Hiya Jerry,
Welcome to planDisney! Like the folks from the state I call home, my motto is “Go big or go home.” I believe a visit to Walt Disney World Resort should be filled with all the best dining,
Enchanting Extras, and treats you can enjoy. A vacation like that can add up quickly, so I can definitely appreciate a payment plan.
Great news, Jerry; if you are looking for a way to have it all, then “let’s get down to business” and talk about a Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package. Are you planning to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotel? What about purchasing Theme Park tickets for your trip? If you answered yes to both questions, you should reserve a Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package. With a Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package (a package that combines your Theme Park tickets and a stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotel), you can make payments towards your vacation up until 30 days before your arrival. If this is what you are looking for, then it is a straightforward process to set up. On the official
Walt Disney World Resort website, click “Get Started.” A new page will load, showing you all the resort hotels in the collection. Input your trip details and select “Find Resorts.” A list of available resorts will appear for your chosen dates. Once you find the resort that you like and fits your budget, you can select it to learn more details and begin booking your Vacation Package. On the resort page, you should see the offer type “Package,” make sure that it is highlighted before you proceed to the next step. Select your room type, and you will be brought to a page to “Add Theme Park Tickets” to your reservation. For it to be a Vacation Package, you must “purchase” your Theme Park tickets simultaneously as you make the resort reservation. Select your Theme Park ticket and continue to your cart! Once you check out, you will be prompted to pay a down payment for your package, and then you will have until 30 days before your arrival to pay the remaining balance! Voila! Easier than Mulan defeating Shan Yu.
Jerry, before I let you go, if you don’t want to stay on-site or aren’t interested in purchasing Theme Park tickets right now, you cannot book a Vacation Package. Booking your Theme Park tickets in a separate transaction from a resort hotel reservation means you cannot make payments towards your final balance. Purchasing Theme Park tickets outside of a Vacation Package requires full payment at the time of the transaction, and booking a “room-only” reservation requires a down payment and the final remaining payment due in full at check-in. Sometimes that is what ultimately works best for your family. My family and I often do this! In this case, we like to use
Disney Gift Cards to help budget our trip. We research the various aspects of our trip, make an estimated budget and then purchase Disney Gift Cards over time to cover that estimation. We then combine the Disney Gift Cards before our trip, easing our financial burden.
Jerry, I hope this was helpful no matter what route you choose. If you need anything else, please come back and see us.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.