Conference koolit::disney

    I currenty have reservations for July of 1995.  Is that far enough 
    ahead for you?  ;^)  
    
    I've also done some "quickie" trips and have found that at least 6
    months of prior planning makes for a better family trip.
    
    And yes, it's for real!
    
    JOhn
    

    
    I guess for me planning ahead only guarantees that I will get the BEST
    for my money.  Let's face it WDW is not cheap but it is affordable and
    I want the most for my buck.  That dosen't mean that I plan every
    minute of my trip, but by planning ahead I can get a good idea how to
    work the day when I'm there.  I hate crowds, so planning a ahead can
    help avoid them. Or planning my Dinner reservations helps decide which
    park to enjoy. Planning ahead can also get me hotel room I want.  There
    is so much to do and see in WDW you can sometimes get lost in the
    excitement and miss out on the best things.  Of course, there is
    something to be said for the unexpected too.  You just can't plan
    EVERYTHING.  When the unexpected does happen that's part of the FUN!
    The same holds true for when your plan does go well and everything is
    enjoyed.  
    
    My advice is plan for the big things, Hotel, dates, places you just
    have to see and enjoy the unexpected, like finding a good place to
    watch ILLUMINATIONS, being called on to particpate in a skit etc. 
    Just Have A Great Time!
    
    Rose East
    

    I have heard more horrow stories about spontaneously planned vacations
    than those planned at least 6 months ahead.
    
    Back in the WDW salad days you could plan as close as a month ahead of
    time and pull off a pretty good vacation.
    
    That's not true anymore. It's impossible to do everything in one visit
    so planning is important.
    
    ALso, giving yourself plenty of time to save up $$$$$ is important.
    
    My rule of thumb is that I do not make makes less than 9 months ahead
    of the actual vacation.
    
    I've also found that 25% of the pleasure I get from a Disney vacation
    is in the planning stage.
    
    Mike

    Hi,
    
    Well I think I win the prize.  I've got reservations for July 1997.
    The reason - I'm going to be in FLA for 3 weeks - 2 at WDW.
    This cost $$$$$$.  It will give me 5 years to squirrel away the money.
    There are many reasons to plan ahead - I think the minimum time should
    be 9 to 12 mos ahead. This is especially true if you are going to be
    staying in the park.  
    
    Planning very far in advance gives me the opportunity to pay for the
    trip ahead of time in small increments.  
    
    If you'd like more elaboration - let me know.
    
    Kathy_whose_next_trip_is_about_1400_days_away!
    

    I just got back from WDW last week after spending 8 days there with
    my daughter.  I started planning the trip one month ahead of time.
    Other than not getting my first choice of hotel (CBR), everything
    worked out well and we managed to do and see just about everything
    we wanted to and still find time to relax/sleep in etc.  The only
    real planning we did at all was to consult Birnaum's to see which 
    days were the least crowded at each of the three big parks and then
    plan which one to see on each of our first 3 full days there.  After
    that we sort of just went where we wanted when we wanted.  Some
    of this may have been just luck but it worked well for us and we had
    a great time.  It was also nice because we were both really looking
    forward to it and so having a shorter wait was nice.
    
    Robyn
    
    P.S.  I do plan on posting a trip report sometime but I need to get
    caught up at work first.

Another good reason to plan ahead... After being at WDW for the 15th and
20th Anniversaries... I *will* be at the 25th!

Bill

    I thought it best to put this in here because it really addresses the
    base note.
    
    I am currently helping a "first-timer" plan a WDW vacation. Luckily
    this person is planning to go next March so he has time to look into
    all kinds of options.
    
    After sitting down with me and getting a quickie description of the
    WDW theme parks and such he asked about the hotels on the property.
    
    I suggested he get Birnbaum and then come back with other questions.
    
    Well the next day he called to tell me where he had decided to stay
    and he had made calls to a travel agent and had received info on a
    package and he told me about the package, including the cost.
    
    I suggested that he consider going a la carte and after giving him some
    pointers told him to do a little research before committing. 
    
    About a week later we've got his cost down close to $1K LESS than his 
    original price and without sacrificing anything. He has plenty of time
    between now and March before actually committing but he wouldn't have
    this luxury had he just said "I'm going to WDW and in 24 hours I'll
    book a vacation down there."
    
    A little planning has saved some money....a lot of planning can save 
    a lot of money without sacrificing a lot.
    
    Just another plug for planning ahead.
    
    Mike

    
    	I get your point on savings...but 5 years worth of planning is
    stretching things a bit.  

    >>>...but 5 years worth of planning is stretching things a bit.
    
    For some people that may be true but for someone who wants to stay
    at a certain resort and needs time to save enough $$$ to really 
    enjoy themselves it may take 5 years of saving. It doesn't hurt to
    plan ahead.
    
    Mike

    Well this is as "spontaneous" as I get.  I've decided to visit the
    World in May - 8 months from now - this is the least amount of time
    I've had to plan / save for a trip south.  It's a quick one I'll admit
    but I'm just as excited as any other one and I'm about to put together
    my own trip plan to set up my schedule of what needs to be done and
    when.  So much to do.......
    
    TTFN,
    
    Kathy