastpasses. I find it even more shocking when its resort guests that know nothing about the fastpass.

I've often said that a failure to plan is a plan to fail. It doesn't have to be so rigid where it's minute by minute or planning your own bathroom breaks! You need at least a general plan where you schedule things based on priority. At least that's what I do when it comes to day-to-day plans. I'm not sure why people would think Disney doesn't require any planning when in reality, any vacation no matter if it's 21 day cruise or even a weekend getaway to Las Vegas, you still need planning in that regard. People really underestimate the magnitude of Disney World overall in comparison to other amusement parks. It's much bigger in size, people presence, restaurants, etc so on size alone, that requires intensive planning.

I do think to an extent there is a degree of stubbornness from the people who don't consider themselves Disney World fans or don't take part in the Disney fansites and forums. They may think we are a bunch of snobbish experts that know better than anyone else or a bunch of crazy insane diehard fans full of hot air. That's why they'll never know what an ADR is or how to utilize the complimentary no-surcharge FP+. There may be the incentive to try and prove us wrong in that regard. But more often than not, those non-planners are proven wrong and have too much pride to never admit their faults or lack of planning.

Most importantly, they don't realize they need to be proactive in making their trip great. If you don't want to deal with crowds, don't go during the most crowded times of the year. Be in the parks around opening time and do as many of the big ticket rides before noon or utilize FP+. If you want a great experience with a character, don't expect one, initiate one with good talking points and schedule accordingly so that you're not waiting til the 11th hour to do so. (Doesn't hurt to dress fittingly, too. ) If you want to dine at a popular TS restaurant, be on the phone calling them proactively if anything opens up. If you don't want to stand and watch the parade, find a spot as early as possible along the route so you won't need to stand and still be able to see the floats.

All that said, my message to all the Disney World vacation non-planners who whine at the end of the trip is a classic line from Jon Taffer of Bar Rescue: "I don't embrace excuses, I embrace solutions."

Those of us on boards such as these are in the very small minority. To many and I'd venture to say most people Disney is just another theme and why would you plan your days at a theme park. I did major research for my first trip because 1)I've been to DL many times and knew the DW was much larger 2)I'd never been so I needed to about transportation because renting a car isn't an option for me and 3)I believe in researching the living and dead daylights out of a vacation and then going back researching the living and nightlights out of it so that I know what to expect and am better prepared to respond to any last minute surprises. If by planning you mean booking adr's, fp+, tours etc. my next trip is by far the most planned of any of my trips to DW. I'm an obsessive compulsive researcher but typically don't plan a lot of the small stuff as I'm good with counter service and going with my whims although I've always had recommended parks information with me either from TGM or easyWDW. Now those that do absolutely no research and just blindly book, go and then complain about everything I don't understand. Those that do some basic research and decide they'd rather play it by ear and are fine with counter service if they can't get in to a restaurant etc. I don't have a problem with.

We did our first WDW trip without planning just because we were young and naive and didn't now any better. Honestly, even without planning and without having a single ADR, we still had a really great trip! It's possible to have fun without planning, but we've had way MORE fun on the subsequent trips that have been properly researched and planned. So while we do some fairly extensive planning now, I could still go to the parks and have a great time without making an ADR or scheduling a fast pass, but that is largely because my WDW knowledge is deeply imprinted on my brain. It does amuse me though that some first-timer types seem to hold Disney accountable for not giving them the "perfect" vacation when they didn't lift a finger ahead of time to find out what to expect.

My first trip as an adult was 1997 and my hubs and I went with a couple friend. The day B came to me with a mirco detailed plan for each day, I said to her STOP. When I say micro detailed I mean it. She had every HOUR planned. They spent their time rushing around.

We plan our meals and try to make park decisions by crowd levels. We make a list of must see/do things and then things we wish to do and I make a list of things we don't care about. This trip we have planned more because of MDE but we will not be so ridgid that if something changes we are crushed. I refuse to rush anywhere while I am at Disney.

This is the first trip I have really "planned". All the others were years ago and the last couple were with Blondie.

When we went with her the only thing we booked was CRT for lunch. Other than that we went with the flow, stood in line if we had to and got "paper" FP if needed. I don't really remember waiting too long in lines, we didn't eat at table service and we didn't do any tours. We just picked which parks to go to on which day and just did the things she wanted to do...

Now, look at the trip we just got back from... Booked in February after our honeymoon... Payed on it all along the way, saved all our change and dollar bills and bought gift cards every month. Picked which days we would be in each park and booked ADRs at 180 days (along with SEVERAL changes up to a couple days before leaving). Then when the FP window opened, I jumped on that. It changed a couple minor details but nothing I couldn't work around. Everything just kinda fell into place!!!

Next time we go with the kiddo, I will probably lighten up a bit and go more with the flow again (If I can do it!)

I'm gonna hold my hand up as someone who doesn't make exhaustive plans when visiting WDW...I tend to shoot from the hip. However, I do have a rough idea of what I'd like to see but won't cry or complain if I can't see them. This is the first time I've made more concrete plans to see something - Mickey's Christmas party, for instance, but I like to take it as it comes - crowds, lines and all...

You don't need to plan if you have researched. I've mentioned this before but we have a friend who is going in January and staying off site. She posted on facebook asking for tips I gave her thousands on the thread she mentioned all she wanted to do was eat at CRT I mentioned that she was 179 days out from her trip so she should phone and book, 2 minutes later another friend posted saying "no don't worry when I went in 97 we just walked in" well as we all know that's not the case now, so she is travelling 5,000 miles with the hopes to eat in one restaurant and she thinks she is just going to walk in. She is going to be heart broken when she's turned away. But she hasn't researched anything.

It's also hard because on Facebook and Twitter I tend to live fast our days and she thinks because we make it look easy wdw is easy to get around, but we are expert planners now and we listen to all your wonderful advice. No one really wants to eat a dope whip at 10am but I don't wanna spent 45 mins in line at 2pm either

I think all of us are like minded enough to realize the more you know, the better you are.

What I can't stand are people (like my Mom) who say they want to go with you. You plan the trip...Mom says all along....We will do what you want to do...and then get pissed when she doesn't like it. My 74 year old Mother had a melt down at Chef Mickey's because the buffet was (at the time) $26 a person. My Dad and Husband had to separate us because I was PISSED OFF. But anyway...this is why my husband and I go just for us. If we go with another couple I insist ONE of them participate in the planning because even at Disney I can't read minds.

Every time Mom says she wants to go back with us, I tell her she has to help me plan and she backs off.

To be fair, if I were going to our local amusement park I wouldn't plan what rides and where I wanted to eat ahead of time. People that don't know Disney expect to be like that, where they can just walk in and explore and go with the flow. The average person has absolutely NO idea how much goes into planning a Disney vacation. It makes me sad to hear about people who go on their once-in-a-lifetime trip having no idea what to expect and then not getting the most out of their experience when some simple research and planning could have solved that. Like DesignByDisney pointed out, even people that have been before but haven't been in a long time may not having any clue what all is involved now. A Disney vacation has become a whole different ballgame in even just the past couple of years.

So true. My daughter Katie and I were just discussing this in the car the other night. I have a theory that lack of planning is the key contributing factor to meltdowns and poor guest behavior at Disney. People poor so much into that concept of the once in a life time trip, yet they don't do the planning that it takes to make the most of it, this leaves them cranky, upset, and hating the entire experience. Not a fun.

I do agree to an extent, most people go with the flow at local parks. But I would think others have a general priority based plan but not exactly hour by hour and rigidly scheduled compared to plans for Disney. I mean, if some people aren't willing to wait 2-3 hours in line for a roller coaster, they'd probably buy the Flash Pass or Express pass for a surcharge assuming they're not all gone. Otherwise, if they are willing to wait to that long, they accept the caveats for it. Waiting that long is insane in my book but then again, I would never wait more than 40-45 minutes for anything. The big difference however is that if they can't get a ride or don't have the willingness to wait on their favorite coasters or attractions at their local park, they can always come back on a different day and/or arrive earlier on their next visit.

But with Disney, not everyone can afford coming back every year, let alone coming back ever. Everyone knows how expensive a Disney World vacation is. We're talking thousands compared to hundreds in terms of dollars. So for some, there may never be a "next time" or "next trip" in that matter. Disney's annual passes aren't exactly cheap either in comparison to other parks. Then again, we're talking about four parks in a centralized area twice the size of Manhattan. People grossly underestimate Disney World's relative size in comparison to other theme parks. As I stated earlier, planning should be required for Disney World on the basis of size itself.

Other than that, I completely agree planning a Disney trip is so much different now than in the past. There's been so many changes that the spontaneity doesn't seem to exist in Disney World's mental dictionary!

Not all local theme parks have Express passes or anything similar. Valleyfair in Minnesota doesn't.

Along with not knowing what all goes into a Disney vacation, most people don't realize how big it is. One of my husband's co-workers was a few days from leaving and she thought it was all one park until she talked to him.

I saw a very large meltdown on my 2nd to last night, a guy was at the concierge desk asking for tickets to mnsshp the following night (think that would have been the 26th October or thereabouts) he was promptly informed that all parties for the final part of October 18th-31st had sold out about 3 weeks beforehand. He blustered and asked about waiting lists (?) , could they not squeeze him (and his 4 family members in), how can they just 'sell out' and so on....

About 10 minutes after that I was walking back to my room when I heard him on the phone having a moan to what appeared to be his wife, from 6-8ft away I could hear him getting his ear bent, and he was still blaming Disney for not having tickets left (less than 24 hours before the event)

I am so glad I was not near their room!

Last I checked Valleyfair is owned by Cedar Fair who owns several parks like Cedar Point and Kings Island to name a few. So they have Fast Lane virtual queue system in that regard.

https://www.valleyfair.com/plan-a-visit/fast-lane-111014_115403

But you are right that not all local parks have a virtual queue system. The independent, family-owned and family-operated theme parks tend to be ones that don't have that.

I don't go to any other parks. I am a Disney SNOB.

I stand corrected. I haven't been the last couple of years but when I used to go there was no such system so it must be a fairly recent addition.