What are good plans?

[Aisling]

I've read several posts now that talk about 'plans' or 'touring plans', what are these?

We'll be in WDW for two weeks starting this Saturday. I've made ADR's for dinners (including Cinderella's Castle) and Fantasmic!

What am I missing? I'm used to Disneyland and it's quaintness, the sheer size of WDW is a little overwhelming and any help is much appreciated.

Oh, we have the Premier Passes, so we can park hop and we do plan to go to the water parks and DisneyQuest.

What am I missing???

Thanks everyone!

[faline]

Many folks who visit Disney World develop a plan of touring. Each plan is personalized based on who creates the plan. Some are very elaborate and take folks through each hour of the day - others are more general.

My tend to be more general. For each day, I note which park(s) I plan to visit, my dining reservations and reservation numbers, any special activities I've planned (such as tours) and the park hours for each park (including extra magic hours) for that day.

With the vastness of Disney World, this type of planning is often more necessary than it is for the more intimate California setting.

[Scar]

I don't think you're missing anything. What is a good plan for some, won't work for others, and some people don't plan at all. With the possible exception of EMH, I usually don't plan anything and have a great time.

[MOJoe]

Touring plans are strategies that help you experience the maximum number of attractions, or experience your favorite attraction several times. They can be very detailed, demanding specific times and locations, or very loose. Having ADR's also fall into the plan.

Most people go to WDW without any idea of how to make the most of their day at the park. These vacationers, in some cases, spend thousands of dollars only to be disappointed that they were not able to ride X,Y and Z, meet Mickey, or have a dinner in the Castle.

Having some sort of plan, ie. when to arrive, what fastpasses to get, what attractions to do first, second and third, and having a reservation if you want a table service meal, prevents you from being overwhelmed when you walk through the turnstiles, and generally makes your day at the park less stressful and more enjoyable.

There are people that sell these plans, but most Disney veterans have their own strategies. If you have any questions, people here are willing to help.

[Reedy Creek Buccaneer]

If you have two weeks, you don't need a plan! Just enjoy!

[Momto3littlemice]

I agree with the pp advice that some people love to have a detailed plan (myself included) and some like to go with the flow a bit more. If you like to go with the flow - then by all means -- do that!

If you are more of a planner, it can be helpful to check out park hours, show times (some found online, some only on times guides at the park) , and park layout before you go. You may want to determine which parks to do on which days (based on predicted crowd levels).

For us, I put together an itinerary stating what time we need to leave our accomodations, what attractions to do in what order, dining reservations, etc. We know ahead of time who will go for which fast passes etc. Some days we plan in a break back at the house, some days we don't. I try to not have a late evening scheduled right before an early morning, etc. Of course, we stray from this when necessary but our entire party really likes to have the plan in place before we begin. Since there are 11 of us, we would spend half the day trying to decide what to do next if it weren't planned ahead. This works well for our personalities, but I am sure would drive many people crazy!

I think staying flexible is great -- and for us having a plan is great too! Just do whatever makes you feel more comfortable. There is a website and book that are directed toward touring plans, you may find these helpful if you want to plan in more detail.

[NH Disneyfan]

I have walked back-and-forth as a party of 2 seeking dining before. I have stood at the end of one ride and debated over where to go next. I have participated with parties of 5, 6, 7, 8.....spending half our day undecided.

I always do a day-by-day plan. For dining, I've found reservations are the BEST thing ever for a theme park, as I don't want to decide there what to eat, I want to decide at home. My theory is to get to eating and the decision is no worse at home than in WDW.

I always try to visit a park the day after extra evening hours at that park. And other than some extra morning hours, I avoid the extra days at all parks.

However, I do not plan ride-by-ride. We've been enough to know what is where, what we want to ride on, and with my family we generally decide while waiting in one line what to do next. However, if there is a large group with us, I always think way, way ahead and lead the group through. Otherwise, I'm very frustrated by 9am.

[Scar]

With the possible exception of EMH, I usually don't plan anything and have a great time.

Most people go to WDW without any idea of how to make the most of their day at the park. These vacationers, in some cases, spend thousands of dollars only to be disappointed that they were not able to ride X,Y and Z, meet Mickey, or have a dinner in the Castle.

As these points may seem contradictory, I should add that I've been to WDW enough times that I don't need to plan. I already know my likes and dislikes and how to do most things. A first time visitor must do some planning. I've talked to many people who hated WDW on their first trip and it is almost always beacuse they didn't plan (or talk to me first. )

To the OP, just keep reading INTERCOT and asking questions and you'll be fine.

[ShinynewJB]

I agree with the post above.

My advice if you're a first time visitor would be to absorb as much info as you can about the attractions you want to do and the places you want to eat. You're posting on Intercot, so you're already off to a great start.

I'd also recommend ordering one of the holiday planning DVDs from the official Disney website. (Google is your friend here).

We've been to WDW enough times to know what we do and don't want to spend our holiday doing. However, a little bit of planning doesn't hurt, and this year we've booked our dining reservations (hurrah for the internet!) and have a rough plan of which parks we're going to be on which days. Because we're going for 14 nights, the plan for the second week is a bit looser in terms of day time activities, as it gives us freedom to do what we want.

The people on this board will be willing to help you out if you have any questions, but other than that it's your holiday - it's up to you what you want to do!

[Joannelet]

Posting on this site is a great way to start! As a first timer you should do some planning because like you already know WDW is big and lots of things to do and see that's very different than California. I will also suggest picking up an updated tour guide book and highlight everything in each park that interests you. Those will be your must do's. If you already have your Adr's booked work around that. If you have a ressie in Epcot then plan that day in Epcot. If you have ressies in diff. parks on a specific day just give yourself plenty of time to get there. Transportation knowledge is key in WDW so learn that before you go. No matter what take the time to enjoy each park for what it is and what each has to offer. Any questions just ask AWAY! Someone will have an answer for you. ENJOY!

[Aisling]

Thanks for all your responses. Yes, some were contradictory, but I found help in each of them. I think I've got a good idea of what parks to hit first and a general idea of what rides we can skip because they are too similar to DL. Taking a little bit of time before the trip is going to save me many headaches over the next two weeks.

Intercot has been such a great help!

[paragon]

Many folks who visit Disney World develop a plan of touring. Each plan is personalized based on who creates the plan. Some are very elaborate and take folks through each hour of the day - others are more general.

My tend to be more general. For each day, I note which park(s) I plan to visit, my dining reservations and reservation numbers, any special activities I've planned (such as tours) and the park hours for each park (including extra magic hours) for that day.

With the vastness of Disney World, this type of planning is often more necessary than it is for the more intimate California setting.

This, is almost identical to what I do.
We travel with another family, who have to children 6 & 9, planning the days, and activities and especially ADRs made a HUGE difference in our trip, compared to when we just did it on the fly. I am 175 days out right now, and already putting together my planner!