Things to Know When Booking a Disney Vacation

PARK RESERVATIONS

Disney requires you to make reservations for the days you plan to spend in the park. After you buy your tickets, you need to immediately create a My Disney Experience account and link your tickets to your account. You can do this through the Disney World website or their app. After creating accounts for everyone in your party and setting them up so you can manage them, you will go to your account and make reservations for the park you’d like to visit. If you have a park hopper pass, you will be allowed to switch parks after 2, but you will only be permitted entry to the park that you have a reservation to before that. 

DINNER RESERVATIONS

Dinner reservations are available 60 days before the first day of your trip. If you book with me, I will set a reminder for you and remind you a day or two before, but you should know what bookings you’d like ahead of time so that when the day comes, you can book them fast. I recommend doing at least one sit-down meal during your stay because the experiences are something to see, and it gives you a bit of a break. Keep checking in if you don’t get the reservation you want on the first day. People change their minds or overbook and cancel often. If there is something that you don’t want to miss, there are some paid services that I can recommend that will send you alerts if anything opens up. Dining plans

Dining plans are currently unavailable, but some recent packages come with free dining credits that can help save you money on meals.

LIGHTENING LANE/GENIE+

Genie+ is Disney World’s fast pass system and can be purchased anytime after midnight the day you’re going to the park. You can buy a Genie+ pass for a specific price per person per day that covers 40+ rides. The prices vary and are not posted beforehand but range from $15-29 per person. The premier rides are add-ons called ILL or Individual Lightening Lanes. They are priced individually and can vary from day to day.

COVID REGULATIONS

There are no COVID restrictions now; masks and vaccinations are optional.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation to the theme parks and Disney Springs is free from all official Disney resorts. Still, the type of transportation varies, depending on where you stay. Walt was very into different modes of transportation, so they have a monorail, ferry boats, a skyliner, and free buses. You can also take an Uber/Lyft or a Minnie Van for a fee. Typically guests prefer monorail, boat, or skyliner access, as the buses are a bit slower and tend to fill up quickly on busy days.

RESORT TYPES

There are four different types of Disney resorts: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas. In addition, some other hotels on Disney property, but not Disney-owned, still come with perks, such as Extra Magic Hours. Other hotel options are near Disney property with transportation to and from the parks.

DINING TYPES

Cart/Kiosk: Offers snacks like popcorn, churros, and Mickey ice cream bars. 

Quick service: Offer a walk-up window from which you can order. These restaurants do not require reservations and often have tables nearby where you can sit down and eat your meal. Many of these offer mobile ordering, so you can order your meal ahead of time and pick it up when you get there. They include various options, not just the typical fast food burger or chicken fingers.

Table service:  Sit-down dining where you have a table and a server. Reservations are strongly encouraged for these restaurants, and many fill up fast. These are excellent opportunities to sit in a stress-free environment and enjoy the Disney ambiance. Most table service restaurants have entertaining themes, like Tony’s Town Square Restaurant from Lady and the Tramp, or the Sci-Fi Dine-In, which is set up like a drive-in movie theater and plays short sci-fi movie clips. 

Signature dining: The ultimate dining experience at Disney, these restaurants often include character meet-and-greets and the top food and ambiance. Reservations are required, and these restaurants fill up quickly. Examples include Cinderella’s Royal Table, Tiffins, and Be Our Guest, where you can dine in the Beast’s castle.

CANCELLATION POLICY

I highly recommend booking your Disney vacation as far out as possible. There can be some apprehension when booking early. What if you decided you’d rather stay at a different hotel? What if you want to switch park days? What if a discount comes up after you book? What if something comes up and you can’t come at all or have to book different days? Disney is great about covering all of these possibilities.

At the time of your booking, all that is required is a deposit of $200 per reservation. Each room has its own reservation, so if you and your immediate family book one room or suite, the deposit stays at $200. If you book a big family vacation for three families (rooms), it’d be $600. The total amount isn’t due until a month before your trip.

Your money is refundable for almost everything if you are more than 30 days out. If it’s less than a month before your trip (2-29 days), everything is refundable except $200 per reservation. I say “almost” because if you book with third-party hotels, some of that part of your package may not be refundable, depending on their policies.

If a discount or offer comes up between your booking and your trip, then your travel agent can handle rebooking your trip with the new discount applied, so you don’t miss out on any fantastic deals.

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