What's your favorite planning tip?

[NJGIRL]

A packing tip I loved (and got here on Intercot a few years ago), bring a clear shoe hanger (the one that hangs over the door with pockets in it) for toiletries. By putting them in the pockets you keep the counters clear and everything can be found quickly and in one spot. As a family of 6 this is a HUGE help to us.

American Tourister actually makes a case for this use. It is not for shoes, but is a hanging toiletry bag. It is inexpensive, carries your toiletries in your luggage folded up not taking much space, then can be hung in the hotel bathroom.

[KAT1811]

American Tourister actually makes a case for this use. It is not for shoes, but is a hanging toiletry bag. It is inexpensive, carries your toiletries in your luggage folded up not taking much space, then can be hung in the hotel bathroom.

I had one from Vera Bradley that I used to use but now that we are a family of 6 I find that the shoe hanger holds everyone's things in one spot not just mine. I pack it in the bottom of my suitcase and then oput things in it as I unpack everyone.

The individual carriers are great since they come with zip pockets and can be packed with everything together. I like that I can have our entire family's toiletries all in one spot with the clear shoe hanger. I have the girls brushes and bows right next to little man's hair wax, my perfume right next to DH's deoderant. Then when everyone is asking me for their things it's all organized together and not spread all over the villa/hotel room.

[NJGIRL]

I had one from Vera Bradley that I used to use but now that we are a family of 6 I find that the shoe hanger holds everyone's things in one spot not just mine. I pack it in the bottom of my suitcase and then oput things in it as I unpack everyone.

Not sure how big the Vera was but the AT is large enough to pack everyone's stuff in. I only use one bag, but we are a family of four and the kids are old enough that they use adult products.

[BigRedDad]

There are so so many...here are a few:

1. Chaffing: If anyone in your party is prone to chaffing, purchase Body Glide and you will love life. Chaffing can ruin an entire trip on Day 1.

2. Pins: If you are a pin trader, get pins before you go. You can get them for about $1 each on eBay.

3. ADRs: If you are having table service meals and must have specific ones, get them early.

4. Attractions: There are far more attractions to see than just the rides. Many are far more enjoyable than the rides.

5. Street performers: Stop and take in all the street performers. They are all over the place and in character. My daughter thought Ms Daisy Day fell and got hurt in DHS. She went up to her to help her and had a 10 minute conversation in the middle of the street.

6. Stress: Get it in your head now that there will be stress. The best thing to do is just sit back and realize that you are on vacation and let some things go that may upset you. An example is a child screaming in a restaurant. Kids aren't dumb. They know a sit down dinner is boring when they can see everything going on outside.

7. Plans change: There are some OCC people that plan exactly when and where they must be. I see them running around dragging kids. That is not a vacation. Be flexible. The only plans I really make are the resort I am staying in and the park I am going to in the morning. Beyond that, everything is up for a change.

[DisneyDINK]

1. Grocery delivery - get a case of water and some of your favorite snacks delivered to your resort at the beginning of your trip. Saves time and money.

2. Schedule Off Days - Other posters said it already, schedule some times where you can relax in your room/pool/resort/etc. You'll never do everything in a one week trip, so don't try to.

3. Plan your transportation - Have an ADR at another resort? That means 2 busses and possible a long wait and travel time. Sometimes taking a cab can save tons of time. Allow extra time to get places on busses, the system is good, but far from perfect.

[SallyMcQueen]

1. Flexiblity is key. I tried to plan every movement on our first trip. Ended up getting dream fast pass in MK. Needless to say our "few hours" scheduled for that day quickly turned into all day.

2. Ziploc bags. For young kids pack each days outfit (shirt, shorts, socks, undies) in a gallon size ziploc bag. Two wonderful things about this 1) kids can grab clothes and have everything they need and there is no discussion about what matches or they can't find a shirt and 2) keeps suitcases organized. I think I read about this on Intercot and tried it out on a recent road trip. Best. thing. ever. I told a friend and she tried and couldn't stop raving how great it worked for her as well.

[IloveJack]

2. Ziploc bags. For young kids pack each days outfit (shirt, shorts, socks, undies) in a gallon size ziploc bag. Two wonderful things about this 1) kids can grab clothes and have everything they need and there is no discussion about what matches or they can't find a shirt and 2) keeps suitcases organized. I think I read about this on Intercot and tried it out on a recent road trip. Best. thing. ever. I told a friend and she tried and couldn't stop raving how great it worked for her as well.

I'd read this before, so I altered it slightly. Since I have to carry a diaper bag and extra outfit for my DD, I put it in a ziploc bag. Makes it easier to find, plus it gives me something to put the dirty outfit in (especially if it's wet). I'll continue doing it with my new DD on our trips.

[kemps@wdw]

when using the ddp, it's possible to feed 2 off of 1 use, thereby saving 1 for another time. Ex: breakfast usually incudes a muffin or roll. And these sometimes are a meal in themselves.
And don''t forget to pack a power strip for all those electronic chargers that you never have enough plugs in the room for.

[Dsnygirl]

Plan your "next, next" trip before you leave, so that you have something to look forward too before you check out.

Always!! Best medicine ever for that ride to the airport...

Don't sweat the small stuff. Your trip will NOT be perfect. Something will go wrong. The bus will be late. The ride will have a long line. Someone will be rude. Go with the flow and let the bad stuff slide.

Awesome reminder... I think it should be on our park tickets....

My tip would be to remember you will be returning and to live in the moment, not through the lens of a video or still camera. Pictures are very cool but memories need to be captured as well!

SO very true... I have lived through the lens many times, and am only just now learning to let it go and LIVE the moment, not just watch it.

Another great tip I learned from Intercot, bring a power strip to plug in cell phones, cameras, etc. That way you don't have to hunt for plugs and have electronics all over the room.

Awesome idea, and one I haven't used yet, but will definitely remember in August. We've gone from a family with one cell phone and one camera to 3 cell phones, a video camera and two regular cameras, so I think it'll be a necessity!! Thanks for the reminder!

[mommy2maddi]

When we went last year my DH laughed at me b/c I had every ride I wanted to ride in pretty good order including details about fastpasses. Once we were there he thanked me!!! Definitely plan out which rides are a priority, which ones to get fast passes for and try to tentatively plan your day out around that. I guess maybe the fact that I'm a ride fanatic makes that the most important to me!! Good question..... I got some good tips!

[mdricks]

Read everything you can starting with Intercot!

Magical Journeys, nuff said.

If you plan out your day, have a plan B. The chances of Plan A working every time are about 1%.

If going with a group sit down prior to the trip and identify "non negotiables". Once identified, plan accordingly and be realistic.

Get ADR's (esp during free dining)

Garden Grocer + ME is cheaper than renting a car/taxi to go grocery shopping.

If on a budget, don’t turn your nose up at off site. You can easily shave hundreds off a trip for four at a cheaper condo.

Be realistic about what you want and do your homework!!!! To steal from Mr. Gump, Disney is a box of chocolates. If you just dive in you will likely get that nasty coconut nugget!

[KAT1811]

Not sure how big the Vera was but the AT is large enough to pack everyone's stuff in. I only use one bag, but we are a family of four and the kids are old enough that they use adult products.

We tend to be a bit divaesque and require quite a bit of toiletries. I have 6 different brushes/comb/pick to do my hair, DH has his own hair care accessories and washes, perfumes/cologne, the little ones still use children's toiletries, our youngest, DS, has sensitive skin so as a result has his own bunch of accessories, bows for 2 little girls for every outfit I packed (and I am most certainly an over packer) and a teenage girl. Needless to say I have yet to find one of those hangers to fit us all in! LOL! We barely fit in the shoe hanger! I will certainly look into the AT one you spoke about, thank you for the tip.

1. Grocery delivery - get a case of water and some of your favorite snacks delivered to your resort at the beginning of your trip. Saves time and money.

Huge "must do" for us. I love having snacks and water whenever we want them. Our little ones like their milk first thing in the AM. Plus Garden Grocer will deliver beer and wine with the groceries, nice way to wind down at the end of a long park day, on the balcony with a glass of wine.

[iloveokw]

As much as I hate getting up early....especially on vacation, get up and get going. Be there for rope drop. It is amazing what you can get done in the first few hours before late sleepers straggle in around noon.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Tip for parents / those travelng w/ children..

Just a safety tip.... before you enter the park or before you leave the house for the day, everyone should take a picture of the kids w/ camera phone. If they get lost during the day, you can show the authorities the most recent picture of the kids w/ what they are wearing, etc. Everytime you re-enter the park (new outfit = new lost child description) then take their picture. They could be with any adult at any given time and everyone should have a picture of them to give to authorities. Don't want to waist 1 second when your child is missing because the adult w/ the picture on their phone is in another area of the park. Also, if one of you looses your phone, then there are always another phone w/ picture. (this is just a good tip for any day trip/vacation anywhere but, especially at Disney because of all the people and all the kids)

[LisaP]

Tip for parents / those travelng w/ children..

Just a safety tip.... before you enter the park or before you leave the house for the day, everyone should take a picture of the kids w/ camera phone. If they get lost during the day, you can show the authorities the most recent picture of the kids w/ what they are wearing, etc. Everytime you re-enter the park (new outfit = new lost child description) then take their picture. They could be with any adult at any given time and everyone should have a picture of them to give to authorities. Don't want to waist 1 second when your child is missing because the adult w/ the picture on their phone is in another area of the park. Also, if one of you looses your phone, then there are always another phone w/ picture. (this is just a good tip for any day trip/vacation anywhere but, especially at Disney because of all the people and all the kids)

GREAT TIP! I will be sure both DH and I do this next month THANK YOU!

[kemps@wdw]

Be there for the rope drop @ your chosen park. It's rare that we're NOT the 1st in line which allows us to cover everything we want to do by mid-day and head back to our resort for some down time before we hop over to our afternoon/evening park of choice. It has also put us in a postion to be chosen "Family of the Day" on 3 different occasions in our last 4 visits. And that comes with some very good perks! Opening the park and riding before anyone else gets there, family photo w/ALL the characters, and fast passes to ALL the FP attractions. It's true that the early bird gets the...perks!

[Tink#64]

A plan is the key to a successful WDW trip, the key to seeing as much as possible. You can never see everything in any one trip.

A packing tip I loved (and got here on Intercot a few years ago), bring a clear shoe hanger (the one that hangs over the door with pockets in it) for toiletries. By putting them in the pockets you keep the counters clear and everything can be found quickly and in one spot. As a family of 6 this is a HUGE help to us.

Another great tip I learned from Intercot, bring a power strip to plug in cell phones, cameras, etc. That way you don't have to hunt for plugs and have electronics all over the room.

The over the door shoe bag is one of the BEST tips I've gotten on Intercot! Huge space/mess & time saver. We used to toss all the toiletries back in the bag just to have to dig them all back out agqain! The power strip is always on my packing list! You can never have too many outlets, always so many items to be charged, camera's/batteries, phones, Ipods, laptops, etc, and we've had a few of those loose outlets that those big bulky chargers just wouldn't stay plugged in!

I typically only give a couple hard & fast tips/must do's to any one planning their first trip,

#1 Be informed! Know the park hours & hours of everything going on each day, parade times, fireworks etc, so you know what your choices are, then make a "plan" that you can follow or change as desired, but with the info you're gathered, you won't miss any thing on your must do list! I make a seperate index card for each park/day, with our touring plan, park hours, ADR info, parade times, etc & then each morning I toss it into my pack for quick reference any time!

#2 Arrive at or before park opening, crucial imho to accomplishing all of your must do's with the least amount of time waiting in lines.