Hi Marcy! Welcome to planDisney!
Oh boy! Only about a month away until you arrive at the
Most Magical Place on Earth. I’m excited you have decided to stay in a Disney Resorts Collection hotel during your visit. I am a big fan of all the resorts and for good reason. There are many benefits and perks to staying in one, but none is bigger than being completely immersed in Disney magic for your entire stay. I love entering under the Walt Disney World archways and not having to leave until we are heading home!
One of the best perks of staying at a
Disney Resort Collection hotel is that you have full access to the resort and amenities on the day of your arrival and departure. This includes being able to make
Disney Genie+ reservations and
Individual Lightning Lane purchases at 7 AM on your check-in day. My family and I just recently returned from our weeklong trip and arrived in the morning hours before we were able to check in. We wanted to head straight to the Magic Kingdom that day with the plan to ride
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. At 7 AM that morning while we were traveling down, we logged on to the
My Disney Experience App and made an Individual Lightning Lane selection for this ride for the time we were planning on being at the park.
When making Disney Genie+ reservations, you need to be more careful since you do not have the same timing advantage as Individual purchases. Currently, you are not able to select the arrival window for the specific attraction you want to reserve. It will only allow you to book the next available time slot. If you don’t plan to arrive at the parks until later in the day, make sure to find an attraction that has an arrival window that fits your schedule.
As I mentioned earlier, you can also take advantage of other recreation and amenities at your resort before your room is ready. If my family does not visit a park on the first day, we will typically spend time at the pool or grab a bite to eat. We enjoy getting a head start and having our vacation begin the second we arrive. I love that Walt Disney World is accommodating to Guests on their travel days!
Marcy, I hope you have an amazing visit next month! I'm excited for you to experience everything taking place for the
50th Anniversary Celebration! Be sure to check out all the new attractions that have or will open up by the time of your arrival!
See ya real soon!
Greg