Planning for December 2011--When to start planning? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks
Thank you to our forum sponsor:

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.

So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.

Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.

And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.

We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm​. You made it all happen.

There are other changes as well.

Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:

We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.

It's time to move on and move forward.

PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.

So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.

And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.

That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!

If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Planning Your Adventure: Your Plans for Walt Disney World
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Forum Sponsor: Mouse Fan Travel™
Learn Why PassPorter Recommends This Sponsor
 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-21-2010, 08:35 PM   #1
krmgator
Community Rank: Sightseer
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 56

Post Thanks / Like
Question Planning for December 2011--When to start planning?

My wife, 12 y/o son and I went on our first trip to WDW this past April. Magical doesnt' describe our week!

Now we want to plan a trip for the 1st or 2nd week of December in 2011 to experience Christmas Disney Magic.

Any tips for planning that time of year? How soon is too soon?

Some things we learned from our April trip and what we want to do different:
1) DDP but only the QS plan
2)No moderate this time (stayed at POR)--it will either be economy or deluxe accommodations
3)Went by train from VA; I hate to fly but will (if properly medicated)

I thought start in earnest after the holidays, but planning the trip is half the fun.

Any thoughts, tips, suggestions, etc are welcome.
krmgator is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2010, 08:48 PM   #2
lindadarrall
Community Rank: Trekker
 
lindadarrall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Central Indiana
Posts: 1,398

Post Thanks / Like
We'll be there at the same time of year, next year!! Maybe we'll meet!!

Yes, I am already planning our trip, even though it is 63 weeks away. I know who is going and what our travel dates are. We usually fly AirTran and take the 7am nonstop from Indy and will undoubtedly do so again. And although POFQ is my favorite resort, I decided this weekend that we will be staying at Coronado Springs, since we can get a rollaway bed (and we really need that 3rd bed).

So is it too early for you to start planning? Gosh, I hope not...I'd have to jump if I didn't have a trip to enjoy planning...

BTW, absolutely DO NOT MISS the Osborne Family lights...I don't care where you're from or where you've been - you've never seen a holiday display like this one!

Happy planning!!
__________________
My Countdown Counting down to: MVMCP, Osborne Lights and sailing the Magic
Bon voyage!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips3-night DREAM cruise Dec. 2011; 4-night Disney Wonder 2010; AKL Club level 2009; POFQ free dining bounceback 2008; POFQ free dining 2007; CBR and MNSSHP 2006; June 2006 offsite; POR spring break 2005 w/ My Sweet Cadet
lindadarrall is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 01:50 AM   #3
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
I don't think it's ever too early to start planning. : Although flights don't come out for us until 11 months beforehand (and I never book anything else, until we have those in place), I'm always planning, looking at dates we could go and thinking about restaurants we want to eat at.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 09:22 AM   #4
CathyM
Community Rank: Passenger
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 45

Post Thanks / Like
I don't think it is too early to start planning at all. We are going in June 2011 and although we go every year this will be our first stay on property. We have always rented a vacation home and drove down from Chicago. This trip we are going all out, flying and staying on property to snag the little extras that WDW has to offer. Although I had it all worked out on where to stay and when to go before I called to booked it, after talking to the CM in reservations we also went with CSR for 5 nights/6 days, park hopper which we have never had before and the DDP. The price was right in our budget. We are truly excited about staying on property and being at a moderate resort. The CM in reservations was so helpful and took her time explaining everything and after I told my expectations and budget she found the right package for me and my family.
So I say start planning get all the details worked out and enjoy the excitement and anticipation of your trip
CathyM is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 09:25 AM   #5
lukeandbrookesmom
Banned
Community Rank: Legend
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,767

Post Thanks / Like
I have lots of clients that already have their winter 2011 trips booked - it's not too early at all! Also, this December booked very quickly due to numerous events and free dining so securing your reservation early would be a good thing.
lukeandbrookesmom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 11:00 AM   #6
notjustamom
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Long Island
Posts: 3,476

Post Thanks / Like
It's NEVER too early to start planning a trip!! We're thinking Nov 2011 and have already been throwing around ideas about where to eat. Planning is half the fun and the early you do it, the more elaxing the trip. Happy Planning
__________________
Our last WDW trip as a family
My Countdown Counting down to: Magical family Gathering
Let The magic Begin...
My Previous TripsWDW 1982, WDW GF Sept. 1998 honeymoon, WL April 06, WL Nov. 08, BWV March 10, BCV Oct. 11, GF Nov. 13, BWI Jan. '15
notjustamom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 11:09 AM   #7
3princesses & grumpy
Community Rank: Traveler
 
3princesses & grumpy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 469

Post Thanks / Like
Since it's a December trip I'd start planning. There's so much to do during Christmas and possibly some decisions might need to be made as to what is most important.

Flights at that time of year might book up quickly. I looked at SW Airlines when the dates opened up and two weeks later the flights I wanted to take were no longer available.
__________________
Kathy
My Countdown Counting down to: Celebrating our Last Full Family Trip
Having Fun!
My Previous TripsPOR - May 1996, 1999, 2001, June 2002, November 2002, June 2004, December 2009. Yacht Club - November 2002, ASMu - November 2003,Pop Century - November 2004, August 2006, June 2009 DL - Candy Cane Inn - June 2007,WL - Sept 2008
3princesses & grumpy is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 11:53 AM   #8
bellablue
Community Rank: Wayfarer
 
bellablue's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Brooklyn,NY
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 149

Post Thanks / Like
Never too early to plan. I was planning our two trips for this year as soon as I got home from last year's trip and already thinking of when to go next year.
__________________



My Previous TripsWDW Oct. & Nov 2013 off site, WDW Oct. & Nov 2012 off site, WDW Oct. & Nov 2011 off site, WDW Oct.2010 & Nov.2010 offsite, WDW Nov.2009 offsite, WDW July2008 offsite,Carnival Cruise Aug.2005, Carnival Cruise, 2 Big Red Boat Cruises, 3 trips to Panama, many trips to WDW
bellablue is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 02:18 PM   #9
jenlovesmickey
Community Rank: Traveler
 
jenlovesmickey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Parma, OH
Posts: 376

Post Thanks / Like
I'm not planning a trip until Feb 2012, and I'm already here. It never hurts to be up to date on all the new info. Planning way ahead also allows me LOTS of opportunities to perfect my trip! Have fun and take your time, as planning the trip, to me, is almost as fun as the trip itself!
__________________
Jen
Mom to 4 Disney Lovin' Kids: Kyleigh, Connor, Caden & Kellan

Kyleigh & Connor Opening the Magic Kingdom!
My Previous TripsWDW Offsite 1986, WDW Honeymoon AKL 2001, WDW POFQ 2007, WDW POP 2008, WDW CBR 2009
jenlovesmickey is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 02:41 PM   #10
DawnK
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
DawnK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Worcester,MA
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 3,966

Post Thanks / Like
It's never too early to start planning. You can always have differents things mapped out. I am planning a trip in August 2012. I have already mapped out the parks and resturants. I know that it willchange over the next year many times but I like to be prepared. Since you are going in December it is good to start early. It may be a busy time of year especially with the airlines. Have fun!!!
__________________
Katie's graduation
My Countdown Counting down to: August 2018-Katie's parent's survive college
And away we go !!!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Tripswdw 1982, 1987,1992, july 1995, april 1998, april 2001, april 2005, april 2007, august 2010, august 2012
DawnK is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2010, 04:02 PM   #11
jodileigh
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
jodileigh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Kansas
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 2,271

Post Thanks / Like
My mil and I are planning to be there the first full week of Dec 2011, too! How exciting!! This will be our first trip with just us girls! I didn't think I would start planning till January, but I'm already nailing down dates and such! I've even priced it out and cleared all that with mil! We have decided to do Poly! I've done Value and Mods (POR (x2), CBR, and CSR), so this time we're going to stay at Poly. It's my mil's dream resort! So, I guess that means I'm already planning! No ressies yet, but they will probably be made before January, too! The good news is that those of us who are early obsessive planners are in good company!
__________________


My Countdown Counting down to: Brandon's 21st Birthday Celebration!
Home from the big trip
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsDL several times between 1983 and 1990; WDW several times between 1986 and 1992; DL for HS grad trip 1992; WDW for honeymoon 1993; DL first trip with oldest son 1996; WDW first trip with oldest son 1997; WDW first trip with youngest son 2002; WDW first trip with mil and my two boys 2004; WDW with mil and my two boys 2006; WDW with dh and my two boys 2008; WDW big family trip June 2010; MIL and I November 2011; Earmarked Conference 2012; Justin, my parents, and I Sept 2014; Earmarked Conference 2014
jodileigh is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Thank you to our forum sponsor:













Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:15 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger