How much do "normal" people know about WDW planning?

To be fair, that’s exactly what we do even though we go with every minute planned. You don’t have to stick to them, they just give you an idea of what you can get done.

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Well, it helps that I realized it now instead of Day 1. Luckily, my husband has many fine qualities. Also, I’ll be falling asleep about 9:30 pm at MNSSHP and he’ll be just getting started. Lol.

Also, if they both get up earlier, it’ll just be a bonus. I’m hoping the Disney excitement gets their butts outta bed!

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Like I said, some people (most on here) love them. They don’t work for me. Different styles. :slight_smile:

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For me, the value of the planning I do is the depth of understanding it gives me. It helps me be clear on what’s available, where things are, what’s reasonable, what’s credible, . . .

I honestly don’t walk around constantly referring to my phone, or thinking “oh no! I’m behind schedule!” and panicking.

Last year, one entire day was rewritten — literally pen on paper — one morning after breakfast because circumstances had changed.

That being said, I’m a teacher, so I like timetables! Indeed, earlier this year I tried to give up on cable TV and just use Amazon Prime, Netflix and BBC iPlayer. After a while I had to go back to cable TV. The lack of a schedule made it really stressful. I had to seek out programmes to watch.

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Was it the pen your friend gave you???

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No. She only lavished me with her largesse at the end of the trip.

I never said I didn’t plan.

I just cannot be dictated to by a schedule.

I teach as well - special ed in my case, so I have to be flexible and NOT tied to a schedule in that.

Rigid schedules work for you. They don’t for me. And that’s perfectly fine.

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I’d say it probably falls along a standard distribution curve. Folks “like us” are definitely several standard deviations to the right of the mean, but I think the majority know at least enough to make ADRs and FPPs (why else would some be so hard to get?), but don’t have TPs - or even the basic knowledge to what should be done when, the importance of RD, etc. Then there are the people way to the left of the mean who are the clueless wanderers.

Here’s the irony - I know some of the clueless who have come home having had the best of times and can’t wait to go back, and I’ve met the power-planners who have come back unhappy because life happened, they were stressed out the entire time there, and all they could think about after getting home was what they weren’t able to do.

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That’s literally the opposite of what I said.

Whenever this topic comes up, you always seem like you feel you’re being attacked.

You’re not.

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I’m sorry I misread your post.

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You remind me of a time a friend and I attended a pub quiz. We’re both academics and pride ourself on our knowledge and expertise.

At the end of the quiz, we swapped papers with a couple at an adjoining table. They had done really badly, we had done quite well.

We got chatting with them and it was clear they were the happiest people in the world. Despite doing badly in the quiz, they mentioned one run by a different pub and recommended we try that one, too. “We love them!” they said.

My friend and I lamented that we spent most of our pub time moaning about how awful everything is. Meanwhile, this couple were just blissfully happy.

I’m sure it’s possible to wander aimlessly around WDW and find loads to see — and, well, maybe a lot to do if you don’t mind waiting in lines. Is any part of WDW really “bad”?

For those of us who consider ourselves to visit WDW rarely — and who spend a lot of money when we do — it does feel important to make sure we have the best experience possible. I see the flaw in that, and the risks inherent in trying to achieve it.

I do know that I’d hate it if I spent an hour in each line waiting for a ride. My planning is designed to limit waiting time. But, equally, maximise wandering* time. I usually set the walking speed on my TPs to “relaxed”.


*I originally mistyped “wonder” — but actually that might be appropriate in this context!

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I think you would then be TA.

Yeah. My planning is kind of to maximize doing but mostly to minimize waiting. I’d rather do 5 awesome things with 20 minutes waits then 8 awesome things with 1 hr waits. I just don’t have tolerance for lines these days.

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May e you can plan a day or two where you are up and out for rope drip rhwn they meet you

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This reminds me of what my DH told me after our last trip. He people watches a lot more than I do, especially since I’m the planner and I’m the one who looks for extra FPs. We were using our 3rd fastpass for Star Tours and while in line, I found another set of FPs for Star Tours that would allow us to inmediately get back in the FP line when we were done with our current ride. I told my DH what I found and he told me a woman behind me in the standby line looked over at us like, “how is that possible?” The other example would be when we were riding home on ME and we were watching the goodbye video. They showed a part of the 7dmt standby queue we had never seen, the activities and such. My DH asked where that was and I told him, not being loud or anything. I added that we had never done them since we had never been in the standby line. My DH noticed a woman sitting near us turn and give us a dirty look. My DH also notices the dirty looks we get just walking through the FP line.

So I think a lot of people know the basics, some people know very little, and fewer are like us. Just the knowledge we gain from planning can create some spontaneity, as well as keep everyone in my family from wandering around not knowing what to do.

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You know even though I will not be there I have a feq friends who might homd a place for $50. At the parade that is.

It’s too late. The parade is dead to me now. @OBNurseNH killed it.

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Plan hard, wait less … love that :ok_hand:t2:

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Overly dramatic much

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