Over Planners Annonamous

[rubberbootbunny]

Hi.. my name is ----- and I am an over planner.

I realize that I am an over (aka uber, ultra etc) planner. I know some of you are too.
I thought it might be fun to list some of our Quirckiest planning steps
for instance

I make charts - both pie and bar - to display my packing progress :lol:
so just for a chuckle, think about your planning steps, and share

[sue]

We have made a universal vacation packing list which lists each person in the house individually. We also list things like... take garbage out, stop paper and mail, drop dogs at the kennel along with a list of items needed to board the dogs. We take it with us on vacation and this gives us a list to then repack everything, so this way we don't forget anything on vacation.

I also do our laundry up the day before we come home, so everything is clean in the suitcases and this way, we can just put it all away when we arrive back at home

I place all travel documents in a large envelope and keep separate from all other suitcases.

Charge all camera batteries the day before we leave.

Send our entire itinerary to a family member in case of emergency.

Run the bank errand a few days before etc.....

[dvcdisney]

I don't know if I'm an overplanner...but I'm definitely a planner of things that I find necessary.

We vacation twice a year to WDW/cruise. As a DVC member, resort accomodations are booked 11 mths in advance. ADRs are booked 6 mths in advance (although I do a little tweaking once in a while). Flights are booked approx 7-10 mths in advance (usually as soon as they are made available). For DCL cruise, I book it as soon as it's available. (My first cruise was booked only a year in advance with a second part of a b2b booked only 7 mths in advance - I was not happy about it since I felt I had paid too much. I booked my 3rd cruise as soon as it was available and 4th cruise (dummy booking) was moved to the proper date as soon as it was available.)

I send in requests (usually just asking for a high floor) to DVC member services as soon as reservations are booked. For DCL reservations, I send in a request for "table for ourselves" and servers (if they are available) after I pay in full.

If we plan to stay at hotels before our flights, I book that as early as possible and check online regularly for promotions and price reductions. I plan out places to dine if we've never been there before. I would also check reviews of the hotels and restaurants to make a decision.

3 mths before the trip, I check to make sure that everyone in the family has appropriate and sufficient amount of clothes, footwear etc for the vacation.

I also prepare envelopes for gratuities, collect all reservations, etickets and other documents.

Before we leave, I have a list of things that need to be done a week before, a few days before, and the day of.

Since we go twice a year, I am in contant planning mode. But I'm not sure this would be considered overplanning. Although my husband seems to think so. I just do what is necessary.

So, should I join Overplanner Anonymous?

Actually, I don't think I want to join. I don't want to stop!

[MelenaPrincess]

You all make me feel normal. We frequently travel since we live away from our families, most of what I do is on autopilot. The house must be clean and fridge cleared out, I buy milk boxes for my kids so that we have milk for bed time and cereal when we get back and I don't have to rush to the store (especially when I am alone with the kids, not easy to take 3 tired cranky kids to the grocery store after 6 hours in the car.) I know some people pack their clothes weeks in advance, but I only pack away special items that won't be used until the trip. My kids have activity bags packed and know when they wake up they put their blankies in their bags. My car is always ready for a car trip. For the cruise, we have our passports ready and I have finished clothes shopping for the kids (we are 5 weeks out). The Hubs wakes up the morning of a trip and packs his stuff and is out the door in 10 minutes. He can't understand why it takes me days (maybe because I pack for 4 of us.) Our toiletries are always packed. I am probably less OCD about packing than I am about most everything else, but part of that is due to LOTS of practice.

[Torimom]

I make a list too, not as an overplanner but because I forget stuff! Last year we were about to get on the highway to go to the beach and remembered that I forgot to set the alarm! We had to turn around and go home because that would have ruined my trip with worrying.

I list things I need to do before I leave like lock the windows, board the cat, empty the dishwasher, stop the mail, etc. I also list things that I know I'll need and I start to pack them as soon as I can. This doesn't help me all the time though, I am always throwing something in the bag on the way out the door. I also clean the house and vacuum so that it's neat and tidy when we get back. Hubby waits till the day before to get his clothes together. I also clean out the fridge as best I can and make sure there are milk and eggs for when we get back so I don't have to go to the store.

To the poster who does laundry on vacation; I would NEVER waste a minute of my vacation washing clothes when I can do it when I get back home! Not that I've never done laundry on vacation, it is only if something got vomit or pee on it and I don't want it to smell (this has happened to me).

[Brumbie13]

I overplan as well, big time.

That's why I fell in love with cruising.
I spend so much time planning out vacations and trying to make them perfect that I get stressed out.

With cruising, I plan like crazy, then, as soon as I'm on the ship, my time's all mine. I don't look at navigators beforehand to try to see what's going on, I just look at them when I get them. If we want to do something, we do it. If we don't, we don't. It's so nice to have a completely relaxing vacation!

[chateau]

Originally Posted by MelenaPrincess

I buy milk boxes for my kids so that we have milk for bed time and cereal when we get back and I don't have to rush to the store

Oooo, thanks for that post. I had forgotten about those. You just helped me out tremendously!!

Originally Posted by krazy4crusing

For WDW I make a spreadsheet with the days of the week, the park to visit each day, park hours, extra magic hours, shows, parades, closed attractions, rides to go on and in what order, snacks, CS/TS meals and where to get them all listed in order by area of the park. Next trip is first using platinum package. It took SO MUCH PLANNING to put all the included activities in some semblance of order. It drove hubby NUTS that I was on the computer or phone with the planning coordinator SO OFTEN to finalize the plans HALF A YEAR OUT!!

When it's a cruise I scout out all the Personal Navigators for the cruise and make a list of all the activities, movies etc we will do. I have my shore excursions picked, magnets made, journal created, FE gifts created. We always include a Disney Park with our cruises so it's always a double planning pleasure trove for me.... I LOVE to plan!!!I love to plan too... think I'm bored when I'm not! I SO relate!

Then... I make a powerpoint presentation full of pictures to show each ride, snack, restaurant, parade etc... that we will see. I include pictures of our resort, airplane, rental car etc...
I seriously want to borrow this idea, just to add to my own excitement (aka craziness)

Originally Posted by karamart39

I love to read about over planners and obsessive types like me. I, too, spend tons of time mostly lurking on DIS, making lists, researching online, etc. The strangest thing I do, which my husband used to hate but has recently come around to my way of thinking, is the house must be spotless before we leave for vacation. That way we always come home to a clean house! We're already bummed to have left the world of Disney, so the clean house makes it a little easier to handle. The toilet MUST have the blue cleaning fluid in it... if someone uses the toilet before we're out the door, they have to reclean it. I want a fresh smelling bathroom when I return. As far as cleaning prior to going, I do too, BUT dust must distribute from the A/C or heat while we're gone 'cause there's some on stuff when we return. Vacuum lines on the carpet remain though. The carpeting will be going once the kids age a bit... can NEVER get a carpet clean enough in my opinion!

I lurk too!

[missjudit]

Originally Posted by chateau

Oooo, thanks for that post. I had forgotten about those. You just helped me out tremendously!!



I lurk too!

Me too!

[Silverfox97]

Originally Posted by sue

I also do our laundry up the day before we come home, so everything is clean in the suitcases and this way, we can just put it all away when we arrive back at home

THANK YOU!!!

People think I'm bonkers for doing this, too. When I get home (albeit its just a 2-hr drive to Tampa from PC), I don't want to do laundry. None. It's so worth it to me to spend the money in the ship to do the laundry & just come home & put everything away. (No, it doesn't take long to do this at all & I've never ever felt like I'm spending minutes away from my vacation.)

At home, I love coming home to a spotless house (as spotless as it can be with our cats still being there), an empty dishwasher, an empty & CLEAN fridge.....the list goes on!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

[mare141]

LISTs are my big thing, and for longer trips, I like to have all my hotels pre-booked out…no stopping in the middle of no-where in a roach motel (nothing wrong with that, but we did it the 1st few years of being married and now that we have a 5 year old, the standards moved up a wee bit…to holiday inn.) All transportation/flights and kennels pre-booked months in advance with insurance (in case he deploys). I normally (depending on length and driving miles) have a travel binder that has ALL trip information including hard copies of driving directions, important information, hotel info, geocaching stops (goal is one every hour, but we usually can’t find them anyway, but it’s the stop that’s important), and must see/stop info.

You should have seen us when we moved….the drive down from New Mexico to Washington DC in 2 cars one towing a boat, 3 humans, 2 dogs, 2 small birds, 1 ticked off cat and a cactus!!! (Oddly the cactus is the one that saved my life while driving…the blood hound decided she REALLY wanted to sit in my lap while I was in the middle of some stressful traffic while we were driving through one of the larger cities. The only thing that stopped the dog from ending up in the front and us in an accident was that cactus.) I had 4 months to plan that mil. move out and it was interesting!

Oh yeah and the house HAS TO BE CLEAN…I want to come back to a clean, stress free house.

[wishuponastarforever]

I clean the house before leaving but above all clean sheets. The stark reality is no one will be changing those sheets but me when we get home.

[jahber]

Originally Posted by wishuponastarforever

I clean the house before leaving but above all clean sheets. The stark reality is no one will be changing those sheets but me when we get home.

Wait, the room steward doesn't do that anymore when we get home? Major : (

I like to have clean clothes when we arrive home, too. It's one less thing to do!

[rubberbootbunny]

Originally Posted by wishuponastarforever

I clean the house before leaving but above all clean sheets. The stark reality is no one will be changing those sheets but me when we get home.

love this one! I'm going to do this now too!

[soy1]

Originally Posted by sue

We have made a universal vacation packing list which lists each person in the house individually. ....

So glad to see I'm not the only one..... ours is electronic (of course) and I tweak the "master" list for each trip - but that way, I have a starting point and won't forget any of the essentials!

And like you, I throw a copy in the suitcase for checking on return, which my kids think is way over the top...... But, we've never left a treasured stuffed animal or blanket behind yet !!

[undmyskn58]

Well I thought I was an overplanner, until I read alot of your posts, but giving me ideas .... hmmmmm

I've been sending my wife a countdown e-mail everyday for the past year for our cruise coming up in six days


I've had a schedule on my spreadsheet for our sea/land trip ever since I made our ADR reservations at WDW 6 months ago.

I have a binder with all of our reservations, menus and info from this website, allears.net, mom's advice panel, etc

I've already decided what I am eating at which restaurant.

I have a list of everything to pack, that I use for every trip we take..I have many lists


Scott