Tasks after booking the resort.

DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
So are there anything you guys/gals do between the window of time of booking your resort and waiting for the ADR to open up for your stay?

I've been fleshing out my itinerary, but admittedly that won't be nailed down until get the ADRs set up. Additionally I'm waiting to see what sort of incentives Disney will offer but for me that won't probably come until this Fall (for my April 2016 vacation).

I've also been obsessing over the meal plan (which numbers wise isn't working out for me).
 
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JasonDeyoung

JasonDeyoung

Well-Known Member
Depending on how long between booking and the dates. If it's 180 or less I book all my adr's immediately. I usually like to know park hours and get a vag idea of what I'll do each day and have a back up just in case and make reservations for each one. I normally just wing it, but I also like trying out new restaurants each trip. Start getting an idea of what FP+ you want for each park and what days and maybe have alternatives in case your first are booked. Think of some room request you may want to ask for. If you're flying in set up your magical express. Maybe research the weather here for whenever you might becoming so you get a idea of what to expect. Coming in April, I'd prob check out some crowd calendars just to see what parks were bad and what ones are suggested. Keep in mind they are just predictions for the current year though. Have fun with it. I enjoy planning out every detail if not multiple times lol
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
Original Poster
I'm in what I guess I consider the dead zone. My vacation is 293 days away, so I'm ways off from any reservations. :p

I'm not a wing it type of guy, though I understand that I need to be flexible in both booking and being there, but for the most part I like to nail down our vacation with a good tight itinerary. :)
 
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JasonDeyoung

JasonDeyoung

Well-Known Member
maflynn said:
I'm in what I guess I consider the dead zone. My vacation is 293 days away, so I'm ways off from any reservations. :p

I'm not a wing it type of guy, though I understand that I need to be flexible in both booking and being there, but for the most part I like to nail down our vacation with a good tight itinerary. :)
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Ah, so you got a good 3 months until you can book your ADR. I'd just make up some schedules, gather as much info and online research and have a set plan for that 180 day mark. It comes quick!
 
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sophie_the_pooh

sophie_the_pooh

Well-Known Member
I like to make a first schedule based upon park hours and EMH. I decide which park/parks (if with park hopper) we'll visit for each day, and then look at restaurant menus to decide where we'll be eating. That way, I already have a list of restaurants to book and I'm ready to get up at the crack of down on my 180 day mark! You can also start working on touring plans on touringplans.com, definitely worth the small fee, very helpful!
 
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KCheatle

KCheatle

Well-Known Member
Yeah - I agree with the above posts. Start making your itineraries and wish lists for your ADRs and FP+. Also, start reading up on "not-normally-thought-of" things that people suggest bringing to WDW and start making a packing list. Since you are ~ a year out, you may be able to pick up sale items this fall/winter (i.e., ponchos).

Have fun planning!! Honestly, I sometimes have a little depression when I leave for a trip because there's nothing left to plan anymore :p:p
 
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JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
I check out the menu sites to get a better idea of which ADR's to make. I check out the Disney site for EMH's to see which parks I might want to get in early or stay late. Look up the refurb site to see what is going to be down. I look through all my guide books to revisit what I've done before and decide what I want to do again or avoid. I scan the posts about new merchandise to see what I want to put on my "to buy" list. I read up on all the new changes so I'm up to date. Check out the trip reports to see what others have found to do that I might want to get in on. Then I try to find ways to save more and save more. As the days get closer its all about reviewing the plans and checking out the weather sites to see what the days are being forecasted as. Then its all about checking off the days and dreaming about it.
 
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ColoradoEquestrian

ColoradoEquestrian

Active Member
Here's what I did after booking my resort: made a fun trip countdown timer, checked the planned refurbishments list, began looking into special events taking place during our stay, began my must-do list of attractions we missed last time around, and I did a lot of ADR dreaming/research :D
 
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hollymc3

hollymc3

Active Member
I am 208 days out right now. I have been reading menus to plan for the magic ADR day! We will be there 7 nights We always do Liberty Tree Tavern on our first night as tradition and we try to do one Signature Meal each time. Aside from that each family member gets to choose a meal. I try to study up to help coach them along. Although I have 16 year old triplets that are on visit # 5 so they really seem to know what they want. Our vacation is as much about the food as it the rides :). Enjoy the planning this is 1/2 the fun for me!
I also watch airfare. Southwest is releasing rates for 2016 ( Jan - March) on 6/30
 
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Mukta

Mukta

Well-Known Member
maflynn said:
So are there anything you guys/gals do between the window of time of booking your resort and waiting for the ADR to open up for your stay?
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I do a ton of things, but I am also a crazy person, so keep that in mind.

Once hotel is booked, I either buy flights or set flight price reminder on yapta and kayak.

Once flights (and DME) are booked, I start on what I want to see each trip. Read sites like this one for anything that is new in food, entertainment etc.

Next step is a rough itinerary. Which park for which day based on park hours and show times. I used touringplans.com's previous years calendar for that if this year's isn't out yet.

Then I pick where I want to eat by reading menus and reviews.

After that, I create a rough draft of a daily schedule. (This is the part that makes me look especially crazy). Even if I go during a slow time of year, I have a set touring plan.

The touring plan helps me know what time I want to eat. At the 180 day mark, I now know where I want to eat and when.
 
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hollymc3

hollymc3

Active Member
Mukta said:
I do a ton of things, but I am also a crazy person, so keep that in mind.

Once hotel is booked, I either buy flights or set flight price reminder on yapta and kayak.

Once flights (and DME) are booked, I start on what I want to see each trip. Read sites like this one for anything that is new in food, entertainment etc.

Next step is a rough itinerary. Which park for which day based on park hours and show times. I used touringplans.com's previous years calendar for that if this year's isn't out yet.

Then I pick where I want to eat by reading menus and reviews.

After that, I create a rough draft of a daily schedule. (This is the part that makes me look especially crazy). Even if I go during a slow time of year, I have a set touring plan.

The touring plan helps me know what time I want to eat. At the 180 day mark, I now know where I want to eat and when.
Click to expand...
Love it! I share in your craziness as I even have a packing spreadsheet!
 
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Figgy1

Figgy1

Well-Known Member
maflynn said:
I'm in what I guess I consider the dead zone. My vacation is 293 days away, so I'm ways off from any reservations. :p

I'm not a wing it type of guy, though I understand that I need to be flexible in both booking and being there, but for the most part I like to nail down our vacation with a good tight itinerary. :)
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I'm with you, I like to nail down at least a few details. Let's see I'm booked about 395ish days out. I'm already reading reviews of hotels for our road trip down and back. Going through clothes for both myself and dh. Making sure footwear is purchased now (I want to make sure it's broken in before the trip just try and find, summer stuff in winter LOL), Going through menus, purchasing Disney gift cards, packing lists, getting glow sticks this weekend (another item not easily found in winter), pre-ordering The Unofficial Guide to Disney (Time for a new one), dh has already put in for the time off from work, ordering a cell phone for my ds (my boys will get a bit more freedom as they are now old enough to do so)
 
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DiSnEyF@n

DiSnEyF@n

Well-Known Member
hollymc3 said:
I am 208 days out right now. I have been reading menus to plan for the magic ADR day! We will be there 7 nights We always do Liberty Tree Tavern on our first night as tradition and we try to do one Signature Meal each time. Aside from that each family member gets to choose a meal. I try to study up to help coach them along. Although I have 16 year old triplets that are on visit # 5 so they really seem to know what they want. Our vacation is as much about the food as it the rides :). Enjoy the planning this is 1/2 the fun for me!
I also watch airfare. Southwest is releasing rates for 2016 ( Jan - March) on 6/30
Click to expand...

Wow... Good to know about Southwest... I appreciate the info!! ;)
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
Original Poster
DiSnEyF@n said:
Love the packing spreadsheet!!! What a great idea.
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I have a multi-tab spreadsheet that contains everything I need, from comparisons of which resort we want (its largely unused one I book the resort), to my budget, i.e., where's the money coming from, another tab for tracking my savings, i.e., making sure I'm on target. Itinerary, reservations etc :D
 
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