Those people freaking out because their plan isn't working out? Totally don't get why people call those guys overplanners. To me, they underplanned, because they didn't consider the fact that kids don't follow plans!
I like the idea that part of being a planner is planning for the unplanned nature of kids.
I think planning and preparing takes the stress out of the experience. If we plan it all out yet leave room for spontaneity, it works out. Disney changes constantly, so for me, planning means catching up since being there in 2011. I would have hated showing up to WDW with no clue as to what a MagicBand was...I'd hate to be THAT person. LOL.It's tough to balance planning vs spontaneity. We are planners, by nature and because we figure if we're paying that much for a trip we want to be sure we are as informed about what is available to us as we can be. We cross reference all of the crowd calendars, map out our dining reservations on a spreadsheet, etc. But we generally feel that it's better to be prepared, even at the risk of "over-preparing." You know the stories we've seen here, where families show up and had no idea about fp's, dining plan, or even how many parks make up WDW.
At the same time, there is something to be said for spontaneity, or slowing down our pace and "taking it all in." It's a work in progress for us
IDEAS: Sometimes instead of a set plan, I give us 2-3 options and then we decide which option on the fly. It makes us feel spontaneous but I also get to sort of pre-plan the spontaneity. Best of both worlds for me.
Yes! I whole-heartedly agree. Kids are perfect at ruining the plan.I like the idea that part of being a planner is planning for the unplanned nature of kids.