Don't panic, y'all!

My family and I will be at WDW in one month. We are all very excited and ready to hit the parks running. The one and only issue is that I'm going into PTP. What is PTP? It's pre-trip panic, y'all.

I do this with every single trip we take. It can be a weekend to visit family or two weeks at WDW, but I always going into pre-trip panic. It's something that my mom does and probably something my grandmother did as well. It's a family trait, and probably one of my least favorite traits. I know that my family could do without it.

The symptoms of PTP are easy to spot. First, you realize that your trip is coming up sooner than expected. Maybe it's a month away, like mine, or maybe it's hours away; regardless, it's soon to you.  Once you decide that you are running out of time, you start frantically perusing your packing list to ensure that you've included everything you'll need. Now this doesn't mean that you'll actually need everything on said list, but at the time you make the list you need it all. Next, you'll begin to worry that you have missed something on the "need" list and start obsessing over everything and every scenario for the trip to ensure you are packing properly.  Once you've reassessed and reassessed the list, you will begin the actual packing. This will prompt a desire to edit your "need" list to either include or delete items, or both. Once you've completed packing, and repacking, and obsessing over the list again, you will then start to obsess about your trip itinerary.

When you get to the trip itinerary obsessing, you are really deep into PTP.  Your trip destination has little to do with the itinerary, because the itinerary has to do more with planning every step of your trip route, but will also include specific destinations if needed. An example itinerary for a trip to visit my mom and step-father would look like the example below:

Wednesday
8:00 AM - wake up and dress kids
8:30 AM - feed kids while DH loads car
9:00 AM - on road
12:00 PM - lunch and potty break
12:30 PM - back on road
2:00 PM - arrive at mom's, unload

While the above example is fairly simple, we have taken this trip enough times over the years that we don't need an itinerary, yet I still make one every time we head out.  An itinerary for a big trip like Walt Disney World is way more in depth.  It looks something like this:

Wednesday 
7:00 AM - wake up, dress and eat in room
8:00 AM - at bus stop for MK (Magic Kingdom)
9:00 AM - rope drop at MK
11:00 AM - lunch at Pecos Bill's
12:00 PM - afternoon break
3:00 PM - return to MK 
5:30 PM - ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern
8:00 PM - Electric Light Parade
9:00 PM - Wishes and leave once over
11:00 PM - bed 

Now you've probably noticed that these are both single day itineraries, but they are very different. One covers an entire day, but it just generic in terms of where stopping. The other is very specific as far as times and places to eat.  The reason behind the details for the MK itinerary is due to the need for ADRs and a touring plan.  Those two items are something I will go into more detail about at a different time.

Once you've decided on your itinerary, if you are going to a Disney park, you have the added pressure of setting up your touring plans. A touring plan is an itinerary for each park day based on what type of rides and shows you'd like to see.  If you use one provided by Touringplans.com you can actually set it up based on your family make up; small children, teens, adults, all of the above, and you can even do full day, half day, two day plans, etc. It's really the only way I'd feel comfortable going to a Disney park.  They are designed to maximize your day while keeping your wait times low. (No, they don't pay me to promote their site. They've probably never even heard of me.)

If you have a family like mine, two parents, a preschooler and a pre-teen, your touring plan can be difficult. Our little one can't ride a lot of the bigger rides like Space Moutain or Star Tours, but her brother can and wants to ride them, so we have to decide if we are going to have one parent sit out, take her somewhere else, or baby swap. Again, something I will get into more detail about on another post. The great thing is that Touring Plans have plans for you. If you get PTP like me, you still obsess over them.  I can spend weeks getting our touring plans together.  

For me the worst my PTP gets is right before departure day. I promise y'all that I get into head spinning mode right before we leave for a trip. The bigger the trip, the worse I act. My poor family gets the brunt of it, but no one is immune. I also stop sleeping a day or more prior to departure day so I really am cranky. This is also something that my mom always did. We don't do it to be difficult, but we are so deep into PTP that we can't see how terrible we are acting. I always warn my family when I feel PTP setting in.  I try so hard not to get cranky, but I always end up there anyway.  Sorry, family!

The good news is that once we are on the road, PTP disappears. I calm down, I relax, and sometimes I even nap in the car.  I know that my family sure appreciates the fact that PTP is over.  Of course when we are on a big trip like one to Disney World, PTP never truly disappears, it just hibernates.  It pops up at certain times, like if I can't get everyone out the door for rope drop or if I think we are going to be late for our ADR.

Well, y'all,. I hope that this post gives you some insight into PTP and how to spot it in yourself or your loved ones. Just remember that while it can be hard on those around, PTP is just our way of trying to help make the upcoming trip as wonderful as possible.  PTP = LOVE.

I'll see y'all real soon,

Wyndie