[ilvminnie]

I just read the article in today's USA TODAY about Disney's recent profits/losses. In that article they said that "tourists are now booking travel only 14 to 30 days ahead of time." I don't know about you, but I like to plan more ahead than that. How far in advance do you make your reservations?

[disneycouple30]

We book our about 12 months in advance. The reason that we do that is because we are now staying at the Shades of Green complex. This allow us to do that and the price hardly ever changes. But when we were booking at POR, then we were booking at least 6 to 9 mos in advance. We booked for the 15th of Sept 2001, we went and had a ball. We even flew down. We figure we were just as safe as if it never happen. We refused to be threaten by the terrorists. I'm with you it alot easier to book at least 6 mos in advance that way you know for sure your getting what you want.

[stitchie]

We ALWAYS book 6 to 9 months out. There is no way I would wait until 30 days out.

I want to be able to do what I want to do. 30 days just doesn't allow for that.

I refuse to allow Terriorts to change my life! I look at it this way if it happens it happens. An't nothing going to change it and at least if it does I can die knowing that I spent some good time with my family and that I died doing something that I LOVE to do.

That's just my opion though. I refuse to change my life for them.

:) :) :)

[wdwspider]

We book a lot closer to time than we use to... I think lack of filled hotels and to a lesser degree - Discount Codes have contributed to this. If Hotels ever start filling up consistently again this will change. However, there are a lot more room options at WDW than there use to be. Just wait til Pop Century decides to open. :hmmm

[ilvminnie]

Originally posted by stitchie
I refuse to allow Terriorts to change my life! I look at it this way if it happens it happens. Ain't nothing going to change it and at least if it does I can die knowing that I spent some good time with my family and that I died doing something that I LOVE to do.

That's just my opinion though. I refuse to change my life for them.

:) :) :)

AMEN Stitchie! I couldn't have said it better. And the article even said that tourists were waiting due to the possibility of war with Iraq! I figure, we just have to keep doing our thing otherwise "they" :madmad :devil have won. What better place to do it than WDW?:) :) :)

[goofygal1975]

For a extended stay (5 days or more) I will book at least 6 months out or more if I know that far in advanced what I can schedule at work. Sometimes on a whim I plan a weekend vacation and will call maybe just a few weeks to one month in advanced..(doesnt happen all that often).

NOW for my cruise, I'm looking at booking soon for my May 2004 Cruise!!!!

I've already started going through the calander for this year to plan weeknds here and there where we can go and get good use out of our AP.

[Jennly]

Originally posted by ilvminnie
I just read the article in today's USA TODAY about Disney's recent profits/losses. In that article they said that "tourists are now booking travel only 14 to 30 days ahead of time." I don't know about you, but I like to plan more ahead than that. How far in advance do you make your reservations?

minnie,

Speaking as someone who was just on the reservation sales floor taking calls last week, I can tell you that article is mostly a bunch of bull. I personally booked for things as far out as next Thanksgiving. People are also booking a lot for Easter now too.


There are some folks that are booking 14-30 days out but those are usually passholders, fl residents or others who are taking advantage of a rate that is only for a limited amount of time.

I would say to plan as far ahead as you usually do because you will not be the only one doing it.

Hope this helps

Jenn

[mattomouseman]

we always plan from 10-12 months out. The one time we tried to book two moths out we had no luck at all getting what we wanted.

[BDavis932]

We always book 12 months out, but since we are DVC members now, we can start booking 11 months out. I am definately a "long term planner". We actually decide when we are going, even before that 12 month mark. Sometimes we make plans in our mind for trips that are over 2 years off....

[ilvminnie]

Originally posted by Jennly
Speaking as someone who was just on the reservation sales floor taking calls last week, I can tell you that article is mostly a bunch of bull. I personally booked for things as far out as next Thanksgiving. People are also booking a lot for Easter now too.

I kind of thought that, Jenn, that's why I started this thread. It just didn't seem to make sense that people today with their hectic lives could just pick up (for the most part anyway) on a moment's notice. Nice to hear from an expert though! Thanks.

[mickey]

We also try to plan at least 11 months in advance, due to our DVC membership. Technically, we are planned out about 10 years, with the occasional quick trip mixed in.

On thing I am surprised about with Mouseketrips is the number of people who contact us wanting to travel in the next couple of weeks, and who are upset because they saw a code or discount that expired two months earlier, and still want the deal. Most of these people though are first time visitors, and really have no idea how the system works, or how they should go about their planning. Even when we didn't own DVC, we still planned out about six months before leaving.

By the way, we live within a 10 hour drive of Disneyland, and I find that we are much more apt to plan a spur of the moment trip there than to WDW, which requires airfare. I think the same goes for those within a one day drive of WDW. They try to think up somewhere to go when the kids are out of school, and some where they can drive to easily, and WDW is often the answer, even though it is last minute.

[peanutzmom]

We are Florida residents and so far have only done short WDW trips (usually 2 night/1 day trips) where we stay at a value resort & only hit one park. For those we usually only book a few weeks in advance. Heck, sometimes we've just driven up to a resort, hopped out, and asked if they had any rooms for a couple of nights!! :D
In late 2005 / early 2005 (don't have definite dates yet -- depends on when DH, a Navy medical officer, gets his orders & where we're going after this tour in Iceland) we plan on taking a *real* WDW family trip, probably 7 or 8 days long. We'll start booking that one aound 9 months in advance, again depending on when we get orders, find out where we're going next, etc...

[charlene]

I find it hard to believe that people can actually get what they want only 2 weeks prior.

I find you need 10 months to plan. I appreciate this site so much because it keeps me on my toes and answers, or trys to answer, my questions.

Now I AM FROM NEW JERSEY...by philadelphia. The teachers have a convention here every year for one week. The schools are closed the first week of November. I planned for my vacation then. I tried to book my flights for my days and now had to shift them because of availability. First I was worried about the price, but after it all, I had to book them now 10 months ahead of time just to get seats. Because you see 50% of New Jersey will be in WDW that first week of Nov. (Well maybe not 50%)

;)

[ilvminnie]

Originally posted by peanutzmom
We are Florida residents and so far have only done short WDW trips (usually 2 night/1 day trips) where we stay at a value resort & only hit one park. For those we usually only book a few weeks in advance. Heck, sometimes we've just driven up to a resort, hopped out, and asked if they had any rooms for a couple of nights!! :D
In late 2005 / early 2005 (don't have definite dates yet -- depends on when DH, a Navy medical officer, gets his orders & where we're going after this tour in Iceland) we plan on taking a *real* WDW family trip, probably 7 or 8 days long. We'll start booking that one aound 9 months in advance, again depending on when we get orders, find out where we're going next, etc...

From FL to Iceland, peanutzmom? Quite a shock to your system huh? I guess that put a crimp in your last minute travel plans!

[peanutzmom]

Originally posted by ilvminnie
From FL to Iceland, peanutzmom? Quite a shock to your system huh? I guess that put a crimp in your last minute travel plans!

Oh yes, BIG change!! After being here a year, we're finally getting used to it, and we still take a mini- trip to the Mouse whenever we fly home to visit the relatives. That's how we kick off our vacation -- fly into Jacksonville late Saturday night, spend Sunday morning having breakfast with old friends, get to WDW around 2 or 3 PM, hang out at the resort, Boardwalk, or Downtown Disney that evening, hit a park all day Monday, then head down to Southwest Florida Tuesday morning to do the ten-day parade of grandparents! ;) It gets the kids (and us!!) in "vacation mode" to start it off at WDW.