How much Planning in advanced is needed?

[Mickeyaveli]

HI all,

I was just wondering how much time you spend simply planning your vacation? How many months do you start to get things ready (hotels/airfare/reservations) I ask this beacause my friend seems to have hiis heart set on going however he always wants to go in a rush. For instance He said in Oct. Lets go to Disney for winter break. I would ahve loved to gone but I dont think there was enough prep time. He also said this past week that he wants to go for New years eve down there this year. I told him that is a touch reservation to get and there would be no way possible to get in for new years with out a couple years in advance. Any thoughts?

 

[the_rich]

when i went from aug 9th to the 16th last year we booked the trip 3 weeks before we were supposed to leave, which meant we had to pay more than we would have if we booked eariler. this year i am hoping to book a trip in august by the end of march

 

[figmentmom]

It pays to plan well in advance, but with the huge number of hotels in the Disney area, I'm willing to bet that a reservation can be had at the last minute if you're willing to make the necessary phone calls. It may not be at your first choice of hotels, but you'll find somewhere to stay.

Since we live in the northeast, our biggest problem is booking flights. My husband and I are teachers, so we're locked into certain weeks during the school year to travel. Unfortunately, those are the exact weeks that EVERYONE wants to travel. Therefore, we plan our air travel almost a year in advance.

As far as planning daily details of the trip, once you have your hotel reservations, flight reservations (if you need them), and car rental (if you need to rent a car), you can be a lot more laid-back. Deciding what on-site restaurants you want to visit in advance is a must, because you'll need to call ahead for priority seatings. If you're more of a go-with-the-flow type, and are not fussy about where (and when) you eat, then you don't need to over-plan. Deciding which park to visit on which day may depend on such variables as the weather, the mood of the group you're traveling with, and indiidual preferences, so we don't plan our trips down to the last detail. For us, it works better to be flexible.

Consider the crowd levels when you're planning what time of year to visit, too. If you really don't like lots and lots of people around, and you hate waiting in line, you might be happier visiting at a less crowded time of year. If you truly hate hot weather, don't go in the summer. You get the idea.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there, You are probably thinking of the good old days when you couldnt get a hotel room on property for years and years ahead of time. Then again at the time they only had the three hotels, The Polynesian, The Contemporary, and the Wilderness Lodge. Now they have 22 hotels on property alone!!!
The shortest amount of time that I have ever planned a trip was we had decided to go on a Monday, I booked it on Tuesday and we arrived Saturday morning of the same week!!!
Certain things such as the Princess Character breakfast do require a touch more time for planning but 90 days. certainly not years. If you want to go on New Years there is PLENTY of time to plan for that!!!
Hope this helps, Belle

 

[Mickeyaveli]

So there is financial benefit to planning well in advanced? How much could one typically save if planning lets say 4 months in advanced over one with just 1 month notice. Also you're saying that New Years now a days is still feasible to book within the same year you want to go on? How long does it take to get booked. Hotel we're looking at is Coronado stayed there twice before and loved it.

Thanks

 

[the_rich]

airplane tickets for one thing. are jet blue tickest cost us 450 dollars each. but this time are tickets will only cost 150 each because we are booking in advance. right there you almost save 1000 dollars. i think that is the only real moneysaver. because we got our rooms at allstars for like 80 a night, which i think is regular price and we got length of stay passes and i dont' think you get a discount on those if you book early

 

[Mickeyaveli]

Oh another good point... passes...what is a length of stay pass? WHat does it give access to? Last time i went i think i went 3 times in a year so I got an annual pass and that was terrific. THis time It would just be regular passes any suggestions onto what the best pass is? duration of trip would be approx 7-10 days at parks

 

[the_rich]

i would get the dream maker package. you get the ultimate park hopper for the length of your stay. it gives you access to everything except wide world of sports for free. you get acces to theme parks, water parks, pleasure island, and disney quest. we went to disney quest three times. right there we saved almost 300 dollars.

 

[the_rich]

oh and length of stay means the passes are good for your whole visit.

 

[Dwarful]

Well for a 7-10 day trip, you will probably be better off going w/ the ap's. Then you might catch an ap discounted rate. If you buy them now at the local disneystore you'll have that expense not only locked in,but also out of the way as well. Great benefit when your talking about the holiday season. Plus they don't "start/activate" your passes until you arrive at WDW. You can also, if you prefer buy the 5-day hoppers at the stores and then add days to them after you have used a day or two. Still, I think you would at least break even on the ap, if not saving some money.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Questions, Questions, Questions!!!!! Ill try to help as best I can,
1) Flights- Generally the further in advance you book, the more you save. This isnt always true though but airfare is very unpredictable. I think you are doing the right thing, planning so far ahead especially around the holidays
2) Park Hopper vs. Length of Stay-
Park Hopper- includes the main 4 parks and extra feature for water parks, Pleasure Island etc. . The number of extra feature is based on the pass you buy 5 usually comes with one plus feature, 6 with 2, 7 with 3 etc. If at any point you dont use one of the plus features or "Days" on your pass they are good forever and have no expiration at all.
Length of stay- Includes unlimited admission to everything from the moment you check in until midnight of your check out day. All unused days, plus features etc all expire at that time but there is no limit during the active period.
Keep in mind at 8 days you have hit the breakeven point for an Annual Pass.
There may be packages for the period of your stay, but they dont come in until MUCH closer to the actual trip!! I would speak with Kingdom Konsultant on these boards, she is a travel agent who like us is Disney crazy!! Pam can give you a bit more insight on what might be a better deal for your travel party. Hope this info helps!! Belle

 

[Mickeyaveli]

sorry for all the ?'s...but thanks verymuch for your help.

 

[wannabeBelle]

It is OK Please ask all the questions you need to. it is better to have the information and never to use it, than to be left floundering around!! Belle

 

[barnum42]

This appears to be something else that is a bit -backwards between UK and US.

Over here, the later you leave it, the cheaper the flight! Often the airlines will drop their prices in order to fill vacant seats.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I always tell my clients to book 6months to a year in advance. I do have quite a few people who book 2/3 years in advance. They pay slowly on a pkg like the silver or gold at one of the deluxes. Then when we can get the airfare (usually 11 months in advance) we take care of that. When a special comes out, I switch it over and transfer all money paid.

Wannabebelle is correct with the flights. The earlier you book, the better. It can be pretty costly the closer you get to your trip. I do search for a good airfare for my clients if I don't like the one that Disney gives them. Disney usually offers bulk air which sometimes is a good deal.

Keep in mind that with the length of stay passes, the longer you stay the cheaper they get day by day after I do believe the 6th day, the price starts to go down per day. Does that make sense?:lol:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Pam