Hi Sara! Welcome to planDisney!
I'm so excited about your upcoming stay at the
Walt Disney World Resort! It sounds like you are traveling with a large group, which to me means just that much more fun. I took a multi-generational trip a few years back and we had a party of twelve ranging in all ages. What we found that worked best for us was to book a few things together each day and then let everyone do what they wanted the rest of the day. It took the stress off of having to navigate an entire day with a large party.
You've picked a great hotel and location to be staying at. The Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is just steps away from
Disney Springs and has some of the best amenities for a Good Neighbor Hotel. You still get that feeling of being right in the middle of the action and some rooms even overlook most of Disney Springs.
Although your proximity to Walt Disney World, only Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green are allowed to make
Individual Lightning Lane reservations starting at 7:00 AM EST. While this unfortunately does not include the hotel you are staying in, you will be able to make your first purchase once the park officially opens. If you plan to purchase
Disney Genie+, you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation starting at 7:00 AM EST. This perk is open to all Guests regardless of where they are staying.
Currently, you will be allowed to make a reservation for up to twelve Guests for a Lightning Lane arrival window. If your party is larger than twelve, you may need to designate a second Guest to help make the reservations. As long as you both log in to
My Disney Experience at the same time and search for arrival windows, you should be able to get fairly similar times for the entire group.
Since you are staying at Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, you will have access to
Early Theme Park Entry to any of the four theme parks you are visiting each day. I recommend getting to the park early and heading straight to the ride you were planning to purchase. For example, if you want to ride
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, get to
Disney's Hollywood Studios early. Once you are allowed in for Early Theme Park Entry, make your way over to
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and the wait time should be much shorter than at any point throughout the rest of the day.
Sara, I hope you have the most magical time on your upcoming stay!
See ya real soon!
Greg