16 days...and I'm a little freaking out

[tlmadden73]

You'll second guess everything until you are there. (We all do it).

Go . .enjoy .. don't worry about .. learn from experience for the next time (if there will be a next time).

Don't worry about this stuff you can't control.

 

[dtkids]

Remember, this is a vacation, not a test.

THIS should go on my t-shirts!

 

[dtkids]

A few things...

• A touring plan should be more of a guideline than a rule.

This will be my screen saver!

 

[dtkids]

Notice the people around you when you are there and it will change your entire outlook about a WDW vacation. You will see DOZENS of irritated, frustrated women barking orders at their husband and children because they going to miss their FP if they don't walk faster, complaining that what someone wants to do is NOT on the itinerary so they can't do it, getting in their family's face that they spent HOURS trying to get the ADR for a place no one now wants to eat at. These families are MISERABLE. Husbands get yelled at, kids are shamed and humiliated all because things aren't working out the way they were supposed to. It's just not worth it.

I do NOT want to be this person! Relax, plans-shchmans...GO WITH THE FLOW. We've got this!

 

[dtkids]

We are 4 days out and I had my gallbladder removed on Sunday I’m still allowed to go but I can’t lift anything over 10lbs which makes taking care of my 30+ lbs toddler a little difficult! Luckily we are traveling with my family (me, dh and ds 2.5) my sister and her hubby and my mom and dad. Lots of hands to help with the lifting.

Oy! Thank goodness for lots of helping hands! Stay well and enjoy!

 

[dtkids]

Which dessert party did you schedule? I have the jingle bell jingle bam party scheduled and I can't wait. This is hubby's second time to Disney and he loves Hollywood Studios and will be surprised (he doesn't know I scheduled it).

Last night, MVMCP...dessert party/garden view. Going out with a bang.

 

[dtkids]

I feel your pain, I am an over the top planner. I went crazy over planning my 1st trip. I wanted us to experience it all. What I realized is that you can't do and see it all. Half way through the trip my family rebelled. They needed some relief from my planning. We slept in one AM, went to a different park than I had planned for an added an extra waterpark day. Some of those spontaneous changes turned out to be some of my most happy memories of the trip.

Now that you have made your reservations, FP+ don't agonize over the plans you have made.

Have a great trip!

My guess is we ditch at least one day of The Plan. It'll be an adventure!

 

[KenHutch]

First of all calm down and have fun. On the foot issue a question. How much more walking did you start? After a health scare last year I took up walking around my employees for exercise. When I increased my steps from 15k a day to 20k my feet swelled up and I was in agony. My doctor put me on a mild anti swelling medication and now I walk around 35 to40k steps a day.

 

[Mitzicat]

Last night, MVMCP...dessert party/garden view. Going out with a bang.

I've done a dessert party in the Magic Kingdom before - not during a party night - and we loved it. It's nice to feel like a VIP for a few hours. The desserts are yummy and plentiful! You will have a lot of fun!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Oy! Thank goodness for lots of helping hands! Stay well and enjoy!

We will. You’ve got this. Use your plans as a jumping off point and if it’s not working don’t be afraid to drop them.

 

[eeyoresmom]

OP, I've been over 60 times and I get overwhelmed everytime around 2-3 weeks out. It gets to the point that I regret planning the trip and for about a week or so I am telling myself that I'll just go and make the best of it. Around a week before the excitement returns but this is a really strange phenomenon that happens every single time. Every trip has been great in its own way ( or i wouldnt go 3-4 times a year!). Now I know this slump before the trip is temporary but the first few times it happened was disheartening. I think it's caused by too much planning, options and mental energy expended. For me theres a fine line between fun planning and obsession!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We went this past September and everything fell apart and Irma was on the way. Sunday before our trip we decided we were going, Irma was coming and we would just deal with it. That night my wife said “ let’s go skating” ( something we all do often) my reply was “no way! I don’t want to risk getting hurt before Disney”. Well, me and the girls stayed home while my wife went skating with our friends. We were cleaning and I kicked a door jamb and broke my 4th toe! Yep. 4 days before we leave. Monday it was still killing me so I went to the doctor. Yep, broke in 2 places. Needless to say it hurt like a mother for the next few days. I buddy taped it to my middle toe and sucked it up and went do Disney. Thursday through Saturday it hurt but not as bad. I think all the walking actually helped. Then Irma came and gave me 2 days to nurse it and the next week was way better. All I can say is roll with whatever life throws at you and have a great time!

 

[sndral]

This reminds me of many years ago when I was in a store trying to buy my first computer, a friend saw me and calmly said relax, there’s no best computer & this won’t be your last computer.
Look at this trip as the first of many, assuming you have a great time, so relax, what you don’t do this time you’ll do next
There’s no ‘best’ vacation plan, there’s only the one that makes your family happiest, you’ve done all the work to enable you to maximize your vacation, but some of the best memories are the unplanned bits, or the mix ups...if you can laugh about them.
So first thing is to pack your sense of humor
I love going in Dec., I relish the beautiful decorations, like the Christmas carousel in the BC or the tree+gingerbread house at the GF, remember the season and take time to soak up the wonderful job Disney does.
The weather ranges from 80s to 30. The 3 times we went when it dropped to below freezing in Dec. I just bought big heavy duty on sale @The Disney Store in Disney Springs (DTD then) ‘souvenir’ sweatshirts & cute Mickey knit gloves. One year it was so cold waiting for illuminations in Epcot my BIL and I bought those heavy blanket poncho things from Mexico. Even during warmer Dec.s it feels chilly at night if you’re near water IME & there’s lots of bodies of water near the parks and resorts, I’m planning on packing a light down jacket this trip when we go in 9 days so if it gets cold again I won’t end up buying yet another sweatshirt

 

[AncientSoul]

If at all possible, build in some "cushion days" for your trip. Theme park vacations can get stressful if you overplan and things don't go your way.

On the "cushion days" there are no plans --- zero fastpasses, zero reservations. You can use the cushion days for when someone gets sick, when the kids just want to swim in the pool, or just sleep in, etc. Also the cushion days can be used to go on rides missed due to rain, ride breakdowns, long wait times etc. For our longer vacations, we always have at least two cushion days (1 day in the middle of our trip, and 1 day before departure day). The cushion days will allow you relax a little, knowing you have some spare days to make up for lost time, or to just simply do nothing but sleep in and dine out.