Most holidays you need to book your flights, hotel, car hire and maybe the odd trip in advance. A trip to Walt Disney World is NOT one of those holidays. You can rock up with nothing pre-booked and have a great time. But with a bit of planning in advance, you can have the trip of a life time.
Why book Fastpass+ in advance
No matter what time of year you are visiting Walt Disney World, it is going to be busy. It is worth accepting before you go that you will spend lots of time in queues and that there will be a lot of other people there.
There are also going to be lots of people that would like to visit the same attractions as your family. With that in mind, if you want to take advantage of Fastpass+ for the most popular rides and therefore significantly reduce the time you will be waiting, you need to book these as soon as you are able to.
Read lots more about Fastpass+, including when to book, here.
Why and when to book Dining in advance.
No matter what time of year you are visiting Walt Disney World, it is going to be busy. It is worth accepting before you go that there will be a lot of other people there (it bears repeating!)
There are also going to be lots of people that would like to eat in the same places as your family. Therefore if you want to eat at the most popular restaurants (or in high season, at almost any sit-down restaurant) you need to book them in advance.
Restaurants become available to book 180 days (roughly six months) in advance of either a) the date you wish to book for or b) the start of your holiday if you are staying at a Walt Disney World hotel. The most popular will book up immediately.