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Thread: How far ahead do you start reserving rooms, flights, etc

  1. #1

    How far ahead do you start reserving rooms, flights, etc

    Hello! I am currently planning a trip for September and I was wondering how far ahead do you all make flight/hotel reservations, etc. ?


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  3. #2
    Registered User
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    Sep 2006
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    Blue House

    I guess it depends on where you are flying from and how concerned you are about flight times, etc. We are going in the middle of July and we made our flight/hotel reservations at the begining of December. We have to fly across the whole country and really wanted to leave the East coast very early to arrive on the west coast late morning local time and we wanted direct flights, so as soon as we saw them we grabbed the flight. The hotel (Grand California) was just easier to set it up at the same time, Disney is great about letting you call and apply discounts at a later date.
    The dinning at DisneyLand is different from WDW, as DL only allows 60 days out not the 180 for the World.


  4. #3

    I usually start making the reservations pretty early, depending on when we are going. We are going to Disneyland at Thanksgiving this year, but I am also using a timeshare for the first time so when it became available I grabbed it. But even if I were going in the middle of summer, I make my reservations at least six months early so I have the room. As far as the flights go, I start looking for them as soon as the dates are available. Then I keep an eye on discounts and such. Then I jump on the flights as soon as I find a good one. The rest of it (dining) I try not to stress over that until it gets a lot closer. Since we are going at Thanksgiving this year, I will make that dining reservation as soon as I can.

    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  5. #4
    Registered User
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    Jul 2007
    Location
    southern New Jersey

    Here's my timeline:
    Trip date: October
    Book hotel and flight: February
    Book dining: April


  6. #5
    Registered User ogold72's Avatar
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    Jul 2009
    Location
    Overland Park, KS

    Hotel and Air - ASAP - With hotel you can always modify the reservation if rates go down (outside the cancellation policy window). Air is more often lower the further out you plan (but that fluxuates too)

    Disney Dining takes reservations 60 days out and some, like Blue Bayou and Napa Rose will get booked up rapidly . If you want to do Fantasmic! Premium Seating that is available 30 days out and those tickets can get sold out pretty fast.

    Last edited by ogold72; 03-20-2012 at 07:15 AM.
    Heading to DLR July '15!

  7. #6
    It was a good day! Malcon10t's Avatar
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    Jun 2005
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    Modesto/Waterford
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    We have a trip planned in Dec, and I have the room booked.

    Planning 3 trips at once...

  8. #7
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
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    May 2001
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    Being thankful for the gift of time.

    Like Mal, I start booking my rooms a year in advance. If you are particular in your needs/wants waiting tends to leave you regretting your decisions.

    Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
    Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
    If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
    they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide

  9. #8
    Registered User jackieeekitty's Avatar
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    Mar 2012
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    Portland, OR
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    My mom always said get the flights AT LEAST six weeks in advance - also buy tickets on Tuesdays (that's when airlines have their deals).

    Hotel, depending on your needs, should come next.

    I called the day (mid Feb) I decided to GO to Disneyland and booked dining reservations...it was far enough in advance (trip is April 12-14) that I had my choice of time slots.


  10. #9
    Out of this world for Disney DwarfPlanet's Avatar
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    Oct 2008
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    Colorado Springs, CO
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    My trips sort of plan themselves. But usually its months in advance. I'm always looking for travel deals. We weren't even thinking of going until late this year or next year. But I found Frontier with introductory nonstop flights for $138 r/t and with the Military $99 tickets we decided we couldn't pass up not going the end of May. One tip I have not used in awhile since I started using shuttles but went back to this year is if booking a rental car is to go straight to the company and book only a reservation. This way if the price changes for the better you can make a new reservation at the lower price and cancel the original.

    "Although we think it's DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL in saying we would be HAPPY if Disney's Pluto would join us as an 8th dwarf. We think this is just what the DOC ordered and is nothing to SNEEZE at."

  11. #10
    Registered User
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    May 2008
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    Southern Oregon
    Quote Originally Posted by Malcon10t View Post
    We have a trip planned in Dec, and I have the room booked.
    Same here. We're going in December. The room is booked, and I'll be booking the flight tomorrow. We just have to wait for my daughter to confirm with her boss that she'll have the time off.

  12. #11

    There are so many choices for flights and lodging to the Disneyland area that I tend to wait till maybe 6 to 8 weeks out before actually booking. I use Expedia.com for both, and I also use airfarewatchdog.com to give me alerts on great fares. I'll tend to set a threshold for a trip - I want my flight from Dallas to be under $300, and the rooms for around $60 to $80 a night. Once I see this rate I'll grab it, and even if I see a lower rate a couple weeks later I don't mind, as I still got a good rate that fits my budget.

    And while I'll always stay on property in WDW, I almost never do in DL. There are just too many good hotels close by that have far better rates than the official DL hotels. I'd love to stay in the Grand Californian some day, but at $300+ a night it's just not worth it to me.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  13. #12
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Feb 2008
    Location
    foresthill Ca

    We also tend to let our dates be just a bit flexible. Sometimes just a day before or a day after lowers rates. If we are flying, we watch airfare first then book rooms. I also will book car rentals directly at the site so that they can be cancelled.
    Tuesdays are the days for both air sales but also tend to be cheaper to fly on. With Wednesdays usually around the same fares as Tuesdays.


  14. #13

    I book hotels directly thru the hotel then I keep watching to see if I find a better deal. That way I can cancel without a problem. We are going in June and I booked the room in the fall. Haven't found a better rate since.


  15. #14
    Wow Thanks everyone. You were right about planning early! I called Hojo and they had ONE room available for Sept. in the size we wanted and on the dates we wanted. They said they have a large group coming in. I booked it right away! And since we're staying for 10 days, it was cheaper to get an AP, and that saved us $ on our rooms too. All in all it ended up cheaper than Priceline and Expedia deals. $662 cheaper. So glad I didn't wait. Thanks everyone!

  16. #15
    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by carolinakid View Post
    Here's my timeline:
    Trip date: October
    Book hotel and flight: February
    Book dining: April
    Where are you eating at Disneyland that you book that far out? The onsite restaurants are 60 days out.
    Cathy

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