When do you start planning? (Several years between trips)

[White Rose]

for those who do not go all the time, and are planning a trip during a special event (like a ride opening, land opening, or Park Anniversary like MK’s 50th in 2021)

How long before the trip do you start planning? We are thinking of a really big trip, staying deluxe (CR maybe CL) and joining up with other adults and sharing a VIP private tour guide of up to 4 adult couples, right before MK’s 50th, ending the trip a day or two after the Official anniversary date. We are thinking somewhere within sept 26 to Oct 3 window. We are going to see all the new stuff that has opened from Pandora and up. (Starwars, Tron, guardians, etc)

I want to start planning this trip right, and when the day comes that we leave for FL, there is nothing to worry about or do except have fun. No regrets, if possible...no thinking... “I should have...”

What day would you start your trip? We work M-F with not a lot of vacation days (I am only allowed 5 every 6 months) but we have lots of hotel points. In the past we have flown down at night on a Friday, just getting a basic room on points near the airport, and starting our Disney stay in the AM on a Saturday, sept 26. Of course, MK’s anniversary is the NEXT Friday...and I think it would be awesome to be there for that, but I don’t want to leave for home right after such a big day...it would just feel like such a big letdown.

When would you start your trip? Would you leave to go home right after the Anniversary? We can’t even book a room only till NEXT May...but we are also organizing with 3 other couples and need to get our dates and such nailed down for them.

They see us as the Disney Experts... ha! I just read DISBoards!

 

[Disneypro1]

About 1 year out...

 

[angierae]

I'll say this: We are looking at December 2020 and I'm already throwing ideas into a file and working on my budget. But this is DH's first trip since his first, and he's not a ride person, so I'm working hard at finding ways for us both to get what we want out of this trip.

 

[sponica]

I'll say this: We are looking at December 2020 and I'm already throwing ideas into a file and working on my budget. But this is DH's first trip since his first, and he's not a ride person, so I'm working hard at finding ways for us both to get what we want out of this trip.

Yeah my family's doing a big trip next summer, and I've started compiling lists in the past couple months.

I probably won't go into real over drive until dates are booked and even then I won't really get too set on a plan until I know what post GE life will be like.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

In my head, I start on the way home from a trip!

I voice this quietly to DD, a few months later. As we have been very fortunate to go with her and her family every 2 years since 2008, she is my co-conspirator. We then wait until what we believe to be an opportune time to bring up the subject to our husbands, usually about 13 months out. When they are safely on board, we laser focus on dates, flights, and accommodations and let ourselves get swept up in the Disney planning magic.

As we stay off-site, FP+ is our last detail to fill in our plans.

 

[KenHutch]

We have gone 5 times since last June and then we stayed at AKL. As soon as I go back I began planning a trip for 2021. I want to stay at the Poly and the 10 year old AoA so the battle begins. Our trips are usually 10 to12 days at a time. This next one will be shorter because my daughter will be in the middle of her Junior year at KU. I will book rooms as soon as I can and adjust dates when her spring break or other breaks become known. But since I pay for her mother/stepfather and 2 other maternal relative I begin the research on places to eat almost immediately as well as consult both girls on fast pass selection (only consult them on the fast pass).

 

[gorkt]

If you look at my signature, you will see that we go about every three years (once we had to wait an extra year). I usually go the same week every time (Jersey week) so that makes planning easier. We settled on that week because the weather is cooler, we love food and wine, the crowds are moderate, and the kids miss minimal school. We don't really plan to go around specific openings or events, but going every three years usually ensures SOMETHING new is happening. Actually, there wasn't much new in 2016, but we are getting a double whammy this year with both Pandora and TSL (and possibly gondolas and a slim chance of SW:GE being open). I also like trying a different resort every time I go which also adds to the variety. I picked CBR this year soince

I hear you on the limited vacation days. For many of those trips I had 10 days a year. We usually plan around the veterans day holiday, going Friday or Saturday through the following weekend so I take 5-6 days and the kids only end up missing 2-3 days, which I am fine with if it only happens every 3 years. I start planning about a year out. Last fall I started thinking about what lodging I wanted and what fit into my budget. I booked about 11 months in advance, and now until ADR day, I will start looking at what ADRs I want to make, putting priority on difficult reservations.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I continuously read the Dis and blogs just to stay up to date on the happenings of WDW. New rides, ride closures, hotel updates, etc. I always have some kind of idea on what hotel I would like to do next but I don't decide until I see prices. I truly start planning a year out regarding park days, restaurants, possible FP selections and things like that.

I have no idea when our next trip will be. We have a lot going on in the next few years. I'm aiming for 2021 but that's the same year as DD's quinceanera and my son turns 21 days later. But he might want to go to WDW for his 21st birthday. So who knows!

We also go every 3 years or so.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

1 1/2 years to a year.

We decide we want to go again, decide when. Decide on a hotel, how many days, price it out.

Make the reservation.

Then figure out which days/which parks before our ADR window opens.

Right now I am thinking summer 2021, but we haven't gotten any farther than that.

 

[rwdavis2]

We also go only every 4-5 years. We plan once we've picked a date and made hotel reservations.

 

[raraavis]

As soon as I know there will be a trip! But in general, I try to start doing my research about a year out. I started planning our Feb 2020 trip January 2019. And since you can book your hotel 499 days out, why not start the planning then?

 

[Tiggerlover91]

The pattern for my family, since my son came into the picture has been every 4 years. It wasn't done on purpose, it's just the way it worked out. For this trip....I said around April or May of last year that I wanted to take my son to Disney summer of 2019. However, I didn't start "planning" the trip till November/December of last year. I rejoined the DIS back in September I believe and I created a new MDE account in preparation for the trip around the same time I believe. I booked our reservation in January and I'll be purchasing our tickets this week. I'm a FL resident, so I just simply wait for the discounts to hit on rooms and tickets before doing any purchases. FL resident tickets are a good deal anyway, but during the time we go, they have a special ticket that comes out that runs about $20 cheaper a day. VERY worth it! Every year we go, I use our income tax refund to cover the majority of the trip. This year, hubby asked if I could save the spending money from my paycheck. Because he asked me early enough, I absolutely can! I take $150 out every month (I'm a teacher, get paid once a month) and I slide that to my vacation account. All I need in spending money is $600. By time May hits, we'll have $750 actually! We're going June 2nd. A little extra NEVER hurts going to Disney. I stay on the DIS daily to learn new information or ask questions about things I'm not sure of or never experienced. It's amazing the things I learn here on the DIS. I realized on our last trip, I didn't utitlize FP to the max at all! I had 3 each day and that's all I used each day. However....that trip was not the Disney trip I wanted it to be, so how FPs worked out was probably the way it was supposed to happen. Now I know about refresh and how to move FPs up, by doing RD and using FP the number of rides I can knock out by 11am....I'm SO excited about that!

It very well may be 4 years when we go again. Maybe when our son makes it to high school or even not till he graduates. It's just I want to go, I say something to hubby and he's like okay. Because it's not every year, he's pretty easy about it when the subject comes up.

 

[pens4821]

We go every two years. I preliminarily plan right away. We got back about a month ago, and thinking of our next trip. Most likely around Thanksgiving 2020, but maybe fall or spring break (spring would be 2021). I have a rough idea of where we'll stay and what we'll do, but I won't really start planning days until it gets a little closer. Probably about a year out I'll start planning more in depth, but I'll really get going about 6 months out.

I'm on daily though, checking out things and getting ideas. Thinking of things we may want to add/remove from next trip.

We go Sat-Sat and find that works well. I would leave the day after if I were you. That way you have Sunday to chill before going back to work.

 

[White Rose]

After our honeymoon, we decided every 5 years would be our Disney trip. Enough time for new stuff, and we could travel to other places in-between. Since 2013 we have been to WDW 3x and DL once.

There would not have been enough “new” to go in oct 2018...

So, this next trip, tied into MK’s 50th anniversary, (we are anticipating) will need to be planned way ahead of time. We know where we want to stay, just waiting for the price difference between CL and regular MK view rooms at CR. We are not sure if Disney will inflate room prices for the Anniversary dates, so budgeting has been more complex/up in the air. Also, hoping maybe by getting in early, we can avoid some of that inflation. We also want to share a VIP tour guide with friends, so we need to nail down dates much earlier then normal, to get people on board. (That can’t be booked till 6 mo before.)

It’s just so early....too early, to be this excited! I’ve never been to a park on its anniversary or any big deal event. No one knows (or do they?) what will happen that day, yet. I’ve never started planning this far out for a vacation, either.

 

[wilbret]

We tend to go at the same time every year, so the room for the big trip is taken care of months out. For trips thruout the year, I book them whenever i remember to do it!

We talk about what parks to hit during the year, but frankly, it’s often a decision very late in the game. I try to book parks 60 days out to get fast passes, and buy party tickets months out, too.

 

[Shughart]

About one year, one and a half years in advance. For example. We're 298 days out from our upcoming trip and I bought tickets today. I have lists compiled of what we want to do in each park and I just subscribed to TP to start coming up with rough plans. I'm impatiently waiting for MVMCP tickets to go on sale so I can buy those. Trying to figure out where I want to eat this time is hard though, I keep changing my mind. ADR day starts (I'm off-site) June 14th. Fastpass time will be stressful for me because there's a lot of pressure to get FP for SWGE and I can only book mine 30 days out (we will be in DHS at SWGE on his 10th bday as long as it opens on time).

 

[Euby]

I'm planning a trip for late 2020. It'll be a celebration trip for my sister and me (my 50th birthday, her 65th birthday and retirement). My sister really wants to go during Food and Wine, so I'm thinking of Oct/Nov. I know that there is usually a marathon the first wknd of November, so will like to avoid that. We want to stay Deluxe (leaning towards Beach Club). As soon as 2020 is released, I'll be contacting my Dreams Unlimited TA.

In the meantime, I'm working with a savings goal of $2500 for each of us ($5000 for a room and ticket package). Working with the rough time frame of October, that's about 44 paychecks. So 2500/44= @ $57 to put a way each pay period. To supplement that, I'm using Shopkick to earn free Disney gift cards. I can usually earn $25-$50 every 3-4 weeks, so that will help as well. Plus whatever "Disney points" that I can get using my Disney Visa. Bonus savings will come from any tax returns I get or bonuses from work.

Now that leaves me to get in better shape in time for the trip. If I can lose enough weight and get my mobility level up, I may be able to do the trip with having to rent an ECV (which would save me @$200). I have an appointment this week with an Orthopedist to get a steroid injection in my knee.

Does anyone know about when Disney changes over from Halloween into Christmas decorations?

 

[Nancyg56]

If I am seriously planning a trip I get into "planning" about a year out. For a special trip, with extras included, I would be getting info into a notebook, (I am old school) or making notes in a spreadsheet that lives on my desktop.

My real planning begins 7 months from the trip because that is when I need to narrow down park days and make ADR's that the family will want, although I book the rooms as soon as I have dates in place.

For your trip, I would be in planning mode a year out because you have expectations that are going to be very high when you look at the anticipation factor combined with the expense.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm planning a trip for late 2020. It'll be a celebration trip for my sister and me (my 50th birthday, her 65th birthday and retirement). My sister really wants to go during Food and Wine, so I'm thinking of Oct/Nov. I know that there is usually a marathon the first wknd of November, so will like to avoid that. We want to stay Deluxe (leaning towards Beach Club). As soon as 2020 is released, I'll be contacting my Dreams Unlimited TA.

In the meantime, I'm working with a savings goal of $2500 for each of us ($5000 for a room and ticket package). Working with the rough time frame of October, that's about 44 paychecks. So 2500/44= @ $57 to put a way each pay period. To supplement that, I'm using Shopkick to earn free Disney gift cards. I can usually earn $25-$50 every 3-4 weeks, so that will help as well. Plus whatever "Disney points" that I can get using my Disney Visa. Bonus savings will come from any tax returns I get or bonuses from work.

Now that leaves me to get in better shape in time for the trip. If I can lose enough weight and get my mobility level up, I may be able to do the trip with having to rent an ECV (which would save me @$200). I have an appointment this week with an Orthopedist to get a steroid injection in my knee.

Does anyone know about when Disney changes over from Halloween into Christmas decorations?

I do the same thing regarding paychecks. It makes life so much easier.

We were there during Jersey Week and MK was starting to have decorations on 11/2, the day we arrived. The tree was up by 11/4. That was the first tree up. The other parks start changing over during that week. DHS had the tree up by 11/9 and was fully decorated since JBJB started 11/8. All trees were up by 11/10 for sure since we left 11/11 and saw all of the trees. It doesn't all happen at once.

It was nice since we got to do Food and Wine and see the decorations. It really was a great week.

 

[kniquy]

How long before the trip do you start planning?

I think at least a year + for picking your resort. Then with the people in your group - at 8-9 months out put your wishlist together for ADR and rides/attractions you have to hit. From there the plan starts to unfold as you start piecing together your ADR at 6 months out.

I think when traveling with others there needs to be ample time to discuss everyone's wants and needs. If was just a couple traveling it does make it a bit easier to plan.