Hi Kelsey!
Welcome to planDisney! How exciting to be planning your very first Disney World vacation! I’m sure you and your daughter will make all sorts of amazing memories there later this year.
If you haven’t booked your resort and purchased theme park tickets yet, I’d start there! I highly recommend checking out the S
pecial Offers page first to see if any deals will work for your travel dates. If nothing stands out there, you can book your vacation package on the homepage of Disney World’s website.
Staying at a Disney World resort comes with
LOTS of perks, including booking dining and Lightning Lanes early, extra hours at the theme parks, free transportation around property, and more. I personally feel like being in the Disney World bubble brings the magic to a whole other level.
Plus, depending on how old your daughter is, you may qualify for the free dining plan for kids deal in 2026! At that point, you’d have a good chunk of your trip taken care of right off the bat when budgeting.
Once those main things are booked, then the fun part of the planning really begins! You can decide which theme parks you’ll visit, which attractions you want to prioritize, where you want to eat, whether or not you’d like to purchase Lightning Lanes (to bypass the standby queues at attractions), and what (if any)
Enchanting Extras you want to add on.
As you’re planning out your park days, I recommend making a list of 3-5 must-do attractions or experiences, then putting together a nice-to-see list to tackle once your top priorities are taken care of. While of course you’ll want to fit in as much fun as you can into each day, make sure to plan some downtime as well. Some of my favorite moments at Disney World happen in those quieter moments when we stop rushing from attraction to attraction and just take in everything around us.
If your itinerary allows, I also recommend planning a resort day, too! It will give you time to rest and relax, and the resorts have so much to offer. It’s always a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the parks.
Before I let you go, here are some important dates to remember as you plan:
-Your
Advanced Dining Reservation and Enchanting Extras booking window will open 60 days prior to your resort check-in date if you’re staying at a Disney World resort. While dining reservations open at 6 AM Eastern on that day, Enchanting Extras can open up as early as 12 AM Eastern, from my experience.
-Your
Lightning Lane booking window will open at 7 AM Eastern, 7 days prior to your resort check-in date if you’re staying at a Disney World resort or select good neighbor hotel. If you’re staying off property, that booking window will open at 7 AM Eastern, 3 days prior to the start date of your ticket for date-based tickets.
Hopefully, that gives you some guidance as you start to plan! Feel free to check out our
planDisney guides and
videos for more great information. And never hesitate to reach back out with any follow-up questions that you have. I hope you have the BEST trip!
Jenn J.