Time Spent making touring plans

I have realised lately, that I spend so many hours creating and tweaking touring plans to get things looking good… that I am wondering how much more time I should spend doing so.

I am doing a split stay between WDW and Universal. I haven’t even attempted to look into anything Universal so far,(and I need to), as ALL my time has been spent on WDW and trying to make sure I’m not criss-crossing etc…making sure I am making time in our day for a break, time for travelling to and from parks to hotel etc… It has been enjoyable, and has been great preparation. Without doing all of this, I would not have all the info in my head. Im completely thankful for this site. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you everyone for your help so far.

Basically, on the actual day, I will be getting into the parks and probably hit the optimise button? … as that will get me the most current wait times…

I guess taking a screen shot of my current plan would be a good idea. Maybe I should hit the evaluate button when I first enter to see how it looks, before messing my plan up with the optimise.

So, do you think I should stop spending hours trying to do all of this, and just put in the rides/shows and meals that I want… and not worry too much about tweaking everything so finely? Maybe I’m having a ‘tired of planning’ day… :frowning: Im tired :frowning:

I am at 101 days until we go. I still haven’t totally worked out my FP stuff via touring plans because I don’t have AK hours for possible ROL and/or when Dinosaur is definitely going to reopen etc… Hoping I will get some info soon so that I know if I’m definitely having an evening visit to AK.

My hotel has just announced refurbishment of their food court, so now I’m wondering if that is going to affect us in a major way.

I guess I’ll get there.
Thanks for listening :slight_smile:

It will be a wonderful trip! It’s will all be ok!

I’ve done the same thing with the planning. You’re not alone! If you stop now, and revisit things when you do FP, you’ll be fine. There’s nothing wrong with playing around with your plans, but only do it if it’s enjoyable. If you’re feeling burnt out on the planning, take a break. Everything you’ve done so far has added detailed knowledge into your brain, and that knowledge will be very useful once you’re finally there.

I do like to either print out or screenshot my plans before I arrive. It’s also a good idea to make a copy of the plan on the website. Keep one just as you’ve made it, and optimize the copy. Then you’ll still have both available on the app. You can roll with the optimized changes or go back to the original as you prefer.

My own personal advice is to use your plans as a general blueprint for each day, but try not to get too fixated on perfection. Have some idea of your top priorities and also the things you’re willing to miss, so that you can adjust expectation if things go pear shaped. I’ve had perfect days when my TPs were 100% accurate and I followed them exactly, but I’ve also had wonderful days when I hit the highlights and stopped to enjoy the moment because the unexpected happened.

As for the food court, it will be fine. POFQ? I’m sure they’ll provide alternatives that aren’t too much of a burden. The small size of the resort will still be a benefit, even if you end up needing to eat in the parks or elsewhere more often than you’d originally planned.

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Thanks for the comforting reassurance SallyEppcot.
I think I might admit to having a burnout kind of feeling today.
I’ll probably bounce back to normal tomorrow. :slight_smile:

Fabulous idea re the copy of plan. I will do that for sure. Then I have them both there and I don’t need to fear accidentally messing my work up.

What I want mostly is to be able to ‘breathe’ and also feel like I can cope with moments of rushing, and then I want to be able to slow down, and take notice of what is around me. I am a bit of a ‘rush’ person in general. Sometimes it is hard for me to be 'slow and relaxed"… but I know I need to be. I want to be. This is a really special holiday for us.

I am actually fine with the POFQ reno. I was planning on eating via Grocery delivery in our room at breakfast… and most of our other meals will be elsewhere. I’m still very excited to stay there.

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Also I wouldn’t worry too much about Universal, as long as you get there early you will be fine and if you are at a Universal hotel you will have your express passes which are brilliant. Never had a problem getting a table, only ever booked in advance for Hard Rock Cafe for my sons birthday…relax and breathe :wink:

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Thank you AllmadhereUK. That makes me feel a bit better. We will be staying onsite at Universal, and I’m there for 9 days. Plus my 9 days at WDW. Once in lifetime trip which is probably why I’m a bit intense with the whole thing. :slight_smile:

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You will have a super time at Universal…‘whisper here’…because I don’t plan Uni I sometimes have a better time there than at Disney! But don’t tell anyone :wink::smile:

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:clap:t3::smile: I have HP crazy 15 & 17 yr old daughters who are thrill seekers… Thought it would be better to do WDW “before” Universal/Busch/WWOHP… etc.

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Same here with the HP fans…:grinning: My DS21 captains his university’s Quiddich team…he’s a Hufflepuff thru and thru…(I’m on the dark side myself!)…

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My first trip was also supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip. I’ve been back two times by myself since then! I can’t wait to bring the family back with me again. If only money grew on trees. :wink:

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With 9 days at each in mid-September I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to stop and smell the roses and then smell them again, even if you get hit by a hurricane!

To be quite honest, if I was in your situation I think I’d specifically plan the leisurely pace. I have the same problem with rushing (even before I live in NYC!) and sometimes having a plan helps me slow down.

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Well, believe it or not, I have been reading the entire Harry Potter series. I am up to book 4 currently. I needed to do this so that I can make the most of my HP experience when we arrive. I tried watching the first 4 movies,but found it all so confusing. They are not necessarily easy to understand (unless Im really stupid or something) :slight_smile: All the long names for people and items, and back story, and the “he, who must not be named” etc. Hahah… my daughter told me that the books would help a lot. So, after not being a book reader since I left school basically… I’m loving it. Each time I finish a book, I re-watch the movie. Its all making sense now :slight_smile: I’m hoping to finish all of them before I arrive as I have no idea how the story ends.

As for returning one day… this trip is a ‘part return’
Both my daughters and myself went to Disneyland 2 years ago, with a dance tour, and had a lovely time. My hubby didn’t come with us (for money reasons and for the fact that it was a dance tour)…but when we got home and the girls told him of all the fun they had, he really felt like he ‘missed out’ on something special.

So, I returned to work, saved our money and planned this trip. Hubby has always dreamed of Kennedy Space Centre, but never imagined he’d ever leave Australia, let alone have a holiday like this one. He is not a real ‘Disney’ man… but will have fun all the same. I think he will really love Universal and Busch though. Luckily we all like a rollercoaster ride.

We are doing this as a family before our daughters reach adulthood and the possibility of family holidays like this disappears. I hope everyone loves it enough to want to return for my 50th in 5 yrs. Now theres a plan! :slight_smile:

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I’m so excited for you! It’s going to be wonderful. I love your plan to return.

We just moved to the East coast, so I’m trying to get us to Universal at the end of summer. I love the books, and so does my oldest son. I really should encourage my younger son to read them this summer, or read them aloud to him.

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That’s awesome! I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time. I’ll make it to Australia someday, I hope, but that will likely be a once in a lifetime thing for me. One of thebad things about loving Disney World so much is that it makes it hard to save time and money for other trips!

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I haven’t read the books and I am up to film 4… I watch with my son so he can get me through those confusing bits! We are not going till next year so I might give myself a mission to read them all by then…good for you to get stuck in tho :grinning:
On our first trip my DH wasn’t that bothered by Disney… Now he’s the one who keeps saying ‘is it Disney time yet?’ It brings out the kid in all of us.
Ausralia is on my bucket list…DH has been and absolutely loved it…toured round in a camper van :smile:

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Really, it is so good to hear that all of you think I’m going about this thing the right way, and that I will definitely have a ball.

I cannot believe it, but I knew absolutely NOTHING for our trip to disneyland with the dance tour in 2014. I didn’t even know what a fast pass was :slight_smile: And then, I found them confusing… paper ticket telling me what time to return etc… I was annoyed that I had to keep coming back from the other side of the park in order to use my FP. ! Some days we were there, I never even used the FP system. We also never arrived for any Park opening shows etc (if that is done in Disneyland). I seriously knew NOTHING. :slight_smile:

I did feel overwhelmed while I was there though. Overwhelmed with rushing from ride to ride, from California Adventure to Disneyland… I never got the chance to really sit somewhere nice and eat…we just did the best we could… with no knowledge… definitely enjoyed ourselves, but did not smell the roses entirely. I was aware that I was finding it hard to slow down, while trying to get on the rides. I remember saying that I felt sad that I was spending my days in the happiest place ever rushing from ride to ride and waiting in line… I absolutely loved the World of Color show though… that was beautiful. While watch that one evening, I felt that Disney Magic happen.

It was 6 months later at home here in Australia that my daughter and me were reminiscing about the Disneyland trip. We watched some youtube videos. She looked at me and said “It would be a dream come true to take Dad, but to go where Harry Potter World is”. In that moment, I saw an opportunity to make it happen. I would go back to work,… work hard, and make it happen.

While doing some ‘basic’ research… this whole new world :slight_smile: opened up… ALL of this information I missed last time. I knew no better last time. I still had a great time… BUT, knowing all that I’ve learned in the last 6 months has been a massive benefit. I will, my family will, get so much more out of this trip. I love it when plans start to come together, and you feel all the pieces locking in. It is the knowledge that gives a sense of achievement in the planning. I know it will all work out. I guess today was really just a burn out day. But you have all made me feel totally normal and I’m relieved that you were able to recognise where I was at. There is nobody going through this planning but me… and other people in my Aussie world don’t understand, and I don’t explain what this is all about… cause they seriously think you are crazy. This is a special little cult of our own on here. :slight_smile:

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Wow… by “going back to work” you mean you took a job after not working? That’s dedication!

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Really, really hope you have your trip of a lifetime, wth all the magic and pixie dust thrown in :grinning::tada::tada:

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And you will have to tell us all about it when you get back! We will love it even after you have bored your Aussie friends with it…keep sharing :yum:

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Yes, I returned to the work after not working for 14 years. I am doing kitchen work and some basic reception work. We are what I’d call a fairly basic family, living a good life in the suburbs in Sydney. I am fairly frugal, love my second hand shopping, and don’t believe you need updated versions of everything all of the time. We don’t have extravagant hobbies etc :slight_smile: But, this trip was going to cost us… and we wouldn’t be able to do it if I didn’t return to work. We are going to enjoy a bit of spending, and reward ourselves and have a great time.

Some people think I won lotto or something…:slight_smile: when I say we are going to Orlando for 18 days. They think we are really rich or something. But, its just saving. I haven’t regretted one single day of it. I worked out how much I needed to earn to have it all paid for before we went. I needed about $30,000…in order to stay onsite, pay for all the tickets etc I gave myself 17 months to plan and save, and now we are ready to go. I’ve done it. I cannot believe it. !!! If you really want something, it really can happen… (especially if it has the Pixie dust thrown in).

AllmadehereUK, I will definitely do some trip reports when I return. I will need something to keep me occupied. :slight_smile:

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You didn’t have extravagant hobbies, you mean :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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