First trip to WDW June 8-14th. I have been reading trip reports etc. here on the boards. I have seen military-like schedule planning and then some threads that have said not to over-plan. I feel more comfortable just going with the flow and experiencing it as it happens.

Of course we plan to use Fast Pass and advance reservations for sit-down restaurants. We also have our "Favorites" that are the things we definitely want to see and do. But is there anything we could miss by by just going with the flow? I just hate to be a clock watcher and HAVE to be somewhere at a certain time. I'd like it to be an enjoyable adventure.

Any comments?

What you have in mind is an acceptable plan. However, since things are going to start to get kinda busy during that time, you might want to pick up a guide book of sorts so that you can at least fine tune some of your ideas. Touringplans.com is good place to start and is inexpensive.

After all, you dont have to be a clock-watcher to have a decent plan. :)

Fast pass will be a must and having your ADR's already is a very good thing as well.

It might be a good plan to at least know which rides at each park really need to be visited first thing (or with Fast Pass), if going with the flow is not to involve standing in a line for hours. I'm not the expert here, you need advice from those who visit a lot, but this is what I know you should probably head for early doors at each park....

Epcot - Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space
Magic Kingdom - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Moutain, Buzz Lightyear, Dumbo and Peter Pan if with little ones. Actually, PP with or without little ones :)
Studios - Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, less so but still a long wait, Little Mermaid.
Animal Kingdom - Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur.

This is not the definitive, just what I've picked up.

Thanks for the tips. We have maps from DisneyWorld.com printed with the things we want to do....also have a guide book I picked up at a travel store.

Relax. This is YOUR vacation. I was a "commando". I was a "moderate planner". And now I'm a "whatever" person.

But - I change with what I'm doing and who I'm with. First timer? Commando if they want to see everything and do everything. Moderate planner if they want to sleep in and not go so full tilt. Right now with just my husband and me I'm a whatever.

Do what YOU want. Modify whatever you read on these boards or any other book or website to what YOU want.

Don't worry that Person A who has 16,000 billion posts thinks that you should get up early and hit the parks at rope drops.

Have FUN!

As long as you realize that you need ADRs for sit down restaurants and know to use FP I think you should be fine without over-planning. It's your vacation to enjoy what works for you. For some, (A personality types in particular) they can't handle a go with the flow--must have a schedule to follow. Others enjoy the planning as part of their trip.

By my standards, if you've printed out maps from WDW.com then you're overplanning. When we go I generally don't even know what parks I'll be in on which days.

As long as you're a traveler ok with the thought of each day not being absolutely perfect and as full as possible with action then you'll likely be fine. It's all about your comfort level so if what you're doing seems fine don't stress about it too much just because other people do a lot more.

Thanks again for the comments. I always kind of regretted not going to WDW when my boys were younger, but actually I think it is better now that they are older (16 and almost 12). That way I don't have to worry about planning for character gatherings and such. If we DO happen to run into Mickey or Goofy I think they will get a kick out of it, but all will not be lost if we don't! Although I do kind of miss having a stroller to pile all of our stuff on!!:p

I do have loose plans on which parks on which days, but I am just not going to stress about possibly missing something (although I did find out Pirates of The Carribean is going to be down for rehab while we are there:(). I just can't wait for this once-in-a-lifetime trip for me and my boys!!

When I go with my family we kind of just wake up and say "where do you feel like going" and we go there. We go to guest relations to see if there is any dining available. We usually pick off times to eat and we get in where we want perfectly fine (except for Le Cellier). It's so relaxing when we do that. People always say to us, "How can you go there again? It's not a vacation because you are always on the go." It isn't stressful for us though. We get up when we want, we do what we want. If something has a long line we skip it. No big deal because we go almost every year.

BUT! In July I am going with my boyfriend's family who hasn't been to WDW since 2003. I am stressing out because I don't know how I am going to do this. I have to make sure they ride almost everything during the busy, hot summer? Thank goodness I am going again in November! It will be much more relaxing then!

First trip to WDW June 8-14th. I have been reading trip reports etc. here on the boards. I have seen military-like schedule planning and then some threads that have said not to over-plan. I feel more comfortable just going with the flow and experiencing it as it happens.

Of course we plan to use Fast Pass and advance reservations for sit-down restaurants. We also have our "Favorites" that are the things we definitely want to see and do. But is there anything we could miss by by just going with the flow? I just hate to be a clock watcher and HAVE to be somewhere at a certain time. I'd like it to be an enjoyable adventure.

Any comments?


I usually go with ADRs planned; however I have been known to be walking around with my cell phone trying to change ADRs at the last minute. I also like to know beforehand which parks have the Magical hour(s) and avoid those in the mornings unless we plan on gong to them. And I read up on which parks are busier on each day.

We also go for a minimum of 9 nights, 10 days just to make sure we are able to do things without feeling rushed (or at least a little to rush!)

We also go to WDW with a check list of the must see characters. There are so many more characters to see at WDW than DL and it is good to plan out seeing Mickey dressed in his safari gear vs. farmer gear vs Steamboat Willie. Of course, we are amazed at how fast he gets from park to park and his ability to change clothes so fast!!!

Don't worry that Person A who has 16,000 billion posts thinks that you should get up early and hit the parks at rope drops.

Hey, I only have 15,000 billion posts!!! And I do think that this is one of the most important points for a veteran or a newbie - get into a park as soon as you can! People on vacation just don't want to wake up early. If you can manage it, you'll find that those first couple of hours in the park are really wonderful, even in the middle of the busy season. You'll get a bunch done, won't stand in long lines, and it won't quite be mid-day heat beating you up!

Other than that, I really like your go-with-the-flow plan. Once you get into a park, take a second to pick up a Times Guide, which will show you when shows start throughout the day. Try to incorporate that with your plans, but take your time,see what you want to see, and rest when you're tired.

Enjoy!

I think I'd like to add some friendly perspective to this discussion. I'm type A, make no apology for it, strongly advocate getting up early and doing 2 hours commando style touring. Now on my third trip, after the first 2 hours in a park, we'll be going with the flow. However.... going with the flow I think is different if you have some, lots, or squillions of accumulated knowledge to go with the flow with. Without it I genuinely think, at a busy time, going with the flow could be a bit of a disaster. It's all very well for veterans to advocate going with the flow but really you're not. You're mediating every choice you make with a wealth of accumulated knowledge and the happy position of knowing this is not your first, not your last trip. I'd hate a first time visitor, possibly having a 1 off trip of a life time, to be given the impression that planning doesn't make a difference because it does. Even if that planning is only knowing what you want to see and the best time to see it. A close friend of mine did Disney 2 years ago. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime but the heat, the humidity, the crowds, the choice and the total lack of knowing where to go next really shattered her family and they spent a much saved for fortune not having the best time. I'm really not promoting type A, just trying to be helpful... I'd suggest getting the Unofficial Guide to have access to their Touring Plans. It won't have cost you much if you decide to abandom them if they do your head in.

Y'know, even though it appears that scoobydooby's post and mine above are polar opposites, I don't think that's the case. There's a middle ground between total Type A commando style touring and laid-back-don't-care-much easy-going. Buy the books, like the Unofficial Guide and the OFFICIAL Guide by Birnbaum. Read them, study them, learn from them, and then ask questions here. It's not that hard for a newbie to have a terrific time at the World. But don't go in blind, putter around trying to find fun stuff, and then complain because your vacation sucked. Find that middle ground - and find it BEFORE you leave for Orlando!

i've been 8 times in as many years with my wife and i would highly suggest doing some research and planning beofre you go - don't think of it as spoiling the fun, but as a part of the fun.

buy (or borrow from the library/friend) a few of the travel guides. the official one has a really simple yet helpful chart a "don't miss" "try to see it" "no big deal" kind of thing. also, the official site used to (as of last year) allow you to go to a guide map section and pick the things you want to see and do and then send you a very cool colorful set of maps for each park with the attractions highlighted. makes ofr a fun afternoon on the computer after searching the books and checking these boards for extra help.

the problem with not planning is the amount of time you may feel has been wasted by back tracking across the parks too many times, standing in long lines (especially when it could have been avoided), or missing something really cool. also since you have already stated you have dining plans picking the right park(s) each day and really cut down on travel/waiting for bus time which we all agree isn't magical.

there's so much to do and see that you really should take some time to think about your days and where you want to go and what you want to do. rarely do we stick to the plan down to every detail, but we never feel as if we wasted our time and money.

We just from our 5 year old's first trip and I think that expected to be able to do a lot more and thought I could be command from spending so much time on ere, BUT it was a wake up call when I got there. I was calmer than I thought, we kind of went with tflow. We did our few ADRs and then just went by the maps and I recalled what I heard on hereand did what we did. And, I thin my expectations were too high for such a small child. I think 12 and 14 are the perfect age to look at the map and kind of go with the flow. They will be able to do a lot more than we could. Not sure if you pointed this out or if someone else did, but the time you are going may be pretty busy, so maybe more planning would be in order. We never had a stand by line with more than a 20 minute wait, so going with the flow was not a problem. To me it seemed like you can plan as much as you want, but you get there and whatever happens happens, it's like having a birthing plan....lol.

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. A few items to keep in mind when planning, especially for a first-time trip:

- Get at least one guidebook and spend some time reading it. Birmbaum's Official Guide is good for a first-timer, but any of them would be okay.

- Using the knowledge gained from the guides, make a list of "must see" and "would like to see" attractions. Be willing to be flexible if something is either down or has extremely long lines.

- Get maps of the parks online before leaving home and become familiar with the layout of each park. You don't want to walk down Main Street for the first time, for example, and not know the general direction where your "must see" attractions are located.

- Get to the parks as early as possible, preferably within 1/2 hour of rope drop. Those first two hours will be the most productive of the day.

- Unless you plan to arrive at the EMH (Extra Magic Hours) opening time, do not go to EMH parks. They'll be crowded if you show up at the regular opening times.

- Know which rides have Fastpass and the general tricks for getting the most use out of Fastpass (such as being able to get another Fastpass ticket once you reach the time marked on the ticket you're holding).

- Decide whether you want to see the afternoon parades and night-time shows. If you do, realize that this will cut down significantly on your park touring time. If you can skip these performances, you're likely to find shorter lines at the regular attractions while the parades and fireworks shows are in progress.

- If you want to eat at any specific table service places, make ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) before you leave home. Do this as early as possible to get the best choices or be willing to eat at off hours. Also, plan your ADR times based on whether or not you want to catch the parades and night-time shows.

I could go on, but I think these are the essentials. As others have said, don't go in with the expectation that you'll get to see everything at every park. That's just not possible unless you'll be visiting for 2 weeks or longer. Concentrate on getting in your "must see" attractions and some of your "would like to sees." Everything else can wait for a future visit.

I hope these suggestions help.

Arnold

I have a quick question on Fastpasses when it comes to planning. At DLR they don't really watch the times and you can use your passes kind of whenever you want. Is WDW strict about returning during the times marked on the fast pass?

Is WDW strict about returning during the times marked on the fast pass?
I have heard about people being turned away - but I've also heard about people being able to use them late. Things like Soarin' (which is one I specifically recall hearing from a person who was turned away) I wouldn't try - but others you might be ok.

I think I was late on RnR a couple weeks ago, but not hours late, probably not even 1/2 an hour - It's just that the line for Toy Story Midway Mania during the passholder previews was 2 hours long, and I hadn't planned on QUITE that long of a wait. Other than that, I generally try to use my fastpasses during the time period listed.

Both parks are very strict about the start time of your FP. They won't let you in even a minute early. But most of the time they're very lenient on the end times.

I have a quick question on Fastpasses when it comes to planning. At DLR they don't really watch the times and you can use your passes kind of whenever you want. Is WDW strict about returning during the times marked on the fast pass?


When I was there, I just thought oh well if I missed my time, but when getting a FP for the safari ride in Ak, I heard a CM say you can come back lste, just not early. He said not to worry if you are eating or watching a parade, just come back when you are done. He just kept stressing not to come early.

I had also heard people say that sometimes you can ride more than once with a FP, which was not the case. they took them as we got on the rides, which made me sad:( I wanted to scrapbook them. The only ones I have are the rides we never made it back to and the safari because by the time it was time for our FP, there wasn't a line.

I had also heard people say that sometimes you can ride more than once with a FP, which was not the case. they took them as we got on the rides, which made me sad:( I wanted to scrapbook them. The only ones I have are the rides we never made it back to and the safari because by the time it was time for our FP, there wasn't a line.

With a group of 3 of us - my DH asked at 1 ride if we could keep 1 of the FPs to scrapbook & the CM ok'd it - which was pretty cool. Probably figured 1 wouldn't come back alone. I can see how this could be abused, but it was really nice and we are scrapbooking it and did NOT use it again.

I had also heard people say that sometimes you can ride more than once with a FP, which was not the case. they took them as we got on the rides, which made me sad:( I wanted to scrapbook them. The only ones I have are the rides we never made it back to and the safari because by the time it was time for our FP, there wasn't a line.
Are you maybe thinking of people who use kid-swap? That's kind of like riding twice on a fastpass.

With a group of 3 of us - my DH asked at 1 ride if we could keep 1 of the FPs to scrapbook & the CM ok'd it - which was pretty cool. Probably figured 1 wouldn't come back alone. I can see how this could be abused, but it was really nice and we are scrapbooking it and did NOT use it again.


Good idea for next time!

Are you maybe thinking of people who use kid-swap? That's kind of like riding twice on a fastpass.

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I read about people using FP once, getting one for another ride, then using original FP again. Actually, they may have been riding twice, once in standby and once in FP.

Outside of a CM allowing you to keep a FP for scrapbooking purposes, FP's are one time one ride only. They collect it when you go through the FP line. Now, you could ride standby all you want and then use the FP later.