My first visit to DisneyWorld came in May 2009. This was also the first vacation Wendy and I ever took together. She was driving out from Texas. I was coming down from Montgomery, Alabama and meeting her in Panama City Beach, Florida. From there, we would ride together (I left my truck at a friend's house) and make a big week out of it. There was much fun to be had, especially considering 1) I’d never been before and 2) I was going with someone who professed to be a WDW expert. This was going to be awesome.
Then she sent me the checklist.
It came via email, the packing list did. But this was no ordinary packing list. It was a multi-column, color-coded matrix. To this day, it’s still the most ridiculous one page document I’ve ever seen. Wendy had taken account of everything that was going to be needed on the trip, split it in half, and sent the list of what she wasn’t bringing to me. But it wasn’t just a “get this, and bring this, and don’t forget this” sort of deal. It was color coded by who the item was for. Was it for me? Was it for my daughter? Was it for everybody? That told me which suitcase to pack said item in. Each color-coded item was also in a certain column. For the road, for the beach, for Disney. This told me in what order to pack everything. It was – and still is – completely insane.
It also worked to perfection.
Everything got unloaded, in order, everybody’s stuff was altogether, and the community items were in one place, as well. It simplified the organization of our suite upon arrival, leaving us more time to jet to the Magic Kingdom for a half day of exploration. Needless to say, her attention to detail is impeccable. We wandered around Fantasyland for a couple of hours, went to dinner, enjoyed dinner with Cinderella and her stepsisters, then called it a night.
It was the first of five very enjoyable days at WDW, even if the weather was uncooperative to the point of a monsoon basically washing away our day at the Animal Kingdom. We used the downtime to explore our resort, something you should make time for anyway every time you visit. While they are all fun and relaxing, they each have their own charms and personalities, so if you go enough times you’ll find the one that best suits you. Or, you can let the expert tell you, “Mike, you’re gonna LOVE Port Orleans – Riverside,” and then bask in every minute you walk, bike, or sail on the grounds. (Yes, that one’s my favorite.)
Mike
Then she sent me the checklist.
It came via email, the packing list did. But this was no ordinary packing list. It was a multi-column, color-coded matrix. To this day, it’s still the most ridiculous one page document I’ve ever seen. Wendy had taken account of everything that was going to be needed on the trip, split it in half, and sent the list of what she wasn’t bringing to me. But it wasn’t just a “get this, and bring this, and don’t forget this” sort of deal. It was color coded by who the item was for. Was it for me? Was it for my daughter? Was it for everybody? That told me which suitcase to pack said item in. Each color-coded item was also in a certain column. For the road, for the beach, for Disney. This told me in what order to pack everything. It was – and still is – completely insane.
It also worked to perfection.
Everything got unloaded, in order, everybody’s stuff was altogether, and the community items were in one place, as well. It simplified the organization of our suite upon arrival, leaving us more time to jet to the Magic Kingdom for a half day of exploration. Needless to say, her attention to detail is impeccable. We wandered around Fantasyland for a couple of hours, went to dinner, enjoyed dinner with Cinderella and her stepsisters, then called it a night.
It was the first of five very enjoyable days at WDW, even if the weather was uncooperative to the point of a monsoon basically washing away our day at the Animal Kingdom. We used the downtime to explore our resort, something you should make time for anyway every time you visit. While they are all fun and relaxing, they each have their own charms and personalities, so if you go enough times you’ll find the one that best suits you. Or, you can let the expert tell you, “Mike, you’re gonna LOVE Port Orleans – Riverside,” and then bask in every minute you walk, bike, or sail on the grounds. (Yes, that one’s my favorite.)
Mike
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