Hiya, Lavon! Welcome to planDisney!
Planning a trip to The Most Magical Place on Earth can certainly feel a little overwhelming at first. That’s totally normal! Luckily, my fellow panelists and I have years and years of planning experience. And nothing makes us happier than sharing some friendly advice, Guest to Guest, regarding
Walt Disney World Resort vacations. Let’s hop to it!
The Walt Disney World Resort website is really well designed, and it makes planning your vacation really straightforward. Right on the welcome page, when you first visit the website, you’ll see a “Build Your Vacation” banner near the top of the page. Here, you can enter your travel dates, along with how many Guests will be in your travel party. You can also filter specific
Disney Resorts, but I strongly recommend leaving this set to the default “All Resort Hotels” so you can see all available options. On the next page, you’ll be prompted to select your resort. It’s a long list! However, each resort includes a “Resort Overview” link. These give you helpful details on each resort and their unique offerings, which will help you decide which resort you’d like to stay at.
Once you’ve selected your resort, you’ll be able to select the room category that best suits you and your travel party. Next, you’ll be prompted to choose your
tickets. You’ll be able to select how many days you’d like to visit the parks, as well as the ticket type that best fits your plans. Options include 1 Park per day, Park Hopper Option, Water Park and Sports Option, and Park Hopper Plus Option. Each ticket type will have a description underneath to help you decide. If this is your first visit, I recommend at least 4 park days. This will allow you to visit each park once. It may seem like a lot, but even with 1 day in each park, you will not be able to see and do it all. That just means there’s always a reason to come back!
You’ll then be prompted to add a Dining Plan. The
Disney Dining Plans allow you to prepay for meals ahead of your trip. Many Guests find it appealing for this reason alone. If this is something you’re interested in, you’ll be able to choose between the Disney Dining Plan and the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, and you’ll be able to review the cost for each. If you’re traveling in 2027, there will also be the Deluxe Table-Service Dining Plan as an option.
And that’s it! With just a few easy clicks, you’ll be well on your way to planning your vacation to Walt Disney World. Staying at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel also comes with some great perks. Not least of which is the ability to book
Advanced Dining Reservations 60 days before your check-in date, for the length of your stay (up to 10 days). You’ll also be able to purchase
Lightning Lane Passes 7 days ahead of your check-in day. You’ll also qualify for
Early Theme Park Entry, which is a great way to enjoy a few attractions before the parks officially open for the day!
I know that’s a lot of information, Lavon! Of course, you can always come back and see us here at
planDisney. My fellow panelists and I would love nothing more than to answer any other questions you might have!
Happy planning!
Olivier