Tips to Book Your Disney Trip
You would think that booking a Disney Trip would be pretty easy. Just book the hotel and tickets and then you are good to go! But there is actually so much more to it that many people have no clue about that will make your trip so much more magical.
There are a few things to know that we will uncover in this post as well as some tips to help make booking your entire trip a breeze!
Getting Started - Booking Your Room
The first think you are going to want to do is book your hotel room. These go the fastest and many reservations and additional packages rely on your room reservation. If you are booking off property accommodations, this is a little less reliant on your other bookings, but Disney does offer package deals on occasion so you want to be sure that you are prepared to snag them when they become available.
You can find the various resort and room options on the Disney Website with different theming and room types to accommodate any family. You can honestly finish booking directly through the website.
The other option is to book over the phone. You can call (407) 939-7675. This is especially helpful if you have already booked your room, but need to add a discount, you will need to call to have this added to your reservation.
Park Tickets and Reservations
Once you have your room booked, you will want to book your park tickets and park pass reservations. There are few different ticket options to choose from: One Park per day, Water Park and Sports Options, Park Hopper, and Park Hopper Plus
One Park Per Day
This option allows you to visit one of the 4 theme parks per day.
Water Park and Sports Option
This option allows you to visit one of the 4 theme parks OR 2 water parks OR the ESPN Wide World of Sports center per day.
Park Hopper
This option allows you to visit any of the 4 theme parks per day. You can also ‘hop’ or transfer to another park (or 2 or 3) per day. (Currently Park Hopping is only allowed after 2pm)
Park Hopper Plus
This option is the same as the park hopper ticket, but also includes the 2 Water Parks and ESPN sports center.
If you are trying to decide the number of days that you want park tickets for, keep in mind that the cost per day is cheaper the more days you book. You will need to do a cost comparison to see what the price differences are, but you may be surprised! You might be able to squeeze in an extra park day!
As of right now, Disney is requiring a Park Pass Reservation to enter a park. This means that you will have to plan each park that you would like to visit on each day of your trip. Park Passes do fill up quickly, so it is important to book your tickets and passes as early as possible to make sure you get the parks you want!
You only have to have a park pass for the one that you want to start the day with, after the park hopping window becomes available, you are able to park hop to any park without making another pass. However, if you do not have a park pass, you will still not be allowed into a park without one. The biggest thing to remember is to just make sure you book a park pass is you plan on visiting a park.
Dining
The next thing you will want to book is your dining. Quick Service and Snack locations do not require reservations, but any Table Service or Signature Dining you will need to make a booking. The window for making reservations is 60 days in advance.
Some of the most popular experiences like Cinderella’s Royal Table and California Grill get booked up VERY quickly, so make sure that you are ready and prepared to snag the most important reservations to you first.
You can book these reservations on the Disney Website, over the phone, or on the My Disney Experience App. You can find them by searching individual restaurants or you can always search by day to see what is available.
Bonus Tip
If you are staying on property, the booking for your entire trip becomes available when you reach the 60 day window for the first day of your trip. Save your harder to get reservations for the end of your trip that way you have fewer people trying to book those all at the same time. It isn’t guaranteed, but it may give you a little bit better chance!
Tours and other extras
The last thing you will want to start booking is if you plan on participating in any tours, Halloween or Holiday Parties, dessert parties and more. Some of these can be booked through the website, but for anything else you will need to call. There are usually individual phone numbers for each type of activity that you will find on the website page.
Deals and Discounts
Occasionally, Disney will offer special deals and discounts for different vacation packages including room discounts, free dining, and more. These deals get snagged up extremely fast (especially free dining). If you have already booked your package, you will have to call to get the discounts applied to your reservation. Be prepared, you will probably be on hold for awhile when these become available, so check back on the website frequently to see when these become available. You can find a full list of Disney’s current offers HERE.
The Biggest tip
This is a lot to remember! You can definitely do this all yourself, but if you want a way to make your vacation planning way easier, consider getting a Disney Travel Agent.
They are completely free to you and love to help you plan every part of your trip. They will help you with all of your booking and they will notify and book you when deals become available and even book THOSE for you! Travel Agents can be as hands on or hands off as you like and you have a personal connection with someone who can answer any questions you have about a trip.
The best advice I can give is to make sure that you are using a reputable Disney Travel Agency to know that you are getting the best trained agents to help you.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Adventures of Allison Wonderland
Whatever you decide to do, save this for later and get ready to have the most magical vacation with memories you will never forget!
