Am I crazy to plan a visit only 2 months out?

[tigerlilly]

It has been so long since I have posted on these wonderful boards! We have not visited WDW since 2005! I am a frequent reader...but not very great at posting

We are frequent visitors to Disneyland as my family lives in California, but we have only visited WDW 3 times over a course of 20 Years!

My 17 y.o. daughter just graduated from high school and is set to attend UCLA this fall. For years we had promised her a trip to Europe for graduation but it is just not possible. So this weekend her and I discussed the possibility of a girls only trip to WDW the first week of September.

1. So is it crazy to plan a trip only a little over 2 months out?

2. I am new to this Fastpass plus system as Disneyland does not use the system (I am unsure how it would even work here as DL is a completely different beast then WDW)...is it really hard to figure out?

3. Is the first week of September a good week to go? We have visited in November and December the previous visits...

Thanks in advance for any information or advice....I am off to scour the boards

 

[LSUfan4444]

Not crazy, but crazy to go with unrealistic expectations.

 

[FLchick415]

I managed to plan a very fun trip only one month out. Took a short trip in April, then decided to go again in May. But, I also live in Florida, so my expectations are probably quite different. It's doable, but like PP said, keep your expectations reasonable.

 

[jsal318]

Just curious-when does your daughter start college? My daughter's move in day is August 22nd. We love to visit Disney in early Sept and I was just complaining that we can't anymore!

 

[anna08]

Crazy? Not at all! We plan most of our trips on a short time frame and have a great time every time! September is a great time to go with lower crowds too, so I would definitely go for it. Don't forget a day at the water parks, and fares on Disney cruise line are often discounted in September (as it gets closer) so add a 3 day cruise on the Dream to your plans!

 

[mcconnellfam96]

We were just at WDW at April 18-28 and one month later decided to book again for next month.....so we were in the same situation!

Our experience:

1. We found the room we wanted at the resort we wanted (Courtyard view Wilderness Lodge).
2. We were able to make great dining reservations (some were not available at good times like Ohana Dinner and we couldn't get a Dessert Party reservation).
3. We were able to immediately plan our FastPass+ selections as we were 58 days out.

Worked out perfect! This is the first year we have gone twice in one year....feels like we just got back and are getting ready to leave again! LOL

 

[BrianL]

I have done trips on far less planning. If you are going after Labor Day it should be a less busy time. The only real concern if getting ADRs at the most popular restaurants, like Be Our Guest (though it is still doable with persistence). I say go for it!

 

[pampam]

Now, now, no one is saying you are crazy. A little tetched perhaps, but certanly not crazy.

Just teasing.

Go. I'm sure you will have a great time, and make some wonderful memories. In the meantime, keep on the Dis. You will learn so much and it all works toward a better trip.

 

[akclayton]

It has been so long since I have posted on these wonderful boards! We have not visited WDW since 2005! I am a frequent reader...but not very great at posting

We are frequent visitors to Disneyland as my family lives in California, but we have only visited WDW 3 times over a course of 20 Years!

My 17 y.o. daughter just graduated from high school and is set to attend UCLA this fall. For years we had promised her a trip to Europe for graduation but it is just not possible. So this weekend her and I discussed the possibility of a girls only trip to WDW the first week of September.

1. So is it crazy to plan a trip only a little over 2 months out? Not crazy. We planned a trip for last August back last June. It's harder to get ADR's if you are planning on doing the dining plan. We usually don't do dining plan and come out a little ahead. Headline rides will have limited times if any left to reserve for the FP+.

2. I am new to this Fastpass plus system as Disneyland does not use the system (I am unsure how it would even work here as DL is a completely different beast then WDW)...is it really hard to figure out? It's not hard to figure out. You log on to your my disney experience app, choose which park you want on each day and choose your ride options and times available. It saves the info in your my disney experience app. You look at it to see your time windows and just go up to the ride when it's your time period, put your magic band up to the mickey ears and it'll turn green and the CM will let you through.

3. Is the first week of September a good week to go? We have visited in November and December the previous visits... September isn't as busy as the other months. It's lower on the all of the crowd calendars. If it's during Labor Day, it may be a little busier but I've never been that first week.

Thanks in advance for any information or advice....I am off to scour the boards

Good Luck!

 

[tigerlilly]

Thank You so much for all the advice!!

I just read the thread on "fastpass" plus and the rules etc.

My expectations are fairly moderate There are actually rides I do not have to do since we do them so often here...such as Soarin' and TSMM (so that is good with the Fastpass +options)....I just have to get used to the overall concept.

On dining...that is my one worry. But we really are pretty flexible. I am willing to do "off" restaurants in terms of popularity. There are only a few we "have" to do...one is Boma (eating there is one of my daughters glowing memories from our trip when she was 9)

jsal318: My daughter's move in date at UCLA is actually September 27! Classes don't begin until Oct. 2...it is good for Sept. trips but bad for May or June since she will not finish her first year until mid/late June

 

[basketlacey]

I am frequently planning my trips less than 2 months out. Or least doing the ADR and FP planning. We went on Spring Break and I did everything including the resort at the 1 month mark.

We are going in July and I still have only booked 2 restaurants and a couple days of FP+ (I am waiting on my daughters' dance schedule).

I think you will be fine. Also, Boma is pretty easy to get.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I don't think so! We are going Sept 10-16th and its supposed to be the lowest crowd levels of the year. I mean its Disney so it will still be busy but better than mid summer

You should be fine, just put your planner pants on and get some hard work going! You're still in the 60 day limit for FP+ so you should still be able to snag good ones if you plan it out!!

The only snag I can foresee is being flexible with your resort and dining ADRs because it is free dining and a lot of those places are full. But, you can still get some great resorts/restaurants if you are willing to be flexible and maybe try a new place! (Most of the popular/faves are gone, but if you check often you may get lucky! Plus we are still within the 45day mark so I think as long as you are adamant about checking, you'll find stuff opening up as people begin to cancel

 

[SillySallySews]

There are only a few we "have" to do...one is Boma (eating there is one of my daughters glowing memories from our trip when she was 9)

We often plan our trips on short notice because of my husband's job. We leave for our next trip in five days and I just booked Boma last week. You might have to be a little flexible on times/days, but two months in advance is plenty of time to plan in my opinion. Even with FP+ you should have no problem making selections this far out for most things. SDMT and A&E might be your only problems, but even those could have availability between now and then. Early September will be hot but crowds should be low since most kids will have just gone back to school. Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I just booked a trip one month out so I must be insane.

 

[Mrs. Toaster]

Definitely not crazy! My husband frequently has a conference in Orlando, and we never find out more than a couple of months in advance. We grew up in CA and make regular trips back there to Disneyland with the kids, so like you, there are certain rides we can pass by. That being said, it is fun to go on a ride like Pirates, just to see how it differs from the CA park! The biggest challenge we have with short notice is not getting the hotel room we want, but getting the dining reservations we want. We can always get some good ones, but they aren't the hard to get ones, like Le Cellier. I still haven't made it to that place!

 

[awalker1015]

Not too late at all! We booked our Oct 2013 trip in mid August leaving only two months to plan. We stayed at POR and were able to get FP+ for everything we wanted. I had to be flexible with ADRs as some availability was limited but we were able to book at San Angel Inn, Garden Grill, Raglan Road and even scored a Be Our Guest dinner reservation the morning of.

 

[ThePetLady7]

I just booked our mother/daughter trip 35 days out. We were flexible with our resort choice and ADRs but really got most everything we wanted. We ended up with AKL pool view, and all the restaurants we wanted had availability, though we tend to book more lunches than dinners. FP+ had a good choice of options as well. I used to always book 6 months in advance, but with the proper perspective quick trips are definitely doable.

 

[LaughinPlace289]

I just returned last week from a trip that was planned LESS than two months out and had a great time! You will want to get your FP+ reservations figured out before making other plans and from there you can plan everything else around your allotted times. Unfortunately, with this new system you no longer have as much say in your return times meaning flexibility is a must... especially when you are planning somewhat late in the game.

Also, FP+ is less about quantity than the old system and more about timing. Unless you plan on taking a break from the parks during the day, it makes more sense to stand by at a few rides in the morning and use your FPs during peak hours rather than burn them first thing and be stuck waiting in line all afternoon. Even if you are able to get three more, chances the return times will not be until late.

Best of luck to you!

 

[WiscMomof2]

Just booked a mid-August mom and daughter trip as a HS graduation gift for oldest DD a few days ago and am having no trouble getting dining reservations for everything we want and FP+ for all the major headliners at good times.

 

[kangaroodle]

Not crazy at all! I planned a visit for SPRING BREAK last year---only 2 weeks out. I got a few days at a DVC resort (not even in a row) and waitlisted for 3 days. It all worked out and we had a fun time. MK closed to capacity every day we were there but we still had fun!