Hi Pete! From one out-of-state
Annual Passholder and
Disney Vacation Club member to another, welcome home and welcome to planDisney! Having both an Annual Pass and DVC is literally the best of both worlds. You get to stay at awesome Deluxe Villas and come into the theme parks when you please. Now let’s talk about how
Lightning Lane Passes work during DVC stays!
When staying in a DVC villa (or for any Disney Resort hotel at Walt Disney World), you can make Lightning Lane Pass selections
seven days in advance of your Resort arrival. What’s awesome about this, Pete, is that you can make these selections for the entire duration of your stay. What I HIGHLY recommend doing is selecting Lightning Lane Passes for the final day of your trip and work backwards so that you can maximize your attraction selections to work best with whatever existing activities or dining reservations you have scheduled. In fact, I did this on my most recent trip where we picked Lightning Lane Passes for a second-to-last day first so we had ultimate flexibility in selecting attractions return times that worked best with our dinner plans since we booked those 60 days out.
Pete, you didn’t ask this explicitly but since you mentioned not having activated your Annual Passes, I just wanted to reassure you that making any theme park reservations or Lightning Lane pass selections will not start the clock on your annual passes. Your family’s Annual Passes will activate when you first enter the theme parks using your annual pass as admission.
Pete, here’s another bonus tip! Did you know that your stay will be right in the middle V.I.Passholder days? Among the many exclusive perks are discounted dining at select restaurants, new Passholder merchandise, and a new magnet! Here’s a
handy link to more information about this special offer! Your arrival will also coincide with
Cool KIDS’ SUMMER, meaning that you’ll have access to a water park of your choice on your check-in date. Talk about making a big splash on your upcoming Disney vacation!
Pete, I hope this info is helpful for you and wish you the best on your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation. If you have any further questions on making the most out of your DVC membership, feel free to
contact me and my fellow panelists here at planDisney!
Your pal,
Sean