The Agony (and Ecstasy!) of the Disney Spreadsheet

Nothing makes this typical first-born, Type A teacher and Disney lover more excited than creating a spreadsheet for an upcoming trip!  As my fellow Type A planners raise their collective highlighters in solidarity, I know that many of you are already groaning.  But it’s a vacation!  We like to go with the flow!  Why can’t we sleep in? How the heck should I know what ride I want to ride 60 days in advance, let alone what restaurant I’ll want to eat in six months from now?  Let me show you how this one page “cheatsheet” can change not only how you plan for Disney, but guarantee a magical, fun-packed trip unlike any you’ve done before!

The Pros:

• The hard work is already done!  You’ve chosen which park (or parks) you’d like to visit each day based on published park hours.  Dining reservations are reserved according to park or resort. You’ve even booked your three Fastpass attractions based on where you’ll be each day!
• Your entire vacation at a glance…travel itinerary, park hours, and EMH! (Extra Magic Hours for guests staying on-site)
• A “cheatsheet” for every ADR (advance dining reservation), FP (Fastness) and special event you’re planning on attending.
• Flexibility!  (I promise!  More on that later…!)

The Cons:  (Cue crickets…!)  I’m going to be honest…the only real con is that this type of planning might not be your typical “modus operandi”!  Sure, sleeping in and deciding rides and meals spur-of-the-moment sounds great…but when your first 45 minute line of the day is just to get through bag check late morning, you might want to rethink that!  Those early birds who were there at Rope Drop already have a half dozen rides under their belts, and reserved all of the most desirable Fastpasses for the entire day.  (Think Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Anna and Elsa before they moved to Epcot!)  Of course, Be Our Guest restaurant is full and not taking walk-ins today…and not a lot of other (air conditioned!) options exist for same day dining!

As a result, most of the negative travel reviews you hear about Disney are from frustrated guests who don’t realize that sometimes paying a lot of money isn’t the only requirement for a successful trip.  Planning in advance is becoming more and more of a necessity, like it or not!  The good news?  It’s not hard at all!

Creating Your Spreadsheet

So, where do you start?  Luckily, you don’t have to be an Excel guru in order to create a simple spreadsheet!  In fact, I simply use Word on my Mac to fashion mine from columns and rows!  First, I select the number of columns…one column for every travel or park day.  Shorter trips like runDisney race weekends have less columns, longer trips like week-long vacas with the fam have more columns!

Next, the number of rows depends on how you schedule your Disney vacation!  I typically have rows for park destination and hours, all three meals of the day, rides and attractions including scheduled Fastpasses and characters, and special events.  For runDisney challenge weekends I will also include a row for that day’s race!

Once you have your designated number of columns and rows, simply click and drag to the desired size!  You are now ready to plug in all your plans!

Making Your Plans POP!

I love using my highlighting tool to make my plans POP!  I’ll use one color to designate all of my Table Service (TS) meals, and another color for Quick Service (QS).  Scheduled Fastpasses and their hour windows will also get their own color!  (I even like to sneak in an asterisk * to indicate if certain attractions include an on-ride photo!)  Also, special events like parades and fireworks get color-coded, too, plus any additional events you may schedule such as the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party or Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

What kind of a Disney Traveler Are You?  A Spreadsheet for Everyone!

Extra boxes?  Fill ’em up with info specific to your travel plans!  The spreadsheet works for every type of Disney trip!

runDisney Runners  Plug in your races, their mileage and the Expo hours! I also include start times (way too early!) and where each race begins and ends.   Don’t forget to book your carb-loading ADRs, as well as your post-race feast!  Will run for Mickey waffles!  (Can you say ‘Ohana???)

Special Needs  If someone in your party is eligible for the DAS (Disability Access Service) card, you can include Guest Services locations at each park, as well as First Aid stations and companion restrooms.  We also like to use the spreadsheet to designate at least one more ride for our son with autism to use his DAS for in addition to our three Fastpasses.  (Helpful Hint:  Thought the DAS can be used for rides that don’t offer Fastpass, it cannot be used for character meet and greets that don’t have a Fastness option.)

Party Animals  Most people have heard about Special Events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom and the Candlelight Processional in Epcot, but some die-hard Disney fans make it their business to experience all the brand-new, just-announced events!  Use your spreadsheet to plug in The Parisian Breakfast at Les Chefs de France only offered during the International Food and Wine Festival in Epcot, or the seasonal Club Villain dining (and drinking! and dancing!) event at Hollywood Studios!

Collectors  A spreadsheet is also a great place to feed your addiction!  Include the locations of the pressed penny machines at the resorts and parks.  Add the locations of scheduled character meet and greets to collect those autographs. Research the best places to get those iconic photos and Magic Shots by the Disney Photopass photographers!  Our kids love them!

Feeling Overbooked?

You won’t!  That Crystal Palace lunch you booked at the Magic Kingdom six months ago?  You just bought yourself an hour and a half in air-conditioning where you can post to Facebook while recharging both your iPhone and yourself!   In addition, you’re enjoying seconds from the buffet, while the kiddies mainline chicken nuggets and use the restroom.  Even better, the kids are mugging for the camera as the characters come to YOU!

Those three back-to-back Fastpasses you booked half a year ago?   You haven’t given up your whole morning…most rides and attractions are only a few minutes long!  If you head over to your Fastpass at the beginning of the window (even up to five minutes early!) and ride Space Mountain promptly at 10:00 am, and wait to the end of the hour window to ride your next Fastness at 11:50, you have almost two hours of unplanned, unscheduled down time!  Plenty of time to grab a Mickey bar, visit the Hall of Presidents and get a Magic Shot in front of Cinderella Castle!  Walk through the Rose Garden.  Check out Rapunzel’s fancy bathroom.  Waltz down Main Street, USA window shopping for souvenirs-you’re in no hurry!

Though Maleficent herself could not make me miss Rope Drop, with some flexibility, a good travel plan and a personalized spreadsheet, you just might be able to squeeze in a few extra winks, and STILL do everything your heart desires! Just remember-don’t forget your highlighter!