When planning your Disney World vacation, there are some dates you will want to figure out well in advance, and keep track of them. Now, while some of these are not super important, some definitely are. While you may think it is crazy to plan a breakfast 6 months in advance, EVERYONE does it, and there are only so many seats at the table, so don’t dillydally. Your little princess may not be so princess like when she finds out you have to eat day old donuts for breakfast instead of eating with her favorite Disney characters.
Important dates when planning a Disney World vacation
- 499 Days – This is the furthest away you can book your resort reservation, assuming rates and packages have been released for your dates. There are times during the year when you may be inside 499 days, but you can’t book your vacation yet. If you are just booking a Walt Disney World Resort room, then you can book them 499 days in advance.
- 365 Days – This is when you can rent a golf cart at Fort Wilderness. They sell out.
- 60 Days – Probably the most important date, this is when you can book your dining reservations. If you are staying in a Disney World Resort, you can book all of your reservations for your entire stay 60 days before you check in, if you are staying off-site, you can only book reservations 180 days from the day of the reservation. 60 days in advance is also typically when you can make reservations for specialty cruises, tee-times for the Disney golf courses, boat rentals, etc.
- 60 Days – Fast Pass Plus! (Due to COVID restrictions, Fast Passes are currently not availabe to book in advance or use in the parks. Until Fast Passes return, the information in this paragraph is not accurate). You can now make your Fast Pass reservation online or on your mobile device with the use of the My Disney Experience app. Currently, you are allowed three Fast Passes per day that you can book in advance, and once those three are use, you can get another one at any fast pass kiosk in your park. Guests staying onsite, as long as you have a park pass linked to your My Disney Experience account, can make reservations for their entire stay 60 days in advance of check in. If you have an annual pass or just a normal Disney park pass, these reservations can be done 30 days in advance.
- 30 Days – At this point, if you have a Disney World package that includes your Disney Resort and park passes, your balance will be due for your trip. If you just have a room only reservation, your balance will be due at check-in. You should at this point also have your Magic Bands customized online as they will ship to you as soon as your balance is paid, and if you are taking advantage of the Magical Express airport transportation, that should be set up by now as well to give Disney time to get the necessary documents to you.
- 10 Days – By this point, you should have received your Magic Bands, Magical Express documents and Disney travel documents, and should be set to go.
Have a great trip! Feel free to use the quick date calculator below to figure out your important dates:
