itinerary

I created a grid in Word. I attached a blank copy. I also put together a spreadsheet with park hours and events scheduled on each day.

Here's the spreadsheet to give you a couple of options to use.

here is what i used tripit i found it really easy to use and to create and you can get an app for your phone and view it on there. also anyone you add on the trip can do the same or just print out the itinerary, plus it is easy to update.

http://www.tripit.com/trip/show/id/38633027

Y'all...these are both GREAT tools to use. Thanks for sharing!!

Here's a copy of the spreadsheet I use to keep track of everything.

JeffC-That spreadsheet is so colorful and pretty!

Ya'll are way more organized than I am. I really need to try and put one of these together instead of writing things on random pieces of paper. I think I've started about 4 "Disney" notebooks and keep abandoning them until a new one comes along.

I have done this for more years than I can remember. I check the schedule for the extra magic hours and plan the
parks accordingly, gather info on who wants to go where for dinner and make the reservations and than publish the itinerary. I fold them into little squares for a great pocket sized sheets to review each day by each person.
You can spruce them up with pictures and each trip should have a title

JeffC....VERY impressive

I'm going to WDW for my honeymoon next month and we are having our trip planned by a Disney trip planning service. They are incredible! They know the best ways to get the most for your money, and the best planning tips for maximizing your days in and out of the park! I HIGHLY recommend going that route if you have any questions. The service if FREE too, Disney pays them, not you! I've been to WDW five times with my family, but I've never actually been the one planning the trip, and my wife has never been, so we definitely needed the aid of an expert.

Years ago, I created an Excel spread sheet which included plans for each day. I have 3 columns for time (so everyone knows what time to be ready to leave for a park or for dinner), where we are going and confirmation numbers. It also includes the park hours for that day, extra magic hours and crowd levels (touringplans.com - it's worth it!). I've refined the list over the years and print one out for each member of our party (it's usually 1 page per week). I also print a LARGE copy on my uncle's massive printer at work and post it in a central area (when we have a villa) or give them copies to post in their room. They also have all our important info like flight times, flight numbers, resort confirmation number, restaurant confirmation numbers, etc.

Itineraries are general guidelines for us (I am not a park commando) and they are handy to keep the discussions/arguments down on where we will be going each day too. As long as my sister can see that we will be getting in the all-important Afternoon Tea at the GF on Tuesday, she can relax and enjoy our trip to the MK today.

Best of all, planning our itinerary is fun! It starts vacation early for me doing all the research, restaurant planning, and deciding what we want to do. So, enjoy!!

Oh my gosh, I'm not sure I could give up that much control and let someone else plan my vacation!

My brother is a Disney trip planner, so I trust him haha. But for me, I've never been the one to plan a Disney trip, I just follow the group, so having someone experienced plan my trip really helps. He books all of our dinreservatiandresort reservations,, which makes it really easy for us. He doesn't plan every last detail, just builds an itinerary to give us a good guide of what we're doing each day.

www.betweentheearstravel.com

LoL! We sound like opposites I can remember being about 6 and lying in front of the TV watching a Disney Movie with the AAA Book and a News Paper (because that's how you planned back then) and trying to plan a vacation. My mother was obsessive in her schedules when I was little planning everything down to the minute. I think I got it from her. I don't have to schedule everything, but I have GOT to be involved.

So true! My DH will never understand how I have the patience to organize/research/plan/obsess over every detail, but it's how I get excited for the vacation!

I know what you mean! Hopefully I wont need as much assistance next time I go to WDW, but this time around I definitely need all the help I can get. He is has as little or as much involvement in planning the trip as you want. Since this is my first trip as an adult he is very involved. But for someone who has been there many many times, he can just be there to bounce ideas off of. Its completely FREE, and Disney also gives him a lot of fun perks for people who book through him, or transfer their reservations to the company (so even if you have a trip booked you can take advantage of his services), he gets some stuff for kids, and other specials. Also if anybody does book through him or transfers their reservation to Between the Ears Travel, if they mention hearing about them through this site or from me, they'd get a $25 Disney gift card for free.

You guys are amazing! I know I am way too old to understand why this planing is necessary but then I still don.t understand why people have to text. I think my grandaughter said it beakes up the bordom of driving. Even before I retired when we went to Disney it was to get away from all the regimentation and planing. I guess I better just sit back in my rocking chair and read about all the planing and such and keep my virtual mouth shut. Spread sheets!! Phewwww! I left all that stuff to my accountants.
Joe

Your guys spreadsheets are awesome! When I go back next time (if I go to Disney World, not Paris) and have ADRs (for my graduation) I'll most definitely have one. I absolutely love to plan things out, EVERYTHING! Everything has to be planned out. Plus, like Allie said, it's what gets me excited for the vacation, and I feel like it's part of the vacation. I love that. Also, I like to waste my time researching things about the happiest place on earth and what not!

Maybe that's my problem. I AM an accountant, so I guess spreadsheets are in my blood

Haha, I'm a data person so it's one in the same!

Gotta say, I'm kind of with Joe on this when it comes to Disney in particular. The most I'm planning out as far as itineraries go are maybe two ADRs and which parks on which days. But I'm making up for it with little notecards for emergencies within the park (first aid locations, restroom locations, shops that serve real coffee).

On the flip side, my spreadsheets for comic con are a different story...

Joe, I must be old too. Although, I am guilty of some of this. We do make ADRs. We never had to before Disney offered dinning plans. I do send texts sometimes. Our kids will answer a text much faster than their phone. I do agree though that I do not need or want to be that connected while in Disney. To me there is so much to see and do I do not need anything to keep me busy while waiting for something. We do now also have a spread sheet with our ADRs and the park times on it. That does make it easier in the morning when we start our day. One quick look and we know when and where our ADRs are and the park times for the day.

I want to spread the Magic, so I have web cams live streaming from the balcony of our resort, I live stream from the parks on my cell phone, I'm an electronics geek, still in old fart in my DIL's eyes, but I love my electronics. Its part of life now.

How do you livestream from your cellphone? 1) What do you use? 2) Wouldn't that drain your battery like no other?

Here is mine. I just did it in word, and we took the page for the day into the park. I also had a week at a glance meal planner on the back page... so we could keep track of our credits.

When we start our planning by looking at park opening & closing times, booking ADR's to fit the days we're in certain parks. We normally add a few shopping days inbetween. Normally, we go in Sept or Oct, so we get tickets for MNSSHP, other nights are spent at DTD or at the late opening park. Everything is written down on paper, a page for everyday. The park or shopping we're going to, lunch restuarant, counter or table inc ADR ref#, then the destination for our night and where we're eating diner including counter or table inc ADR ref#. Then I make a PowerPoint pres, each page is spilt in half, a half for each day, layed out with the days activities, dining plans, ADR# and Disney characters and park logos for fun. I then 'save as' .jpeg, print it out and when we're on our vacation, we tear off the strip for that day, so we have all the info we need away with us.

Sounds weird but it works for us.

Wow, I am seriously impressed by everyone's organiazation. I guess this is something you don't do as a local, but if you could only come every so often, I would probably be a lot more organized myself.