Planning WAY ahead!

[Hettie]

I feel a little craycray because I am already planning a September 2018 trip in my mind...that's almost 2 1/2 years away! Gah! We made the decision to not go back to WDW until our son is 3, so we're using 2016 points for HHI and banking 2017 points for a mega-trip in 2018. There aren't even point charts yet, but I have it all figured out. Lol. Pretty sure I know what we'll be doing in 2019 too. Do you guys plan this far out?

 

[TagsMissy]

We'll have an idea if we'll want to go to a certain location ((WDW/Aulani etc)) but we won't have specifics worked out but will have a vague idea if we'll need points or not. I am planning Sept 2017 because we're bringing friends along and will need a 2 BR so our options are more limited due to Food and Wine. Normally if it's just two of us we can do studios or one bedrooms so there's more open choices.

 

[Goofy G]

planning our first multi-trip "year". Thanksgiving (I'm sure that will be a mistake!), March 17, and June 17. Part of the planning has turned into what about the next bundle of points?!?!? SO....hello spring 2018!

 

[disneynutz]

I had to check our DVC schedule and it goes out to 2025.

Bill

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

We take a vacation each spring & fall - some at WDW & some elsewhere. I've got the destinations planned out until 2020. Obviously more details set in stone for the ones happening sooner.

 

[johnsbelt]

We are planning a mega trip for 19 (grand daughter will be 5 and the 5 of us will be in a 2 bedroom, plus daughters in laws will be in a studio) and a smaller one for 17, but moved the smaller one up to 16 because our TIW card will still be good thru November. Since we don't know how much the kids will want to go and how many grand kids there will be, not planning in detail beyond 19. But our current plan is about every other year until I can't get down to see Mickey. I figure the kids will get our BLT contracts when the wife and I can no longer travel.

 

[ludari]

I really enjoy planning my trips. Now I haven't planned anything as far as you have but I've got most of my vacation days committed for 2017. My next step is to start working some of the details (flights, hotels, car rentals, itineraries, etc.).

 

[Anal Annie]

Unfortunately tho I love to plan I change my mind too often and circumstances change too frequently to put anything down as a firm decision. Sure, I THINK about things / plans / ideas but we're in a state of flux now with our DS being a college freshman. We have (big) tuition bills now and he has new (changing) commitments that will affect whether or not he can continue to travel with us. (I'm still trying to accept that this summer may be the last time he can join us for a summer family vacation.) Up until last weekend I was entertaining the idea of planning another trip to CA (DL) for next year. Then I came to my senses about the cost and decided we'd be better off just renewing our AP's in July when they expire (when compared to the price of buying a weeks worth of hoppers for example) and we'll just plan for another year with 3 trips to WDW. This really turned into a firm decision when I decided last weekend that I wanted to go back down for F&W again this fall and I knew if I didn't get it booked the availability would be gone. And because I had to borrow to make the res and we have a Dec. UY the decision needed to be firm. I also didn't want to pay for a few days hoppers out-of-pocket with the current pricing. Flights to stay on the east coast are cheaper than going to the left coast and we can drive on 1 trip per year to save even more. I think the furthest out I've ever "really" planned trips and stuck with them was 2 years (like for Aulani or Europe - what I would call "big trips"). At this point tho I think my long range planning is limited to about a year!!

 

[com_op_2000]

I am always planning at least 3 years out.
Back in Feb '11, found out DD was having our latest DGS.
The next day started planning out points for a DCL with two rooms using points in Spring of '14.
This is just one example of laying out my points on a spreadsheet that works for us.