Hi Melissa,
Thank you for stopping by planDisney with a great question!
Let the magic begin! I am so excited to see that you have booked a vacation package to the Walt Disney World® Resort! The time of year that you are planning to visit is such a lovely time to experience the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. I called to confirm my answer with a cast member. As you may have suspected, your theme park tickets, since they are linked to a vacation package, will activate after 7:00 a.m. on the day you are scheduled to check-in to the resort.
To use your tickets prior to that time, you will need to separate them from your
vacation package. I suggest that you
call to speak with a cast member to make that modification. You could try to cancel and make a new room-only resort hotel reservation online and then purchase your theme park tickets separately. If you do, just be sure that the resort hotel you prefer has availability at the same rate. Also, although theme park reservations are no longer required for date-based tickets, be sure to check the
theme park reservation guidelines once you purchase those park tickets.
Looking at your dates, make sure you prepare for additional crowds. Make those
advanced dining reservations and be sure to reserve any special experiences with the
Enchanting Extras Collection. One year, my family did a
Capture Your Moment: Magic Kingdom Park photo session and used one of those photos for our holiday card. The session was the perfect length of time, the photographer was great, and we had so much fun!
I trust that you will get those tickets and resort hotel reservation sorted so that you can visit the parks before your resort hotel stay. Do keep in mind that any Special Offer used to reserve your vacation package may not be available for a room-only reservation or separate ticket purchase. And, keep an eye on the
Special Offers. It may be worthwhile to add a few days to your resort hotel stay!
Melissa, keep in mind that policies and procedures may change, so also double-check ticket policies as it gets closer to the dates of your visit. Sending a few extra wishes to the Evening Star trusting that the remainder of your vacation planning goes well and that your visit is truly magical!
Magic and memories,
Donyell