Going Crazy

[jcatron243]

I am a planner. I like structure and always having a plan. Last year, we all ( 2 adults 3 kids) got food poisoning the day before we flew to the parks. We made it ok, and recoverd enough to tour the parks. But my plans were out the window, and in 6 days we only made it on space mountain 2 times. We had FPs every day, but we wanted to wait until the evening to use them, and we ended up to tired to use them so we gave them away.

I felt cheated after my last trip. I didn't do half the stuff we normally do. MY DH thinks its because I overplanned and we didn't stick to it (for good reasons). So I haven't planned much of anything this year. We leave on Saturday night for an early flight Sunday. I'm going INSANE not having a good solid plan in place. DH is loving it. Here is what we have:

Sun March 14~land at LGB at 945. Take a cab to Anabella, leave our stuff and hit the parks. DD wants to ride Splash first.

Monday~ Get to the parks at 730. Dinner at RFC at 445. Is this a TTMM day?

Tues~early entry. Get to the parks at 630. Hit Fantasyland and hopefully the matterhorn and Buzz~get FPs for space first thing. 10~minnie and friends.

Wed~debate here I want to get to the parks at 8 and line up a couple of FPs then head to DCA and head to TSMM. DH wants to sleep in and just head straight to DCA. I think we are spending time in Downtown Disney here, and maybe some pool time with the kids this day.

Thurs~Hit the parks at 730. Carnation Cafe at 1130

Friday~Last day, hit all the rides we can in both parks ~Gibson girl for ice cream before we leave Disneyland for the night~Go to DCA and watch the Electrical parade.


This plan is great for DH. Its probably great for most people. But I prefer to have a bit more structure. I feel like I am going to miss something.

We do plan on park hopping everyday but Sunday.

Our must do's include~
Playhouse Disney live onstage
Tikki Room (out of 7 trips, never been)
Jedi Training (DH has never seen it)
Captian EO~want to see it but not sure if my kids will sit through it (6, 4)
Alladin

I know I just need to go with the flow~ it is a vacation, right?

[BrandonH]

You'll be in the parks for six days, so you'll definitely get to do all of your must-dos. It's a busier time with spring break, so some line waiting is inevitable. Just be sure to get some fastpasses every day, and go on the fast-loading or high-capacity rides if you're in the park during the hot, busy time of day.

I think the Unofficial Guide has some pages that detail the best times to hit each ride for those who are not following a set plan.

[codewoman]

Our plans are generally this unstructured, with one change.

I have a notebook and I write down things people say. Like, "I've never been to the TiKi Room. I'd like to try that." Then at lunch, or while waiting in line or for a parade, I'll pull out the notebook and say "We're planning on being at Disneyland most of the day tomorrow, how about if we visit the TiKi room in the afternoon, when it's crowded?"

It becomes a plan, but no one tells me I'm overplanning. My DH will rebel if he feels I'm overplanning, so I have to be careful.

I do plan table service meals and early entry, though. You just have to!

[jcatron243]

Yes, I have priority seating for our sit down meals already

This will be our 4th March spring break trip so we understand the lines and we are up for it This is really the first trip I haven't planned things down to the hour I am nuts. My husband usually just goes with it as best he can

[wvnative]

I overplan everything about when to go, how to get there, where to stay, when/where to eat, when to leave and how to get home.

Everyone gets a chance to pick the first ride of the day so we don't necessarily know which land we'll be starting in. All I ask is that we don't trapse back and forth anymore than necessary. lol

Other than that, we kind of wing it. We throw a little stretegy into it and it generally ends up being a lot of fun. I mean, there's no sense in standing in line for Space at a 55 minute wait when you have a FP for later and Buzz is only 20 minutes, ya know?

[mechurchlady]

Have one person run over with your tickets to do FP and know where they all are located. Then do those rides like Jungle Cruise while the crowds are smaller in the morning. In the evening have your handful of FP and do the top rides then. Instead of being at Spalsh Mountain with your FP in hand at 9 am you do Pirates, Pooh and Jungle Cruise while the line is short.

Splash Mountain first thing would be good if you stopped at Indy or Haunted Mansion for FP. Will she mind being wet at that time of day?

I agree that going to Disneyland first for some rides and FP would be great if you followed up with DCA. One problem is that you are pushing people every day. It should not be a chore or boot camp. Each day you will have stress, experiences, exercise, walking, new foods, and put your body through a lot of stuff that it is not used to. I was at DLR for three hours last night and am so exhausted from the emotional stuff like watching kids be kids, meeting people, the music, the smells, THE FOOD, the sites, and the characters. I am tired form walking over a mile last night.

What I recommend is to roll with the punches and be willing to stop to listen to a band or do a ride because it is there.

[jcatron243]

Mechurchlady~My daughter won't mind being wet, but my son does. I bought him a poncho, it made last years trip so much better for him.

I really appreciate the responses. It makes me feel like I will get to everything even if I am not crazy about timing.

We also stick to our normal routine for bed times and wake ups. Mostly because that is what the kids are up to. Bed by 830, up by 6. I don't wake them up, they usually get me up. Even on the weekends and especially on vacation.

[disneylandgirl]

jcatron243 - I am the SAME WAY!! I over plan big time for my DL trips. I plan out where I'm eating on what days, what time I'm eating, what rides I go on at what times... I'm nuts! When I get there though, a lot of the plan goes out the door. You can't plan EVERYTHING hahaha. I find that planning things like that get me even more excited about my trip! Even if I know I won't stick to the plan 100%, it's fun to think about what I'm going to do. It can make things much easier, as long as you don't get all crazy bossy. LOL.

[mechurchlady]

You will be able to get to everything with planning like getting FP for the big rides but saving them for the evening. Over planning is alright because you need to have at hand lots of information. What if something is closed? What if someone is hungry? Where is the bathroom? I am a seasoned visitor so at any time I have answers for almost anything that may happen.

If the kids love the Jungle Cruise then you take them in the line when it is short while dad goes and gets FP for Indy, Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder. When he gts back then all of your can ride together. 6 days is more than enough time. Also some things you will miss because of closures thus making it even easier to see everything.

If you have time ask for a tender ride on the railroad for 2 people, boys love that. There is the caboose and Lily Belle train cars to ride in. You might want to see Farley, the Bootstrappers, and Dapper Dans. Do not worry about over planning but do worry when you start sounding like a drill sergeant and have everyone double timing across Disneyland, lol.

[my2girls]

My theory..... have a plan (There is nothing wrong with color coding and having detail spreadsheets) and then leave the plan in the hotel room. I like to have a general idea of what we will do for the day, shows/parades we want to catch and at least on sit down meal planned. Also included suggestions of where to eat if it is getting close to meal time. My family does not do well with low blood sugar.

I don't like walking in the gate and then spending 20 min discussing what we should do. But I also don't want to be so scheduled that we can't sit and watch an unexpected show.

[Malcon10t]

I tend to overplan about the rooms/meals/seatings, but rarely do I plan the days themselves. Since your kids are in bed by 830p, I figure you will be leaving the park by 8. Try not to overplan a day, so there is some relaxation. Try and throw in things like Billy Hill so you can just relax for a bit. My brother is one that feels if he isn't on a ride, he is wasting time. Unfortunately, his kids are 6, 3, and 3. They would love a little Playhouse Disney/Aladdin/character meet and greet time, but he usually kills that in his quest to ride ride ride. My sisters took their kids down this weekend, and my niece commented that they had a good time, but she missed doing the Animation Academy and wanted to us to take them again. (The sister in charge of plans is very similar to my brother.) We can easily spend 2-3 hours in there between the drawing, Ursela's area, Crush, and the Zoetrope (and then shopping in Off the Page!)

[fairestoneofall]

I'm an UBER-planner, but have had to chill out on planning the attractions. Of course there are some exceptions. If we want to ride Nemo we do it first or don't do it at all. I'm not a huge fan of the ride and even less so the line since it's a slow loading attraction. I try to plan some low key stuff in the afternoon like shows or a trip back to the room for a nap (my boys are almost 3 and almost 4). I always plan on early entry days and make PS ressies for all of our table service meals, no exceptions.

[Hannahbelle]

I agree, especially with the advise not to over stress your self on the daily activities. You will be there long enough to not miss anything. Focus on your "can't miss" list and than go with the flow.
I am the same as some posters mentioned above. I plan the "trip" and the "Disney essentials Bag" but not the attractions except if we are with people that have a "must do" attraction that want to see. Too many uncontrollable variables to get worked up over "not having a plan" (weather, etc...). I find the days we didn't have too structured of a plan a lot of happy unexpected things happened. Suggest that the kids make a top 5 list and cross reference it so everyone gets on their favorites.
Here's my best advise:

HAVE FUN!!

[The Evil Queen]

Hi. I'm The Evil Queen and I'm a plan-a-holic.

So, here is what I've learned. Make PS and go with the flow. You've got six days. It will be OK. Let the kids lead the way and everything will get done. You'll see. Took me a while to figure that out, bit I'm glad I did. Now I'm more fun to be around instead of being such a hard head.

Have a plan, but know that if you deviate from it, it will be OK...oh and don't forget to BREATHE.

[jcatron243]

I love my planning because It gets me so excited. I don't get all bossy about it either, I do like structure and I hate criss crossing the park.

My kids are 6 and 4 so I have had to learn to let go of the exact minutes and stuff (not like when DH and I went for the 1st time ) But I do like to have a map of things I want to do each day laid out, and I do get pretty specific about how long I will wait in a stand-by line. Of course in the end the kiddos always get what they want (splash 8 times in 1 day

[Toocherie]

I but she missed doing the Animation Academy and wanted to us to take them again. (The sister in charge of plans is very similar to my brother.) We can easily spend 2-3 hours in there between the drawing, Ursela's area, Crush, and the Zoetrope (and then shopping in Off the Page!)

seriously, I think I could do the Animation Academy over and over and over.

Oh and JCatron--I don't believe you can get a FP this time of year for Haunted Mansion--generally the FP is only available during Haunted Mansion Holiday. It sure wasn't open for FP a couple of weeks when I was there--but you didn't need it--lines were generally short and/or move fast.

I will warn you that the Rivers of America being closed has changed some of the dynamics in the park--areas that may not be as crowded in the past may be more crowded because the activities on the river (Mark Twain, Pirate ship, Pirate's Lair) are not available. So be prepared.

[Toocherie]

Oh and one more thing--if you haven't planned and haven't seen it--be sure to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe. Great show and you can combine a snack/lunch with the time there--you can even bring food from other venues--they don't care.

[mousecanuck]

I look and look and read and read - love it, obsess about it. We figure out our early mornings (we're always there first thing!) and definitely make reservations for meals we want to sit for (usually mid-late afternoon) and Breakfast with Minnie once (might try something else another time). We book a hotel with a continental breakfast as it's quick (even if it's crummy) and gets us out the door and into the park.

We always head for Indy and Jungle Cruise on our first day; then depending on season and what's new (Nemo, IASW Holiday, HM Holiday) we try and hit the busy stuff early on another day. But always we go with the flow and usually get a FP for something, then do the rides/attractions around it and work our way into another area. Husband and kids (11 & 15) love Matterhorn and no FP for this so we often start other days with that and if it's not too busy do Fantasyland afterward (Peter Pan - what is up with the line up for this?!?)

We usually spend a full day at DL, then hop back and forth depending on shows and other things we want to catch (TSMM is something we try and hit early, also). Our last trip we only did Space once, which stunk - we had FP for later, went to use it and the line for FP was 25 mins!!! So another trip I may get FP and use these earlier so we get to go on it more.

And I make note of shows and fireworks so that if they're only offered some days we don't miss something we want to see.

Go with it, have fun, take time to smell the flowers. Our first day last trip, my son wanted to do Tom Sawyer Island, normally a 'need a rest, no panic' attraction that we do on a later day on our trip. It was the nicest hour of our day (and we got to the park around 2:30 that trip!) - lots of good pictures, relaxing, fun - and we didn't miss anything by 'deviating' (and have now convinced husband that life will go on if we don't run from ride to ride the entire time we're there...)

I do also want to do Paradise Pier at night so we get to see the lights up close for once, though!

[Malcon10t]

seriously, I think I could do the Animation Academy over and over and over.

I think the kids have done it 4 or 5 times in a row one day. (They generally get the schedule of characters.)

Last trip, the girls did it twice before MDM said "Enough, we still need to do Space Mountain and get ice cream!" But, we still had time to do the Zoetrope, but didn't get the Workshop done. We have spent 3-4 hours in there before. That was when we discovered how much MDM and I sound alike. That was WEIRD!

[samkj]

After spending a couple vacations stressed out over details and going home feeling a bit disappointedI have learned to let go. I do have a table service meal planned everyday, but on this last trip I more than once called and adjusted times at the last minute since the original plans weren't going to work. I felt SOOOOOO much better not worrying about any of it! Although I did remember after the first day to check the parade schedule since we re-entered DL right at the start of the parade and had a horrible time getting away from Main Street (DD is in a wheelchair so we couldn't just jump on the train)

Plan all you want at home, then leave the detailed schedule at home and just enjoy being at DL!

[jcatron243]

You guys are great.

I never thought about how the closure of Rivers of America would change some of the dynamics of the park. Hmm.

I have had to add a couple of things to my plan. TTMM~We will do on Monday. Oh and one of our courtesy clerks at my fave grocery store will be there on Monday. She is spending her birthday there. We are going to try and find her, so our first stop will be Pirates on Monday I always run into people I know!

[bduff]

I don't think you need to apologize around here for being an obsessive planner. Many of us are. And in terms of wanting to script out the day in terms of what attractions and rides you want to do when, that's not "over the top" by any means for those of us who are from out of town. For the AP holders who can make day trips to DLR, they can be more relaxed about their touring plans, because if they miss out on an attraction on one visit, they can catch it on the next one. But for those of use where it would be a year or more before our next opportunity to return, fitting everything in is more important. But in saying all this, an important point to remember that many others have remarked on already, is to not fall in love with our plans so much that we can't adapt when the situation changes, as it always will.

[AJDerrick]

For your first trip to the Tiki Tiki Room make sure you get a Dole Whip or Float as a snack! It's actually one of my favorite breakfast foods!

The planning is fun. When it's not fun is if you get fustrated by your plan when you're there. So as long as you're ready to roll with the punches, plan away!

[Toocherie]

Although I did remember after the first day to check the parade schedule since we re-entered DL right at the start of the parade and had a horrible time getting away from Main Street (DD is in a wheelchair so we couldn't just jump on the train)

I have never understood why in all their renovations they have never made the Main Street station handicapped accessible in some way.

[mechurchlady]

I have never understood why in all their renovations they have never made the Main Street station handicapped accessible in some way.

I have asked and have heard various answers. First is that there is not room Second is that it would change the look of the architecture. There is that the trains are too long for the wheelchair car to have a wide enough area to load guests. That is it not physically possible. Lots of reasons and I will keep wishing that the Main Street Station was wheelchair accessible for Mom. I have to go all the way to a far away place for her to ride the train, sigh. I just don't take her usually.

Takes notes, we can do that on Monday, ride from Tomorrowland, thanks for the idea.