I’m typing this to say that I can’t wait for my Disney vacation to be over.
I started planning our vacation on 3/5/15. Our check in date is 3/20/16. Over a year of planning and I’m burnt out…before I’ve even gone on the trip.
Quite simply, I find the Disney experience weird. The time people put in to Disney trip planning is strange. I can say this because I have noticed myself obsessed with my Disney plans.
I am looking more forward to our next vacation in which we just get a condo on the beach for a week. No “ADRs” with my “DW” and my “DD 9” and “DS 6” in which we get a “FP” for the “7DMT’” and then go to HS and ride ToT and RnR…blah blah…
I hope your trip goes well, and that you do end up having a relaxing vacation with your family. I’m sorry you’re feeling this way right now. A Disney trip doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal or involve epic planning, and no vacation is worth being miserable. I don’t have any amazing advice for you, but maybe it will all be better than you are thinking right now. You never know.
In my mind there are two types of vacations: destination vacations and relaxation vacations.
Destination vacations are ones where you are going somewhere where there are a lot of things to see and do, and they require a lot if planning to make sure that you can do everything you want to, stay where you want to, avoid standing in huge lines, etc. This is not unique to WDW. For example, on our west coast trip we wanted to stay in Yosemite at the Ahwahnee - this required calling exactly 11 months before the stay right when they opened, and if we hadn’t done a lot of research we would not have known that. Similarly, advance planning for our Hawaii trip meant that we had our timed tickets for Pearl Harbor booked in advance so that we did not have to get up super early and stand in a line for the limited number of tickets available on the day.
Relaxation vacations are much simpler - go to the hotel/condo/cabin at the beach/lake/woods, kick back, and relax. Few planned or must do activities, so each day can be played by ear. That being said, we are picky about where we stay, so finding the right place can still be a lot of work.
One final thing to bear in mind - all the work you have done in advance will help make your destination WDW vacation more of a relaxation vacation. You won’t be trying to figure out things on the fly, as you have done that in advance - follow your plan and enjoy the experience. Most people I know who have come back from a WDW vacation hating it did no advance planing at all, and were shocked by how difficult it was to do things when they got there.
No- I am not odd- I am a freak (I know because my sister told me- thank you). Yes, at times Disney planning can get obsessive but it brings me great joy- and it is a wonderful distraction when I need it. So please- you may call me a freak- just not odd
I admit to being weird. I enjoy the planning and scheduling. It helps me get thru the long time of waiting until its really vacation time. I do a little planning here and there, and it is a mini escape in the middle of too much busyness.
I hope you find that it was all worth the effort. Have a great time!
I wish I could like this several more times. I always tell reluctant Disney visitors that the more they plan ahead the more relaxed it will be. They rarely believe me until they are sitting on MSUSA in a puddle of tears with no place to feed their kids.
There is a lot of planning, but it makes the trip worth it. Just remember to take time to relax and take it all in while you are there. Something might not go as planned and that is ok! I hope you enjoy your vacation!
I hope that you and your family have a wonderful time, and that all of your hard work pays off. Kudos to you for recognizing in advance that spending a lot of money on a vacation requires that you at least have an idea of what you will do when you get there!
We may be “odd” from your perspective, but I for one can’t go sit on a beach. I am an active person, and sitting for days on end is certainly an unhealthy thing to do. On the contrary, a Disney vacation gives you an opportunity to really wring all the energy and fun out of a location as possible. To me, laying on a beach (or similar) is very very odd. Different strokes.
Have fun, and I hope, for your family, that your attitude improves between now and then!
Agreed! Planning a Disney trip may be the most enjoyable time-suck of all time! I still find myself checking reservations to adjust times 15-30 minutes, I see the ridiculousness that this is and enjoy it. My mindset is to “plan, plan, plan and then enjoy and go with the flow” when we are actually there. But I totally get how weird it is, and honestly, a tad bit stressful. Looking forward to this vacation, but will be glad to be on a Disney Cruise for our next vacation where, for the most part, I just show up
That’s the nice thing about this place. We try to see past the things people might say when they are frustrated, and help if we can. I know I’ve had moments before a trip starts when I’m just sick of it all, so I can sympathize. I prefer to think that I’m interesting rather than odd or weird, but that’s ok.
Agree that the world is fortunately full of unique individuals who all have different interests and hobbies. I love planning Disney trips and have three or four in the plans for this year, which makes me ridiculously happy. I could never sit on a beach for more than maybe a day without being consumed by overwhelming boredom.
I would never, however, go to beach fanatic site or forum and call them names and insult their choice of ways in which to spend their vacation time.
That would he uncivilized.
This x100. That’s why we generally alternate destination and relaxation vacations in my family. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to WDW, Washington DC, or Paris; if you’re visiting someplace with the intent of seeing a lot of “stuff,” you’ve got to do some research and plan ahead, or prepare to be frustrated.
But when we head to the beach for a week, there’s almost no planning involved except for a couple of dining reservations. It’s not better or worse than WDW- it’s just different.
Will try not to make this too long. Long story short… Bought 2 day tix to WDW last year since I didn’t think I would like it. Did tons of other Orlando things. Turns out, loved it! 1 day at MK and 1 at EP. $$$$. The crazy planning isn’t my thing either I guess, oh and my husband could do without Disney and all the running around. Not his idea of relaxing vacation at all. I get that. So this Spring Break we are off to Anna Maria. The odd this doesn’t bother me though! Former art major here current nutty art teacher
