Welcome to planDisney, Adolphus, and get ready for the most magical vacation planning journey you'll ever embark on. I'm so excited for you, and I'd love to walk you through what to expect and how to start piecing it together. Let's break it all down in a cheerful timeline and checklist to keep things simple and fun:
Start dreaming and researching:
Decide on a travel year. If you're looking at 2026, good news, bookings are open now, and there are even some
special deals and offers available. You can go online or
call Disney Resort Hotel Reservations to book a vacation package that includes your
Resort Hotel and
Theme Park tickets. If you're looking at 2027, those bookings will likely become available for booking about a year from now, in spring 2026.
Explore Resorts:
With an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old, you might love the theming at
Art of Animation,
Pop Century, or
Caribbean Beach Resort. All Disney Resorts offer you early access to the Theme Parks every day as well as complimentary transportation, which is a huge bonus for getting around quickly and easily.
Your planning checklist:
- Choose your dates
- Book your vacation package online or over the phone
- Decide if you want a Disney Dining Plan, a prepaid meal option you can add to your package
- Start thinking about the parks! You'll want to visit all 4: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom
60 days before your trip:
You'll be able to start making dining reservations 60 days before your check-in date. Start looking into the restaurants you're interested in, and if you want to do anything fun, like Character Dining or dinner shows. Character meals like
Chef Mickey's,
Tusker House, or
Cinderella's Royal Table are all popular options for a magical meal.
7 days before your trip (If you're staying at a Disney Hotel):
This is when you can start booking
Lightning Lane Multi Pass, an optional add-on to your ticket that lets you skip the line at popular standby attractions. You'll be able to pick 3 return times per day in advance for rides like
Space Mountain,
Slinky Dog Dash, and
Frozen Ever After.
I know this is a lot of information to take in at once, but I wanted to highlight that all these planning decisions can be broken down into smaller parts between now and your trip. And the best part: we're here to help every step of the way! If you have questions about Resort Hotels, dining reservations, or planning your itinerary, we'd love to hear those. We have tons of recommendations and we're eager to share them with you!
Have a magical day, Adolphus!
Jessica