Over Planners Annonamous

[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 !!

[mmgrdg]

Originally Posted by jahber

I thought I was going to have to leave without him! (He's 5. We would have missed him ; )

Lol

[mmgrdg]

Please add me to the list!!!

[Sharonstamps]

I am definitely a planner and love the anticipation of our trips. On our family cruises, I keep the extended family informed and in the loop. I also provide a countdown. When it comes to on-line registration, I do the whole family's - they love that they don't have to do it. They call me the King Family Cruise Director!

I then keep a binder with organized sections: cruise reservation info, airfare, ground transportation, excursions, tipping, etc.

Any deals or things I think the family should have I pass along. Some take the advice, some don't but the ones who don't wish they had when we get there! Like, waterproof lanyards for KTTW cards, phone, sunscreen, etc.

I make t-shirts for everyone in the family! This year, I am making everyone a Christmas ornament (cruising on Fantasy week of Christmas).

When I travel, I have a portfolio that is clear plastic with dividers to keep important documents, like: passports, air itinerary, ground transportation, hotel confirmations, etc. I keep this separate from my purse and this comes in extremely handy!! I even decorated it Disney! The portfolio is the size a #10 envelope can fit in. Easy to carry and store.

I also give everyone in the family a copy of our full itinerary with air ressies, hotel, ground transfer, cruise info, etc. and include all our cell phone numbers and everyone's emergency contact numbers. I also include everyone's passport numbers. Each family can give this document to their emergency contact and everyone has everything they need!

I absolutely love planning! My brother-in-law who travels the world says he loves to vacation with us becuase everything goes so smoothly. Best compliment ever!!!

[asunutgirl]

Newbie here and I'm definitely an overplanner with some OCD and anxiety thrown in. I don't do anything without a list! And since I'm a CPA - I put everything in a spreadsheet!

[Clotho]

Originally Posted by jsolar

Wow. Can you also PM me the app?
Thanks!

Ditto for me!

[Clotho]

I have been using Google Docs and my Gmail account more and more for my planning, so that I don't have the notes on one given computer but instead can access it from any computer, my phone, wherever.

When I start planning, and am just collecting details, I start an e-mail and just cut and paste links, notes, and ideas into it and save it as a draft. I just open it and throw thoughts into it as I surf the net and gather info.

When I start to get more solid plans going, I begin a more serious document, like a spreadsheet. For instance for WDW, I make a kind of calendar view of the vacation, with a block for each day. At the top is the date, then I have headings broken down into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. We park hop a lot, so this way we can address not just meals, but which parks we plan to be in on a given day. I plug in park data, including park hours and EMH info if any, and at the bottom I will put a list of any particular attractions or activities we want to prioritize, but aren't necessarily things that are "booked". For instance we may list "Try a Dole Whip float" or "See the Nemo show if the lines aren't too long."

This kind of planning helps give us structure to our trip, but also some flexibility to be spontaneous once we are in the moment. We may plan to spend a half day at World Showcase and then hop to DHS in the afternoon, but on the day of we may decide we would rather stay at Epcot the rest of the day--with the little sheet, we know at a glance if there is any compelling reason to stick with the original plan or not and can reason it out ("We have dinner at Brown Derby tonight, so we need to make it over to DHS before 7pm, or else reschedule for later in the week.") This is our idea of a good time--plan plan plan dream scheme, then go with the flow of the day when we're there.

We are taking the same approach with our cruise. We have a couple excursions planned, and have read the navigators and made a rough plan of the activities we want to do. We will be open to changing our mind or adapting our plans once we're in the groove.

[kisobel]

wow, just wow. i am in the presence of greats. i am a planner but i think i need higher goals. i may need to take a computer class just so i can learn to make a speadsheet for my disney trips. i just use a pen and paper and have expandable folder to keep all my things organized. one thing i always do is have tip money in envelopes clearly marked for who its for. knowing its all set aside- i dont have to worry. though thats more for the hotel and the transportation than the cruise. i haven't been on a cruise in about 14 years. looking forward to it and trying not to overpack. list do help with that. how is everyone seeing menus and navigators from the ships? the stickies in the FAQ section are blank. i need to go to bed but now i want to tweak my lists.

kate

[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

[mmgrdg]

Sounds great, Scott! Have a great cruise!!!!

[cruisecrasher]

I'm so loving this thread, but I am super OCD and the mis-spelling of the title drives me nuts.

[jahber]

Originally Posted by cruisecrasher

I'm so loving this thread, but I am super OCD and the mis-spelling of the title drives me nuts.

Actually, I find that it helps me keep track of the thread...just in case another one opens up and I begin to wonder if I have posted on the new one yet! That might require a list...

[cruisecrasher]

Or at least a series of reminder post it notes.

[RatherBeWithMickey]

Originally Posted by cruisecrasher

I'm so loving this thread, but I am super OCD and the mis-spelling of the title drives me nuts.

Are we twins that were separated at birth??? Of course, now having written that, I'm going to freak out every time I post something in case I goof up myself, lol.

[jahber]

Originally Posted by cruisecrasher

Or at least a series of reminder post it notes.

Ok, let me see what colors I have, so I can have a different color for each thread. Just in case...