Hi Elizabeth! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
Park hours and
Extra Magic Hours are shown on the
calendar for dates up to 180 days out. Please keep in mind park hours are subject to change in the weeks and months leading up to your vacation. Usually when I have noticed an update to the calendar after park hours have been released, it is because one or more parks are opening earlier and/or staying open later. More park time is a great thing! If park hours change on a day when Extra Magic Hours are scheduled, the Extra Magic Hours will be adjusted earlier or later as well.
Some Guests truly enjoy the excitement and anticipation of planning their itinerary as far in advance as possible.
Dining reservations may be made up to 180 days in advance.
FastPass+ reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance, or 60 days in advance for
Disney Resort Hotel Guests.
If there are any particular experiences that are on your "must-do" list, I would reserve those as far in advance as possible. There are a few dining locations and FastPass+ experiences that are very popular and reservations might be hard to come by. That being said, it is totally possible to have a magical vacation without planning that far in advance. Often, I do not make ANY dining reservations in advance of my trip. I'll use the
My Disney Experience mobile app to search for an available table. I have discovered wonderful meals this way! There are many dining locations that will have same day availability, especially those outside the Theme Parks. I find taking a break to dine at a Resort Hotel offers a quiet, relaxing respite from the hubbub of the parks. There also plenty of unique and delicious
Quick-Service dining options, no reservations necessary! With a little flexibility, I can usually also find FastPass+ reservations for my favorite attractions just a day or two in advance, even scoring same-day FastPass+ reservations for popular attractions such as
Slinky Dog Dash,
Avatar Flight of Passage and
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Whether you are an
advance planner or prefer to go with the flow, you can have a wonderful trip either way!
Please let us know if you have any additional questions as you
plan your vacation. We are always happy to help.
Anne Marie