Hi Lauren,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for taking the time to visit us with your great question. It sounds like you are planning a wonderful visit to Walt Disney World Resort with your family next spring, I am sure you will make some magical memories together during your vacation!
When purchasing
Theme Park Tickets only, guests are required to pay the full balance owing at the time of purchase. With a family of five, the cost can be significant, but if you would like to make the payments more manageable, you could purchase one or two passes at a time, which would change the payments to a smaller amount each time you purchase. With that being said, guests are required to have both a valid Theme Park Ticket as well as a
Theme Park Reservation using the Disney Park Pass System for every day you wish to enter a Theme Park, and capacity is still limited. Leaving the purchase of your Theme Park Tickets close to your date may lead to your preferred Theme Park not being available for everyone in your party, as you need to have Theme Park Tickets to book Theme Park Reservations.
Another option would be to book a
Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package that includes Theme Park Tickets as well as a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel stay. When guests book a Vacation Package, a deposit is required to secure the reservation, and then payments can be made at your convenience toward the balance owing. If you aren't planning on staying on Disney property during your visit, it may be worthwhile to spend a night or two in the "Most Magical Place on Earth", if a payment plan is a necessity. Once your deposit is paid, guests are able to make Theme Park Reservations and make payments toward the balance owing online, prior to your pay in full date.
I hope this information was useful, Lauren. If you have any other questions as your visit to Walt Disney World Resort approaches, please come back and visit us again at
planDisney, we are always happy to help.
~Stephanie