If planning a Disney vacation were simple, guidebooks and Web sites like MousePlanet wouldn’t exist. Some vacation planners spend more time preparing for their trip than they actually spend on Disney property, but many don’t know about the services that the Disneyland Resort provides through their Vacation Planning department. Once you’ve scoured MousePlanet for the can’t-miss restaurants, guided tours and attractions, put Vacation Planning to work making the necessary arrangements and reservations for you. Best of all, the service is absolutely free, and they can save you time and no little amount of stress.
Vacation Planning is a service offered to guests who have booked rooms at one of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels. Your reservation confirmation will include contact information for the Vacation Planning department, and may provide a brief description of the services offered. You will need a reservation number in order to use the Vacation Planning services, but they can take calls and answer questions before you make a reservation. You can reach the department at 714-300-7526 (option 2). Vacation Planning’s services fall into two broad categoriesdining & tour reservations and in-room amenities – and you can often make all of your arrangements with one phone call.
Vacation Planning can arrange to have a bakery cake presented at a selected restaurant or delivered to your hotel room. Photo © Disney.
Dining and Tour Reservations
The Disneyland Resort has no character meal quite as popular as Cinderella’s Table at Florida’s Walt Disney World, but it is becoming increasingly necessary to plan your table service dining schedule well in advance of your trip. Same-day reservations at table service restaurants are scarce, and some popular restaurants and meals are fully booked weeks in advance of peak travel periods. You can call Vacation Planning with your list of preferred restaurants and meal times before the Priority Seating reservation window opens, and then let them handle the arrangements for you. That way, you won’t have to circle the date on your calendar, or make sure that you are available to call the Disney Dining Line right at the 60-day mark to secure a table at the Blue Bayou. The department does not guarantee that they can book your first choice of meals, but they generally have the first pick of available spots when the reservation window opens.
Vacation Planning can also help you plan a celebration meal by arranging for goodie bags at most table service restaurants, as well as booking the My Disneyland Birthday Party, Celebration Round Up and BBQ at Big Thunder Ranch or Sweetheart Dinner for Two. [These offerings will be expanded during the “What Will You Celebrate” promotion in 2009, and were previewed in a MousePlanet article on October 31, 2008 (link).] With 72-hour advance notice, they can arrange for a bakery cake to be presented at most table-service restaurants, or delivered right to your hotel room.
The Disneyland Resort currently offers several guided tours as well as Premium Viewing offerings for Fantasmic, fireworks and parades, all of which can be booked up to 30 days in advance of your visit. You can make these requests through Vacation Planning, and let them handle the tour bookings for you when the reservation window opens. Again, your choice of tour is not guaranteed, but you also don’t have to worry about trying to remember when you’re supposed to call in to book your tour.
Vacation Planning offers a decorated Christmas tree and Christmas stockings for hotel guests. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
In-Room Amenities
In-room amenities may be the least-known part of the Vacation Planning service, but offers the most flexibility in making your hotel stay special. Vacation Planning offers a selection of Disney-themed amenities and gift baskets, starting at $35, with options for everyone from babies to adults. One of the most popular selections is “Mickey’s Unbirthday Cake” is a collection of 10 chocolate bars, arranged in a circle like a birthday cake, topped with a Happy Birthday ear hat and presented with a Happy Birthday name badge. For $62, you can send a Mickey and Minnie’s Wedding Toast to a honeymoon couple, and surprise them with Bride and Groom ears and a chocolate champagne bottle. Other offerings include bath baskets for children, spa baskets for adults and pirate- and princess-themed baskets for all ages.
Many people first learn about the Vacation Planning department when preparing for a holiday visit to the Disneyland Resort, as this is the department responsible for the in-room Christmas trees and stockings available for purchase. The three-foot trees are decorated with a different Disney theme each year, and can be boxed up and carried or shipped home after your visit. Christmas stockings are also available, with gift assortments offered for children and adults.
Vacation Planning limits their offering to about 20 pre-designed options during the peak travel season, but during the off season offers more opportunity to customize and personalize the amenities For those who want something completely original, personal shopping and basket design services are available for an extra fee.
The Disneyland Resort does not offer an on-site florist, but Vacation Planning contracts with selected vendors around the Anaheim area to provide flower and balloon deliveries to the Resort hotels. The department also coordinates with room service to offer holiday food amenities, including a popular Christmas Eve snack of milk and cookies. Couples will also be able to book the in-room Sweetheart Dinner for Two package through Vacation Planning as part of the “What Will You Celebrate” promotion.
Upon checking in at your Disneyland Resort hotel, you will receive a personalized itinerary detailing all of the arrangements made through Vacation Planning, giving you a single reference for all of your Priority Seating and tour arrangements, as well as confirming any amenities to be delivered.
