You have booked the trip, now what?! How do you make sure you have the most magical vacation?! Well, there are a lot of things to know and it can get overwhelming at times. Everything from dining reservations to Lightning Lanes and park reservations….it is a lot! So this week I am breaking it all down for you so you know WHEN, WHERE and HOW to get the most our of your magical Disney World vacation!
Dining Reservations
This will be the first thing you can reserve after booking your trip! If you are staying in a Disney Resort or Good Neighbor Resort you can start making your dining reservations for your entire trip 60 days before your check in date. This used to be 180 days before, honestly I kind of preferred that. If you are staying off property you can make your dining reservations one day at a time 60 days out from each day. The reservation window opens at 6am on the 60 day mark in the My Disney Experience app and on the Disney World website. At this time you can make Table Service and Character Dining reservations. If you are not sure what kind of restaurant the one you would like to dine at is, you can always check on the website but anything that you are planning to sit down and be served is going to be Table Service, if it’s a walk up counter it is considered Quick Service. Any meal that includes Characters will be Character Dining and will be more expensive. If you do not see availability for the restaurant you are looking for, I always say call (407)W-Disney! Sometimes the Cast Members on the phone can work some Disney Magic and get you in, not always but sometimes they can! And if you still don’t get the one you want, just keep checking because people cancel all the time and one may pop up.
Park Reservations
Some good news here is if your park tickets are park of a resort package and considered date based, you will NOT need to make park reservations! If you are not sure it will tell you in the My Disney Experience app and website if you need to make reservations or if you are good to go. If you DO need to make park reservations you can do this 60 days in advance as well for the duration of your ticket. If you are not planning to go to a park until after 2pm you will not need a park reservation. You also do not have to make reservations for the additional parks you plan to “hop” to if you have a park hopper ticket. Once you have been to your first park that you reserved you are able to “hop” to other parks at your leisure. You can make all of your park reservations in the My Disney Experience app or Disney website once everything is linked in your account.
Lightning Lanes
This system is changing from the Genie+ system to the Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass as of July 24th. So we are going to just talk about how the new system will work since it goes into effect next week. You can purchase your Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass 7 days before your check in date if you are staying in a Disney Resort or Good Neighbor resort for the duration of your stay or just individual days. You can also make your selections before you decide to purchase which is nice, gives you a chance to see if you really want to spend the money or not. You can read all about how this system works and what rides are included with each pass here.
Additional Planning Tips
Having everything planned out definitely makes for a smoother trip and so does making sure you have what you need BEFORE you get there! If you are not super worried about little things being Disney World branded I suggest grabbing a few things at your local Walmart or on Amazon to bring with you. Things like autograph books, pin lanyards and even the pressed penny books can be found at these places for so much cheaper than you can get them in the parks. If you are driving to Disney World there is a Walmart and a Target close by that has ALL the Disney things cheaper. If you think you would like to pin trade, I suggest buying a big lot of pins from Ebay so you have lots of traders. Just make sure you look over them all when you get them because sometimes there are non-Disney pins mixed in and you don’t want to trade those in the parks. Make sure you bring ponchos and an umbrella with you as well, they are A LOT more expensive in the parks and you will obviously be wet before you can get your hands on one. Same goes for fans, bring them with you!!
My last tip here is to get Disney gift cards to bring with you. This can help you with your spending and to set a budget that is a little easier to stick to. Plus, if you have a Costco or Sam’s Club membership you can get these for less than they are actually worth which is like free Disney money! We always gave our boys their own Disney gift card and that was their souvenir money for the trip, once it was gone they knew not to ask for anything else. It also helped them kind of understand how much things were, they were much less likely to spend their own money on something they knew they wouldn’t play with than if I was spending mine! Hahaha!
Conclusion
It’s so exciting once you get that Disney trip booked but then reality starts to set in and it can feel a little overwhelming if you are the one doing all the planning. But don’t worry, now you know when, where and how to get it all set up before you even arrive. The more leg work you do before the easier your trip will be when you get there. As the planner in my family, I can relate to the stress of it all being in your hands for it to be a magical trip. But remember that your kids and family will have fun and feel the magic even if you don’t get on every ride and don’t get every dining reservation. The things they will remember are the memories you make all together and the things you DID do not what you DIDN’T.
I hope this helps you plan ahead and feel relaxed and prepared for your next Disney World trip! As always, I thank you so much for reading along. Have a magical day!