I don’t do schedules. I like to be spontaneous.
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The desire for a spreadsheet may be a big part of the reason I like to go back to WDW so often. (I say while ducking under cover)
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I never said I didn’t plan.
I just don’t do spreadsheets.
It’s called being an XNFP. (Where X means I’m pretty even I/E)
I just loved AKL. We stayed in Kidani in a savannah room and I sat out on the porch every afternoon with a glass of wine and watched the animals while my family slept. It was glorious. The only thing I would do differently if I stayed there again was drive to Epcot and HS. I thought the buses were a little slow and made it less likely that we went back anywhere in the evening. The trip to AK was only 10 minutes so we did go back one evening and it was lovely. I really loved AKL. It is so beautiful!
I was looking for something a bit different this time and BLT was the only other 1-bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms which is super appealing to our family. I think because we’re staying there I will probably get the park hoppers. I’m going to have to do more spreadsheet planning before I decide!
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Did you have a park hopper? I read your TR and it was awesome. And you did do SO MUCH when you were there with no spreadsheet ?!?!?!
I did have a park hopper. Though I really only hopped the first day. It was nice knowing I had the option.
And yep. No spreadsheet! I did have plans printed out, but I never opened them. Just went with my FP+s, ADRs, and the tour planned and let things happen from there.
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I’m a bit envious! I’m hoping to have a bit of a more relaxing time in the parks the next time we go!
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I like to have an intricate framework built. ADR’s… FP+… Touring Plans… Sometimes the group I’m with is small and pretty disney addicted like me and we generally stick to the plan and have a great time. Sometimes I have a larger group of casual disney goers with me and we hit the basic framework of the plan but it’s open to spontaneity. You just have to judge the type of trip it is and make realistic adjustments in real time.
For me part of it being relaxing is NOT feeling like “OMG, I have to be here right now. I have to pee at this time for this long. Oh crap, we are 2 minutes off schedule!!!” (And yes, more than once I’ve heard a mother fussing at her child who had to go to the bathroom that “It’s not on the schedule right now!”)
Having that tight of a schedule - be it a touring plan or a spreadsheet - stresses me out. Clearly they work for some people, but I’m not one of them.
Good luck!!
For me, part of the value of the planning process is making myself aware of what my choices are and figuring out what my priorities are. Clearly some things have to be booked in advance and so you have to give some thought as to when you want to do those things.
For example, if you want to eat at BOG, you have to book in advance. If your ADR is for 6pm, you then have to think about how you’re going to get there in time. Looking at the map might suggest that you spend the late afternoon in Fantasyland so you’ll be in the right area. And that might suggest you think about FPPs for rides in that area.
Although my spreadsheet is divided into 15 minute increments during each day, it’s really only a suggested framework to myself. I also build in lots of buffer time to allow for running late or wanting to spend longer somewhere.
Of course the story at Universal is completely different. I’m not so bothered about the dining options there, and as I have an Express Pass I’m not worried about booking FPPs (which don’t exist). That being said, I have looked at what rides are available and I have an idea of what I want to achieve when I’m there.
So my spreadsheets aren’t superstrict schedules. They just give me a structure to work with. And I enjoy them!
No, he enjoys it!
Which is perfectly fine.
But they do NOT work for everyone.
Some of us can plan and make ADRs and FP+ without them and have a perfectly wonderful trip! (If you notice in my TR, I did eat at BOG and I did have FP+ for both Pandora rides - things that per you simply cannot be done without a spreadsheet.) Some of us just plan differently.
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I forgot to ask, what are you doing with your dog on this trip? I recall that you didn’t want to leave someone looking after it while you were away.
It feels like you’re turning this into an argument. Perhaps my sense of humour is not coming across.
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I’m doing what I did last year. (Well, I hope!) Some friends are going to move into my house for the week while I’m away.
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Humor does not translate well through text, so yes. It feels like an attack.
I’m sorry I misinterpreted.
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As a guy who loves to plan, married to a woman who loves to plan even more, I can say that while we like to plan our Disney trips, we have found that planning our Disney DAYS makes the experience less enjoyable. (Hence the rant about the FPP system I previously posted.)
Disney, to us, is an EXPERIENCE, not just getting on a series of rides.
In other words…no spreadsheet for us.
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When I booked (and planned!) my trip last year, I honesty did think it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. The planning process was “part of the fun” but also — for me — was a very helpful way to understand all that was on offer. Precisely because Disney offers ADRs and FPPs some degree of planning does become “essential”.
I have no regrets about the epic spreadsheet this planning resulted in. It meant that I knew what there was to do, where things were and so on. I didn’t slavishly follow the plan minute-by-minute. But I do regard the trip as having been extremely successful.
One thing I did “regret” when I got home was that I didn’t do a whole lot of stopping to smell the roses. I did walk around somewhat purposefully most of the time. And that was fine. I got a lot done and had a great time.
When it occurred to me earlier this year that I could visit WDW again because, well, I wanted to, my instinct was to plan again in much the same way.
But what I’ve ended up with is a framework. It’s got ADRs in it because eating at certain restaurants is a big part of the experience for me and these have be booked in advance. It’s got park-to-day allocations in it because I’m going to be booking FPPs and I need to have an idea of what I want to book. And I need to be in the right park for the ADRs I’ve booked. Or, at least, I need to have time to get to the right park.
Beyond that, my scheduling is modest. For example, I’ve got four hours in MK scheduled on one particular day. That might end up being more or less depending on what time I actually leave the house. Last year I went for lazy mornings in the house and that was great. Maybe I’ll leave earlier this time. Maybe I won’t. I’ll see how I feel.
As for those four hours, I have in mind the rides I’d like to go on — so that I know what FPPs to shoot for — but I’m pretty relaxed about the detailed structure of the time. I’d like to wander around slowly drinking it all in this time.
As I think I said, UOR is much easier in a sense because I don’t care about the dining options so much there and I effectively have FPPs for every ride.
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To me if you’re staying at one of the monorail resorts or BLT, or if you’re staying at an Epcot resort, the park hopper is worth it - for me essential. I think your scenario of popping over to the MK at night is a real good one.
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