Well, my life has been taken over my a new obsession, planning for Disney World. Most of the Playfriends - and Playkids & a couple Playhusbands - are heading to the World later in the fall. There are plenty of things I need to be doing (and if my editor is reading this I swear I'm working on my syns too!) however, I've lost hours of my life gathering information lately.I think this is a flaw in my personality, my ability to become obsessed with a project. If anyone has a 12 step program for this, or a pill I could take to remedy this, I'm open to suggestions. I mean I can and do split my focus...I just know that the few free hours of my day will be filled with whatever my newest obsession is.
In the absence of a magic pill, I have adjusted my daily plan to allow for at least 2 hours to indulge in comparing touring plans, dining options and character meals. To researching trading pins and budget tips. I've hunted designs - one of them here - that I'll probably end up making into t-shirts for my girls. I've even requested some customized designs for the Playground Family Invasion.
I'm excited about this trip, and so are my girls. I know in a couple weeks the euphoria of just booking will have passed and my obsessive personality will have moved onto something else (like writing my next book in 4 weeks). But until then, anyone have good sources for Disney information? Or any trip tips - specifically for a group of 12? How do you plan for vacations? Do you plan everything down to the last detail or do you just wing it?
Instigator
18 comments:
That trip will be so exciting for everyone, especially the kids. I've never been to Disney World, so I can't really help you there. My suggestion would be to start making a computerized to-do list, and add items as time goes on.
robertsonreads
I'm just glad you're as neurotic (if not moreso) than I am. We can keep each other company. :)
I'm usually excited about the planning phase of a trip and get to indulge in it because I'm the only planner in my family. I made the mistake of taking it easy since this trip was so far away, and found it planned for me. Hopefully y'all will let me be in on the daily planning.... right? :)
She's not kidding about the obsession part.
I'd love to be obsessed with something, especially the writing, but haven't found enough hours in the day lately. Gotta remedy that somehow (as I head out to pick up the cousins for an overnighter).
Angel
The trip you are planning sounds wonderful. We are not taking a trip this year due to the economy. We plan on visiting places locally. Sorry no advice in this corner. Have a great day.
My sister and her family are at Disney right now for spring break. They booked thru Disney and did an all inclusive trip this time. I don't know how expensive it was, but they have 2 character meals a day. A friend of mine did the same thing a couple of years ago and she said the package included 3 meals a day be it counter meals or sit down meals.
I would love to go back to Disney soon. It's been 3 years since I was there and I would be happy to go every year. Next year I'm going to Universal when the Harry Potter park opens, but I think I'll take at least one day to go to Disney.
My trip planning depends on the destination. When we went to Alaska in 2000, I planned extensively from renting the RV to reserving RV spots to booking the riverboat cruise in Fairbanks and the glacier cruise in Valdez and getting the husband and son a spot with a salmon fishing guide.
When we went to Curacao in January, it was done through a travel agency so I didn't have to do much besides pack my bag and reserve my trip to town once I got there.
Some destinations call for extensive planning and others beg to be left to fate.
Y'all have fun!
I'm rather tickled because I came in late to the plan, so I'm just along for the ride. (And anyway, with SP and Insti all over this, one more clipboard and to-do list would be over the top.)
But I'm wondering if this has supplanted your *last* obsession. I haven't heard much about that lately...Or are y'all just not sharing so the mocking remains at a minimum?
One just never knows, PC... :)
This will no doubt horrify you planners, but I'm the girl who climbed into a car with a friend and took off across Europe with no reservations and nothing but a map. Never had a problem finding a place to stay, and had lots of fun winging it.
Hubby and I have done the same thing. Just get in the car and drive. Hotels aren't that booked, unless you hit a big city during a convention. We went to Florence (Italy, not AL) like this -- got in the car, drove the few hours from his temporary duty site in Vicenza, and found a hotel in the city center for $75 a night including parking in a city garage. No big deal, really.
But yeah, you kind of have to plan things like Disney. And I definitely appreciated the obsessive planning that SP did for our site-seeing in San Francisco. Made it very easy on me. :)
Right now, we're planning a cruise in the fall. The obsessiveness of it for me is finding the best price. Other than that, the rest will be vague. I don't plan excursions. I just go with the flow. We'll figure it out when we're there. :)
Eek, I'm not much of a planner, and tend to leave that to my husband ;) He actually subscribed to a service that helps you maximize your park time--you put in the rides and attractions you want to do/see, and the program provides you with a schedule. It did pretty well, although we didn't follow it to the minute or anything :) In any event, enjoy the trip--you'll have a blast and wonderful memories afterwards!
Lynn, the europe trip sounds so exciting. I'm probably somewhere in between--although the older I get the more I like a good plan.
I can barely stomach the idea of Disney World--I know, apparently I'm a communist--my husband keeps threatening Disney. People tell me I would like it...I just know they're liars.
I find that planning a trip/vacation is half the fun of it. A reminder, though, don't over-plan -- leave something for serendipity!
I'm actually enjoying the irony that both SP and Instigator are pansters, and yet they plan trips down to the nth degree. Pretty funny!
Angel
I wouldn't call myself a pantster. I write full synopses before I start the book. I do, however, let my story wander if my characters take me off in another direction. I'm a bit of a hybrid.
Instigator, however, is a total pantser and it is funny. If she knew half as much about her stories as she did about the Disney Dining Plan, she'd be dangerous. :)
Try DisBorads.com. It's a website for sharing Disney tips etc. My sister is a planning nut and she spent hours searching the chat boards for tips, hints, strategies...she planned my whole Disney trip, and I was OK with that!
Be warned though...DisBoards are addictive.
Marcy
Correction...that's 'DisBoards.com' not DisBorads, LOL.
I'm so late it's likely no one will read this, but -- we're just back from Disney, a trip with 13. It was a blast, but I'm exhausted. (and you think it's important to wear comfortable shoes at conference!) :-) We had matching shirts made -- bright tie-dye, one in blue, another in green. There were drawbacks (unless you enjoy being stared at all day for five days) but the benefits outweighed the cons. We could find one another in a crowd, the kids could find us and we could see the kids at a distance. Others realized we were a group and didn't cut in front of us. As much. :-)
I love the pins! I'm collecting them, and so are a couple of the grandkids. More later. I'm seriously lagging today.
LJ
Just back from my 12th plus visit to Disney World. I had a blast, and it was UBER crowded. But it was fun. The trick is to plan but also be flexible. Sometimes just when you think you're ready to leave the parks, well a cool thing happens like a parade or HSM3 singalong (for the tweens a fun thing), and you stop and listen and enjoy.
As for restaurants, I have hit resort ones and Epcot ones. I have been to several character dining restaurants as well.
I know how to run the parks, run the rides, and chow down like a princess. I hope you all have a blast!!
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