Hiya, Emma!
Welcome to planDisney –– thanks so much for stopping by with a question about your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort visit. Are you getting excited yet? January might seem far away now, but I have a feeling these last few months are going to fly by and you'll be arriving at Walt Disney World Resort before you know it!
Since it sounds like you're already planning out the itinerary for your visit, making your
Disney Park Pass reservations is the perfect place to start. In fact, I recommend doing this sooner rather than later since you'll be arriving around a holiday weekend –– theme park reservation availability is limited, so I always suggest booking as early as possible for the best park selection. The one thing you'll want to keep in mind, though, is that Walt Disney World typically released their theme park hours roughly 60 days in advance (although there have been times in the past when hours have been earlier than 60 days, so I always recommend checking the
Park Hours Calendar periodically to see if there are any updates).
While it might seem tricky to plan your days when you don't have all the specific details available, I suggest taking a look at all your must-dos and planning out what your perfect itinerary would look like. Do you want to start your visit with a glimpse of Cinderella Castle? Enjoy a late breakfast at
Cape May Cafe one day before wandering over to EPCOT? Stay up late on your last evening for one last adventure on
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? Whatever it is that works best for your family, make that the plan and go ahead and book your Disney Park Reservations so you have them in place. Then, once the official theme park hours are released in a few weeks, you can see if they match up with your plan and easily make adjustments as needed from the
My Disney Experience mobile app. That way, you'll be guaranteed to have a tentative plan and you won't run the risk of not being able to get a reservation at a specific park later on.
I hope this helped to answer your question, Emma, and I really appreciate you visiting planDisney. If you think of new planning questions as your Walt Disney World Resort visit gets closer, please don't hesitate to stop by again –– we're always here to lend a helping hand!
Happy Planning,
Amy