[dementia]

Okay since I figured out how to do polls, here's another one.

How many of you consider yourself to be "commando" when it comes to planning your vacation?

What I mean is, how many of you obsessively plan (you know a plan-aholic), and how many of you "go with the flow"? I know most people are in the middle, but it seems there are specifically two camps. The planners (who use touring plans, make itins, have a basic schedule they go with), and those who throw caution to the wind and take things easy, and just do things leisurely, with a basic idea of which park on which day.

You can only choose one or the other... which camp do you align yourself with?

[WEDINDISNEY]

I would have to say that Im a little bit of both but over all we kind of play everything by ear.... The only thing that we plan is when we are going to go and where we are going to stay. The rest is usually up in the air. I mean dont get me wrong there are somethings that you have to plan if you want to do them. (Such as certain places to eat)
Once we get there we just do what we want when we want. I think is more fun that way and besides DH really doesnt like having an itineary.

[Erin]

Well, Demmentia, you give 'commando' a whole new definition! I've never seen plans quite like yours, altough, I've tried very hard to come up with ones quite like them.

I like to have a good idea of what everyone would like to get accomplished, but I'm not one to be in a bad mood if it doesn't get done.

I'm also one who can stand change in the schedule.

I'm on the extremely low end of "commando". I like to go to the parks with a plan of action, but I am ok if we only loosely stick to it.

[dznygrl]

Ohmygosh, are you kidding?? You are talking to the Commando Queen of the World! I guess that's why BDavis named me Park Commando after reading one of my trip reports.

I obsessively plan beforehand, but then never go by my itinerary...yet I am still GO-GO-GO every second of the day. I have only been for 1 week at a time, and I am always dead tired by the end of the week. So this next trip is going to be longer, and I intend to take tons of rest time so I can enjoy it more! (Hopefully...who knows? Commandoness is kind of hard to control. LOL)

[Erin]

I bet you won't rest one second! LOL!!!

Well...anyway...that's what Hall of Prez and TTA is for, right!?

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by Erin

I bet you won't rest one second! LOL!!!

Well...anyway...that's what Hall of Prez and TTA is for, right!?

LOL! Exactly!

DH and I were so commando even when we worked at DL last year, we once fell asleep on the train and had a nice little nap several laps around the park!

[dementia]

Originally Posted by Erin

Well, Demmentia, you give 'commando' a whole new definition! I've never seen plans quite like yours, altough, I've tried very hard to come up with ones quite like them.

I like to have a good idea of what everyone would like to get accomplished, but I'm not one to be in a bad mood if it doesn't get done.

I'm also one who can stand change in the schedule.

I'm on the extremely low end of "commando". I like to go to the parks with a plan of action, but I am ok if we only loosely stick to it.

LOL I do understand that a lot of people still don't know me yet, so I can understand how I would come across as "ultra commando". But lemme just take this opportunity to be a bit on the defense side hehehehe (no I'm not offended)

I like to have a plan, because I DREAD just standing around going "now what?" I don't have to have every second planned out, and i know how INCREDIBLY indecisive everyone in my clan in.

I was so in awe on my first trip to WDW, I of course didn't care. When I went to DL in 1995, I was overwhelmed by all there was, and really didn't get much but character hunting done. Then came 2000. I swore it was going to happen again. I was going with a large group, and they said "No problem, we'll go with whatever you do." I spent MONTHS researching, and when we finally went, it ANNOYED me that everyone was ignoring me. THEY had said "Okay" but when we got there, everyone was too busy just standing around that nothing got done. I mean nothing. I don't even remeber riding anything that trip, until I finally said screw it, I'm taking my kids, and doing what *I* had planned. In the little time we had left (like maybe 4 hours left at the park) I had the best time ever. The kids really enjoyed themselves.

So 2002 came around, I did it right. I had a plan of attack (so to speak), and we had one of the most memorable vacations ever. Never once did we run to anything, or were the kids ever cranky (no more so than usual), and my then 3 year old went a LOT longer than I expected. Did a FULL day and STILL wanted to play when we got back to the timeshare.

So this time I know what we want to do and what we don't. I just believe in getting the most for your money. I planned for my DD5 and me. I have the BF, my 15 yo DD, my brother, his gf, and my best friend and her DD-12. I've given them a master attraction list for each park, tips, and am leaving it to them. I'm not playing hostess to anyone. I just know when shows are, the best times to do certain rides (a 5 year old can get REALLY antsy in a 45 minute line), and what's usually best at what point in the day. If it doesn't go the way I planned, fine. I'm in Disney. But even with my plans, I know they're not going to work perfectly. Overplanning or not. Even as structured as they are, if things go "off", I've done enough research to know how to make up for it, w/o making anyone miserable.

I know you didn't ask, but I guess I just wanted to clarify how I operate, since EVERY time I ask for advice on planning, I get the same speech (not from you but from a lot of people, also on other boards), and it gets a little tiresome :)

ANYWAYS... I'm like you though, even if it doesn't seem to be

[dementia]

Originally Posted by dznygrl

LOL! Exactly!

DH and I were so commando even when we worked at DL last year, we once fell asleep on the train and had a nice little nap several laps around the park!

I've already got that penciled in :) If the DD-5 gets tired or someone gets a little out of it, we can trade off and do the TTA for a while to refresh ourselves*smiles*

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by dementia

I've already got that penciled in :) If the DD-5 gets tired or someone gets a little out of it, we can trade off and do the TTA for a while to refresh ourselves*smiles*

Great idea! It will do wonders for anybody who gets a little droopy, believe me.

[Disneywife]

I'm a go-with-the-flow type of person. I remember when I discovered that I'd have to make meal reservations 3 months in advance I freaked out...thank goodness for my fellow DCers who told me what to do and where to go and saved the day. Those PS's were the ONLY plans that we had, besides our hotel reservations and a general idea of what park on what day. (And we are the type that flies to Europe with a child in tow and without a single hotel reservation - going with the flow is how you find the best places!)

Even then, the PS's on some level turned out to be overkill for us...we missed our first breakfast reservations (at Ohanas) because we were just way too tired the morning after we arrived to make it. We made it just barely to our lunch PS at 1 pm. The third day we also missed our breakfast PS. Some of the places we were late to, which is supposedly a no-no, but we were walked right in anyway. (those places were Garden Grill & Whispering Canyon) The only places where we felt a PS was really necessary and you absolutely had to be there on time or early was CRT and the Rose and Crown. Even then the Rose and Crown was fairly empty, but the patio, where we wanted to sit, was full, so we were glad we had a PS & they sat us right down on the patio, waterfront.

We were there during the week between Christmas and New Year's.

After that we just went with the flow, and had a wonderful time. We caught a great parade just because we walked out of a ride just when it was starting, we caught the show at the castle just because we spotted it starting, we went on whatever ride looked interesting to us as we walked by. If we had gone "commando," not only would my dh have wrung my neck, but I don't think any of us would have been relaxed or happy.

Oh, I did have directions to all of our planned desinations and to and from the airport, which also included the Kennedy Space Center. I think I had the most plans made there, because we wanted to take a certain bus tour that fills up quickly, as well as the Lunch With an Astronaut (Jon McBride).

Even without gung-ho plans, we were still wiped by the end of our WDW trip, and after that we drove out to Tallahassee to visit with my brother. It wasn't until then that we finally got to wind down!

When we go to Disneyland, we usually spend just 3-4 hours there MAX. Most of the time, less. While at WDW we spent all day at the parks, such as the MK from 8 am to 10 pm. That's 14 hours - it was a shock for our systems!

[WEDINDISNEY]

[quote=dznygrl]LOL! Exactly!

DH and I were so commando even when we worked at DL last year, we once fell asleep on the train and had a nice little nap several laps around the park! [/QUOTE


AWESOME AND FUNNY

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by WEDINDISNEY

AWESOME AND FUNNY

LOL I think we were a *little* too overzealous last summer, because I even nodded off on Pirates once!

[missy H]

I go commando with the planning but when we get to wdw we go with the flow as DH and DD's won't do what my nice plan tells them to! I think they get together before the trip and say "let her carry on we will do our own thing anyway! At least she is happy"
The only thing they stick too is the PS's that have been made!

[ARIEL]

im with Wedindisney and Disneywife, Dh and I only plan where we will stay and dates etc etc ....this is a full on commando situation I can tell you, starting many ,many months in advance. ( actually saying that we are planning our 10 year anniversary already and thats 5 years away!!!!) but as soon as we are there we inevitably fly by the seat of our pants. We tried planning our day there once before and got so carried away that after 3 hours we threw the 'timesheet' away....it was far too regimented and boring. We never had so much fun as we did without it.


A xxxx

[BuzzLightyear]

As fas as the "planning" goes for me it's commando.
But like some others said, once we are in WDW we take it pretty slow. Though we have plans for which park we'll be in and where we'll eat, we don't have a plan for once we get throught the turnstiles..........execpt for MK's EMHM........we have to get to Dumbo first!