Hello, Linda!
Welcome back to planDisney with a great planning question. I am so happy to hear that you are planning to join the
World’s Most Magical Celebration this summer. You are going to have the most amazing time enjoying all the experiences created just for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. My favorite is
Disney Enchantment, a new nighttime spectacular created for the 18-month-long celebration. This magnificent event is shown nightly in the Magic Kingdom, featuring character projections on Cinderella Castle and the buildings of Main Street U.S.A. along with fireworks and a brand new theme song.
Grand gatherings of family and friends are so much fun. They may require a little extra effort in the planning stages, but the memories you will make are worth it. When it comes to purchasing your tickets for your group, it will depend on the dynamics of your group. Since your trip is about 3 months away, time is of the essence right now. All Disney Theme Parks are operating on limited capacity. This requires all Guests to have a valid theme park ticket and a
Disney Park Pass Reservation for entry. Summer is a popular time of year to visit, and you do not want to wait until the last minute to make your reservations.
It is really up to you how you want to handle the purchasing of tickets for a party of 12. Whether you purchase them all and then assign them to the respective members of your travel party or each family purchases them and assigns them, as long as the purchases are made as soon as possible. This will allow you to make your Park Pass reservations as soon as possible and get to reserve the parks of your choice now.
You will need to confirm that all 12 members of your group are connected to your
My Family & Friends list in My Disney Experience. If anyone is missing, you will need to send them an invite to connect with you so that you can share and make plans together. When you arrive and it is time to make your
Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections. You can make them all or share the duties with someone else in your group. I have found that it is easier to have one planner make the Genie+ selections at 7:00 AM while someone else is making the Individual Lightning Lane selections at 7:00 AM (for Guests of
Disney Resorts Collection Hotels, all other Guests can make selections when the park opens).
Don’t forget that you can make your
advanced dining reservations 60 days in advance of your arrival. If you need any help or recommendations, please come back and visit us again.
See ya real soon,
Andrea