Great Days in a Disney Vacation

[elizabethswann]

Oh, that's definitely going to be me when my bff and I plan our next Disney World trip. That was also me (sans dinner reservations up until I had Soarin08 help me out) on my first trip. I already want to go back.

[rphillips14]

My wife loves to make our reservations for the table service dining. She puts long hours into planning just the right reservation at the right park at the right time, before the right show etc. etc. etc. We try not to duplicate any place we've eaten before (except Ohana and Le Cellier). The planning and reservations goes on for at least 6 months and is her favorite thing to do. We have already, in general started planning a trip for Christmas 2012.

While we are planning, I have a batch of Disney memories that I replay about previous trips we've had in my mind. I love re-thinking about the first time we got on Magical Express or when we walked on the Port Orleans dock for first time or when we saw The Laugh Floor the first time and I was "That Guy" my family had as much fun with it as I did or the time my kids went to "Club Cool" at Epcot (They LOVED that place for some reason) or the first time we walked down main street and smelled the wonderful smells of main street or the sweet taste of a Mickey Ice Creme Bar or the sound of Soarin and the feel of the breeze as you top over the first hill. All fantastic memories for me. I like to visualize these memories months before the trip-it really gets me fired up to go back. I also, hold on to the last memory I have of each trip (For instance, our last trip we got off Spaceship Earth and walked out the gate, went to the Aiport and flew home (uugghhh). I still have every part of that event etched in my mind. It's like my last memory of Disney World that I hold on to till we go back and make new ones.

Interestingly, what we often find is that what we plan doesn't come out the way we planned it. Our last trip, my kids discovered the dance party that happens every afternoon at Old Man Island pool at Port Orleans and they loved it as much as the parks and went basically every afternoon. So even with our airtight, 6 months of intense planning, wonderful things tend to happen at Disney unexpectedly.

At least now I can proudly proclaim that we too are D isney pretrip Nerds.

[momeja]

I love ADR days - like a mini trip (in my head) to WDW. Perhaps that's why I change our dining reservations so many times?

One of my favourite times is arrival night. Coming from the west, we always arrive around dinnertime. We try to eat at a fun spot to start the trip (like Ohana or Cape May Café), then one of us gets the kids to bed while the other one goes to the resort lounge to buy fun drinks. Then we sit out on the balcony and have our drinks, enjoying the warmth and settling in to being at Disney again. Cheers!

[Sharonofwindham]

The day before you leave. You have 2309871023981470 lists, you can't think straight, you've checked and re-checked your kids' luggage 100 times (and yet in 2008 we STILL forgot my younger daughter's swim suit!!! Did you know a suit at DTD in 2008 was $80??? ). You swear you're going to bed early because you have to be up at the super-early-crack-of-dawn and yet try as you might you don't roll into bed until midnight or later, and even if you did go to bed early there's no way you're going to sleep.

The day you leave for the trip. You wake up 45 minutes earlier than you have to because you don't want to be late to the airport or miss the shuttle that is taking you. You can't really eat because it's too early. You ponder yet again whether you should make coffee, and then spend the additional 10 minutes washing the pot and the coffee cups, or hit Starbucks on the way to the airport, and if you go to Starbucks, will you drink your coffee before security? Better to wait until getting to the airport. But I'm a zombie. Maybe I SHOULD make a pot of coffee... You ask your kids for the thousandth time if they have everything and they give you their most annoyed "YES MOTHERRRR" response because they loaded their stuff in the car 20 minutes ago and everyone is just waiting for YOU. Your spouse just smiles because he's amused at how frazzled you become when you're otherwise organized, calm, and in control. You're finally on the plane and relax. Then, when you step off the plane and make your way to Magical Express. AWESOME FEELING.

Reading this was fun...I got really excited and tired all at the same time
My sister used to say I worried too much, and that she was really mellow the night before and the day we left, that it was "finally here!", but I just wanted everything to go well

[secondstar]

Sharonofwindham, I think the day before and the arrival day are my absolute favorite days of the whole trip. I love the excitement and the nervouseness of it all. I sleep very little the night before we leave. I'm too excited. My DW, on the other hand, HATES arrival day. She always gets a headache from worry.

[Satchel T]

My Great Day ...

Day two:

When I wake up, hope in the shower and realize there's still 6 more days left after today!! I love it. Although the countdown game does bite me in the butt when there's only one more day let after today ... but oh well, at that point it's been so much fun it doesn't matter. That just means it's time to start planning our next trip ... which is another great day!

[DemonOfMusic]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

[SorcererDonald16]

For me...

The day we book our resort. That's when the vacation becomes *official* for me.
The days spent matching up park hours to ADRs I want, and then the actual ADR booking day. It's a pain, but I enjoy it a lot.
The first full day in the World! Usually at DHS for that.
Our first days at Epcot and MK.

I have to say, I'm one of the ones who hates the day before travel. We drive for 2 days, so I have zip to look forward to on that first day, and I am usually up all night trying to get last minute stuff done. I also don't like arrival day, believe it or not! I've come to dread getting to the resort! Goes away once I actually get there though. Been like this for me for a few years, basically because I spend months looking forward to my trip, and then once arrival day comes, I know time is going to fly by and the trip will be over before I know it. I also always have nightmares (roughly mid-way through the trip) that it is our last day in WDW.

[secondstar]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

Not cheesy at all. I feel exactly the same way. We usually take a flight before 8 a.m. so we have most of the day ahead of us in Epcot.

[cy1229]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

I like cheese.

[Cub]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

I like cheese.

Cheese is good.

[momeja]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

I like cheese.

Cheese is good.

Even if you're not from Wisconsin.

[DemonOfMusic]

Definitely the arrival day. Definitely. You have no idea how freakishly excited I get when the plane touches down in Orlando. I usually arrive early in the morning, and have the majority of the day to spend at the parks, and it's the absolute best feeling in the world to just walk around and know you're back in the best place on Earth.

Ack, that got cheesy.

Even if you're not from Wisconsin. :wink

Hmm, cheese is pretty big in New Hampshire too...

[Belle1082]

- Another pre-trip activity that my nerd-self relishes in is the day I make our vacation spreadsheet. I very carefully write out in color coordinated form - each park, their open and close times as well as early and late magic hours. I determine which parks we go to which days and how to take full advantage of our time in the parks. Usually plan on going to two parks per day. I can't even tell you how much I love to make this schedule! haha...

Belle1082, I see nothing wrong with getting your pre-trip Disney nerd on. In fact, I'm jealous.

A few years back, there was a show on the Travel Channel titled "Fans Guide to Walt Disney World." One family's dad (Lloyd family) used to make a pre-trip binder that included all the information they would need. Moreover, each family member received a pocket-sized itinerary to carry with them. My DW and DD8 used to make fun of him and say "He's just like Dad-o." I was actually jealous. I would LOVE to do that.

Keep making those spreadsheets. I have a laminator at home if you need one.

I probably would make fun of someone that put that much effort into the pre-trip planning too - but I bet I wouldn't have found myself, like I did this past trip, without our planet Hollywood/mini golf/etc vouchers if I was more organized

I'm glad I'm not alone in my nerdiness! And let me tell you, my family would be lost without their schedule. Otherwise, we would waste at least 30 minutes every day just staring at each other saying, "what do you want to do?" "I dunno - what do you want to do?" and repeat. lol They make fun of me for it but are secretly so happy I do it!

A laminator you say? Sounds fantastic!