Hi Judy!
Welcome to planDisney! I’m so excited that you’ll be returning to the Most Magical Place on Earth in just over a month!
So much has changed at Disney World over the past 20 years, but that’s where I come in to give you some guidance.
First things first, it’s going to be extra important to have the
My Disney Experience app downloaded on your phone. That will be your main hub for everything we’re about to talk about!
Alright, let’s talk about getting you on those rides. Almost all rides at Disney World have standby queues. The only attractions that currently don’t have standby queues are Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom. Both of those can be accessed by
joining a Virtual Queue on the My Disney Experience app or by purchasing a Lightning Lane Single Pass.
If you want to skip those long standby lines, what you might remember as FastPasses are now Lightning Lanes! And I highly recommend purchasing
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or Lightning Lane Single Pass for your park days to access those faster queues. You can do this right in your My Disney Experience app up to 7 days prior to your trip.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass includes several rides in each park. When you purchase this service, you will be able to pre-select Lightning Lanes for 3 attractions for each park day. On your park day, each time you scan into a Lightning Lane, you can book another one at a different attraction!
Lightning Lane Single Passes are available for a couple of select attractions in each park. These attractions are not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can book your Lightning Lane Multi Pass pre-selections and Lightning Lane Single Passes at the same exact time.
Finally, if that all seems like too much to manage and you’re staying at a Disney resort, you will have the option to purchase
Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Although this service is more expensive, you will be able to ride any attraction you want without having to make any reservations.
Ok…onto dining! Since your Disney World countdown is less than 60 days away, you’ll be able to
book advanced dining reservations at this time.
If you’re having a tough time finding availability for a party of 11, I recommend booking reservations as smaller groups (for example, making 2 reservations at similar times for a party of 5 and a party of 6). When you check in to your reservation, let them know that you’re together, and they’ll try their best to sit you near each other.
There are also
plenty of quick-service restaurants located in the parks and at the resorts in which you don’t need reservations at all. While you can order right at the restaurant, I’ve found it helpful to
place a mobile order using the My Disney Experience app. Then I can just pick up my meal when I get to the restaurant instead of waiting in line.
Hopefully that helps get you started on the right foot! If you have any other questions, feel free to come back to visit us. We’re always happy to help!
Jenn J.