On
May 19, 2010
Mary from NC
Asked
Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.
Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.
“
I know you guys are "WDW pros", so what kind of planning tools do you use to keep track of your ADRs, rides not to miss and transportation information? I am SUCH the planner and have compiled lots of info for our WDW trip in June 2011!!”
Hi Mary! To keep track of my trip planning information, I use my
word-processing program to create a one-page chart that has a column for each
day of my trip listing the daily park hours, including extra magic hours, the
times of events like parades, fireworks and Fantasmic, and my daily dining
reservations with confirmation numbers. I take the chart with me, and I also
email it to myself so that I have it on my iPhone, which makes it easy to pull
up a dining confirmation number if the restaurant has trouble locating my
reservation. My fellow Mom, Kathie, makes a similar chart using the online
spreadsheets found at http://spreadsheets.google.com, which allows you to share
the plans with friends and family.
Disney is in the midst of
releasing a Vacation Planning Widget for your desktop that contains calendars,
news, weather and other information to help you plan. It should be available for
download soon at www.DisneyVacationConnection.com. If you're more of a pen and
paper person, you may like the Passporter guide books -- they have space to
write your itinerary, pockets to hold your maps, and worksheets to help you
plan. If you have an iPhone, there are a few apps you might want to check out:
the Walt Disney World Complete Travel Guide (by fellow panelist Doug Ingersoll)
has maps, reviews of restaurants, resorts, and attractions, and other planning
tools, and Disney World Lines by Touring Plans.com gives you park hours, crowd
predictions, and real-time waits for the rides. For transportation information,
the website ourlaughingplace.com has a Transportation Wizard, also available as
an app, that is extremely helpful in determining how to get from place to place
at Disney World.
Hope this helps, Mary!