We are planning for our Disney Vacation in 2025 and have many thoughts!
This year is shaping up to be a big one with the closure of DinoLand U.S.A., Muppet Vision 3D playing its last show, and new shows and parades coming to the parks. While we’re planning our trips, we’ve been thinking about the 6 upgrades that will change your trip!
Whether you’re going to Disney World for the first time or the 100th time, these upgrades will make your trip even better. The first upgrade to make your vacation even better is staying on property!
Staying on Disney World property simply means staying at a Disney World resort. You don’t have to stay in a Disney World hotel to go to the parks but it can give you access to extra time in the parks, water park entry, and more!
This is also a great way to stay in the “Disney Magic” if you want to make your entire vacation about the themeing and feelings of a Disney vacation! Another upgrade that can really improve your Disney trip is upgrading to a preferred room!
A preferred room in Disney World is a room that is closer to the hub of the resort, transportation, and dining or is slightly larger than other rooms at the resorts. When it comes to staying on Disney property, some options are larger than others in regards to resort size. If you’re staying at an All-Star resort for example, it might be a long walk back to your room after a fun but tough park day.
A Disney vacation typically comes with lots of walking and warm weather so any steps you can save are welcome. Being closer to transportation, food, and the lobby can be a nice help when you’ve walked 40,000 steps and just need to save your feet on your pool day. Another upgrade for 2025 is utilizing Free Disney Dining!
The Free Disney Dining Plan is back in 2025 and if you’re quick enough, you might still be able to upgrade to get your snacks and meals included. The free dining plan has a few caveats but if you’re able to grab them, it’s a great upgrade!
The free dining plan can be added to your Disney Vacation Package if it is at least 3 days and 3 nights, includes park hopper tickets, and is booked between January 2nd, 2025, and February 10th, 2025. You also need to be staying at select resorts and your trip must take place between May 27th to June 26th, 2025, and July 7th to August 6th, 2025.
If you’re able to book this deal, this is a great way to upgrade your Disney vacation to make it more like an all-inclusive trip and to reduce the stress of the post-Disney credit card bill. Another upgrade you can purchase before heading on your vacation is the Disney Memory Maker.
The Disney Memory Maker is a package you can purchase where you get all of your vacation photos that are taken by PhotoPass Cast Members around the parks. PhotoPass is something we love utilizing in Disney World especially when we’re with our family and friends.
It makes sure that every member of your group is in the photo, it’s a bit nicer than just a selfie, and they even sometimes add a touch of Disney fun with what they call “Magic Shots.”
It’s also an especially great upgrade if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip and you’re looking to save every moment. If you’re looking for something to help save time in the parks, a great upgrade will be purchasing lightning lanes!
Lightning Lanes let you skip the long attraction lines in Disney World, for a price! There are two different kinds of lightning lanes, Multi Pass and Single Pass. The Multi Pass gives you access to most of the lighting lanes in Disney World with a guaranteed 3 lines that you get to pre-select before your park day.
The Single Pass gives you access to the most popular ride in each park for an additional fee per day. Magic Kingdom actually has two right now! If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, you can book your lightning lanes 7 days in advance and if you’re not staying in a Disney hotel, you can book 3 days in advance.
Purchasing Lightning Lanes aren’t necessary to ride attractions but it does help save time and get you out of long lines in the heat of the summer. Be warned, Lightning Lanes can sell out so if you want this upgrade, you need to purchase it as soon as you can to get the best lightning lanes and time slots. Another way to remove stress from your 2025 vacation is upgrading to using a vacation planner!
If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you! This is the ultimate upgrade if you’re looking to take away the stress of planning in 2025. Finally, if you’re looking for a truly special way to make your trip even better, you can try out the special tours available at Disney World!
There are several special tours that you can book around Disney World with one of our favorites being the Wild Africa Trek. This extra-cost tour takes you behind the scenes of Kilimanjaro Safaris where you get to get closer to the animals, have a personal tour guide, and enjoy lunch on the safari.
This is a tour that is a perfect way to enjoy Disney World in a really special and unique way. Other tours like this are the Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT and the Keys to the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom.
If you’ve been to Disney several times and you’re looking to do something you’ve never done before, these are great tours to keep in mind, especially if you’re a bit of a Disney nerd like we are!
So there you have it, the 7 best upgrades you can make for your Disney in 2025! We can’t wait to see what we choose for our own trip. Don’t forget to follow AllEars for all of your Disney vacation planning tips and tricks.
Planning Your Trip to Walt Disney World
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Tell us in the comments which upgrade you love in Disney World!
I’m HOPING for a Fall 2025 for an early Birthday trip. I’ve never used lightning lanes yet but watch alot of vlogs with tips and they seem easy. We always use dining plan and Memory maker. Magic shots will make my Birthday even more magical ✨️.
Hoping FREE DINING for Fall.