is it just because I'm a control freak or????

I think that's totally normal!

I would pick one thing that you really think they're lacking in (for me it would be the importance of ADRs) and focus on that. Let them know that you really wish someone had told you before you went, and that you don't wan them to miss out of X because they didn't know. Give them some great resources and let them have at! A few days/weeks later you can open up another conversation and see if they looked into the suggestions. The trick is gently guiding them through the information that they need without sounding pushy.

I do know how you feel. I always want to jump in when friends or family are planning a trip. But, while I know I can plan our perfect trip I am not so sure I could plan one for someone else. Just look at all of us on this board. We all like and dislike different things. We all like to stay different places and we even like to tour differently. I think it would be so hard to plan a trip for someone else.

I think that has to be normal....every time I hear someone is going to Disney I want to hear all the details and then I want to add things, take away things...PLAN THE WHOLE THING!

Sometimes I think a lot of the fun is the planning!

I just had this happen to me a couple of weeks ago...it was two of my friends headed to Universal, but I felt the same way. One of them booked the trip way in advance and never asked me for any advice. Once I found out what they were doing, I was almost disappointed that they didn't know they could've asked me and I could've told them everything I know. They ended up spending way too much on tickets & hotel and they spent the entire four days in Orlando calling/texting me asking what they should do next just to avoid sitting in the hotel room.

One of my co-workers is going with his family in December. He asked for some tips and advice. He's been there before but it's been several years. I'm up to six pages.

Just a tip or two, thats about right JoAnn!

I'm the same way and always give my two cents when I know people that are going. I still don't see how people do it on there first trip there... I feel bad for them because I feel like they miss out on so much.

I've been trying not to enter this thread, but I can't help myself. We really need a 12 step program.

I feel the exactly the same about wanting to help people get the most out of their trip. Then I get frustrated when they don't plan their trip the way I do. Then I get worried that they will follow my advice and something will go horribly wrong and they'll hate WDW forever.

There are the folks who know I been to WDW a ton of times and come to me with questions, but they don't want to hear the "long answer". They want "Do this, then do that, etc". Forget about telling them to look under the welcome mat at Muppet Vision 3D. All they want to know is that it is 175 paces on a heading of 35 degrees magnetic from the Rose and Crown to Mouse Gears, where the cool Mickey ears are on the left near the door. I'd rather just point them to Barnes and Nobel and tell them to buy all the WDW books, read them, and load up the I-phone apps.

I go crazy when I see people planning their WDW stay down to the minute because it's not my touring style. I want to be the fly on the wall during that overly planned first day when a little glitch happens. You just know that there will be complete chaos as the plan flies out the window of the broken down bus. Of course, I want to magically appear and rescue their whole vacation.

Having 3 ADR's each day is just not my style, but the ones who really push my frustration to the limit are the ones who don't plan or research at all. They think WDW is just the MK and when they find out there's 3 more parks and all the other stuff, they panic. Or they think WDW should be simple like the Sandals Resort they went to last year. Just read the brochure and you know everything you need to know.

A guy I work with is flying down to WDW today with 15 of his closest relatives. He's been really good about asking questions and taking my answers back to the "planning committee". (I did a trip like this in 2001 with 20 of my late wife's closest relatives.) Anyway, they've actually taken my advice on where to stay, now I sit here biting my fingernails and hoping they have a good time as if I am totally responsible for Fort Wilderness. Talk about performance anxiety.

FYI " the "planning committee" has adopted a modified version of the minute-to-minute D-Day Invasion plans. God help them if the boat from FW to the MK is 5 minutes late tomorrow morning.

My mother used to plan everything to the minute. I just can't do it that way.

This year however, the universe keep tossing me curve balls and I'm discovering that there's more than one way to tour and plan that works! Who would have known.

I often get calls from family and friends for help on planning their trips to Disney. I love offering advice and providing tips but there is a fine line to be walked....I'm always worried I'll overwhelm them!