Hi Christina,
Welcome to planDisney! Thanks for stopping by to chat about your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation. There is nothing I love more than sharing The Most Magical Place on Earth with my family. We bring three generations with us during the holiday season and have the best time. I love the fact that you will get to have this experience on a grand scale!
The first thing you’ll need to do is determine where you want to stay. There are over 20 hotels in the
Disney Resorts Collection for you to consider. Having everyone stay at the same resort would certainly be nice, but with a group this large it could also make sense to split the reservations across multiple resort hotels. Once you have a sense of where to stay, use the
Ticket Buying Guide to determine how many park days and what kind of tickets you’ll need. If your family is like mine, you’ll want to build in some down time for a resort day or two. Before booking, be sure to check the
Special Offers page for deals.
Once you have the resort and tickets figured out, use this
Vacation Checklist to review all the other things you’ll need to do to prepare for your vacation. You’ll find all the important information on this list like downloading the
My Disney Experience app and adding your Family & Friends. The mobile app is going to be your most important tool before and during your vacation; you’ll be able to purchase and book
Lightning Lane passes, mobile order meals, book table service dining reservations and more right from the palm of your hand.
Speaking of dining, note that you won’t be able to book table service
dining reservations for groups larger than 20. You’ll need to book 2 reservations for approximately the same time and let the host know that your parties would like to sit near one another if possible. Cast members can’t guarantee that they can make this happen, but they will try their best to accommodate you. You will find the same limitations for Lightning Lane passes if you plan to purchase them, as they have a booking limit of 20 guests. However, if you strategize with one other member of your party, you can divide and conquer. You’ll have to work together to secure similar return times, but it can be done with some effort.
I know that all this planning you’re doing is rewarding, but it can be overwhelming. If you think you need to call in a professional, a simple internet search for Disney-Authorized Travel Planners should return several options. Be sure to look for the Earmarked Status of any agencies that you plan to reach out to – agencies that have been “Earmarked by Disney” have been recognized for their expert-level experience planning Disney vacations.
I hope this information is helpful, Christina. If you have additional questions about your visit, be sure to stop by and see us here at planDisney again. Until then, TTFN… ta-ta for now!
Sakinah