Farthest Out you've started planning

[jkl2000]

We were last at WDW Oct 2013. Our next trip is planned for some time in the latter three quarters of 2017! (#2 son will turn 8 then, and that's when he feels he'll be ready for some of the bigger rides, which I think is correct.) BTW, I owe you all a trip report - woefully overdue!!

I've gotten the bug and got the 2016 Unofficial Guide - so I'm immersed somewhat but just for fun. And, we've started saving for the trip using the online service Digit, which takes a little money from your bank account every few days and hoards it away - a fun way to save. It does it in such a way that you feel no pain, using their own algorithms.

But I really don't know the dates at all yet. The plan is that #1 son will be a freshman in college (why am I not using Digit for that? ) so getting away from school might be a touch easier. We'll see.

Anyway, I know it's hard without firm dates, but anyway, if you knew you were about 1 & 1/2 to 1 3/4 years out, how much would you be planning? Maybe the fantasizing for fun, and reading up for fun is the best way, until we're one year out.

 

[Graham9]

I find it difficult to plan until I know where we are staying and what offers are about when we book our trip. However, this time, we pencilled in at least half of what we want to do some two years ago, based on what we want to see and what we missed last time. Once we are confirmed as coming, then we make more detailed plans. Finally, at 60 days out, we finalise everything when we have those Fastpasses mapped out.

 

[andy773]

I'm part of DVC so that sort of forces you to plan long-term so that you maximize the use of your points. I've only been a member since 2013, but I already have done a trip with borrowed points, one with current points and my next one with banked points: Aulani in April 2016. So right now my trip furthest out is 6 nights in a BLT studio in February 2020. I have four other trips planned out between Aulani and that.

 

[WhatJaneSays]

WDW planning is a bit random as I'm local to the area … but there are some special WDW trips that I do always plan for. Like favorite relative's or friend's little one's first trip I'm helping plan at the 18-12 month out mark, but my own personal onsite trips might be planned as little as 48 hours in advance due to work scheduling.

As an aside: I've been in pre-planning mode for my April 2016 Disneyland 60th trip since 2013, even though I'm only just now trying to solidify it. And I've just started pre-planning for the D23 Expo in 2017 even though they haven't put the dates out yet.

 

[jkl2000]

One thing I'm realizing, which will help, is that we really can't interfere with our kids school schedules again ( yes, we did! That's another story! ) So we will have to go during a somewhat crowded, hot, rainy time, or an off-season cool time. But...I'm ok with that, and it makes picking the "perfect" week less important.

 

[jkl2000]

Real Mad Hatter left these forums some time ago, due to a misunderstanding and harsh words exchanged between several members.

Gee, that's a shame. He really contributed a lot. Do you know if he's on another forum?

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

I have begun planning two years out-no booking anything, just planning. Then we bumped the trip up 14 months which made me extremely happy!

Real Mad Hatter left these forums some time ago, due to a misunderstanding and harsh words exchanged between several members.

Oh wow I remember him. I have wondered from time to time where he has gone. Thanks for clearing this up. Dare I ask what the subject of the arguing was or should I leave it alone?

 

[jkl2000]

Gee, that's a shame. He really contributed a lot. Do you know if he's on another forum?

Yike, I found the thread where that went down... Well, onward and upward.

 

[jkl2000]

I have begun planning two years out-no booking anything, just planning. Then we bumped the trip up 14 months which made me extremely happy!



Oh wow I remember him. I have wondered from time to time where he has gone. Thanks for clearing this up. Dare I ask what the subject of the arguing was or should I leave it alone?

If you search for posts by Real Mad Hatter it's not hard to find the thread.

 

[Figgy1]

I have begun planning two years out-no booking anything, just planning. Then we bumped the trip up 14 months which made me extremely happy!



Oh wow I remember him. I have wondered from time to time where he has gone. Thanks for clearing this up. Dare I ask what the subject of the arguing was or should I leave it alone?

Please leave it!

 

[AlanaWalsh]

Planning our January 2018 trip.. Was going to be September 2017 but circumstances changed. Not a lot to do at the moment in terms of booking (obviously) but planning stages are going good so far. It will be our first time too.

 

[Figgy1]

Planning our January 2018 trip.. Was going to be September 2017 but circumstances changed. Not a lot to do at the moment in terms of booking (obviously) but planning stages are going good so far. It will be our first time too.

Welcome aboard and have a magical first trip.

 

[Ted Daggett]

We try to go every other year to WDW. I think our "planning" informally begins while we are at the park the previous time, asking, "where do you think we should stay next time", or "we should eat there next time". However, it is hard to plan too far out due to Southwest flight availability, school calendars, and Disney discounts. Typically, I will pick a week that we want to go, then book our ADRs at the 180 day mark. Then see which days will be cheaper to fly in and out of MCO during time periods when Disney is discounting rooms. The ADRs unfortunately typically will restrict us to a park on a given day, but now, as a result of the magic bands, at the 60 day mark we have our entire trip planned...

that being said, we are going again in Dec 2015. In April 2015 I booked the flights on JetBlue, and in June 2015 I made the ADRs, and planned which fast passes+ I would like to secure. Now just waiting until mid October to make my FastPass+ selections that I planned out back in June.

 

[Figgy1]

We try to go every other year to WDW. I think our "planning" informally begins while we are at the park the previous time, asking, "where do you think we should stay next time", or "we should eat there next time". However, it is hard to plan too far out due to Southwest flight availability, school calendars, and Disney discounts. Typically, I will pick a week that we want to go, then book our ADRs at the 180 day mark. Then see which days will be cheaper to fly in and out of MCO during time periods when Disney is discounting rooms. The ADRs unfortunately typically will restrict us to a park on a given day, but now, as a result of the magic bands, at the 60 day mark we have our entire trip planned...

that being said, we are going again in Dec 2015. In April 2015 I booked the flights on JetBlue, and in June 2015 I made the ADRs, and planned which fast passes+ I would like to secure. Now just waiting until mid October to make my FastPass+ selections that I planned out back in June.

Welcome aboard

 

[Figgy1]

I just got the go ahead to start putting some plans together for spring 2017, I haven't even made our August 2016 ADRs yet

 

[Disnee4Me]

In my head I started planning this upcoming December trip right after our 2009 December trip. Was going to go in 2013, but my DH ended up in NYU (brain aneurysm surgery), then last December (DS #1 had complications from a tonsillectomy). Now I am slowly recovering from a bunionectomy (sp?). Hopefully nothing will happen to DS #2. So I booked this trip in October 2014 as some Disney $$$s were about to expire. So 14 months out and I still couldn't get reservations to Liberty Tree Tavern for Christmas Day...

 

[Figgy1]

In my head I started planning this upcoming December trip right after our 2009 December trip. Was going to go in 2013, but my DH ended up in NYU (brain aneurysm surgery), then last December (DS #1 had complications from a tonsillectomy). Now I am slowly recovering from a bunionectomy (sp?). Hopefully nothing will happen to DS #2. So I booked this trip in October 2014 as some Disney $$$s were about to expire. So 14 months out and I still couldn't get reservations to Liberty Tree Tavern for Christmas Day...

Don't give up hope as they aren't taking any durring the refurb

 

[jengrey]

The furthest I've started planning out is...now! I just got back yesterday but booked a FD bounce back for 9/18 - 9/25 at POR before we left. Usually the furthest I've planned out has been 6 months...the next 347 days will be tough but it will be fun to plan.

 

[JourneysEnd]

9 months for me.

 

[Tinkerbell 2000]

I started planing our next trip in June 2014 we are not going until May 2016.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Our last trip was November 2014, we started planning for our next trip in 2017 as soon as we got on the MDE to take us to the airport.
The booking window for our trip should open up sometime around April or May next year if Disney UK follow their usual pattern so we are now in full scale planing mode.