Planning for a Disney vacation is part of the fun,
excitement, and anticipation. I am an
advocate of planning for a Disney vacation just like you would plan for any
other vacation to a major tourist destination.
But can planning go too far? When
does planning cross the line into worrying about minute details?
Having been to Walt Disney World ten times (and number is 11
is a countdown away) and sailed with Disney five times, we have seen our fair
share of touring and traveling styles.
Even our style has changed over time.
We have seen the guests at parks with their 3-ring binders and page
protectors with touring plans highlighted and ready and we have also seen folks
at the turn styles without a park map and without a camera—they forget it at
home. Now, each of these families is
going to have a memorable times, but both may experience some frustration; one by feeling that they have to follow the
touring plan and the other because they will miss some things and feel like
they “didn’t know”. I will say that both
families were at rope drop at Magic
Kingdom so good for them
that they made it to the park early—that in itself took some planning!
So, how do you find the balance? Well, each family is going to find it for
themselves but for us, finding the balance means we have some things decided
before we even touch down in Orlando. We know which park on which day and have our
dining reservations made for any sit down or table service meals and special
events. We also know that we will arrive
at the designated park in time for the park opening, so we know park hours. Then, we grab a park map and Times Guide,
plan the first 2-3 destinations or steps for our day and after that, we leave a
wiggle room letting location, Fastpass return times, attraction waits, character
appearances, and weather help us decide what is next. I can tell you that we typically know where
we are headed next prior to leaving an attraction. We use any wait time before an attraction to
help us figure out what is next rather than waiting until we exit. Again, this works for us.
Some Walt Disney World guests plan extensively regarding
their resort stay—location of their room, proximity to bus stop and/or main
building, timing of luggage delivery, how much sun the pool gets during the
day, etc. Trust me, I have seen all of
these questions asked by prospective Disney travelers.
I will preface this with we love and appreciate the Disney
transportation system. We are happy to
rely on Disney to schlep us and our luggage to and from the airport (click here to read more about Disney’s Magical Express Service) and throughout the Walt
Disney World Resort—click here to read more about various transportation options at the resorts. For others, this
becomes a “control” issue and they prefer to drive themselves using personal
vehicles or rental cars.
Now, having said that, we don’t typically worry about the
location of our resort room and proximity to resort offerings. Only one time the location of our room made a
difference in our vacation and that was our second stay at Caribbean Beach,
so we just haven’t returned to that resort.
Disney has done the math in terms of distances to and from food courts,
pools, bus stops, etc. One of their
pillars is efficiency. They want guests
to have an enjoyable time, so they aren’t going to purposely make access to
amenities and services difficult. Therefore,
I don’t spend a lot of time scouring resort layouts and determining the best
location.
The balance in planning also applies to Disney Cruise
Line. Again, we have seen a variety of
travelers from those just arriving at the ship with no plans to those who want
to know the best location to watch the fireworks on Pirate Night or the best
location for a stateroom. For us,
planning means having any port adventures or shore excursions reserved prior to
our cruise and then reviewing each day’s activities in the Navigator and
planning as we go. (Click here to read more about Navigators.) As far as the
best place to watch the fireworks at sea, I would remind cruisers that the
fireworks are a part of a show, a stage performance, and that if you can see
and follow the show, then you will be able to view the fireworks.
I certainly recommend planning to prospective Disney
travelers as it will help you get the most out of your vacation and therefore
your vacation dollar. At the same time,
trust that Disney will handle or can help with the small details so you can
relax and enjoy your vacation! No
worries, you’re with Disney!
Hi! I can't remember how I first found your blog, but I check back each day for new posts! We have our first disney cruise booked (we booked in back in 12/2011!!) for this June - can't wait!! The TA we are currently using isn't the most helpful - I'd love to know who you all use so I can contact them beforehand and have their info available for when we *hopefully* book another trip onboard!! Thanks so much!!
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