Hi there, Sheleah, and welcome to planDisney! I'm so excited that you're here today with this awesome question about planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation for your family in January 2025. Your first visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth is one you'll never forget, and I'm so happy to be able to give you some guidance as you make your plans!
Sheleah, there is so much to learn as you're planning your first Walt Disney World Resort vacation, and I admit, it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Today, I'd love to focus on a few main tips that will help guide your planning. First, make sure you do one thing each day that is a "must-do" for each member of your family. Second, take advantage of time-saving features like Mobile Food & Beverage Orders on the My Disney Experience Mobile App. Third, choose a Disney Resorts Collection hotel that perfectly suits your family. And lastly, take advantage of complimentary offerings like Disney Resort transportation.
When you have kids ages one, seven, and twelve, you're probably going to have a lot of different opinions on what to do during the day. If your older kiddos are into thrill rides, be sure to take advantage of
Rider Switch service, where you can send part of your group through the line while you stay with the littlest one, and then you and one other Guest can go through the shorter
Lightning Lane entrance. This will allow you to maximize your time throughout the day!
Long before it's time to eat, I like to look at the Map feature in the
My Disney Experience Mobile App, choose a nearby restaurant, and place a
Mobile Food & Beverage Order. It's so nice to be able to choose the pickup time window that works best for me. Doing this while waiting for a ride helps pass the time, and it saves us lots of time waiting in line for food when we're really hungry.
Staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel means you're staying in the magic throughout your vacation. While many of the rooms at the various hotels sleep up to five, your family might enjoy a Family Suite at
Disney's Art of Animation Resort. The main area features a pull-down bed as well as a pull-out sofa bed and a bathroom, and there is also a separate bedroom with its own bathroom. This is so helpful when everyone is getting ready at the same time for a fun day in the Disney Theme Parks!
Be sure to take advantage of the complimentary
transportation throughout Walt Disney World Resort during your vacation. Hop on a bus, boat, Disney Skyliner, or Disney Monorail to get to the theme parks, Disney Springs, or other Disney hotels. Each type of transportation is so much fun!
Sheleah, I know that these are four seemingly-random trips, but I hope they're helpful to you as you plan your vacation. Please stop back by planDisney with any other questions you have as you continue to dive in to the planning of your visit! We are here to answer your questions, and we have lots of helpful
resources to make the process much easier, so check them out!
See you real soon!
Jennifer