Hi Adriane,
Welcome to planDisney! It sounds like you’re interested in planning a group trip to Walt Disney World Resort soon; you’ve come to the right place! You’re hoping to plan a vacation for 6 this summer that includes a resort hotel and dining, and I am happy to report that this is entirely possible. The first thing you’ll want to do is determine when you’d like to visit - Disney World has some
really great promotions right now for summer visits this year that are worthy of checking out! Next, determine how many days you’d like to visit - there are ticket options from 1-10 days so you’d have to decide whether you and your party would want something short like a quick weekend in the parks or something longer. Consider booking a non-park/deliberate resort day - my family loves to enjoy the resort pool and restaurants on days like these. We also love to take advantage of the daily resort activities or head over to
Disney Springs for shopping and dining. Once you have all of that figured out, your next task will be to decide where to stay. Disney World has
over 25 resort hotels to choose from, so selecting one will be no easy feat! Consider things like your budget, the types of transportation you prefer, and what kind of amenities you’d need during your stay. With the size of your group,
some great options would be the family suites at both Art of Animation and All-Star Music Resorts or the Deluxe Villas.
Ok, so now that you have your vacation dates, your tickets and your resort decided on it’s time to head to the Disney World website and log in to book a vacation package. Start by clicking Places to Stay, then select your chosen resort, enter your dates and check the availability. You'll then have the option to book a package which includes park tickets and your hotel stay. While you’re booking, you’ll want to add a
Disney Dining Plan to your reservation. Dining plans allow you to prepay for your meals; you’ll want to decide which option is best for your group. If you like to be on the go and maximize your park time, the quick service plan might be for you. If you like to take a moment to slow down and sit to enjoy a meal during your park days, the table service plan will give you the chance to do that once per day.
Once you make your selections, you can pay a small deposit to hold your booking. On the website, you’ll be able to log back into your
My Disney Experience account at any time to make installment payments by clicking on My Disney Experience, then My Plans and Tickets. Scroll down to your first hotel date and you should see your balance as well as a link to Make a Payment.
Adriane, there are several decisions for you and your group to make, but once you get through the initial planning the rest will be a breeze. Consider marking your calendar at 60 days before your reservation starts so that you can head to My Disney Experience and book your
dining reservations and any
Enchanting Extras. At 7 days out you'll be able to purchase
Lightning Lanes. I really hope this is helpful; if you need more help or insight, come on back and let us know. Until then, I hope your planning is practically perfect in every way.
Your pal,
Sakinah