A great big beautiful welcome to planDisney, Tara! Thank you so much for visiting and sharing this question with us. We're so honored to help you plan your family's first visit to Walt Disney World Resort! It is 'The Most Magical Place on Earth,' after all!
The first thing I often recommend to Guests is to consider booking a
Disney Resort Hotel Package, which will include your multi-day theme park tickets and a stay at the Disney Resort Hotel of your choice. You'll be able to search for your preferred dates and hotel accommodations that meet the size of your travel party and then select the number of days for each Guest's
theme park ticket. You'll also have the option to choose a base ticket that includes admission to one park per day, the Park Hopper option which includes admission to all 4 theme parks per day, or add-ons like water park admission. Once you've made your selections, you'll see a package cost estimate and the option to add on a
Dining Plan, Memory Maker to capture your
Disney PhotoPass photos during your vacation, and a few other extras that you can opt to include (such as travel insurance, if needed). When you book, you'll be able to secure your Vacation Package for an initial deposit and then
make additional payments online toward the balance until the final payment is due 30 days before your arrival (subject to change). I love that Vacation Packages offer this flexibility to Guests, and it feels great to be able to secure all these vacation logistics with one single booking!
As a Disney Resort Hotel Guest, you'll also have access to additional benefits such as
Early Entry to the theme parks and complimentary transportation around Walt Disney World Resort. You'll also want to consider booking any
table service dining reservations up to 60 days in advance and as Guests of Disney Resort Hotels, you'll be able to book these advance dining reservations for the entire length of your stay, up to 10 days. It's a really nice benefit, especially if you're hoping to secure a dining reservation at some of the more popular table service locations.
My final recommendation to you is to download and familiarize yourself with the
My Disney Experience mobile app. This will contain theme park operating hours, attraction wait times, a useful map feature with in-park navigation, a chat function if you need assistance and so many additional resources. You can even check in and out of your Disney Resort Hotel room and use the mobile key feature to unlock the door, right from your device! Half of the fun of a Disney vacation is the planning process, and the My Disney Experience app is a wonderful resource to help you do this both at home (before your trip) and on-site (while you're in the middle of the magic)!
I know there are a lot of planning details to consider when preparing for your first Walt Disney World Resort vacation, Tara, and I'm sure you'll have other questions that come up in the meantime. I hope you'll feel welcome to come back to
planDisney so we can continue to share recommendations as you get ready for your magical adventure! It's always a pleasure to help fellow Guests create unforgettable vacation memories with their loved ones!
Magically yours,
Tishra