Hi Alisa,
Welcome to planDisney! I am thrilled to hEAR that you are planning a visit with family to the Walt Disney World Resort.
It looks as if you are visiting near the Thanksgiving holiday. The
holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve is now our favorite time to visit! I am delighted to know that you all are staying at
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. It is such a lovely resort and I adore dining at
Sebastian's Bistro.
If you will need your own room, I suggest that you start with pricing a
vacation package with the resort hotel and
theme park tickets online. Keep in mind that you can match your family's plans exactly or you can make some of your own plans. First, decide how many nights you will stay in the resort and then decide how many days you will visit the theme parks. When I go with groups, I often do several theme park days with the group, but one day on my own. If I need to save money, I will forgo a theme park ticket one day and relax at the resort hotel or visit Disney Springs. Remember also to make
Disney Park Pass system reservations for each day you plan to visit the parks.
As it gets closer to your trip, you will need to decide if you want to join your family for all of their dining plans. If so, you all will need to make dining reservations together. Make sure you have a
My Disney Experience account and are linked to someone who is making plans for your family. As long as you all are linked in My Disney Experience, one person can make
advanced dining reservations for everyone. When traveling with extended family, I am the planner and make reservations for everyone!
As everyone maps out the daily plans, review the
attractions list and filter by theme park to see which attractions you want to prioritize at each park. We just returned from a trip and the parks and resorts were simply gorgeous! I recommend making several dining reservations at different resort hotels so that you can see the different holiday decorations at those resorts. Our favorite resort hotels at the holidays include Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's BoardWalk Inn, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Riviera Resort, and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Before attempting to make those dining reservations, check the
dining updates to see which dining locations are available.
Alisa, if you do not need separate accommodations, check with your family to see if they have reserved a room, suite, or villa that will accommodate an additional person. It might be possible for them to modify the reservation to add you and then you all can sort out the payment details. The good news is that you have options!
I hope this helps! Please drop by again if you have additional questions!
Magic and memories,
Donyell