How far in advance to plan/book?

[princess_disneymom]

We are planning a trip December 2008 and I was wondering how far in advance should I start to plan? Also, the last time we went (May 06'), I was not happy with our travel agent (AAA). How can I find someone who is knowledgeable about Disney vacations?

TIA

 

[TheDizMom]

We have always gone through Disney themselves, which most people on here would not agree with. It has worked well for us and this way we can book our room and pay for that. Once we get that expense down we save up a little more and get the park tickets. We get those payed off and then save a bit again and get the dining plan. This way we don't have one big chunck of money coming out at one time and are all payed up before we arrive. It has worked pretty slick for us. I say start making reservations and plans about a year out and get those ADR's at the 180 days out time frame. Christmas time is really busy so I don't think it ever hurts to start early.

 

[princess_disneymom]

I've always heard that the first week in December is one of the least busiest times. Is this not true?

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I've always heard that the first week in December is one of the least busiest times. Is this not true?

Disney in general has picked up, so the slow times aren't as slow as they once were. It's a good time to go, though.

I never book more than 5 or 6 months out. No travel agent for us. I look for deals and book each component separately.

 

[pixidust princess]

We have always gone through Disney themselves, which most people on here would not agree with. It has worked well for us and this way we can book our room and pay for that. Once we get that expense down we save up a little more and get the park tickets. We get those payed off and then save a bit again and get the dining plan. This way we don't have one big chunck of money coming out at one time and are all payed up before we arrive. It has worked pretty slick for us. I say start making reservations and plans about a year out and get those ADR's at the 180 days out time frame. Christmas time is really busy so I don't think it ever hurts to start early.

This is a great idea, but how do you get the dining plan by booking your components seprately? Money is an issue for our May 2008 trip, so I would like to start paying on it now, but cannot book a package until mid-summer 2007. If it were not for the dining plan, we would book our room only now and add the rest later, but we loved the dining plan on our 2006 trip. Thanks for your help!