Hi Andrew!
Welcome to planDisney! Thank you so much for sending this Disneyland Resort vacation planning question to us hEAR. I'm happy to be your planEAR today!
When booking a Disney Parks vacation to Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Aulani - A Disney Resort & Spa, or with Disney Cruise Line, you have two options: either to make and confirm your plans yourself, or use a travel agent well versed in all things Disney. You are correct that these planners, who live all over and probably exist in the places you already frequent, like your child's school or neighborhood HOA, are 100% free for you to use. However, most will only help book your daily plans
if you book your Disney Resort Hotel and Theme Park tickets through them. But I'm happy to say that you've actually done almost all of the hard work yourself and that you almost don't need a travel planner. In fact, this is why the planDisney Panel exists, to help every Guest figure out what to do every step of the way! All you have left, Andrew, is to 1) make your Park Pass Reservations and 2) figure out where you might like to dine:
Park Pass Reservations: As part of
Disney's reopening and health & safety guidelines, Park Pass Reservations, which notate which theme park you'd like to visit which day, are now required for each guest. I see that you've already selected your vacation dates, but if you haven't done so already,
now is the time to make Park Pass Reservations for your party.
Dining! There are over 100 options spread between the two theme parks, three resort hotels, and the Downtown Disney District. Most
table-service dining locations, which range from casual to fancy to character buffets, accept reservations. I will say that reservations open up for booking 60 days in advance of every day, so now is the time to start looking and booking those meals as the most popular locations book very quickly. Pro Tip:
Dining reservations might be hard to find for parties of seven or more, but there is a workaround. But don't worry that you'll go hungry if you don't make a single dining reservation as there are over 75
quick-service locations; some even offer
mobile food and beverage ordering!
Bonus step 3) If you haven't already purchased or resEARched the brand new
Disney Genie+ add-on service, you have plenty of time as you can make this purchase right after you've entered the theme park on each of your Disney days.
I'm so excited for your upcoming visit to Disneyland, Andrew! Did you know that your visit falls during the
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival? Be sure to follow the
official planDisney Instagram account and the
Disney Parks Blog for even more Disneyland Resort tips and tricks. And if you have any more Disneyland Resort vacation planning questions, Andrew, We're All Ears!
~Kristen N.