Very Best Time To Visit Disney World In 2021
Do you know what the best time is to visit Disney World?
Planning a visit to the happiest place on Earth is always an exciting experience. And finding the best deals, tips, and tricks to make each theme park adventure is everything ThemeParkHipster is about.
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While youre searching for discounted theme park tickets, and taking advantage of free Walt Disney World dining, have you considered when you should book your vacation?
Can I Start Planning Our Trip Later
Of course! While its always best to book early, sometimes we dont know our schedules until later in the year. The key thing to keep in mind is that the closer you are to travel, the more flexible youll need to be with your plans.
Here are some key dates to keep in mind:
- Walt Disney World Resort dining reservations begin 180 days before arrival.
- Disneyland Resort dining reservations begin 60 days before arrival.
- FastPasses for Walt Disney World Resort vacations open up 60 days in advance for Disney Resort hotel guests and 30 days in advance for off-site guests.
- Onboard activity and Port Adventure reservations for first-time Disney Cruise Line guests begin 75 days before sailing. For repeat cruisers, these reservations open up 90-120 days before sailing.
Availability for hotels, staterooms, dining reservations, FastPasses, and Adventures by Disney itineraries are all dependent on how early you book your trip. Again, I recommend working with a vacation planner who specializes in Disney to coordinate your plans and make sure your experience is everything you want it to be.
How Far In Advance Should I Book My Disney Vacation
Q: How far in advance should I book my Disney vacation?
To get through the winter, most of us our setting our sites on sunnier climes and perhaps even a visit to one of Disneys amazing destinations. So when should you start planning and/or booking your Disney getaway? It varies a bit from destination to destination but when it comes to Disney, I generally advise clients the earlier the better. However, for those looking for a few more specifics, heres some general guidelines on booking at Walt Disney World, with Disney Cruise Line or at Disneyland in California.
Walt Disney World
Let me first preface this by saying that there is no wrong time to book a Disney stay. I have booked last-minute visits for clients who had just as much fun as those that booked months in advance. However, if I were to pick the best time, I would say AT LEAST six month ahead of time. Especially during peak periods like Spring Break, Summer Break, Food and Wine Festival, Halloween and Christmas, Walt Disney World resorts can fill up fast. This means that you may not get the resort or room category that you were looking for.
Walt Disney World packages are currently available to book through until the end of 2017.
Disney Cruise Line
Disneyland
Images copyright Disney.
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When Is The Best Time To Visit Disney World
Our Disney Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.
Last but not least if youre also planning a trip to Universal Studios, be sure to check out the best time to visit Universal Studios and our Universal Orlando Tickets! All Park Prodigy Universal Orlando tickets come with Universal Studios Early Park Admission.
Are you planning on visiting Walt Disney World? Or have you visited in the past? Would you like to share your experiences and tips? Do you have any questions for The Park Prodigy? Hearing your feedback and helping with your questions is not only our goal but will help other readers! Please leave your thoughts and questions in the comments!
How Do You Plan A Trip To Disney World On A Budget Work With A Travel Agent
Our number one tip to staying at a Disney resort on a budget will always be to work with a travel agent. An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is an expert on all things Walt Disney World. They are able to book your vacation at a great price, all at no extra cost to you.
Perhaps the biggest reason why we recommend working with a travel agent is that your travel agent will be hyper-focused on working within your budget. They can find you an amazing deal on a vacation and ensure that you are not going over budget, saving you money in the process. Your Authorized Disney Vacation Planner will also be able to be on the lookout for all of the Disney Resort hotel discounts that become available before you leave for your trip.
Related: You can buy Disney Parks tickets at Samâs Club for as low as $42 per day
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How Do You Get The Disney Discount If You Already Booked A Trip
Another common question that upcoming Disney World Guests ask this: If Disney releases a hotel or vacation package discount after you have already booked a trip, can you still get the discount?
The answer is, yes! As long as the discount is valid for your resort hotel, length of stay, and travel dates and as long as there is availability you can apply a Disney discount to your trip. You can do this by calling the Walt Disney Travel Company directly. Or, as we highly recommend, your travel agent can take care of applying the discount to your reservation for you.
A Complete List Of Disney World Restaurants & Dining Events That Accept Reservations
Okay, so you know when you need to make your Disney dining reservations. How do you decide which restaurants to aim for? We decided to go an extra step to aid your Disney dining reservations.
Our list of Disney restaurants indicates which theme park restaurants are located in , which offer character dining, which are temporarily unavailable due to COVID, and which restaurants are hot commodities.
Below is a spreadsheet of every Disney World restaurant that accepts reservations. Our list of Disney restaurants indicates which theme park restaurants are located in , which offer character dining, which are temporarily unavailable due to COVID, and which restaurants are hot commodities. .
Before you launch in, here’s a legend for our spreadsheet since I got a little emoji happy:
= Offers character dining
= Restaurant is located in a on-property resort
= Dining Event
= Restaurant or event is temporarily unavailable due to COVID
You can see for yourself:
Our Disney dining calculator and spreadsheet are a dynamic duo. Together, they’ll help you prioritize and book your Disney dining reservations.
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Ready To Book Choose An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
We recommend working with an . Disney bestows this award on only a limited number of agencies in the country the few that have proven themselves in terms of exceptional customer service and sales volume. Knowing this, why work with unproven travel agencies when a Disney-approved Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? They are the best in the business and 100% free to use!
So lets to make this clear. When you book with a Disney travel planner, youll be speaking with a Disney expert who will answer your questions and steer you in the right direction. Your Disney travel agent will also find you the best possible rates. Furthermore, after you decide on what to do and where to stay, then your dedicated agent will book all aspects of your Disney vacation for you. Yes, you still get to call the shots. However, you wont have the hassle of booking everything yourself. No headaches and no stress.
How often do you get this level of service for free?! Probably NEVER! Theres really no downside to using a good, no-commission Disney travel planner on your next trip.
Have we convinced you? If so, then contact one today. You wont regret it!
Have a magical Disney World vacation!
Do You Have A Particular Disney Resort In Mind
With over 25 resorts at Walt Disney World, at a variety of price levels, there are many places to stay on property at Walt Disney World. Are you looking for something fun that feels like Disney, as an All-Star Resort? Or something more relaxed and island-like like Caribbean Beach Resort? Perhaps you want glamourous accommodations at the Grand Floridian or animal viewing from your room at Animal Kingdom Lodge? Maybe youre hoping for tons of ease and convenience and want a resort within walking distance of Hollywood Studios Park and EPCOT? Maybe check out the Boardwalk Inn? Think about which resort will make your Disney Vacation feel special.
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Disney Vacation Club Points: Gifting Them To Your Children
Even if you tire of visiting Walt Disney World as you age and your children grow up, youll find DVC useful in the future. For example, you can give vacations to your family and friends whenever you dont plan to use your DVC points before they expire.
Also, you can deed or will your ownership to your children when youve decided that you wont be using it anymore. Imagine the joy youll one day bring to your grandchildren when they experience their dream vacation.
How Can I Be Sure I Get The Best Price
When booking early, its natural to wonder if youll miss out on a discount. As a concierge vacation planner specializing in Disney destinations, one of the services I offer my clients is Price Watch. If a discount is released at a later date that applies to your reservation, I contact Disney on your behalf and automatically adjust your rate.
For Disney Cruise Line, pricing increases as the ships fill up. In most cases youll find the best pricing as soon as the Fall/Winter itineraries are released.
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How To Use Our Disney Reservation Calculator
Pretty snazzy, eh? Our Disney planning calculator will alert you to the earliest dates you can book lodging, dining, and tours/events. It will also tell you deadlines for purchasing Memory Maker at a discount and customizing your FastPass+ and Magic Band.
Our calculator will alert you to the earliest dates you can book lodging, dining, events and more. It will also tell you deadlines for purchasing Memory Maker at a discount and customizing your FastPass+ and Magic Band.
If youre a travel agent, you can use the calculator to book on behalf of your client or you can direct your client to the calculator so they can make their own Disney dining reservations. If youre booking for yourself, then have at it!
How do you use it? You can use it in five easy peasy steps:
1. Enter Disney arrival date: For this date, you’ll enter the check-in date. .
2. Enter the Trip Name: This is especially helpful if you’re an agent booking multiple Disney itineraries. That when, when you receive our email with a list of booking dates, it will be attached to a trip name. Speaking of which . . .
3. Wait for an email from us: We highly recommend getting these dates in an email. If you requested a follow-up email, we’ll send one out with all the info listed on the calculator.
Create calendar alerts: This is especially important for your highest demand bookings
4. Book those baddies!
Okay, fabo. You know when you need to book your restaurant, but what are the options? Read on:
Use Mobile Ordering To Skip Food Lines
Rides and shows arent the only places where Disney has created a way to skip the line its true for most food orders, too. While mobile ordering was a suggestion prior to the pandemic, it has become virtually the only way to order at many Disney World counter service restaurants now. That may change when pandemic restrictions are lifted, but there really is no better time to familiarize yourself with ordering food with the My Disney Experience app.
Pretty much all quick-service restaurants offer whats called mobile ordering through the My Disney Experience app.
The process is simple: When youre starting to get hungry, load up your My Disney Experience app, order food at the quick-service restaurant of choice and then pick up the food at the counter when its ready. You order and pay in the app and never have to wait in line for your Dole Whip from Aloha Isle, barbecue from Regal Eagle Smokehouse, hot dogs from Caseys Corner or breakfast wraps from Ronto Roasters.
These days, you are wise to order well in advance of when you actually hope to sit down with food. Expect hefty delays to order food on busy park days.
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Disney Vacation Club Is It Worth Your Time Pros & Cons
So is Disney Vacation Club worth it? We dive into the pros and cons of membership to find out. Includes cost, resale by owner, reviews and rentals.
Disney Vacation Club is a Disney time-share program that comes with a ton of perks, including the ability to rent out your timeshares when you arent visiting a Disney property. Today, we are looking into the pros and cons of purchasing Disney Vacation Club points.
If you plan on visiting Disney more than once a year, and for a substantial amount of time with your family, Disney Vacation Club has probably come across your radar once or twice.
Disneyland Resort In California
Also known as The Happiest Place on Earth, Californias Disneyland Resort includes two amazing Theme Parks: Disney California Adventure Park, which features the 12-acre Cars Land, and Disneyland Park, Walt Disneys original theme park, bursting with timeless attractions and beloved Disney Characters. Shoppers and diners are well-catered to here, as both parks are packed with unique shops and themed restaurants. Guests wont want to miss World of Color, Disney California Adventure Parks outdoor nighttime show. This impressive, fanciful display features projected film clips on an immense water screen, accompanied by momentous music and fire, fountain, fog and laser effects. Of course, no visit to Disneyland Park would be complete without catching a spectacular fireworks display a park tradition since 1956.
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The 50th Anniversary Is Here
From Oct. 1, Disney World will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park opening.
This has noticeably increased demand for hotels, park pass reservations and pretty much everything related to Disney World. With Remys Ratatouille Adventure, a much anticipated new attraction at Epcot, debuting on Oct. 1, and the normal crowds for the Food & Wine Festival, expect Epcot to be even more crowded than normal.
All the parks will have celebrations going on for the golden anniversary. The Magic Kingdom has received a castle makeover ahead of the big date. But dont worry if now is not the time for you to head to Disney the celebration is scheduled to last into 2023.
Since park pass reservations are already in a sold-out state for the start of the celebration, you may want to wait a bit if youre trying to avoid crowds and increased pricing on hotels.
Walt Disney World Vacation Packages
Want to book a vacation to Walt Disney World? Whether you’re off for a romantic vacation, family trip, or an all-inclusive holiday, Walt Disney World vacation packages on Tripadvisor make planning your trip simple and affordable.
Find the perfect vacation package for Walt Disney World on Tripadvisor by comparing Walt Disney World hotel and flight prices. Travelers like you have written 214,434 reviews and posted 55,373 candid photos for Walt Disney World hotels. Book your Walt Disney World vacation today!
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How To Book A Disney World Vacation
No matter how you book your Disney World vacation, if you are staying on property in a Disney-owned resort, you are eligible for all onsite benefits.
The tricky thing is that things like discounts and modifications work differently depending on the method you used to secure your reservation.
To help, were going to take a look at the 4 most common ways people book their Disney World trips.
Well show you the pros and cons of each and then top it off with a handy comparison chart so you can easily see which way makes the most sense for you.
Important note: Hopefully if youre at the point where youre ready to book youve already looked over our Disney World Vacation Planner. If you havent, jump over there and check it out first because it has all the important things you need to think about before you click that book now button.
Disney’s Dining Reservation Policy During Covid
Pre-COVID Disney guests used to be able to book dining reservations 180 day in advance. But now, all guests are able to make their Disney dining reservations 60 days in advance.
If youre staying in the park at a Disney resort, you can book 60 days out plus 10 days into your total trip.
But those staying on property still get an added advantage: If youre staying on-property , you can book 60 days out plus 10 days into your total trip. This means you’ll have a better shot at Disney’s most popular restaurants if you book them out a little later into your trip.
If you’re staying off property, you can only book 60 days out, exactly. This means no booking ahead for your entire trip if you want to take full advantage of the 60 day lead time.
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