Hi Michelle!
It's great to see you stopping by planDisney with a question!
Let me first congratulate you for starting to plan early! Early planning is key. I am happy to give you some recommendations. If you need one-on-one guidance as you book, you can always
contact a Cast Member by phone or work with a travel agency.
If you have not done so already, review all of your options within the
Disney Resorts Collection. Decide which resorts would be preferred. Think about the kind of amenities you would want - dining options, transportation access, etc. Then, price out vacation packages that include a resort hotel and theme park tickets. Use the
vacation package link to search availability and prices for the dates of your visit. You will need to know the number of people in your party, number of children traveling, and the ages of the children going with you.
Once you book a vacation package, link it in your
My Disney Experience account (go ahead and create one if you need to!). If you have family or friends traveling with you who have their own My Disney Experience accounts, you will need to make sure that you connect with them via the
My Family & Friends List in My Disney Experience. After your vacation package is linked, I suggest that you go ahead and make
Disney Park Pass system reservations for everyone in your party.
Since you can put a deposit down to secure your vacation package reservation, you can make payments over time. Just be sure to pay it off by the balance due date. Also, make note of your
advanced dining reservation booking window. Right now, that booking window is 60 days prior to arrival. Dining reservations are a must-do. You can check the list of restaurants that accept dining reservations, go to the home pages of each restaurant, and View Menu to see menu options and prices. One of our favorite dining locations, for example, is
Coral Reef Restaurant in EPCOT. You can view their
lunch menu prior to your visit.
Michelle, my family insists on wearing matching t-shirts every day. If this sounds like your crew, check out the options on
shopDisney and be sure to place that order in time! Finally, know that you will visit during one of my favorite times of year,
The Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort. The parks and resorts are beautifully decorated. I hope this inspires you to keep planning for an
Incredible Disney visit!
Magic and memories,
Donyell