first timer..what can I do 18 mo. in advance? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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So we've decided to make our first time ever trip to WDW in December to avoid heat and crowds (as in first 2 weeks more or less of Dec). But...I'm talking Dec. '11. Is there something I need to do now? I know the website doesn't even do dates past this Dec. We will stay 7 nights, maybe at the poly. I don't want to tie down w/ a bunch of reservations for table meals but maybe one every other night but do I really need to make reservations?? Is it unheard of to walk in to some place (remember, first 2 weeks of Dec. time frame)??? I'll contact a local travel agent that does lots of Disney stuff too and see what she says. I'm just so excited i want to do something now to make it official!
Well....save money of course but that's boring!
You can book room only ressies 499 days in advance. Packages won't be out until August of this year for 2011. I would definitely consider making ADRs. Early December is no longer the quiet time that it used to be (the word is out). It won't be packed, but it won't be empty either!
Defenitly make you ADRs if you want to sit down at a table meal. We've gone the 1st week in Dec. people were tying to "walk up" to plaes like Ohana. Plus, if you don't make your ADRs you can forget about any character meals
What you can do now? Read, read, read every web site about Disney. Definitely Passporter boards, Allears, Mousesaver, The Mouse for Less, Stitchkingdom, Touring plans, etc. I love my planning time "almost" as much as the trip itself! ("almost") I read menus and reviews of restaurants, resorts, etc. Study the crowd calendars to help you plan what days you will go to each park. Read about the character meals and choose at least one. Make an agenda booklet with park days, ADR's with confirmation numbers, etc. Find Disney clip art and Disney fonts to add to your booklet. Look at all the things you can print off on The Mouse for Less...things for kids and adults. Have fun!
What you can do now? Read, read, read every web site about Disney. Definitely Passporter boards, Allears, Mousesaver, The Mouse for Less, Stitchkingdom, Touring plans, etc. I love my planning time "almost" as much as the trip itself! ("almost") I read menus and reviews of restaurants, resorts, etc. Study the crowd calendars to help you plan what days you will go to each park. Read about the character meals and choose at least one. Make an agenda booklet with park days, ADR's with confirmation numbers, etc. Find Disney clip art and Disney fonts to add to your booklet. Look at all the things you can print off on The Mouse for Less...things for kids and adults. Have fun!
Lots of good stuff here. Remember, if you are going to make your 499 day room reservation it is 499 days from your check OUT date.
Ken
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I am a firm believer in dining reservations. There's nothing worse then being hungry and not being able to find somewhere to eat and having to settle for a counter meal when you really want dinner with Mickey! The best places book up fast....180 days out.
I will assure you, that it's best to have ADRs. When I was at WDW from Dec 8th-19th '07, we saw tons of people being turned away because the majority of restaurants were booked. You don't have to book an ADR for every meal, but if you and your family would like to have at least one TS ADR a day (or maybe every other day), then make sure you book your ADRs.
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oh those ADR's are sooo important. I go in sept when it feels empty but we still need to make ADR's
And if your flying, start just looking at airfare about 9 mos in advance.
I usually book mine about 4-6 months out. I have had luck even booking 30days out.
Oh and order the planning dvd's from Disney - I do that every year, I love them.
Defenitly make you ADRs if you want to sit down at a table meal. We've gone the 1st week in Dec. people were tying to "walk up" to plaes like Ohana. Plus, if you don't make your ADRs you can forget about any character meals
You can't make ADRs until 180 days before you check in.....
I agree with the other posters....get a good guidebook or two, ask questions on the boards, and come up with a rough idea of what you'd like to see and do in the parks, plus any extra activities you'd like to do (mini golf, specialty cruises, tours, etc). Look over the menues on allearsnet.com to get an idea of where you want to make those dining reservations!!
There is not much you can do a year and a half early other get ideas of what you want to do and where you want to go. A good place to start is right here. You will see a lot opinions on this site that can help you in your future planning. I recommend the sites Harrisons listed too. They are good sources of information.
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