A Disney Commandos survival guide: You’re planning another trip?

We have all seen the eye rolling from our friends and family who aren’t “in the know.” While we certainly dread the blank stares we will receive and without a doubt we quickly get over it because we are planning a trip to the most magical place the universe will ever know!

No matter where you stay, from the Grand Floridian to a tent at Fort Wilderness (I’ve even been tempted to sleep in my car!); you know that your vacation takes some planning. I know you’ve already researched and booked the hotel in which you will only nap and shower in as close to the 12 month time frame that you can. You may even have 2 or 3 trips you’re planning in the back of your head because, you never really return from Walt Disney World, there are spaces of time that you are working towards your next trip but, your eye is always on the prize.

Dining: I am a planner since the inception of free dining. I want to eat where I want to eat while I’m on vacation. From the magical setting of Cinderella’s Royal Table (dinner is by far the most magical experience in my opinion) to the very few restaurants that can still handle walk ups. I know that I am on the phone with dining as soon as they open the lines 180 days from the date of check in to get those most coveted spots. While I am on hold I am also on the Disney website making ADR’s for less popular places, multitasking ya know. I certainly wish Earl of Sandwich took ADR’s!

Park times: I actually have an Excel spreadsheet that gets looked over 47 times before I leave, regular park hours, extra magic hours. Most of those checks are the night before. Seriously, what commando sleeps the night before a Disney trip? Isn’t that the reason you booked your flight for the first one out of the terminal? Maybe that’s just me but, by the time I am done I have memorized park hours. Thank goodness for that because I usually leave it at home.

Now, when to pack: I don’t think I ever really completely unpack from a Disney trip. It is physically painful for me to do that. If I unpack fully I might not get to go again. (I’m beginning to think I have some serious issues!) But I do take the suitcase down from the closet about 30 days before. So I can look at a mostly empty suitcase 3 days prior to departure in a panic. I am now on Disney overload!

Packing: Sigh, packing. Even after all the trips I have made I hate packing. I am an over-packer. I know I always do laundry (Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets are amazing I also throw in a Shout Color Catcher) while I am there so I’m not quite sure why I need to bring 87 shirts or 5 pairs of jeans, in the middle of August. Really? Is that a sweat shirt AND a parka I have packed in there? What am I thinking? I’m not, I’m just preparing! You never know when or where a snow storm will hit…In Florida…In August. I think I need a personal packer!

So, you have your hotel, your tickets (you go so much you’re an Annual Passholder anyway!), you’re packed, you haven’t slept in 2 days because you’ve been sitting at the airport that long. Now what? Well, no matter how many times you go to Disney nothing beats that feeling you get the first time you see the sign that says “Walt Disney World.” If you’re like me all of the planning just starts to melt away. Learn to relax. Look for the things you have passed by. Smell the roses, no, really, smell the roses! Enjoy your trip with friends or family!

Chip and Co Guest Blogger Sarah Sorg

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