How last minute is your quickest planned trip?

[Think Tink]

My best friend and I live in Ohio and yesterday just book a trip and I leave tomorrow now. I love our last-minute planning. Staying at Caribbean Beach and also visiting my mom in Tampa for a night. Does anyone else have a tendency not to plan as far out and book last minute? (Not talking about locals who can wake up and decide, though I am incredibly jealous of that!)

 

[Weather_Lady]

I think the idea of a last-minute trip is incredibly exciting! Whenever I hear of someone doing it, I imagine some young, sophisticated, fancy-free young woman (or man) with cooler friends, cooler luggage, and cooler sunglasses, than I will ever have, and for some reason, a trendy straw hat...

Unfortunately, with a busy family of four to plan around (including 2 kids who play school and travel sports, sometimes 2-3 at a time, for 9 months out of the year, a husband who works full-time and leads a very active Boy Scout troop with monthly campouts, and me, who also works full-time, gets only 2-3 weeks of vacation a year, and spends all summer on community theatre productions), we are long past the point where we're able to be spontaneous without tearing somebody away from a pre-existing obligation.

That said, our "fastest" WDW vacation (from booking to travel) was a whopping 7 months. Our fastest non-WDW vacation was about 4 weeks (a road trip to the Adirondacks for a week at an incredible rented lake house), but that was in the middle of a COVID lockdown, when our calendars were wide open!

I think it's awesome that you can "carpe diem," OP, and wish you and your friend an awesome trip! We who cannot do such things envy you.

 

[ppet]

In the past last minute for my wife and I would be around 2 weeks. This year we purchased APs and things are a little different. We live in TN so it's about 9-10 hour drive. In May my wife saw that Berlin would be playing at the Flower and Garden Festival. We quickly found a room at POFQ and were heading down. The last minute trip was great and we loved the band.

 

[Think Tink]

I think the idea of a last-minute trip is incredibly exciting! Whenever I hear of someone doing it, I imagine some young, sophisticated, fancy-free young woman (or man) with cooler friends, cooler luggage, and cooler sunglasses, than I will ever have, and of course, a trendy straw hat...

Unfortunately, with a busy family of four to plan around (including 2 kids who play school and travel sports, sometimes 2-3 at a time, for 9 months out of the year, a husband who works full-time and leads a very active Boy Scout troop with monthly campouts, and me, who also works full-time, gets only 2-3 weeks of vacation a year, and spends all summer on community theatre productions), we are long past the point where we're able to be spontaneous without tearing somebody away from a pre-existing obligation.

That said, our "fastest" WDW vacation (from booking to travel) was a whopping 7 months. Our fastest non-WDW vacation was about 4 weeks (a road trip to the Adirondacks for a week at an incredible rented lake house), but that was in the middle of a COVID lockdown, when our calendars were wide open!

I think it's awesome that you can "carpe diem," OP, and wish you and your friend an awesome trip! We who cannot do such things envy you.

Well, I am far from cool but my friend and I are 30 (me) and 29 (her) so you can be the judge how old or young we are ha! My husband and her fiance weren't able to get the time off but she had vacation time and I work remotely, so it just worked out.

Neither of us has kids, so that definitely changes how quickly one can plan anything. My sister has three and I know how hectic her schedule can get, but I love going to the soccer games and such to see the pure joy on my nephew's faces and my sister's while she watches them.

Full stop on the community theater! That is AMAZING. I am jealous as I have always wanted to get involved in something like that. And a lakehouse sounds incredible. My husband and I are going to Ocean City, Maryland next month and I'm looking forward to a more slow pace vacation.

 

[Think Tink]

In the past last minute for my wife and I would be around 2 weeks. This year we purchased APs and things are a little different. We live in TN so it's about 9-10 hour drive. In May my wife saw that Berlin would be playing at the Flower and Garden Festival. We quickly found a room at POFQ and were heading down. The last minute trip was great and we loved the band.

Sounds incredible and FQ is one of my favorites! Just tried it in April.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

The most last minute I've done is just under a month.
I've considered a let's go tomorrow but the stars did not align with the flights so figured it wasn't meant to be.

 

[SaucyBoy]

My parents and I decided three weeks ago to scoot down the week of July 4th. WDW wasn't on our radar this summer as we are going on a week long Alaska Cruise in August but, as the slogan says, "The Magic Was Calling"

 

[MickeyCB]

About one week, when they announced the opening of Galaxies Edge Passholder Preview. That was a fun 3 day trip with scrambling for flights etc.
It really increased the energy in our house for a few days!

 

[erstwo]

I booked on Thursday and left on Friday morning once! My daughter insisted we go - President’s Day weekend 2020. So glad she made me book it - we had no idea the pandemic was coming.
I had a heck of a time getting a resort that time. Nothing (and I mean zero availability came up online) Had to call the phone WDW reservations. The lady who helped us was so nice. She booked us the first night at Art of Animation (Little Mermaid), second night at Grand Destino (I think that’s how you spell it!) and last night at Contemporary. She deserved an award for all that!
Have a great trip!!
(ETA - that was my only last minute booking where I flew down. Have had several ‘I’m in Florida anyway so while we are in the area’, trips but I don’t think those count by what you were asking. )

 

[happymom25]

Saw the weather was good and crowds were non-existent so we planned a quick trip two days before we left. We have five kids, but it was during Covid days.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

About 2 weeks for WDW, that included flights, hotels, ticket, etc.

A couple times I’ve made the decision to do the 4 hour drive to DL when I woke up though. I’m envious of the people who live within an hour or two who can just go whenever they feel like it.

 

[Vacationeer]

One year we went in Sept and I had a really bad sinus/ear infection that wouldn’t go away, plus it rained most of that trip. DH booked a special surprise trip for us to return in October. It was our first WDW trip as a couple only.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I wish we could but like others we never could do it without having the time to prepare work coverage and other needy details. And have the ability to come up with the money to pay for a last minute trip. Usually its a struggle enough for us to book and plan a year in advance.

 

[jpinkc]

4 days in the before times. We had to switch hotels 3 times in 10 days, to stay on property.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Last trip we booked late on a Friday night and left early on Sunday morning. It was a lot of fun. Usually work schedules prevent me from anything real short notice. That time I had the time off already but wasn’t sure if/where were going until late minute.


Have a great trip!

 

[Myhotdoughnuts]

The plans for our summer 2019 trip came together less than 48 hours before we left town. Our initial destination was to DC, VA, & MD, which would have been a 10-12 hr. drive. Since other things sometime get in the way of initial plans (work, weather), you have to adjust. So, we went somewhere new (the beaches of the St. Petersburg FL area, which was a 7 hr. drive for us). We through in some culture (the Dali Museum) we made a prospective campus visit (University of Central Florida), and threw in a favorite with a night of Disney (Villains After Hours Event). Even had a couple of interesting twists and turns over the five days/4 nights that we were gone. That was our most spontaneous Disney related trip as a family.

 

[heapster411]

The DW and I live in the New Orleans area and the quickest trip plan was 2 Days before Katrina hit. I was on my way home for lunch and the traffic was extremely backed up on I-10 going west. Got to the house and the DW was wanting to leave RIGHT NOW!!!. After giving it a little bit of thought, I said let's evacuate to Disneyworld. No sooner that my last bite was being swallowed, she said we had reservations @ AsM. I went back to work and finished up things, and by the time I returned bags were packed and ready to go. I don't think it gets any quicker than that. We ended up staying @ AsM for around 2 weeks and then stayed in Kissimmee for another 3 weeks. The DW ended up working @ MK as a greeter.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I got dropped off at the airport after finishing some work in Texas and changed my flight home to Orlando. That’s pretty last minute I think? haha.

 

[IanDLBZF]

The quickest I've had for an overnight trip was probably less than 1-day, when my mom was at an Nemours convention at YC. Just got me a few FPs, and a 1-way Amtrak ticket from Winter Park to Kissimmee and we were all set.