Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Natalie! Thanks for bringing us your question about booking a stay at a
Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
I have fresh experience with this! I just booked a Disney Resort hotel stay for my family and discovered, when you book a room (and just a room) over the phone with a Cast Member, you are asked to pay half, or 50%, of your balance at the time of your booking. If you are booking a vacation package, you are only asked to leave a deposit for your trip, which may be less than 50% of the cost of your stay. You can reach a Resort Reservation Cast Member at (407) 939-5277.
I also discovered that while you may not be able to pay any kind of balance with a Disney Gift Card while booking online, you can absolutely use a gift card for your deposit when speaking to a Cast Member over the phone. You take care of the rest of your bill when you arrive for your magical stay at your Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
As soon as you book your room, keep in mind that you can start making your FastPass+ reservations 60 days before your vacation. It’s a good idea to also
link your theme park tickets to your My Disney Experience account, so that you can start customizing MagicBands for everyone in your group. It’s so exciting when that little box arrives at your front door!
Natalie, if you need any more help planning your magical stay don’t hesitate to come back and see us. Helping you plan an unforgettable trip is our favorite thing to do!
Veronica