499 Days Out
It’s no secret that Disney is a popular vacation spot for not only residents of Florida and the US, but also people from around the world. Because of this, you want to start planning your Disney Vacation as soon as possible. Reservations at the Walt Disney World Resort can be made 499 days in advance of your arrival date. Remember this is when you can start booking, usually reservations won’t be made until closer to your arrival date. A notable exception to this would be if you are looking to book during peak times such as Christmas or New Years. Good advice to follow would be to book sooner rather than later to ensure you get a room at the Resort of your choice.
200 Days Out
At this point nothing can officially be reserved, but you’ll want to start looking at things you will be able to do once you are at Disney World. The best way to do this is with an itinerary. Because I am a bit of a Disney Nerd, I LOVE making a good itinerary. You can make your own on programs such as excel or you can download a pre-made itinerary from someone else. You’re going to want to plan out your “Park Days” first. To do this, go to Disney’s Website and search for park’s hours. To get the best ‘bang for your buck’, you should plan on going to parks while they have Extra Magic Hours. (NOTE: Extra Magic Hours are only available for guests staying on-property at a Disney Resort and Annual Pass Holders.) Other things you should look into at this point include dining and character experiences as well as any special activities.
You should download the My Disney Experience App onto your smartphone to keep track of all of your reservations. This app will be your saving grace when it comes to your trip. It will show all of your reservations from hotel to dining to FastPass+.
180 Days Out
You can start making dining reservations at 180 days out. Disney offers a variety of different dining experiences from in the parks to at the Resorts to Disney Springs, you’ll be sure to find something that will satisfy every craving you might have while on vacation. Many of the table-service and character experiences should be reserved at this point. Especially if you want to dine at one of the more popular restaurants such as Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest. In my opinion, you don’t need a dining reservation for every night you are at Disney. Within a seven day trip I will typically schedule two dining reservations, breakfast for our free day and dinner for our first night.
At this time, books for the Bippity Boppity Boutique open. If you or one of the little ones in your group are interested in being transformed into a princess for the day, this is a cool thing to look into. There are three different locations,The Magic Kingdom, World of Disney at Disney Springs, and The Grand Floridian but reservation will book up fast!
90 Days Out
Again at this point you can’t officially book anything regarding your Disney Vacation, but you will want to book your flight and buy your park pass. You want to book your flights so you can sync them with your account to ensure a ride from the airport on the Disney Magical Express, complimentary bus service. After you purchase your park ticket. You will sync it to your account so you will be able to reserve FastPass+.
60/30 Days Out
The window for booking FastPasses will open 60 days in advance for guests staying on-property and 30 days for guest staying off-property. You can start reserving your FastPass+ at 7:00 am (EST) of your first park day. (Example: I will be going to the Magic Kingdom on January 3rd, 2020. I will reserve my FastPasses on November 3rd, 2019, because I will be staying on-property.)
FastPass+ are usually used to reserve spots for the most popular attractions. I say attractions because FastPass+ can be used to reserve spots for rides, shows, character meetups and premiere viewing for parades and fireworks. When you get to this point in you planning process, you will be glad you made your itinerary.
7 Days Out
Disney’s Memory Maker photo service offers a discount of $30 as long as you purchase this service at least 3 days before a Disney photographer takes a picture of you. There are tons of places to get your picture taken at Disney World. Because of this, Disney has placed photographers around the parks who will take your picture for free. All you need to do is pose and they will snap away. After the pictures are taken, they will be transferred to you My Disney Experience App where you will be able to view them. You are given a set time frame in which you will be able to edit your pictures and then Disney will send them to you on a DVD/CD so you will be able to print out as many as you would like. The package starts at $199 but with the discount it will come down to $169.
With only a week to go before you leave, this is also the time you can fax a room request to your Resort. It is Disney's goal to make everyones stay as magical as possible. With that being said, they will try to accommodate your requests to the best of their abilities. Requests will typically include being close to the lobby or getting a partial view for your standard room. You can also request in-room celebrations at this point. Whether your party is celebrating a birthday or your first time at Disney World, you can make it special by having a surprise waiting for you when you enter your room.
Please check back for more posts about planning your next Disney Vacation. And remember, every Disney Vacation holds its own Magic.
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