Important Dates to Remember When Planning Your Disney World Getaway
For those planning a Walt Disney World getaway, keeping track of important booking dates is half the battle! From resort and dining reservations to FastPasses and MagicBands, we want to make sure all of the elements of your Disney getaway come together as seamlessly as possible. That’s why we here at MickeyBlog have come up with this handy list of important Walt Disney World booking dates! Get ready to mark those calendars!
Up to 499 Days Before Your Trip:
Make Your Reservation: Walt Disney World resort rooms can be booked up to 499 days in advance giving you lots of time to plan and save. For those looking to pair your room reservation with tickets, you can currently make bookings through until the end of 2019!
However, those looking to book a stay at one of Disney World’s DVC villa properties should note that these are often released a bit closer to travel dates and may not be available to book as far out as regular resort rooms.
180 Days Before Your Trip:
Make Those Dining Reservations: One of the big perks of staying at a Walt Disney World resort is the ability to make your dining reservations 180 days before arrival (with or without the dining plan.) Guests have two options for booking reservations. You can book your meals via the My Disney Experience app or website starting a 6 AM 180 days out or by calling 407.WDW.DINE beginning at 7am EST.
Onsite guests are able to make reservations for every night of your stay at the 180-day mark. Off-site guests are also able to make reservations 180 days in advance however, reservations will need to be made day-by-day. Since many of Disney’s Table Service restaurants fill up quickly, we highly recommend that you make your reservations on or as close to the 180-day mark as possible.
Reserve Those Add-Ons: In addition to dining reservations, other options also become available to book at the 180-day mark. This includes things like makeovers at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, The Pirates League, dessert parties and tours! Guests should refer to disneyworld.com to find out more about booking in these magical extras as steps to make reservations depending on the experience.
60 Days Before Your Trip:
On-site Guests Make Fastpass Reservations- Two months out from you Disney vacation on-site guests have the ability to log onto your My Disney Experience account and make Fastpass reservations for your entire vacation. Under this fantastic system, you can choose 3 attractions at 1 theme park where you can jump to the front of the queue without having to wait in line.
FastPasses open up starting at 7 am 60-days out for those with a Walt Disney World resort reservation. Annual passholders can also book at the 60-day mark but are only able to book up to a week’s worth of Fastpasses at one time.
Photo Credit: https://momrewritten.com/disneylands-disability-access-service-das/
Check Into Your Resort – At the 60-day mark, those staying onsite also have the option of checking in to your Walt Disney World resort online! There are a few reasons why we here at MickeyBlog recommend online check-in. The first is that through this process you are able to make room requests. Though you can’t pick a specific room number you can often times select what floor you’d like to be on and if you’d like to be near the elevators.
In some instances, you may even be able to choose what section of the resort you’d like to be in. Online check-in also allows you to pick a resort arrival time. Though Disney doesn’t guarantee check-in until 3 pm, letting them know you are arriving early may mean that they’ll prioritize your room and have it ready for you earlier in the day! Finally, online check-in also allows you to bypass the busy lobby check-in lines and in some instances even head directly to your room!
30 Days Before Your Visit to Disney World:
Offsite Guests Can Book FastPasses : Guests not staying at a Walt Disney World resort will need to wait until the one month mark before making your FastPass reservations. Again they open up at 7am EST and can be booked via My Disney Experience.
Final Payment is Due – If you’ve booked a Walt Disney World vacation package this is the last day to make any changes or cancellations to your package without penalty. This is also the final day that the balance on your holiday must be paid off to avoid cancellation.
Customize Those Magic Bands – 30- 10 Days Before Your Trip: Though this is the first thing many families do when setting up your My Disney Experience account, getting Magic Bands customized as far in advance as possible means that they can be shipped to your home before vacation.
However, if it slipped your mind don’t worry, you have up until 10 days before departure to customize your bands and Disney will send them to your resort. If you miss the boat when it comes to customization Disney will issue you with a standard grey version when you check in.
3 Days Before Your Trip:
Last Date to Book Memory Maker and Save: Memory Maker is a fantastic way to preserve those magical Disney memories. Under this package, visitors can pre-pay for unlimited photo downloads including any shots taken by PhotoPass photographers during your stay. The package also includes ride photos, ride videos, Magic Shots and Character Meet and Greets.
Guests purchasing Memory Maker up to three days in advance get it for the discounted cost of $169.00. Those waiting until you are at the parks will be charged $199.00. Memory Maker can be booked via your My Disney Experience account or by contacting your Travel Agent.
We hope we’ve made keeping track of those important Disney dates easy with our quick run through! The best way to put them into practice is by planning your next Disney getaway. Fill out our form below to get your FREE, no-obligation quote with MickeyTravels. Packages are currently available to book through until the end of 2020.
Why not consider working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I can help you get the best discounts for your Disney World vacation package, assist with making dining, Fastpass and Mickeys’ Not-So-Scary Halloween Party reservations and can even help you plan an itinerary filled with extra special seasonal touches. Best of all my services are absolutely FREE! Contact me at 1.800.801.4025 via email at mroden@mickeytravels.com or on Facebook and let’s get planning!
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