This probably is the wrong group to ask....BUT...

[wcw57]

does anyone ever just go to WDW anymore?

Has the internet caused a glut of over-planners who have too much knowledge (as compared to the old days) and make hard and firm plans for their days as opposed to when I first went (having read the brochures) and just enjoyed myself with minimal time-crunch stress...

I'm just an old guy being washed over by nostalgia.........

 

[jsmla]

We've been vacationing at WDW for almost 30 years now and I have always been an uber planner. I just used guidebooks, pen and paper. My first exposure to planning was a magazine article in 1988 that referenced the Unofficial Guide. In fact, I spend much less time planning now than I did in the "good old days". The internet just makes it all quicker and easier.

 

[disneynanacat]

I’m an old gal and and understands totally but I find it less stressful to have a little planning in place before I arrive. Not too much...I’ve been guilty of that too...just a little.

 

[loves to dive]

We just go to WDW. Just about the only think I book in advance is a room and that is normally only about 30 days out. I won't say we never book ADRs or FPs in advance but we rarely do. We have a trip coming up on Monday and I have one FP booked for arrival day because my son (grown) loves FOP so I went ahead and booked that about 2 or 3 weeks ago, normally we just do stand by. Since I already had that booked I figured what the heck we love Tiffins so I went ahead and booked an ADR for that night. The only other ADR we have is for tea at the GF because that is hard to get and I try to do it every once in awhile. We like to do one really blow out kind of expensive thing a trip, sometimes I book them when we are there and just book what we can get but because we have done just about all the tours, including diving in the living seas twice, I went ahead and booked Wild Africa Trek about 2 weeks ago. No other FPs or ADRs, we will be there for 5 nights, 6 days. We love F&G and will be eating at a lot of booths, we love trying out different lounges and restaurants so we like to just hop on MDE while we are walking around and finding somewhere to eat for that night and we aren't ride centric so most of the time if we want to ride a ride we either go stand by or I'll see if I can book a FP while we are walking around. I never book FPs more than one at a time and never book them for more than about a half hour away since we don't like being tied down to a schedule. We spend a lot of time just looking at the details, experiencing the parks, enjoying the resort pools, eating and enjoying refreshing adult beverages and just being there.

 

[Pooh2]

We went in December for a last minute weekend trip to enjoy the Christmas atmophere.
We did not have any dinner reservations until we arrived.
My son brought up the disney app and snagged last minute reservations.
He checked his app after we got to the park for which lines were short.
We did make a few fastpasses an hour ahead but pretty much just went to rides that had smaller lines according the app.
So without the app, not sure the trip would have been as fun but we had a blast without months of planning!

 

[chalee94]

It's less blissfully nostalgic (IMO) to have several restaurants send you away for not having an ADR and wait in long lines while the fast pass group moves so much more quickly past you.

But I did love the days where I could walk into epcot and make dining reservations that morning... sure.

You can still wing it if you wanna, but it will limit you a bit in consequence.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I don't think were the wrong group to ask!! Due to technology available, I've really only been in the uber planning category. A lot of us complain about the planning involved usually while simultaneously doing it!

However, I think it would be nice to spend the flight down reviewing different maps/guide books and going with the flow!

But it is nice to know for sure you can do certain things like get on FOP or have a certain ADR. In the 'old way' of planning things, did you feel you missed a lot, or were pretty much always able to have a full experience?

 

[DaisyDuck001]

The internet didn't cause us to overplan. It's partly WDW's policies that lead people to plan ahead, since everyone else is doing that, and so the opportunities for dining and FPs will be much reduced on the day of. And partly the internet gives us a forum to discuss the planning that we would have done anyway, even back in the guidebook days. Also many of us on these boards are planners by nature and we enjoy the process.

 

[mrcase77]

does anyone ever just go to WDW anymore?

Has the internet caused a glut of over-planners who have too much knowledge (as compared to the old days) and make hard and firm plans for their days as opposed to when I first went (having read the brochures) and just enjoyed myself with minimal time-crunch stress...

I'm just an old guy being washed over by nostalgia.........

I think the parks themselves have become more complex over time. When my family visited in the 1970's, there was 1 park and 2 hotels. When I visited in the mid 90's, there were just the 3 parks and way less hotels.

Now there are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a sports complex, dozens of hotels, and a bus system between all of it. Then add on that it's so crowded that, if you don't know what you're doing, it can take a really long time to board a good ride or get food.

I think that's where the overplanning came in.

I've heard enough stories of people trying to roll into the parks around 10am, try to do a sit down meal for breakfast with a large family, and then (having not booked ahead so they had to wait in huge lines) start trying to ride rides around noon. Then by the time they'd waited 4 hours to ride 2 rides their kids were hot and cranky and over the whole thing and so they left early (right about the time the lines would've started going down). I think we've all heard that story (from what I can tell). I think that's why people plan so heavily. The technology didn't cause that problem. It helps people cope with it.

 

[Klayfish]

does anyone ever just go to WDW anymore?

Has the internet caused a glut of over-planners who have too much knowledge (as compared to the old days) and make hard and firm plans for their days as opposed to when I first went (having read the brochures) and just enjoyed myself with minimal time-crunch stress...

I'm just an old guy being washed over by nostalgia.........

Nope, we're not planners either. I get a kick out of reading the other thread about how people keep their itineraries and find it interesting. However, as I've said many times, I'm dead serious when I say that if we had to do that level of planning for a WDW trip I simply wouldn't go. I can't even imagine having a spreadsheet, a fully scheduled day or anything like that on vacation. Ugh...no. I also think it's nonsense that people say they "have to" plan because of WDW policies, or crowds or anything else. I don't agree with that whatsoever. You can plan as detailed as you want, but you don't have to.

We pretty much go where we want, when we want. Mostly spur of the moment, usually asking "What do you want to do next?"

 

[jsmla]

I remember the days of running to Cinderella Castle, Diamond Horseshoe and those reservation kiosks in Epcot first thing at rope drop. I wasn't a fan and was delighted as could be when Disney began 7 day advance reservations over the phone.

Just strolling around wasn't a real possibility for us back in the day. I had five days, a daredevil, "princesses are lame" DS, a character obsessed, ride weenie DD who was touch and go with Peter Pan for years and a DH who really didn't care for theme parks period and got grumpy standing in line. It was nuts and I always had a pretty strong plan. DD was a lot more patient standing in lines for stuff she wouldn't ride when I could show her that we'd be meeting Cinderella later. I prefer now.

 

[k8Davies]

does anyone ever just go to WDW anymore?

Has the internet caused a glut of over-planners who have too much knowledge (as compared to the old days) and make hard and firm plans for their days as opposed to when I first went (having read the brochures) and just enjoyed myself with minimal time-crunch stress...

I'm just an old guy being washed over by nostalgia.........

I suppose it depends on who you are, as I love, love, love, Love planning (did I mention I love it).

I would never do a Disney break without my ADRs or FP+ and I get lots of enjoyment coming on these boards and getting hints and tips on how improve on plans.

So trying to wing it or go with the flow would be a sheer stress nightmare for me.

I would hate it if I didn't have a plan but that's just me - Although I am not totally nuts (nearly but not there yet) so will allow some flex and changes to the plan that's why I love the App. As if we think we might want to do something else I can hop on there and see if it's possible.

But just remember "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" lol

 

[mrcase77]

It seems like, at the very least, you have to show up with a basic knowledge of how the crowds ebb and flow throughout the day and what the wait times are realistically going to be for different scenarios or you're going to have a bad time (even if you don't plan everything down to the minute). Blogs and boards like this helps with that.

 

[BrianL]

I definitely do some planning, like which park on which day and ADRs and my 3 FPs, but I don't go overboard, and I'm okay with altering my plans on the fly when I feel like it. I don't book ADR's for every day, usually only one or two per trip.

Anyway, I agree that it is just the nature of how it all works that requires the planning. The fact is there are too many people who want to do the same things and eat at the same places that you do. If you don't make your plans, you won't get to do those things.

 

[Harlaxton]

To me - the planning is part of the fun, as crazy as that may sound. I love having every day planned down to the minute, with the most gratifying part of the day being the end where the wife and kids are amazed at how much we got done and how smoothly the day went, in reviewing how the coordination went around navigating the park(s), pre-planned FP's, same day FP's, ADR's, and dessert parties. The feeling of accomplishment that comes with the fulfillment of a well laid out plan is what keeps me going, and what gets me going starting the plan for the next trip the day we get back from the current one.

 

[KenHutch]

The internet did not cause me to over plan, it just made planning easier. By trade I am an IT Specialist for the federal government and I am also a Project Manager. My daughter claims that I enjoy the planning as much as the actual trip itself. I have gone to temple for years and heard people whine about how hot it is in WDW, how long the lines were and how they could not eat anywhere decent. You go with me or let me plan your trip and you will eat where you want and ride most if not all of the rides you want to.

 

[bpx2]

I plan like crazy because I enjoy it, but when my sister and her family went last year I asked her what she had planned and she said "What is there to plan?"

 

[SaintsManiac]

Planning keeps me busy and helps with other stresses in life until we go on our trip. Once we are there we usually do a good bit of winging it.

 

[Klayfish]

I plan like crazy because I enjoy it, but when my sister and her family went last year I asked her what she had planned and she said "What is there to plan?"

So, what's wrong with that? You like to plan, and there's nothing wrong with that. But from the very first time I visited WDW all the way through now, I still have the same feeling as your sister for the most part. We pre-plan our 3 FP+ and that's literally it...even those we very often don't even stick to and change the plans the day of. You can plan if you want, but you don't have to...at all.

 

[bpx2]

So, what's wrong with that? You like to plan, and there's nothing wrong with that. But from the very first time I visited WDW all the way through now, I still have the same feeling as your sister for the most part. We pre-plan our 3 FP+ and that's literally it...even those we very often don't even stick to and change the plans the day of. You can plan if you want, but you don't have to...at all.

Nothing wrong with winging it, in fact that's what my husband and I like to do. We are not down to the minute planners at all, just like to have a general plan for the day but know it will change when we're there. My sister didn't even know what fastpasses were and missed out on a lot by not knowing even the basics like that.