Hiya Kevin,
Welcome to planDisney! You’ve certainly come to the right place for your question, and I’m excited to be a part of your planning journey. My Prince Charming likes to joke that all financial logic goes out the window the second I step off the airplane at Orlando International Airport. Purchasing a bubble wand for my two-year-old, no problem. Cheeseburger Spring Rolls from Adventureland, I’ll have four, and don’t even get me started on dining in general. However, he generally doesn’t complain because trips are typically booked as a
Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package.
What is a Vacation Package, you might be asking? A Vacation Package combines a stay at one of Walt Disney World’s
resort hotels with theme park tickets (you can also add on a
dining plan). Suppose you book a Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package. In that case, it enables you to make payments towards your vacation balance (after an initial deposit) and arrive at the Most Magical Place on Earth with your resort, tickets, and potentially dining paid for. You will have up to 30 days before your planned arrival to pay off your final balance versus booking a room-only reservation, where you have to pay your final balance when you check-in. Vacation Packages are also super straightforward to set up. When you select the resort hotel you want to stay in (and your room type choice), the next screen prompts you to “Add Theme Park Tickets.” Select the number of days and the ticket type before continuing to the next page. You will then be given the option to add either a Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan or a Disney Dining Plan (you can also select “No Dining Plan”). Follow the remaining prompts on your screen, and you will have reserved a Vacation Package!
I hope this was helpful, Kevin. If you plan to visit in 2025, take advantage of the current
Water Park Benefit. Guests with resort reservations are able to enjoy a day at either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach (subject to availability) on the day they check in for no additional cost. This is perfect for people who arrive early in Orlando but not early enough for a full day in the theme parks and want to enjoy something before checking into their rooms. My family and I cannot wait to try this out next month!
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.