Your Planner

[AnnF]

What forms, tips, ect. would you like to have in a planner? I've been putting one together for all of my trips.

[vixen101485]

Like a travel planner? For WDW? HMMM....an itinerary form would be good---like where you would be eating, where you are going on what day, what attractions are you planning on going on, etc. Maybe even a seperate form for each of those.
UMMM...tips----approximate wait times at different times of the year, which restaurants give the best portions for the money
best I can do at 3am Hope that is what you are asking about

[AnnF]

yes, like a travel planner. that would be a good idea.

[MickeyBabe]

Planner?

I have begun "planning" for our last couple of trips, only because they were in the busy months and I wanted to make dinner ressies so we wouldn't get stuck. We usually pretty much freelance our schedule.

(BTW.. why is it, no matter what time of year it is, you absolutely can not get into LeCellier without a PS?!?!?)

I make a chart with the days of our vacation across the top (like a calendar) and the parks down the side. (In the computer, printable on a regular piece of computer paper)

I add EMH times into the chart for each day/park. (Now that the kids are older we love to stay late)

Then I decide which parks we most likely will visit each day (never set in stone).

With that in place, I make PS for our sit down dinners. After that I add the reservation times and confirmation numbers to the chart.


Next I make plans for any other special events, such as tours or cruises adding them and thier confirmation numbers to the chart also.


A couple of weeks before our trip I check EMH again (they have been known to change) making any adjustments.


I print copies of the chart to have around the room and I can stuff one in my pocket.


Now, that said, I'm sure my family thinks I go overboard.

[WDW Donna]

I am in the process of planning for 13 people! (my in-laws) most of which have only been to WDW once. I am trying to NOT go overboard but I have found myself making charts much like the one MBabe describes. I think I will try to at least keep track of what PS's to make and figure out what days to have off and what days to go to the parks. (the in-laws want to also visit some other parks)

[tharmscott]

Okay I probably go overboard but I thinking planning is half the fun. I set up a 3 ring binder with dividers. One section is my packing and to do lists. Each person has their own packing list page and then I have one general one. One page is the shopping list of things we need before we go. And then my checklists for how far in advance to do things. The next section is my budget info. I make a little chart to show how much money we need to save to go and color it in as we get the money. (The girls like watching how close we are.) Another section is for the things we want to do when we get there. And the last section has calendar pages that I print off and have our countdown on them. About 6 months or so before we leave we put that month's on the frig and mark off the days. When we get to 4 months I put all 4 pages on the fridge (we have 4 disney magnets) and watch them slowly dissappear. The girls get it out every week or so to check our progress and update it.

[MickeyBabe]

I am in the process of planning for 13 people! (my in-laws) most of which have only been to WDW once..... (the in-laws want to also visit some other parks)

BITE your tongue!!!! Sacrilege! I hope you have confession scheduled in your planner!

When we get to 4 months I put all 4 pages on the fridge (we have 4 disney magnets)...

You only have FOUR Disney magnets????

(... and only four pieces of paper on the fridge? I have so many schedules, events and awards, I tend to forget what my fridge actually looks like. )

[tharmscott]

When we get that close to our Disney trips we get so excited we clear the fridge and give the countdown a place of honor. Maybe I should rephrase my magnet statement - we have 4 Disney magnets that always stay on the frig and don't get carried off to play with and they are just alike that we got out of cereal boxes.

[MickeyBabe]

Oh... well that makes morew sense.

I, however am nowhere near as organized and have tons of stuff on the fridge, including photos.

[AnnF]

I over plan, I have a 8x11 binder with all the info in divders and then I have a 4x6 notebook that I keep with my at all times to keep notes, files on my computer, ect. So I've decided that I'm going to put together a book and put it up on one of those book site and pretty much give it away. BF wants to call it "The Planner for Crazy People" but I think I'm going to call it, the planner for over planners.

[Politzania]

My main planning tool is an Excel spreadsheet - I posted a sample in Google Docs: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pqHgbk3VPPUcPy6JnmGFFTw
I fill out one of these sheets per trip - it has a section for budget info, and for tracking our savings for the trip. The trip schedule has a cell for AM & PM and evening activities to start planning. I've got the last few years' worth of trips saved in a workbook, which lets me check previous budgets/spending info.

For the trip itself - I use these forms (copied the idea from Aronda Parks' Prep Pad): http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dc8ck4r4_0rdshz4
Each page lets me list my basic plans, track meal plans & ADR's as well as expenses. I've got one of those comb binding machines & these half-page forms folded over make a nice, pocket-sized booklet - I add extra blank pages for trip report notes and autographs, if I'm in the mood!