How far ahead do you plan?

[ClaraOswald]

When looking at your points...how far ahead do you tentatively "plan" your trips?

I honestly feel like this would be easier if A) we had a LOT of points and B) we went more often. (Two things that won't be happening at this point.)

We plan to go to WDW 2 years in a row and then skip a year. And then likely continue that pattern for a while. For DLR, we plan at least once every 18 months. But sometimes trips may be only 6 months apart. Sometimes 12 months. It just depends. And because of that, it's making my head explode a bit trying to plan things out so that we don't end up short one year or have too many extra.

So I've basically written out different options/ideas from now until about 2031. But I KNOW it will all change so it's probably pointless. But it helps my anxiety to have some ideas on paper anyway. Though I'm kind of running into a "too many points" situation some years with our BRV points.

Anyway....do you guys just plan a year at a time? Do you think ahead a few years? Or are you a completely normal person who just flies by the seat of their pants?

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following. I'm curious too. I'm in the process of buying my first resale dvc contract

 

[davidhr]

12 months out mostly. We have 2-3 non Disney trips during the year and we plan around those, so I know we are going to Disney in 2026, but still don’t know when. We already know when we’re going in 2025, which is September and December.

 

[tx911]

When looking at your points...how far ahead do you tentatively "plan" your trips?

I honestly feel like this would be easier if A) we had a LOT of points and B) we went more often. (Two things that won't be happening at this point.)

We plan to go to WDW 2 years in a row and then skip a year. And then likely continue that pattern for a while. For DLR, we plan at least once every 18 months. But sometimes trips may be only 6 months apart. Sometimes 12 months. It just depends. And because of that, it's making my head explode a bit trying to plan things out so that we don't end up short one year or have too many extra.

So I've basically written out different options/ideas from now until about 2031. But I KNOW it will all change so it's probably pointless. But it helps my anxiety to have some ideas on paper anyway. Though I'm kind of running into a "too many points" situation some years with our BRV points.

Anyway....do you guys just plan a year at a time? Do you think ahead a few years? Or are you a completely normal person who just flies by the seat of their pants?

I don't have a ton of points, but I actually think it might be harder to have a ton because you'd constantly be planning trips.

I plan mine prior to the 11 month booking window.

Then once I've got a room, I start outlining what park or parks we'll visit each day, possible ADRs, and other activities we might want to try.

At 7 months I may try to modify to a non-home resort I haven't tried before.

Then the countdown begins to the 60 day mark for ADRs, etc.

I'm still at a point where I really enjoy all the planning!

 

[Wedgeout]

My planning and spreadsheets usually are all ideas & dreaming into the next two UY’s with nearly all reservations made at 11 months.

 

[Chili327]

I'd say about a year or so. lol

Case in point, this thread is old & i keep adding to it, and getting nervous to be ready when the 11 month day hits that I'm ready & know which order to book things with which points, etc.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/planning-a-dvc-trip.3952226/page-4#post-65792712

Total Points Available
AKV 103 Total available – In the end: 59 + 59 = 118 (103) need 15
BWV 150 Total Available – In the end: 135 (150) 15 left over ^
BLT 122 Total Available – In the end: 78 + 66 = 144 (-122) need 22 or 34 if TPV
SAP 4 VGC, + 41 Left over at 7 months


11 Month Window

• Nov 25th - Book AKV - Sat & Sun, Studio SV x2 - 39+39=78 (25left)
• Nov 27th - Book BWV - Mon, Tues, Wed, 2bdrm Boardwalk/Preferred - 135 (15 left)
• Nov 30th - Book BLT - Thurs, Fri & Sat Studio ThemePark View - 27=27=24=78 (44 left)
• Nov 30th - Book BLT – Thurs, Fri & Sat Studio Lake View - 20+23=43 (1 left)

7 Month Window (45 SAP)

• Mar 30th - Book or Waitlist BLT Sat (anything) 23 (22 left)
• Mar 30th - Book/Add AKV Studio SV for Friday 20x2=40 (optional, but need 18)

 

[gatordoc]

My work schedule is very predictable - we have 3 trips a year planned through 2030.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Maybe I should put my flame-retardant suit on first.

Probably 3-4 times in the past 15 years, I have booked at 11 month. Mostly at Thanksgiving or Easter week for a special room at one of our homes, BLT. We average 3-5 trips per year. I book whatever I can get that suits me at the moment at 6-7 months out and waitlist something if I'm inclined. We stay mostly at Kidani in a savanna view (Our first home).

I book park reservations at about a month out because AP and because I have to. About every other trip, I may make a dining reservation if there's a birthday or something special.

That's it. That's my planning. I've never bought into all the rhetoric and preparation. It's my vacation. We go with the flow. And I don't have complaint one about doing it that way since day one when we bought in. I'll never buy the pay to ride. I'll either stand in line or pass it by. Been there. Done them all.

 

[Sandisw]

I actually book 11 months in advance for all my trips since I never know when I will go or who might want to go with me.

So, I book rooms each month, November through April, of a variety of room sizes and then. cancel what I don’t need when the trip gets finalized

This way, I have what I need. For the summer months, I tend to book those more from 3 to 6 months since those are the extra trips!!

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

We usually have the use year planned out about a year before the first trip hits.
We're Feb use year so in like in January 2024 we had 2025 all sketched out.
And then book right at 11 months.
At least I think that's what we do. Haha.

 

[CWTC]

We usually plan 12-24 months out if we are doing a room at a non home resort that requires a lot of points - I don’t want to “orphan” left over points and I want to make sure we pick the right contracts (we have 8 spread over 4 resorts) to pull from. We have 8 nights in a poly bungalow booked UY25 and are planning on booking 7 nights in a AUL GV at the end of UY25. So I created a spreadsheet with UY 24/25/26 points mapped out to save enough points for a week at VGC and BCV in there as well. I’m pretty sure I did it right.

If all our planned stays are at a home resort, then we just put a calendar reminder to book at 11 months, no thinking required.

 

[ehh]

Vacation time, vacations, and DVC points are all mapped out in spreadsheets through end of 2027. Though of course stuff comes up and plans can change, especially when DCL announces new stuff.

When buying a contract that has a specific purpose and where weekends land on the calendar could impact the number of points needed, I plan for all 7 day-of-the-week varations and make sure that there's no points excess or shortage that interferes before 2041 (barring an inevitable points chart change).

A specific contract of mine also has a small points deficit (~14pts/yr) that will prevent its intended use in 2034, so I have some alternative scenarios mapped out through 2034 for a subset of planned stays to ameliorate that issue.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

I plan 12-18 months out but it’s relatively easy since we almost always go the same weeks every year. So really the only planning is whether we want to stick to a home resort or try our luck at 7 months. For better or worse I am a creature of habit!

 

[tx911]

Vacation time, vacations, and DVC points are all mapped out in spreadsheets through end of 2027. Though of course stuff comes up and plans can change, especially when DCL announces new stuff.

When buying a contract that has a specific purpose and where weekends land on the calendar could impact the number of points needed, I plan for all 7 day-of-the-week varations and make sure that there's no points excess or shortage that interferes before 2041 (barring an inevitable points chart change).

A specific contract of mine also has a small points deficit (~14pts/yr) that will prevent its intended use in 2034, so I have some alternative scenarios mapped out through 2034 for a subset of planned stays to ameliorate that issue.

Wow!
That's next-level planning!

 

[DebbieB]

Right now I’m planning October (BWV) and December (VGC) 2025.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Right now I’m planning October (BWV) and December (VGC) 2025.

Which days in December 2025 for VGC are you looking at? That's when we're thinking as well! Seems so far away!

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I’m a planner and have pretty firm ideas out to about 2032, when the kids graduate. We have to stick to their schedule, and I promised my husband we’d never go to FL June-October again with the heat, so we’re pretty committed to. I am also now skipping a year to go more baller with room/resorts and maximizing APs.

Yeah, anal be thy name. I love planning.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I actually book 11 months in advance for all my trips since I never know when I will go or who might want to go with me.

So, I book rooms each month, November through April, of a variety of room sizes and then. cancel what I don’t need when the trip gets finalized

This way, I have what I need. For the summer months, I tend to book those more from 3 to 6 months since those are the extra trips!!

And I get the rooms you turn loose. Thank you for that!

 

[Chili327]

We usually plan 12-24 months out if we are doing a room at a non home resort that requires a lot of points - I don’t want to “orphan” left over points and I want to make sure we pick the right contracts (we have 8 spread over 4 resorts) to pull from. We have 8 nights in a poly bungalow booked UY25 and are planning on booking 7 nights in a AUL GV at the end of UY25. So I created a spreadsheet with UY 24/25/26 points mapped out to save enough points for a week at VGC and BCV in there as well. I’m pretty sure I did it right.

If all our planned stays are at a home resort, then we just put a calendar reminder to book at 11 months, no thinking required.

Do you use anything besides spread sheets?
Like https://dvctripplanner.com it seems to be the best I can find, but I wish I could do a few things differently.
I’m not very good with spreadsheets so I’m always looking for other options.

 

[CWTC]

Do you use anything besides spread sheets?
Like https://dvctripplanner.com it seems to be the best I can find, but I wish I could do a few things differently.
I’m not very good with spreadsheets so I’m always looking for other options.

Spreadsheets have been the only thing that seem to do what i want them to do. The only resource I use are the point charts.

Setting up the spreadsheet is a pain each time but there is also something oddly satisfying about it too.