If you’re reading this, you probably know that there is more planning involved for a Disney World trip than you’ll find with many other vacations.
But, when do packages for the following year actually open up?
How far in advance can you book a Disney World vacation?
Room Only reservations
In the past, you could book Room Only reservations up to 499 days in advance, but in August 2022, that changed.
The new rule for Room Only Reservations are that you can book those out as far in advance as you can a package.
Vacation Packages
If you want to book a room reservation plus tickets, or a room reservation, tickets, and the dining plan, you’ll need to book a “package.”
Packages for the following year typically are released in the late spring or early summer – usually mid to late June, although they have been released as early as the end of February and as late as July before, too.
Historical release dates for Disney World vacation packages
- 2025 packages opened up February 27, 2024
- 2024 packages opened up May 31, 2023
- 2023 packages opened up June 8, 2022
- 2022 packages (for dates Jan 1, 2022 through July 1, 2022) opened up on February 16, 2021
- 2021 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on October 15, 2020 (for dates through December 31, 2021)
- 2021 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 24, 2020 (for dates through September 27, 2021)
- 2020 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 18, 2019
- 2019 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 19, 2018
- 2018 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 20, 2017
- 2017 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 21, 2016
- 2016 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on June 22, 2015
- 2015 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages opened up on July 30, 2014
Is booking earlier really better?
There are many reasons why people might want to book as far out as possible.
Sometimes people like to pay their vacation off a little bit at a time. The sooner the trip is booked, the sooner they can start applying payments to it.
Other times, people might want a highly sought after room category or location and in order to maximize the chances of snagging it, they book as soon as they can.
Or, maybe you’re traveling during a busy time (like the holidays) and you want to make sure you get the resort and room category you want.
And then there are people like us – we just like knowing our next trip is booked! It makes it feel more “real” and there’s nothing like seeing it in our My Disney Experience accounts when we log in.
Whatever the reason, when the packages open up, Disney’s low deposit rates make it easy for people to make reservations. Plus, their cancellation policies are quite friendly too, giving you peace of mind that if something happens, and you have to cancel, you won’t be out any money.
What happens if a discount comes out after I’ve booked?
Discounts can be applied after you’ve booked your trip.
It is relatively easy to do. Take a look at our step-by-step guide for applying discounts for info on how that works.
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Want to compare the differences in deposit and cancellation policies between room-only and package reservations? Read our post on How and When to Make All Disney World Reservations for more information.