The question we often get asked is “when should we start planning for our Disney vacation?” This is a great question and we wanted to answer it here, especially for those who have never been to Disney before.
The answer we love to give is NOW! We think it’s never too early to start planning! You may be thinking we’re being a little silly, but there are some good reasons for beginning your trip planning early.
The first reason is to ensure you get a room at your first choice of Disney resorts. There have been many times where we went to book a room and waited too long only to discover there weren’t any available at the resort we really wanted. So booking far in advance will give you a better shot at getting what you want most.
You can book a room-only reservation up to 499 days in advance. Though we don’t necessarily recommend this, we won’t tell you not to either! Your deposit will be refundable up until 30 days prior to check-in. So it doesn’t hurt to book far in advance, as long as you know you won’t be able to book park tickets, dining, or Fastpasses that far ahead of your trip. And if you’d like to book a room, you will have to call (407) 939-1936 because you won’t be able to do it online.
Another reason is that Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) can be made up to 180 days prior to you check-in date (for up to 10 days of your stay).
**Currently because of Covid, it’s 60 days out. We aren’t sure if they’ll go back to 180 days, but we think they probably will.**
Again, you might be thinking it’s a little cray-cray to book dining reservations that far in advance. But the more popular restaurants will book up super fast! Once you make those ADRs you’ll be happy you got the chance, especially as you enjoy your meal, knowing that there are a lot of other people who missed out. (To read more about ADRs just follow the link above.)
Booking this far in advance also gives you a chance to start saving for your dream Disney vacation! It’s no secret that a Disney vacation puts a rather large dent in the wallet region. So having time to save up for it is super helpful. And if you’d like a fun way to save, check out our craft video on how to make your own cute Vacation Savings Jar.
Yet another reason to start planning early is so you can reserve Fastpasses (FP) for your favorite rides! For those who don’t know what FPs are, they are magical reservations you can make for some of your favorite rides at Disney. Fastpasses allow you to skip the “standby” line and move quicker to the front of the ride line. You will love having them and hate those who have them when you’re stuck in the standby lines. And like the popular restaurants, there are popular/new rides that people will get reservations for as early as possible. This is why planning and booking your trip far enough in advance is beneficial. Because you will be able to book your FPs at the earliest possible time (which is 60 days prior to check-in at a Disney resort, or 30 days prior to your park visit, starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time).
We hope this has convinced you to start planning your Disney trip NOW! 🙂 And if you would like help planning your trip, we would love to work with you to make it the best it can possibly be! A certified Disney travel planner can help you with the various steps of planning your Disney vacation. And the best news of all? Their services are free to you! If you’d like help from a certified Disney travel planner, click HERE for your no obligation quote. We also have this helpful questionnaire, with 10 Questions to Answer before booking your Disney trip. We highly recommend it for any Disney vacation.
And be sure to explore the rest of our site for more great info and tips for visiting the happiest place on earth!
Other Disney Content
Along with this helpful article about when to start planning your Disney vacation, we’ve got other great Disney content. We offer other advice for traveling to Disney. If you’d like to see our food related Disney advice, check it here: Treats and Eats.
And you can’t forget our Tips and Tricks for visiting the parks. We’ve got a lot of great help that can make you next Disney vacation the best one ever! There’s a ton of advice about Disney you won’t want to miss.
Also, if you’re interested in making Disney food at home. We’ve got a lot of Copycat Recipes on our site that you can check out. Once you’ve tried Disney food, you’re gonna want to make Disney Treats and Eats at home too. A lot of people don’t realize how much great food Disney has to offer. But we are here to right that wrong. We obviously love Disney, the rides, the atmosphere, the magic, but the food, oh my Disney, the food! So if you’re in love with the food as much as we are, you aren’t gonna want to miss all our copycat recipe videos. Wait, you didn’t know about the epicness of Disney’s food? Then you need our videos even more so you can check out what all they have to offer.
We’ve got a lot of other great Disney content too besides tips and food. We also have DIY cute Disney Crafts that you can make at home too. So if you enjoy craft time as much as we do, you’ll love making our fun Disney crafts.
There’s also our YouTube channel that is positively bursting with Disney happiness. So be sure to check it out and join our YouTube family!