Listen to directions, it saves you from being submerged

[DragonFox98]

I'm not a total commando, but I do plan things. I plan which park we're going to start at each day, table service meals (usually just the Akershaus breakfast, but that's going to change for next year), and the shows and parades (can't miss Spectro). Most of the time, we have a clue as to what FastPass we want to grab and then where we want to head. For example, our first park day is ALWAYS Magic Kingdom and my kids and hubby must do the teacups first, then I take the boys over to the Tomorrowland Speedway. Other than that, we ask each other what we want to do and where we want to go. Now, if the boy says he wants to go on Haunted Mansion, I try to get him to agree to doing one or two things in Fantasyland on the way there.

[ktulu]

Well, there's a big difference between "informed-winging-it" and "blindly-winging-it". I think the guides are trying to tell the people who would visit and "blind-wing-it" that they need to do at least SOME planning and/or have an idea of at least what there is to do in the parks. There are too many people who get to a Disney park thinking it's just like their local Six Flags where they can wander around aimlessly without a guidemap and ride things as they stumble upon them.

I never pick up a map. When we visited AK for the first time, my wife did, but I just wandered blindly. It's an adventure, not an appointment!

[Mayonnaise]

I booked sit down meals and a couple of tours, and then wung (winged?) it between everything else. Of course since I was alone and on my whims, I got to the end of Mainstreet on my first Magic Kingdom day, and stood in the hub blissing out and trying to decide which land to hit first, long enough that a hat-seller CM came over to ask if I was a lost child. Oops.

I had a blast but I do know some people who would consider my trip a failure. I never got around to riding Space Mountain (just... didn't feel like it) went to bed two out of the 10 nights without seeing a night show and Test Track went down while I was in the video room and I never got around to going back with my FastPass (apparently since we were in the video room already we counted as having been on already, which is strange because the video room packing CM told me to keep the FLICK card I had and turn it in at loading, so I thought we were still in the queue.)

Also I spent the better part of an afternoon in the Living Seas, and rode Carousel of Progress 4 consecutive times.... which many would consider an abject waste of time.

*Shugs.*

8^)

[PatchOBlack]

I plan things that have times, such as shows. Oh, any table service meal. Other than that, we plan as we go. I've never left disappointed, and I'm not one that can get back and visit anytime. Winging it has not left me waiting in long lines, missing events, etc.

Then I must complement you on your good fortune. I am basing my statements more on what I read or heard from many folks when visiting the Disney parks, as my own experiences are rather limited. While, of course, it isn't impossible to walk into, say, the Magic Kingdom, and being able to get on each attraction you visit at random without a significant wait, it would seem this is the exception rather than the rule. Particularly with the more popular rides.

I never pick up a map. When we visited AK for the first time, my wife did, but I just wandered blindly. It's an adventure, not an appointment!

Personally, I see it as a place to be entertained and have fun. Of course, one shouldn't feel the need to rush about and such, but having a plan can make touring go smoother than simply wandering here and there.

[Zazu]

Well, there's a big difference between "informed-winging-it" and "blindly-winging-it".

Too true!

I am pretty much appalled at the "Dumbo or Die in a Day" touring plans, as they miss whole classes of attractions in the pursuit of a "ride count", but...

I still remember a retired couple who came up to me at Main Street Station late one afternoon and announced, "We've just arrived, and this is our first visit to Disney World. What is there to do here?"

One of the very few times in my life I've been speechless. :twitch:

[hobie16]

One of the very few times in my life I've been speechless. :twitch:

I would have done a data dump that would leave their heads spinning.

[Amphigorey]

Also I spent the better part of an afternoon in the Living Seas, and rode Carousel of Progress 4 consecutive times.... which many would consider an abject waste of time.

*Shugs.*

8^)

I can seriously spend an embarrassing amount of time with the cuttlefish in the Living Seas. I just wish they'd give them toys; I worry that they get bored in an empty tank.

[DragonFox98]

Also I spent the better part of an afternoon in the Living Seas, and rode Carousel of Progress 4 consecutive times.... which many would consider an abject waste of time.

*Shugs.*

8^)

It's NEVER a waste of time if you are contented with what you did and how your day went! As for CoP....that is a must do for us each time we go, and I have it on my iPod! It's a classic, but I just love the storytelling and the animatronics. As for the Living Seas...I love it in there, but we didn't get there on this last trip with my mother in law. That's okay....I'm headed back in March and I will spend at least a good hour or two wondering around in there! (I love the manatee tank...if I remember correctly, when I was a teenager I was able to see the manatee get fed - lettuce)

[GaTechGal]

Got to admit, I'm a planner. I really enjoy it. Deciding which parks and what attractions we want to work in is a way for me to visit the parks in my imagination and to thrill at the anticipation of our wonderful trip. It also gives us direction once we get there so we aren't standing like ducks in thunder wondering what to do next. We do take in the small details and don't rush around "commando-style". It's not about the QUANTITY of the rides, but the QUALITY of the experience. But we still like to have a plan. It also helps when we encounter roadblocks (which ALWAYS happens in one way or another) to move on.

[LadySiren]

I had a plan but the eleven other people in my group promptly threw it out the window. We went with the flow and it worked out fine for us; we did most of what we wanted to do and only ended up waiting standby a couple of times. Still enjoyed the line-waiting, as it was excellent for people-watching.