Hi Patrick! Welcome to planDisney!
I'm excited to hear that you're planning a large family gathering at the
Walt Disney World Resort! I can't think of a better place to get everyone together and enjoy the magic that awaits.
When booking three
Disney Resort hotels, you will need three separate reservations to do so. Each resort room will require its own confirmation code and a list of Guests associated with each room. You can then combine your park tickets to create a vacation package. To get started, you can visit the Walt Disney World website and use the "Build Your Vacation" toolbar located at the top of the screen. Enter your anticipated travel dates and number of Guests for the first room. You'll find a host of Disney Resort hotels that have availability. Select the one you plan to stay at and the room type that works best for this group. After that, you can add park tickets to your package. You'll need to repeat these steps for the other two rooms with the correct number of Guests for each one. Once you check out, a deposit will be due to confirm each booking.
To book
Lightning Lanes, you'll need to wait until you are closer to your arrival date. Since you'll be staying in a Disney Resort hotel, you can begin purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass seven days before you arrive. You can purchase them for each day park day and make your selections as well. This way, you can handle this planning all in one morning.
If you prefer to work alongside someone who can help book your entire stay, including airfare and travel, I suggest using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. To find one, simply perform a Google search, and a host of options will appear. Take some time to see which company will be best for you and contact them to get started. The best part is, there is no additional cost to use their services. You'll pay the same amount as if you booked it yourself. These individuals are extremely knowledgeable and can help you tremendously with your bookings.
Patrick, I hope this information helps you plan for your stay!
Stop back and see us anytime at planDisney with any additional Disney vacation planning questions.
Greg