- Mar 13, 2024
- 560
- 35
When you’re planning your next Disney World vacation, there are many factors to consider.
Cinderella Castle
You need to arrange travel, hotel, park tickets, dining plans, and more. If you’re on a budget, you have to be even more mindful to keep costs in check. Expenses for travel, accommodations, food, souvenirs, and extras significantly impact your overall spending. When planning your trip, consider these four questions to help maintain your budget while accomplishing your vacation goals!
Lightning Lanes are paid options allowing you to skip lines at the parks. You can buy them in three ways: Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass. Multi Pass grants access to multiple rides, Single Pass is for one ride, and Premier Pass covers every ride at your chosen park.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Lightning Lane
With the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can select up to three Lightning Lane options before your trip. Guests at Disney-owned hotels can make these selections at 7AM EST, up to seven days before check-in (for stays of up to 14 days), while other guests can secure their first three selections three days in advance.
Inside the park, you can make more selections after using a Lightning Lane, allowing for continual new options throughout the day, ensuring you have THREE to use at any given time.
Lightning Lane at Expedition Everest
You can also acquire Single Passes in advance, which do NOT count toward your three Multi Pass selections. This allows up to TWO additional Lightning Lanes in Single Pass format (for premium rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios), totaling FIVE for each day if you choose this route.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
The Lightning Lane Premier Pass does not require further planning once purchased for a single park for your visit (it only applies to one park daily). After purchase, you can go to rides without selecting times, covering all Multi Passes and Single Pass rides for that park. However, it’s the priciest option.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure lines
Lightning Lane pricing varies by day and park, and after purchasing a Multi Pass for one park, you can use it in other parks. Single Passes are limited to the specific ride purchased, and the Premier Pass is tied to the chosen park. If you’re considering Lightning Lanes, check our YouTube videos for helpful insights!
Depending on your dining choices, you may need Advance Dining Reservations. This is usually necessary for popular table-service restaurants like Cinderella’s Royal Table and ‘Ohana. However, if you plan to eat at quick-service venues (typically cheaper), reservations won’t be required.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
If you aim to dine at table-service locations, note the day that is 60 days BEFORE your vacation starts, as that’s when you can begin booking reservations. If you're not staying at a Disney hotel, you’ll need to set an alarm for each day, 60 days out, to secure reservations for your visit.
‘Ohana
If you stay at a Disney hotel or select others (like the Swan or Dolphin), you only need to wake up early ONCE since you can book for up to 60 days in advance PLUS the length of your stay (up to 10 days). Also, be prepared on the Disney World website or My Disney Experience app before the reservation window opens, which is 6AM EST daily. Sometimes, these reservations can be available even earlier (by 15-30 minutes).
You likely won’t experience everything in the parks, but you can prioritize "must-dos." If you buy Lightning Lanes, your chances of experiencing more rides can significantly improve.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Create a priority list of rides for each park, so when you complete them, you feel accomplished. If you manage extras, even better! You can find comprehensive attraction lists on our Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom pages.
Park Hoppers sound great; they allow you to visit multiple parks in a day or two. Depending on your visit timing and length, the park hopper option can add [$65-$85+ per ticket. They can be worthwhile for short trips.
EPCOT
However, they can be more trouble than they’re worth if you have enough time to fully explore each park. Before opting for a park hopper, assess how much time you want in each park and what you hope to achieve there. You may find that you prefer spending full days in one or two parks instead of dividing your time.
Animal Kingdom
You can always decide to add the park hopper option later, but remember the price won’t change. So if you upgrade on day 3 of a 5-day ticket, you’ll pay for it across all five days, making it more economical to purchase in advance if you think you may want it.
We hope these questions and tips enhance your vacation experience! If you need planning assistance, consider Small World Vacations, which has extensive experience in organizing memorable Disney trips. Their services come at no cost to you!
As you prepare for your Disney World trip, continue following DFB for more advice!
Are you planning a Disney World vacation? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post 4 VITAL Questions To Ask Yourself When Planning a 2025 Disney World Trip first appeared on the Disney Food Blog.
Continue reading...
Cinderella Castle
You need to arrange travel, hotel, park tickets, dining plans, and more. If you’re on a budget, you have to be even more mindful to keep costs in check. Expenses for travel, accommodations, food, souvenirs, and extras significantly impact your overall spending. When planning your trip, consider these four questions to help maintain your budget while accomplishing your vacation goals!
Do I want to use Lightning Lanes?
Lightning Lanes are paid options allowing you to skip lines at the parks. You can buy them in three ways: Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass. Multi Pass grants access to multiple rides, Single Pass is for one ride, and Premier Pass covers every ride at your chosen park.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Lightning Lane
With the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can select up to three Lightning Lane options before your trip. Guests at Disney-owned hotels can make these selections at 7AM EST, up to seven days before check-in (for stays of up to 14 days), while other guests can secure their first three selections three days in advance.
Inside the park, you can make more selections after using a Lightning Lane, allowing for continual new options throughout the day, ensuring you have THREE to use at any given time.
Lightning Lane at Expedition Everest
You can also acquire Single Passes in advance, which do NOT count toward your three Multi Pass selections. This allows up to TWO additional Lightning Lanes in Single Pass format (for premium rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios), totaling FIVE for each day if you choose this route.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
The Lightning Lane Premier Pass does not require further planning once purchased for a single park for your visit (it only applies to one park daily). After purchase, you can go to rides without selecting times, covering all Multi Passes and Single Pass rides for that park. However, it’s the priciest option.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure lines
Lightning Lane pricing varies by day and park, and after purchasing a Multi Pass for one park, you can use it in other parks. Single Passes are limited to the specific ride purchased, and the Premier Pass is tied to the chosen park. If you’re considering Lightning Lanes, check our YouTube videos for helpful insights!
Will I need Advance Dining Reservations?
Depending on your dining choices, you may need Advance Dining Reservations. This is usually necessary for popular table-service restaurants like Cinderella’s Royal Table and ‘Ohana. However, if you plan to eat at quick-service venues (typically cheaper), reservations won’t be required.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
If you aim to dine at table-service locations, note the day that is 60 days BEFORE your vacation starts, as that’s when you can begin booking reservations. If you're not staying at a Disney hotel, you’ll need to set an alarm for each day, 60 days out, to secure reservations for your visit.
‘Ohana
If you stay at a Disney hotel or select others (like the Swan or Dolphin), you only need to wake up early ONCE since you can book for up to 60 days in advance PLUS the length of your stay (up to 10 days). Also, be prepared on the Disney World website or My Disney Experience app before the reservation window opens, which is 6AM EST daily. Sometimes, these reservations can be available even earlier (by 15-30 minutes).
What are my top priority rides and attractions?
You likely won’t experience everything in the parks, but you can prioritize "must-dos." If you buy Lightning Lanes, your chances of experiencing more rides can significantly improve.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Create a priority list of rides for each park, so when you complete them, you feel accomplished. If you manage extras, even better! You can find comprehensive attraction lists on our Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom pages.
Do I really need a park hopper ticket?
Park Hoppers sound great; they allow you to visit multiple parks in a day or two. Depending on your visit timing and length, the park hopper option can add [$65-$85+ per ticket. They can be worthwhile for short trips.
EPCOT
However, they can be more trouble than they’re worth if you have enough time to fully explore each park. Before opting for a park hopper, assess how much time you want in each park and what you hope to achieve there. You may find that you prefer spending full days in one or two parks instead of dividing your time.
Animal Kingdom
You can always decide to add the park hopper option later, but remember the price won’t change. So if you upgrade on day 3 of a 5-day ticket, you’ll pay for it across all five days, making it more economical to purchase in advance if you think you may want it.
We hope these questions and tips enhance your vacation experience! If you need planning assistance, consider Small World Vacations, which has extensive experience in organizing memorable Disney trips. Their services come at no cost to you!
As you prepare for your Disney World trip, continue following DFB for more advice!
[COLOR=#F]DON'T GO IT ALONE![/COLOR]
Our partners at Small World Vacations are eager to assist you with booking your Disney trip or cruise efficiently and affordably.
Their agents compare the best deals to save you money, and they’ve saved clients millions since 1996. Plus, their services are FREE for you! (They are DFB's recommended travel agency for a reason, find out more here!)
Start planning your Disney World trip with a DFB-approved expert now for a no-obligation price quote, and mention that DFB referred you!
Their agents compare the best deals to save you money, and they’ve saved clients millions since 1996. Plus, their services are FREE for you! (They are DFB's recommended travel agency for a reason, find out more here!)
Start planning your Disney World trip with a DFB-approved expert now for a no-obligation price quote, and mention that DFB referred you!
Are you planning a Disney World vacation? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post 4 VITAL Questions To Ask Yourself When Planning a 2025 Disney World Trip first appeared on the Disney Food Blog.
Continue reading...