Deadlines For Disney

Most people look at how far in advance we're planning this trip and they figure that it's pretty early to be making arrangements.  At this point we have more than 600 day till we should be walking into the front gates.  Planning a Disney trip this far in advance isn't really that unthinkable.  Not only is it fun to plan, not only is there lots to think about, but Disney actually starts its reservation dates fairly far in advance.  You also have to be careful if you have specific plans as certain meals and hotels can sell out long before you arrive.

There are a few important dates one must keep in mind when booking your Disney vacation.  The first is actually starting to creep up on us right now.  500 days before you want to stay at Disney World, you can reserve your resort room.  At this point you can put down a deposit and be sure you'll stay in the resort you want.  I'm not sure, but I think you can change your mind and switch resorts, however there are no guarantees that you'll get the other room.

After the 500th day, you get a bit of breathing room.  The next important day is 180 days before your trip starts.  This is probably the most important day for making your plans and reservations, particularly for popular restaurants and special added attractions.  At the 180th day you can make all of your restaurant reservations and extra attraction reservations.  If you're staying outside of the park grounds then you'll have to call 180 days before each of the days you want to book something.  However if you're staying at an official resort you can make all of your reservations on the same day for up to 10 days into your trip.

I've read stories that many restaurants will fill up within minutes of the phone lines opening for reservations.  So by day 180 you want to have an idea about some of the extra attractions and popular restaurants you might want to visit.  Disney also announces many of the expected closures and extra park hours at the 180 day mark.

After day 180 we really only have to worry about getting there.  Since we're driving from Canada the whole way, we have to plan our route and book hotels accordingly.  Then we just have to leave and make it to Florida on time.