Can TOO much planning ruining a WDW vacation???

[ldc12377]

I think I'm becoming a little OC(obsessive -compulsive) about my upcoming trip to the magical World of Disney. I'm the kind of person who NEEDS to have a plan. I'm always willing to change the plan but there always needs to be a plan of some kind. I feel lost if I don't at least have a general idea where I'm going to end up. With that said...Can this personality flaw mess up a Disney vacation?
My gang and I will be going May 27 - June 5 but I have been planning this trip for well over a year now. There are 8 of us - Me, DH, DS8, DD6, DS2, my mom, my brother, and my niece14.
I have all our packages booked and paid for,and all of our ADRs have been made and changed,...and changed,....and changed,....and finalized. I have all my family's clothes put in boxes ready to pack. I have even gone so far as to type up an itinerary listing wake up times and color for shirt everyone is to wear each day. (We are wearing matching colors so the little ones will be able to pick us out of a crowd if they get separated...one of my biggest fears)
Have I gone too far? We still have 57 days to go but I could leave tomorrow if we had to. Will my obsession ruin this trip? Please help!!!!

[thejens]

Hey, we are arriving about the same time as you and I too am an obsessive planner. Is this your first trip? I think the planning only can hurt if you do not enjoy the planning and if you get upset later if things don't go as planned. I planned extensively for our last trip which was my first trip to the world. I am so glad I did! However, lots of things did NOT go as planned, but I relaxed and had a great time. I tried very hard not to pressure my party when the kids found fountains to play in, or we all needed a snack, or the time at the pool never materialized etc. This time I am planning in ever more detail, armed with better information, but also with more realization that part of the fun is letting go of the plan when we want to. I really enjoy the planning, it makes me feel like I am at Disney all year (well a bit anyway). Have fun!

[JPL]

I think you need a good mix of planned activities and spontaneous activities. Some things need to be well planned like ADRs especially with the dining plan. But IMHO using a touring a guide and planning and timing everything is taking it way too far. There are too many factors that end up throwing you off track and it can make for a stressful experience. I have talked to people who tried following a plan and ended running so they would stay on track.

[Ricbr]

With it being such a crowded place (probably will be pretty busy on your trip) the best of plans will always change.Whether it be longer then usual ride lines...or a bus that you cant seem to catch. Things are going to kink up your plans.

I am going in July and I know it will be busy so my plans will change as well. I will be sticking with all of my meals of course....those are the key events that I want to enjoy. As for the rides...I told my oldest son (6 years old) to pick out 5 of his favorite must do's for each park and we will hit those. As the day goes on and we can do more...great. If we cant do any extra that is fine as well...we will just go back to the pool and relax, shop at downtown disney, or just walk around and enjoy the scenery.

Having fun is more important then sticking to the plan. Remember that and you will be fine.

[Marilyn Michetti]

I think you answered your own question in the third line of your post. You said, "I am willing to change it".......

Planning is a fantastic way of keeping your excitement level up, BUT......

Did you happen to see the Travel Channel special a year or so ago where they followed four families - one in each of the four parks - as they planned, and enjoyed their park. Each group approached their vacation at different levels. The family that was featured at AK, was a minister who had every detail of every day on laminated sheets that he had bound in a notebook for each member of his family. He had distance and time between each attraction almost in minutes and seconds. That's just a LITTLE much???

If this is your first trip (I got that impression too), you won't see and do everything - even if it's on the "list". As to whether that will ruin your vacation will answer the question if you're too obsessive/compulsive. I'm guessing you're not, because if you are you would already know it.

Relax. Have a plan, but don't wear yourself out trying to follow it to the last little detail. You're going to have sooooooo much fun.

Last of all, we all want a report when you get back.

[Christine]

It is imperative to have a general plan (which park which day based on EMH, shows, etc), but I wouldn't go too much farther than that if I were you. One, the time you are going will be a bit busy, so what you think you can accomplish in an hour may take five hours. Secondly, the size of your group will come into play. Some may not WANT to do the same things as others, and waiting for rides, tables, etc. for your size party may take longer.

Flexibility is key!

[Ten of Hearts]

The three of us- me, DM and DF- went to MK just for the day back in Feb. I know there isn't that much to plan- and we didn't make any ADRs. But the itinerary I created was pretty detailed- 3 months in the making! There were one or two musts I had to do in most sections. We didn't have to go to the HM. We all wanted to see POTC, PhilharMagic and ride the TTA. It was also a photo-op for me and DF so it wasn't just about the rides. I noted what places I really wanted pictures of. This was an amazing trip for me because there were places I had never seen before! For the first time went over the bridge from the Adventureland approach leading to Liberty Square and the castle. The view is amazing!!! The only things that we really stuck to were our 1pm lunch at Liberty Tavern and watching the 3pm parade. There are so many wonderful things that go on continuously at the MK!!!

[BronxTigger]

From your signature, it appears that this is your first trip. The more familiar you can make yourselves with the park before you leave, the better, especially at the time of year you are going...it may be quite crowded.

That said, I fully agree with what thejens and JPL said. You should have some plan to guide you, but still be willing to deviate from the plan if something comes up that you would rather do and not get upset about it.

Bottom line, you will not be able to do it all in one trip, so it comes down to choices and priorities.

Have fun planning, and even more fun on your trip!

[GreenBeetle]

Boy do I feel your pain!! You sound just like me. I, too, planned and planned and planned our last trip (group of 15) and left nothing to chance. I admit that I do not handle spontaneous well . I'm always worried we may never get to Disney again, so see and do everything possible!

Unfortunately, "yes" this type of personality can mess up a vacation. So all I can say is try the best you can to chill out and enjoy it - drink plenty of alcohol if you need to - it will all work out in the end.

[Willowwind]

I think that you'll be fine, planning is half of the fun! BUT... be ready to chuck the plan at the last minute once you get there if you have to. There are just some circumstances that you can't control.

When I was a kid my mom and I would plan every last minute of our trip. As an adult with my own family, I'm not that obsessive. I set our ADRs and then create a loose park strategy around them. But I probably go over my plan and my budget plan (I get everything paid for ahead of time) at LEAST once a day.

[dumbo ears]

you should have an overall plan on like what parks your gonna do and where you would want to eat supper or other meals. but like you cant control what rides to ride. like you coould plan spending 30 minutes in splash mountain but it could take an hour or more. u just can't plan too much because if you do then if you miss something on your plan then it messes up your whole plan. i say that you wing it and just do what you feel like doing at the time. Also I have found this out, that if you are with others who don't like to plan a lot than your overplanning can be very annoying to them. I hope u have a great trip.

[SandmanGStefani24]

it KILLS me to see people overplan and make their vacation so tight with schedules and must dos that it looks more like boot camp than vacation! A few plans are ok, but you have to approach WDW with a laid back attitude. There are so many people, rides sometimes are out of service, restaurants get too crowded, there are just too many variables to set concrete plans.
Last trip we decided we were going to see certian attractions, and eat at a few places, but did not set times or dates. it works much easier that way. In my opinion, schedules are for jobs, not for vacations!
Also, the tip I learned last trip was to schedule a "FREE DAY" where you have absolutely ZERO plans. This way if anything is missed, or if you find something you really like you have a day to take care of it.
Bottom line : PLAN LESS=RELAX MORE!
Have a great trip!

[Strmchsr]

Bottom line : PLAN LESS=RELAX MORE!
Have a great trip!

Well, that's not always true (it's certainly not for me). All of you discussing this are speaking to your own personality and preference. There is no correct answer to this question. If you're a Type-A personality, then chances are you'll be more stressed if you don't plan everything out. If you're a laid-back personality, you'll be more stressed planning. Someone once said to me, "The greatest diet in the world is the one you'll actually stick with." That's true for planning. The only correct answer to this question is the one that works for you.

[caryrae]

Maybe just ask yourself the question, How has your obsessive planning worked for you in the past? Did everything work out well or were people getting upset? Also if everyone going with you is willing you may all do the planning together so everyone can have some input on what they really want to do. Maybe even ask everyone involved how they feel about what you have planned out already and if they like the idea.

I am one of those laid back types were I only plan any ADR's I want and what parks I want to do each day. It has worked out great for me.

Hopefully everything goes great for you. Just remember WDW is a place for fun, where you can throw all your worries from the real world away for a while. Thats why I choose the quote from Walt Disney for my signature.

WDW can be very overwhelming for a first timer but listen to everyone here when they you will not be able to everything in one trip unless maybe you stay for a couple weeks. It's ok to save some things for your next trip. One thing that would help with ride times is get an understanding of the fast pass system (which is free for everyone to use)and what rides use fast pass.

One fun thing to do is get those free personalized park maps. You can get one for each park. They are pretty cool. Here is a thread about it with a link. http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=100093