How far in advance do you plan your trips?

[jrt1176]

I'm always sort of planning... We just got back at the end of January and I don't have a trip to WDW planned anytime soon, but you never know! I have a lot of places I want to take my niece; she is 10 and has been to Disney World twice for a week each visit. Of course, Europe seems to be out right now, so it looks like somewhere in the America's!

I don't like planning so far out, but you have to somewhat at WDW. I don't plan a lot of ADR's, but a few that are hard to get...

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I do my real planning starting about seven months out, so I can figure out dining reservations.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I'm constantly planning in my head and jotting down things, but I don't buckle down and really start planning for a trip until about a year out. I am a big planner so it gives me peace of mind knowing I'm getting everything done and have the time to do it.

 

[knewton64]

Tomorrow will mark 1 week from the end of our last Disney trip and I'm already looking for when to go next, where to stay, WDW or DLR, etc.

Last year we booked 1 month after returning from a trip- 11 months in advance (renting DVC) but once plane ticket prices were released we had to adjust some dates and add a few nights.

So- how early do you start planning and booking?

I work in the Hotel industry and can see and believe in the old adage; if ya want something done and done right - PLAN AHEAD.



So, with that - i plan two years in advance.


EX -

WDW - April 2016
(via MEI Mouse Fan Travel)

SAn Antonio Texas - Nov 2016
(via Collette Vacations.com)

DISneyland Paris - Aug 2017
(via MEI Mouse Fan Travel)

New Orleans, La - April 2018
(via Collette Vacations.com)_
DCL - Dec 2018


It's easy - planning is fun and when ya work ahead, ya usually get exactly what u desire.





T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[Shellyb84]

We started planning our July 2016 trip on the drive home from our trip last July (that was our first big trip as adults and with our DD). That trip got us hooked. We booked about a month after that, our dates and resorts have changed slightly from the original plan. We have already began talking about dates and resorts for summer 2017, we won't actually book anything until after this summer's trip.

 

[kangamangus]

I'm usually always researching things I want to do for our next trip and beyond and my kids do as well. We have our October trip booked and are starting to think about park days, restaurants etc. I also have in the back of my head our 2018 trip I would like to take and stay at the Wilderness Lodge once all the construction is completed over there. Planning and researching are so fun for me and I view it as a "break" from the reality of all the real world responsibilities I have!

 

[GWhitten98]

I starting thinking about our next trip on the way home from the previous trip. No but truthfully it is pretty much immediately, not that I can do much planning. We were planning on going in August and started planning and booking for that around 200 days out. Now it looks like that trip may be a no go and we are moving it to March of 2017....I am already looking at historic discounts, park crowd calendars, park hours, etc for it.

 

[PSUGuy]

Like the OP we rent DVC points, prefer BoardWalk and we go during F&W so our clothes aren't fully unpacked when we start planning next year's trip.

BillFromPA

 

[YawningDodo]

I started planning my September 2015 trip a year in advance, and made the reservations maybe eight months out. That seemed to work pretty well. After I got home I really missed the planning and it finally got me to actually start on my goal to visit all the Disney Parks in the world, so I began planning my May 2017 Disneyland Paris trip almost immediately afterward. That'd make it 19 months (a full two years when I originally thought I'd go September 2017).

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Because I have to get time off from work, I plan the dates months in advance - sometimes as much as a year in advance. I have been often enough to know when I want to go, and what to expect to pay for everything during those periods. I actually book when I see a deal that will work for our family. I don't book anything else (ADRs, FP+, etc) until a few weeks before our trips.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We usually book about 8 months in advance. My trip in November, I wasn't even home for 2 weeks before we booked our September trip. We knew we were going in the beginning of September 2016, so I put in for the time off of work right away, and it was approved pretty quickly. That was quickest I booked a trip after coming home from a trip. Made my post disney blues go away really quick!

 

[arlsdimples]

No, you're not the only one. I don't think I've ever planned any trip anywhere more than 2 months in advance. We might have a general idea of where we'd like to go 6 or more months in advance, but as for actually booking airfare, hotels, etc, nope. 6 weeks to 2 months is the norm.

Our last Disney trip in late October 2015 was booked in early September. Yes, I missed getting the 60 day FP+ for on site guests, but we managed to get everything we wanted, including 7DMT.

This is us as well. Although we have purchased annual passes every other year the last 4 years, which usually means a possible extra trip during the year. We may have a general idea of when we are going but as far as making room reservations it is anywhere from 6 weeks to at the most 3 months, but usually in the 6-8 week range. We simply can not determine eveyones schedule (mostly DH) farther in advance. It just doesn't work that way with his job. We just got home 2 days ago and almost everything was booked the end of February. We still got dinning reservation, including 2 character breakfast and dinner at Ohana's. Actually I had my choice of a Ohana's at one point and gave up 2 other character breakfasts. I still had 7DMT on 3 different days as well.
TBH I would be fine booking a bit farther out. Some things I have started doing differently. I decided to make dining reservation for three different weeks this summer when we go back and as soon as I know which week we will go I will cancel the others. I am trying to push DH to at least book a room by May for our summer trip so I can do FP+. Even though I still despise it I would rather deal with it when it is easier to pick up hard to get attractions than play the game of constantly checking and rearranging. We can still move stuff around and likely will but at least certain attractions will still be an option.

I helped my niece book a quick trip for their small family less than a week before they left. She was going down for work and they had never been there so they decided to make a mini vacation out of it. I got them breakfast at Ohana's, BOG, dinner at PrimeTime, and a variety of fastpasses including one 7DMT. I think a lot of it has to do with familiarity, knowledge and trust me I am always still asking questions because things change or I've never done certain things.

 

[ELSA711]

Usually a year ahead, but already starting for June 2017 now because I have no idea how to plan a summer trip, especially one for 2+ weeks.
We usually do 8-10 days in and around the Halloween time/Jersey week.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

We haven't gone in April-13 days to go-and I'm already planning for October 2017.

 

[EricInPA]

Our park days and such rarely, if ever, vary year to year (we like starting and ending with MK, off day wednesday, etc), so the planning is always going on as we keep a running list of the things we haven't done or one-time splurges for the next trip. Obvious planning starts at 7 months when we can book and then lock in our ADRs.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We are going for the week after Thanksgiving 2017. Just decided on dates and resort and made a list of stuff we missed last time. I won't start seriously planning until a year out.

 

[SwanVT2]

Tomorrow will mark 1 week from the end of our last Disney trip and I'm already looking for when to go next, where to stay, WDW or DLR, etc.

Last year we booked 1 month after returning from a trip- 11 months in advance (renting DVC) but once plane ticket prices were released we had to adjust some dates and add a few nights.

So- how early do you start planning and booking?

Same as you. Haha! Glad I'm not the only one so gung-ho!

 

[augusta1]

Usually about 8-10 months.

 

[hookedonears]

Tomorrow will mark 1 week from the end of our last Disney trip and I'm already looking for when to go next, where to stay, WDW or DLR, etc.

Last year we booked 1 month after returning from a trip- 11 months in advance (renting DVC) but once plane ticket prices were released we had to adjust some dates and add a few nights.

So- how early do you start planning and booking?[/QUOTE

As soon as you think you might be going. Of course there are different levels of planning, which are as follows:
1) Financial - Start saving - Should/Can be started years in advance.
2) Planning the time of year/date can be done years in advance.
3) Travel - If your planning to fly, start looking at prices, possible airfare sales as soon as the flights are released normally 10-11 months in advance.
4) Probably should start planning in earnest 190 days in advance when park hours are released. At that point, touring plans and meal plans will need to be done prior to the 180 day ADR booking window. After that, nothing really left to plan until a few days prior to the 60 day FP window.

 

[hookedonears]

As soon as you think you might be going. Of course there are different levels of planning, which are as follows:
1) Financial - Start saving - Should/Can be started years in advance.
2) Planning the time of year/date can be done years in advance.
3) Travel - If you're planning to fly, start looking at prices, possible airfare sales as soon as the flights are released normally 10-11 months in advance.
4) Probably should start planning in earnest 190 days in advance when park hours are released. At that point, touring plans and meal plans will need to be made prior to the 180 day ADR booking window. After that, nothing really left to plan until a few days prior to the 60 day FP window.