When do you start planning?

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admin's picture
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When do you start planning?

12 months out with hotel?
6 months out with dining?
3 months out with Extra Magic Hours?

What's your plan when it comes to planning?

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As we leave from the last visit, just picked up the Passporter and can't help myself, we actually booked the vacay about 12 months ahead of time and will start booking our ADR's in March.

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JustCar wrote:
As we leave from the last visit, just picked up the Passporter and can't help myself, we actually booked the vacay about 12 months ahead of time and will start booking our ADR's in March.

We're the same way! When we head to the airport to go home, we're already planning where we'll stay the next time we visit. I'm pretty sure I can read the same guidebook about 50 times over. laugh

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Fortunatelt I've not had to do any planning for our last two trips, friends that we we were travelling with have been to WDW many more times than us and took charge of the planning. Flights and accomodation were booked about 6 months in advance, park tickets and excursions not long afterwards.

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Tony wrote:
Fortunatelt I've not had to do any planning for our last two trips, friends that we we were travelling with have been to WDW many more times than us and took charge of the planning. Flights and accomodation were booked about 6 months in advance, park tickets and excursions not long afterwards.

That sounds lovely! Do they want to handle that for us next time too?

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My husband plans them all and he plans at least a year out he has a spreadsheet and everything lol

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Mousefan0909 wrote:
My husband plans them all and he plans at least a year out he has a spreadsheet and everything lol

Spreadsheets are the way to go! awesome Welcome to WDWFG!!

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admin wrote:
Mousefan0909 wrote:
My husband plans them all and he plans at least a year out he has a spreadsheet and everything lol

Spreadsheets are the way to go! awesome Welcome to WDWFG!!

I start about a year ahead and also have a spreadsheet! laugh

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Someone needs to create an iphone app that will serve as a planning spreadsheet... hmm...

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May 2008 CSR mickey

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Arg, it depends really. I rarely ever plan a year out because we usually don't know what directions are lives will take within 12 months..haha..usually we are a good 5 to 7 month planners at the most. Once we planned two weeks before we went. That was hectic!

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One of the desks in our office is now dedicated to Disney planning and whatnot.

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Oct 2009 POP
Sept 2011 POP
Oct 2013 Coronado
May 2014 AKL , Magic, AoA Girlie Trip
Oct 2014 CBR Pirate Room Girlie Trip
Nov 2014 DCL Fantasy 7 Night Eastern Caribbean, Girlie Trip, POR Royal Guest Suite, GF Concierge
August 2015 DCL Magic 7 Night Mediterranean
October 2015 DL Grand Californian, DCL Wonder Panama Canal

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JustCar wrote:
One of the desks in our office is now dedicated to Disney planning and whatnot.

Is it festively decorated?

JustCar's picture
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Getting there , so many papers all over the place.

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Oct 2009 POP
Sept 2011 POP
Oct 2013 Coronado
May 2014 AKL , Magic, AoA Girlie Trip
Oct 2014 CBR Pirate Room Girlie Trip
Nov 2014 DCL Fantasy 7 Night Eastern Caribbean, Girlie Trip, POR Royal Guest Suite, GF Concierge
August 2015 DCL Magic 7 Night Mediterranean
October 2015 DL Grand Californian, DCL Wonder Panama Canal

https://www.facebook.com/MsBubbles
https://www.facebook.com/MVTRavel

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Annie wrote:
JustCar wrote:
As we leave from the last visit, just picked up the Passporter and can't help myself, we actually booked the vacay about 12 months ahead of time and will start booking our ADR's in March.

We're the same way! When we head to the airport to go home, we're already planning where we'll stay the next time we visit. I'm pretty sure I can read the same guidebook about 50 times over. laugh

Me too! I know I want to go yearly so that's a given. It's just the details that need ironing out. This time I booked 9 months ahead of time. Often, I know I'm going before the booking dates open up.

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J.P. wrote:

Me too! I know I want to go yearly so that's a given. It's just the details that need ironing out. This time I booked 9 months ahead of time. Often, I know I'm going before the booking dates open up.

Do you do your ADRs right at 180 days? We usually try to at least pick up our hard-to-get favorites that early. Unfortunately we rarely knew we were going 180 days in advance.

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cdub wrote:
J.P. wrote:

Me too! I know I want to go yearly so that's a given. It's just the details that need ironing out. This time I booked 9 months ahead of time. Often, I know I'm going before the booking dates open up.

Do you do your ADRs right at 180 days? We usually try to at least pick up our hard-to-get favorites that early. Unfortunately we rarely knew we were going 180 days in advance.

Of course! We book CRT 180 in advance. We'll book one other restaurant around then too if we know what we want, otherwise, I wait until we get to Disney.

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JustCar wrote:
One of the desks in our office is now dedicated to Disney planning and whatnot.

Cute!!! I agree you need to theme it up!

And oh my gosh..how big is your office??

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Is it bad to plan for a trip that is still theoretical?

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honeybunny wrote:
Is it bad to plan for a trip that is still theoretical?

It is NEVER bad to plan for any Disney trip whether it is theoretical, on paper, in your mind or any other stage of planning. It makes it even better when that theoretical plan comes to fruition, and if it doesn't then you still have had Disney on your mind.

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cdub wrote:
JustCar wrote:
One of the desks in our office is now dedicated to Disney planning and whatnot.

Is it festively decorated?

That's awesome! You'll have to post a pic!

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honeybunny wrote:
Is it bad to plan for a trip that is still theoretical?

N...o.... I cannot tell you how many times Bella has planned a fake trip.

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honeybunny wrote:
Is it bad to plan for a trip that is still theoretical?

The best thing about theoretical trips is that if you plan them hard enough they might become real! awesome

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Bella wrote:
honeybunny wrote:
Is it bad to plan for a trip that is still theoretical?

N...o.... I cannot tell you how many times Bella has planned a fake trip.

Yay Bella & honeybunny!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! I'm always doing that because it's a great way to compare prices for including different options ie. resort choice, dining plan, waterparks, time of year, available/likely discounts for different times of year, etc.

I even make excel spreadsheets with this info. . . . is that overboard??

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I'm always 'planning'. We don't have a trip booked, but I'm always thinking of what our next one will be like. I'm a County Planner, so planning is in my blood, I plan everything, so why not WDW trips, even if they are only in my imagination? You can never be too prepared, lol! mickey

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