Hiya Becky!
Welcome to planDisney! You are choosing a wonderful time to visit, as this year new attractions like
TRON Lightcycle / Run open and we see the return of some beloved nighttime spectaculars! I will be heading there in June as well, as I can't wait to see new features and connect with some of our family's favorites.
Becky, let's get to helping you plan your magical memories! First, make sure you have a
My Disney Experience account and have downloaded the My Disney Experience app to your phone. It will be your Fairy Godmother during your trip, helping your wishes come true every day.
Once you do that, I recommend having a look at the
Disney Resort Hotels to see where you would like to stay. With a larger party, you may want to look at one of the Deluxe Villas, which range in size from one to three bedrooms and come with a full-sized kitchen and an in-room washer and dryer. There are also Value, Moderate, and Deluxe Resorts, so there are many options to choose from.
Next, you'll want to look for theme park tickets. To enter the theme parks, you need both a valid theme park entry ticket AND a
theme park reservation for each theme park day. I recommend checking the theme park reservation availability first for the dates of your visit, then purchasing the tickets, and then immediately reserving your spot for the theme parks of your choice on your ticket dates. You need two steps because you can't make the reservation without the ticket, and you want to buy a ticket for an available park. You will need BOTH to enter the park.
You can book single-park tickets or
Park Hopper tickets. If you choose Park Hopper, you can enter additional parks on the same day after 2:00 p.m. You do not need a reservation for the second park, as long as you enter the theme park you have the reservation for FIRST.
Walt Disney World Resort also now uses the
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane for getting one jump ahead of the lines for select attractions. The Disney Genie+ option gives you speedier access to select rides, and each park has one or two that are Individual Lightning Lane, which is a separate fee. You can do either or both. You can purchase this option at the time of purchasing tickets. But, if you are not ready to do this when booking your tickets, Hakuna Matata! It means "no worries." You can also add this later even up to the day you are visiting the theme parks!
Now, once you have all of those pieces in place, you can make Advance Dining Reservations 60 days out from your Check-In date, which as a Disney Resort Guest, you can make for the duration of your stay. I recommend choosing a few during your vacation, like a
Character Breakfast and a special spot like
'Ohana for a nice family meal. We like to have a few key dining reservations and then fill in the other meals with quick service. It's a great way to mix and match the magic during our vacation.
You can either make these
bookings online or you can call
Guest Services to assist you. If you have more Disney planning questions, stop back here at planDisney and I'll be so glad to help you!
See ya real soon!
Keri