Yep, welcome to the club 
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Yeah this is our first dedicated visit to Disney (as opposed to going years ago as part of school or work trips). I was not even all that psyched to be going at first but felt it was something we should do since the kids would like it so much.
But by now I have read multiple guidebooks, spent hours on this site and especially developed umpteen TPS - and we only have 3.5 Park days over a 6 day visit! I never would have guessed how addictive planning this trip would be and how excited I now am to go - in large part because all the planning has shown me the cool things Disney has to look forward to.
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Hi. I’m Matthew. I’m a change-aholic.
To be fair, it’s all Disney’s fault. The Universal part of the planning takes seconds and is totally stress-free.
The Disney planning is a complex logistical exercise that can only be done with a spreadsheet. Ahem. Ideally, as even I only recently discovered, a colour-coded spreadsheet.
This year I introduced a new level of craziness: changing hotel bookings. I went from BC to YC to BC to Contemporary. And there’s still 111 days left to go.
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So this is how it went down with my husband this morning:
Scene:
6:50 am- Fastpass window opening in 10 minutes. Me surrounded with fully charged iPad, fully charged phone (just in case iPad gets wonky), 2016 Disney guide (the only one the library had) and my handwritten touring plans that I couldn’t read because my handwriting was so bad.
6:53 am- Hubby: can you give me a ride to the bus stop now?
Me: um, it’s 60 day fastpass day. It opens at 7.
Hubby: (blank stare)
Me: do you know how hard it is to get FOP fast passes?
Hubby: (blank stare - with a bit of confusion as he’s probably like what the heck is FOP)
Me: Fine. Let me grab my jacket.
Hubby: uh, you have no pants on.
Me: Do you want your ride or not???
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His legs were broken??
Correct. My planning spreadsheet has 40 tabs. I kid you not. Including a “Lessons Learnt from the previous trip” tab… I’m way beyond any help… 
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No, his knee was sore. I would have been slightly more compassionate if his legs were broken lol
This is exactly what my mind looks like. God help me lol
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I feel bad about holding on to ADR’s too, and yes, I have used the Reservation tool. It’s how got my BOG dinner reservation as well 
It is all Disney’s fault. They’ve empowered us with way too good options for rides and I’m trying to get my money’s worth in choosing the best restaurants for the dining plan. There’s also an inexplicable high that I get when i’ve Scored a particularly hard ADR (in my case, it was sci-if cafe for 5:45 for 7 people). I’m going to wear these hard earned ADR’s like a badge of honor on the trip lol
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what should I have in my spreadsheet? I’ve done 4 DL trips, with Ridemax and I feel its checkers compared to this 3D chess of WDW for our first trip next month. I’m a good planner, have all our FP and ADR, tweaking here and there. my spreadsheet is pretty basic. a column for each day with our FP and meals, with some backup options. it’s more of an outline I guess. at least thats what I keep telling the family.
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I’m just back and I started planning a fake trip (that I might try to make real) just because I missed having something to plan. Sad, sad life.
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It was my Fastpass day too. My husband knows better than to bother me on ADR and FP days.
And I don’t use a spreadsheet. I get a headache looking at those things. But I have plenty of strategically placed ADRs and FPs that my family thanks me profusely for when they see the lines and crowds at the parks. My husband learned our last trip to roll with what I have planned. 
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I really feel like we have started a somewhat fascinating confession thread. This will probably be me as well. We will live this sad life together
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I don’t use spreadsheets either. Too lazy. I depend on my Disney experience app for everything. Looks like we will be there the same time (and go through withdrawal the same time too).
Are you staying onsite?
Another confession…I’m trying to convince my non-planner friends to go so I can plan their trips for them. It is really a bit out of control.
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It was worth getting up at 3:45 pacific time to see the kids faces when we walked onto (actually stood in a short 20 minute line) FOP while at WDW for Christmas. I am reminding myself of that bc our FP day is coming up again in 2 months.
Really going to need to plan it out well this next trip since we will be there in the summer heat in July. I am hoping to get in a bunch of rides before 2pm then pool, naps and back after Sun Down for second round of FP.
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Yes, at POR. We are there the same week.
Hello. My name is Melody and I obsessively plan my WDW trips. Lol!!
Welcome to the club!!
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I’m right there with you sister, but I have not changed my plans that much. It’s not like I haven’t tried but after I try it a different way I like the old plan better. I also have not changed any ADR’s. I did spend 4-5 months deciding before I made them though. I did not use spread sheets, but I did go through a lot of 5x8 index cards. I still have over 30 days till FPP, I don’t see that being a problem because I can’t ride any of the roller coasters anyway. I will try FoP FPP for DD and DW on our last day but they don’t care if they miss out on it (probably because I’m the one doing all the research and they are just happy to go.) The only ADR I’m having second thoughts about is SoA, one because of the cost (2 TS credits) and two if DD17 will like it.
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