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Finding Disney: Being a Go-To WDW Planner

Extraordinary Magic in Everyday life

by Blake Taylor

Castle APRILIt happens once in a blue moon, but when it does, there is cause for celebration: I get the call.

“Hey, we’re thinking about planning a Disney trip. Do you think you could help us out?”

Hang on, let me consult the array of vacation-planning books sitting on my shelf and the display of WDW Guide Maps resting on my dresser. No brainer, of course I will!

Nearly half the fun of a Walt Disney World trip is counting down the days until departure with utmost anticipation and giddy dreams of what the adventure might entail. A big part of that is planning, and I know I’m not alone in admitting that I find creating itineraries for days spent in WDW actually fun. In fact, I get kind of sad when I’m finished planning every day of the vacation. That is, until a reservation or refurbishment inevitably throws everything out of whack and I have to get to start all over again. (Don’t even get me started on the dichotomy of when plans go awry once you’re inside the parks… coming up with a spontaneous plan like that is the most blissfully stressful feeling I think one can experience! Such torture, yet so adrenaline-pumping!)

Therefore, I’m always thrilled when someone I know asks me for WDW help. I do a little happy dance (on the inside) and then get down to business. I’ve done it for peers and family members, those seeking a budget-friendly trip and those wanting every ounce of princess pinkage that can be mustered.

I usually send them an email detailing an overall strategy and answering any specific questions they have, and then send them on their way. Sometimes first-time families ask for more thorough help throughout the whole planning process, which I am more than happy to do, occasionally even being on call during their trip. Let me tell you, it was the one of the highlights of my youth when a friend’s frantic mother called me in a state of panic because the family didn’t know what to do when rain soiled their Fantasmic plans, and I was able to steer them in a magical direction for fun substitutes.

As Disney nerds, we have a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of the parks, and it’s so cool when we can share that knowledge with others. There’s just something really neat about knowing that a family’s Disney vacation turns out better and more magical as a directly result of me helping them. To know that I am, in a way, spreading Disney magic… that’s just plain awesome!

So, let me ask you, WDW Radio reader and (likely) competent scholar of all things Disney: How do you handle helping friends with their Disney vacation plans? If there was ONE tip that you could give to a family headed to WDW, what would it be?

Blake is a college student focusing on Creative Writing and Media Studies. He enjoys making his family of six watch the parade on Main Street and then sprint to Frontierland in time to see it again. You can follow Blake’s random Disney ramblings on Twitter at @blakeonline, or at BlakeOnline.com.

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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