Hi Karissa!
Welcome back to planDisney! I love the magic of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, especially when that time is shared with family and friends! You'll be happy to know that planning together is super easy thanks to My Disney Experience! Walt Disney was quoted as saying "the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing" so let's get right to work!
Karissa, I recommend making sure each adult in your group has created their own
My Disney Experience account to start. If you're traveling with any children, the adult who will be managing their profile will want to create an account for them as well. These accounts are going to be important as you link tickets, dining reservations, Genie+ purchases, Virtual Queue selections, and more. For anyone in your party staying in a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel, they'll also be able to link their hotel reservation. Once all of the accounts are created, you can add each other to a
Family and Friends List where you can manage and share plans regardless of who is staying on-site and who is staying off-site.
Bonus Tip - Even if your travel party is spread across different hotels and reservations, you only need to purchase
Memory Maker once to use during your trip! Memory Maker can be shared between up to 25 people on your Family and Friends List making it the perfect way to save all of those magical family memories at a great value price!
Karissa, my family chooses to stay off-site sometimes and there are a few things that I always keep in mind when making that choice.
Early Theme Park Entry is a benefit reserved for guests staying at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel and select neighboring properties. These extra 30 minutes each day before the parks open are a great chance to experience a few attractions with lighter crowds. In addition, guests who are staying off-site can't
make advanced dining reservations for their entire length of stay 60 days before arrival - they would have to continue to log back in at the 60-day mark each day of their trip. This may not be as big of a concern for this visit though. If you're staying on-site you can make dining reservations for the whole family and share with others on your Family and Friends List. I also always encourage guests staying off-site to check and then double-check what transportation their hotel provides to the theme parks. I've had a few experiences where complimentary transportation to the Disney parks was advertised as a big selling point and then found out that those complimentary busses ran on very strict, infrequent schedules and some stopped at LOTS of hotels making for long bus rides. If your family members will be renting a car, they will need to
pay for parking at the theme parks as complimentary theme park parking is another benefit reserved for those staying on-site.
I hope this helps to answer your questions as you and your family continue to plan your Walt Disney World Resort vacation! If you have any other questions, please stop by to see us again here at planDisney!
See ya real soon!
Kristi