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Keys to Planning Your First Trip to Walt Disney World

rookie disney tips _ disney fanatic

4. Reservation Time

You’ve booked a Disney resort and purchased park tickets, now it’s time to make those reservations! Advanced Dining and FastPass+ reservations that is. For guests staying at a Walt Disney World resort, the FastPass+ ticket booking window opens 60 days prior to your vacation. Be sure to have your park plan, must do attraction list and FastPass+ attraction and time preferences nearby as soon as your booking window opens.  You can book three FastPass+ tickets per day before your vacation and can reserve additional passes in the parks after you have used all your existing passes for the day. FastPass+ is a megatime saver, sometimes saving guests hours in line at high traffic attractions during busy park days. Even if your desired FastPass+ attraction/times are not available when you book, go ahead and snag available passes for other attractions.  Any time saved in the park is valuable!

Disney dining is a not to be missed part of a Walt Disney World vacation.  Technically, guests can reserve dining up the day before their selected dining time. However, we suggest you reserve dining as far as possible ahead of your vacation. Particularly for high demand restaurants like select character meals (Chef Mickey’s, Ohana etc.) seats tend to book up as soon as the booking window opens, 180 days in advance. Most Disney dining reservations can be canceled free of charge (aside from select dining experiences noted on the Disney website) within 48 hours of your reservation, so if you are considering a restaurant, go ahead and snag the reservation. Just be sure to cancel as soon as possible if you choose not to keep the reservation, to let other families have a chance to book as well. Do your research on menus, dining style and locations and snag some awesome meals for your family’s Disney vacation.

5. Pack Smart

Round up your vacation gear at least a week before vacation to allow plenty of time of stress free packing time.  Bring sun and rain essentials for those hot Florida rays and the pop up showers in the park. Be sure to pack two pair of comfortable walking shoes for each family member, in the event a pair get wet. Think cool and comfy when packing for summer in the parks and prepare for cold weather with sweatshirts and windbreakers if you are visiting Walt Disney World in the winter. Packing smart will save time, money and stress on vacation.

Screenshot dining and FastPass+ times on your phone to save battery in the parks, clear your camera roll to make space for all those fabulous vacation snapshots and get your mouse ears ready for the vacation of a lifetime!




BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Disney travel deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!