Welcome, Jennifer!
You've come to a good place to start with your planning. At
planDisney, we are real Disney Guests and Disney vacation planning experts from around the world, here to give you our sage advice, tips, and recommendations for making the most of your Disney vacation! You've asked pretty big question, so I'll try to give you the high points in my limited space.
Jennifer, planning a trip to the
Walt Disney World Resort can seem a bit overwhelming at first. I recommend you don’t try to look at everything at once. First, try to narrow down your dates. It looks like perhaps you’d like to come over the holidays. If you have your heart set on the week between Christmas and the New Year, it certainly is a magical week full of holiday fun. But I will tell you it is also the most popular time to visit, which typically means large crowds, and tight availability for resorts, dining reservations, and special events. If you have never visited before and you were my friend asking for advice, I would recommend you consider planning a trip at a less busy time of year such as late January, May, or September.
Now that I’ve said that, if December is your thing, then let’s do this! I always recommend staying at a
Disney Resort Collection Hotel. Staying inside the magic is always more fun, and it’s so much more convenient to be able to return to your resort for an afternoon nap, or even just to get home at night. You’ll find elaborately themed resorts, fun, and elegant dining experiences, and amazing Cast Members there to make your trip memorable. You'll also get early entry every day, and even extra evening hours if you stay at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort! Jennifer, you may not find
availability for the holidays at this late of a date, but it is always worth checking!
Next, you’ll want to
choose tickets, and make
Disney Park Pass Reservations. Reservations are complimentary but they are required to enter the theme parks. You can go with one park per day ticket which give you all the fun on a better budget, or for the ultimate in flexibility, consider the Park Hopper Ticket. The Park Hopper is also helpful for a shorter trip, allowing you to visit more than one park in a single day.
Once you have your resort, tickets, and theme park reservations, then you can go into more detail such as what attractions and special things you want to do on your trip. Take some time to search and read the questions and answers here on planDisney for helpful advice and recommendations. But Jennifer, the other thing you might want to consider would be using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. These are travel agents that specialize in Disney vacations. Contrary to what many people think, you don’t pay any more for a trip booked through a travel agent, their services are free to you! They can provide one-on-one service, book your room, tickets, dining reservations, and more. A quick search with your favorite search engine for the term “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” should yield plenty of options.
I hope this helps get you started, Jennifer! And please feel free to send additional questions to us here on planDisney as your trip approaches!
- Kate