how far in advance do you plan

TheGuyThatMakesSwords

Well-Known Member
US? Over 1 year.

DVC, 11 months. AIR about 11 months. Dining 6 months. FP 60 days to trip. TIW under 30 days to next/third visit.
I have a rolling calendar of booking deadlines - all targeted to a smooth vacation every 6 months.

...and I've been doing this for 12 years :).

We are going in APR, 2018. Already booked for NOV 2018, with XMAS PTY tickets :).
 
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crxbrett

Well-Known Member
In years past I used to start planning maybe 8 months before and would start booking airfare and hotel room and stuff about 6-7 months before.

This last trip I went on last summer was super spontaneous and I booked it only 3 months before. I had to pay more for a room and didn't get all the times for ADRs I wanted though. Also, airfare was more because it was so close.

The trip I am going on this year? Believe it or not, I had already booked it before I had left for my trip last Sep! LOL It felt good to already have a $500 deposit down before I was even at DW for the current trip. So I went from 3 months before last year to a whopping 13 months for this year's trip! Was worth it though. I got all my ADRs already and will have the trip paid off a good 3 months before I even get there!

I also prefer letting my work know that I am going on a 2-week vacation at least 5-6 months before I go.
 
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Tk0021

Active Member
Like others a year or so. This year I told my self I would not make the reservation till the 180 day mark then I remembered the park ticket price increase in February and I had to give in.
 
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Tk0021

Active Member
Like others a year or so. This year I told my self I would not make the reservation till the 180 day mark then I remembered the park ticket price increase in February and I had to give in.
 
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We typically book the trip 6-9 months in advance.

In reality I start planning and pretending I'm booking it a couple of weeks after we get home just to help elevate the post-disney sadness that comes with no longer being there.
 
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Goofy KC

New Member
Since we started going a few times a year we are ALWAYS planning. Working on 3 trips right now - June and November '18 and March '19. I only wish we didn't have to wait for airlines to post fares.
 
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We live in Houston, so it's something we have to plan in advance due to PTO, etc.
Our first trip, we stayed 9 days so I planned a year (14 months) in advance and I'm so glad I had the time to do so. Now, we plan about 2-4 months in advance, never less than 180 days (for ADR reasons), based on how long we're going and our budget. But now I know what to do, what interests us, etc. This is just for WDW; for any other parks I would do the same (plan longer in advance for my first time or depending on budget).
 
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NewDizKid

New Member
I had been planning going to Disney since 2012. I had been promising my kids since that long. Last year I had it planned for September, but I became pregnant with my third child. So around 40 days out I planned a trip to Disney, infant in tow. We had a blast. We are now planning another trip next year around this time! So for me, it is 40 days, then 365+ days.
 
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